Happinesstan Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 10 hours ago, NE27 said: I've got such thick skin that I end up covered in dead skin all the time, so I've just got to dust myself down and rurl my sleeves up He's going to be devastated when he finds out it's actually crumbs of flaky pastry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmintheChaos Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 (edited) How do people actually rate and see this squad? Not just the first 11 but the squad as a whole, where would you say is a respectable finish for it? I would say around 12th-14th is our level. Coming 13th in Benitez last season shows that too. Good enough to just avoid the bottom 6 but short on quality and depth to push for 10th. If Bruce gets back to back 13th place finishes with Joelinton as our main striker last year and ASM and Wilson both missing 10+ games this year and no legs in midfield until February then purely on results and league placing I would have to give him a C grade for his 2 years here and I’ve been one of his biggest slaters! Bottom line is we are never going to have a squad capable of maintaining top 10 until Ashley goes, the last 14 years have shown that. Not had back to back top half finishes since the early 00s. Edited May 15, 2021 by CalmintheChaos Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
astraguy Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 (edited) i have no doubts we'd be pushing up the table like Leeds have done if we still had Rafa, We'd have less injuries and more clean sheets Edited May 15, 2021 by astraguy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shearergol Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 22 minutes ago, CalmintheChaos said: How do people actually rate and see this squad? Not just the first 11 but the squad as a whole, where would you say is a respectable finish for it? I would say around 12th-14th is our level. Coming 13th in Benitez last season shows that too. Good enough to just avoid the bottom 6 but short on quality and depth to push for 10th. If Bruce gets back to back 13th place finishes with Joelinton as our main striker last year and ASM and Wilson both missing 10+ games this year and no legs in midfield until February then purely on results and league placing I would have to give him a C grade for his 2 years here and I’ve been one of his biggest slaters! Bottom line is we are never going to have a squad capable of maintaining top 10 until Ashley goes, the last 14 years have shown that. Not had back to back top half finishes since the early 00s. The squad is useless, the first 11 are probably capable of 12th. Our striking options after Wilson are joelinton, Gayle and Carroll. Our central midfielders after willock and shelvey are Longstaff, Hayden and Hendrick. We have no decent fullbacks. Take ASM and almiron out and you end up with an unfit Fraser, Murphy and Ritchie. Our squad depth is appalling. We rely on 4 or 5 really good players to drag the others through. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmintheChaos Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Just now, Shearergol said: The squad is useless, the first 11 are probably capable of 12th. Our striking options after Wilson are joelinton, Gayle and Carroll. Our central midfielders after willock and shelvey are Longstaff, Hayden and Hendrick. We have no decent fullbacks. Take ASM and almiron out and you end up with an unfit Fraser, Murphy and Ritchie. Our squad depth is appalling. We rely on 4 or 5 really good players to drag the others through. Agreed. I’m no Bruce fan but lots of our fans seem to think we have a top 10 team! Any manager would be toiling around 13th with this mob. Ashley is the issue. Benitez, Bruce, Guardiola or Kinnear it matters not until Ashley goes as it will be the same scramble for survival every time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shearergol Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Just now, CalmintheChaos said: Agreed. I’m no Bruce fan but lots of our fans seem to think we have a top 10 team! Any manager would be toiling around 13th with this mob. Ashley is the issue. Benitez, Bruce, Guardiola or Kinnear it matters not until Ashley goes as it will be the same scramble for survival every time. I do agree, but my life would be a tiny bit better knowing Bruce wasn’t anything to do with the club. I wouldn’t expect us to compete, but I could forget about his existence. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalmintheChaos Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Just now, Shearergol said: I do agree, but my life would be a tiny bit better knowing Bruce wasn’t anything to do with the club. I wouldn’t expect us to compete, but I could forget about his existence. Fair point! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 40 minutes ago, CalmintheChaos said: How do people actually rate and see this squad? It's just really imbalanced; lots of quality and lots of major deficiencies, symptomatic of having been constructed without any sort of identity in mind. Dubravka, Darlow, Lascelles, Fernandez, Schär, Clark, Manquilo/Dummett (on good days), Hayden, Willock, Almiron, ASM, Wilson - all wouldn't look out of place in top half sides or (in the case of those weaker named), are players who you'd consider way better than relegation fodder. Where it completely falls down is in midfield and second-choice attackers/full-backs. Shelvey, Hendrick, Longstaff, Ritchie, Atsu, Saivet - all are either not in contention or certified shite, whether that be represented by inconsistency, lack of heart or straight up lack of ability. Joelinton, Carroll and Gayle meanwhile are a complete joke, despite the inexplicable decent performance from the former once in fifteen. Krafth and Lewis want melting down. Jury's out on a handful of them; Murphy's had a resurgence but hardly someone you pin your hopes on. Fraser, Matty - difficult to say whether or not they'll ever contribute much to this squad but are decent players in theory. It's a talented but ultimately flawed squad; as I said, symptomatic of the style of the management team. Grateful, accepting, no real clue - they'll just go with what they've got without a tangible framework, style or identity in mind. Contrast this to the side Rafa built; balanced, centre-backs with differing attributes which contributed to both defending and attacking, a combative centre-midfield with the promise of improvement and - critically - a functioning and very deliberate and diverse attacking triumvirate, built around a focal point. Bruce's comments the other day re "I inherited six centre-backs, cuh, *eye-roll*" - yes you did, you plank, each one of them had a role and a defined purpose, not to mention you're including Dummett in that. What you inherited was a strategy, try looking that word up. What we have now is a patched up "it'll do" version without any clear identity or clue as to where it's going. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazarus Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Difficult to argue with any of that. Theres all sorts of ways the current squad could be improved with proper training too: Almirons decision making in the final third.. Joelintones finishing... Shelveys fitness.... Frasers fitness.... Longstaffs positional play Lewis's confidence.... Etc etc etc... ....but Bruce. A proper tactical plan would suit the players too... ....but Bruce. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueStar Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 14 hours ago, BlueStar said: Going off a google image search, 60s actor Norman Rossington looks more like Steve Bruce than Steve Bruce Obviously this was a bit of a pointless post without a pic Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lazarus Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 (edited) Separated at birth Edited May 15, 2021 by Lazarus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 (edited) 49 minutes ago, CalmintheChaos said: Agreed. I’m no Bruce fan but lots of our fans seem to think we have a top 10 team! Any manager would be toiling around 13th with this mob. Ashley is the issue. Benitez, Bruce, Guardiola or Kinnear it matters not until Ashley goes as it will be the same scramble for survival every time. Do you think on paper our squad is worse than Villa or Leeds? With a proper manager and this squad I don’t think we should be looking up at these as much. Edited May 15, 2021 by Optimistic Nut Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToonArmy1892 Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 8 minutes ago, BlueStar said: Obviously this was a bit of a pointless post without a pic Crikey Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54 Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Jenas rightfully getting pelters Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 5 minutes ago, 54 said: Jenas rightfully getting pelters Where why and from whom Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
54 Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 (edited) Edited May 15, 2021 by 54 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yorkie Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Idiot. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 I'd like to smash a pie right in his fucking face. Cunt. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimbo Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 (edited) It’s like a Hollywood movie. A downtrodden old hero that is on a bad run, but then he turns it all around and proves his doubters wrong by going from 17th to 16th. Edited May 15, 2021 by Kimbo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Geordie Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Trevor Sinclair and the commentator at Burnley v Leeds on Talk Shite; "Steve Bruce has done a brilliant job, against considerable media and fan pressure" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 8 minutes ago, Big Geordie said: Trevor Sinclair and the commentator at Burnley v Leeds on Talk Shite; "Steve Bruce has done a brilliant job, against considerable media and fan pressure" Obvious WUM radio station is obvious. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Bailey Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Dion Dublin (the clueless fucking muppet) giving a 'round of applause for the great job Steve Bruce has done' on Footy Focus.. Alex Scott said nowt which was disappointing, and Dan Walker told him to be ready for some less than happy Newcastle fans reacting to what he said. Dublin went on to say the usual shite about wanting attractive football and relegation or what Bruce has offered....Of course there are only the 2 options in this fucking muppets mind. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robster Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 Dion Dublin When someone who's opinion matters says it, i'll get angry. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smal Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 The season has kind of ended in the worst way possible, hasn’t it? He’s easily safe now. No pressure on him at all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Bailey Posted May 15, 2021 Share Posted May 15, 2021 And gives more of an excuse for his mates in the media to spout shite, which yes we can laugh at and say what the fuck do they know etc. But millions (well a fair few anyway) of people will be watching some of these clueless pundit twats and that is the impression they are left with..'why are those thick Geordies so upset?' Just wish someone would actually challenge some of the drivel spouted by them from time to time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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