Steve Bruce

[markavfc40]

1 hour ago, Dick said:

Sherwood, Lambert and others did too, did they hit out at the fans for being frustrated with awful football and no wins in 6 (or however many it was!). 

Bruce is the first manager we have had where criticism is unacceptable- the bloke needs to grow up.

You're right this has been going on here for years and I think that is what Bruce is trying to address.

I think we are very quick as a fan base to jump on players and managers backs. I said in a post yesterday that I remember being at Villa Park on the first game of the 2009/10 season, off the back of our best season in years, and the players being booed off at half time as we were losing to Wigan. I sat there that day pissed off and bewildered by the reaction of some fans.

I get what Bruce is saying which I think is that we can have a very good run over 2 - 3 months then a handful of poor results and it is crisis time again. I don't think that is a direct dig at the fans I think that also refers to the reaction of the owner and CEO who felt the need to react via twitter following the Brentford result.

We have been through the trenches as a fan base over the last 7 years or so and hit rock bottom 18 months ago. I still suffer from the hangover of all that but I don't think any of us should forget how low we were as a club and what a massive rebuild it was. Not just in terms of rebuilding the squad and putting some half decent players on the pitch but ridding the club of the losers mentality that had stunk the place out from top to bottom for years. I think we have done that now but I think we are all still on edge and quick to react at the first sniff of trouble. It is understandable given that the start of a poor run over the last 7 years has led to an extended run of poor form and ultimately a poor season that we do fear the worst when we go a handful of games without a win but we can't constantly predict our future based on our dire recent past and have that fear and edginess about the club as it will ultimately end up shaping our future and we will get nowhere.

I am under no illusions we have to be promoted this season and all those at the club know that none more so than the manager. That of course brings a huge pressure and I think the manager and players at times feel that burden despite the manager being vastly experienced and him bringing in vastly experienced players to help deal with that expectation. I think, and rightly so, the manager believes that if we could try to stay on an even keel as a fan base/club as a whole and not lurch from being on a good run and all moving in the right direction to then 3 or 4 games later being all doom and gloom and on the verge of crisis that it would help him and his players in what they are trying to achieve.

I know Bruce could have helped all this by getting us the results to be 7 points better off and where we all want to be. We aren't far away though and certainly with 21 games to go we still have a good shot at going up. I think us all pulling in the same direction and not reaching for the panic button every couple of months would help in that and I need to heed my own advice in that regard.

Edited December 31, 2017 by markavfc40

[srsmithusa]

5 minutes ago, TRO said:

On the incident behind the dugout.....it sounds absolutely amateurish the way it was dealt with, leaving one poor female to deal with it......If the rest of the club is like this and yes the football, god help us.

That should never be allowed to happen....we need sterner more deliberate management of such situations.

Maybe your seeing my concern.  Too many things from the club are amateurish and they are tolerated.  Wyness needs to become a hammer, or he needs to go too

[TRO]

59 minutes ago, Grasshopper said:

Above else, what you fail to understand is that the reason why a team is made up of squad is so that injuries suspensions loss of form and the resting freshening up of the 11 on the pitch is more crucial than any other league. We have 46 games plus any cup ties we win.

ONLY taking this factor into consideration, you do NOT sell a 26yr old who performed well and replace him with 2 30+yr olds. NOT buy a cover for left back but buy and buy to have 3 RB‘s one of which can play RW when you already have the top assister as RW.....and then loan in another RW.

A balance squad is top of the list in „things you sort out first“ at the start of a season.

Bruce knew that Gaby was shot, he didnt want/trust McC, he cant get Hogan to score. What he had was an injured Kodjia (likely to get injured again when rushed back) RHM a youth player with potential. He ONLY threw Davis in as he had CAUSED the problem of not having a CF.

He complimented Jedi with a slower version who is not as effective as Jedi, Whelan.

The useless F*** plays players out of position for fun as if he doesnt want players to flurish in a villa shirt.

I really thing that his problem is that he is totally full of himself as he was an excellent defender in his playing career, having all that success and wants to dictate things with the players status kept well underneath him doing it his way because he holds his successes as a player way above the „inferior talents“ he has to work with.

I can only presume that he is so narrow minded that he sees his way as gospel. It‘s almost as if a different way of playing/approaching a game is like a different language, one he doesnt understand and then dismisses as irrelevant.

Anyway, as our owner and CEO made clear at the beginning of the season that promotion is the target, I am just being delusional thinking we should be top of the league (or 2nd) as our true target is to accept whatever Sir Bruce is prepared to serve up.

It‘s as close as damn it to getting it all wrong deliberately, because thats harder than actually getting it right..... its more of a challenge.

Bruce Out

and the rest to follow

Agnew, Calderwood, clements. then Wyness and Round

Start again from scratch

• you say you want him out.....I can live with that.
• You say the football is ****......and I can endorse that

but then you go on to outlandish statements of conjecture.....and presuming.

• Do you know the background to the Baker deal?
• Do you know it was all down to Bruce? (and no one else's agenda)

when you start explaining WHY you want him out, thats when I lose faith in your argument, because so much is based on supposition.

I am not as happy with Bruce as my posts suggest.....but lets stay with a bit of substance and not resort to making claims that are just a figment of your inner thoughts.

[TRO]

5 minutes ago, srsmithusa said:

Maybe your seeing my concern.  Too many things from the club are amateurish and they are tolerated.  Wyness needs to become a hammer, or he needs to go too

notice my word "If"

I can only assume, because I don't know for sure....One event does not always paint the true picture.

I am not a hanging judge.

but yes I do see your concern.

[VillanousOne]

I think Xia and co aren't going to sack him. The injuries mask the overall problem in their eyes, but also on some level when Terry, Green and a few others return we may genuinely start to see better results again.

We are unlikely to see better football, if he brings Whelan back into the starting eleven or we continue to play one up front hoof ball with Davies, RHM or Hogan the fans aren't going to accept things are ok and move on.

My opinion is we have a good enough squad to make the play offs but we won't win automatic promotion with Bruce and even if we did make it via the play offs it would be a short stay in the Premiership if we did go up. But there are no obvious solutions, the club won't sack him this season so it's pointless endless bickering about it.

[TRO]

5 minutes ago, VillanousOne said:

I think Xia and co aren't going to sack him. The injuries mask the overall problem in their eyes, but also on some level when Terry, Green and a few others return we may genuinely start to see better results again.

We are unlikely to see better football, if he brings Whelan back into the starting eleven or we continue to play one up front hoof ball with Davies, RHM or Hogan the fans aren't going to accept things are ok and move on.

My opinion is we have a good enough squad to make the play offs but we won't win automatic promotion with Bruce and even if we did make it via the play offs it would be a short stay in the Premiership if we did go up. But there are no obvious solutions, the club won't sack him this season so it's pointless endless bickering about it.

good resu'me

[TRO]

31 minutes ago, villianusa said:

Idrissa Gueye, Jordan Veretout, Adama Traore, and Scott Sinclair say hi. I wouldn't mind that 4 across midfield.

 

think we had it once....the mix is not good imo

• Vertout is playing ok for Fiorintina.....but said it was his fault his stay at Villa was unproductive.
• Traore....pass
• Idrissa Gueye looks ok at Everton
• Sinclair playing well in a poor league.

probably one out of that lot for me.

[OutByEaster?]

4 minutes ago, TRO said:

Idrissa Gueye looks ok at Everton.

That's something of an understatement I think - he's been excellent for them. The rest I agree with you on.

 

 

[TRO]

32 minutes ago, markavfc40 said:

You're right this has been going on here for years and I think that is what Bruce is trying to address.

I think we are very quick as a fan base to jump on players and managers backs. I said in a post yesterday that I remember being at Villa Park on the first game of the 2009/10 season, off the back of our best season in years, and the players being booed off at half time as we were losing to Wigan. I sat there that day pissed off and bewildered by the reaction of some fans.

I get what Bruce is saying which I think is that we can have a very good run over 2 - 3 months then a handful of poor results and it is crisis time again. I don't think that is a direct dig at the fans I think that also refers to the reaction of the owner and CEO who felt the need to react via twitter following the Brentford result.

We have been through the trenches as a fan base over the last 7 years or so and hit rock bottom 18 months ago. I still suffer from the hangover of all that but I don't think any of us should forget how low we were as a club and what a massive rebuild it was. Not just in terms of rebuilding the squad and putting some half decent players on the pitch but ridding the club of the losers mentality that had stunk the place out from top to bottom for years. I think we have done that now but I think we are all still on edge and quick to react at the first sniff of trouble. It is understandable given that the start of a poor run over the last 7 years has led to an extended run of poor form and ultimately a poor season that we do fear the worst when we go a handful of games without a win but we can't constantly predict our future based on our dire recent past and have that fear and edginess about the club as it will ultimately end up shaping our future and we will get nowhere.

I am under no illusions we have to be promoted this season and all those at the club know that none more so than the manager. That of course brings a huge pressure and I think the manager and players at times feel that burden despite the manager being vastly experienced and him bringing in vastly experienced players to help deal with that expectation. I think, and rightly so, the manager believes that if we could try to stay on an even keel as a fan base/club as a whole and not lurch from being on a good run and all moving in the right direction to then 3 or 4 games later being all doom and gloom and on the verge of crisis that it would help him and his players in what they are trying to achieve.

I know Bruce could have helped all this by getting us the results to be 7 points better off and where we all want to be. We aren't far away though and certainly with 21 games to go we still have a good shot at going up. I think us all pulling in the same direction and not reaching for the panic button every couple of months would help in that and I need to heed my own advice in that regard.

you're too sensible for this place.

Like you say Mark, We are all guilty of that...... I know I am.

I don't take defeats very well and at times my posts just after, are not really me.

We need posts like this and Nurembergvillan and Viva la villa.....to calm everyones jets.

We can all see Bruces shortfalls.......We just want Promotion.

just hope we can acquit ourselves well tomorrow.

[TRO]

9 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

That's something of an understatement I think - he's been excellent for them. The rest I agree with you on.

 

 

ok, accept that.

Edited December 31, 2017 by TRO

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

24 minutes ago, TRO said:

you're too sensible for this place.

Like you say Mark, We are all guilty of that...... I know I am.

I don't take defeats very well and at times my posts just after, are not really me.

We need posts like this and Nurembergvillan and Viva la villa.....to calm everyones jets.

We can all see Bruces shortfalls.......We just want Promotion.

just hope we can acquit ourselves well tomorrow.

Like you said TRO, we are all guilty of that.

However, forgetting the performance.

I'm sure you will have seen the mass disagreements caused among the fanbase, even on the back of a win, due to Bruces comments?

Call it, me beating yesterdays dead horse, but I hope you can kinda see why they are/were unproductive.

Edited December 31, 2017 by JAMAICAN-VILLAN

[sidcow]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

On the incident behind the dugout.....it sounds absolutely amateurish the way it was dealt with, leaving one poor female to deal with it......If the rest of the club is like this and yes the football, god help us.

That should never be allowed to happen....we need sterner more deliberate management of such situations.

Agreed. Around the dugout I would expect the most senior stewards and at least one person in authority relating to crowd control matters.  It is unacceptable to have "fans"  screaming offensive and obscene words at club employees whilst trying to go a out their business of getting a result for the club. 

Edited December 31, 2017 by sidcow

[sne]

Apparently it's his birthday today.

Congrats! Onward and upwards and so on.

[foreveryoung]

I'm still happy to give Bruce a chance, but only if he stops playing that poor excuse for a player Whelan. He is done in football surely

[VillanousOne]

54 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

I'm still happy to give Bruce a chance, but only if he stops playing that poor excuse for a player Whelan. He is done in football surely

all we are saying is give Bruce a chance

 

 

[vreitti]

I fear with players returning from injuries, the selection headache will cause us more harm than good.

[bobzy]

Selection headache is a good thing.

I hope we manage to get enough points to get promoted and then Bruce leaves.  We're too boring, if nothing else.

[briny_ear]

2 hours ago, sne said:

Agreed.

Since Micah Richards isn't doing much these days perhaps he can re-assume the role he took upon himself after the Wycombe game?

Since we are paying him we might as well get some use out of him. let him handle the drunks shouting abuse at the games. 

You’ve been writing advertising copy for Paddy Power again, haven’t you? 

[Demitri_C]

Happy birthday brucie

[VillanousOne]

Micah must be revelling in being the new Nzogbia although to be fair Zog actually played more than 5 games for Villa even if it was over 10 years.