Steve Bruce

[bobzy]

I took a look at his record from Birmingham onwards and it's pretty impressive:

Blues:

2001/02 - hired 12th December (club in 11th place), finishes 5th and wins promotion via the play offs.
2002/03 - finishes 13th in the Premier League
2003/04 - finishes 10th in the Premier League
2004/05 - finishes 12th in the Premier League
2005/06 - finishes 18th in the Premier League, relegated with 34 points
2006/07 - finishes 2nd in the Championship, immediate promotion back to PL

Wigan:

2007/08 - finishes 14th in the Premier League (previously finished 17th)
2008/09 - finishes 11th in the Premier League

Sunderland:

2009/10 - finishes 13th in the Premier League (previously finished 16th)
2010/11 - finishes 10th in the Premier League
2011/12 - sacked in November (club 16th in the league)

Hull City:

2012/13 - finishes 2nd in the Championship and wins promotion to the Premier League
2013/14 - finished 16th in the Premier League, takes the club to their first ever F.A. Cup final
2014/15 - finishes 18th in the Premier League, relegated with 35 points
2015/16 - finishes 4th in the Championship, immediate promotion back to the PL via playoffs

 

He's been at clubs with very limited finances and has given them relative success.  The downturn in Sunderland's form seemed to almost entirely coincide with selling Darren Bent to us and Asamoah Gyan deciding not to perform anymore.  At Hull, the owners have basically spent nothing and it's held them back.

Both his relegations from the Premier League have been as the 3rd worst team in the league and, on both occasions, he's got the team promoted again straight away.

His football may well be dull (Bent top scored for Sunderland with 24 goals when he was there, though - sounds terrible, eh?) but he's effective.  He hasn't had to work with as much backing as he's got right now and, as far as being risk-free goes, Bruce is the closest thing to that for us.

As I said elsewhere, I'm amazed that people think this is a bad appointment.  I can only assume they were holding out for Carlo Ancelotti or someone of that ilk.

Edited October 12, 2016 by bobzy

[alreadyexists]

10 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

So Gabby, Richards, Hutton and co. and their antics all should be forgotten now too that the messiah has arrived?  

We are going backwards very very quickly!

[NIVillan]

Has he had his phone call yet?

[Richard]

No I think Dyche would have been the better appointment.

Look I support Aston Villa.  Not one or two individuals at the club,  but the club.  It will be here long after the latest manager has gone in 12 months.

I think Steve Bruce is wrong for the club on many levels

Ive seen people wave his four promotions at me. Benitez has none,  would no body want him? So promotion history is a false narrative.  I've seen people say we need to get back to basics,  is he the only one capable of that?  Some manager if so.

Ive seen the argument by those people actually wanting him that it is our medicine or we dont want this just that we have to do it,  or that we can get rid of him after 12 months when he has got us up. Hardly ringing endorsements those.  Personally I doubt he'll get us up in 12 months anyway!  It really is short term and that will kill the club.

Ive seen that getting up is the hardest step in our progress but to be honest I do not accept that at all.  I do not think we will get promoted this season,  I never did.  But I do think we would have been promoted in a couple of years.  If teams like Bournemouth, Burnley,  Watford can get promoted I am sure we could.  The biggest step is then making us one of the top 5 clubs in the world in 5 years as the owner stated!. But seriously the biggest step would be then to establish us in the premier league again and for that we need someone to stay with us,  to grow with us ,  to buy into us and for whom we can also buy into.  Not chop and change again.  We have all joked that we have had more managers in the last 12 months than wins,  I dont think a short term appointment is the way to fix that.

However,  if we accept that getting up is the hardest step,  then how is it possible that a manager able to do that is not then able to kick on? I believe people are only saying that it is the hardest step and he will be gone after that as a means to accepting the appointment,  even they do not want him.

I believe his tactics,  his style of play are awful and we will need to once more start again after he has gone.  Not only am i pig sick of starting again but I do not believe we have the unlimited funds to be able to do that. I do not like his transfer record,  I believe he will not get the best out of our better players and I believe some of them will leave which will be detrimental to us.  I further believe we will have another bomb squad.   Basically I do not trust him to build a squad. For me he is on a downward trajectory,  but i guess so are the club.

Then we have the other issue for me.  look at the debate over Bruce.  It is like Brexit and the potential implications are just as divisive for us.

Last year we had one of the worst years in our history,  certainly in my time supporting the club the worst. The team was crap,  the relations between fans and team,  team and management, management and owners,  owners and fans,  everything was poison really awful atmosphere.  For me this was the hardest thing to put right.  We had a new owner who started to correct this,  and saw it I believe as the major blocker to success.  He still had a lot of goodwill despite some gripes from fans and generally was trying to improve things.  Yes there are still a few things to clear out at the club but we had made good progress on that front at least. This one appointment at one stroke has risked that and risked putting us back at least 12 months.  Given that he is less popular than almost any other manager we have recruited in the last 20 years he and the club is now under huge pressure ,  it is pressure that could have been avoided.  Losing a few games and the atmosphere will return to last season it is such an unwise appointment for that reason alone.

I have been a fan of this club for over 40 years.  lucky enough to have seen us win the league when that was about graft not cash.  Spent a glorious evening in Rotterdam,  seen us win cups,  been to wembley and walsall but There have been that many poor decisions about this club over the last few years,  so many things happen Ive said "NOOOOO" to and thought that is obviously wrong that I am now feeling less connected to the club than I have been over those last 40+ years.  The appointment of Steve Bruce has not made that better.

 

Edited October 12, 2016 by Richard

[Dodgyknees]

18 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

So Gabby, Richards, Hutton and co. and their antics all should be forgotten now too that the messiah has arrived?  

We are going backwards very very quickly!

I didn't say that. You've taken a comment and twisted it, do you work for the Sun?

It's his job to pick the players and we should back him.

[AvfcRigo82]

5 minutes ago, DK82 said:

I didn't say that. You've taken a comment and twisted it, do you work for the Sun?

It's his job to pick the players and we should back him.

I know you never said that, I asked it hence why there is a question mark at the end of that first sentence.

Second sentence is my statement of assumption of where we are now going as a club.

Edited October 12, 2016 by AvfcRigo82

[Villastine]

2 hours ago, TrentVilla said:

 

I was briefly seduced by the whispering a of Wagner, although in hindsight more because of his association with Klopp than his own achievements. He may well go on to be a raging success in his own right but he may well be the next AVB

I'm sorry what? If Wagner is the next AVB then we have missed out massively.

AVB is so far out of our league he wasn't even linked with us.

[AvfcRigo82]

4 minutes ago, Villastine said:

I'm sorry what? If Wagner is the next AVB then we have missed out massively.

AVB is so far out of our league he wasn't even linked with us.

AVB - At one time muted to be the next dogs bollocks of managers by some cause of his links with Mourinho.. but after a few clubs we can all see he amassed to bugger all.

The same is being now thought of Wagner.  - Could be a great.. or could amass to nothing!

 

[bobzy]

5 minutes ago, Richard said:

No I think Dyche would have been the better appointment.

 

However,  if we accept that getting up is the hardest step,  then how is it possible that a manager able to do that is not then able to kick on? I believe people are only saying that it is the hardest step and he will be gone after that as a means to accepting the appointment,  even they do not want him.

I believe his tactics,  his style of play are awful and we will need to once more start again after he has gone.  Not only am i pig sick of starting again but I do not believe we have the unlimited funds to be able to do that. I do not like his transfer record,  I believe he will not get the best out of our better players and I believe some of them will leave which will be detrimental to us.  I further believe we will have another bomb squad.   Basically I do not trust him to build a squad. For me he is on a downward trajectory,  but i guess so are the club.

Then we have the other issue for me.  look at the debate over Bruce.  It is like Brexit and the potential implications are just as divisive for us.

Last year we had one of the worst years in our history,  certainly in my time supporting the club the worst. The team was crap,  the relations between fans and team,  team and management, management and owners,  owners and fans,  everything was poison really awful atmosphere.

Some good points in this post, so I'm cutting it just to address these other ones.

Firstly, Bruce has progressed every single club he's been at (since and including Blues).  All of them.  That's 15 years in management of moving 4 clubs in the right direction.  Name another manager that has achieved this?

Secondly, why are his tactics and style of play awful?  There's nothing too defensive about him.  His record last season in the league (wins/draws/losses aside) was virtually identical to Sean Dyche - someone you would be happy to appoint.  Further, what do people actually not like about his transfer record?  He's signed some pivotal players for each club he's been at and they've performed well for him.  Every manager in the history of football management has made poor signings at some point or another.  On the whole, working with limited funds, Bruce has done well.

I agree about the divisive nature of the appointment, though, and to be honest I'd blame our fans for all of that.  Shut up and get behind the manager - don't be petty clearings in the woods if it doesn't start out rosy straight away.  We're pathetically quick to do that at the moment.

[Dodgyknees]

11 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

I know you never said that, I asked it hence why there is a question mark at the end of that first sentence.

Second sentence is my statement of assumption of where we are now going as a club.

I said support the manager with his decisions. Otherwise we really will be going nowhere if we keep finding fault. If he wants to play Richards we have to accept it and back him. No booing. No moaning. Give the manager a chance to put things right.

[Davkaus]

8 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

AVB - At one time muted to be the next dogs bollocks of managers by some cause of his links with Mourinho.. but after a few clubs we can all see he amassed to bugger all.

Off topic but this is absolutely laughable.

He's taking a break this season but won the league and 2 cups in his 2 seasons in Russia, on top of his earlier success at Porto, and a very decent spell at Spurs that has some fans still pissed off that he was let go. He's only 38 at ffs, and he's "amassed to bugger all". 

Edited October 12, 2016 by Davkaus

[AvfcRigo82]

Just now, DK82 said:

I said support the manager with his decisions. Otherwise we really will be going nowhere if we keep finding fault. If he wants to play Richards we have to accept it and back him. No booing. No moaning. Give the manager a chance to put things right.

I get all that DK..

But if Hutton, Richards and Gabby - who have all been shite under the last few managers, then what makes you, or anyone else for that matter think that all will suddenly be okay and forgotten now Bruce has arrived?

 

 

 

[Jareth]

All this talk of Bruce and the 'senior' players I think stems from an article yesterday saying the senior players have heard that Bruce is the man for the job. That if anything, smacks of the 'senior' players doing anything that they can possibly do to find favour with the new boss given their current predicament. Bruce will have to assess them, so if they really want it, and perform, then that is fine by me. Except Gabby. Not fine.

[sne]

As long as he's not one of those tracksuit wearing 80's relics who thinks it's OK for the lads to down a few drinks to let off steam.

And someone who's tactical approach is to shout and wave his arms a lot.

Anyway...

Stop the free fall, do enough to stay in reach of the of the play off spots, sort out the midfield in January, figure out how to score without our African strikers in Jan-Feb.

Then all we have to do is win something like 75% of our remaining games and win the play off.

Tall order, if he pulls it off he'll certainly have earned my respect.

[hippo]

1 minute ago, Jareth said:

All this talk of Bruce and the 'senior' players I think stems from an article yesterday saying the senior players have heard that Bruce is the man for the job. That if anything, smacks of the 'senior' players doing anything that they can possibly do to find favour with the new boss given their current predicament. Bruce will have to assess them, so if they really want it, and perform, then that is fine by me. Except Gabby. Not fine.

I hope Bruce isn't taken in by that - and don't think he will be. He will stick out the 11 who he feels are best able to win the game. Just a hunch but I think Grealish and Ayew are really going have to up there game in terms of directness and end product.

[Nigel]

Totallly uninspired by this to be honest! Really wanted more stability here, someone who could grow with the club.

Hey ho....good luck Mr Bruce.

[AvfcRigo82]

5 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

Off topic but this is absolutely laughable.

He's taking a break this season but won the league and 2 cups in his 2 seasons in Russia, on top of his earlier success at Porto, and a very decent spell at Spurs that has some fans still pissed off that he was let go. He's only 38 at ffs, and he's "amassed to bugger all". 

I was speaking of his UK career..

Can you remind me what he achieved at Spurs and Chelsea?

[alreadyexists]

Bruce hasn't played anyone yet, he's not picked a single starting eleven... or even been announced yet! Maybe give him a bit more of a chance.

[Jareth]

2 minutes ago, sne said:

... if he pulls it off he'll certainly have earned my respect.

Enough about the wankfest already

[Wainy316]

Midday announcement do we reckon?