Steve Bruce

[Stevo985]

1 hour ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

I think you underestimate football fans capacity for a good moan. There are some Albion fans still moaning about Pulis. 

Good point.

[tomav84]

24 minutes ago, bobzy said:

I'd complain, personally, not about winning the league (obviously) but because we'd have become an absolutely terrible football team to watch.

I don't follow Aston Villa to see us "win things" (I mean, for **** sake, 1996 was it?) - I'd much rather see us play football that was entertaining.  I pay money to be entertained, not to be bored but watch us scrape a 1-0 win.

We would all want both, but given the choice it's win every time. Was I entertained on Saturday? No, but did i go home happy, yes!

Had i been entertained but we had lost/drawn i would have been as miserable as i have been post game for much of the season, irrespective of how we played...it's no consolation to me.

I'm sure SB feels the same way, after all, managers are judged on results...ask RDM - we were unlucky in many of those draws but he got the chop

[bobzy]

4 minutes ago, tomav84 said:

We would all want both, but given the choice it's win every time. Was I entertained on Saturday? No, but did i go home happy, yes!

Had i been entertained but we had lost/drawn i would have been as miserable as i have been post game for much of the season, irrespective of how we played...it's no consolation to me.

I'm sure SB feels the same way, after all, managers are judged on results...ask RDM - we were unlucky in many of those draws but he got the chop

Of course we all want both, I'm just stating my preference is for entertaining football.  Obviously not at the complete detriment of results (I don't want to see us play really well but lose every game 4-3), but I'd sooner take playing entertaining football and finishing midtable than being boring as **** but finishing 4th.

[PieFacE]

After the Derby game I stated that we need to stick with 4-3-3 (as i'm sure everyone will agree) and that we need to get a little run going just to get some confidence back in the squad. IF we can manage 3 wins in the space of a week that will be exactly what we need.

However, I have reservations that Bruce has openly admitted he doesn't like 4-3-3, he wants to play different systems and I can only assume he's going to try it again in the future. Now, I'm in 2 minds about when to start this process. If we manage to get a win on Saturday, which pretty much makes us safe, does Bruce come out and say "Look, I think it will be better for the team and how I want to play if we try a different formation, it might be difficult at first, but whilst there's nothing really to play for let's get to work now....  short term pain for long term gain" .  Or, do we keep playing a 4-3-3, try and win as many games now til the end of the season for confidence reasons, and then spend pre-season trying to change the style of how we play? 

I really can't decide which option would be best. 

Edited March 1, 2017 by PieFacE

[NurembergVillan]

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

I've said this until I'm blue in the face.

If bruce plays horrible, long ball, direct football all next season and we win the Championship, no **** will be complaining

[srsmithusa]

4 hours ago, markavfc40 said:

It was interesting listening to his comments after the game last night. He once again said that it wasn’t pretty especially first half when it was a war of attrition and we didn’t get the ball down and play it. Then second half we did and played much better.

Every time I have heard Bruce speak after every game he has described the game exactly as I and most of us have seen it. He has picked out the same failings. He has never dressed up a poor performance even if we have won the game.

Based on those comments, based on what I see him doing on the side-line every game, quite often going bat shit at things such as long misplaced passes, I get the impression he has been as frustrated as the rest of us that it has/is taking a while for things to click and the players to implement his instructions. Second half last night was, based on what he said after the game, more like the way he wants us to play. Very much on the front foot getting the ball down and passing it with pace.

His job now is to ensure that we maintain that level of performance. That will certainly be made easier though by having a more confident bunch of players and it was visible last night that after we scored it was as though a cloud lifted, the shackles came off, and we played with a real freedom and intent.

Two wins, two clean sheets and with Rotherham to come on Saturday and a great chance to build on it. Things are perhaps finally looking up after a dire couple of months and perhaps Bruce is finally getting the players to play as he wants and they are gelling and gaining in confidence. Hopefully it is onward and upwards from here.

I agree, and a really good post EXCEPT, I wish you had added that it really should not have taken this long for a manager to "finally getting the players to play as he wants."

There was (is) something really rotten in the ethos of this club.  I'm happy to join in the hope Bruce has turned it.  I didn't think he could.  Not convinced he has (yet).  Honestly, I'll probably never be convinced a different approach wouldn't have turned it around much more quickly.

[JE-]

The way I see it Bruce was justifying his appointment up until Jan and then he screwed it all getting and making too many changes and then throwing them all in hoping it would work 

This is not good management it's very poor so he messed his chance up big time we were close to the play offs before Jan happened 

A more tactically astute manager is required to have chance of promotion and the championship Is changing football is getting more modern look at Brentford who we made look like Barcelona 

[Stevo985]

23 minutes ago, JE- said:

The way I see it Bruce was justifying his appointment up until Jan and then he screwed it all getting and making too many changes and then throwing them all in hoping it would work 

This is not good management it's very poor so he messed his chance up big time we were close to the play offs before Jan happened 

A more tactically astute manager is required to have chance of promotion and the championship Is changing football is getting more modern look at Brentford who we made look like Barcelona 

I don't think he or the club thought it would work, this season.

The comments from the owner suggest the club basically accepted promotion wasn't going to happen this season so brought in a lot of players with the goal of bedding them in ready for next season.

IF it works, then it's an approach that will likely look very astute in 12 months.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

Not necessarily backing up Bruce, but I've started thinking. One of the reasons we have been disjointed as a club really could be the "stabilty" issue.

The "family" feel has almost evaporated due to the constant change in personell and obviously poor results. We need that back.

We havent had a "team" and/or management together long enough to build a bond with, cult heroes etc.

One of the reasons we have less patience and are easy to turn.

The love for even Green, Hutton etc has once again highlighted this for me.

A part of the magic of football is feeling like you are a part of something special and unified.

Edited March 1, 2017 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[dont_do_it_doug.]

1 hour ago, bobzy said:

Of course we all want both, I'm just stating my preference is for entertaining football.  Obviously not at the complete detriment of results (I don't want to see us play really well but lose every game 4-3), but I'd sooner take playing entertaining football and finishing midtable than being boring as **** but finishing 4th.

In the championship? Really? 

[Grasshopper]

12 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

I don't think he or the club thought it would work, this season.

The comments from the owner suggest the club basically accepted promotion wasn't going to happen this season so brought in a lot of players with the goal of bedding them in ready for next season.

IF it works, then it's an approach that will likely look very astute in 12 months.

There's no excuse for the results & performances, Gaby, SJ, the lack of cover for Kodjia, Jedi and playing scared.

That horrific, totally unacceptable run cost us the playoffs. Derby dropped off, so did Norwich, Leeds & ShefW are becoming inconsistant. Even a few blips wouldnt have cost us too much.

Bad management from either Bruce or both Bruce & above.

Anyway, We will labour a win against Rotherham so the 3 wins (although very welckme) just paper over the crack.

We had  a  chance with the Bruce Luck/Bounce but he blew it.

Clean sheets against teams struggling doesnt mean that SJ & Hutton are not making mistakes/have all of a sudden become good Ch players.

I'm more than angry that being 6pts off the playoffs whilst riding luck, Kodjia's indjvidualism, Grealish worldy and a few pens, Bruce bought/had bought for himself time to progress as a football team. But he didnt. he failed to capitalize.

We'l now go through groundhog day again a la Oct-Dec getting pts but not progressing as a team finishing unconvincingly midtable buying Bruce enough time to "go again" next season.

Take a good look who's coming down from the PL add 2 from Reading, Leeds & Hudds and I'm no where near convinced Bruce will have us on the front foot enough dominating games, results & the table.

Papering the cracks

Bruce Out

[Eastie]

The 2nd half was much better as confidence grew and we looked a decent team and should have won by 3 or 4 .

bruce must build on this now and we need a convincing result at Rotherham - there are promising shoots and we need to finish the season in decent form and with a settled side so we can look to hit the ground running in August .

[Demitri_C]

2 hours ago, bobzy said:

I'd complain, personally, not about winning the league (obviously) but because we'd have become an absolutely terrible football team to watch.

I don't follow Aston Villa to see us "win things" (I mean, for **** sake, 1996 was it?) - I'd much rather see us play football that was entertaining.  I pay money to be entertained, not to be bored but watch us scrape a 1-0 win.

Completely disagree. I couldn't care less as long as we start winning.  We have played shit football and been shit for years now so what's the difference?

[Stevo985]

13 minutes ago, Grasshopper said:

There's no excuse for the results & performances, Gaby, SJ, the lack of cover for Kodjia, Jedi and playing scared.

That horrific, totally unacceptable run cost us the playoffs. Derby dropped off, so did Norwich, Leeds & ShefW are becoming inconsistant. Even a few blips wouldnt have cost us too much.

Bad management from either Bruce or both Bruce & above.

Anyway, We will labour a win against Rotherham so the 3 wins (although very welckme) just paper over the crack.

We had  a  chance with the Bruce Luck/Bounce but he blew it.

Clean sheets against teams struggling doesnt mean that SJ & Hutton are not making mistakes/have all of a sudden become good Ch players.

I'm more than angry that being 6pts off the playoffs whilst riding luck, Kodjia's indjvidualism, Grealish worldy and a few pens, Bruce bought/had bought for himself time to progress as a football team. But he didnt. he failed to capitalize.

We'l now go through groundhog day again a la Oct-Dec getting pts but not progressing as a team finishing unconvincingly midtable buying Bruce enough time to "go again" next season.

Take a good look who's coming down from the PL add 2 from Reading, Leeds & Hudds and I'm no where near convinced Bruce will have us on the front foot enough dominating games, results & the table.

Papering the cracks

Bruce Out

TL; DR

 

I wasn't making an excuse.

[Stevo985]

38 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

In the championship? Really? 

Madness really.

Imagine how miserable you'd have to be to moan about winning the league because it wasn't entertaining enough.

[JE-]

Folks, 

The problem is nobody in the top 6 plays backs to the wall garbage football so decent football goes hand in hand with success even at championship level 

So this theory of winning playing really bad football does not really have a basis for reality. Even pulis is not doing this 

[Stevo985]

4 minutes ago, JE- said:

Folks, 

The problem is nobody in the top 6 plays backs to the wall garbage football so decent football goes hand in hand with success even at championship level 

So this theory of winning playing really bad football does not really have a basis for reality. Even pulis is not doing this 

So how did Bruce get promoted last season?

[Grasshopper]

I think more is the point that

1) we simply have to get out of this league. we can only overspend here (playing catch up) the longer we stay the more danger that we'll be punished thus reverting back to overspending rinse & repeat till DrT gives up.

Getting out playing shit or dull but effective is perfectly acceptable.

2) The real point is : When do you say "lets build an attacking attractive team?"

Here in the Ch?

or do you accept whatever? (as long as we get promoted) then re-style in PL

Do you keep the "whatever the style" till we are safe and used to the PL? then re-style?

Its purely opinion.

My logic would be set an attacking attractive style now (especially since Playoffs have gone) adding better quality players along the way (DrT has already and will continue to spend) keeping the momentum going.

Permanently accepting shit football is like morphing into the SHA, hellF**** they won a trophy under McShitHoofI'llTakeADraw.

I want a team to be proud of

AVFC the 5th most successful club in England (Sky says)

European Champions

Founders

We are the unique, lets be that way, continue on that way.

We will fight on the oceans.... we will defend our honour... whatever it costs DrT..... We should never play hoofball

UtV

VtiD

[striker]

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

I don't think he or the club thought it would work, this season.

The comments from the owner suggest the club basically accepted promotion wasn't going to happen this season so brought in a lot of players with the goal of bedding them in ready for next season.

IF it works, then it's an approach that will likely look very astute in 12 months.

Not sure that was true when Bruce first came to the club though. If it was then why sack Di Matteo? Villa were playing some good football under Di Matteo and were unlucky not to gain more points so why not keep him and let him build as they are allowing Bruce to do now?

 Also at the outset Bruce stated he wasn't going to bring a lot of players in and that only changed when more players became available due to coming to the end of their contracts.

I think the goalposts where changed by Xia after it became apparent that the club were unlikely to gain promotion this season under Bruce?

[alreadyexists]

8 minutes ago, JE- said:

Folks, 

The problem is nobody in the top 6 plays backs to the wall garbage football so decent football goes hand in hand with success even at championship level 

So this theory of winning playing really bad football does not really have a basis for reality. Even pulis is not doing this 

It's not a theory in which people think we will win playing rubbish football, I think it's a hypothetical situation and a preference from the proposed possibilities. IF we won the league playing a poor style but winning a lot, that to me, and others it seems, is preferential to playing well and finishing mid table. I think you're reading to much in to it, no one is saying "I really hope we play rubbish football forever more" what people are saying is that winning is more important in our situation than a beautiful footballing philosophy. 

 

Edited March 1, 2017 by alreadyexists