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Good Bruno interview - Daily Mail
- Thread starter Springal
- Start date
Lush
Mods' Pet
Every time I thought about promotion over the summer, I heard Bruno's voice in my head, booming out after the Wigan game "We are Premier League! We are going up!"
Green Cross Code Man
Wunt be druv
What a wonderful article! I love Bruno!
AmexRuislip
Retired Spy 🕵️♂️
Brilliant, cheers for sharing 
Jimmehh
Well-known member
Great article - shame that they got the last time we were in the top flight wrong - 82-83, not 81-82 like they said.
shaolinpunk
[Insert witty title here]
After the heartache of so many near misses, Brighton captain Bruno made a deal with himself and God that he would climb a mountain if the Seagulls ever soared to promotion.
When Chris Hughton's men finally achieved that monumental feat in May, the charismatic, bearded full back headed to the top of Montserrat, a 1.25km-high mountain range in his native Catalonia.
The way the defender explains it at Brighton's plush training complex, it was a walk in the park compared to the 42 league games he put his legs through last season.
He said: 'There is a church there. Quite a lot of people, they make promises. They say if I get that job, if something (is good) with health, I am going to go up there walking. I made that promise that if we got promoted, I would go there. And I went.
'It was three hours walking up to the mountain, but it was nice. I got there and I went to the church. I'm a Catholic person. I went to say thank you for what we achieved.'
Bruno is still counting his blessings that they went up in his fifth season at the Amex Stadium.
The year before, Brighton missed out on automatic promotion on a devastating day at Middlesbrough and were then knocked out of the play-offs by Sheffield Wednesday.
There was also a failed play-off push in each of his first two seasons at the club. For the 36-year-old, the question was whether he would ever make it.
'Since I came, we have been close,' he said. 'But for me every year was a disappointment. Sometimes, it was, "We are not going to get there". But we kept fighting.'
Age was not on his side. He calls himself an 'old man', and he will be the fifth-oldest outfield Premier League debutant if he features this season (after Trevor Francis, Graham Alexander, Graham Rix and Richard Gough). But few in the squad look after themselves as much as brown-rice devotee Bruno, a player whose career has always shuttled along at a slower pace than most.
Over 10 years ago he was considered a late bloomer in Spain as he helped minnows Almeria, who had only been in the top flight once in their entire history, reach La Liga. The similarities to Brighton, who are third favourites to go down with most bookmakers, are clear. Bruno takes optimism from his own history: '(With Almeria) everyone thought, "You are going to get relegated".
'We finished eighth in La Liga. We beat Real Madrid. We drew to Barcelona. (In our first game) we played away against Deportivo La Coruna and beat them 3-0. That was a good start.'
Brighton's own task on the opening day of the new season could not be much tougher. They play Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at home, a game Bruno says will be 'the special one' for him and the club. The Amex, opened in 2011, has never hosted top-flight football. Brighton have not since 1981-82.
The Spaniard also has a personal reason to look forward to the City game. Last year, when Brighton were merely knocking on the door of the Premier League, he admitted City would be the club he'd like to play for.
His eyes sparkle as he explains why: 'When I was young, Guardiola was my idol, because he was playing for Barcelona when he was 18.
'All of the boys, when we were maybe 13, we were looking at him like a role model.
'As a manager he has been pretty successful. I like his style as well. I'm so lucky because I met him a couple of times, he is a top man.'
Those youthful days in Barcelona are long gone. Bruno has Anglicised himself over his half-decade in Britain. He even uploaded photos of himself playing cricket to his social media accounts this summer, his bearded face bringing forth visions of WG Grace.
His manager might have represented the Republic of Ireland at international level, but Hughton was born in England and is one of few British coaches plying their trade in the Premier League.
Bruno gives huge credit to Hughton. He even puts him on a par with current Paris Saint-Germain manager and three-time Europa League winner Unai Emery, who coached him at Almeria and took him to Valencia.
'Every manager is so different. From every one you learn different things. When they ask me about the best managers… Chris, the way he manages everything, he is over every small detail.
'Unai Emery, tactically, how he prepared the games, maybe he is one of the best. That is why he is at PSG. We played unbelievable football with him at Almeria. But, everything together, Chris is really good.'
Pre-season has been impressive. Brighton won their first three games without letting in a single goal.
Amid the hard yards that every player goes through over the summer, Bruno admits what will come has not really sunk in yet.
'We don't realise where we are. We have still had the same pre-season. It's the same for me, the last 18 years, you know?
'Until you get to the first game, it is almost the same. I think when we get there, we are going to realise that we are Premier League.'
When Chris Hughton's men finally achieved that monumental feat in May, the charismatic, bearded full back headed to the top of Montserrat, a 1.25km-high mountain range in his native Catalonia.
The way the defender explains it at Brighton's plush training complex, it was a walk in the park compared to the 42 league games he put his legs through last season.
He said: 'There is a church there. Quite a lot of people, they make promises. They say if I get that job, if something (is good) with health, I am going to go up there walking. I made that promise that if we got promoted, I would go there. And I went.
'It was three hours walking up to the mountain, but it was nice. I got there and I went to the church. I'm a Catholic person. I went to say thank you for what we achieved.'
Bruno is still counting his blessings that they went up in his fifth season at the Amex Stadium.
The year before, Brighton missed out on automatic promotion on a devastating day at Middlesbrough and were then knocked out of the play-offs by Sheffield Wednesday.
There was also a failed play-off push in each of his first two seasons at the club. For the 36-year-old, the question was whether he would ever make it.
'Since I came, we have been close,' he said. 'But for me every year was a disappointment. Sometimes, it was, "We are not going to get there". But we kept fighting.'
Age was not on his side. He calls himself an 'old man', and he will be the fifth-oldest outfield Premier League debutant if he features this season (after Trevor Francis, Graham Alexander, Graham Rix and Richard Gough). But few in the squad look after themselves as much as brown-rice devotee Bruno, a player whose career has always shuttled along at a slower pace than most.
Over 10 years ago he was considered a late bloomer in Spain as he helped minnows Almeria, who had only been in the top flight once in their entire history, reach La Liga. The similarities to Brighton, who are third favourites to go down with most bookmakers, are clear. Bruno takes optimism from his own history: '(With Almeria) everyone thought, "You are going to get relegated".
'We finished eighth in La Liga. We beat Real Madrid. We drew to Barcelona. (In our first game) we played away against Deportivo La Coruna and beat them 3-0. That was a good start.'
Brighton's own task on the opening day of the new season could not be much tougher. They play Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at home, a game Bruno says will be 'the special one' for him and the club. The Amex, opened in 2011, has never hosted top-flight football. Brighton have not since 1981-82.
The Spaniard also has a personal reason to look forward to the City game. Last year, when Brighton were merely knocking on the door of the Premier League, he admitted City would be the club he'd like to play for.
His eyes sparkle as he explains why: 'When I was young, Guardiola was my idol, because he was playing for Barcelona when he was 18.
'All of the boys, when we were maybe 13, we were looking at him like a role model.
'As a manager he has been pretty successful. I like his style as well. I'm so lucky because I met him a couple of times, he is a top man.'
Those youthful days in Barcelona are long gone. Bruno has Anglicised himself over his half-decade in Britain. He even uploaded photos of himself playing cricket to his social media accounts this summer, his bearded face bringing forth visions of WG Grace.
His manager might have represented the Republic of Ireland at international level, but Hughton was born in England and is one of few British coaches plying their trade in the Premier League.
Bruno gives huge credit to Hughton. He even puts him on a par with current Paris Saint-Germain manager and three-time Europa League winner Unai Emery, who coached him at Almeria and took him to Valencia.
'Every manager is so different. From every one you learn different things. When they ask me about the best managers… Chris, the way he manages everything, he is over every small detail.
'Unai Emery, tactically, how he prepared the games, maybe he is one of the best. That is why he is at PSG. We played unbelievable football with him at Almeria. But, everything together, Chris is really good.'
Pre-season has been impressive. Brighton won their first three games without letting in a single goal.
Amid the hard yards that every player goes through over the summer, Bruno admits what will come has not really sunk in yet.
'We don't realise where we are. We have still had the same pre-season. It's the same for me, the last 18 years, you know?
'Until you get to the first game, it is almost the same. I think when we get there, we are going to realise that we are Premier League.'
Not Andy Naylor
Well-known member
Actually mostly old stuff. It's from a sit-down that Brian Owen, this kid from Mail Online and a local freelancer had with El Capitan a couple of weeks ago. The Montserrat and Guardiola stuff has been in the Argus and the Daily Star and the rest was supposed to be used at the weekend, but that's the Mail for you. Can't be trusted.
JC Footy Genius
Bringer of TRUTH
- Jun 9, 2015
- 10,568
Excellent article from a quality paper representing the voice of the silent majority/middle England 
Excellent article from a quality paper representing the voice of the silent majority/middle England
