Chris Brunt praises Roy Hodgson’s tough regime
Friday 25th February 2011, 11:29AM GMT.
Albion captain Chris Brunt today hailed “straight talking” boss Roy Hodgson as the ideal man to lead the club’s battle against relegation.
Brunt revealed the new head coach has worked his players hard in his first fortnight in charge in a bid to halt their slide towards the Premier League drop zone.
But the skipper says the players have welcomed Hodgson’s no-nonsense regime as they look to stave off a return to the Championship.
“He’s been great with us but he knows what he wants and if you’re not doing your job properly he soon tells you,” said Brunt.
“And if somebody like him tells you what you’re doing wrong and you listen then you have a good chance of winning games.
“He commanded instant respect when he walked through the door to the training ground because of the number of years he has been in the game, the things he has achieved and what he did with a similar sized club in Fulham.
“I knew what he was all about because I remember talking to the Northern Ireland lads who played for him at Fulham.
“Under Robbie (Di Matteo) we had good times and last season was really successful. But in the last few months things haven’t gone for us and we probably lost a bit of discipline on the field.”
“The new manager has a lot of experience and, if we lose a game now, we will do so despite being very organised and disciplined.
“We all want to be Premier League players and the new gaffer is the perfect man to help us.”
And Brunt confirmed Hodgson has focussed on shoring up the Albion defence since he took the reins 11 days ago.
“The training has been tough going but it’s all been game-related, based on shape and tactical stuff,” said the former Sheffield Wednesday man.
“He knows we’ve got enough good players to score goals but he also knows you have to have a bit more in your locker and there is no reason why he can’t get us sorted.
“If you take on board what he is telling you it’s bound to help and he has been pretty straight-talking so far.”
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It was quite obvious to all of us that once our team crossed the white line onto the pitch, the discipline was erratic and that’s being kind. That’s all about respect for whoever is in charge and a having a ‘verbal’ captain who REPRESENTS THE BOSS on the field of play. Chris, if you remain captain, then get your instructions from Roy as to how far your jurisdiction extends. Then administer rollockings as and when, including yourself.
This season we have seen two teams in blue and white stripes, one like ferrets after a rabbit, the other as horrified observers watching it all go t*ts up and doing nothing to stop it.
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THAT ALSO INCLUDES YOU THEN CHRIS BECAUSE YOUR PERFORMANCES HAVE BEEN WELL BELOW PAR FOR A COUPLE OF MONTHS, LETS ALL FIGHT FOR THE CAUSE ME THINKS THERE MIGHT BE A BIT OF GOOD LUCK ON MONDAY NIGHT.
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Agree with above, whilst I dont like to single out players for critism, think that Brunty has gone off the boil of late. dont know if its to do with him having the Captaincy. If I were Roy, i’d give the captaincy to either Olsson or maybe Scharner, need someone a bit more verbal to give players a kick up the backside when they aint doing their job. We’ve got to break the Stoke voo doo sooner or later, but the quicker the better, starting hopefully with Monday night.
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There was a notable change for the better in the discipline of our defence. If this is ongoing and pace is changeable when attacking, favorable results will come.
Our defence has been through a bad time, Yet the dingles say ours is worse than theirs, wolves defence has been poor ALL season, even though they had eleven men behind the ball, we still scored.
BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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Paula
I agree we need a strong captain but who leads by example because he has to take the other players with him and not lose them by to much mouth. The answer also lies with the manager…if a player is not doing his bit for the cause then bring him off and drop him. They should all show desire and committment, if they dont then we dont want them, there should be no certain starters. Earn your place in the team.
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Olsson or Scharner are ready made capitans – not afaid to upset people by giving some verbal. Brunt has gone off the boil a bit but has shown this season that he is a Premier League player. Somehow, we have to get enough points to stay up but the games are very tough, especially Monday.
To make matters worse, I have just seen that Michael Oliver is ref for Monday’s game. Micheal Oliver & Stoke City in the same – we’ve not a chance!
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Lead by example Chris……!
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I agree that the choice of ref is a tad unfortunate, but if we’re just a little more clinical(and dare i say cynical?) at both ends of the pitch we wont have to worry about him. Time to stop pointing the finger at who else’s fault it is for our current position. The players are just gonna have to man up and be counted. Thats irrespective of whoever’s wearing the arm band and i’m sure that they’re men enough to know it. If not then we’re all wasting our time. COME ON YOU BAGGIES!
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Performances lately suggest that the captaincy has affected Brunty. We need him at the top of his game for the rest of the season, so he and Hodgson should have a heart to heart about it. Personally, I’d like Scharner because there’s nothing shy about him.
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Olsson is the only skipper but hear he is not too keen to wear the armband. Scharner not sure he should be in the team so to be skipper is debatable. If Mulumbu is fit who would you rather have in midfield him or Scharner, my choice the former anyday and if he is not fit then Reid or Jara, in fact v Stoke Jara in midfield might upset the Potters, with Reid being taller might need him Monday at full back.
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I try very hard to be positive with most things,but I have to say one thing that tends to irritate me is when I see a Chris Brunt interview.
Some time ago,he told the media that the players needed to start performing better,that they owed it to the fans,and I recall at that time,he was off form,and probably the worst player in the team.
Then at the start of this season,after the Chelsea game,he used his interview to talk about Scott Carson,saying that he was sure Scott would recover from his mistake that lead to Chelsea’s first goal.But he failed to mention that the second,Drogba’s free kick,went in because Brunty moved out of the wall,turned his back on everyone,and created a perfect gap for Drogba to shoot through.
Now he’s telling us that Roy’s positve approach is great,and all the players should follow what he says,but lately Chris seems to be ambling up and down the pitch,head down,in what appears to be a self pitying sulk.
I’m sorry Chris,but I’ve been over to the Emerald Isles more than once,and I’ve heard plenty of the blarney before,so I have a piece of advice for you-
Stop giving us the politician’s hollow speeches,and focus your energy on leading by example,where it matters-ON THE PITCH!!
There,I’ve said it-and no,I haven’t had a drink yet.
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Feeling good about this 1.
Stoke not been unbeatable this season.
The hoodoo has to end sometime.
Hoping Mulumbu and Olsen are fit come monday.
Maybe Oliver is feeling a little bruised and shy with having us, after his Boss’s overturned his massive game clanger.
About time we had some good fortune?
BAGGIESBAGGIESBAGGIES
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Agree about captains surely fate will come to our aid and just maybe ref will have a consience about dreadful error he made however
he may just continue to punish us after all after RDM complained about unfair treatment we
havent had one penalty have we. We cant compete with Stoke on their terms but we can
easily outskill them(hopefully).
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Olsson should be “Capitan Courageous”. He stands the tallest. He’ll chew anybody off, even fans. Also leads by example. Above all, he’s back on form.
BOING~~~~BOING~~~~JtH.
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We need Chris Brunt at his very best and when he is, he’s top class. I personally would have made Jonas Captain, but if Roy can make Chris into one, we wouldn’t argue would we? Ideally there should be 11 captains on the pitch, all in our team.
Somebody down in London must have played cards with our Chairman. And lost! Michael Oliver as ref has to be deliberate. Steve Poole, you’ve punctured my balloon aer kid.
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1 cyrille spot on m8, but i fear that hodgson has said that another 11 performances like that and w’ell stay up? a verbal capt is a must who aint scared as people have posted, but under RDM we would have run that ragtag side ragged, and nerves at the end we would have conceded a goal but our going forward under rdm was better, i just dont feel we need another 11 performances like that, sure the defence needs sorting, but we need to get forward and score, i really dont know what to make of it all, dan ashworth was a bit narcked about the fury of his posn when rdm was sacked, and came out to justify himself, no players (strikers) bought in, oh well just afew thoughts , the board know best , come on u baggies
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So we are told that Michael Oliver is Ref. for monday night (no,very bad Refs. don’t get banned from the prem.,they just get ‘rested’ for a couple of weeks until things blow over,then the F.A. sneak them back in).
It’s a marriage made in hell-if you have a Referee,who has been known to get things badly wrong (more than once),and who loves showing cards,combined with those big,burly Stoke players,who just happen to fall over easily in the Albion penalty area with little or no contact-then you fear for the outcome.
I might go down to Coral’s,and ask them what odds they give for Albion finishing with EIGHT men this time.
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Dont like Roy hoping Don Howe will come and advise hasnt he been out of the game too long
waiting till weather gets warmer could be too late. Better get Paul McKenner to rtestore
self belief after all this is same defence we
had when we were not leaking goals. Weakened
Blackpool side crushed today how did they beat
Spurs?? 25 chances missed methinks fate lends a hand sometimes, have we been forgotten!!
Just remember get behind ALL our players they
are paid well but theyre emotional just like us, they will respond with our backing.
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Roys the man …i hope he puts the fear of god into them ….Come on u Baggies!
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GOOD LUCK BLUES,aye boing boing
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Jack The Hat: The stat’s don’t lie. You’ve got the 2nd worst defence in the league behind Blackpool, look how many you’ve conceded. Add to that another 2 or 3 shipped against Stoke tommorow & you will find the worst defence in the prem is a toss up between you & mighty Blackpool.
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21VWWolf. Come now fellow. Your pitch was like Blackpool beach so maybe they should, or would have felt at home, but a taxing game on Wednesday and 10 men against your 11 suggests that, although you played well, they must have been a bit below par. Just be grateful it all went your way for once.
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21) yep stats dont lie, one shot at goal in 90 minutes at our place, to our 7, and Wolves fans feel they should have won???, you came up against us when we played very poor, very poor indeed, and yet you only managed one shot on target, I put it to you, you were lucky to get the point, not the other way round, square that circle if you can? yesterday you beat a team without their best player, (how many times have they won this season without Adams?) lost they highest goal scorer, and had to play half the game with ten men to boot! and because of that its all rosy in the garden again, yes lets talk facts!
p.s. the “mighty” Blackpool as you sneeringly call them are still several places above you, and not just on goal difference!
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21 enjoy it while you can, you will be back where you belong tonite,aye boing boing
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must say well done blues,just goes to show if you want it bad enuff anything is possible,apart from the dings stayin up that is,aye boing boing
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We are where we are right now because in our last 3 home games we failed to dispose of the teams around us in Wigan, West Ham and Wolves. Our team lost its way badly in the last 3 months but at least we still have a chance to put things right, even though its going to be really tough given our run-in. Hopefully all of the hard work that Roy is putting into getting the team’s discipline and shape organised will see us grind out a few results until the end of the season… tonight will be the ideal test of how things are progressing for sure.
Problem for us, given that we did indeed fail to beat the other W’s in our last few games is that you just knew they would somehow get good results in unlikely circumstances. I mean, yesterday for example… who would have seen Liverpool getting turned over 3-1 by the hammers?!
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23. My word, Wolves were better in the first half, we were better in the 2nd half lets concentrate on Stoke.
As it stands,sat in the bottom 3, we have the 2nd worst defence, the worst disciplinary record, conceeded the most fouls and we are 3rd in the long-ball charts, things can only get better. Some of us need to stop trying to pretend we are this Arsenal-like side.
Our run-in is terribly hard but we have to fight for every minute of every game. If we are to be relegated going down fighting will stand us in good stead.
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There will be many more twists and turns before this League is settled. All the top teams have been beaten and it will continue. The Wulfies are ‘on the up’ at the moment, West Ham seem to have woken to their predicament, Blackpool are tiring badly, (which makes me personally rather sad) and Wigan are like us, good but unreliable. Blues could go either way now they’ve won silverware although I can’t see McLeish letting them slip backwards. I just hope we still have a fit outfit after tonight. I would hate to play against Stoke. 11 Steamrollers against a VW Polo.
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