'The signs'? I'm sorry Sterling, you are smart enough not to be scapegoating the manager in this circumstance. A lot of what you say is given hindsight anyway which is always 20-20. You have to look at the critical factors, the main one being that we were let down by certain players, and this was beyond Bruces control
It's true it's easier to look back in hindsight. However, I do recall us starting to struggle as the year went on. If the main players were underperforming, it's Steve Bruce's job, as manager, to ensure they don't. If they continue to do so, they get dropped. It's what happens at every other football club at every level up and down the land. That's the managers job, to make sure the players keep their heads up and achieve their best. If they aren't, he isn't doing his job properly. If a player continually plays badly, he shouldn't be in the first team ,regardless of how talented he is. Ben Arfa should serve as a timely reminder of this. I'm going back on what I said on Huddlestone a little bit (that your best players should always play), because looking at it now, I'd have happily been proven wrong. Once a player crosses that white line, SB is still in charge; yes, it's up to the player to go out and have a good game,but SB is still on the touchline overseeing his team, if a player is underperforming then he should change it round. The way he bungs on strikers at the end of games when we're behind is also embarrassing.
I do think SB looks rather unhealthy and if that's the case, I hope he listens to his wife and takes a break from football.
Yet you never thought they were and wanted to keep picking Davies and Huddlestone. "But there isn't anybody else deserving to play that position. When Curtis was having his blip, I wasn't calling for Bruce or McShane to come in and take his place, because it wouldn't make sense. The reason he keeps getting picked is because he's the best man we have for that position. Dropping him for a worse player because of a dip in form is nonsensical. It's not like he's strolling out onto the pitch thinking "oh nobody can challenge me for the shirt so I'll play ****", Bruce will be on his case if he's underperforming, likewise with the other players." http://www.not606.com/threads/whats-the-solution.283186/page-4 Theres this great comment from Tuckin on that thread about Jake "Yes, about 60% more! The drug testers must be all up in his business every week...
It's quite interesting looking back at that thread, even in early November it was obvious to many that Bruce was making a right mess of the tactics and team selections.
Bruce will and IMO, should, be given some time to get us back up. Into the New Year, if we are not there or thereabouts I am sure the both the club and SB will agree its time for a change.
The hindsight is saying ' Bruce should have done this that or the the other' whilst ignoring the main fact for any neutral fan watching us i.e. that Hudds and Livermore were dogshite, there was enough motivation there from Bruce and Phelan so it comes down to the players belief and moral courage, Livermore and Hudds had none
Couldn't agree more, with the players we have we should be near the play-offs all season, if not then replace the manager, also look at his position if we do go back up. Common sense.
I don't agree with that, they have some good points re. Bruces mistakes even if it is hindsight based, we can all say he should have used these tactics or that tactics but then again none of us are managers at the end of the day. It seems like they ignore the key factor of ignoring the behaviour of the players which has got us relegated, the motivation from Bruce and Phelan is there.
I was hoping he'd resign too to be honest for the same reasons, he looks ill, a lot of people I know who aren't City fans said the same thing. Even Mcshane made that ironic comment about not giving him a heart-attack a few weeks ago. I don't blame him for us going down anyway
'Messi is having an off month for Barcelona, they should drop him? No, they'd keep playing him, because they know what he's capable of despite his current form. Same with Thudd. We know what he can do, we've seen it this season and last. If he was to perform at the top of his game week in week out he wouldn't have left Spurs for us; every play goes through a bad patch. And his bad patch isn't even bad, it's just mediocre. It's not like his talent just leaves him for good.' I wouldn't mention Huddlestone and Messi in the same breath again Sterling Archer if I were you!
If we had beaten Burnley at home (forget any other result) if we had won that game Villa would have gone down instead of us. However we didn't attack this game like we should have done, Brucestill had us playing cautious football. Jelavic started on the bench with people saying he wasn't fit. Why the hell is he on the bench if he isn't fit? This was a game to start Jelavic get an early lead and take him off, no point in bringing him on when we are one down and desperate. That one game alone had really poor tactics and absolutely no urgency.
Always supported SB that was up till the home game with Burnley, started having doubts about his management, when he came on to Humberside after the game, and openly admitted that his team of highly paid footballer, froze in the most important game in city's history, it was at this point I thought something very wrong ,that he could not get them up for a game of that magnitude.
When they did go all-out attacking they were just as toothless and it was for most of the second half so the tactics were irrelevant, I've managed to blank out that game apart from sitting in my seat at the end having a discussion with the guy in front of me about how the midfield were a disgrace. Huddlestone passing the buck at every opportunity and we all know about Livermore now anyway.
