http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/23/hull-city-steve-bruce Steve Bruce claims his Manchester United playing days are so long ago they have become a blur, though he does know that in his 17-year managerial career he has never managed to beat them. He realises his side will have to pull out all the stops on Sunday and try to make history in one way or another, yet, cruelly, even the most long awaited of victories might not be enough. Hull City still need Newcastle United to drop points at home against West Ham United, so Bruce is in the position of first having to beat his old team and then hoping his boyhood club continues its terrible run of form. For this he blames, quite refreshingly, himself. He blames Nigel Pearson too, but only in a good way. If relegation fears crept up stealthily on last year’s FA Cup finalists it is partly because for much of the season Leicester City looked nailed on certainties. With Leicester on the bottom and Burnley and QPR struggling for wins it appeared the three promoted clubs would go straight back down. “That didn’t happen, so credit to Nigel for that,” Bruce says. But then there is Burnley too. Burnley who were relegated at Hull’s ground a fortnight ago despite winning the game. The three points did not do the Clarets any good, but coupled with an identical result at Turf Moor back in November they might have sealed the Tigers’ fate. Hull have beaten Liverpool this year and taken points from the Emirates and the Etihad, but Bruce accepts that failing to cash in against clubs around them in the bottom half of the table has led to the present predicament. “It’s not in our hands any more and if we had beaten Burnley at home it still would be,” he says. “It’s wrong to pick out just one game, because we are on 34 points with a game to go and that was never going to be enough to guarantee survival. I said from the outset we were probably going to need 10 wins. We have got eight, and we are all hoping nine will be enough to save us, but we had the opportunity to make our life easier a couple of weeks ago and we didn’t take it. We didn’t turn up. “It was only because our fans have been brought up on lower-league football that they didn’t tear the stands down after seeing us perform like that. We were terrible.” Funny he should say that, because Newcastle have been on a terrible run too, and after collecting one point from a possible 30 at the back end of the season the Toon fans practically are tearing the stands down. Small wonder Mike Ashley has indicated he might not be attending the last game. It will not be a comfortable experience whatever the result. “They are on a terrible run just like us,” Bruce says. “It can happen. That’s why we are where we are, both worried on the final day.” Newcastle have fallen even further and faster than Hull, and arguably the repercussions of relegation would be much greater at St James’ Park. Clearly the possibility of such a slide never occurred to the club’s owner when he considered his options after Alan Pardew’s departure, and though everyone in the game has a good word for John Carver – not least Bruce – were Newcastle to go down it would be a textbook example of mismanagement stemming from boardroom complacency. The Premier League is a hard place in which to compete, as Bruce keeps pointing out. The expectations on Hull were lower, and maybe the midfielder David Meyler had a point in suggesting the club overachieved last season and began thinking beyond mere survival, but Bruce is the type of manager who knows where the buck stops. “I’m not one for excuses, we are where we are because me and my staff haven’t been good enough, that’s the brutal truth,” he says. “As a club, for one reason or another, we haven’t been able to cope. At this particular moment I feel desperately upset for the owner. I feel we have let him down, that’s the overriding emotion. I haven’t seen him for a while, he’s the type of guy who lets you get on and manage, but it is mostly for his sake that I hope we can turn it round. “I have never been in quite this situation before, a must-win game when even a win might not be enough, but we are all hoping there’s a final twist. It has been a long and difficult season without many highs, but you never know in football. As long as we do our bit and win the game we are still in with a fighting chance.” There is a slim chance Louis van Gaal is thinking exactly the same. Although it appears the top four are now settled, United could still claim third from Arsenal through a certain, unlikely, combination of results. Should United win handsomely and Arsenal lose at home to West Brom, the clubs would be level on points, and a seven-goal swing would be necessary to put United ahead on goal difference. So in theory, Van Gaal’s side could be out to try and post a record victory at the KC stadium, all the while hoping that Arsenal lose by two or three at home. It all sounds completely implausible, until you remember that West Brom just beat Chelsea by three goals. Bruce is fond of recalling that result, proving that almost anything can happen at this stage of the season, including one of the most bizarre dismissals and suspensions the Premier League has seen. The overwhelming likelihood is that Arsenal will not be beaten at home, that United will not score seven against Hull, that Newcastle will somehow drag up enough of a performance to survive and that Bruce will be renewing his acquaintance with the Championship. “This is only the fourth year in the club’s history that it’s in the top flight,” Bruce says, introducing a little perspective. “We worked so hard to get here, but when you get to the Premier League you find it is even harder to get the results you need. But we will try, that’s the business we are in. By that I don’t mean we will be going gung ho against United. They have better players than us, so that would be a mistake. What we need is a performance, not just a show of fight, and we need the composure to take our chances. After that a bit of luck, because it must be our turn.”
He definitely needs to change his approach today, he normally sounds like we've lost against Man United before we've even kicked off.
Nah, I'm fine with the imagery. Which mountain will you be up? Are you sure that you'll get a signal? I'd hate for you to be disappointed.
We haven't won the final league game of the season since the 2003/04 campaign. Time to break all of this.
I was supposed to be at a christening today too. My family are still going but I couldn't miss the match.
Haway the tigers! We may be safe today but my nerves were systematically shredded over the season so I know how you feel today and remember The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil (newcastle) is that good men do nothing.
I am letting my son use my season pass today he has just recently moved back to Hull and missed the drama of the Cardiff game. I have said for weeks that if it comes down to having to win this final game I just can't face it. Will be watching at home where I can scream and cry, hide behind the sofa or whatever. Hope we score early on and West Ham score as well then it will be a bit easier. On the plus side its our lucky date of the month and usually when my son gets to a game we win.
