latest news
BRUCE BLASTS WOEFUL WIGAN
Bruce - unhappy with Wigan.
Furious Steve Bruce condemned Wigan's 2-0 defeat by Fulham as "unacceptable" and the worst of his year-long reign at the JJB Stadium.
The Latics slumped to their fourth successive Premier League loss at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night, plunging them into the relegation zone.
Two goals from Andy Johnson either side of the interval were the only highlights of a poor match that Fulham deserved to win.
Bruce was incensed by an inept performance that reached its nadir with some dire defending from Paul Scharner that led to Johnson's second.
"I've got no excuses. We were poor and got what we deserved, which was nothing," he said.
"You question yourself, the preparation and whether I picked the right team because that was possibly the worst performance since I've been at the club.
"I know we lost by four to Aston Villa but apart from 15-20 minutes in the first half, it was an unacceptable performance.
"The second goal summed up our night - 11-year-olds wouldn't defend like that.
"We'll go again and get back to basics. We've had many plaudits all year but that wasn't acceptable.
"We must face the facts that six or seven played well below their best and that's not good enough."
Fulham's own concerns were eased as they registered their third victory of the season, lifting them to 14th in the table.
Johnson was offside for the first - his opening goal for the club he joined for £10.5million in the summer and his 100th league strike - but his second was a clinical finish.
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was delighted with the England striker's display, which he claimed consisted of more than two well-taken goals.
"It was important for Andy to score. All goalscorers need that first goal at their new club to get them kickstarted," he said.
"That's especially the case if you're a big-money signing, which Andy was by Fulham's standards. I'm delighted for him.
"But he didn't just score the goals, he constantly helped our midfield players.
"Andy has that composure in front of goal that his pace, technique and low centre of gravity give him.
"He took his two goals extremely well - they were typical Andy Johnson goals."
