How many of these has he actually had now? Games where he has to turn in results or the talk resumes about HIS position not the clubs. For me, we are dragging out the inevitable. Bruce could be manager here for the next 20 years and have 500m to spend and we wonât get any better. He is out of his depth even at Sunderland imo. The expectations of our fans arenât demanding but itâs aspirational. To stop being a yo-yo club, involved with relegation fights year on year and to have a settled team to be proud of but these minor and minimal demands seem to be rattling our managers cage at the minute. Having had a go at us for not being happy we are hovering around the relegation trapdoor, after a more than a quarter of the campaign has gone and not content to berate us for daring to question his decisions, he is now trying desperately to convince anyone still listening that we are a good team and just need more time to 'gel'. Note to Bruce: Alan Pardew has been in charge of Newcastle for less than a year and inherited a newly promoted club that had done pretty well the previous season but he very quickly had had 3 of his best players sold from under him, dealt with a fair share of injuries and above all has a total twat for a chairman/boss. However, unlike you he has a game plan and can change it during games to accommodate certain situations. He isnât dogmatic about his approach to the game and rarely offers piss poor excuses for piss poor performances. Inside 11 months, he has re-organised, developed, recruited and put a regular settled team out to stabilise their club in his first 6 months and has reached the lofty heights of 2nd place this season in an unbeaten 11 game EPL run. He hasnât needed 2 years to 'gel his team' and has brought in a fair few new faces himself. In short, what the **** have you been doing for 2.5 years, 5 transfer windows and a **** load of freedom to do what you like, when after all that time and potential recruitment time we are no closer to knowing our best team, formation or indeed have we actually addressed many of the problem areas you inherited from Keane and Sbragia. How anyone can still retain even a modicum of faith for this bloke is beyond me. He is a small club manager trying to implement small club management structure on an SAFC that should have far bigger ambitions than he is capable of, when what we require is a big time manager, not **** scared of his own shadow and who can handle big name players with ease. Something he has absolutely failed to do in some spectacular fashion in the last 12 months - firstly with Cana, then with Gyan and most importantly of course with Bent. 1 point from relegation. If itâs not Bruce's fault (as many of his supporters still maintain) then whose fault is it? Quinnâs? Shorts? The fans? The players? If itâs the players then I'd ask you could another manager get better results out of them. Could better management decisions make this squad of half decent players perform better? I'd say yes but whatever the answer, SAFC isnât working as a club currently and we simply cant change all the players again, so that leaves one option. The manager has to go. If he doesnât, we will all be getting out our Championship route maps for next season only for many that will be the end of the road and perhaps the end of any chance of a Sunderland progress. I've suffered 7 relegations in my time following the club. 1 more will break the camels back as far as I am concerned and let me tell you now; I am not alone in that thinking. 8 relegations is 7 too many and without a shadow of a doubt will be my last one.
Cest unlucky on Saturday IMO should have been the perfect time to put a spanner in SAF's works for me 8 points from the next 4 games would get our season back on track if not I'd rather see Bruce go sooner rather than later give who ever comes in a chance to assess the squad before the transfer window. Slightly of topic it's been rumoured (up here in Jockland) that Walter Smith is been lined up as next manager. Wouldn't mind if he was.
See the last part about another relegation been your last could you put your hand on heart and walk away and live with yourself? I want success for us and dread relegation but don't think I could ever walk away.
If we don't pick up 7 points from the next 4 games then we are right in the mire because the next few games are tough. 7 from the next 4 will give us 17 points from 15 games which is just ahead of a relegation points total, however beyond those 4 games we are looking at another tough run of games. Draw with Fulham Beat Wigan Lose to Wolves Beat Blackburn then we have Spurs away, QPR away, Everton home, Man City home, Wigan away and Chelsea away. Lose to Spurs Draw QPR Draw Everton Lose Man C Win Wigan (That would be the double over Wigan if it happens) Lose Chelsea and that takes us back to 22 points from 21 games. Enjoy the battle because thats what we are paying to see this season.
In answer to your question, I have just posted this on another thread but it kind of sums up my feeling s so I have posted it again here. I just want SAFC to be all what it can be mate. I view it as part of my extended family and maybe like a first born, I can see so much potential but I can also see that potential wasted decade, after decade, after decade. It’s that continual waste of talent and opportunity that frustrates and hurts and leads to the anger at times. Maybe we will never amount to anything special? Maybe a manager of the limited ability of Bruce is all we are ever going to get and maybe at some time for my own good I should just stop going to games but the simple fact is I can’t. I love this football club. I want it to be successful and I want to show it off to the world but they keep disappointing and letting me down. Everytime I tell people this is it, we are on our way it just doesn't happen. My old man told me something very prophetic some 30 odd years ago when I was embarking on my red & white adventure. He said that in time, I too would become disillusioned as he had many years before me and tire of the failure. At the time, I of course laughed and told him that it would be different for me. The past 36 years have been largely rubbish and some of the football grotesque. There have been some good times of course but I do feel that as I near 50 years old, my patience and willingness to put up with utter failure year on year is waning and my acceptance of ****ty feeble excuses from the clubs management, players and boardroom even less acceptable. This season, should it just be another one of perpetual struggle and relegation avoidance, may well be the beginning of the end for me as a punter and the end of me putting myself through the regular weekly torture. The fun factor has long since gone for me and sometimes it’s just a case of blind loyalty keeping me going these days. Bruce has done nothing to ignite that fun factor and indeed has actually extinguished the last flames of hope I had for the club to actually amount to something. Maybe it really is, like my old man, just my time to call it quits rather than get upset week after week as I seem to do all too regularly at the minute. yes it would hurt but then the club have been responsible for inflicting much hurt on us as fans without really seeming to give a jot either. They dont seem to care that much today, right now that we are 1 point form yet another of those relegation scraps. If they did, something would be done about it.
Walter Smith tried his hand at Everton and didnt do that much mate. It wouldnt excite me personally as he is a big club manager but in a small league, much the same as Bruce is a small club manager in a big league. We need a big manager, of a big club in the biggest of all leagues. I happen to think Martin O Neill fits the bill perfectly but its not a unanimously favoured choice and I accept that.
Sir Niall came in all guns blazing and without shadow of a doubt we are currently in a better position than what we would have been if Murray had continued as chairman so we must accept little steps forward and be grateful of that. Perhaps this season may see us take a little step backwards... Hopefully not, however it is clear we are in for a relegation battle whatever the final outcome maybe. IMHO Sir Niall has appointed the wrong men and that is why the magic carpet failed to materialise. Keane may have helped to rebuild our profile, but how many managers of SAFC have failed to promote this club over the last 100 years? Keane was a rookie without the experience to take on a club the size of SAFC. Moving on from Ricky, we then appoint Bruce whose resume is poor to say the least. There are a number of lingering doubts that people are trying to highlight which are still apparent today and if we finish in the bottom six then for me that must be the final season for Bruce to prove he is taking the club forward. Relegation? Well... MON won't be arriving if that happens.
win Fulham h (Fulham are not as good as last season and are in Europe). win Wigan h ( very bad this season poor up front) Win at Wolves a ( they are bad in defence) Win Blackburn ( but they can be good up front) Lose Spurs a ( superb form they are in ) draw QPR a (good going forward, and Wright -philips!) lose Man c h ( unbelievable squad of players, and their best ever team !) Win Wigan a ( poor home and away, and without Rodelago) Draw h Everton (bogey team ) lose Chelsea a 17 points from 10 games takes us to 27 points from 21 matches, still need about 11-12 points min.
in answer to cest we should not forget sunderland fooball club could not give a jot for its supporters but we all will love and support them strange isnt it
Geordie in peace. I thought you lot played well on Saturday and would've come away with a very impressive point were it not for Agent Brown. You were every bit as good as Man United and matched them in almost all areas of the pitch for most of the game. I've watched a few of your matches and you definitely seem to be improving, and I think you're going to turn it around soon. Tough break with Wickham though, how long's he going to be out?
I expect a minimum of 9 points from the next 4 games. If not I think SB's reign will come to an end. ES will want some decent return for his investment. Get 12 and we will be approx where I expect us to finish, comfortable top ten. I may be deluded and still believe we will better last years position AND points total. Come on Brucie give us a bonus.
Why couldn't he? - I just did. Let me tell you a story. My old man had been Sunderland daft since late 1920s/early 1930s. In 1969, he came home and said he wasn't going any more. My mother laughed - he'd said it so many times before during the Brown years. One Saturday, my teenage sister was going to the match with some of her college friends. The old man said hop in the car and I'll take you. My mother grinned, knowing it was just an excuse to go in himself. She was wrong. He was back in 40 minutes. He never went again till the day he died. I've supported this club since 1948. O.k., I've moved about a bit and would perhaps be better described as a follower for long stretches. But four weeks ago, I decided not to go again until Bruce has gone. And I meant it every bit as much as my old man did. Don't hold your breath for me to change my mind. He didn't and I won't. Cest's old man presumably went through the god-awful Brown years too, and stopped going. So what makes you think Cest can't? Believe me, froggy - he can. Any human being can be abused for so long, but only for so long - and then they'll hit back.
I think emotions may be running high tonight Cest and I don't believe for 1 minute you could just walk away from Safc. I understand your frustrations and share them. I too am now edging closer to the Bob, Short has to be the most patient owner in the history of Safc, after giving Bruce all that cash and getting no return.
I'm frankly amazed to hear that you would even cnsider stopping supporting your club just because they are a failure. That defeats the point of falling in love with a club, taking it t heart etc...
