Well, just in from a delightful afternoon watching our beloved team. I'm gonna do this in reverse and get the positive (there was one , in my opinion) out of the way. Stephane Sessegnon, you never gave up, you fought battled, took a kicking but kept getting up, you earned your wage. Muntari, Mignolet, Turner, Cattermole and Jordan, each and every one of you was an absolute sigrace to the badge, to football to whatever you want. Tell me, how a premier league footballer can't get the weight right on a 6 yard pass? Jordan managed to underhit 2 passes in 5 seconds, of 5 yards or less? If i did that playing pub football, i'd be torn to shreds by the lads. Now, the moment. We've gone 2-0 down and the average height is about 3ft 2, we haven't hit an accurate long ball all day, in maybe 30 attempts, so Mr Steve Bruce decides that the best plan is to bring on Anton, shove Onouha, who had barely won a defensive header all afternoon, up front, and ping 50 yard diaganol passes towards him. He won......1. In half an hour. Point? If EVER there was evidence of a manager so tactically underskilled for top level football, this was the moment. It actually dropped my jaw, truly for a moment i actually wondered about the 'agent Bruce' lines. Elmo was left at right back, despite the fact he is used to playing further forward, and Steve Bruce's masterplan was to bung a centre back up front and lump it at him. This was surely the last desperate act of a man completely out of his depth and with no imagination, guile or even basic skills to take any club beyond mediocrity. I've been a massive Bruce supporter, and wish him well, but now he needs to do the honourable thing and resign. I'm a season ticket holder of 23 years, more than 2 thirds of my life, and anyone, ANYONE, who has been a regular attendee this season knows that Bruce's departure is no longer necessary, but ESSENTIAL. Injuries? Referees? Squad size? No, bad management, tactical ineptitude. We won't finish top 10 now, and that is not just a failure, it is a catastrophe.
An Bruceysbeak, you have changed your moniker I could go through your missive and counter each and everyone of you arguments, however Quinn was interviewed in the Echo on Friday:- Quinn said: “We know we were short this year. The manager wasn’t given the fairest hand to deal with in relation to some. “The example I give is Stoke, who are near enough to us in the league and have had a better FA Cup run than us. Stoke have six top-class centre-forwards to choose from. “We have to do a lot of things and there is a lot of hard work to do this summer. But it’s not going to be willy, nilly signing players, they need to buy into the toughness of being a Sunderland player. “Buying that sort of person – who buys into it and won’t shirk responsibility – that is vital. We need people who will join into the team spirit we have here which, at times, has been a big strength we’ve got. “It’s an ongoing exercise and it’s something we’re all up for.” Bruce ain't going anywhere and I'm LMAO at people boxing themselves into a corner. I have had a season ticket since the 60's and I disagree with your opinion, which is based on results since christmas and Bents sale, this diatribe would have been justified if we were getting relegated, we aren't so it is not. You can only play the cards you have in your hand, Bruces hand has few aces. Injuries - you cannot deny we have more than a few, squad size - light on strikers. The failure to finish in the top 10 is not catastrophe and you know it, it is a failure to live up to the early promise in the season, no more no less
No mate, Ellis said clearly on his interview that a top 10 finish was the target LAST season. The squad is Bruce's, if it's light on numbers, it's HIS responsibility. Were you at the game? The performance was as bad as anything under Wilkinson, even as bad as the 3 own goals against Charlton. It was a disgrace, and there is absolutely no defence or excuse for what i have just watched. I've seen some **** in 23 years as a season ticket holder, but that is right up near the top. You are entitled to your opinion, but mine was shared by the 7 other lads i was at the game with, and the 8-10,000 who LEFT with half an hour left.
I just hope Short doesn't walk; it'll be a hell of a lot easier to replace Bruce than a billionaire willing to throw millions at the club just because a very nice Irish man persuaded him to...
You have a lot to say about the failings of the team and the manager, some of which I agree but mostly I disagree. Did you think about your failure as a supposed dedicated supporter when you left 30 minutes from the end. In my book you and those who alo left so early are a disgrace.
I didn't leave early you pillock, i sat till the death, as i have done for 23years. I said that 8-10,000 people did leave early, not that i was one of them, arsehole.
bit harsh on Turner who is obviously not fit, Cattermole and Hendo. Yes they mislaid afew passes put had a decent overall game. Muntari is overweight, its clear, hands on hips after 10 mins. Mignolet, i dont think you could criticise him for the goals he let in, he was playing it short from kicks ut when he did, we lost the ball before we got to the half way line. Elmo is terrible at RB, doesnt track anyone, Bardsley was gash, Malbranque disappeared after half time. Bruce doesnt have a clue on subs, we are 3-0 down, why not bring on Riveros? it cant do any harm. Everything and i mean everything was going to the right, No width no structure no points.
We said the same re Riveros, why put him on the bench if there's no prospect of him playing? IMO Mig was deffo at fault for 1st, and it looked like the 3rd, but i'' have to see the 3rd again cos it was at the South end. For the record i'm a big fan of both Turner and Catts, but they were piss poor, Turner hasn't been right since the injury, but i have no fears about him for next season. He was awful today though i thought, summed up by him falling over and taking out one of the Fulham players near the end!
Yes I was at the game and it was not good. Top ten finish would have been achieved if Bent had not been sold(Bruce not solely to blame for that) and the injuries that we have suffered - they happen, ipso facto. Its alright saying a top ten finish was the target - only an idiot would not temper that target after taking into a account the sale of Bent and the injuries though and there seem to be plenty of those about. Bruce has some question we would love to be answered, yes Riveros should have came on as sub - he has not been given a chance and I would love to know why - again we will never get an answer. Frustrated - undoubtedly, questions about Bruce - certainly, should he go - certainly not - just my opinion.
This is spot on. Who are we to say we 'deserve' top 10? We've only finished there twice in god-knows, 50 years or something, and people are saying its a disaster not finishing there again?! 15 points from 38 games, that's a disaster. When we got promoted we all said progress, slow and steady, would do.
I'm one of the keep Bruce brigade but have to agree with MM in that Turner, Catts, Henderson, Onouha, Mig were all shockingly bad yesterday. Turners distribution was ****ing disgusting for a pro footballer, just a ****ing big hoof up field to the opposition and his heading was ****e all day as well. Henderson, piss poor and for a mackem playing for Sunderland who are still not mathematically safe yet (although we won't go down) showed about as much passion for the game as wor lass and she hates footy. Catts was brilliant in the first half but what the **** happened in the second? he was a different player, he sat back in front of the back 4 and done **** all, I never even saw him try to rally the team as a captain should. If we continued the first half performance to the final whistle and still got beat then i could have accepted that but the way we just lay down and died was a ****ing disgrace and apart from Sessegnon and maybe Bardsley, each and everyone of them players should give their wages back or at least have the balls to donate it to charity.
No top ten finish! Scum will finish above us! Villa will finish above us! Bruce out! I think hes a nice guy just cant watch this **** week in week out! Hes is not the next level manager that we need!
Hallo boys and a good morning to you all, had a cracking queens day here, and missed the match, but not much of one from what I'm reading here. You all know my opinion of Bruce not good enough for the next level, i am always disappointed to see the lads loose but to do it and play ****e is very hard to bear. Any way i will start a thread with some pics of queen's day so you can all see what you missed ****ing fantastic day, and maybe we could organise a 606Er's outing for all those interested..
I stuck by Bruce after the slump last year, I stuck by Bruce after our total humiliation at Sid James', I stuck by Bruce through this most recent slump but I'm afraid I can't disagree with the vast majority of the comments made here. I've said before that it's the players responsible for putting in a good performance and that it's not Bruce's fault that we were dropping but it seems to becoming apparent that Bruce has lost it unfortunately. He plays so many players out of position it is unreal!! He'll happily sit there and blame injuries but at the end of the day, he has options like Zenden and Riveros sitting on the bench hardly appearing at all and would rather play players out of position than choose them. What kind of message does that send to them? Zenden has done well for us......in the rare occasions he plays! and even Riveros looked tidy albeit nothing special when he has played. The other thing Bruce lacks is in his teamtalk/general man management. We were playing well yesterday in the first half. The players were clapped off the pitch by 99% of the crowd despite being 1-0 down which goes to show that we thought we could come out second half and turn it around. Then we came back out looking disinterested, sluggish and generally very negative, epitomised by the "defender for left winger when 2-0 down" substitution!! I have no idea what he must say to them at half time, nothing inspirational in the slightest. We have a huge amount of talent in our team and on paper it is a top 10 side but without a spearhead manager who will fire his players up and prepare them properly for a match then they'll be completely wasted. This is the strongest squad in our history in terms of quality IMO and it's gutting to see the complete lack of of a team unit meaning we are only able to meander around 14th when we were dreaming of top 8 and beyond just a few months ago. We'll see at the end of the season but if we don't (and probably won't get top 10) then Bruce's future will hang on a knife edge. In my opinion: He's lost a lot of fans. He's lost a lot of the players. He's lucky he hasn't lost Quinn and Short yet. KEEP THE FAITH
