A decent attempt at covering all the bases. Admitting it was poor and a chance missed, agreeing it's **** or bust next week. Text book media management stuff and a stroll in the park for Steven. It's what wasn't asked and what he deems not fit for public consumption that most people would like to know. Koren: will be be fit next week? Gedo: is his foot ****ed? Hobbs:will he be back? Three key players (when on form) whose absence was felt yesterday, especially as others did not step up to the plate. The midfield of Quinn, Meyler and Evans was comprehensively overrun yesterday. With Elmo and Brady bottled up, these three were found wanting for creativity and guile.
I thought Hobbs being missing was massive yesterday, what with McShane returning to his old self for both goals. It might also have been good if Elmo, Meyler, Quinn and Boyd had been on the pitch as well. Oh, and while I'm about it, I wasn't impressed with Bruce's performance either, playing an obviously unfit Fryatt once more from the start!
Hobbs was a massive miss.. I hope to god the master Hobbs is back.. I imagine he will be I hope koren starts assuming he is fully fit... And possibly gedo..
Agreed.. And with reading n qpr and probably wigan coming down.. The champ will be much tougher next season. Its a case of now or never this week for us
But you don't normally sub in the dressing room, normally around 60 minutes in. Was there a bust up in the dressing room? Was he looking at Glasgow house brochures during the halftime team talk?
Boyd played his first game for us less than 2 months ago, scored a couple on his debut and since then has been capped for Scotland. Bloody rubbish Boyd ! Boo!
Stevie B's post match comments (audio only) embedded on this page. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22228856
You didn't go yesterday then Reg? Bruce said only 2 or 3 players were playing yesterday, are you disagreeing with him or do you think Boyd was one of those 2 or 3 players?
2/3 of that actually was asked on the Humberside interview. Koren 50/50 Hobbs more likely - a bit of fluid on the knee - didn't want to take any chances in light of his prior injury.
Boyd had a poor 1st half, but certainly no worse than most. Quinn, for example, had an absolute nightmare of a game. Boyd though does give us that hope of a goal.
It's pointless trying to read the manager's mind. Maybe he wanted someone who works harder and holds the ball up so that others might score? Maybe Boyd had a knock or a strain that SB hadn't publicised pre match etc Maybe SB knew that Simmo had partnered Fryatt many times last season so they might work better as a pair? Maybe he thought that something or anything had to be done, and Boyd was one of several who had not shone in the first 45?
Even when Boyd plays badly he looks like he's got a goal in him. Fryatt made no impact at all yesterday and I can't see him doing anything against Cardiff.
Did he even touch the ball? When Koren isn't playing Boyd is our only player who can get or create a goal from nothing so has to play.
Can't believe I'm going to be the only one defending the idea of playing Fryatt but here goes: If the issue is fitness, there is literally no way whatsoever that we can know better than SB on how fit he is. Not saying Fryatt has looked good since he came back, but if Bruce and the medical team think he's fit that's good enough for me. Oh and he got nothing from the ref yesterday. That one where he had one man between him and the goal and Perkins just wiped him out only for the ref to do his little play on wave yet again was just a joke. It's no wonder we never score if you can just stop an attack like that without even conceding a free kick. It's spoiling football that kind of refereeing.
Don't know what people expect from Fryatt. He hasn't had a real chance to score yet since he came back. He is the best finisher we have at the club- this depends on instinct and calm, not fitness or commitment. Like Kevin Phillips.