Tsunami

Bruce’s substitutions won us the game yesterday, ASM’s injury was down to him going full tilt right at the end. It was in front of us and everyone was thinking wtf is he doing, it was like he was in an Olympic final. Not going to criticise him for trying but it was the hardest he ran all game and there was no real need to win that race.

I’d actually play Joelinton out on the left if ASM is out; it was where he was playing before we decided he was a centre forward and I’d stick Gayle as centre forward. I’d certainly be looking at it on the training ground.

The injury was simply down to him over exerting chasing a ball down in the last minute, disappointing. Saying Atsu can do a passable job is complete bollocks. Atsu is no where near the player, it’s ridiculous to suggest he can do half the job. He’ll be a big miss, he’s our out ball at the minute, we’ve nobody else like him. It absolutely isn't bollocks. Atsu's perfectly fine at carrying the ball, he's just got zero end product. ASM has one goal and how many assists? Is it zero? Their contributions therefore aren't going to differ enormously. I'm criticising the system here, not the player. He's clearly very talented but it's not like the team is built around him, or anyone for that matter (aside from when Carroll's on the pitch, when everything becomes about him). ASM's quick and a decent dribbler, so he's only used to be direct, without any real sense of purpose beyond that. As it happens, pace and dribbling is literally all Atsu has - so he can basically just come in and do the same thing. Much lower ceiling talent-wise, obviously. ASM is far stronger on the ball and is our out ball. Atsu can’t do that job, try giving the ball to Atsu on the halfway line and expect him to hold it up and bring other players in and we’ll have the ball coming back at our defence time after time. Bruce will need to change how we plan to move the ball up the field and it’ll either Shelvey trying to be quarter back or more likely starting Carroll and hoofing it forward. I’d suggest ASM is our most important player at the moment.

The injury was simply down to him over exerting chasing a ball down in the last minute, disappointing. Saying Atsu can do a passable job is complete bollocks. Atsu is no where near the player, it’s ridiculous to suggest he can do half the job. He’ll be a big miss, he’s our out ball at the minute, we’ve nobody else like him.

No because Silva got booked, i think. No longer have to go off if you’ve been fouled.

Thank you Cardiff

What exactly is it, other than taking the job (which he was always going to do) and not being Rafa, that Bruce has done wrong? I’ve never rated him and he’s a Geordie only when it suits but he’s doing better than expected. He’s tried 4 at the back and reverted back after 1 game, he’s been tactically shown up a couple of times but he’s also got every player putting their all in, they’re disciplined and organised. It can quickly go to shit once a manager leaves but that hasn’t happened, we’re currently operating with a different and weaker back 5 to last year and we’ve lost Perez and Rondon. From the outside looking in you can understand the praise he’s getting and frankly some of the criticism he gets on here is simply not warranted. Having a cabbage face, looking like a tramp and using Rafa’s tactics are not valid, the squad was assembled for the tactics being used and if we still had Rondon we’d be a good few points ahead of where we are. It will turn to shit, either the players will lose the drills put into them by Rafa or Bruce (the club) will buy the wrong players or probably a combination of both but for now Bruce is doing fine. This doesn’t mean that a majority of fans are complicit or supportive of Ashley, some will be, others are simply looking at how the team are doing. Ashley is the disease, get him out, we could do the double and most fans would want him out. Attendances are down the atmosphere is non existent so Ashley knows the score. He’ll only ever go on his terms and so far he’s been getting a far too easy a ride. The manager and team should be looked at and commented upon judged on what they are doing on the pitch, the club on the other hand should be judged on the owner and the one constant there is that he’s a twat, always will be and he’ll never let the club be the best version of itself. It frustrates the hell out of me that people say, yes but Bruce is the face of Ashley, no he’s not, he’s a manager trying to do his best and getting pelters for it. Where’s Ashley Out, where’s the protests against the owner for what he’s really doing? He let Rafa go, he’s a proven liar, he’ll not invest in improving infrastructure, he’s selling land and he’s ambition for the team is to avoid relegation. Bruce - yeah he’s the problem.

We’d be livid with our defenders, keeper and linesman; rightly so. The linesman was in no position to be able to judge and simply guessed which was totally the wrong thing to do. Linesman deserves a couple of weeks doing Sunday League for what he did, he then called another marginal offside shortly after which looked on to me but the tv decided not to properly look at.

The referee immediately and clearly waves play on, there’s people saying he’d blown his whistle or had it to his mouth - no he didn’t. Linesman and defenders had a mare, that’s the only story here.

Always knew we’d get something from VAR officials regularly get it wrong with us. Linesman was 5 yards behind the play and guessed- shocking.

Shearer was praising the closing down and then the forward intentions to get through City’s press. To me it also looked like we were leaving Mendy to be their easy out ball. He was given loads of space, regularly got the ball out wide around the half way line and didn’t do a single thing with it. You could almost call it tactics.

McClaren W8, D8, L18, Bruce W4, D4, L6. McClaren was struggling at Derby, had already turned us down, had bombed his previous 2 or 3 jobs yet we still appointed him. We were a shambles under him, some of the performances were mind blowing. It will turn for Bruce but for now he’s actually exceeding expected results.

Very good call. Looking like a flukey finish this season for the new Messiah and SD Utd. Accidentally caught 5 mins of this today on BT sports, but had to turn off as I felt dirty and soiled viewing it. Glad to see those SportsDirect Utd fans enjoying this brief spell of joy though. Good on 'em. True sooper fans every man Jack of them. Sure they will enjoy the next few seasons of up and down, and up and down with their wonderful owner raking in the cash,pissing himself laughing at them., whilst they sit there in their replica shirts getting away from those awful wives and girlfriends. truly 'The loyalest football supporters, the world has ever seen.' It’s not remotely the same. We had far better players in most of the positions with Ba and Cisse on absolute fire with Ben Arfa and Cabaye doing their stuff; there’s no argument that we fluked some results that season. Pardew was an absolute clown benefitting from moments of absolute genius getting us points. By and large we’ve deserved the points we’ve got so far this season. As much as I don’t rate Bruce, Pardew was a complete different level of a fraud. If Bruce had taken over from Pardew, and McClaren from Benitez, I think very little would have been different. Bruce would have taken us down because he’s shit, McClaren would have us pottering about lower mid-table since the defensive stability was all set for him. That’s a bollocks argument, even so, I’ve absolute no doubt that McClaren was worse.

It was noticeable that the way we were set up that we allowed Mandy to be their regular out ball, he was allowed far more space than any other City player. If it was a deliberate ploy it was a pretty good one, we did the same with Gomez for Lpool and couple of seasons ago.

Very good call. Looking like a flukey finish this season for the new Messiah and SD Utd. Accidentally caught 5 mins of this today on BT sports, but had to turn off as I felt dirty and soiled viewing it. Glad to see those SportsDirect Utd fans enjoying this brief spell of joy though. Good on 'em. True sooper fans every man Jack of them. Sure they will enjoy the next few seasons of up and down, and up and down with their wonderful owner raking in the cash,pissing himself laughing at them., whilst they sit there in their replica shirts getting away from those awful wives and girlfriends. truly 'The loyalest football supporters, the world has ever seen.' It’s not remotely the same. We had far better players in most of the positions with Ba and Cisse on absolute fire with Ben Arfa and Cabaye doing their stuff; there’s no argument that we fluked some results that season. Pardew was an absolute clown benefitting from moments of absolute genius getting us points. By and large we’ve deserved the points we’ve got so far this season. As much as I don’t rate Bruce, Pardew was a complete different level of a fraud.

The linesperson woman was pretty good first half; she had an absolute shocker 2nd half. Ref missed the free kick for their 2nd and bottled sending Fernandinho off, he got progressively more pro Man City as the game went on. We did alright, this forum is in danger of becoming a complete joke at moment. Nobody wanted Bruce but there’s some absolute shite being hawked about. Save it for when results turn and Bruce shows his tactical ineptitude and inability to turn a couple of bad results into a nosedive to the bottom. Ashley is the man we should be getting at, no matter the results good or bad he should be getting pelters.

Is Oliver drunk?

We all know how it’ll end, I sit reasonably close to the dug outs and see first hand his touch line antics and his struggle to get to grips with his tactics when the other team aren’t playing like he expected. The first 30 minutes at home to Brighton he stood, watched and didn’t have a clue what to do to stop them stuffing us out wide. All that said, he’s got us more points that I’d expected at this point and nothing should detract from the real issue - Ashley. It’s disappointing that there’s a real lack of anti Ashley songs at recent games.

It’s bizarre why Bruce is getting all this stick on here. I’ve never liked him but you can’t blame him for taking the job, he has got points on the board and by all accounts he’s a nice bloke. Once results turn he’ll get the abuse and I’ve no doubt he’ll be expecting it. I’d much rather all attention was on Ashley, he’s the cancer and he’s still laughing at us. I don’t accept the Bruce is the face of Ashley or anything like that. Bruce is in it for Bruce, that Squires frame of him signing another contract is absolutely perfect for what’s happened here.

Standard of coaching/facilities won’t have changed much at that level surely? I’m in no doubt it has higher up the ages though. Either way, we are treating it just as an extra bit of training. He started Futsal 2 weeks back and was quickly moved up to an older age/advanced level group and the standard of coaching, sessions and talent among the kids is some of the best I’ve seen/experienced so it will be good to gauge what the pro level standard is like against that for example which is essentially a franchise ran by two young lads with a mix of kids girls and boys varying in ages and ability but all equally skilful. Future of our game in England may just be getting even more healthier. There’s a quote from Methven about the loan they’ve just taken “The money will be used largely to improve various things around the club. Some of it might sound very uninteresting, but we believe they're important. Fixing the speakers at the Stadium of Light, for example, or the lift at the Academy of Light is broken and needs fixing. These are quite significant payments to make, and this new investment will help that" They’re scrimping and saving all over the place and are clearly struggling with running costs. Nufc need heavy investment in their youth set up to be where it really should be but it should stable. It’s a difficult choice. If Sunderland don’t get promoted the consequences will be felt at all levels.

Sunderland’s Academy and set up can’t be at the level it was a few short years ago. They’re not exactly flush with cash, good luck with your choice.

Remember Champs League goals against Zagreb and Kiev

He shouldn’t be judged as a centre forward ‘cos he isn’t one. Ridiculous that we spend £40m on him and decide to play him as a target man. Did ok yesterday, held the ball up well and much better than other games. The real problem is having spent that money there’s no way we’ll pay the money required to buy a proper centre forward. Wonder if we told him where we were planning on playing him?

Swore a lot and kicked something (I presume the water bottles), not exactly supporting his struggling £40m striker Was hilarious, looked like an energy bar he was kicking. Did well to kick it tbf. When they missed right at the end he was thumping his heart at the crowd. What a guy

I agree and I think he would have lost the ball anyway. I don't care, he was hacked down from behind. There's a clear kick. It’s a contact sport, he went down too easily for me. Mane’s was a clear handball.