Team bonding

This is a bit better from the media, no doom and gloom, just an article. thats all.



Sunderland players paint the town red as reward for recording first victory of the season
Steve Bruce has revealed that his Sunderland players enjoyed an alcohol-fuelled team-building exercise this week as he urged them to let their hair down following the 4-0 thrashing of Stoke City.

The drinks are on me: Sunderland midfielder Craig Gardner (centre) paid for the players' night out Photo: GETTY IMAGES
By Luke Edwards
10:00PM BST 22 Sep 2011

Although the England rugby squad have been criticised for a similar night out after their World Cup win over Argentina in New Zealand, Bruce feels these old-fashioned bonding sessions still have a useful part to play in professional sport.

Sunderland signed 11 new players over the summer and the manager felt they needed the sort of night out he enjoyed when he was captain at Manchester United almost 20 years ago.

Despite a shortened training session the following morning as the players struggled with their hangovers, Bruce believes the only player to suffer was midfielder Craig Gardner, who had to pay the bill after his bank card was drawn out of a bowl.

“They all went out together this week,” said Bruce, whose side do not play until Monday night at Norwich. “They went go-karting, they went for a Japanese meal. Where they went after that, God only knows, but they all came back in one piece.

“That’s good – it’s part and parcel of being in the team. I believe they came to an agreement that they would all throw their credit cards in and whoever’s came out would buy the meal for everyone else.


“I’m told that Gardner’s came out – he paid for it. It’s not just ability in terms of the squad I’ve got now, they’re also a great bunch, a really good bunch who want to do well. They are a manager’s dream. That was uppermost in my decision-making.”

No manager made more changes during the last transfer window than Bruce, and the upheaval appeared to have backfired as the team failed to win in five games before the Stoke victory. It is not something Sunderland’s manager intends to repeat.

“We need to find a winning formula, but you need a squad to do that,” he said. “If we’re being honest, we didn’t have a squad to cope last year. With the squad I’ve got now, I’m hoping I can go two or three years and only add one or two individuals, rather than trying to buy an entirely new group of players. That’s been very difficult.

“Next summer, if the owner comes to me and says 'here’s £20million to spend,’ I’ll be spending it on two players rather than six or seven.”

Meanwhile, Bruce is backing deposed captain Lee Cattermole to bounce back from the disappointment of being dropped from the team. The 23-year-old midfielder was left sitting on the bench against Stoke as Bruce took drastic action following a disappointing start to the season.

But the manager – who has bought Cattermole twice, for Wigan and Sunderland – revealed that the player took the blow on the chin after a run of niggling injuries.

“Typical of Lee, he has rolled up his sleeves and got on with it, and he has trained like a beast this week,” said Bruce. “I think he understood that with the fight with injuries and all the rest of it, that he wasn’t quite there at the moment. He understood it and took it like the man he is and, make no mistake, he will be doing as much as he can to get back into the team.”

John O’Shea wore the captain’s armband against Stoke, although Bruce has repeatedly denied speculation that the former Manchester United defender would take over on a permanent basis.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...or-recording-first-victory-of-the-season.html

 

haha I'm glad we seem to be getting some spirit amonst the new team and hopefully this will rub off onto the pitch, although anyone remember Brucie's little trip to Portugal when we had a 2 week break last season and we came back and got mullered off Everton at Goodison? I hope its business as usual the next few days and this victory isnt over-shadowed by a defeat at Norwich.

 

I've got no problem with this at all. Good for team spirit!

 

“Next summer, if the owner comes to me and says 'here’s £20million to spend,’ I’ll be spending it on two players rather than six or seven.”

This line will create some good debate, who would the 2 players be? And will Short simply say "heres another £20 million", Bruce could be playing a few mind games with Short here haha hope they work and Short gives us the kitty, left-back, left winger & striker please!

 

Remember England tying Gazza into a chair and pouring a bottle of vodka down him? The press murdered them for it. But when Gazza scored that brilliant goal against Scotland at Wembley, he lay down, other players held him there, and someone squirted orange juice down him. Venables just stood on the touch-line and laughed. That was the last good England side I've seen.

Nowt wrong with a laugh.

 

The only problem I would have with this would be if it was my bank card that came out.

 

Great for team spirit and morale.

I bet Gardner was nursing more than a hangover in the morning.

 

Love it... Great to read this... Brings a bit of happiness back to the lads after a tough time for the last month.

I would say taking 25 players out easier cost him £10,000.00 - Nice if you've got it heay...!!!

 

Wasn't assistance coach Bryan Robson the first person in the chair (the "chaperone" so to speak!!)

Anyhow - nothing at all against these sessions as long as they are done at the right time - the fans don't want to see the team going out getting hammered after a 5-0 defeat and, as we had 8 days before the next game, nothing at all wrong with this

 

Knowing my luck Syd I'd be eating in the same restaurant and mine would "accidentally" get caught up in the same bowl and end up getting used!!!

 

I know they are very fit athletes but I would bet I would be the lot up the road when my card hit the machine

 

If you read Quinn's book the best Arsenal side he was part of was built on team building in the pub.

I am not saying we should go that far but sometimes it works. I noticed on Sunday when the players scored the got together and had a Man Utd style group celebration after the goal. I think this is very good and builds trust between the players. In any sport when your up and have confidence because you have confidence in players around you then you play better. I think with Gyan leaving it could be like a cloud being lifted off the players so they can feel a little more relaxed. I wonder if secretly Bruce is glad Gyan has gone.

 

I'm sure everyone is vegas, you dont ship out a 13 mil striker, when we are short of strikers, without good reason. The team against Chelsea, the day he took off, looked like something was missing. The team against Stoke looked together, Vaughan helped but it was more than that.

I'm also very pleased at the reports about Catts, a toghetether squad, all fighting to succeed, no tantrums and pulling in the same way.

Bruce got a lot of stick for getting it wrong and deserves a lot of credit now its going right.

Early days I know but it was early days when everyone was shouting for his head.

 

Whole new word Syd!!!! (I know, fat finger syndrome!!)

I'm delighted that the team pulled together so well. Vaughan and O'Shea made a massive difference - O'shea is just a top quality player, as is Brown, and it shows. Hopefully they can stay fit for the majority of the season and this will be a massive boost for us.

 

I agreegree

 

Just for a change, when the team are bonding, how about inviting some fans, Id be up for it. An athlete I am not, but recon I could give as good as I got on a night out on the lash, **** over the years folks I met wanted to talk about aeroplanes, me I want to talk football and music, they do football or play in bands, I do aircraft. But if any Sunderland players want to invite me, Im on, card in the bowl too easy, hows about first to throw up, leg it, refuse a drink, getting arrested [ SOUTHERN SOFTY STYLE ] to save face,,,,,,,,etc etc. and Im sure a lot more on this board would be up for it. BOARD BONDING,,,, now theres a thing.

 

It's not the first time something like this has happened. After the first game back ijn the EPL following the 105 point season (a 4 - 0 defeat at Chelsea) Peter Reid stopped the coach at a pub on the way back and told all the players to go out and not come back sober <s>. Well we all know what season we had after that so here's hoping history repeats itself.

 

Seems getting pissed works then.

 

Probably right Chunky. Maybe they didn't sober up until May.

 

Worked ok for Tony Adams like.