I am taking nothing away from PB, he was the guy who first got us to the premier league. However if you compare our recruitment process under Bruce and Allam it is light years ahead of Duffen and Brown. We are getting good players in, we are getting them in early and paying them appropriately (it would seem) We also have players wanting to play with us because of Steve Bruce. Last time around players demanded high salaries (and got them) primarily because they didn't feel the same pull towards the club We are in for a cracking season, hopefully the first of many
Our first few signings weren't that bad. Geo, King & Cousin. We looked awesome at times. Yes the Campbell thing was poorly handled, but realistically it was the second season that really ****ed us & the January window with JB.
I am really happy with the recruitment policy so far. Figueroa looks like a beast of a player, Bruce has picked players perfectly, to a man they've all got something to prove to themselves, which should bode well for the team. A team that will be greater than the sum of its parts. Hopefully a fruitful season and 17th or above would in my opinion be a great success. Naturally I'd like a higher finish than 17th so Steve Bruce can take the accolade of our greatest ever manager.
I'm sure we were happy with the signings this time in 2008 too. I remember thinking Halmosi would be ace and being amazed he didn't start the first game.
Nothing wrong with the summer 2008 signings on the whole, it was 2009 where everything went Pete Tong.
This article's a little premature but you can only assume we now have the better pairing taking the club forward. It looks like a very tough league to me this year though and there's no telling how well or poorly we might do at this point.
Great point, it was only in retrospect we criticized their recruitment. It's looking good under the Allams and Bruce but let's not get carried away, anything can happen in football!
That's a value judgement, Knobbly - not a FACT. Not to say I disagree with you but it is, after all, an opinion.
I think our squad that started the 2008 season was a good one on paper, only time we will if this one is any good up there
I doubt we will ever see again such a potent strike force as Geo, King and Cousin. It is clear PB and PD got a bit carried away with the players fees, wages and the general running of the club and we didn't get much in the way of value for money. If that is even possible in the premiership. It remains to be seen if the Allams will bankrole SB especially if it becomes obvious in January we need to spend or lose our premiership status. They could loan the club another 50 million and let the club go into debt like almost everyone else, insulating them from the risks/debt. One thing we can't deny is that for a time under PB and PD we were almost on top of the world. But then again 18 months later we were almost out of existence. I cannot see the Allams subscribing to this boom/bust all or nothing strategy and instead I hope we are aiming for another great season in the Championship the season after next.
excuse me but it will ONLY be a fact if City finish 17th with a better points total or above. statistics = facts
The club will be in a far healthier state than in 2009 if they finish lower than 17th but armed with bags full of premiership cash to strengthen the team on a massive scale for the next season. Something we couldn't do in 2009 and we even had to sell our best player to fund the wages. That is not a healthy position to be in. Its not all about league placings for a club in our position ie almost there purely to make up the numbers.
