Steve Bruce

[MCU]

I just can't get over that first half against Burton on Saturday. Reminded me of how we've played in the past at times and I'm not sure I can be arsed with it again this season.

[pacbuddies]

We've already said "goodbye"
Since you gotta go, oh you'd better
Go now, go now, go now (go now, ooh)
Before you see me cry?

[Vive_La_Villa]

5 minutes ago, The Fun Factory said:

In fairness to Bruce I think the football was better last year than the one before- it was certainly a much better team. We scored 25 more goals and gained 20 more points. And at times such as Wolves and Bristol at home it was some high scoring, entertaining stuff. However you got the feeling it was all rather haphazard and ultimately the whole was less than the sum of its past. Brucey might say that had we had a fit Grealish all year and 1 consistent striker who got 20-25 goals for the season, we would have got automatic. But it didn't happen. 

What worries me is 21 of those goals were down to Snodgrass. 

Whilst we shouldn’t be over paying players again I think if we could someone how loan him again it would be worth it.  

[AvfcRigo82]

Just now, pacbuddies said:

We've already said "goodbye"
Since you gotta go, oh you'd better
Go now, go now, go now (go now, ooh)
Before you see me cry?

You can almost hear the pro 'Bruce In' camp breaking out a rendition of East 17's Stay another day.

[TRO]

6 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

his "tactics" consist of better players than the opposition and old head leaders on the pitch doing half his job for him

there are a lot of times we still play very poorly and manage to win (cardiff at home for example)

He is not the best, but that first line is rubbish.

He took over a team bleeding to death, they won 3 games all season....the new manager RDM couldn't buy a win....we conceded in every last 10 minutes of a game....He stopped the rot, which I thought could not be stopped.....He identified a mental issue and set about signing experienced players....maybe he over cooked it, maybe he didn't, maybe the experienced players fixed one problem, but created another in stamina.

You either don't rate him....or like me, I am willing to give him more time.....I think he has improved us, but issues still exist....If you sit next to me I will point them out and they are not manager problems they are player problems, but yes, he has to fix that......I don't want to criticise players when a game is on....but I have mentioned things to folk and they have reluctantly said " he's right you know".....there are certain things that are player issues not manager issues....but I accept the manager has to carry the can.

The second line.....what constitutes playing poorly, your version maybe different to mine.....but winning for me is the wholly grail.

Cardiff at home was a good old fashioned championship battle, finished by a worldy from our midfielder that would grace any premiership game....both teams were going for automatic promotion....was you expecting to see free flowing football with players standing off inviting the opposition to possession?

I accept That Steve Bruce is not a fancy dan manager.....but some of the stuff he is criticised for is wide of the mark Imo.

Blimey, it was not long ago when we was doing well, it was all down to Steve Agnew and his new methods......that never lasted long.

[andym]

His job last season was promotion, he's was backed accordingly over the last 2 years, and he failed. 

Wolves were clearly the best team, but to finish 16 points behind them?

We also finished 7 points behind Cardiff in 2nd, a team who were taken over by Warnock at exactly the same point Bruce took over us, a team who were worse than us at that point, and then had a fraction of the resources spent on them than Bruce did on us. And we finished miles behind them.

Even then we had a 2nd chance in the playoffs, and Bruce blew that in the first 30 minutes of the final, where we basically sat back and waited for Fulham to score, with one of the best attacking talents in the league left doing shuttle runs 30 yards from his own goal trying to close them down. 

That said, its pointless getting rid now, so close to the start of the season, unless there is a no brainer replacement lined up (highly unlikely). 

[sheepyvillian]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Sheepy, do forgive me for resorting to this, but I can't help it.

But ,If he goes....I will respect the new owners vision and get on with it....and embrace the new man.

but if he stays......I will laugh my tits off.

Course you will, just keep them in your bra, nothing appalls more than sagging tits.

[Jas10]

2 hours ago, villa4europe said:

both IMO he's spent more than a fair bit increasing what was already a good squad

the biggest problem with the signings for me is that he has made hogan, lansbury, bree, thor, ok they were only loans but axel and onomah too he either doesnt play them or seemingly doesnt know where to play them and thats before you look at the actual footballing ability of his signings (taylor and elmo are utter dog shit)

i dont want him to get his hands on a transfer kitty, definitely not a PL one

Couldn’t agree more.

[Vive_La_Villa]

12 minutes ago, TRO said:

Blimey, it was not long ago when we was doing well, it was all down to Steve Agnew and his new methods......that never lasted long.

Actually it was more down to the return of Grealish. We’d actually just dropped out of the playoffs while he was returning to full fitness. 

Edited July 23, 2018 by Vive_La_Villa

[privateer]

1 hour ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

A phone call to sack him would not be the best introduction to our club and wouldn't go down well with us showing a total utter gutless handling of the situation, Steve Bruce or not Steve Bruce.

That said, if they cannot get for argument's sake their first or second choice of new manager to replace Bruce with then maybe it is a good thing we do stick with Bruce for this season instead of them appointing just anyone for the sake of it so to speak.

They took control on Friday. They've been concentrating sorting out financial issues thus far. They have, it seems, quite sensibly put football/transfer activities on a status quo setting whilst they sort that.

They are likely well in to the process of implementing their chosen executive structure, which they will do before making any changes anywhere else. Until that happens, they will want everything to tick along. No ins or outs of staff.

If they are planning a change of coaching staff, it will be when the executive management has been installed. My guess is, when that happens Bruce will, indeed, be replaced.

They've just bought a company from somebody who doesn't know his arse from his elbow, which has recently lost but not replaced a CEO and somebody called Round who apparently was pretty senior but nobody is sure what he did. You don't sack the rest of the managers until you are ready or you'll have the shop floor being expected to run itself.

They'll have a handle on Bruce's limitations. They'll know he's not anything other than a mediocrity and they'll know he's on a rolling contract and there is nothing to be gained or lost in terms of when he is dismissed from a financial perspective. Therefore, they'll pick the day of his contract termination as being one that suits them and the business.

They may blow some smoke up his arse and make him feel he's secure to keep him in situ until they are ready. Or they may not bother to even do that, figuring they are close enough to their new structure being in place for it not to matter. Either way, I think he's a dead man walking. New owners of businesses normally bring in new ideas and new people to implement those new ideas.

The reality is, he's done a good enough job to not get sacked up until now by the previous owner. But only just. He has actually achieved the bare minimum that should be expected given the time and the resources and has attracted a lot of criticism and been under a lot of pressure to deliver and has ultimately been found wanting. I think that's what they will see and what he'll be judged and sacked on.

Edited July 23, 2018 by privateer

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

I actually missed the final but even neutrals I’ve spoken to said Bruce totally messed it up by sitting off and Fulham were there for the taking. 

The manager in his comments, did not support your notion that it was a pre- conceived plan that he had them playing to.

Now, I accept that he has to take responsibility for them.....but according to him he was not expecting that.....so it was not by design.

We failed to secure the initiative......If you blame Bruce for that fine, buts its not what he was expecting.....it was clearly different in the second half.....god knows, why we come out that way.

On many occasions right across the country.....at all levels of football, from juniors upwards......The manager does not always get from his players what he is expecting or what they have been instructed to do.

I guess Jokanovic will vouch for that at St Andrews......20 odd non defeats, auto promotion on the horizon and bam......a relegation bound team turns them over.....was that poor tactics?

We are much too quick to blame managers for every eventuality, when players need to be appraised instead.

Edited July 23, 2018 by TRO

[TRO]

6 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Actually it was more down to the return of Grealish. We’d actually just dropped out of the playoffs while he was returning to full fitness. 

nah......it can't be the players...its not them when we are ****

[Vive_La_Villa]

15 minutes ago, andym said:

His job last season was promotion, he's was backed accordingly over the last 2 years, and he failed. 

Wolves were clearly the best team, but to finish 16 points behind them?

We also finished 7 points behind Cardiff in 2nd, a team who were taken over by Warnock at exactly the same point Bruce took over us, a team who were worse than us at that point, and then had a fraction of the resources spent on them than Bruce did on us. And we finished miles behind them.

Even then we had a 2nd chance in the playoffs, and Bruce blew that in the first 30 minutes of the final, where we basically sat back and waited for Fulham to score, with one of the best attacking talents in the league left doing shuttle runs 30 yards from his own goal trying to close them down. 

That said, its pointless getting rid now, so close to the start of the season, unless there is a no brainer replacement lined up (highly unlikely). 

Good post. Wolves aside was the competition even that good?  I think the fact a Warnock inspired Cardiff team were able to finish on 90+ points was more down to how crap the league was last season than to how good Cardiff were. I think we missed a trick and this year could be even harder.

Saying that I’m glad we didn’t get promoted. Dodged a Wyness/xia bullet in the top flight. 

[LakotaDakota]

10 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Actually it was more down to the return of Grealish. We’d actually just dropped out of the playoffs while he was returning to fitness. 

No we hadn't

His first 90 minutes (after 5 sub appearances) was against Derby.

Before that game kicked off we were 5th, 6 points off 2nd & 4 points ahead of 7th. We picked up only 1 point from the next 3 games (grealish played 90 mins in all of them) and Bruce probably just saved his job by us beating Boro (Grealish only actually played 50 minutes in this game)

 

Edited July 23, 2018 by LakotaDakota

[Vive_La_Villa]

6 minutes ago, TRO said:

nah......it can't be the players...its not them when we are ****

Of course the players also have to take the blame. I never said they didn’t. 

Ultimately it’s the team he assembled with the budget available to him. Now if you are saying they are not good enough as Bruce didn’t have sufficient money to buy the players he wanted then I accept that. It means you do not think we were good enough for promotion.

So what do you think are the aims for next year with which at the moment is a weaker squad than last? 

Happy for Bruce to try and make playoffs again?

Edited July 23, 2018 by Vive_La_Villa

[Vive_La_Villa]

1 minute ago, LakotaDakota said:

No we hadn't

His first 90 minutes (after 5 sub appearances) was against Derby.

Before that game kicked off we were 5th, 6 points off 2nd & 4 points ahead of 7th. We picked up only 1 point from the next 3 games (grealish played 90 mins in all of them) and Bruce probably just saved his job by us beating Boro (Grealish only actually played 50 minutes in this game)

 

I remember us dropping out of the playoffs for some reason. My mistake. 

[Tomaszk]

10 minutes ago, LakotaDakota said:

No we hadn't

 His first 90 minutes (after 5 sub appearances) was against Derby.

Before that game kicked off we were 5th, 6 points off 2nd & 4 points ahead of 7th. We picked up only 1 point from the next 3 games (grealish played 90 mins in all of them) and Bruce probably just saved his job by us beating Boro (Grealish only actually played 50 minutes in this game)

  

Maybe the return to form of Grealish would be more apt then.

The great run we had was the first time he ever used him. In 16/17 Bruce only played Grealish in four full league matches. Four! For the best player in the league who is probably going to be playing Champions League football next season.

Edited July 23, 2018 by Tomaszk

[thabucks]

56 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Exactly. This close to the start of the season, there's no way they'd waste nearly a week to sack him if they'd already made the decision.

No way .... so you have an inside track on what they are thinking ? Who is your source or is this one of your famous spoken as fact announcements ? I’m really interested in how you know for certain what the new people are thinking right now ? I really interested in how you are so certain 

[sheepyvillian]

I'm sensing " arse covering ". We should actually start an arse covering thread .

[TRO]

21 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Of course the players also have to take the blame. I never said they didn’t. 

Ultimately it’s the team he assembled with the budget available to him. Now if you are saying they are not good enough as Bruce didn’t have sufficient money to buy the players he wanted then I accept that. It means you do not think we were good enough for promotion.

So what do you think are the aims for next year with which at the moment is a weaker squad than last? 

Happy for Bruce to try and make playoffs again?

What I want moving forward is to see us dominate the ball more in every department.....We need to secure the initiative in games much more than we do.

We were not consistent enough in those departments last season , hence we finished 4th

That for me was about right in what I saw.