Abra Dubravka

Don’t think even if Bruce was sacked now it would shave us from the drop.

Agree with all the s*** Edwards gets. But can we stop insulting people for being bald all the time on here? See it all the time. I'm not bald but I know people that are and it's not something people can help. There's plenty of reasons to have a go at people like Edwards and Charnley etc. Being bald isn't one of them. By looks of it, don’t think that has been receded to well...

Well, Bournemouth was the end of McLaren. Can't see Ashley f***ing this cretin off now though. Not sure I'm arsed now anyway. We're going down, he might as well stay here. He deserves to have the relegation on his CV tbh. Agree. Birmingham, Hull, Newcastle Good manager, top bloke, doing a good job, fans expect too much etc etc

Who else was in for him last summer? Like him as a player, but not set the world alight to think they’ll be a que of clubs in for him and waiting to pay him what he’ll be on here.

Won’t be giving Gayle and Atsu a new deal, doubt even our board would give Carroll another year. This year was probably a backhander to Andy from Bruce anyway. Won’t be giving a deal to Murphy if we stay up, but will probably walk if he’s not guaranteed games. Nobody is going to be coming in for Fraser on his showing so far this season, probably not much of a market for Hayden either. Who’s out there needing an Isaac Hayden? Woodman won’t be with us in Champ if he’s not told he’s first choice, won’t be here at all if Swansea go up and we drop. I’d imagine Lascelles might want out, especially if Bruce stays on (which he will). He’ll be sick of it by now, and should want to push on his career somewhere not in the Champ. Almiron, Wilson, ASM all obviously will have takers, Dubravka and Manquillo could easily get a move to Europe somewhere. Lejune will be back for pre-season but will get a move somewhere. Schar looks leaving on free anyway, Fed will leave on free if we drop. Ritchie will want out. Joelinton out somewhere on loan probably. I know we expect everyone to leave, but rarely is there mass exodus from relegated sides. Be definitely be left with; Darlow Krath Clark Dummett Longstaffs Hendrick Fraser Not a chance we go back up

For however much of a shitbag he is, there are clubs that have had much bigger arseholes owning them, and been run far worse. Wanting the club to tank and burn just to remove Ashley I’ve always found too extreme. I just can’t stomach the idea of us plodding along in the Championship, hoping to scrape a play off place whilst teams ping pong up and down building stronger through parachute payments like WBA, Norwich - but at least we got rid of Ashley. Moment we go down, and if PIF pull out, we leave ourselves with a greater chance of some even bigger scumbag buying us. Bare minimum we should be in PL. End of the day shouldn’t be a case of having to tank just to cause Ashley leaving. Would rather be in PL with Ashley, in strongest position for potential buyers than drop down and take a punt on some American come in a strip us clean.

Tuchel already said he was interested in the job before we signed McLaren. Charnley wouldn't even know who he was. Yeah, it’s totally baffling. Hard to imagine these people are in charge of a club at the pinnacle of the sport. Everyone around us for years been trying to recruit best in class, best possible players and managers they can afford/attract. Not even a case of Ashley having to invest millions of his own money, if we just had ambition to strive and achieve best within whatever budget Mike gives over teams wouldn’t be able to compete with us. We should be able to attract likes of Tuchel back then, Rafa; don’t forever have to be selling ourselves short, so sad.

Posted in the Bruce thread, Jones' formation is bollocks. Plays with no strikers and exposes our s**** full backs badly. We may well be able to play with Almiron, Wilson, Manquillo and ASM but they're out and it needs changing. If we don't beat Villa or Brighton a strong 10, we're down. Change to what? Isn’t formations problem, is lack of making use of it, and having any conviction in anything we do. Resorted back to Bruce’s classic approach of direct to Joe wide, who hopefully can get better of a full back physically. Nothing went through midfield, despite having four players in there. Full backs forever rushing it forward, instead of playing it back into midfield and going again. That’s not just lack of talent, that’s instruction. Can’t just drop wingers so deep to protect crap full backs, as it’ll be back to case of having next to nobody in forward areas. It’ll be a case of us being sitting ducks again. We aren’t good enough in transition to move the ball, move positions, be patient when needed and get players from deeper areas into attacking positions to build attacks, probe down one side, come back out and try again.

58 year old manager who’s spent 20+ years in management, and best ‘gig’ he can get is at Sheffield Wednesday. Enough chances in the PL, but never come close to cementing a side in top half, let alone mid table mediocrity. That’s evidence enough. Him being here is unhappy marriage of no manager with anything about them wanting anything to do with this club/regime, and Ashley/board’s scope of recruitment. Probably plenty of managers on continent that would have taken chance on us if we’d have looked hard enough for someone instead of on our doorstep. Would have much rather taken chance on someone left field who’s done well in Germany, Spain, Portugal, Italy etc than get this serial loser in. Couldn’t have been any worse, even if they turned out shite

Happy for Parker like! Remember watching them first couple of games of season against Arsenal. Totally clueless at the back, but always kept playing it around quickly and played good stuff. Could see they had something about them, but were just hapless with who they had at the back.

Re: state of the squad, its Worrying to think that if we stay up he’s going to be here residing over another transfer window. Schar, Fed, Gayle, Atsu, Murphy, Carroll all potentially need replacing. For the squad to be where it should be, we need to be keeping hold of Schar and Fed and spending £150M+ on replacements for the wasters leaving and on key big deal first teamers. No takeover this summer/spring and it’s only going to get a whole deal worse, PL or Championship.

Aye, get your point, missing front 3 and Schar is leaving anyone a mountain to climb, but I can’t excuse the total drop off in intensity and change of approach. He bottled it missing those players. We saw same approach he kept persisting with earlier this year when he was without ASM. Backwards passing from midfield, no runners forward, no intensity in anything, rushing the ball forward, and clearly just trying to play directly to Joelinton against a full back. He went back to same approach he was responsible too before Jones came in. Proves the ‘doing it my way’ stuff was bollocks, as today must have been him just going back to how players wanted then. Carbon copy approach, plan and performance to any of those games up until Everton away. Could have easily shoved Fraser into Almiron role, and Murphy/Ritchie (lol) wide left. He shithoused it and stuck Hendrick back in. Squad may be less talented and full of dossers, but he’s incapable of getting anywhere near best from them. Whether that’s tactically, or just numerous factors going into them wanting to play for him and run through brick walls to get a win.

Don’t think it was season after they won title, but it went to piss start of season Lewandowski and Gotze left. Started poorly, mid table for ages and said he was leaving end of season.

4/10 - Thought he had a decent game by his standards. Usually leaves the pitch with his heed spinning after whatever winger running him ragged all game. Managed to get through 90 mins without putting us in the shit and costing us a game. Would have made more sense having Pereira or Diangana (if he was fit) down that side and run at him like every side does. Missed a trick there did Sam!

What’s he actually said? He said he's delighted. He actually said he's delighted... I think we're watching a man lose grasp on reality. It's kind of sad. How does he keep getting away with this bullshit. You replaced an attacking midfielder with Hendrick. How is that not messing with the system? To be fair the shape was the same, Hendrick came into the team where Shlevey was, Shelvey move to where Willock was, and Willock went to where Almiron was. Shape was the same, but if you replace Almiron with Hendrick and shuffle a few positions, you've still replaced Almiron with a pile of s****, and of course it disrupts the system. Willock played much deeper than Almiron ever has done. Fraser and Joe still in those split striker roles, but Willock was never higher up than them in a central position. Totally missing that player high up starting the press and setting a tempo. We were totally aimless. Could have easily had Fraser in that role, he’s moved him there in games before - he has the energy and buzz to press like Almiron. Bringing in Hendrick for Almiron totally corrupts the system. Should have been Murphy wide left, Fraser, Joe - Bruce bottled it. Extra man in midfield, four in central area, but never created any use of them. Just tried bypassing them at every opportunity playing direct to Joe. Too right that fat arsehole doesn’t do tactics. Clueless set up, makes no sense whatsoever

Leicester were pretty terrible next season. Chelsea after both Mourinho and Conte’s titles. But yeah, Liverpool fallen off a cliff last couple months.

The truth, of course, being - in the last six - W1, D2, L3. Liar. Aye, that 1 win by skin of our arses. Not exactly a win of conviction. Bottles today, bottled Wolves and Palace from winning positions.

Watched his podcast with Undr Cosh, must have been last year - looked like he was on the powder. Didn’t look quite that rough though.

Keep the run going... 2 wins in 17, keep the run going...

He hasn’t got a clue has he. Way to build unity in the squad, ‘without ASM, Almiron and Wilson the rest of them are a bag of sheeet, what are you expecting me to do?’ How many times must have finished a match where he’s played Joe and ended up saying ‘lacked quality’, then proceeds to keep playing him.

Literally Harvey Price if he had a bit more of Dwight Yorke’s talent.

Just sums up Bruce and the Steve’s talents. Without key players or talent they are totally helpless. They can’t force any playing style or approach on to a team, and have to rely on individual talent. Look at the top coaches, or other sides - when their missing key players, aye their not the same side, but they don’t cave and change their whole approach. He very much is a coward. He has no principles of play, or an approach that he’ll stand behind and have faith in other players coming in to play to. He’ll just change everything moment he hasn’t got ASM, Almiron to work it out for him. Evidence is there, him always moaning on about missing key players. Head coach, he’s a fraud.

Wouldn’t give an arse if we’d played like that for last 20 odd games and managed to get wins, or snuff out some draws. When it’s not about performances your relying on other team failing to rise to occasion as well. Clear as day Bruce’s approach hasn’t been about performances, we’ve played like cancer baring handful of games since he turned up here; and 90% of time other side have been better than us and that’s why we always facing a mountain to climb when it comes to winning games.

Aye. Best of a bad bunch. Was never a threat. As terrible as ever, just happened he was most involved, or basically only player involved in their half.

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