Bruce Had Better Wise Up To Bramble!

Last updated : 25 January 2008 By Footy Mad - Editor

For years we have watched Bramble produce the 'horror of horrors' only for Newcastle managers Sir Bobby Robson, Graeme Souness and Glenn Roeder to back him no matter how embarrassing it got.

But he has gone (thank God) and now Wigan ... and new boss Steve Bruce ... are standing by the man who 'gets managers the sack'.

Steve Bruce has backed Bramble to bounce back (how many times have we heard that one!) for Wigan Athletic.

The summer signing from Newcastle United gifted Andy Johnson a goal in the Latics' 2-1 defeat to Everton, with his usual trick - playing a 10yds back-pass when the goalkeeper is 20yrds away.

Bruce: "Titus has had to cope with this sort of thing before, and he is strong mentally which he needs to be.

"All players make mistakes, but it is how they respond which matters.

"In the second half against Everton, I thought he gave a towering display. I will have a chat with him later this week to see how he is, and I'm sure no one is more disappointed than Titus about what happened.

"I heard Martin Keown saying on TV that we had to get out on the training pitch with Titus to put things right. But do you practice passing back in training? It is more a case of how you improve his concentration levels.

"Usually as a defender, you get better with age and I hope that's the case here. Unfairly for Titus, the mistakes he makes do get highlighted a lot more than some other players.

"He obviously felt the brunt of it when he was at Newcastle - there is no hiding place there. In fact, there is no hiding place anymore in the Premier League with all the exposure it gets.

"It's a shame Titus has made a couple of mistakes because, overall, his performances for the club have been very good. But he must concentrate better and try to eradicate those horrible problems."