Letting loose on Bruce by Sadler's Brylcreem

It's 3 months now since I wrote that article on Steve Bruce and what a confusing three months those have been. His devastating news about his Grandson threw the whole club off course for a month whilst before then and since we have been plagued by injuries, suspensions and if I'm honest some players that even the best coach in the world wouldn't be able to get consistency out of.

Since his appointment he's actually been in the dug out for 10 league games winning 6, drawing 1, losing 3. Of course the results whilst he was away are what has dented us and whilst football can never be a game of 'what if's', you do wonder had events not taken such a tragic turn and if he had been here since the start of the season and had a chance to bring in his own players, if we'd now be much further up the table That's all hypothetical and all you can deal with is the present. What we do know is that we are just 5 games away from the mid-point of the season and the 14 point gap to the Top two seems pretty insurmountable but the 7 points between us and the Top 6 remains the main if unlikely, target.

So have we learned anything from Steve Bruce's style of play? It really is hard to work out as he seems to be putting out fires in every game. The squad has it's limitations, the injuries and suspensions means the manager has not been able to get any consistency and the punishing fixture schedule means he's probably not had the time to work with the players the way he'd want to. We seem to have a bit more freedom on the ball, are less rigid than under Critchley and it does feel three or four players have improved under the new manager.

To keep the season alive Bruce will be hoping the final 5 games before 2025 yield at least 10 points which is a big ask considering the opposition and our injuries/schedule etc. If he can get to within a couple of wins of the Top 6 then he'll hope new additions, better luck on the injury front and maybe a settled side might yet extend the season. As it is, the early signs look OK, he needs at least two transfer windows and maybe then we'll see what a Steve Bruce let loose looks like.
 
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