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QUESTION: Well Steve straight back into it, is it a good thing that you don't have that
much time to dwell on your excellent afternoon?
STEVE BRUCE: I think if we are being honest, we would like a little bit longer. Certainly
it would be nice to have a little bit longer to prepare for Arsenal because, you know they're
a fantastic side at the moment playing very very well and you know obviously results have
shown that. They're top of the league. (PHONE RINGING) That's a fine isn't it? Already,
dear oh dear.
QUESTION: Take two?
STEVE BRUCE: Sorry. Yeah I mean, if I'm honest we would like a few more days if we possibly
could because that would give us a little more time to prepare for Arsenal, which is
always important when your taking on a team like Arsenal who are top of the league at
the moment and rightly so when you look at the results they have been very very consistent.
QUESTION: It's not just the results either it's the way they are achieving those results
they are playing very well from what I've seen.
STEVE BRUCE: Well they're a great side and I know they lost their opening game of the
season, people were calling for Mr Wenger's head and all the rest of it and it's just
the way his sides play the way they set up you know. You know when you go to Arsenal
the one thing you're going to have to do is defend well, play well because they are as
good as anybody at the moment in the league and when they are playing with that fluidity
and freedom which they seem to play I mean it's so difficult to set up against them because
of you know they seem to anywhere and everywhere and they're a goal threat from 5 or 6 people
who can all score a goal which is obviously difficult.
QUESTION: Could they win the league do you think?
STEVE BRUCE: Oh absolutely they can win the league I mean you know we're a third of the
way through so why can't they win the league they'll be like everybody else you know, hoping
that they're big players stay fit but certainly when you look at their squad they are a match
for anybody and they've started well which is always important.
QUESTION: I suppose though you went into the game against Liverpool as underdogs, you go
into this game as underdogs does that help?
STEVE BRUCE: Well we knew from the start of the season that we're gonna be underdogs.
I mean I think we were favourites in many people's eyes to go down and that's quite
normal from any team that comes up from the Championship. The one thing we've done is
being very constant played to a level which has give us a chance that means we've gotta
play week in week out, which is always difficult you know we can't have many off days and certainly
we can't have an off day tomorrow because we'll have to be at our best but we've proved
at Tottenham, Everton, Newcastle, Chelsea and Man City that we've made a fist of it.
Maybe not got the right result but I think that's the way we've got to approach it, let's
go and have a go and enjoy it and see what we can do.
QUESTION: It is a relentless season for the new teams in the Premier League isn't it?
Mentally I would have thought more than anything in a way every game is like a cup final?
STEVE BRUCE: It is and you've got to reach a level Bryn which is almost impossible to
reach every week but you've got to be there or there about's or we've got to be at full
tilt to win a game in the Premier League. But then again I would think maybe 12 or 13
teams are like that I think thats the beauty of it. And I was just having a conversation
with Steve Agnew my assistant where the beauty of the Premier League is nobody can predict
it. We see the big teams in Spain and Germany just blow away the rest of the league that's
not the case so far you know everybody's had a bit of a struggle and that shows you the
strength and depth of what the Premier League is because to be fair that's why it's watched
all over the world it's a wonderful spectacle.
QUESTION: In the midst of the celebrations surrounding a good win on Sunday you had to
talk about the other issue the naming issue is that something that's disappointing?
STEVE BRUCE: Well we can't let it be a distraction, and to be fair I'm fed up of talking about
it now already you know, and I think that goes for most of us the only thing I'll say
in defence of the Chairman that you know, people don't realise he's pumped money millions
into a hospital here and for Cancer Research he's just paid £600,000 to buy a scanner
machine for the hospital. He's been here for 45 years but still in my opinion doesn't quite
still grasp the english language and I'm not making excuses but a misinterpretation could
be there on the cards. I don't think he wanted supporters to go away and die and all this
nonsense I think he wants the situation to die and I think the quicker it does the better
for me that we're not wasting our energies on something which you know for me is immaterial
at the moment we've got Arsenal away rather than talking about name changes. And I hope
that there can be a resolution to it and we stop talking about it because at the end of
the day I can't say too much more than what I've already said and I think that's about
where we stand.
QUESTION:That is the extra scrutiny that comes with being in the Premier League isn't it
you know last season the Chairman might have those comments might have drifted away and
not have been noticed now all of a sudden everybody's on it. The Worlds on it in a sense.
STEVE BRUCE: Well the world is on it because, I mean Sunday went to over 200 countries and
we're talking about the things you would like to change and all he wants to do really, and
believe me on this he wants the club to go forward and he thinks it's the way the Clubs
going forward and all he has done since 2010 is put his money where his mouth is really.
So in that respect we should be talking about what a really great job he has done since
he's come to the Club because without him as I keep saying without him there wouldn't
be many to out there to put the vast sums of money like he has put in. However as I
said there has to be a solution to it and find a way forward from it because it can
only escalate and get worse.
QUESTION: You said on Sunday when you were sitting there you were going to have a chat
with him, have you had a chat with him?
STEVE BRUCE: No, not quite yet I'll have a cup of tea with him when I get a chance you
know and sit down with him which is usually once every 3 weeks, 4 weeks but you know he's
only got the best interests of the Club at heart I have to tell that to all the supporters
and it's not a situation where he's come from a far, to just buy a Premier League Club
he's been here for 45 years you know, he's as I said for what he's done for the community
here he's helped Rugby teams he's helped even North Ferriby, he's done Hospitals and scanners
and you know the amount of work he's done for the community is quite remarkable and
I think he bought Hull City because he didn't want Hull without a football team you know.
Before 2010 there was an interest but not a huge interest and it's a shame that we're
talking about these things because for all the good work he's done you know it's been
soured by this obviously this name change.
QUESTION: Let's talk about football then and obviously coming up to Sunday to Wednesday
have you got any injury difficulties?
STEVE BRUCE: Well we've got Curtis, we've got Curtis Davies suspended so we'll have
to make a change there. We'll see how Paul McShane is this morning, James Chester comes
into the reckoning and he was sub on Saturday. So we've got a little bit of cover there but
that's the only concern we've got at the moment.
QUESTION: And of course your lad played. Was it his first start of the season in the Premier
League? STEVE BRUCE: Second start. QUESTION: People were picking him out, he had a really,
really strong game you must be delighted with him?
STEVE BRUCE: Well since I've been here its always gonna be difficult. And it is difficult
the situation, but when I brought him here I knew very well he could handle the Championship.
He's played 250-280 times in the Championship the big question like him and for all those
ones who haven't played a lot in the Premier League is can they go and play at the Premier
League level and certainly on Sunday he stated his case. He's had to be patient like a lot
of them but certainly he did enough to make sure that he is still in the team so I can
tell him that and I'm sure his mother will be delighted. (LAUGHTER)
QUESTION: And who in the rest of the side and how you address Arsenal you eluded to
what a good side they were you know their key players at the moment appear to be to
be Mr Ozil & Mr Ramsey and one of his compatriots, how do you keep those quiet?
STEVE BRUCE: Well, the most difficult thing to play against Arsenal is how you set up
against them. You know they're fluid in their movement. Their movement is quite fantastic
and they seem to interchanging positions you see I mean where does Wilshere play? Where
does Ozil play? They just seem to have a freedom about them which is very difficult to play
against and of course they are top, top players and Mr Wenger who I've got the hugest respect
for has produced another fantastic football team and who are gonna be in my opinion there
or there about's because of the quality they've got in Ramsey they've got the outstanding
player in the Premier League at the moment the number of goals he's got so. They're a
threat from all them positions we'll have to play well its as simple as that but as
I've just said we've been to Chelsea, Man City and Tottenham let's hope we can go and
play as well as we can do at the Emirates.
QUESTION: No doubt some of the older folk around here reminded you of a famous victory
at Arsenal in the first Premier League season?
STEVE BRUCE: Yeah, so I'm lead to believe I remember it vividly so let's hope we repeat
that it would be good.