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Luke Edwards interviewing Steve Bruce (his besty) LE: I understand you left by mutual consent. Tell us more. SB: We agreed because I just could not work with Amanda Staveley after what she said to me. LE: Really. What did she say? SB: You're fired.

Being vetted as we speak. Talkshite: "Name?" Essembee: "Brian" Talkshite: "Surname?" Essembee: "Damaged" Talkshite: "Specialised subject?" Essembee: "May 1970, Sunderland AFC and cowardly acts." Talkshite: "For or against the takeov...." Essembee: "I haven't finished. Attacks on Sunderland chairman, drink driving Sunderland chairman and killing threads." Talkshite: "For or against the takeov...." Essembee: "You heard it here first." Talkshite: "Security!"

Long post, quite ranty, ignore if you like. The job of the manager is to organise the players, keep them as fit as possible, manage their personalities, manage up, manage the press, manage the fans. Bruce did little of any of that and whatever he did do, he didn’t do well. There’s been 2 years of pundits pointing out the huge gaps between defence and midfield, midfield and attack. Two years of criticism of the players, the on field organisation, the system. Yet hardly any of Bruce. He’s done a good job, we’ve been told. That performance against Spurs could have been dumped in the first season under Bruce and you’d not tell the difference, so little has changed. Not one of the players has improved under Bruce and the attacking, midfield and defensive units have regressed dramatically. We went from having a top-half defensive record, to bottom in almost every metric. We went from organised if a little too pragmatic, to clueless and so easy to play against. The players look knackered every game, with loads of days off surely not helping. He's brought players back too soon after injury. He's had a bust up with Ritchie, blamed him for not passing messages, he's let Darlow find out he's not playing through the press, there've been more reports of training ground bust-ups and confrontation than under any other manager I can think of. The only part of his job he’s done fairly well is managing up. He convinced Ashley to alter the approach and spend money on proven Premier League players like Wilson, Fraser, Hendricks and also on Lewis. But of those, only Wilson has been a real success, the others might be good, but haven't featured regularly. And Ashley sharp went back to parsimony. Bruce says we had no money despite over £90m net transfer spend in 5 windows. Benitez had about £-5m net spend over 6. Bruce said in Edwards' piece that there wasn't the money for an overhaul. That squad didn't need an overhaul, it was a midtable squad that needed refining. He’d insist he could take the criticism, but would react angrily to journalists asking about yet another holiday in the Algarve. He said he’d maintain his dignity, then have pops at Howe, or Benitez. He’d talk about fans expectations, and trot out talksport cliches like signing Alan Shearer level players. He blamed the press for fan negativity. Dismissed criticism as keyboard warriors and histrionics, but then said those fans he spoke to were supportive. All the while his chums in the media were defending Steve Bruce the man, while damning the team he's responsible for managing. Now, apparently, our defenders are Championship standard, despite spending more time in the Premier League than they did in the 2nd tier. Apparently our midfielders aren't up to it, despite being linked with Man Utd, or England previously. Some of them will point to the league positions or points tally and demand to know what the issue was. But long stretches of terrible form (2 wins in 22?), patently obvious problems in the team selection, shape, system. Terrible performances were pretty commonplace like Norwich (3-1) two games after his first full preseason in 2019, or Leicester 5 games later, twice against Brighton (20/21 3-0), the 1-0 loss to a Sheffield side that hadn’t won a game or kept a clean sheet all season, all the way through to the last 8 games. Football fans aren’t blind to these things. The bloke was outdated a decade ago, the criticisms levelled at him by Sunderland, Villa, Hull fans still ring true to this day. Bright start to the games, gradually retreat, disorganised system, no leadership on or off the pitch. That’s why they were supportive of Hughton, of Benitez. You might not get as excited by their system, but at least there fucking is one. Through it all he was saying things like 'dust wuhselves down', 'roll up wuh sleeves', because that's all he knows to do, or that he’s going to do it 'his way' despite having been in the job for 18 months. Even now, after 97 games, I couldn't begin to tell you what 'way' he's trying to have them play. Newcastle paid £4m to Shef Wed so they could appoint Steve Bruce, and paid Steve Bruce £8m to get shot of him. There’ve been bigger wastes of money by Newcastle United, but not many.

There’s always been at least 2/3 million who refuse to work, whatever the circumstances…. https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/780/unemployment/unemployment-rates-history/ If you give a fuck about them, you’ll end up going mad. Most are unemployable anyway. They make fuckin damn sure they’re unemployable too. What employer wants an overgrown manchild giving bullshit excuses for not turning in that even a 14 year old school boy would be embarrassed to roll out? For anyone who wants to join the “GET THE DOLE WALLERS TO DRIVE THE HGVS” brigade that seem very vocal on socials at the moment, give me a policy on how to achieve that? What’s the enforceable plan which would get through Parliament? Don’t get me wrong, I think that’s coming in some form, seeing as whale spunk boy has just vomited this into the ether today https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ex-convicts-could-ease-labour-shortages-says-dominic-raab-0vp2zjwtb. But where is the money coming from to train convicts or malingerers to pass an HGV test or training for other sectors which are facing huge post Brexit recruitment issues (ie every sector)? How about a windfall tax on CoL profits? Oh..we’re doing away with things like that too? as @ewerk pointed out the other day https://www.ft.com/content/359dee15-5e78-4b3c-a305-55da827fbb52 So that’s the giant tax haven in our capital city that every medium scale crook to literal international gangsters like Trump launder their fuckin loot through getting a tax cut but we’re all supposed to do as The Sun & The Daily Mail tell us and blame the feckless useless wanker round the corner because he’s claimed his kids school uniform on his exes? Folks, we’re being had. As @spongebob toonpants & @Monkeys Fist have said, know your enemy..

Only time I've ever come close to topping myself was after a year on the dole when I was about 21. The feeling of guilt and shame cashing my fucking pittance giro at the post office was crushing. Hearing absolute cunts like the then Tory MP labelling anyone out of work a scrounger was hard to take, especially when I was younger and a bit more sensitive to it even though my anger at it probably helped me cope rather than the depression I was getting from it. I'll leave this topic as I know it'll work me up and I genuinely know you are good lads and I don't want to fall out with anyone.

Err… pay attention man.

I tried posting from my laptop at work the other day but wiped out three pedestrians and a pram.

Good post.

Jesus fucking wept people. Know your enemy! It's not the fucking poor who are the root af this countries problems

£5.8. Rising to £5,800,015.25p with appearances

Unsure about him, tbh..... ..... unsure no more.

Just seen this. He looks like an Orc wearing a human mask.

@wykikitoon you’re up mate

This place really quietens down when you've all clocked out from work, you lazy bastards.

So, is it like Pets Hospital Live with a bit of snappy football bantz from the guys?

A classic

The greatest trick the Tories ever pulled was getting everyone to blame the unemployed for the countries ills- the unemployed that the Tories put out of work and stripped of benefits.

Wtf

Imagine the people in the centurion at 10am to talk to those two tossers, jesus

He had to get that onto his cv to keep his job at The Spectator

I think you've found Monkeys Fist's limit. The shed is safe.

It's pronounced Neck-ra-feely-ya.

And yet you keep tuning in.

Listening to TalkShite. Pissing myself laughing at how there are very little jurnos left in this country now. Henry Winter apparently saying how Man U fans were brilliant last night chanting his name even when 2-0 down. Fucking horse shit. They were booed off and a lot even fucked off at half time.

Like it isn't already

Good post

Is he into the Queen like?

He’s turned out not too bad for the world’s first bacon face transplant.

Aye, I was in Amsterdam last week and just like NI it was pretty much masks everywhere but what really liked was the covid passport needed for most things. Going into a bar, restaurant or attraction it was a quick check and off you go. Of course I have an EU covid passport so it was a piece of piss but I dunno if it recognises your blue QR codes.

I forgot my mask today when I went to the shop. I felt like a proper daft tramp walking around without it on. Rare treat for the ladies though.

The Victorians ?

Will they have to vet? Majority turning up will tick the duck egg box by virtue of their attendance.

Think again.

Funnily enough, I can imagine at least one.

If it's so blatantly obvious who's 'scamming' the system why do they make life awkward for those who blatantly aren't scamming it?

Yep, very well said. I will say though that in isolation, to be rid of him for £8M is the best possible spend of the money that the new owners could make. It will bring about a net improvement in the entire squad as well as delight from supporters who have endured his inept reign of destruction on the solid foundation left by the incumbent. With financial investment and a stable platform to begin, versus Rafa starting with a wreck of a team essentially already relegated, Bruce managed to be inferior to Benitez in every aspect - Bruce's sides conceded substantially more goals (1.655 per game compared to 1.244 for Benitez), scored fewer (1.119 vs 1.128) picked up fewer points per game (1.095 vs 1.174) had less possession and were unquestionably worse to watch. The steady march backwards of the players who were here under Benitez tracks through Bruce's statistics with more and more goals conceded season on season with the current season on track for 90 goals conceded. His previous season tallies were 58 and then 62. Benitez's highest conceded tally was 48.

Would be nice to get someone in before Chelsea. However there is ANOTHER International break after the Brighton game so I suppose that gives the new gaffer some time to assess. Plus I am more zen now Bruce has gone so feel we still have time to pull ourselves to safety. All Jones has to do is get them in for training for two more days and we should see an improvement in fitness.

My experience is the opposite to be fair although it has been almost a decade since I've had to sign on. If you have to go through with this newpaper, taking photos of your open door, in front of a street sign etc it's just taking the piss out of people and demeaning them for the sake of it. Also seen how they go on with the pip and how they absolutely skew things and blatantly lie, hold back post etc.

Are you trying to say CT gets his information from unreliable sources? Is that what you're saying? Because if you are I'm going to have to sit down and re-evaluate everything he says from now on.

Fuck me, I wish I was the person these helmets were handing this shit over to. Fucking turning up in his tracksuit ffs. That lass should have been dropping those envelopes in the bin as quickly as he was putting them in her hand. My favourite was one of the cripples they had with them mumbling "... well legally you do..." when the chief mong told her that she had to take the envelopes into her hand. No way this shit happens in a world without Facebook btw. I hope Zuckerberg gets arse cancer.

There are two people on the £50, just saying…

dare you to sum it up

Apparently it was all Simply Red.

I’d have to waterproof my shed if that happened

Yet Everton fans who put banners up telling Rafa to fuck off when he signed don't get a mention

I’ve seen several mentions now that his being a former manager of the Tramps meant we were already against him- who are these journalists speaking to? No one I know has ever held that as reason they couldn’t stand him- it was all entirely because of his behaviour whilst with us.

Working on minimum wage? You pay more tax. You happen to be a multi-billion pound bank? Here's a 60% tax cut.