1. A drab, disappointing defeat at West Brom. Forget the preposterously over-hyped “Pulis Factor”, they’re a side of roughly equal ability to City, and to lose to them without scoring represents a missed opportunity. 2. Another missed opportunity, too. City stayed up with a degree of comfort last season by frequently beating sides of comparable standing. That isn’t happening this season, and it’s a concern, particularly when our ghastly run-in is taken into account. We need to be ahead of the run-rate by the end of April, and these are the games in which those points must be accumulated. 3. There are mitigating circumstances. City’s injuries are now numerous enough for the tag “crisis” to be not far from accurate. If the front two that limped off on Saturday are both out for any length of time, we are in trouble. We’re due a little good fortune on that front. 4. If not, Steve Bruce will probably have to bring in players in the January transfer window. It’s a dislikeable time of year, when agents grow fat on the panic of others, and had City been blessed with a fit squad, we suspect Steve Bruce would have given it a miss – and not only because Assem Allam has sulkily said he doesn’t want to spend any more money because his stupid name change has been rejected (though he says a lot of things). However, despite a squad that looked quite bulky a few months ago, we’re suddenly short in key areas. If the Jelavic/Hernandez news is not good – and perhaps even if it is – we may have little choice but to at least bring in a loan player or two. 5. Concern continues about some of City’s fit players, however. Tom Huddlestone is still nowhere near to the form that propelled us to success last season, and his ongoing absence from the starting XI is far from unjust. Meanwhile, Tom Ince conspicuously failed to take his opportunity on Saturday. Davies is the Davies of 2008, not 2014. And so on. 6. A bright note: the City fans were in excellent voice at the Hawthorns. That was always likely. The process by which more partisan fans surrender the supposedly “glamourous” games to half-scarf-wearing divs in favour of earthier trips is accelerating this season. That doesn’t do the side any favours at the Old Traffords of this world, but it doesn’t do much for those who want to sit at less venerated venues either. One wonders what the solution is, because the divide is definitely growing. 7. West Ham next. Their form this season has been a significant surprise, and while this may have felt a potentially winnable fixture at the start of the season, it feels desperately difficult now. City’s brittle, injury-ravaged squad just doesn’t seem up to taking anything there at the moment. Hopefully that will prove pessimistic. 8. Steve Bruce’s biggest media splash in the past week has not been anything relating to City, sadly. His intervention in the sordid Ched Evans affair has captured plenty of headlines, none of them particularly edifying. It’s worth considering this in two stages: firstly, why on earth did he feel the need to get involved? It’s a emotive case, one that has caused a great deal of comment and anger. But it doesn’t affect a City player. It doesn’t affect anyone who is ever likely to play for City, unless we drop a couple of divisions. It’s none of Bruce’s business, and commenting could only end badly. He should have known better, and simply sidestepped the question. 9. But having declined to keep quiet, he then got it grossly wrong. Evans’ conviction is not unsafe, it was the consequence of considered deliberations by many people an awful lot closer to the trial than him. Sadly, Bruce’s comments make him look like the bovine throwback to the 80s that some of his detractors make him out to be. Legally, there is of course a case for Evans to be allowed back into the game, even though he remains disgustingly unrepentant for his loathsome behaviour. Equally, football – having chose to make itself beholden to sponsors – has little option but to respond when said sponsors react to overwhelming public revulsion to this vile specimen. The situation as it is seems about right – Evans’ legal right to try to re-enter the game is present, and football fans have a corresponding right to voice their disquiet about unapologetic rapists playing our sport, and to lobby for their exclusion. What a shame that our own manager seeks to undermine this with crass, ignorant and unnecessary comments to the contrary. 10. Hull City AFC have changed their YouTube page to be “Hull Tigers”. Some of the people at this club are beneath contempt in their open hatred of the fans; but we’re almost past getting angry now. One day, under more enlightened ownership, the people behind this will be sacked and competent replacements recruited. Now, we understand that working in football is quite addictive, so they’ll probably want to go to another club. We don’t fancy their chances of persuading anyone else to employ them if their CV contains “tried to impose vastly unpopular rebranding onto widely opposed fans”. So however clever they feel right now by continuing their obsessively spiteful behaviour, one day… http://www.ambernectar.org/blog/2015/01/things-we-think-we-think-169/?
A Curate's Egg of a piece, if ever I have read one. He feels free to lambast Steve Bruce for voicing a private opinion on the Ched Evans case, yet, along with voicing his own opinion on the involvement of Bruce, he goes on to voice his own opinion on the Ched Evans case and of Chef Evans as an individual. Clearly, there's only one opinion of worth in the eyes of this writer. A simple criticism of Bruce's position would have sufficed, after all, as he says, Evans has nothing to do with us, does it?
I have to agree that point 9 should have been left out, they are right that SB shouldn't have got involved in this, and to point that out was sufficient. Whether I have missed something along the way, but in point 10 they infer that there are staff of the club who are behind the dropping of Hull City AFC name from social media outlets as well as the program. I assumed that this was orchestrated by the Allam's and purely carried out by the staff who as employees have to abide by their instructions.
SB's opinion ceased to be private the moment he made it public, and if he is free to voice his views, surely Stan is entitled to voice his. This is a Hull City forum, and Bruce was commenting as Hull City's manager. Whether you agree with him or not, that makes comment fair game.
Berates Bruce for voicing his opinion on a subject. Goes in to voice his opinion on the same subject. You sure this isn't written by Mr "Do As I Say Not As I Do" OLM?
There are some club employees who have openly stated they think Allam is the best employer they've ever had and should be free to do as they please, and others who have almost gotten into fights in pubs trotting out the 'they're mad for tigers in Asia' drivel.
...the difference being that the author of this piece is not representing Hull City AFC at an official press conference.
I would say by the 21st March at Home to Chelsea we may not win another game from there till the end of the season. Home games are Chelsea Liverpool Arsenal Burnley Man Utd Away are Swansea Southampton Palace Spurs
It is a fact of life that being in the public gaze is inevitable and demanding for some folk. Bruce was in an official interview, agreed, but he was asked a direct question about a very topical question within football. He made it very clear that the views he offered were his, he did not adopt an official line and he was quite honest in how he saw it. It is my guess that the person asking Bruce the question knew of his family's links to Evans - daughter to girlfriend - it is also my guess that Bruce knew that he knew; if that was so, I can understand him stating his opinion and cutting to the chase. Except for a bit of indignant bleating and ex-footballer media pundits reckoning to be authorities on how he should have reacted, I don't see too much fall-out, do you? He was asked, he answered honestly, it is done, move on. Whether I agree with his point of view or not, I would defend him all of the way in his right to express it and I find it regretful that some of you find that an inconvenience for your club, a club permeated with dishonesty and deceit - you deserve everything that comes your way, from Assem Allam to Sepp Blatter. Rejoice in truth and integrity for once - you don't have to agree with him, but as Tickles says (amongst the other endless crap) TWT.
Ren, AN supposedly represents the fans. On a public site. Bruce was asked a direct question which he answered. No one asked AN their view on it.
