Bruce

I've always thought McGregor was an overrated liability. Check my post history if you want proof

 

see I was right again... nice one BFT

and I said macguire would be a pretty **** signing, sounds like I'm right n all

 

Not much suits you or pleases you, does it, Bob?

 

he was better than Bruce would have been plus I thought he tried to link with midfield rather than hoof it anywhere like Junior does

 

Strong rumour that Alex Bruce and £12m has been offered and accepted by Blackburn for Jordan Rhodes.

 

We have to win by 2 goals this time or win on penalties at 1-0. So not exactly the same. No holding back in this game.

 

Makes the 2nd leg interesting.

 

If they score an early goal like in the Trencin game it will leave us needing to score 3, could make for an extremely nervy KC

 

True. But it sure makes the 2nd leg more than interesting. Shame ITV4 are showing the Tottenham game which now looks a done deal after last night.

 

got a feeling we'll be going to extra time

we don't take enough chances & it's not the team selection which let us down, it's a stupid error, otherwise 0-0 isn't so bad

 

so you think we have 3 goals in us do you.

 

Just got back from Belgium and my thoughts are Bruce made a serious error of judgement. Its our first ever season in Europe, is likely to be our last for the foreseeable future, so we should enjoy it. And that team was just wrong.

It was so one-paced it was ridiculous, until Elmo and Ince came on we didnt turn their defence once. Everything was played in front of them. Resting people now, at the start of a season with an international break on the horizon, is just silly in my eyes. Yes change 3, 4 or even 5 players but 9 outfield players? Its not on.

None of this detracts from anything Bruce has done previously, but even brilliant managers make mistakes and it doesnt mean we have to ignore them when theyre made. You need an away goal in 2-legged european football when youre away first, I cant see us keeping a clean sheet next week so we'll need 3. Massive ask and for that the manager is accountable.

 

spot on be warned of people calling you a fanny and to get a grip

 

I'm sorry but everyone is saying how absolutely ****e Lokeren are/were the team SB put out should have easily had enough quality to beat them.

SB has to keep a squad of players happy and committed a lot of players will be told they will play in the Euro games for that reason.

So SB was a bit more defensive and negative in his formation, its not like Fergie hasnt done that throughout his time with Man U when he played away in Europe is it!!!

 

Away from his performance, did anyone else think he was out of shape bordering on fat? I cant recall when we signed him so don't know how much training he has done with us but he shouldn't look like that. He's got a lot of fitness work to do, play in that shape in the Prem and he'll get murdered.

 

Yes they were very, very poor and we had probably 65% of the ball but we did nothing with it until the last 20 mins. Whats the point in that? And we could very very easily be sitting here today trailing a very poor team 3-0.

If he did say that its the wrong message and immediately devalues the competition amongst the squad. League cup yes, not our first ever european campaign and the chance to play some of the world's biggest clubs.

I disagree. Ferguson was the master at getting an away goal in the first leg.

 

Bruce probably went for a draw. He set up for a draw. Sit Alex used to do it all the time. I'm surprised this thread is still going. We'll turn them over in the second leg.

 

There's nothing wrong with drawing away in the first leg if its a score draw. 0-0 in the first leg of a tie where the away goals apply is not a good result. Any score draw is a good result.

Where has this Ferguson suddenly comparison come from? He always sent his team out in the first leg away to score.

 

Did he? In away games towards the end he constantly set up 4-5-1 with Rooney out on the left to squeeze out the midfield. It was constantly analysed on Sky Sports about how he (Ferguson) had learnt to play away in Europe towards the end of his career after constantly losing a lot of games against other big sides solely on how they went out to attack naively in the away legs of games (Milan comes to mind).

I'm not comparing us to them. I'm saying other sides set up to draw away legs when they play away first and it seems last nice Bruce would have taken the same.