Steve Bruce - officially confirmed (as Sheffield Wednesday boss)

[john e]

every piss poor side looks unfit, you look at any side having a poor time and they always look out on their feet, and we've been like that for 5 years or more

Bodymore will have the latest technology when it comes to assessing fitness, I'm not sure what happened to Gabby but they will know exactly the current state of every player you would have thought,

unfortunatly when you have been playing mind numbingly bad football and getting tanked month after month it really does look as though your way of the pace of that of the opposition,

I'm not saying more can't be done on the fitness side but I reckon if we won a couple of games (ha ha) I bet we would look like whippets out there

[PaulWinch again]

If Bruce can get the midfield to actually provide some value we'll be on the way to recovery. I don't think playing three attacking midfielders works for us. We need to reinforce that centre mid. That's where we build from.

[RichardBatchelor]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3070519/Roy-Keane-slams-tired-club-Aston-Villa-woeful-strikers-couldn-t-finish-dinner-new-chapter-memoirs.html

Sure, a lot of what Keane says is true but what did the useless eejit do to improve it? Nothing, because he's an awful coach.

[paul_e]

every piss poor side looks unfit, you look at any side having a poor time and they always look out on their feet, and we've been like that for 5 years or more

Bodymore will have the latest technology when it comes to assessing fitness, I'm not sure what happened to Gabby but they will know exactly the current state of every player you would have thought,

unfortunatly when you have been playing mind numbingly bad football and getting tanked month after month it really does look as though your way of the pace of that of the opposition,

I'm not saying more can't be done on the fitness side but I reckon if we won a couple of games (ha ha) I bet we would look like whippets out there

Exactly it's about confidence and if you can't get that confidence from results then you have to find other things to build confidence around.  That's why I'm an advocate of basic skills and technique training.  Get people confident in their ability and the ability of their mates.  get them knowing that they're better than the results are showing and that they just need to get that first win on the board and they'll be on their way.  Break it down into things that you can manage on the training field behind closed doors, get a few taking freekicks and hitting the top corner regularly, get a few hitting a dummy at the front or back post from the corner spot.  Get all of them playing one touch passes over 10 yards from either foot.  Get all of them trapping balls fired in from all angles and heights.  There's loads more things as well, anything that a professional footballer should have mastered as a teenager.

The players will probably fucking hate it and think it's patronising as shit (which is a fringe benefit) but you just tell them until they can do it on demand in a match then they have 3-4 hours of this shit every week.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I'm hoping Bruce never had the time to watch any of our games on video from last season. It's the only way I can forgive his foolish choice of selecting Micah Richards. If Steve Clarke had remained in charge for the Wolves game and came up with the same starting XI we'd have rightfully torn him a new one.

Hopefully it's just a case of Bruce wanting to jump in the deep end, ignoring he'd only had a few hours with the squad.

[b23]

Insist the players wear black boots.
Shinpads.
One pair of socks pulled up to, not over, the knee.
One pair of shorts. *
One short or long sleeved shirt. *

*No body hugging under shorts/shirts.

Let's look like we mean business.

Three defenders. A five man midfield with wing backs and Kodjia as the centre forward.

Wake up Villa. Your stupor is over.

[tomd2103]

If Bruce can get the midfield to actually provide some value we'll be on the way to recovery. I don't think playing three attacking midfielders works for us. We need to reinforce that centre mid. That's where we build from.

I think getting the balance right in the midfield holds the key to turning things around.  We have got to go with a three in there and build from that.  For me, it's got to bad Jedinak of Westwood sitting in front of the back four with Tshibola and I suppose Gardner for the time being, pushed on a bit. 

[ozzjim]

I would like to see Lyden given a run of games in there with Jedinak and then maybe Tshibola in front of them. It is painfully clear we need 3 players in that midfield to be able to compete, and with youth on their side Lyden and Tshibola might make a difference.

[chrisw1]

I think Osman on one leg could perform better than some of our midfield players! As I said, a short-term deal for a couple of months would help us and the player - agree about fitness, which might be a concern.

Yeah, but people thought on one leg Jedinak and Elphick would out perform the previous incumbents.  It doesn't always work out that way.  Frankly, I suspect we would have been better off with Sanchez and Lescott.

[chrisw1]

Insist the players wear black boots.
Shinpads.
One pair of socks pulled up to, not over, the knee.
One pair of shorts. *
One short or long sleeved shirt. *

*No body hugging under shorts/shirts.

Let's look like we mean business.

I'm not that bothered by all this stuff.  Doesn't seem to be an issue one way or other for any number of great (or shit) teams elsewhere.  A non point really.

[Proposition Joe]

Ban players from the weight room unless they've been assigned it by our medical staff. Get them on cardio/stamina instead.

[Mister E]

I would like to see Lyden given a run of games in there with Jedinak and then maybe Tshibola in front of them. It is painfully clear we need 3 players in that midfield to be able to compete, and with youth on their side Lyden and Tshibola might make a difference.

Exactly my thinking after that appalling performance on Saturday.
It is clear to me that Championship games are won in MF: we look crap at the back because the oppo are powering through the middle. All season, we've played too open and forfeited numbers in MF, whereas opponents have stacked the MF and fielded players who have gone face to face with ours. Without the players to do it, I'd be playing Lyden for his energy and snappiness, alongside Jed and Tshibola.
come January, I'd hope we bring 2-3 midfielders in.

[mr underhill]

why the fuck we didn't address midfield properly this summer is beyond me.

[Chris Jameson]

Insist the players wear black boots.
Shinpads.
One pair of socks pulled up to, not over, the knee.
One pair of shorts. *
One short or long sleeved shirt. *

*No body hugging under shorts/shirts.

Let's look like we mean business.

All players to wear Brylcream, tuck their shirts in, eat steak and chips, smoke Embassy No 6 and watch Only Fools and Horses and play golf on their days off.

Where do you think you're going Messi with your coloured hair, boots,tattoos and shirt untucked?

[Chris Jameson]

I've only seen Lyden for 45 minutes against Bournemouth, I forgot he was playing until he was substituted at half time. What have people seen in him to think he is our saviour?