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Opinion

‘Lets hope I am proved wrong on Joelinton’

3 years ago
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Sheffield United away tonight is a must win game, it’s a must win for both teams.

As far as I’m concerned, there’s nowhere for Steve Bruce to hide if another loss follows.

He will of course in the event of losing still state “I don’t want to make excuses,” then make them anyway.

I don’t see Steve Bruce being sacked or resigning if Sheffield United win the game, as I fully believe Mike Ashley won’t act until the team is in the bottom three, finally becoming rattled by the realism that there’s a strong chance of relegation happening.

Steve Bruce I doubt will resign either, it’s likely his last job at Premier League level , he will want his pay off if he does get sacked, or he will see his contract out, pick up his pay packet and make the most of the time he has left as a Premier League manager. He should have gone a while ago , the results have been declining for months badly , the performances have gone from rubbish to even more rubbish, there’s been nowhere near enough positives to take from the last 18 months. I’m sick of his lack of management skills, the poor performances, the endless ridiculous excuses he comes out with.

Another thing I’ve really had enough of this season, is Joelinton.

Why on earth has that man not been dropped yet and I don’t mean benched, I mean dropped all together. He has featured in 53 out of 54 Premier League games and started 43 of them.

Only three goals in 53 PL appearances…what more honestly needs to happen for the penny to finally drop? He’s not good enough and likely will never be. I don’t know whether Mike Ashley is interfering and forcing Bruce to play Joelinton due to the Brazilian’s transfer fee, or Steve Bruce (and him only) sees something we don’t. If I was a gambling man I’d wager it’s not Bruce picking him on perceived merit. If that’s the case then I would have even less respect for Steve Bruce than I already do.

Surely the situation with Joelinton can’t be doing the rest of the team any good either. Poor performances nearly every week and picked regardless, can’t be good for morale for the likes of Dwight Gayle, Andy Carroll, Miguel Almiron, even Jacob Murphy. Joelinton may work hard but surely the four names there should be ahead in the pecking order, let alone the likes of Alain Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson, Ryan Fraser etc.

The situation stinks and it’s not doing anybody any favours in persisting with him – no good for the team, no good for Steve Bruce, and it’s no good for Joelinton himself playing week in week out with no confidence and the pressure to come good. I hope the lad scores a hat-trick at Sheffield United but I know it won’t happen.

I hope Andy Carroll plays again as I actually enjoyed his performance against Arsenal on Saturday , it was good to see someone busting a gut, putting himself about, a bit of hunger, run themselves into the ground. I’d also like to see Elliot Anderson again, as he and Carroll are amongst the minimal number of enjoyable things in black and white I have seen this season.

Let’s hope I’m proved wrong on Joelinton…

Comments welcome.

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