Bent and Jones. Forming a nice partnership for Sunderland.
Steve Bruce got his knickers in a twist yesterday, over a penalty that his team SCORED. Sunderland’s second penalty of the afternoon was taken by strapping front man Kenwyne Jones. It was certainly not the best penno you’ll ever see, but the keeper went the wrong way and the Black Cats took a 2 nil lead. So why is Bruce upset over Jones’ spot kick?
Darren Bent is Sunderland’s PK taker and according to Bruce ‘one of the best in the country’. Well, Sunderland’s first penalty of the afternoon was in fact dispatched by Bent. The second, however, went to Jones when he pleaded with Bent for the opportunity to find the back of the net himself. Well this was a completely outrageous set of affiars for Bruce who scolded both forwards after the game.
“That won’t happen again. That’s the mentality that we have to change. We don’t just throw the ball to somebody else because he wants to score a goal. That’s something you do on a pitch with your mates, not in the Premier League. We have got one of the best penalty-takers in the country in Darren, so that won’t happen again, that’s for sure. There would have been absolute hell to pay if he had missed. It’s not right.”- Sunderland gaffer Steve Bruce.
Sunderland went on to win the game 5-2 after a slight scare when Wolves levelled the game at 2 after an own goal and a 6 yard direct free-kick after keeper Craig Gordan handled a back pass.
I can understand you want your best spot kicker to take the shot but Bruce’s public rebuking will do no good whatsoever. Have a word with Bent, let him know you want him taking them, fine, but publicly slam the player, risking creating a problem with your two top forwards? Strikers are all about confidence, Jones taking the spot kick will have done more good than harm. However, Bruce’s public rant will have had the opposite effect.
This season Bent and Jones have 10 goals between them after 7 games and yesterday’s win sees the Black Cats move to within 3 points of Tottenham who occupy 4th place.
It certainly was an awful penalty, but you’re right, no reason to make this public. Bruce was obviously pissed b/c his players aren’t listening to him. They know he wants Bent on PKs, and the boys disregard this. Not good for the manager.
it’s not like they tried the Pires-Henry two-player penalty. give me a break.
when reading the title, all I can think about is Lou Brown, “Nice catch, Hayes. Don’t ever f**king do it again!”
Good to see that a move up north has given Steve a sunnier disposition.
I don’t see why FIFA can’t require the person who’s fouled to take the penalty a la foul shots in basketball. That would certainly diminish the likelihood of unskilled oafs taking a dive knowing that the team’s best penalty taker will take it. The exception would be if a player is genuinely hurt and has to come off.
I think Bruce had Bent on his fantasy team and was f**king pissed when Jones took the penno.
/Might be confusing Bruce with self.
My fantasy team thanks Darren Bent for his willingness to share.