Bruce and Meyler doing today's press conference... please log in to view this image Bruce describes reports linking him with Fulham as "rubbish journalism". Bruce says he's got some difficult selection decisions to make, including with N'Doye. Simon Clark @simonhul David Meyler confirmed he'd only met Dame N'Doye hours before game and ended up playing with him in afternoon #hcafc It doesn't seem to have been a very exciting press conference.
I like the supersized cup and bottle! Hope we stick with the lads who did well at the weekend despite the games being close together, will be disappointed if Davies comes back in
I don't, that team was set up to defend at all costs away against the current champions, tomorrow is a must win fixture at home against a relegation rival, Saturday's team is completely the wrong way to approach it - see Leicester at home as an almost identical example. Although sadly, we all know it will be the very same team that starts the game, as is Bruce's apparent policy to never change a team that does half decent regardless of the job that team was thrown together to do and the completely different needs of the next match.
Although he doesn't usually change after a decent result in the previous game, I'd expect him to start with two strikers at home in a game we really need to win. I'd expect the rest of the line-up to be unchanged unless there are any injuries we don't know about.
Hopefully we'll see Huddlestone and Aluko benched, Ramirez dropped back into midfield and any two of our three strikers playing. It would be sheer madness to start the game without at least one striker on the pitch. Is Roncrete still injured for them?
Do you mean like he did against Leicester? I hope he does go with 2 upfront, however we all know he doesn't like to change the team when they are doing well.
He never did in the past. Leicester wasn't the first time he dropped that clanger, though I can't think of the others off the top of my head.
I hope so, however he keeps leaving Ramirez upfront when we are leading in games, so maybe he is incapable of learning his lesson? He did it against Newcastle away and we threw the game away. Although N'Doye did eventually come on upfront on Saturday, Bruce needs to learn that Ramirez should not be played upfront on his own when we are defending the lead, he doesn't work hard enough.
I wouldn't say that, Ramirez works quite hard, the problem is he's slow and lightweight so the ball just doesn't stick, he's too easy to bully off it without any support, if he manages to win it at all.
Bruce does have a tendency to stick with a team who've played well, even if it's obvious that the next team we play require a different approach. As has been suggested already, I hope he's learned his lesson and mistakes of the past aren't repeated. We obviously need to start this game with at least one out and out striker, possibly two.
I wonder if another POV will help him to revisit is attitude about sticking with what worked last time.
As long as Jelavic's knee is not a probable accident to happen, I'd start him with Aluko or Hernandez up front, with N'Doye to come on earlier in the second half. The rest of the team should be pretty much the one that got the point on Saturday.
From that press conference I'm expecting: McGregor Dawson Bruce McShane Elmo Meyler Hudd Livermore Brady Ramirez N'Doye
