Whatever the outcome of the season now, there can be no doubt that the whole gloss from Bruce has totally disappeared now. As a very vocal and committed supporter of Bruce its depressingly sad for me to admit but something catastrophic has gone down at the club since January and the results since bare that theory out fully. DB leaving didn't happen over night and something has happened to effect all the other players as well. Bruce has definitely lost the team and the dressing room and even stopping up by a gnats foreskin this time, wont make it any better next term. There is absolutely no momentum going forward now and the air of despondency that will hang over the club all summer will continue into the next campaign with Bruce at the helm. Thats a hard thing for me to admit but it is sadly very true. If we had managed to go out with a bit of a bang in the last 7 games and finished on a high, then there would be something to hang onto. However, after that horror show second half yesterday it became very clear to me that all was lost for Bruce. He looked like a dead man walking on the touchline at the end and in the interview rooms afterwards. He knows the game is up and so does everyone else including the players. We have Fulham, Wigan and Wolves now at home to make absolutely sure of our EPL status and as for the rest we will get nowt against W Ham, Birmingham or Bolton. A win and a draw will see us home but whether that should be under a Bruce led team or another is open to debate. I've said it today several times that Martin O Neill is twiddling his thumbs at home but I am sure he will have one eye on the situation here and one ear on the telephone to see if it rings this week. I'm gutted for Bruce but the game is very much up and it was clear to see from the players body language yesterday they know it too.
Put the ã18m from the Bent sale straight into the starting lineup. Too late to spend it on a replacement now so might as well give the cheque a run out.
I'm gutted for Bruce but the game is very much up Too true, Ces. Let's put O'Neill, Jol or van Gaal in tomorrow morning. It was nice while it lasted, as it was with Keane, but now we move on.
I always remember Jimmy Armfield talking about Kevin Phillips on radio. He said 'It raises the confidence of the whole team if you've got a goal-a-game man up front. Even a goalkeeper or full-back isn't so concerned at losing an unfortunate goal. They know if they just keep playing normally and get it up front, he'll get you back in the game.' A man like that doesn't have to be a super player, constantly involved. But he's your get-out clause when things go wrong, and because you've got that peace of mind, things tend to go wrong less often. In December, Bramble and Turner both got long-term injuries, so it was on the cards that we might concede a few more. And a month or so later, Villa came poaching, and bang went our get-out clause. The whole character and look of the team has descended from there. I think Bruce has been very unlucky. For a start, Asamoah didn't come on stream till October or so, and just when he did, Bent got injured. It was November before they really got to play alongside each other. It didn't work straight away, but then it was never going to, was it? I mean, Asamoah's just a teeeeeny bit different from Kenwyne Jones! And then Villa started waving Young, Downing &co. and Bent compared them to the crossing and service he was getting at Sunderland - and, with one eye on an England place, he was gone. What, at the beginning of the season, looked like the dream strike partnership never really got the chance it deserved. Then Bruce brought in two very good players, and, by the end of January, those lads found themselves in a team with heads already beginning to drop. And then Cattermole was injured! Steve Bruce has been desperately unlucky. But, at a club which has 'Let the fans down' as it's motto, and has done it regularly for over half a century now, the fans are understandably very low on forgiveness and sympathy. I'm sorry to say it, but I can't see any way he can survive it. He has to go. I don't think it's all his fault, but that doesn't make any difference - to the fans, he's just one more let-down in a whole line of let-downs. The essential point is that, today, we have an owner with the drive and ambition of a true fan. And that man is accustomed to winning. He isn't where he is because he takes less. I'm sad in a way, but it looks very much now like Sunderyo-yoland is still our name. And Ellis won't take that. Good luck, Steve - I must admit it was good while it lasted.
At the end of the day SB has had a fair crack of the whip at the SoL........... a much better crack than some of his predecessors............ he's had money and he's had time............. at best I’d say we’ve spent a LOT of money just to tread water……………..
I dont think anyone is enjoying the threads mate but sadly we not enjoying being a Sunderland fan right now.
Haven't watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 yet, can't wait to get my hands on it. I've watched all the previous ones, Half Blood Prince was magnificent.
