Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[PaulWinch again]

If he doesn't want criticism he shouldn't have spent 11 months serving up some the worst football and results any of us have ever seen.

Indeed. Having a dig after our second win in 8 games seems a bit rich.

[ktvillan]

After attending precious hysterical treacle pots and fickle sugarbags anonymous last night I have seen the light.  Sorry Steve, carry on.   

[Drummond]

If he doesn't want criticism he shouldn't have spent 11 months serving up some the worst football and results any of us have ever seen.

After Lambert, McLeish, RDM, Turner, etc, that would be some accolade.

To be fair, why shouldn't he respond? Do we want a manager who rolls over and has his tummy tickled? Or do we want a fighter?

He has said we're shit (see quotes after Cardiff) he's also tried to put positive spin on situations too (see recent quotes before a game where he also made out Cardiff hadn't been that bad).

Basically, when results are going well, supporters couldn't give a shit about what a manager says. We're sick of football though aren't we? The last god knows how many years have been spent playing crap football, selling our best players, losing games and being humbled.

I know he and the players are paid a fortune for what they do, but it doesn't stop them being human and it doesn't mean they don't care. Why would they live in a bubble without social media, nobody else does.

Some of the responses from supporters is hysterical, some of them are fickle, we just don't want to be called it when we're talking about the continued shit we've been served up for years.

I hope he wins every game, I hope he builds something like Ferguson did at Old Trafford when he was rumoured to be one game from the chop. Can't see it mind you!!

[Clampy]

If he doesn't want criticism he shouldn't have spent 11 months serving up some the worst football and results any of us have ever seen.

That's a matter of opinion though. I don't think the football has been poor, I just think there's been too many times when we haven't played very well at all, piss poor in fact. I think it was worse in the season we went down, much worse,

[ktvillan]

To be fair though Drummond, apart from RDM,  the other managers you list were playing against top level opposition and not with the most expensively assembled squad in the league.  And under RDM the perfromances were generally much better, just not the results.

[tomd2103]

If he doesn't want criticism he shouldn't have spent 11 months serving up some the worst football and results any of us have ever seen.

After Lambert, McLeish, RDM, Turner, etc, that would be some accolade.

To be fair, why shouldn't he respond? Do we want a manager who rolls over and has his tummy tickled? Or do we want a fighter?

He has said we're shit (see quotes after Cardiff) he's also tried to put positive spin on situations too (see recent quotes before a game where he also made out Cardiff hadn't been that bad).

Basically, when results are going well, supporters couldn't give a shit about what a manager says. We're sick of football though aren't we? The last god knows how many years have been spent playing crap football, selling our best players, losing games and being humbled.

I know he and the players are paid a fortune for what they do, but it doesn't stop them being human and it doesn't mean they don't care. Why would they live in a bubble without social media, nobody else does.

Some of the responses from supporters is hysterical, some of them are fickle, we just don't want to be called it when we're talking about the continued shit we've been served up for years.

I hope he wins every game, I hope he builds something like Ferguson did at Old Trafford when he was rumoured to be one game from the chop. Can't see it mind you!!

Got no problem with him responding in a certain way and as you said I'm sure criticism stings no matter how big your pay packet is.  What I find strange is that he doesn't seem to be able to accept why fans have been critical (must say that 'hysterical' is way over the top and I've not heard or read anything that is even close to that) and seems to have erased last season from his memory. 

[paul_e]

If he doesn't want criticism he shouldn't have spent 11 months serving up some the worst football and results any of us have ever seen.

After Lambert, McLeish, RDM, Turner, etc, that would be some accolade.

To be fair, why shouldn't he respond? Do we want a manager who rolls over and has his tummy tickled? Or do we want a fighter?

He has said we're shit (see quotes after Cardiff) he's also tried to put positive spin on situations too (see recent quotes before a game where he also made out Cardiff hadn't been that bad).

Basically, when results are going well, supporters couldn't give a shit about what a manager says. We're sick of football though aren't we? The last god knows how many years have been spent playing crap football, selling our best players, losing games and being humbled.

I know he and the players are paid a fortune for what they do, but it doesn't stop them being human and it doesn't mean they don't care. Why would they live in a bubble without social media, nobody else does.

Some of the responses from supporters is hysterical, some of them are fickle, we just don't want to be called it when we're talking about the continued shit we've been served up for years.

I hope he wins every game, I hope he builds something like Ferguson did at Old Trafford when he was rumoured to be one game from the chop. Can't see it mind you!!

2 bold bits - make up your mind, are the results bad enough that fans who wouldn't say anything have started to show some anger, in which case it's not hysterical or fickle to point out that he's underachieving or are the expectations unfair and the comments are justifiably called hysteria?  Only 1 of those can be true.

He himself has used the 'worst since I've been here' line about 7-8 times which suggests a downward trajectory which makes it clear that the performances haven't been good enough over a period of time.  Given that is he fair to call people who point that out (other than himself) vultures and accuse them of being hysterical?

The solution is to stop playing such shit football and to put together a run of results and if he does that then, and only then, he should come out and say something (which should include acknowledging that the start of the season was fucking shit).  By acting like a tit after 1 win he's just setting himself up for a significant increase in the unrest if we fall back again.

[Risso]

How does having a pointless, childish dig at fans make Bruce a 'fighter'?  I'd rather he show his battling credentials by not playing 5 away from home at the likes of Bristol, for instance.

[olaftab]

Without being precious does he think he is the only manager getting some stick? Has he had a sideways glance at Koeman and Bilic? Or may be he thinks we should know our place🤔

[PeterWithesShin]

If he doesn't want criticism he shouldn't have spent 11 months serving up some the worst football and results any of us have ever seen.

That's a matter of opinion though. I don't think the football has been poor, I just think there's been too many times when we haven't played very well at all, piss poor in fact. I think it was worse in the season we went down, much worse,

We were getting schooled by PL sides which was bad enough, now we're being schooled at times by mediocre division 2 sides. Being spanked by Brentford is a lot worse than being spanked by some of the top sides in the country. Long runs struggling to win in division 2 are worse results than long runs struggling to win in division 1. And considering the standard of opposition every week, our football is pretty woeful.

[The Edge]

 He needs to be more professional in his interviews. Calling it mass hysteria because people were voicing their concerns about his leadership is a very poor choice of words that will only serve to alienate the fans. And taking us for idiots won't help his cause either. Calling the Reading result "unlucky" was an absolute piss take out of the 3500 who were there. In his "hysteria" interview he said "we've kept 3 clean sheets in a row" 2 of those were at home against the might of Middlesbrough & Brentford! Don't take the piss Steve or you will see some real mass hysteria. I really hope that Barnsley is the start of our rise to the top and all this will be looked on as a pointless spat when the team are doing a lap of honour....

[Drummond]

How does having a pointless, childish dig at fans make Bruce a 'fighter'?  I'd rather he show his battling credentials by not playing 5 away from home at the likes of Bristol, for instance.

What makes his comments 'pointless, childish'? So you want him to roll the clock back a few weeks to show he's a fighter, rather than respond to the criticism he's had. And do it after a 0-3 win.

[Drummond]

To be fair though Drummond, apart from RDM,  the other managers you list were playing against top level opposition and not with the most expensively assembled squad in the league.  And under RDM the perfromances were generally much better, just not the results.

True. I have recently come round to the sack him viewpoint. Until Saturday. When I went on Tuesday it seemed aimless and without a plan. Saturday was fortunate in my view but perhaps that's the luck we needed to turn a corner. If we lose on Saturday or get another shit 0-0 then he needs to go. If, however, we get a good win, and the corner is being turned, then he may well deserve more time.

[chrisw1]

To be fair though Drummond, apart from RDM,  the other managers you list were playing against top level opposition and not with the most expensively assembled squad in the league.  And under RDM the perfromances were generally much better, just not the results.

True. I have recently come round to the sack him viewpoint. Until Saturday. When I went on Tuesday it seemed aimless and without a plan. Saturday was fortunate in my view but perhaps that's the luck we needed to turn a corner. If we lose on Saturday or get another shit 0-0 then he needs to go. If, however, we get a good win, and the corner is being turned, then he may well deserve more time.

That's how I felt after Norwich.  I hope he takes the opportunity this time as even though I have been generally pro Bruce (with accepted limitations) I would probably have pulled the trigger after the Boro game.

[Drummond]

If he doesn't want criticism he shouldn't have spent 11 months serving up some the worst football and results any of us have ever seen.

After Lambert, McLeish, RDM, Turner, etc, that would be some accolade.

To be fair, why shouldn't he respond? Do we want a manager who rolls over and has his tummy tickled? Or do we want a fighter?

He has said we're shit (see quotes after Cardiff) he's also tried to put positive spin on situations too (see recent quotes before a game where he also made out Cardiff hadn't been that bad).

Basically, when results are going well, supporters couldn't give a shit about what a manager says. We're sick of football though aren't we? The last god knows how many years have been spent playing crap football, selling our best players, losing games and being humbled.

I know he and the players are paid a fortune for what they do, but it doesn't stop them being human and it doesn't mean they don't care. Why would they live in a bubble without social media, nobody else does.

Some of the responses from supporters is hysterical, some of them are fickle, we just don't want to be called it when we're talking about the continued shit we've been served up for years.

I hope he wins every game, I hope he builds something like Ferguson did at Old Trafford when he was rumoured to be one game from the chop. Can't see it mind you!!

Got no problem with him responding in a certain way and as you said I'm sure criticism stings no matter how big your pay packet is.  What I find strange is that he doesn't seem to be able to accept why fans have been critical (must say that 'hysterical' is way over the top and I've not heard or read anything that is even close to that) and seems to have erased last season from his memory.

I'm not surprised he wants to erase last season and begon this with a clean slate. We've been, on average over the last 8 games, bang average.

I think he does accept that things haven't been good, but also perhaps he feels that he has a plan and that it's starting to work.

The response to a draw from fans is, at times, OTT, but then when you take the last few years into consideration, along with the money, size of squad etc, we have a right to voice our concerns.