Mattoon

I'm actually disappointed that ASM first goal for us wasn't him skinning 5 defenders, twisting in the box and firing a thunderbastard into the top corner but I'm chuffed for him that he's got his first. Shelveys goal was top level shithousery and if it happened to us I'd be livid but it's a schoolboy error not to play to the whistle, Sheffield can only blame themselves for that. A good 3 points but unconvincing, alarmingly Dubravka was MOTM for me, he was a beast tonight, nothing was getting past him. The score line flatters to deceive, we were negative and clueless going forward but we scored our chances and that's what wins you games. Unconvincing and unsustainable but happy with tonight's result. Now won't some fucker buy us and rid us of this perpetual nightmare?

Nailed on we sell someone of value, maybe a Longstaff to balance the summer spend but fail to get anyone over the line, business is tough in January don't you know? Unless you're selling that is.

No problem, Bruce can sell Joelinton, that will free up a cool £40m to buy the players he wants in. even if by some freak of nature we managed to pull off that kind of deal you know Ashley would trouser the cash and we'd be stuck with a lame AC up front.

According to Culkin Bruce has been told he has to sell to buy this January.

Very Pardewesque, unsustainable results when you're relying on your defenders for goals, higher up in the league than your goals for and GD dictates. Reminds me very much of the 5th season when so many teams just didn't perform and we fluked our way to Europe.

"What's gone on in the past was a long, long time ago, but we've only won two of our last twenty matches against Manchester City, so maybe the players in this practically different team are too used to losing" Isn't this "practically different team" the same one he was saying he couldn't coach the Rafa out of just a few weeks ago?

Why would there be a meltdown on here? I think most people would be happy if we beat City. Likelihood is a spanking and back to winning form for City, I don't think I can bring myself to watch the carnage. It certainly won't be a Rafa masterclass, it'll be a Brucey fluke at best, but I'll take what we can get.

More and more irrelevant as time goes on, hilarious!

Want to read that, but I don’t if that makes sense You should read it. I read a similar version in the Times this morning, if you avoid it you are handing the narrative to Ashley and his arse licking fan base that fill 40k seats every week. I will, but it will piss me off no end, I’m always happy for Rafa getting a decent job he can wok his magic at. Just wish he was still here, but was 100% correct to leave! Racist tbh

The big difference is hope, even when we lost the league to Man U, even when we lost the FA Cup final to Arsenal and to Man U, there was always hope. We had ambition, we played (for the most part) good football, we lost but there was always next year! A league cup now would be celebrated as it should but what comes after it? More of the same, same crap manager, same crap owner, the buzz would wear off pretty quick. Back in the day the disappointment wore off and the buzz came back, I would give anything to feel that again.

Mad decision by spuds, they'll struggle to find a manager of his callibur now, why wait until the end of the international break though? Poch deserved time.

bruce needs to play him on the left ffs, i can't believe people aren't more annoyed it about it tbh it's so fucking obvious Probably because most of our fans have the football IQ of about 8. Combined

I'd fancy England to give anyone a game at Wembley, depends on how the last 16 and quarters fall for them but a semi and a final opportunity at home is a huge advantage.

Doesn't score = shit Scores = shit Can't fault the logic in that one, get him sold

5 is more than a few imo? Against us

So exciting going forward, so suspect at the back, a decent team would have scored a few here tonight

These fucktards have got the club they deserve.

Totally on board with this, all those things have repercussions in any place of work so they should have meaningful repercussions for players too. Got a lot of time and respect for Lampard.

Genuinely haven't stopped singing it in my head since watching it

I'm not entirely sure but I'm pretty positive that's engrained on my brain forever now thanks

I think you answered yourself there, Bruce is managing NUFC during a perfect storm, just like Pardew did. Rating him based on one season is akin to saying Pardew was a good manager. Rafa, Keegan, Bobby all did it over several seasons. He would get any praise he deserved but I wouldn't change my opinion of him based on one season vs 300-odd previous games in the PL, consistency is the key.

Just as Rafa didn't become a shite manager overnight for a string of bad results last season, Bruce hasn't become a good one either. Credit where it's due, he's got this team singing a tune at the moment 2 points off 5th after almost a third of the season is decent. However, I gave Pardew the benefit of the doubt after that 5th place finish and we all know how that ended. Even if this vein of form continues over the season and we finish top 10 Bruce will inevitably return to type and have us tumbling back down to earth. As loki679[/member] said before, it's all meaningless anyway when the height of ambition is 17th, pointless with Ashley in charge, a top 10 finish will see a barren summer as we'll be deemed a good enough squad to carry on as we were.

Of late he’s doing shit. Alreet Luke, wind it in

This comes down to brown envelopes and nothing else. This should be another nail in the Ashley coffin too but it'll be business as usual next game.