Seems they are hoping to have new manager in early next week, even as early as Monday. So who? http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport...ws/sunderland-managerial-contenders-1-5540813
Michael Appleton is gonna take over. Great manager, poor soul deserves another crack after that wounding stint at Blackburn.
Must be someone who is out of work if they are going to appoint him tomorrow. If only Brownie had hung on a bit
Phil Mcnulty twisting the knife on our behalf on the BBC......'How ironic, as it so often is in football, that Sunderland dispensed with O'Neill on the day his predecessor Bruce took another step towards taking Hull City back into the Premier League with victory at Huddersfield Town, increasing the possibility of passing his former club on their way down. '
Whichever way you look at this, Agnew will use it to get the guys up for each and every game, every little bit of motivation counts now.
SAFC could have done a lot worse than PB. He made an instant impact for us when he first came in and we beat high-flying Cardiff first game. That's what they need at this stage- an impact manager.
I wonder if Bruce is just a championship manager, can he cut it in the PL?? his time with Sunderland suggests that he cant.. Although he didnt do badly with Birmingham.
I always liked Bruce - he recruited some great players for us and I was gutted that he left. It wasn't Bruces fault that Bent, Gyan and Welbeck had to leave. What a strike force he got together! Not all Mackems wanted Bruce out!!!!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21983265 - his final interview haha get McLaren in there.... that will seal their fate!!
Maybe it's easier for talented managers to shine at this level where it's a level playing field , budgets and egos are smaller. Plenty of very good managers struggle or fail in the Prem. This is due to foreign owners, foreign players, unrealistic expectations and player power. Maybe HCFC is an ideal place to manage right now and SB is aware of that. At SAFC the lunatic self-delusion of their support will always handicap their manager. Here the only pressure is to wave at the East Stand.
I think you are right in the difference in managing between the two leagues, there is a real gulf in expectation in all departments of the job. The Tigers are a good choice for Steve Bruce, as he is able to build his team to be competitive on his terms; a sudden appointment into an established PL team does not allow for that. He did a decent job with Sunderland and was massively hampered by the decimation of his chosen attack; most of the lads I sup with respected what he did but accepted his dismisssal as supporters do - they looked to MON (a Sunderland fan) as a bit of a 'Golden Ticket', but many had reservations. Bruce made a much better fist of the job than either Kean or MON; Peter Reid did well but lost the plot down the line. My personal opinion is that the club seriously misses the huge personality and experience of Quinn - is role and dedication was a huge element of the management teams strength. I would have to disagree with your opinion on the 'lunatic self-delusion of their support' as I have never seen that and I have lived amongst them for more than 20 years. If you had said that about the Maggies then it would have been difficult to oppose, although, it tends to be a minority, a rather large one though! I was always disappointed that we had a bit of a ruck with the Mackems because of Phil Browns foolish bragging; we have enjoyed a very good and supportive relationship with them over the years and I for one wish them well. The last thing I would want is for them to be relegated, this for two very selfish reasons: they are an home game for me and (to use a Brownism) we have unfinished business on the football pitch.
The Phillips / Quinn partnership was awesome and they have never replaced it; we know ourselves how hard it is to get two forwards to link up like that, but Simpson and Boyd looked like they had something there. Fryatt and Aluko to come, makes life very promising. Onwards and Upwards The Tigers!
Pulling away from this topic, when are you going to start saying hcafc correctly? You've done it for Sunderland.
Sunderland fans refer to their club as SAFC We refer to ours as HCFC. Or are you one of those pedants who prefers HCAFC Ltd?
