Steve Bruce

[NurembergVillan]

Whatever your thoughts on Bruce this season, it's nice to be excited about football again after so many years of defeat after defeat.

[terrytini]

5 minutes ago, flashingqwerty said:

i can assure you the themajority of them will be if we failto secure promotion as the funds are not in place to pay them next season if we dont.  the club literally cannot keep them financially unless we go up.

No, you can’t assure me - it’s just an opinion...it’s a valid one, but that’s all it is.

[terrytini]

1 minute ago, NurembergVillan said:

Whatever your thoughts on Bruce this season, it's nice to be excited about football again after so many years of defeat after defeat.

Well yes, you’d think.....

[terrytini]

I hope Kodja wasn’t given the target of scoring 15 goals this season.......presumably if he was he will be sacked ?

[TRO]

8 minutes ago, flashingqwerty said:

you intimated people expected Bruce to win promotion in his first season. As i dont know a single person who thought that would happen when he started in october i took your meaning of 1st season to mean his first full season.

but in their case you compare pep moving to a new country with what 8 years management experience and finishing where he was asked to in a champions league place to Steve Bruce a man with over 3 decades of experience in english football who not only failed to meet the publicised board expectation but also his own public expectation and you really think thats the same thing?!?!?!?  

You really didn't read my post did you.

I will reiterate.....I said "I am not comparing managers"

 I said " I am making the point to stay with them when the objective is not always acheived"

In some quarters some did expect Pepe to achieve the top prize ( in his first season)given his resources( which some of our fans religiously abide by) and his illustrious past, we are talking probably the best manager in the world here.....and if IRC a few raised eyebrows were asking questions why, he didn't ,such is the absurdity this game has reached...  Pepe himself declared some soul searching moments, such as the ridiculous levels of expectation have engulfed this beautiful game......but they stuck with him( which is something at his level) and they got their rewards and do did he.

 

 

[terrytini]

I hope our Commercial people weren’t given the target of getting 32,100  average gates - only managed 32,097. Sacked.

Edited April 29, 2018 by terrytini

[TRO]

Just now, terrytini said:

I hope our Commercial people weren’t given the target of getting 32,100  average gates - only managed 31,097. Sacked.

Brilliant

 

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Dave J said:

Hold on one moment TRO - Pepe is new to English football - Bruce as I am continually reminded has 4 promotions on his CV ( not great after 20 years in the game ) so I don't think you can play that particular card - and yes I fully believe the club felt Bruce could at least make the play offs in his first season 

Dave a bit of lateral thinking is required here.....don't be fooled by me supposedly comparing Pepe with SB......I am not that daft.

I was merely using his name to highlight how Man City stuck with him, when some thought he should have won the title in his first stint.....yes, some did.....due to who he was and what resources he had.

[NurembergVillan]

I hope Tony Xia didn't say he'd have us back in Europe within 5 years. Even though the five years aren't up we're not there yet so he's failed. Sacked.

[TRO]

42 minutes ago, flashingqwerty said:

just wanted to look at the squad and whats likely to happen to it if we dont go up

Golini - GONE

Johnstone - GONE

Bunn - GONE

Steet

Sarkic

De Laet

Taylor

Samba - GONE

Chester - GONE

Bree

Richards

Hutton - GONE

Amavi - GONE

Elphick - GONE

Terry - GONE

Elmohamedy

Tuanzebe - GONE

Gil - GONE

DoyleHayes

Whelan

Snodgrass - GONE

Lansbury - GONE

Grealish - GONE

Hourihane

Jedinak

Onomah - GONE

Green

Thor

Gardner - GONE

oHare

Adomah - GONE

Lyden

Hogan

Agbonlahor - GONE

Mccormack - GONE

Kodjia - GONE?

Davis

HepburnMurphy

thats 19 out of 38 players with squad numbers.  Its going to be a massive job next season to compete after losing half the squad and with a smaller budget and less resources.  Whoever is in charge i dont think can be realistically be set promotion as a target.

We need to take a look at the youth team and lower/foreign leagues to sign young promising players and have a manager capable of working with a large young squad and build them up for the future.

And you want to change manager on that basis to create more disruption.

madness.

ps even more reason to keep him.

 

Edited April 29, 2018 by TRO

[Tomaszk]

The thought of what on earth Bruce would serve up with a worse squad makes me wince.

Must go.

[TRO]

39 minutes ago, terrytini said:

Yup.

I think it’s perfectly reasonable to consider him having done a good job whether we are promoted or not.

As a few examples......in my own personal view of course .......

I see a huge, huge, progression overall from a year ago. That’s a good job.

I see a far far better spirit and character in the side, that’s a good job.

I see a far better balance in the squad, that’s a good job.

I see a much improved Points and Goals tally and a good fight made for Promotion, and that’s a good job.

I see as fans we now are expecting to Win rather than expecting to lose, that’s a good job.

I enjoy going to Away games for the first time in nearly 10 years, that’s a good job.

Most of all, I enjoy watching us - much of the time - and that’s a good job.

We have fans like you......thats a good job

[TRO]

28 minutes ago, terrytini said:

I hope Kodja wasn’t given the target of scoring 15 goals this season.......presumably if he was he will be sacked ?

Stop it.....you're making me laugh.

Edited April 29, 2018 by TRO

[OutByEaster?]

52 minutes ago, terrytini said:

Yup.

I think it’s perfectly reasonable to consider him having done a good job whether we are promoted or not.

As a few examples......in my own personal view of course .......

I see a huge, huge, progression overall from a year ago. That’s a good job.

I see a far far better spirit and character in the side, that’s a good job.

I see a far better balance in the squad, that’s a good job.

I see a much improved Points and Goals tally and a good fight made for Promotion, and that’s a good job.

I see as fans we now are expecting to Win rather than expecting to lose, that’s a good job.

I enjoy going to Away games for the first time in nearly 10 years, that’s a good job.

Most of all, I enjoy watching us - much of the time - and that’s a good job.

Completely agree.

I still think if we're not promoted he'll leave. If we go up, well I don't think he'll be able to resist having a go at it and he'll have earned the right.

If we stay in the Championship though, we're left with a different sort of job. If you want a man to take a decent group of experienced players from the Championship to the Premier League, Bruce is your man, he's proved it time and time again - give him character and ability and he'll build a side that can compete for and achieve promotion - that's what he does, it's his stock in trade. A specialist at getting decent teams over the line.

Next year, it we don't go up, that's not us - we become a blank page almost - of the thirty players on the back of the programme, ten of them won't be contracted to us on 1st August, that's not an opinion, that's a fact. What's left is pretty unbalanced too - we've youngsters coming through, but they're mostly forwards,  - we'll have one goalkeeper under contract and he's missed most of the season injured, we'll have one left back and one right back in the squad. We'll have one Micah Richards. two elderly defensive midfielders, and a plethora of strikers.

We'll be a bit of mess in a way - and that's an opportunity.

Next season if we're still here, we get to start almost from scratch, bring in some new players, adjust the way we play to fit them best, plan for a future - it could be a three year rebuild, depending on our finances, we could be looking at building and developing a younger team, or a team of older players out of contract - whichever, it's unlikely we'll start the season with 'the best squad in the league'. It's a more patient job, one that's about building in a different way. It's essentially not the job that Bruce is good at or enjoys.

I have a feeling he's quite happy here and I'm not against giving him a go at that job, but I think whereas right now, in this season, Villa and Bruce is the perfect fit - next season, whichever division we're in, I'm not sure that's true and I think it'll be harder for him. 

 

[terrytini]

@OutByEaster? good post.

I do agree that IF we lose significant players, in terms of quality and in numbers,  from this season, it may well be best for a change of Manager as well.

In that scenario changing Manager would be a positive attempt at turning a threat into an opportunity....rather than a form of punishment or retribution.

Im just not certain we will lose those players. I totally agree the factual position in respect of contracts, and am aware of the financial issues, but I don’t conclude from that that we are certain to lose the important members of the squad. 

If we can keep the best part of our best 16 I’d want to see Bruce in charge of them.  If it’s a big rebuilding job, fair enough there are probably better ways to go.

 

[blandy]

20 minutes ago, terrytini said:

@OutByEaster? good post....

Im just not certain we will lose those players. I totally agree the factual position in respect of contracts, and am aware of the financial issues, but I don’t conclude from that that we are certain to lose the important members of the squad. 

If we can keep the best part of our best 16 I’d want to see Bruce in charge of them.  If it’s a big rebuilding job, fair enough there are probably better ways to go.

There’s another factor here isn’t there? Whatever we as individuals think of SB, if for example the board decide to back him for another season, then the players may be persuaded by SB to “give it one more season here” by Bruce, on the back of him staying. So what I mean is that the players staying or going and any rebuilding will be influenced by the manager’s future (as well as by other factors). I’m pretty sure keeping Bruce will mean we keep more of the squad. So the decision on his future is more than a simple “he’s failed, so sack him” it’s more about the overall approach for next season - try again, the same way, or adopt a new plan. My guess would be that Wyness would favour keeping Bruce in place. Not so sure what Dr Tony will want to do.  As a guess, getting to the play-off final will mean Bruce stays, failing to get there and he will be sacked/resign.

All the above assumes we stay down. Promotion will mean he stays.

[terrytini]

Very true @blandy must  admit that hadn’t occurred to me. Agree.

[Stevo985]

8 hours ago, NurembergVillan said:

Whatever your thoughts on Bruce this season, it's nice to be excited about football again after so many years of defeat after defeat.

I'm so excited for the playoffs.

In fact the whole season has been exciting. I haven't enjoyed a season this much since that year we nearly finished 4th.

I've said before, but it's a shame that some people are so caught up in their dislike of Steve Bruce or their perception that we don't play good football that they've not enjoyed one of the best seasons we've had in decades.

[tomav84]

28 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

I'm so excited for the playoffs.

In fact the whole season has been exciting. I haven't enjoyed a season this much since that year we nearly finished 4th.

I've said before, but it's a shame that some people are so caught up in their dislike of Steve Bruce or their perception that we don't play good football that they've not enjoyed one of the best seasons we've had in decades.

So wish i shared that...i'm shitting it

[blandy]

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

perception that we don't play good football

Just on this part, we clearly can play good football. I've said before a lot of the games I've been to have been boring. Saturday wasn't. And one of the reasons was because we were behind early on, and so had to really make the running, attacking to get back in the game. My preference would be for that attacking approach to be the default, rather than the more cautious approach we usually take. That's my criticism - it's not that we can't play good (attacking football, but that we too often don't play good football. Too often too careless, too long ball from the back. We're a good side for this level when we go for it.