Bruce to Sunderland?

Tombwfc · Post by **Tombwfc** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:08 pm

Just need to sort out compo according to 5Live.

Wigan could struggle next year, Whelan looks to be selling everything that isn't nailed down.

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:08 pm

It's true.

Only Megson can save them from the struggles ahead.

screech powers · Post by **screech powers** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:14 pm

Tombwfc wrote:Just need to sort out compo according to 5Live.

Wigan could struggle next year, Whelan looks to be selling everything that isn't nailed down.

Bruce jumping ship again!! What a shocker

Puskas · Post by **Puskas** » Tue May 26, 2009 8:33 pm

screech powers wrote:
Tombwfc wrote:Just need to sort out compo according to 5Live.

Wigan could struggle next year, Whelan looks to be selling everything that isn't nailed down.
Bruce jumping ship again!! What a shocker

Don't worry, he'll go back in a year or so when Sunderland are bottom three....

Without him and Valencia, though, Wigan could be going down with the Wolves, next season.

bobo the clown · Post by **bobo the clown** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:05 pm

screech powers wrote:
Tombwfc wrote:Just need to sort out compo according to 5Live.

Wigan could struggle next year, Whelan looks to be selling everything that isn't nailed down.
Bruce jumping ship again!! What a shocker

Didn't someone on here used to have a sig' that went ...

"Steve Bruce ... treats contracts like I treat Andrex"

A wise man he was !!

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:07 pm

As if we wouldn't sell our mothers to have him here!

Worthy4England · Post by **Worthy4England** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:27 pm

Bruno wrote:As if we wouldn't sell our mothers to have him here!

Aye, if memory serves, we tried to get him before recruiting Megson...

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:28 pm

I was amongst the 'Bruce!??! We can do better than that' brigade.............oh dear

Puskas · Post by **Puskas** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:29 pm

Worthy4England wrote:
Bruno wrote:As if we wouldn't sell our mothers to have him here!
Aye, if memory serves, we tried to get him before recruiting Megson...

Are you sure?

I thought Megson was Gartside's first choice.

Worthy4England · Post by **Worthy4England** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:32 pm

Puskas wrote:
Worthy4England wrote:
Bruno wrote:As if we wouldn't sell our mothers to have him here!
Aye, if memory serves, we tried to get him before recruiting Megson...
Are you sure?

I thought Megson was Gartside's first choice.

Pretty sure. We asked Birmingham twice to talk to Bruce, before starting to interview Megson, Souness etc.

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:34 pm

He's dead right.

We baulked at paying £3m for him, Whelan didn't.....

Worthy4England · Post by **Worthy4England** » Tue May 26, 2009 9:39 pm

Bruno wrote:He's dead right.

We baulked at paying £3m for him, Whelan didn't.....

Not sure it quite worked like that. Bruce never said he wanted to talk to us either if I recall correctly..

That said "Here's a cheque for £3m Mr Gold" may well have tipped that particular balance as you correctly say it did with Whelan...

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Tue May 26, 2009 10:01 pm

Wigan's owner Dave Whelan will not allow Bruce to leave without a fight," said BBC Radio 5 Live's senior football reporter Ian Dennis.

The Latics have not confirmed whether they have received an approach.

But Dennis added: "Wigan paid Birmingham £3m for his services in November 2007 and I think they would want at least that in return.

Dave Sutton's barnet · Post by **Dave Sutton's barnet** » Tue May 26, 2009 10:10 pm

I've said it before and I'll say it again, Bruce has had good reasons for most ship-jumps.
*At Sheffield United and Huddersfield he had players sold against his wishes - at Huddersfield the chairman sold his best player Marcus Stewart to their promotion rivals Ipswich, who promptly went up.
*At Wigan (the first time) he was only ever given a short-term contract by Dave "Dave Whelan" Whelan, who also happens to be a tool.
*Leaving Palace for Birmingham was a bit naughty, but he'd developed a real (and mysterious) affection for Blues while playing out his career there, and he left the Eagles near the top of the division, only for Trevor Francis to undo all the good work.
*He stayed at St Andrew's for six years, which amounts to a jail sentence, and left among boardroom uncertainty (Carson Yeung, anyone?) when Birmingham decided they'd accept the cash offer from Dave "Dave Whelan" Whelan, who's a tool.
*And now he's leaving Dave "Dave Whelan" Whelan again, who's a tool.

Odd thing is that when Newcastle were publicly attempting to lure him from Birmingham on several occasions of managerial uncertainty, much was made of his black-and-white soul. Is that a quality high on Neil Quinn's shopping list?

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Tue May 26, 2009 10:12 pm

It's a funny thing, but I've always been irritated by Birmingham's nickname. Do they think they are too important to have 'the Blues' instead of 'Blues'? I find it messes up the flow of a sentence.

Dave Sutton's barnet · Post by **Dave Sutton's barnet** » Tue May 26, 2009 10:14 pm

Bruno wrote:It's a funny thing, but I've always been irritated by Birmingham's nickname. Do they think they are too important to have 'the Blues' instead of 'Blues'? I find it messes up the flow of a sentence.

Agreed - maybe their definite article got nicked by "The Villa".

Prufrock · Post by **Prufrock** » Tue May 26, 2009 11:41 pm

Dave Sutton's barnet wrote:
Bruno wrote:It's a funny thing, but I've always been irritated by Birmingham's nickname. Do they think they are too important to have 'the Blues' instead of 'Blues'? I find it messes up the flow of a sentence.
Agreed - maybe their definite article got nicked by "The Villa".

Feck em. I'm calling them 'The Blues' whether they like it or not. That'll bloody show 'em.

Tombwfc · Post by **Tombwfc** » Tue May 26, 2009 11:50 pm

Worthy4England wrote:
Bruno wrote:He's dead right.

We baulked at paying £3m for him, Whelan didn't.....
Not sure it quite worked like that. Bruce never said he wanted to talk to us either if I recall correctly.. That said "Here's a cheque for £3m Mr Gold" may well have tipped that particular balance as you correctly say it did with Whelan...

IIRC, they wouldn't let him speak to us, and he was prepared to wait and see how the talks with 'billionaire' Carson Yeung (who wasn't even rich if memory serves). We didn't have time to piss around, and so got Megson, much to the delight of the entire city of Leicester.

Anyway, Bruce has finished just two places above the managerial disaster zone that apparently is Gary Megson, so he can't be that great.

Bruno · Post by **Bruno** » Tue May 26, 2009 11:53 pm

I think they are basing the latest meeja love-in on his wheeling and dealing over Valencia and Palacios plus the relative turnaround of Bramble into a mildly competent defender.

FaninOz · Post by **FaninOz** » Wed May 27, 2009 2:27 am

Bruce is a better manager than Sunderland have had for a long time. He will improve and bring some consistency to the place.