Steve Bruce

[markavfc40]

One of the things I love about Bruce is that when I listen to him after the game there is no bullshit. No dressing up a poor performance into a good one. He has seen the game I have seen not one that he presents as something else. That is something we haven't had in a manager for a long time.

I think it is reassuring as it shows he knows where we are weak, knows where we are going wrong and what he needs to do to  put it right. 24 points from 12 games is some return and he could lord it up off the back of that but he doesn't. Instead he keeps it grounded focusing on where we can do much better.

I feel secure under Bruce. I think with 3 or 4 additions in January we will kick on and to kick on from a foundation of 2 points per game will see a very positive second half of the season for us.

 

[Grasshopper]

SB is EXACTLY who we need atm.

Relegation and the Italian Experiment was killing everything we had going for us.

Had RDM done slightly better and have stayed on, Dr T would have been in for stick too.

Bruce has come in to a disorganized pile of shite buried amongst a few shining lights.

He must be cooking inside to boiling point about how difficult this job has been made.

Taking a snapshot at any point can be misleading or misinterpreted but look at the facts

What has got to play with

GK - Young inex'ed talent + Nr2 never to be a nr1

Defence - Hutton @ RB and only Elphick as cover @ CB

MF - Only Jedi of note and in an ideal world his winning the ball is good enough but what happens after that isn't

Attack - Soloist who all seem to want the glory

and thats just the 1st 11!!!!!!!!

WTF?

He really cant be expected to do any better.

I like/love him for what he's done so far.

Dr T & Round should give him all the support he needs for janwin.

If SB gets us into the playoffs he will have done an excellent job (up till then)

What happens in the playoffs who knows. I hope its not Leeds (3rd) v AV (6th) cos that'll be tough (Leeds @ Wembley too) 

I'm not even worried too much about SB in PL because of the simple fact that Dr T will pull the trigger if need be.

Its Inwards & Upwards as far as I'm concerned.

This season - playoffs = great -> promotion fantastincredibrilliamazing.

Next season in Ch = Certs for title

Next season in PL = outspending all but Shiteh ManU re Chelski & Loserpool and PL survival

If SB does the business great if he struggles in PL I hope he along with Steve Hollis are remembered as 2 of the most important appointments we have ever had made for us this Century.

[Dodgyknees]

The impact Bruce has had is simple. A defeat is now a disappointment and not something we expect.

This is with some average players in the team.

So I am chuffed to bits with his management, even if I don't agree with all of his choices.

[Guest av1]

2 hours ago, markavfc40 said:

I feel secure under Bruce. 

I agree with your whole post Mark, but this line stuck out for me. Not since MON have i been truly comfortable with a Manager.

[Guest av1]

1 minute ago, DK82 said:

The impact Bruce has had is simple. A defeat is now a disappointment and not something we expect.

 

Even after a win some people are complaining because it wasn't beautiful to watch. 

After the last 6yrs, that is a truly remarkable turnaround in opinion.

[Alakagom]

6 minutes ago, av1 said:

Even after a win some people are complaining because it wasn't beautiful to watch. 

After the last 6yrs, that is a truly remarkable turnaround in opinion.

How can you compare? This is Championships ffs. If we can't win games in Championships with our revenues and our team with all the money we have thrown and you're impressed by few wins?

We're improving and heading in right direction finally, but to be impressed we win the games with the money we have spent is not something I'd do personally. 

Edited December 27, 2016 by Alakagom

[Dodgyknees]

6 minutes ago, av1 said:

Even after a win some people are complaining because it wasn't beautiful to watch. 

After the last 6yrs, that is a truly remarkable turnaround in opinion.

Performances will come in time, and I am sure I read an article today where he has called for better performances to get promotion. But for me, wins are what matter - above and beyond anything else.

[TRO]

2 hours ago, Mantis said:

Why on Earth would I think they should be booing the team after a victory? I would've thought my posts on Bruce so far have made it blindingly obvious where I stand.

because some do and find it ok....you clearly said it may happen.

I'll happily take that as a no then.

 

[skarroki]

4 minutes ago, DK82 said:

Performances will come in time, and I am sure I read an article today where he has called for better performances to get promotion. But for me, wins are what matter - above and beyond anything else.

I think the point is that you rarely have one without the other. Winning is the be all and end all, but no team has won a league and you look back at their season and think "didn't they play badly and scrape past most teams" 

We are winning now and that is good but we won't continue to win if we continue to play like we have. Frankly, this December we have not got the absolute minimum points we should have got. We've played the easiest games possible this month, Norwich, QPR, Wigan and Burton should be wins in the bag before we walk onto the pitch. To have scraped past 3 of these without really deserving anything, and lost the other is worrying. 

[Guest av1]

6 minutes ago, Alakagom said:

How can you compare? This is Championships ffs. If we can't win games in Championships with our revenues and our team with all the money we have thrown and you're impressed by few wins?

We're improving and heading in right direction finally, but to be impressed we win the games with the money we have spent is not something I'd do personally. 

Revenue does not win games of football, as RDM found out to his cost. 

We were a complete shambles when Bruce took over, if you aren't impressed with the turn around you must be an incredibly difficult person to please. 

 

[dont_do_it_doug.]

7 minutes ago, Alakagom said:

How can you compare? This is Championships ffs. If we can't win games in Championships with our revenues and our team with all the money we have thrown and you're impressed by few wins?

We're improving and heading in right direction finally, but to be impressed we win the games with the money we have spent is not something I'd do personally. 

Are you not at least relieved?

The money made no difference under RDM. We still don't have a midfield. Your view is very simplistic and doesn't take anything into account outside of the most basic of facts. 

1 win in 11 to 7 wins in 12. I'm impressed, yes.

[TRO]

19 minutes ago, av1 said:

Even after a win some people are complaining because it wasn't beautiful to watch. 

After the last 6yrs, that is a truly remarkable turnaround in opinion.

I don't think that is entirely what is being said.

of course we all want to see expansive football with perfect passing and running off the ball.....blowing teams away at ease.

I think what is being said there is many faults in the play and the wins are not convincingly enough.

Steve himself has said so.

 

Edited December 27, 2016 by TRO

[Guest av1]

Just now, skarroki said:

I think the point is that you rarely have one without the other. Winning is the be all and end all, but no team has won a league and you look back at their season and think "didn't they play badly and scrape past most teams" 

 

You never heard of José Mourinho mate 

[skarroki]

1 minute ago, av1 said:

You never heard of José Mourinho mate 

I've never seen a Jose Mourinho side win 1-0 unconvincingly. They score, shut up shop and strangle the other team for the match. He will obviously have had a couple of lucky wins in his career but most of the trophies he's won have been built on 1-0 wins that were never in doubt. In my opinion of course.

 

Unless you're being sarcastic and it's flown right over my head. 

[sne]

The slightly worrying thing is that (as far as I've seen) there is still no foundation to build from when it comes to how we play.

Our defense and organisation is a bit better under Bruce, but it's not like we were hemorrhaging goals under RDM either.

We are still slow and clueless in possession, our movement is really bad and there is little or no connection between our midfield and strikers.

Can't speak for anyone else, but when I complain during or after a game, win, loss or draw it is mostly in regards to our long term development. I just don't see any.

This is obviously down to us having no midfield to build our play around, and once January comes he must act from day 1 to get his targets in.

Bruce has come in and gotten the results for the most part, and that is really all that matters at this point. Keep us in reaching point of the teams in the play off spots.

I've never been an huge admirer of Bruce, but he is a competent manager at this level.  I really thought he'd be able to get at least some sort of performances out of the midfielders we have at the club. Useless as they might be, this is the Championship ffs. 

Shows just how bad the midfielders really are when the can't even make an impact in the lower leagues. In pretty much every game this season our midfield has been the weakest entity on the field from either team. Some line ups obviously didn't help.

We must get the transfers spot on if we are to be able to win promotion, and I think we must aim higher than top Championship quality to do this as the general quality of midfielder in this league is really bad.

[NurembergVillan]

Our squad is the football equivalent of when Homer Simpson was allowed to design a car -

 

[Xela]

3 hours ago, markavfc40 said:

I feel secure under Bruce.

Great phrase.

I'm the same. I'm confident in the knowledge that Bruce knows what he is doing, has been promoted 4 times previously with weaker teams and has the tools at his disposal to get us up. 

[ozvillafan]

1 hour ago, skarroki said:

I've never seen a Jose Mourinho side win 1-0 unconvincingly. They score, shut up shop and strangle the other team for the match. He will obviously have had a couple of lucky wins in his career but most of the trophies he's won have been built on 1-0 wins that were never in doubt. In my opinion of course.

 

Unless you're being sarcastic and it's flown right over my head. 

I think the point there is that Mourinho has a chequebook and roster that any other manager would desire. The fact that he "scores 1 then shuts up shop" gets him winning the PL, but hardly in the style you'd hope his expensively assembled squad would play. 

[KHV]

Bruce is doing an amazing job. It must be remembered this is not his squad. RDM was given a lot of money and spent it very badly indeed. Almost like a kid in a sweet shop and managed to build one of the most unbalanced squads in the division and left us with a midfield with Bacuna, Westwood, Gardner, Jedinak and Tshibola which has about as much pace , power and technical ability as the cast of last of the summer wine. 

The fact that Bruce had managed to cobble together so many points is quite frankly remarkable. Playing badly and winning is much better than playing badly and losing. 

4 new midfielders and another forward option will see us in great shape. 

[vreitti]

16 minutes ago, KHV said:

Bruce is doing an amazing job. It must be remembered this is not his squad. RDM was given a lot of money and spent it very badly indeed.

I don't agree with this at all. RDM actually made some really shrewd acquisitions. Kodjia, McCormack, Adomah, Chester and the Jedi were all great buys for this level. Kodjia might even produce the goods at the next level. Tish is still a mystery, and Gollini can surely improve. The problem is, he should've bought at least one more midfielder. 

Bruce has done an amazing job thus far results wise, impossible to disagree. Yet I still feel he should've already gotten us playing better, all things considered. Time will tell, I hope he is able improve the balance now, and seriously get us challenging for promotion come spring. Anything else than playoffs with the squad we already have, is a failure imho.