Well, here we are, the morning after the day before and TBH it does not feel any better. That said I'm not sure that I fancy a day and week of seeing how many ways we can all say Bruce out, MON/Mark Hughs in, we are poor and I'm pissed off. This BTW is not a Bruce in post either, its a lets face it post I suppose. I think we can be fairly certain that next Saturday it will be Steve Bruce who leads us out against Wigan, I know that's a queue for well he shouldn't but I'm sure, right or wrong, he will be. Yesterday we played Fulham and Wigan played Blackburn with both managers and sets of players saying they where must win games, well they both failed on that score. If yesterday was must win next Saturday is must win well, for both teams. I'm not even thinking of suggesting we look at the team we think Bruce will start with, after yesterday that seems a totally fruitless exercise. However we do have one bright and positive area, our defence. Westwood again looked a class act yesterday and seems to have instilled confidence into the back 4. I think the Brown Turner pairing is starting to look solid and whoever we have at full back they look good to me, in a game without real stars I thought O'Shea had his best game for us yesterday. I would stick with yesterdays starting back 4 and would be confident that Wigan would not score so that would be objective one sorted. Midfield must see Larsson return to the right and Sess back on the left, doubt number 1 in Bruces selection, would he really persist with Sess up front, surely not. In the middle I thought Catts had a good game yesterday, again stressing in a game without stars, so I would keep Catts in. Final place I and I'm sure most of you would say Gardner, proven premier midfielder who cost us 6 mil, it would seem a no brain-er. Bruce seems to think differently but Gardner, Vaughan or even Richardson but please lets have an attacking midfield player. Up front, Bruce says, is our main problem, we cant score and need a striker, big nail in coffin Steve, we had 2, Ji and Noble but neither started, one must next weekend and that one, for me, must be Noble. Bendtner's body language I have seen before in Bent then Gyan, he is not far away from saying **** this I'm off. He will stay around if he is given a proper partner, Ji looked light weight but in 7 minutes, that's all the poor bugger had, 7 minutes Noble looked more threatening than the others had done in 86 minutes, give the lad a proper chance. Do that and IMO Bruce can take some pressure off and we can all have a good weekend, stick with yesterday lets not lose tactics and we wont lose but a dull 0-0 will kill of the one or two who still hope, me included.
Think av just seen on MoTD that Wigan have lost their last 8 matches. Without doubt it should be 9 after next week but were talking SAFC here, so not a foregone conclusion. Get Elmo out, similar to hendo in that he is sh*t scared to tackle, get larsson back in and, if ever there was a team to play a minimum of 2 upfront at home it must be next weekend. If he plays 4-4-1-1 I will consider not renewing my season ticket whilst SB is in control. I want SB to succeed but my faith is waning.
I thought yesterday was quite a good game, and I watched it online. On any other day either team could have won, so a draw was a fair result, and Fulham are no mugs. I had predicted a dire 0-0 draw and the game was anything but dire. But the doom and gloom on here is unbelievable and must be spreading to the players. I am sticking my neck out and will say that we will win well next week. I genuinely cannot see us losing, but if we do I think it will be the end for SB - but MON as a replacement? I sincerely hope not, but if it is I will totally get on the nerves of the MiBs, like the BoBs are getting on mine. Off to play golf now - you all have a nice day. Bart
Watched it last night and like Bart thought we played okay but, as the game went on it looked more and more like the barcodes game this season loads of pressure and attempts but zero goals. The defence is not too bad mind you they had very little to do yesterday, keeper as well is starting to make the no.1 shirt his. Midfield again okay but, lacked any sort of bite and in the second half looked scared to go forward. Up front is going to be our downfall, old news but the abject failure to replace Bent will haunt us this season. Gyan was never a prolific goalscorer so we should be able to replace him in January. One positive from yesterday the lads played right up to the final whistle, it's just a pity Bruce seemed to have gave up after half time.
bruce was telling the plaers to hold for the draw and stopped the defenders going up for the last corner ....
I agree with the point about Noble but I don't think Bentdner is anywhere near as good as he thinks. Don't get me wrong, he's a decent striker but I don't think he's going to be a prolific goalscorer
he is more of the jones mould though which is why everyone is annoyed when ruce sticks him up there on his own at home and clearly tells him to drift back/wide
I dont fault the players at all, not one of them including Elmo. They worked hard and gave their best and thats all we can ask, they also looked scared at times, Elmo in particular. The truth, in my eyes, is Sess is not a striker so try as he may he will get frustrated. Elmo may well become a class player but right now he aint, again try as he may he cant do better than his best and thats not good enough right now. Bendtner I think is a good player but not on his own, far to many times he was on the wing to cross a good ball, try as he may he could not get on the end of his cross and nobody else tried. A early goal would have changed everything, Noble on from the start, I think, may have got us that goal, its what he does.
Elmo didnt seem to want the ball though he didnt run on when he passed it and towards the end Catts and westwood both saw him in space and passed it somewhere else hegave the ball away 27 times in the game today
We've all said that Sess isn't a striker from pre season syd but, Bruce being the stubborn get he is will keep him there. Not sure Noble on from the start would have made a difference though but, definitely on for the full second half to at least give him a fair crack of the whip.
Watched MOTD last night. How the **** did Blackburn get away withe the corner that never was? Cheating bastards. I think that ref might be in the kaka over that like.
After yesterday's performance mate he may well be cast upon those poor buggers in the championship. You couls see it on his face when he realised what had happened. "Oh ****, what have I done?"
Bendtner looked great when we played 4-4-2... He looks poor when we play 4-5-1 and we cannot expect him to do it all can we? Well except Steve Bruce ofcourse. Bendtner won't be able to display the best of his abilities aslong as Bruce persists with 4-5-1 and the longer Bruce does persist with 4-5-1 the more pissed off Bendtner will become, possibly to such an extent that he won't be bothered anymore. Darren Bent and Asamoah Gyan ring any bells? Welbeck couldn't wait to get home... Is there a common variable that might be a problem here? It couldn't possibly be Steve Bruce the 4-5-1 man himself? Bendtner is an excellent striker if played in a team that is set-up to attack and here we have the fundamental problem with Bruce.. he has brought some very good players to the club, but his tactics and strategy undermine their talents. Bruce is a second rate manager whose only notable 'achievement' is to have relegated Birmingham.
