I have no doubt that he has replacements lined up if we start to go South and we're obviously not going to see Bruce leave without a back up plan. Changing a manager doesn't guarantee sucess, but it's a way of freshening the team up and getting them playing differently. Most other managers would be able to get the best out of these lads; I hope Bruce can do it but if he can't, it's time for a change.
I get the impression that Allam expects loyalty from a manager and returns that loyalty. Remember how he was angry with Pearson for leaving - couldn't understand him not honoring his contract? Also when Barmby seemed to be criticizing the lack of investment in the squad, he was soon gone. SB has walked a fine line between owners and fans, only seeming to question the owners backing this summer. What might be a deal breaker is if the club fails to renew the contract of a few players who are now in the final year of their deals.
Cutting out individual errors. Well personally I find the best way of doing that is to play better football. For a start it breeds confidence, gets players at the top of their game, secondly we would probably score more goals, have bigger cushions, deflating the enemy and giving us a cushion should a bad error occur, and also better control of the game gives the enemy less freedom and opportunity to put us under constant pressure to force these errors in the first place. It doesn't matter who the players are, when they're exposed to attack after attack errors are going to happen, nobodies perfect. Increasingly so when there is no outlet to relieve that pressure and give the 10 man defensive unit a breather which is usually the case with Bruce bringing off the strikers. It's all well and good saying if certain players hadnt ****ed up we'd have so many points and be in such a position, if you're going to take that view you also have to look at how many goals and points we've earned from similar errors by the enemy going in our favour and wipe them off. That's one goal against udders, one against wolves, both against Preston, one against charlton, both against Fulham, both against cardiff...
If that's an argument then it's the worst ever, it doesn't matter who scores or how the goal is scored they're all errors of some point!
Completely agree with everything you say Sterling and it is brilliantly written as opposed to the rant by the first poster on this thread. Criticising supporters for discussing what is obviously not working seems to me a totally pointless exercise. Bruce may be a nice man and an honest manager but he keeps repeating the same tactical, positional, and selection mistakes that have cost us critical points time and time again. The only conclusion I can draw is that he cannot learn from his mistakes, surely a key attribute of a top manager. I can derive no satisfaction from the fact that we are in 4th place. With one fifth of the season gone we are only 3 points above 12th place, our play has been uninspiring, lacks any creativity, and we seldom score more than one goal!! This is a manager you want to keep??? Bruce has had three years to get it right. He has failed...replace him now.
Two (2) spells in the Premier League (and very short ones at that) and suddenly the Championship play offs is not a high enough finish for HCAFC?!?! I didn't realise we are big time charlies now with an expectation of top flight football every season. With or without Bruce come the end of the season we may well be wishing for the chance of the play offs especially if the exodus we didn't see in the summer comes in January...
i think we will finish highest out of the relegated teams around 4th place. another trip to wembley.i dont mind that
First of all, please see comment #5 on this thread where I apologize for my opening sentence. and point out the fact that I have no problem with people who hold views opposite to my own. As I said, I began this thread to balance the views of those of us who want SB to stay against the thread(s!) already started entitled "Bruce Out." It was not a rant. Secondly, whatever formation you play, you cannot legislate for things like your goalkeeper dropping the ball and gifting your opponent an equalizer. Thirdly, I would say Bruce got it right the year he took us up and also the following year when we finished 16th in the PL and reached the FA Cup Final. He got it wrong last year and for me should be given the chance to redeem himself this season Finally, I accept we haven't played anything like we can this season, and while I acknowledge the opinions of those who - like yourself - say replace him now, I ask with whom? What I don't accept in answer to that question is "There's lots of young hungry managers out there." Remember Phil Parkinson was a young hungry manager and looking how that appointment turned out tells us that such an appointment would be no guarantee of the success we all want to see. And are those who want Bruce replaced now sure that their choice of replacement manager would want to come here?
I supported Bruce as much as somebody like Tigerrev right up to about 3 weeks ago, the reason I think it's time for him to go is that the squad and team are clearly underachieving, results and performances apart from the Cardiff match are completely backing this up. We are a top two team not one that is going to coast through to the play-offs and probably not go up as PLT points out, to get the best out of the players we need another manager.
History means **** all, it's all about the here and now. Right now we have a massive budget and calibre of players to easily be one of the top two sides in the league, probably the top side. Saying we have no right to expect promotion because we've spent 4 out of 100+ years in the top flight is the same ****ty logic as weeds fans thinking they should be in the top flight because they're a massive club and just as bad. Expectations are linked directly to circumstance and our circumstances should be far better than any of the ****e in this division. But it's not playing out that way because our manager is a clueless twonk.
Sadly, having been in the PL we've attracted those sorts of shallow ****s. The sort that throw little tantrums if they don't get their own way. The needy always right types who are experts in everything from business to managing to playing.
We are 4th in the Championship after 9 games, unbeaten at home, and through to the 4th round of the cup. We should have more points on the board yes, but that hasn't been because of Bruce's team selections/substitutions. We dropped 2 points against Blackburn because Maloney, Hernandez and Davies did not score when they should have, we had to sit on the 1-0 because we are incapable of making most of clear cut opportunities, the players fell asleep in the box and let Rhodes score, not Bruce. In Akpom's interview after the game he even spoke about how they always work on how to not concede, so how can it be Bruce's/Coaches fault that the players didn't deliver? They did their part, the players obviously didn't. Bruce has made some absolute howlers, like playing 5-3-2 at home to Burnley last season when we were fighting for our lives and had to win. At times he is too negative, but most of the time it pays off. It is harsh to pin the blame on Bruce for our relegation, but when you have most of your best players out injured then it is an uphill battle, I still stick by the fact that if we had one of either Diame or Jelavic fit for the full season, we would have not gone down and Aston Villa would be in our position. Steve and his coaches are obviously struggling to find a system that gets the best out of most of our players, but once they do find that system and the players pull their fingers out, we will climb the league, we have the best squad in the league and we will show it. Teams like Reading and Brighton, they have started well but their squads are thin and once winter kicks in they will drop off and allow our strength in depth to shine through hopefully. The only concern I have for our promotion charge are that Middlesbrough and Derby both have squads to cope with injuries/suspensions as well as us and are all in form (Derby have won 3 out of the last 4), there will always be a surprise package in there but we should be fine. Give him until December, if we are not in the playoffs then fair enough get rid, but changing managers is not always the best route to go down, especially when we have one of the most renowned manager for getting teams into the Premier League in the business already in the job, he just needs time.
Could not agree more. Thankfully the vast majority of true City supporters are firmly in the BRUCE IN CAMP.
And it's that kind of bollocks we don't need to hear. People are free to criticise if they feel it's not going well. It's not going well, so what do you think the fans are going to say? You're a City fan if you support the team, it doesn't mean that you have to put your ankles around your head and firmly take everything Bruce says and does. Honestly? No, not even close. If we've got a squad capable of staying the in the Premier League, why would we then set our expectations lower to something like finishing in the playoffs? You ask nearly every City fan and they'll say that we've got a stronger squad than the likes of Brighton, Cardiff, Boro et all, so why would the same fans expect us to finish a meagre 3rd-6th? We've been in the top flight, we should be trying to get back there. The days of being a no mark division 3 club are long gone, we're now fortunate enough to be in a position where we can consider Hull City better than the Championship. Embrace it, because I imagine a lot of you thought this day would never arrive.
The odd clueless **** is in the "didn't want him in the first place" camp "I would prefer Robert The Bruce to Steve actually & i make No bones about that either"
Still hope Bruce can get the engine purring again. He can, we all know that, it's just whether he will. He looks demotivated, IMO. Or demoralised. Or both. Snap out of it, Stephen Roger.
But it is going well overall when you consider what has gone on at the club since PL relegation. The situation hardly merits any Bruce Out nonsense for starters. Certain people on here will never be happy whatever happens so they don't matter really. I don't agree with all that Bruce does however I am a million miles away from even thinking he has to go. In Bruce I trust. At that time yes,,, however he has changed my mind. SB has given us 3 of the best years EVER - FACT. I am allowed to change my mind btw.
But we haven't as a slight better version of this squad got relegated. Yes BUT most Brighton, Cardiff, Boro et all fans would say their squad is better than ours. Football fans are fans and often believe their players/squads are better than they are. Agreed. I think you are wrong with that statement. I do wish you were correct though.
