First the important news http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26391824 Hull City boss Steve Bruce plans to discuss his contract situation with the club's owners at the end of the season. Bruce, 53, took the Tigers up to the Premier League at the end of his first season in charge last May and has 15 months left on his current deal. Hull are 11th in the table and host Bruce's former club Sunderland for an FA Cup semi-final place next week. Play media "I'm very happy here and I would have thought we'll sit down in the summer," he told BBC Radio Humberside. "In football management, you're always wary that there is a dark moment around the corner so I just want to get the season finished with us in this division. "It's a hard job managing in the big league and it fatigues you but it's what I do and what I enjoy. There is no feeling quite like winning on a Saturday afternoon. "The Hull people and supporters have made me very welcome here, which is a big turnaround from my last club, where they couldn't wait to get me out of the door." The former Birmingham City, Wigan and Black Cats boss took over at the KC Stadium in June 2012 and led the club to second place in the Championship last season. Bruce's record at Hull Wins - 38 Draws - 17 Defeats - 30 The Tigers, who play Newcastle on Saturday, are six points above the relegation zone after an impressive 4-0 win at Cardiff last week. Bruce believes the club need two more wins from their remaining 11 matches to ensure their survival in the top flight. "I've said all along that you need 10 wins to stay up and I'm not going to change from that," he added. "If we can win our next two games then I think that will be enough because you're always going to draw a few games. "There's that many teams at the bottom that I can't see that many getting to 38 points." TEAM NEWS Hull have strikers Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long available again after they were cup-tied for the FA Cup fifth-round win over Brighton on Monday. Midfielder Tom Huddlestone and defender Alex Bruce should return after recovering from knocks. Newcastle manager Alan Pardew will again be without injured pair Davide Santon and Hatem Ben Arfa, who both missed the win over Aston Villa. French midfielder Sylvain Marveaux has returned and will be in contention. MATCH FACTS Head-to-head Newcastle have not won in five matches against Hull in all competitions. Their last victory came in a 2-0 win in the League Cup in 1997. This will be their fourth meeting in the Premier League. Hull have won two and drawn one of the previous three. Hull City Hull have only won one of their last six league games at home - and they are without a victory in their last three. They have only scored once in three league matches at the KC Stadium since their 6-0 victory over Fulham on 28 December. Hull have accumulated the same amount of points (30) they achieved in the whole of the 2009-10 season, when they were relegated from the top flight. Nikica Jelavic has scored three goals in his last three league games - prior to that run he had gone 21 Premier League games without a goal and scored just three in 43. Steve Bruce's new striker partnership of Jelavic and Shane Long have scored a combined five goals in as many games together for Hull (Jelavic 3, Long 2) since joining in the January transfer window. I think it'll be 3-5-2 again. People keep slating Figueruoa but has BRucey ever dropped him? Seems like an ever present when fit. Think Chezzy maybe on the bench and same team as Cardiff.
The FGC is STILL banging on about Sunderland..... Let it go Steve, it's done, in the past. Don't fire any more rounds at that rabble in that slum, it's us who pays for it when they intrude on here with their even more boring droning about how they don't care about you yet couldn't shut up about you. It's obvious you're both in love with each other, given half a chance you'd jump back into each other's bed.
Brucey's views on Hudd and Davies' omission for the squad http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/spor...urged-to-retain-belief-over-england-1-6470906 Never knew this about Brucey, how **** is that....... He can only keep doing that. There might be more twists and turns. If he’s not going to be mentioned alongside me, he better get a move on. “People debate who is the best player never to play for England. A lot say Billy Bonds; some people, if they are Manchester United fans, say me. “I actually had the chance. Terry Venables rang me. I think we were playing Nigeria at Wembley and they must have been struggling. “He rang me and said ‘I want to give you a cap’. “I declined. My best mate Bryan Robson was Terry’s assistant and he was desperate for me to get a cap. I turned it down. “I was 35, 36 and said ‘I’m sorry, I would rather not have an international career than just have a sympathy cap’.
Aluko in the squad for Newcastle but will deffo play against Sunland. http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/spor...t-of-everything-with-new-strike-duo-1-6470944 Aluko is likely to make way this afternoon and, after his second serious Achilles problem in a year, Bruce says he will manage his workload, especially with the Tigers fighting on two fronts, in league and cup. Bruce said: “We’ve got to manage him properly. He will be in the squad for Newcastle and then will definitely play against Sunderland (in the Cup). “We have been able to manage him because of the Cup. We couldn’t throw him in for four or five games. I don’t think it would be possible for him to play a Saturday and a Monday, for example. He was never in the frame for that. “Thankfully, the cup has given him a route to get him back to full fitness.”
Its pretty shocking that Cleverley and Defoe are in the squad and Huddlestone isn't. Cleverley is average and Defoe is not playing. Surely Garry Hooper and Huddlestone are better choices. Its a friendly, see what they can do. Surely, I know the real world is a little different, you should only play for your country if you are a regular for your club? So for example Milner [I think Milner is an underated player, he was brilliant for Villa] does not play regularly for Man City so shouldn't be in the squad. Surely players who are playing week in week out will be more effective than those who play from time to time? Even if they play for a bigget/lesser club.
You raised my eyebrows with your Hooper suggestion as he hasn't scored this year and only has five goals this season. But then I looked at the top scorers list and found no Englishman with more than 7 who isn't already in the squad. Top English scorers in the Premier League not in the squad already: 7 Nolan, A Johnson 6 Crouch, Sidwell, C Cole Slim pickings!
Alan Pardew has just been on SSN singing SB's praises. He said Brucey was manager of the year so far. Which was nice of him.
Pardew's OK. He's trying to run a football club whilst the biggest set of clown shoe mongs imaginable are honking novelty car horns and throwing buckets containing strips of brightly coloured paper at him, whilst tootling around in small yellow cars, which eventually blow up with the doors and wheels falling off. That must be a distraction.
Ahh a Woking fan,the home town of the best band ever The Jam nice to see a non league fan on here. Always support your home town. Huddlestone is very close to an England cap, but at least we can say there is a lot of competition in the middle. As for Curtis, well let me put it this way, Cleverley isn't as good as James Chester, never mind Curtis Davies.
I once spent 90 minutes pointing that out to him. When he brought Charlton to the KC, they put on the worst display of anti-football I've ever witnessed. I might remind him this afternoon.
Morning Hull fans. I'm hoping for a good game, but worried about this one - especially with Colo out. Our defence will be all over the shop, while your new strikers seem to have settled in well. I like Shane Long - good player. Think we'll be lucky to nick a point today. Anyway, good luck for the rest of the season.
