http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport...ce_warns_sunderland_of_wigan_threat_1_4003037 Bruce warns Sunderland of Wigan threat STEVE Bruce has warned his Sunderland players that Wigan will not be fazed at being cast adrift at the foot of the Premier League. Top flight basement boys Wigan head to the Stadium of Light tomorrow five points adrift of safety and without a win since August. But Bruce insists Sunderland must give his former employers full respect if the Wearsiders are to get the three points which would hoist the Black Cats back into mid-table. âJust because Wigan are bottom doesnât mean we can take them lightly,â Bruce told the Echo. âTheyâve been in the Premier League for six years now and theyâve developed the experience to handle the pressure situations like these. âTheyâve been punching above their weight for years and itâs nothing new to them to find themselves near or at the bottom. âWhen I took over there as manager â at around about the same time of the season â people were saying they were all but relegated but we stayed up quite comfortably and that just demonstrates thereâs a long way to go in the season and still a lot of change to be expected in league positions. âWigan have a really tough sequence of fixtures coming up after this weekend â so that will give them the perfect incentive to want to do particularly well at our place tomorrow. âBut this is a game that weâre looking to win, that our fans are looking for us to win and we need to produce the sort of play weâre capable of now to start building up our points base. âWeâre a bit like Fulham below us in that I think we are better than our league position indicates, but we need to go out there in these next few games and get over the line and get the three points, starting with Wigan tomorrow. âIâm looking forward to the game because itâs a good opportunity for us and I want the players to go out there and be positive.â Bruce insists, though, that that licence to attack does not mean Sunderland throwing caution to the wind. He said: âI was a bit concerned about our last quarter of an hour against Fulham when we lost our shape and discipline throwing absolutely everything at them. âWe were caught out at the back a couple of times and it could have cost us the point we took from the game. âThe Wigan game is one we want to and need to win but itâs also important that we donât panic and that we keep our patience. âItâs completely understandable when the crowd are roaring them on that the players want to get forward constantly and attack but we also need to watch our shape and our discipline. âWe have to get the balance right between being positive and patient this weekend because Wigan wonât make it easy for us and will be out to take something from the game. âBut as long as we keep our heads, play our best football and have a positive attitude, weâll be fine and will hopefully get the win that lifts everyone.â Shouldnt he saying to the players "go out there and batter them, Wigan are relagation fodder and god only know how they managed to stay up all this time!" thats what I would say anyways. maybe too much time playing footy manager
It's the right thing to say tbh. Players can look at Wigan slowly dying at the bottom of the table and get over-confident. They then take them on, underestimate them and cock the game up.
Just wish those 2 who backed Bruce could come week in week out and watch this ****...maybe they might have a different view.
Another relevant point I think is that the premier tier is no longer '3 leagues'. We used to have the top 6, the bottom 6, and the middle table clubs. These last two seasons have seen a great evening up (outsideof the top 6). There's not much at all I don't think between the 14 teams outside of the top 6. So, literally any 3 fom 14 could conceivaby go down. 40 points seems a long way off for us at the moment. But the other 13 teams will be saying exactly the same
One of my favorite members posts again..wish you would do more so mate... Another post that hits the nail on the head.
If he had came out and said that Wigan are an easy team to beat, I'm sure that the people who are against him would have accused him of being too complacent, so I think he is in somewhat of a no win situation right now, and the ony way out of it is for the team to start winning games..
He could have said nothing....or talked about our team for a chane, try to give the lads a bit of motivation
I would hope that what he says in front of the press and behind closed doors are very different. Everything in training this week should be about making the best of what we have got and exposing the weaknesses at Wigan, and all about forcing our superiority home ................. yes its about shape and discipline, but that should already be established. This weekend is about giving heart and sole and much more PASSION on the pitch, putting fear into the hearts of Wigan players every time we get the ball, about the sort of football that has the crowd out of their seats and roaring the team on. Its time we had a party!!!
He'll do that in the dressing room. Why would you use the media to communicate with your own team of players?
To let the fans know. Id much rather hear something about how we're gonna have a right go at wigan than hear some ****e about how we need be wary of them. big the players up in the press and maybe, just maybe the fans will start beleiving it too. Alas, i think its too late for brucie to do even that.
2 points. 1. What you say to your players and what you say to the media are 2 completely different things. Its right that he should warn the players not to be complacent and get them well prepared but also has to fill them with belief and ambition. To the fans, we just want to hear some positive messages not another Bruce ****ting himself and getting his excuses in exercise. He needs to tell us that he believes we can win this game and SHOULD win this game but instead its as if he is preparing us in case we dont. His whole personna is one of fear and dread of defeat and not a positive message about winning. 2. Wigan are ****e. Lets not try to build them up to be anything other than utter ****e. 7 defeats out of 8 tells me they are what we were under Mick Mac, a hard working team with spirit but no class and the EPL's whipping boys. If we fail to beat them and convincingly, we cannot begin to call ourselves an improved and progressive club. Bruce says we are improving year on year (something i do dispute but thats another argument) so therefore beating teams like Wigan should be called a given. As for the 2 twats and that bint in their nice warm studio I say this. Get off your lazy fat journalist arses and come and watch this ****e we have been watching for 10 months now and see how many home failures we have had to contend with and then say everything is still okay. The only people that think all is well are those form outside the area or who dont go to watch it. The rest of who do know its a busted flush.
If we're frightened of this ****e we'll never play more than one striker up front again! Three points or bye bye Brucie.
Bruce brings on 2 strikers in the last quater of an hour to go 4-3-3 and wonders why we 'lost our formation' throwing everything at Fulham shocker! So concerned he was, that with 2 mins to go he brought on the second of two strikers! Are there any limits to the wisdom of our manager?
TBH I cant see what he is saying wrong, show respect but we must win and not fall asleep last 15 minutes, seems about right to me.
Syd its not that its wrong as gung-ho isnt the answer but its just Bruces doom and gloom and negative thinking that is ripping through the club. Even under Mick McCarthys disasterous season we went out and gave it a go every game. That we were just not good enough in the end is fact but this team/squad is far better than that one and is achieving very similar same results. I want him to be professional with his team and make sure they are well prepared but for the fans i want to hear a Henry V type of rallying call from my manager, throwing down the gauntlet to Wigan and telling them we will win because we are better. Wigan are not Man Utd or City who would punish us for being dso bold, they are a relegated team already who are the leagues whipping boys. If we cant be confident and say so openly against them then whats the point of all of this?
Like we nearly did. Thank god for Cabaye <phew> I dont see much to disagree with Bruce here apart from him shamelessly trying to claim "Wigan were relegation certs until I took over"
