This wasn't Bruce's fault. It was Mike Ashley's. Let's make no mistake though Raffa left to go to China for money, it sure as **** wasn't to add a Chinese super league title to his resume. This myth of him not breaking contracts was shown to be that when he quit as manager of the COVID Crew X1. Raffa's football was ****, his transfers were ****, and he was always looking for one up on Mike with the fan base, to try and get his own way. He is the most political manager I've ever known. One thing about Raffa though was he had players well drilled. They knew their roles and what they were doing and they had a self belief and a confidence. This has been undone by Bruce and his coaching team. However he had the fan base on his side not because we thought he was great but because he dared to stand up to Ashley and he used words such as ambition. Bruce however used his mates in the media to hide behind. Had an equally **** record as Raffa but blamed everybody and eveything other than himself. He was a ****ing lying ****ebag and there's the difference. The fact that Amanda Staveley has been to the ****ing training ground about as often as the players in the last 2 weeks shows how unprofessional the place has become. By October players who never played in the Euro's should not be gassed after 20 minutes. Bruce set his stall out early, tried to get the players onside by promising them all1st team football and then mish mashing a team of players out of position just to keep them onside and friendly with him. It somehow worked at the end of last season with the Murphy, Ritchie wing back roles but has been a disaster since day one this year. If Jamal is not comfortable playing in a back 4 and feels he needs 2 players either side to protect his weaknesses then he should have been dropped. If Joelinton was not performing he should have been dropped regardless of price, same with Ritchie, same with Murphy, same with Willock and Longstaff. It's been game time for the boys though and this tactic of hoof it to ASM and hope he can dribble past 9 players on his own has been sussed out all season. He's gone. We move on and I'm sure Bruce will too.
Here's the thing. If we remove Twitter from the equation, what harsh treatment did he get? According to Bruce, he got letters and wherever he went were well-wishers. So remove Twitter - which is cancer - from the mix and what is there? He eventually got chanted against in the stadium but by the time people were allowed in, we were ****ing abysmal. He lashed out when people asked "why are you going on holiday when everything is utter crap?" or when anyone said "where's the tactics/identity?". All this crap about he was never given a chance - every manager has a chance to change things around. Nobody at West Ham wanted Moyes back, he's done a good job and turned it around. Nobody at Everton wanted Rafa, he's gradually winning them over. Everybody was treating Ole "harshly" last night by half time, in the end he turned it around. All of these people have the ability to focus on their job, ignore social media and work hard to get results. Steve Bruce instead chose to be lazy. He chose Cheshire over Newcastle. He chose to play bad tactics and players out of position, he chose to give them constant time off, he chose not to create a style or an identity. He chose to be himself and stay stuck in the 90's. None of this is on the fans. If he came in with new ideas, fitness regimes, humility and awareness then the fans would have come around. That he feels he can just be a lazy fecker, picking up £50k a week, with no ideas and everyone will laud him because he was born in ****ing North Shields then he's a bigger idiot than I thought he was.
I agree. Just like I think City, for all their money, are a 'smaller' team than Man U, Liverpool and even Everton, Newcastle, Leeds, etc. They always will be, to me. And we (NUFC) in turn will always be smaller than Liverpool and Man U, regardless of wealth. You cannot change what has happened since 1880, nearly 150 years of glorious history and football memories. History is etched in stone and nothing will ever change that. Munich, Busby, Best, Ferguson - Shankly, Hillsborough, Dalglish - that's part of our fabric. Not ****ing Mansour (or MBS, or Roman) and his ****ing infinite oil wealth, that's got **** all to do with anything. Man U could get relegated through some weird turn of fate, they'd still be the biggest club in this country.
Without going down the attendances debate. It would be interesting to see theirs if they ever went down. Can't see the tourists flocking to Old Trafford for a midweek tie against a championship team.
Yup, like the Spurs team to win the first domestic double in 61 and the Spurs team in 63 that became the first British team to win a European trophy. etched in stone
I disagree, mate. I think Man U have a very large dedicated following, it's foolish to think they don't. Just because they have thousands of plastic fans doesn't erase the fact they were untouchable in the 90's. We can't peacock around with it either - we're a one club City and although fiercely loyal have to remember that, else it just gets thrown in our face. Ultimately we're top 10 in terms of the big club debate. 5 years from today, if PIF are serious, then we can cement top 6 comfortably. We'll never be top 2.
Anyone got any gossip today? Rumours and ****? I'm well up for those now. What I'm NOT liking is Lampard coming in quickly today to 5/1. Of everyone linked, he is right at the ****ing bottom.
They do have a big fan base, without a doubt. I Just don't think the majority are from Manchester these days and can't see them selling out games in the championship.
Actually if we are talking history then Man U and Liverpool used to be smaller than Newcastle. Times move on and things change. They both became super successful huge clubs and are well ahead now but given time again other clubs could overtake that. That’s how history is made. Even Sunderland were bigger than them back in time.
