The hypocrisy of Steve Bruce

[damon loves JT]

Just seen Houllier on SSN. Brilliant. Could hardly stop himself chuckling about the comments from Bruce. Never seen a manager, especially under pressure, look so bloody relaxed as Gerard at the moment.

It's totally weird. It's as if he's enjoying it.

[pauliewalnuts]

Just seen Houllier on SSN. Brilliant. Could hardly stop himself chuckling about the comments from Bruce. Never seen a manager, especially under pressure, look so bloody relaxed as Gerard at the moment.

It's totally weird. It's as if he's enjoying it.

I thought he was brilliant in that press conference.

I found myself thinking at times, "He's coming across as a bit smug now" but then "at least he's our smug fucker, so bollocks to them"

[ozzjim]

I know a lot of people want him out still, but he just gives me a feeling that given time to get the side how he wants, we will be better off than we were under Martin. He has a strange air of self assurance.

[Shrek]

Cheeky bastards Sunderland are, they never even tried to stop the transfer.

[Dave Cooper please]

Steve Bruce. A man with a face like Miss Marple's minge.

STOP IT!
I can't laugh anymore, it hurts.

[Witton Warrior]

Just seen Houllier on SSN. Brilliant. Could hardly stop himself chuckling about the comments from Bruce. Never seen a manager, especially under pressure, look so bloody relaxed as Gerard at the moment.

It's totally weird. It's as if he's enjoying it.

Medication?

[Fasth56]

Fistface has been bleating that apparently that nasty Mr Houllier didn't phone him up first.  He sounds like a spotty teenager left at home while his popular ex-girlfriend is getting fingered by the school rugby captain.

Spot on

Yesterday he was bleating about not getting a phone call and sounded like a really plain bird whose boyfriend had had "tops and fingers" then moved on to her best mate because she had a better rack.

Twat

Speaking to a Sunderland fan at work and he said the same kind of thing. He said it's getting sort of embarassing, never mind no-one is preparing for tomorrows game.

[PeterWithe]

From The Mail

We're not Bent! Houllier says Villa have acted by the book in pursuit of £24m striker

Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier will lose no sleep over Steve Bruce's verbal outburst against him regarding the transfer of Darren Bent - and has accused the Sunderland boss of being ungracious. Houllier came out all guns blazing in response to Bruce's attack over the way he acted during the sale of Bent to Villa for a club record £24million.

He defended his stance in making no personal contact with Bruce while the transfer was being conducted. And Houllier is adamant Villa, who host Manchester City on Saturday, acted in a proper manner throughout the transaction.
He said: 'I like Steve Bruce. I think he is a good manager. He is doing a good job. 'I think he was not too gracious to me but that's life. It is not going to prevent me from sleeping, I can tell you that.
'If we had done something wrong, I would say "hands up" but we have behaved in a very proper way.

'If I call Steve and say "I want his player" he will go vocal and go public and it will be even worse. 'He is working for the interests of Sunderland. I am working for the interests of Aston Villa.
'You contact a manager when you want a player on loan sometimes. A lot of fellow managers call me if they want loans. 'This is the life of football. It makes me laugh more than anything else. 'Am I bothered about what he said? I prefer not to answer that question.'Houllier also hit out at Blackpool boss Ian Holloway's comments over Villa's attempts to sign midfielder Charlie Adam. He said: 'It's the same with Ian Holloway. We did things right with Blackpool.

In demand: Villa are among a number of clubs interested in Blackpool's influential skipper Charlie Adam
'We went straight to the club, we were quiet, we said nothing and finally it comes out in the press but not from Aston Villa. 'He said we were insulting them. We made a bid, they said no and we respect that. 'But there is no point in being vocal and saying we were insulting them and insulting the player. 'They are insulting us but we don't want to go on about it.'Houllier is still interested in signing Adam after having bids of £2.5million and £3.5million rejected. He said: 'We made no mystery after what was said by Holloway in the press. 'It is true we made a bid and it is true we like the player. It is true we would like to have him here.'

Villa's other January signing, Jean Makoun, has finally been granted a work permit although the former Lyon midfielder will not be involved against City.He is set to make his debut in Tuesday's rearranged clash at Wigan. Houllier said: 'Makoun should get his visa today and he should be able to travel to England today. 'I don't think he will be involved against Manchester City. It is too early but he might be involved against Wigan.' Houllier believes City will be genuine title contenders this season. He said: 'It looks as if they are clicking now and scoring goals, getting results and competing for the title which is a huge step from last year.  'I think Roberto Mancini is doing a great job there. I know him. We are good friends - he is a good manager, very successful. "He kept his head high and straight when he was under pressure.'

[peter w]

Houllier uses the past tense in terms of dealing with Blackpool, very interesting. And then states that we(Villa) would like to have him at the club. I expect Adam, and/or his agent to be knocking on his manager's door. i'm sure his head will have been turned.

I'd be annoyed if Villa had instigated this as we went through this with Barrybollocks, but Holloway has gone public with this and had a dig and been rude towards us. So, in that case I hope we get him, and they go down. Or just the latter.

[adrenachrome]

I wonder If he made a phone call to Crystal Palace....   

Crystal Palace fans sung:

Brucie the Elephant packed his cash
and said goodbye to the Palace
off he went like a greedy fat lump
c*nt, c*nt, c*nt

Brucie the Elephant packed his cash
and trumbled off to the porn shop
off he went to the Birmingham dump
c*nt c*nt c*nt

[olaftab]

 This  is from the Sun today headlined "What does Bruce know about loyalty"

STEVEN HOWARD - Chief sports writer
Published: Today
FROM the look of him, Steve Bruce should have become accustomed to having his nose put out of joint.
But, no, the Sunderland boss is still upset.
The tapping-up row over Darren Bent's £24million move to Aston Villa rumbles on with Bruce saying his club are still bitterly upset and disappointed over the manner of the striker's departure.
Yesterday, he waded into Gerard Houllier for not having bothered to give him a call, something Bruce said was usually the case with "all the great managers I have dealt with in the past".
Poor, old Steve.
To think he only stands to make a potential £14m profit in 18 months on a player who more than repaid Sunderland's initial transfer fee with 36 goals in 63 games.
And then there's all that loyalty business and how Sunderland fans have every right to feel massively let down.
Hang on a minute.
Is this the same Bruce whose managerial career has been a story of jumping from one ship to another to better himself?
The man who spent just 11 months at Sheffield United before joining Huddersfield.
The man who, on being sacked there, rewarded Wigan for their generosity in rescuing him by moving on to Crystal Palace after just TWO MONTHS.
The man who then walked out on Palace for Birmingham just FIVE MONTHS later, despite chairman Simon Jordan seeking a High Court injunction to keep him.
The man whose time at St Andrew's was marked by continuous links with Newcastle, a switch that never materialised because David Sullivan priced him out of the move by asking for £7m compensation.
The man who then returned to Wigan before upping sticks 20 months later for Sunderland, despite guiding the Latics to their highest Premier League finish of 11th while the Black Cats escaped relegation by just two points.
And who then crowed: "I can now shop at Harrods not Tesco."
Yes, I do believe it is.
Ah, what delicious irony for all those Wigan and Palace fans who stood powerlessly by as Bruce, without a care in the world, went on his merry way. Now the Sunderland Twitterati promise retribution when Bent returns to the Stadium of Light with Villa next season (if Villa, of course, stay up).
Bruce will know how he feels. On his return to Selhurst Park, the Palace fans greeted him with chants of "Judas" and "Stand up if you hate Steve Bruce".
And what did Bruce, in retrospect, have to say about that?
"I let Palace fans down big style," he admitted. Quite.
Yesterday, Bruce banged on about the timing of Bent's move and how it came out of the blue. Well, not quite that out of the blue as Bent had originally put in a transfer request back in August when he first realised clubs were sniffing around.
The bottom line is that Bruce and his chairman Niall Quinn are putting on a pretty good display of righteous indignation when, deep down, they must be delighted with a fee of £18m rising to £24m.
Not that Bent comes out of it smelling of roses, either.
This is the player, after all, who spent much of his time at Sunderland proclaiming how he had embraced the North East, loved it there and felt like one of them.

Humbug and hypocrisy all round. As is always the case in football.

[gervilla]

Potato Head can fcuk right off.
Club hopping twat.

[dave.woodhall]

It'd be a shame if Sunderland, with some of the best supporters in the country, started getting all Leicester on us.

[Marlon's Hairy Wood]

After seeing G-Hou's response to Holloway and Bruce I have to say i'm warming to him more every day

love how he's made them both sound like absolute plums and he's so cool and collected about it

I hope the results start turning round as he's ticking a lot of boxes in what I like in a manager

[Rip Van We Go Again]

It'd be a shame if Sunderland, with some of the best supporters in the country, started getting all Leicester on us.

They already have, judging by that fanzine bloke you had a face off with on BBC North East.