Steve Bruce

[blandy]

4 hours ago, villarocker said:

I was also at the game and there sounded like booing from our end at half time. 

There were a lot of fans complaining around me and saying that it's time for Bruce to go because he doesn't know how to pick the right team and he's too defensive. 

For me personally, he seems clueless as to how to pick a balanced side. We have a great attacking squad of players but seem unable to create many chances. We need a forward thinking manager who isn't afraid to make other teams worry about us instead of us worrying about them. 

Yep, spot on. When I said it didn't feel to me like he'd lost the away fans but it is getting close that's exactly it. Plenty of (very valid) comments and complaints and heated arguments that all the problems we outline were staring us in the face, some booing at half time, but not like it got to with O'Leary, Houllier, Lambert etc., where the whole away end would be chanting for the manager to get sacked. But it's not far off if this carries on.

My personal view, is like I said maybe a week ago, about what happened with him at Sunderland, where I was concerned for his health, if he's looking ill again, then that's more writing on the wall. He's a good bloke, but he is not able to manage a big club successfully. Because the expectations of owners and large support is to actually achieve objectives (promotion, progress, whatever is appropriate) and he does not have the mentality or wherewithal to build sides that grow and can do that he will always struggle in that type of role. He's very good, or has been in the past at getting clubs where there's lower expectation to get the utmost out of themselves, but given money and therefore better players, they need more than just being told to try hard and counter attack - they need coaching in a way that lets them fulfil their talent, that plays on the front foot. "Give it to Jack and hope he does something" is not enough. It's a waste.

[The Fun Factory]

I have no idea what Bruce is trying to do with Villa at the moment. The side is all over the place and he was entirely in charge of the summer recruitment after Round left.  It is  talented championship squad, but not balanced at all.  He might by accident find a winning team but it is not looking good at the moment.

[jacketspuds]

It's crazy that injury time goals have already garnered 4 points for us this season in just 7 games. On the one hand it's good that we seem to at least try until the final whistle (apart from the Reading game), but on the other it's concerning that we have relied on very very late goals to get where we are this season, and that's only 12th. It could be so much worse.

In terms of Bruce's comments I wish he wouldn't bring up how he nearly got us promoted last season when the only fact that matters is that he failed to get us promoted, even though we had a squad with PL quality players in it. 

[Made In Aston]

8 hours ago, GrassyNoel said:

Changing track, did anyone else think that Bruce does not look a well man. God forbid, but he looked like a heart attack waiting to happen today.

Pretty sure every fan would be distraught if this happened from a humane perspective. From a club point of view, the byproduct of this would being stuck with calderwood for the rest of the season and still having Bruce as the official manager come May. Either way it's a scenario no one should wish for.

It's clear he is not the man to take us forward so let's hope the board act decisively, rather than put SB through unnecessary stress and pressure. 

Edited September 16, 2018 by Made In Aston

[peterms]

2 hours ago, blandy said:

what happened with him at Sunderland, where I was concerned for his health, if he's looking ill again, then that's more writing on the wall.

This and other similar comments, and the reported remark from Wyness about Bruce not sleeping, are a concern.  It's a tough job, but there is a duty of care on employers to be alert to danger signs and see what they can do about it.  In a job like this, the options are much more limited than in most jobs, but just letting someone struggle on if they are showing warning signs of ill health is not the right thing to do.

 

47 minutes ago, Made In Aston said:

It's clear he is not the man to take us forward so let's hope the board act decisively, rather than put SB through unnecessary stress and pressure. 

I think that's right.

[Tomaszk]

3 hours ago, villanmac said:

The damage is being done now. November - December is a ridiculously tough schedule for us and we need points on the board.

Agree, very worrying. 

It'll take some time to wash the skidmark of Steve Bruce away.

What a disaster in so many aspects. So much chat last year trying to find some positives in what he's done and just look at us. Disjointed mess. No better off than when Di Matteo was here.

[AVTuco]

I'm afraid this season is already lost. The owners made a huge decision in keeping Bruce, and I doubt they will sack him easily. Much more is needed than one loss.

Remember, the new owners haven't suffered for years like we have. To them, one lost season may very well be acceptable. Learn now and go for it next season.

[srsmithusa]

38 minutes ago, AVTuco said:

I'm afraid this season is already lost. The owners made a huge decision in keeping Bruce, and I doubt they will sack him easily. Much more is needed than one loss.

Remember, the new owners haven't suffered for years like we have. To them, one lost season may very well be acceptable. Learn now and go for it next season.

I have had the same thought.  I immediately punished myself severely.  I expect you to do the same.  It’s the only noble option you have left.  

[blandy]

4 hours ago, peterms said:

This and other similar comments, and the reported remark from Wyness about Bruce not sleeping, are a concern.  It's a tough job, but there is a duty of care on employers to be alert to danger signs and see what they can do about it.  In a job like this, the options are much more limited than in most jobs, but just letting someone struggle on if they are showing warning signs of ill health is not the right thing to do.

Not for a moment does this apply to Steve Bruce, and hopefully it never will, but before the kick off yesterday there was a minutes silence for international awareness of suicide day ,or the right name of that if I’ve got it wrong. But, yeah, don’t get unwell because of your job. Be well, don’t be a victim of something you can’t control.

[Vive_La_Villa]

Maybe the protest on the other thread should be about our concern for his well being. 

[sne]

8 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Maybe the protest on the other thread should be about our concern for his well being. 

So a sort of an intervention?

"We're not fickle, we just want you to step down and eat more greens" 

[Vive_La_Villa]

1 minute ago, sne said:

So a sort of an intervention?

"We're not fickle, we just want you to step down and eat more greens" 

Exactly. 

“You’re getting saved in the morning’’

[Villan4Life]

From Bolo Zenden on Bruce when at Sunderland

 

https://rokerreport.sbnation.com/2018/9/16/17845398/interview-roker-report-meets-former-sunderland-barcelona-and-chelsea-midfielder-bolo-zenden

 

Quote

RR: In the past we’ve spoken to other players that you played with under Bruce, and some of them weren’t particularly kind in what they had to say about him. He certainly split opinion - what did you make of him? Was he popular in the dressing room?

 

BZ: When I said before about the mentality, if you wanted to win a game it was all about working your arse off - but it wasn’t always about winning the games tactically, it was more about how much running you did and so on. He had some favourites, and some that weren’t favourites and sometimes that showed and it didn’t always work in my opinion.

For example players like myself and Steed were seen more as tactically good footballers and maybe weren’t seen as much as “workers” - but Steed worked his socks off, and I feel I did too, but in a different way.

You look at Steed for example, he was a fantastic player and he moved to Lyon a year later and played in the Champions League for three or four years, but couldn’t get a game at Sunderland for some months. Steve Bruce was very much about putting in a shift and the focus was centred around that.

Personally, I remember a few games where I’d play really well, we’d get a win and I’d put in a shift but I was dropped a week later. He’d come to me and say “sorry son, you’re not playing this week”. I didn’t have a bad relationship with him but in the end, I just wanted to play more games and enjoy myself a little more as a footballer.

 

RR: Talk us through your reasons for leaving the club - as I understand, your contract expired and you moved on. After your departure you never played professionally again, and Sunderland were in fact your last club. Was that the way you envisioned you’d end your career?

BZ: Because I had played more than half of the games I was entitled to a renewal of the contract and Steve Bruce said the door was open to sign it whenever I wanted, but to be honest I politely put the contract to one side as I wasn’t really enjoying it anymore.

The final season I had at the club it was like a milestone to finish tenth in the league, but it could have easily been eighth or fourteenth, it was that close between a few teams. I just felt, as I stated earlier, that wasn’t the mentality to push on and get better - something I have always tried to do.

On the final day a few results went in our favour and we beat West Ham 3-0, but it could have been different had some other teams results not worked out. I wasn’t enjoying it at the end and I thought if I was going to have one more season, I wanted to enjoy it a bit more. Of course, it ended up being my final game.

I decided for myself to leave the club a month before the end of the season.

I only made it public after the last game against West Ham. I made a decision and I did what I felt I had to do. I don’t look at it as a bad decision, I just wish I had another season where I played and enjoyed my football because now my last game was against West Ham, I was captain, we finished well and I scored - it sounds perfect, but I didn’t know it was my final game.

Edited September 16, 2018 by Villan4Life

[peterms]

2 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Exactly. 

“You’re getting saved in the morning’’

Possibly "You're getting muesli in the morning"?

[villakram]

Just needs a little more time. Why are we so impatient and stuck with such poor football knowledge? What did we do to so piss off one of the gods. 

Thank you Stevie, lord and savior, for showing us the error of our ways.

[Villan_of_oz]

Hull (A): good away win, no complaints

Wigan (H): took an own goal, and added-time winner to get the win

Ipswich (A): couldn't beat a team that had 10 players for over 50 minutes

Brentford (H): another added-time time goal to get us out of jail and escape with a point

Reading (H): added-time goal against us but couldn't put Reading away at home...

Sheffield United (A): embarassing!

Blackburn (A): yet another added-time time goal, which saves us from defeat.

We've only lost 1 game in 7. The fact these words have even been uttered, emabarases us and makes us look like a club with no ambition and happy with mediocrity. 

 

 

 

 

 

[KenjiOgiwara]

Personally my biggest issue isn't the results. I can accept bad results if I get what we're trying to do. An example would be Houllier (and Garde to some extent). It was pretty clear to me what they tried to do here. 

It's the fact that we don't look like a group of players who play after a given philosophy. It's like they are told to go out there and win, and the tactical bit involves buying better players than other clubs in this league. If this is the case, then he really shouldn't be a manager, nevermind one at AVFC.

Edited September 17, 2018 by KenjiOgiwara

[striker]

To those who are concerned about how the job is affecting his health you'd also have to factor in the loss of his parents. No matter how old you are that is a devastating blow to anyone and it can take some time to accept never mind get over.

[TRO]

Another feature of our play that troubles me, is the inability to play in space.

We are constantly closed down by most teams....when Wolves & Fulham won promotion they played in space free from opposing players.

We are never able to launch anything of our own creation, because we make ourselves too easy to close down and the play becomes scrappy.

The other knock on effect is , injuries.....You can't go 46 games playing that style without players accumulating knocks.....our players must be riddled with niggly knocks that just slow you down.....and you can't create anything of your own doing for constantly trying to shrug off an opposing player.

We should be fizzing balls around and the opposition run ragged with the players we have as opposed to filling all our energy in trying to break free of yet another close encounter.

Edited September 17, 2018 by TRO

[sidcow]

Can we expect the vote of confidence this morning?