I have to say I don't think Bruce should win it. Results wise Pulis has obviously done better and started off with a worse team than us. My vote would go to Rodgers for completely turning Liverpool around which looked very difficult a year ago. He's done it playing exciting, flowing football too. EDIT: Like most people, I hate all the ****s in Hull who support Liverpool and other big clubs, but it doesn't make me hate Liverpool and I'm completely neutral to the top PL clubs so forgive me for not having a bias against Rodgers because of his team.
If Bruce improves on your league position/performance next season I will be well impressed! With European football and added fan expectation things might prove to be more difficult! But keeping a newly promoted team in the Premier league, and getting to a cup final too is an achievement! Well done!
I know you've done well this season (i.e. survived). But Hull have spent a lot and are only a few of points off relegation (you could end up 1 point off). The two strikers you bought in January for a combined 13m have scored just 8 goals between them in Bruce wouldn't make my top 5. Pulis, Rodgers, Martinez, Hughes and Pochettino have had better seasons.
I really don't think the Long and Jelavic signings can be seen as anything other than a success. We perhaps had to overpay to get them but they've been good for us and I believe (withuot working it out) that if you extrapolate their goals over a 38-game season they'd be on for 10 goals each which is excellent for a club our size in this league. Bruce has done a great job, but there are more incredible ones being done elsewhere in the PL which make it seem less significant by comparison.
I think we overpaid for Jelavic, but the goals scored don't tell the full story, their contribution to the team has almost certainly secured our safety, so it was decent business.
I think that two strikers adding to 13m should be adding goals and performances. But do you argue with the main point of my post? IMO Bruce doesn't get in the top 5.
The ones you've listed have all had better league seasons, but personally I'd have Bruce over Pochettino given that we've made the FA Cup final, and Southampton could have had a better go at their cup campaign, but played a largely weakened side at Sunderland and got beat (in one of the earlier rounds)
They are adding goals and performances. I know your question isn't aimed at me but I'm answering anyway. It depends what you're judging it on. Purely on achievement? Pulis, Poyet, Pocchetino and Rodgers have probably done more but he must be 5th? Martinez has changed Everton's style for the better but they aren't much better in league position than when he took over. I don't really care because the point is there's definitely managers who've achieved more. In answer to your other question I think the FA Cup does come into it because it's a competition that PL teams take part in and part of the job that a PL manager does.
They've both scored 4 in 15 games, as said that's about 10 each a season over 38 games, which for £7M a pop isn't bad value at all. They've also done that at a stage of the season where due to injury we've been missing our two most dangerous attacking players in terms of creating chances. I think the perception of their strike rate is also harmed by our cup run. 1/4 of our games since they joined they've been ineligible to play in
Bruce is the 5th longest serving manager of a club in the premier league. Wenger - Arsenal Pardew - Newcastle Allardyce - West Ham Lambert - Aston Villa Bruce - Hull City
