It's obviously a big 'if', but if we could get promotion this season Steve Bruce would be the perfect manager for us in the EPL. Cast your minds back to the difficulty Brown and knob head had recruiting anyone when we went up and the astronomical fees and wages they had to pay for average players. We were an unfashionable club who were seen as favourites to go straight back down so decent players didn't want to take the risk. We would be in the exact same position if we went up again, but with Bruce's mastery of the transfer market and his experience and reputation I think we could recruit much better players for far less. I know the typical reaction to this will be - "Let's worry about it when it happens and not tempt fate." but Bruce's stock will rise enormously if we get promotion and we will struggle to keep him. The Allams need to be putting a package together now that will tempt him to commit to the club if we go up. Also having supported City since 79 I think SB is the best all-round manager we've had and we won't get anyone better if he leaves.
Papa Allam has said SB was expensive,so i would have thought he'd be happy with the package he already has.
Unfortunately it doesn't work like that. Good managers are few and far between and if you get one you have to secure their services as quickly as you can because if you don't others will be in there. At the end of the season there will be a few vacancies in the Prem and SB's head could easily be turned. Also whether he's on an "expensive" contract now (according to the Allams) it won't be as much as he will want to guide City through a torrid first season in the EPL with all of the risks to his newly restored reputation attached.
I mean judge his quality when he dust has settled. We might lose the next five and he's been found knobbing Allam's daughter. From hero to zero etc
I know what you're saying but personally I've seen enough to think he's the genuine article. If you think of it in positives and negatives; The positives are; Good tactically and team formations etc, attacking mindset, passionate, calm when we lose and doesn't get carried away when we win, great and accessable communicator with the fans, excellent in the transfer market, good man manager (he has revitalised players like Simpson McShane and to some degree Olofinjana), experienced, confident and has actually got us scoring goals again. The negative is Prozzy, but even he could come good in the second half of the season.
It's still too early to judge Proschwitz. He's just not getting the minutes. Would anyone be able to figure out for all of our strikers individually their minutes per goal ratio. Proschwitz might well be ahead of Simpson?
Good post Craig. We will go up this season, been confident since his appointment. My big worry was Hughton doing crap and getting sacked at Norwich as i think they would go for Brucey, i like Hughton glad he's doing well after a shaky start. Bruce will attract good players as you say, with so many contracts up as well he can really get in who he wants.
Mastery in the transfer market - LOLZ He's a top manager for 3 or 4 years. Then his inability to improve his teams or take them to the next level catches up with him.
'Also whether he's on an "expensive" contract now (according to the Allams) it won't be as much as he will want to guide City through a torrid first season in the EPL with all of the risks to his newly restored reputation attached.' I think he has a great reputation for getting teams promoted to the PL - not sure about how high his stock is as a PL manager. i think he's still got a lot to prove and we might be as good a vehicle as any. I'm sure he'll want to see something from all that new money IF we go up though
I think he looks as if he is here for a long term job. He seems to be enjoying it. This season Epl is the target, next survival and after that Europe. Plenty to keep aiming for.
Some good points Craig, unfortunately the draw of Browny wasn`t at you rightly point out what it could be if `The Bruce` gets us up there. I also think in Poppa and Ehab ALLAM we have sound business sense at the helm and wouldn`t be held to ransom, unfortunatly, as has been mentioned too many times on here previously Duffer panicked and started to throw money we didn`t have on journey men and injury riddled has beens (Geovanni being the exception). I`ve supported this team since 69/70 and was lucky enough to see the team managed by Terry Neill that could and really should have won promotion in the 70/71 season. There have been some good managers along the way, which includes Neill, Taylor, Joyce (if only for getting us out of the mire with little or no money to spend, oh how they were dark days) and to a degree Browny (until he started believing his own hype), but I would agree that Bruce is right up there at the moment. Lets hope it continues for a few years more yet, and lead us back to the promised land.
Best thing about Bruce for me is you know he's seen the same game as the rest of us , as much as I liked barmby some of his after match thoughts left me bemused, sounded like played like Barcelona while I'd just watched us get stuffed by hopeless Coventry etc..
SB is probably the only reason we get any (albeit still little) coverage from Sky or BBC that involves calling us 'promotion contenders'.
Don't think there's too much to worry about Bruce, he's been about long enough for everyone to know what he's all about. If we had a young manager that no one had really heard of til now getting us playing like this and got us promoted, then I think it'd be an entirely different story.
