Steve Bruce - officially confirmed (as Sheffield Wednesday boss)

[pbavfckuwait]

Mister E the coaches should be coaching a style that has been agreed and approved by the Manager, now if Calderwood is following instruction and not allowed to express his own thoughts and preferences, as he did not seem out of touch with Houghton at Brighton and they could not be talked of as a negative team, I think you may find he will go off his own accord. Again football matters, coaching, playing style, motivation, character building at a club are down to one person and one person only.

[mr underhill]

Bruce is gone isn't he? It might not be this week or next or the one after, but he's gone.

[ozzjim]

They are. Maybe he needs to get Mike Phelan in to help him out, he is out of work and at least knows Bruce.

[KevinGage]

Barring an incredible turnaround from this point on, I reckon he is toast come the summer.

The one thing that might save us this season is we still have games against struggling sides we have already beaten; Rotherham, Burton, QPR, Blackburn and Wigan.

The way we're playing at the moment it's hard to see where the next point will come from. But hopefully by the time we approach those games, we'll be  slightly less shit.  Whether that's with Jedinak returning (I struggle with that concept, TBH) or Bruce playing formation lucky dip and striking gold, I'm not sure.

[PeterWithesShin]

Mail

Your thoughts on this run?

“It’s been a tough few weeks there’s no disputing that.

“The last two games in particular.

“It seems a carbon copy, we start the game brightly, create chances, make a mistake and the roof caves in.

“It makes it a tough evening.

“It’s one of those real tough periods at the moment.

“It’s been a tough six weeks but we have to be determined enough to see it through.

“That’s our aim now."

Thoughts on the penalty?

“If it is a penalty it’s very harsh. I’ve watched it five times.

“I’m not going to make that as an excuse but it was harsh.

“One mistake, like we did on Saturday, then we make it hard.

“The third goal, some of the defending was calamitous, mistake after mistake. That’s crept into us over the last five weeks or so.

“Every mistake we make is being punished. It was pretty evident again tonight.

“Just when we get in to 2-1, within six or seven minutes it goes to 3-1. It’s very difficult from there.”

Is it a mental problem now?

“The reason why we’ve got one of the biggest wage bills in the division is to deal with his mentality and expectation.

“That’s why they get paid more than anyone else in this division to handle the expectation.

“I have to say the crowd have been nothing short of magnificent in the last two games when it has been difficult for them, too. It’s hard to watch some of the stuff that we’ve been doing where we’re making mistake after mistake.

Is it fair to say the team is struggling for an identity?

“Yes, that’s fair to say.

“We seemed to have found it a few weeks ago.

“We changed a few things. Maybe there was too much change, at the wrong time.

“I thought we needed it.

“With that it’s my responsibility.

“It’s very difficult now to make change. You need time to work with it.

“It was easy persuading them to come, now they realise how difficult it is.

“But I’m convinced they are made of the right stuff and I think they will get better. It’s up to me to make them better and help them."

What’s happened to Jack Grealish?

“I’m never going to criticise individuals, that’s not me.

“It’s a team and the team didn’t function well enough.

“It would be unfair of me to criticise any individual. As a team and a manager, then we simply haven’t been good enough over the last five weeks.

Are you looking over your shoulder at the relegation zone now?

“I’ve been accused of not caring, my body language is supposed to be c***.

“It’s the best club and biggest club I’ve had for 20 years but it’s arguably the toughest to turn around.

“Given time I know for a fact I’ll get it right,

“It’s difficult at the minute. We’re up against it.

“Now we have to roll our sleeves up and try to ride the storm, because there will be.

“Every man and his dog will have their say but I’m determined.

“I know what’s required in this division, I’ve been around it long enough.

“We’re short of it at the moment, I know what is required in the Championship.

“We’ve seen it tonight.”

Is it time to go back to basics?

“We’ve got the big name and the stadium and the big crowd and all the rest of it.

“For the best part of two months we mounted a challenge and were just short of the play-offs.

“Then change happened.

“For the sake of the club I thought it was the right thing to do.

“I know for the sake of the club it will make us better.

“We’ve got two full-backs waiting in the wings who will make us better.

“They will bring competition for Hutton and Amavi.

“There’s been big change for far too long.

“You need to stick your chest out and see it through.

“It’s tough for me to come in and do the television and tough but that’s what it is.

“Now we show our balls."

Are the players letting you down?

“That’s for you to write.

“I feel for them at the minute because they’re bright to start with.

“But collectively and individually, when it’s up against it, then they have to do the basics better.

“We make too many mistakes and get caught up in it.

“Then the mentality kicks in.

“But throughout it the crowd have been terrific,

“The crowd have been great. Of course there’s disappointed people but they’ve been magnificent."

Goals a major problem?

“There’s a lack of goals but we can’t keep a clean sheet either.

“It’s why we’re where we are.

“We have to give ourselves a base and do the basics well.

“That’s what the Championship is.

“They’ve had five attempts at goal and scored three. We’ve had almost 30."

How big of a shock has this come?

“I was under no illusion how difficult it was even though we had a difficult start.

“It still is.

“Hopefully we’ll be given time to turn it around. We’ve only been here for four months.

“It’s been tough. I will try to see it through."

Are you already in a relegation battle?

“I haven’t seen the table tonight, I just go by results and I don’t fear that.

“But you can’t dismiss it."

[TonyD]

Don't sound like a man who is confident in his own mind that he can turn it around. 

[mr underhill]

hasn't seen the table my arse. Doomed.

[Nelly]

Mail

“Now we show our balls."

Wowzers.

To be fair, all of that made sense for me. We did have a lot of shots and for the first part of the game, we seemed in total control. We let them in and caved yet again.

How do you restore people's confidence, though. We need time that we don't seem to have any more.

[Allan C]

I think accepting failure is how big clubs become small clubs.

If getting through another manager makes us look like a basket case trigger happy club with zero tolerance for failure I am fine with that.

Sorry but its results time. No more "build for the future" no more "long term plans". We have spent and spent on some very good players. There is no reason why they shouldn't be doing better and we need someone who can make that happen. Now.

We do not belong in the Championship. If that sounds arrogant then so be it but its also backed up by facts, like this is the most expensive squad in the history of this second rate league and yet we are STILL losing. No we shouldn't put up with it regardless of how intelligent, insightful and likeable Bruce is (and he is all three of those things imho).

It just hasn't worked out with us. Lovely guy, I wish him well but its time to change again.

Wrong. What makes big clubs small clubs is making the same mistake again, and again.

At some point you draw a line, and give the manager three years. that is what we should do with Bruce. There are multiple reasons why Bruce has not effected an immediate improvement, the effects of constant change being one of them.

We do belong in the Championship. Our results determine that.

Suggesting that the answer to our malaise is more change is madness.

Sorry but I have to disagree. The time to draw the line is when we get the right manager in place. Bruce is not that man IMO. Even if we turn the corner and get promotion next season, Bruce has shown he is totally out of his depth in the PL. We want a top manager now to be given those three years. If Newcastle can do it so can we.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Bruce is a really hard man to dislike. Even though I think his time is up I thought his post match comments were once again insightful & honest.

[VillaAlways]

What's all this Bruce has got a big job on his hands?

I was totally all for Bruce coming in but frankly this is crap. He has literally been given a blank cheque book to buy who he wants and has already had time with the players that weren't his.
He's never been in this position before and he's cracking under the pressure.

Sort it out pronto Bruce or ship out.

[Clampy]

Of course it's a big job. Just because he's spent money doesn't mean it's not a big job.

[VillaAlways]

Of course it's a big job. Just because he's spent money doesn't mean it's not a big job.

So is Leeds but Monk seems to be doing ok with a fraction of resources They started poorly but then he found his own system and stuck to it. Bruce bleating about bringing too many into the team at once is nobody's fault but his own. He's not showing his experience at all as he's not been in this position before and it shows

[mr underhill]

once panic sets in, it's hard to break away from

[Clampy]

Of course it's a big job. Just because he's spent money doesn't mean it's not a big job.

So is Leeds but Monk seems to be doing ok with a fraction of resources They started poorly but then he found his own system and stuck to it. Bruce bleating about bringing too many into the team at once is nobody's fault but his own. He's not showing his experience at all as he's not been in this position before and it shows

And how long have Leeds been out of the top flight? How many managers have they got through over the last few years? Yes it's a big job, but so is this one. Just throwing money at it doesn't make it less of one.