Steve Bruce

[Johnnyp]

20 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said:

Outside of the starting line up, he got a lot of things wrong yesterday. Did he want us to play THAT deep first half, probably not, but instructions were still probably there to contain. He substitutions were far too late and didn’t seem to have a plan.

How many times this season have we failed to perform for 90 minutes?

I think he’s done a great job of building back the professionalism at the club and stopping the rot.

Ive always said failure to go up should result in him leaving, but I do worry about who we’d replace him with. I also think he is very well liked and has great connections, any remote chance of keeping Terry and maybe even Snodgrass rests with Bruce .

Im very torn now over keeping him or not.

Worrying about who we replace him with is not enough reason to keep him though is it ?

[vreitti]

14 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said:

Ive always said failure to go up should result in him leaving, but I do worry about who we’d replace him with

What does it matter? Someone younger and hungrier. Someone with an eye for the modern game. Someone with an idea on how to play football. Someone who'll be able to work with the kids. Someone accustomed to working with no money. 

Simple fact is, we aren't going anywhere with Bruce. Do you honestly think he'll do better next year? We all know the realities, and the limit of Bruce's managing. He's done well to stop the rot, and can certainly leave with his head held him. 

UTV

[Stevo985]

Really disappointed, obviously. 

Clearly Bruce set us up to soak up pressure and nick something on the break. 

I’ve got no problem with that, but the problem is we had nothing on the break. We couldn’t get any passing together and once behind it was too difficult to change anything. 

Second half was better, if the whole game hadn’t been like that it wouldn’t feel as bad. 

But that first half completely killed us off. No ambition shown and it set the tone of the game too much in their favour. 

Think it’s time for Bruce to go, but I really don’t think he will. 

 

Only positive was the fans. As usual. Incredible support, and put the 5 ticket, clapper having, sitting down all game, leaving before the final whistle even thought they’ve won Fulham fans to shame. 

[mikeyp102]

1 minute ago, Johnnyp said:

Worrying about who we replace him with is not enough reason to keep him though is it ?

No it’s not I agree. But you should only replace with someone better

1 minute ago, vreitti said:

What does it matter? Someone younger and hungrier. Someone with an eye for the modern game. Someone with an idea on how to play football. Someone who'll be able to work with the kids. Someone accustomed to working with no money. 

Simple fact is, we aren't going anywhere with Bruce. Do you honestly think he'll do better next year? We all know the realities, and the limit of Bruce's managing. He's done well to stop the rot, and can certainly leave with his head held him. 

UTV

Who is this magic person? If it’s so easy to get all those traits in a manager every club would get them.

[Dave J]

6 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said:

No it’s not I agree. But you should only replace with someone better

Who is this magic person? If it’s so easy to get all those traits in a manager every club would get them.

Wolves and Fulham have one - would you not think?

[Tumblerseven]

In my humble opinion he needs to go. I dont like that in some games we take underdog position or playing style when we hawe  one of the best teams in this league. I dont like that he buys or loans in strikers like hogan graban or mcormack. I think we way beter playing with kodjia or davis who is good at holding ball who realy fights for ball with that defence not just imitating fight and tries to beat ofside over and over again. When i see hogan or graban act like they fighting defence for ball  but all they try to do is run behind them and hope that ball bounces from ground and they beat offside like that its infuriating to me. I want manager who have tactics in mind who builds team for those tactics not like bruce who just builds team and hopes for individual goals.

 

[Ingram85]

If you set up to play negatively and cautiously in a **** play off final of all games then you don’t deserve the job. 

[markavfc40]

This is a tough one now in terms of what happens with Bruce. He was given enough resources to ensure we had enough to get promoted. Whether you think like I do that he assembled a good enough squad and didn't quite get enough out of them, or that he never actually assembled a good enough squad, either way he failed.

Now it is a case of whether that failure was big enough that he has to be sacked. Personally I don't think that failure alone is. We were two wins away from automatic and a whisker away from going up via the play offs.

The decision to retain him is not just about what happened this season though. It is about whether he is the man with reduced finances to reshape the squad. I don't think it is the major overhaul some people think. We'll lose Johnstone, Terry, Snodgrass, Onomah, Grabban and likely Hutton of those that played regularly this season. Kodjia and Green who missed most of the season will replace a couple of those and Bree will hopefully be ready for a full season. The likes of Murphy and O'Hare should hopefully be ready to be part of match day 18's week in week out so you are maybe looking at moving two or three more out and bringing four or five players in.

The thing that worries me with Bruce is that he may well down play our chances next season. Focus on the fact that three or four teams will have better finances than us. Set our bar to reach the play offs at best. That attitude for me isn't going to wash quite frankly. He would still be managing the biggest club in this division, still have better finances than most, far better than many, and still have the stature of the club to help attract players at this level and hopefully get the maximum out of all the players at the club by the very fact they play for such a big club. The positives of this club far out weigh the negatives and I want a manager to embrace, promote and feed off of those and set our ambitions as such.

The pro's of retaining Bruce are the continuity angle, the fact he knows the squad inside out, the fact he has got the vast experience and has shown he can get out of this division. The cons are that he failed this season, that I fear he will play on the fact we will have reduced finances, that his default position is to set up negatively and the suspicion that he may not be able to get the best out of our promising young players. He will also have pretty much no grace next season and a poor run and he will be under pressure.

The other unknown here of course is who would we replace him with.

Whatever we decide to do we need to decide quickly. If he is staying come out and confirm that with in the coming days and we get on with planning for next season. If not move him on and get someone else in and give them the maximum time possible. The season starts in under 10 weeks so there is no time for messing about.

Edited May 27, 2018 by markavfc40

[Dave J]

Well putting aside the result - is anyone really surprised by that performance ? Let's be honest about it - it's his DNA and for me sums up his tenure.

sure we have had a good run since xmas but even this run has been littered with some dross imo at times .

We are way too bang average and inconsistent and this is why we are who we are - we haven't done enough to deserve to go up again imo and it's his fault entirely - someone on here said that all Bruce does is chase the better players for the division - which is very easy when your ASTON VILLA big club big fan base big wages and so forth,  but when it comes to moulding a team I'm afraid he does not cut the mustard for me, anyone can sign players for ASTON VILLA 

I do not dislike the man at all - however he should go now and allow us to concentrate on an even more difficult task next season - for the life of me I just can't see how or why he should be given another opportunity - what has he shown to suggest he can go again and do better next year.

i would love to see Eddie Howe approached - young stylish manager who knows how to win promotion playing the right way - might be a pipe dream but I'd still like to see us try.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, TheStagMan said:

YES! EXACTLY THAT it is how he has set up every team he has ever managed.

Maybe because he felt he had to....you play to the strength of your players.

but our goals for, during the season does not suggest we are inherently negative, we just try a way to win with what we have got.....maybe the teams that have gained promotion, were simply better.

4 against Wolves....4 against Ipswich.....5 against Bristol....does that sound negative?

No ?....we never turned up for whatever reason and they did.

I don't think the systems 4-1-4-1 v 4-3-3 had a bearing either....games morph anyway during play....they were better individually and subsequently collectively.

They had their better players imposing themselves, we didn't.

[Johnnyp]

Its no coincidence that the 3 teams promoted this season have all had a defined style, method and purpose to their game and all looked extremely well coached and i include cardiff in that. We have had a shotgun approach to promotion with bruce and xia too. Spend our way out of the division. Assemble the most expensive squad of individuals , turn up on a saturday and win. Hasn't worked. One of my mates said to me yesterday that Cairney's comment post game "Football won today " was arrogant. It was 100% accurate. Not arrogant. The team who had technically better footballers, set up to play football , can manipulate space, and who are miles better coached, won. If all that comes out of this is that we get a younger dynamic forward thinking manager who signs players to play football he wants then i'll be happy. If we continue on as we are we will get everything we deserve which will be more heartache.

Edited May 27, 2018 by Johnnyp
mistake

[Dale]

2 minutes ago, TRO said:

Maybe because he felt he had to....you play to the strength of your players.

but our goals for, during the season does not suggest we are inherently negative, we just try a way to win with what we have got.....maybe the teams that have gained promotion, were simply better.

4 against Wolves....4 against Ipswich.....5 against Bristol....does that sound negative?

No ?....we never turned up for whatever reason and they did.

I don't think the systems 4-1-4-1 v 4-3-3 had a bearing either....games morph anyway during play....they were better individually and subsequently collectively.

They had their better players imposing themselves, we didn't.

In which case he underestimates the team at his disposal... 

[mykeyb]

If the club can finance keeping the majority of that side together then Bruce should have one more shot at it and I am not a Bruce fan, however if as it looks Terry, Snograss, Grabban, Johnstone and Hutton have to go then we may as well look for a fresh approach and give Steve some time to cope with his what he has gone through recently and very professionally put to the back of his mind.

[sexbelowsound]

I think it's this simple really.

If we're going to keep the vast majority of the squad, Bruce stays.

If we're going to lose a lot of them and look to bring in some of our younger players then Bruce needs to go.

Which of these I think is best at this stage i'm not sure.

[terrytini]

@markavfc40 I agree with literally every word do you’ve saved me the bother of typing it - that at least partly makes up for your complicity in making me sit through the horrible events of yesterday !!!

One Postscript - in his interview he talked about assessing over the next few weeks - I hope that was just diplomatic speak........ the Club should already know if they are keeping him, if JT will re-sign, whether any of the Loanees May stay ( I think not) and which players we are after.........and, if he IS staying he’s already fully assessed everything.

No time to lose either way.

Edited May 27, 2018 by terrytini

[TRO]

50 minutes ago, Johnnyp said:

Worrying about who we replace him with is not enough reason to keep him though is it ?

Absolutely, worth worrying about......do you propose playing russian roulette and send us back to the dark days of the las ten years.

yes, its easily done.

I understand the dilemma and your comments have validity,but there really is a lot to lose.

I do not have a fixation on what the answer is.....but if he leaves, i have a real concern on the void he will leave in respect of the stability of the club.

[wilko154]

I would keep Bruce on, I'm not saying I like the football we are playing but the way the team has been pulled together this season has been fantastic. If we can keep the bulk of this side together next season and add in some youth along with Grealish and Kodjia's flair then we could see a style of play that we all have cried out for this season.

Realistically this is the team that we can put out next season, and it's still not far from what Bruce has put together himself.

 

                  New GK

Hutton Chester  New CB  New LB

                     Jedinak

         Grealish        Hourihane

Adomah         Kodjia               Green

[TRO]

4 minutes ago, Dale said:

In which case he underestimates the team at his disposal... 

Or we over estimate them.....in terms of consistency.

we know what they are capable of.....but they didn't produce it, when it mattered, that is what consistency is all about.

[Zatman]

He has to go, shocking performance in a big game again

[striker]

1 hour ago, vreitti said:

Top post. 

Thanks mate. Even more gutted this morning like many others but if the board and owner get it right then no reason at all why Villa won’t be promoted next season.