It has not been a happy time for Steve Bruce. Today, his team showed us at last what they are capable of. Let him milk it for all it’s worth …
Dear Colin,
It was a terrific performance considering the opposition. I know some would argue and say we have the advantage with Stoke being away from home, of course we do, but our performance and the way we set about the game was terrific.
There were some big performances from individuals and we’ve now seen glimpses of what the team is about.
Stoke are a very decent outfit with some good players. To win at home is terrific; it was a good result and a good performance, which was important.
It’s not often in the Premier League that you go 2-0 up within 10 minutes. We needed to come out of the blocks and give supporters something to cheer about.
We got to see players that some supporters haven’t seen before and it was good to see them playing well.
We’ll take confidence from that win and get our season up and running.
The back four were fantastic. Everyone in the stadium could see that they weren’t going to concede anything from a set-piece.
You know what to expect with Stoke City, you have to put up with the physical stuff that comes your way, and to be fair to them they defended their goal as if their lives depended on it.
I’m delighted for all of the players, I’m not going to pick out individuals – it was a good team performance and a one that we needed.
Overall, I was really happy with our togetherness; the way we competed; the way we didn’t wilt.
It needed to be a team effort from one to eleven today, and it was a seven or eight out of 10 and against Stoke that’s what you need.
Steve Bruce
Remember when goalies didn’t get injured? Career totals of 300 to 500 games? 2 years and never missed a game and on those pitches? Monty going off was a step into the unknown, a crisis.
Now they do a hamstring on an 8 yard goal line, shoulders when they dive and, if all else fails, out with a badly twisted sock.
Weak as the proverbial.
Thanks Terry.I was at the game and couldn’t remember it being 4-1.I even checked the records and for the 3-1 Palmer wasn’t playing so I thought it must be another senior moment.Coming on as sub gives the answer.Am not going senile after all! I seem to remember a photo in the Echo of Monty clutching his wrist in extreme pain.
Calvin Palmer was one of my all time favourites as a lad.
The game he went in goal for Monty was in 1968 and we won 3-1 (Suggett, Brand and Mulhall). Charlie came on as sub back in the sensible days of only one sub allowed.
The following year we won 4-1 (Palmer, Moore, Suggett and Tueart).
Happy days.
We won that one 4-1, Keith and Palmer had scored in the first half. I remember him wiggling his backside at the Fulwell End as he lined up a wall when defending a Stoke free kick.
He was an interesting character; I remember Alan Brown dropping him at Sheffield United because he refused to go to the pictures with the rest of the team on the Friday night as “he had already seen it”. That kind of flimsy excuse cut no ice with the Bomber and he sent him home.
Can’t imagine Mancini taking the likes of Balotelli or Tevez to the local flea pit to see Sex Lives of the Potato Men, can you!!
So good that Cattermole was axed, he is just a dirty destructive player, hope we dont see him in the team again.
But we still need a couple of strikers, think what would happen if Bendter get injuried. We may get away with it, but it is risky business.
I dont understand why from last january when Bent left, SB has not replaced him, very poor in my opinion. Good victory last night, but lets see what he do next week, should not suprise me, if he put in Cattermole again !!!!!
Still dont think Bruce is right man for Sunderland, two home wins since jaunuary, poor, think any manager can do better.
Remember years ago Monty got injured against Stoke and Calvin Palmer went in goal, we thought the writing was on the wall but Palmer was faultless and I think we also scored 4 and everything from then on in went well. Calvin was my boyhood hero after Jim Baxter. Happy days
Well that was some game. Worth every penny and then some. I feel that we got the breaks and a part from the one goal we where lucky with the others. Again though the lads played with flair and style. I shall reserve judgement on SB until a few more games have shown the true worth of the assembled team. Saying that I must thank SB and the gang for a truly entertaining afternoon.
Delighted by a hard-working skilful performance and real promise shown by all of our close season buys.Vaughan clearly demonstrated what’s been lacking in our mid-field.To be honest I was very pessimistic when I knew we’d be starting without either Wickham or Ji but more than pleased to admit I was wrong.Let’s hope some consistency can be achieved with similar performances in the next two games at least.
Simply a performance based on a willingness to work together for the common good. We needed that and the victory, the players got behind the gaffer and played for the club there was only one acceptable result and we achieved that conclusivley. The performance was good but I would not say it was the best of the season we were better against Liverpool and at times against Newcastle without the rub of the green. Losing against the town hurts but lets get over it and move on we have a better team than last year and Bendtner was immpressive and will get better. Get behind the lads and we will have a good season
Let me be the first to say well done to the team and SB, it was a very good result and one which everybody needed, however it should be the start of seeing the team have a winning mentality, I know we can’t win all of them, but performances are what the supporters want (and lots of wins of course). I had already said before the Stoke game that the next four were winnable, that’s one down 3 to go!