This goes for most teams as well as City: Why do we play cautiously after going a goal up rather than going for their throats and getting the win sorted early? I know last night wasn't the best example of this because we did attack consistantly in the fist half, but generally we invite pressure by dropping back after scoring. I'm hoping Phelan can improve this negative mentality, but it has been ingrained in the way we play for quite a while now.
It's the way Bruce has always been, every manager does things differently, sometimes one thing works where another fails and vice versa. I don't have too much problem with playing cautiously when one up, we're quite resolute and disciplined in defending and its a good strategy, specifically as we progressively look more and more of a counter attacking team as time goes on. It only really becomes a problem when he removes the front line to pack the defence and midfield and we can't get out our own half. That has cost us dearly in the past, but that said, last night it probably might have worked as Sunderland were showing no quality to play through us. It's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other really. Every game is different and there's no one size fits all solution.
Always pisses me off about Bruce, he's always too negative. Far too often we try and protect a one goal lead when we're on top in games and should be pushing for another goal and against anyone in the top seven or eight in the league we tend to just try and turn up for a draw. It's seriously irritating.
Sometimes in the past that has definitely happened, but I don't think it did last night. We were absolutely piling forward at 1-0 up - if Livermore is having a shot in the box you know we must be bombing forward. The problem was that we were extremely profligate in front of goal. I think this shows why Bruce sometimes sets up up to sit back in general, because we are far superior in defence than we are in attack most of the time.
What narks me about him is his constant references to City as being a newly promoted side, only our second season in the Premiership, we'll always be in the bottom half of the table, etc. He has to get the realism/ambition equation right but maybe a little more belief is needed.
Agreed. He actually talks a lot of crap does Brucie. Holes at the training ground, Alex Bruce's 500 appearances in the championship, Tom Ince being 21. But we've had a wonderful 2 and a half years here. We dust waselves down and get ready to go again.
I never understand why we allow teams to have the ball and we are reluctant to commit ourselves to winning it off them , then when we have the ball most teams fight like mad to put us under pressure and inevitably we lose possession as a result. I dont want to see us diving into challenges nilly will but surely we need to put teams under more pressure when they are in possession.
It was as bad last night as it has been in other games, but in the second half we were definitely just clinging on to the 1-0 rather than going for a second, we haven't got a game for a week and a half, I don't know why he didn't leave Jelavic on and put Quinn on for Meyler so we attacked more.
Not sure I agree with that, most of our best chances were in the second half, playing on the counter attack is a viable strategy, you can't fairly hold Bruce accountable for our awful finishing. I'm with you on Quinn though, would have loved to have seen him against Sunderland's midfield cos he might have gone through them with ease, they were so immobile. Edit: I also thought Jelavic looked like he was carrying a knock before he came off
If Jelavic was injured, then obviously his withdrawal would be fair enough, I just thought we dropped too deep and from mid way through the second half we looked like we were happy to sit on the 1-0.
This thread wasn't aimed at Bruce specifically. I think it's a problem throughout the middle/ lower half of the league. The worst thing for me is when teams score first, then drop back for most of the game (and play like victims), then when the opposition score they suddenly come back out of their shells and look like world-beaters??? That is a distinct problem with mentality and should be coached out of players.
Sometimes being defensive works. We weren't ultra defensive last night and were quite attacking. It just didn't pay off. Missing all those chances must've played on their minds. I mean, going into the last 20 minutes, we were becoming more and more nervier because we didn't get the second. You could sense it in the crowd. It's normal for players to sit back- it happens to most teams. Plus, let's not forget Bruce was a defender. So he'll make the majority of his sides play that way.
Completely agree with what you're saying but I don't think now is the time to say we should be aiming mid-table. From the start of next season though there should be no ****ing about we should be better than a relegation fight.
