Steve Bruce

[TRO]

1 hour ago, thabucks said:

Dead man waking getting his excuses out there for his media chums to run with. He knows his time is up as there is no way back for him and the groundswell of opinion is turning against him with each abject display... he is trying to control the narrative  to preserve his reputation so he will find another club to **** up I mean manage... 

im now relaxed as I can’t see him making it to the end of the next international break and we haven’t been left behind as of yet.... given the new manager a shot of promotion. I agree due to the summers turmoil winning the league was unrealistic I just thought naively 3 seasons into Bruce tenure he would have a clue what he was doing ... but no he won’t learn or change....

Do you really think he has done that to us?

I think there is a clear distinction between failing to get us promotion ( to date) and having a detrimental affect on the club.

I am far from happy in what I am witnessing on match day.... a tad better last night, but still many faults.....but to insinuate he is ****ing the club up......Nah.

I can think of many managers who fall in to that category, but not Bruce, sorry.....you may want him gone and you may be right....but that rhetoric is wrong IMO

Edited September 19, 2018 by TRO

[Tomaszk]

1 hour ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

It really isn’t and we really aren’t. Just look at Stoke, Albion and even Leeds. We have got some very good players. But I do think our fans think we are better than we are at times.

We do!!!

Good lord, three exclamation marks, I might faint.

Leeds have a left back with 1 season of championship experience as part of a brilliantly setup wolves side, and 21 year old winger on loan from City. That's it from last year!

OK. Bamford was their big money but he's hardly starred.

They are a great example of what a proper manager can do with some training. They've hardly gutted the squad that finished 13th last year!

They've just started playing football and now you're using them as an example of a team with more talent than us.

[Tomaszk]

11 minutes ago, TRO said:

Do you really think he has done that to us?

I think there is a clear distinction between failing to get us promotion ( to date) and having a detrimental affect on the club.

I am far from happy in what I am witnessing on match day.... a tad better last night, but still many faults.....but to insinuate he is ****ing the club up......Nah.

I can think of many managers who fall in to that category, but not Bruce, sorry.....you may want him gone and you may be right....but that rhetoric is wrong IMO

He's doing so much damage. Every day he's here were sliding backwards and becoming a football league club.

[TRO]

6 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

So a few months you've wanted him out then. Four-ish with a bit of a dip in the middle when you thought getting him to stay might be sensible.

You have said you enjoyed the football last season. Are you enjoying this season? Do you think the football is good again? Hope so.

Curious because it's identical as last year for me, total crap where we pick up results because our personnel is obscenely strong for the division.

I wonder if your feelings towards him might differ if you watched football you hated for 18 months? That's where a lot of frustration comes from.

Hopefully you won't have to suffer that because he'll be gone before then. Then again, maybe you wouldn't anyway if you enjoy watching the team he's put together? People see things differently, but if I liked his football last year I don't think I'd want him out. Good chance of promotion and good football most weeks. Sounds great.

i thought Stevo's post was pretty sensible from where I am sitting.

If you are like me and prioritise wins as your initial objective.....24 last season and the goals haul was not bad, considering our main striker and midfielder was missing for large sections of the season.

However, I am like you too, aspects of our football frustrates me and the peaks and troughs nature of our performance affect my judgement on the whole thing....but equally I try to avoid being abusive to our manager or blame him for things i think are questionable.

but just remember this.....There is no guarantee and no knight in shinning armour, is about to ride in to Villa Park on a white horse( if invited) and turn us in to some sort of swashbuckling, free flowing power house of attacking football.....like the perfect storm, many bits of criteria have to align to get that.....Wolves have been very fortunate, so was we in 1974 when we appointed Ron Saunders....its not that easy to replicate.

I think it is folly to think Steve Bruce has done nothing of any use since he has been with us.....that is not to say, I am happy with the football or the results,so far.

I think he will be given this season, unless the wheels come off and then the owners will appraise the situation.

[Stevo985]

31 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

So a few months you've wanted him out then. Four-ish with a bit of a dip in the middle when you thought getting him to stay might be sensible.

Yeah a few months. That's what I said in my OP.
I wanted him out a couple of times last season as well. It's a rarity on VT, but I actually changed my mind on the subject a couple of times.

31 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

You have said you enjoyed the football last season. Are you enjoying this season? Do you think the football is good again? Hope so.

No not especially. The football hasn't been good.

31 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

Curious because it's identical as last year for me, total crap where we pick up results because our personnel is obscenely strong for the division.

Cool. That's your opinion. My opinion is that the football so far this season has been inferior to last season. The fact we've conceded more, scored less and got worse results would attest to that.
I actually think it's been remarkably similar to the start of last season, where the football was also poor. That in itself is a negative, but the silver lining is we've managed to pick up more points in our poor start this season.

31 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

I wonder if your feelings towards him might differ if you watched football you hated for 18 months? That's where a lot of frustration comes from.

Probably

31 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

Hopefully you won't have to suffer that because he'll be gone before then. Then again, maybe you wouldn't anyway if you enjoy watching the team he's put together? 

I think this is a contradiction.

31 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

People see things differently, but if I liked his football last year I don't think I'd want him out. Good chance of promotion and good football most weeks. Sounds great.

Cool.
I don't think we're playing good football right now and I don't think we have a good chance of promotion.
If the football improves like it did last season and Bruce convinces me we do have a good chance of promotion then I'll probably want him to stay again.

Edited September 19, 2018 by Stevo985

[StefanAVFC]

The situation is a paradox.

If the situation becomes bad enough that the owners will sack him (IMO) it may already be too late but I don't think we'll go up under him any, BUT we're still in touch.

[Tomaszk]

2 minutes ago, TRO said:

There is no guarantee and no knight in shinning armour, is about to ride in to Villa Park on a white horse( if invited) and turn us in to some sort of swashbuckling, free flowing power house of attacking football.....like the perfect storm, many bits of criteria have to align to get that.....Wolves have been very fortunate, so was we in 1974 when we appointed Ron Saunders....its not that easy to replicate.

I was sure Bruce would be the man. It was so well setup to be a hero here.

He was pretty much given a blank chequebook to add to an already good squad to get us out of this terrible division.

Still beggars belief he's messed it up this badly. Where he's point scoring with his own fans after beating Rotherham at home. Made all the more pathetic when he actually gets 99.99% support at the ground.

I think he's upset and knows how badly he's screwed this up. Finished as a manager which is why he's waiting for his payoff.

[LakotaDakota]

31 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

We do!!!

Good lord, three exclamation marks, I might faint.

Leeds have a left back with 1 season of championship experience as part of a brilliantly setup wolves side, and 21 year old winger on loan from City. That's it from last year!

OK. Bamford was their big money but he's hardly starred.

They are a great example of what a proper manager can do with some training. They've hardly gutted the squad that finished 13th last year!

They've just started playing football and now you're using them as an example of a team with more talent than us.

Leeds started exactly the same last year, they were playing football & flying . In fact after 8 games last year Leeds were top on 17 points & we were 13th on 10 points.

It was only even that close due to the results that weekend as 4 days before that after 7 games they were still top on 17 points and we were 18th on 7 points.

I don't think that they will have the spectacular collapse as seen last year but they will drop plenty of points & are doing so already. Their last 5 games they have drawn 3 and won 2. People are saying we are lucky getting last minute winners/equalisers but that is just playing until the whistle, do you think leeds care that they only just got a 90th minute equaliser at millwall on saturday or a late equaliser at Swansea?

Edited September 19, 2018 by LakotaDakota

[Tomaszk]

2 minutes ago, LakotaDakota said:

Leeds started exactly the same last year, they were playing football & flying . In fact after 8 games last year Leeds were top on 17 points & we were 13th on 10 points.

It was only even that close due to the results that weekend as 4 days before that after 7 games they were still top on 17 points and we were 18th on 7 points.

I don't think that they will have the spectacular collapse as seen last year but they will drop plenty of points & are doing so already. Their last 5 games they have drawn 3 and won 2

We'll have to see how they get on as the season progresses.

How do you think we'd look if we had Bielsa since June and they had Bruce?

I think we'd be top and look like a million dollars.

[Tomaszk]

9 hours ago, DaveAV1 said:

Assuming Bruce doesn’t read VT or any other forums, the only public shows of dissatisfaction at his management, that I know of, have been from the away fans in the last two extremely poor away performances. So the people who give up more than most in both time and money are now being labelled as stupid by the manager of the club that they dedicate so much to. That in itself is quite astounding. That a man with his experience in the game, who is undoubtedly paid a huge amount of money, part of which is to deal with  this sort of criticism, would be so small minded and frankly pathetically stupid to turn on those fans is barely believable. 

I can think of managers, Alex McLeish springs immediately to mind, who faced dogs abuse from home and away fans, but managed to maintain a commendable and professional attitude at all times. Whilst demanding unequivocal support from the fan base, Bruce deems it acceptable to start throwing school playground names at the very people he demands that support from. The man is now becoming a divisive figure at the club and is creating a me against them atmosphere, which is extremely unhelpful. There is only one truly unintelligent person in this unedifying spat, and that’s the spoilt, privileged, entitled multimillionaire who unfortunately picks the team. 

Great post.

He's acting like an unpleasant, spiteful douchebag.

[TRO]

3 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

I was sure Bruce would be the man. It was so well setup to be a hero here.

He was pretty much given a blank chequebook to add to an already good squad to get us out of this terrible division.

Still beggars belief he's messed it up this badly. Where he's point scoring with his own fans after beating Rotherham at home. Made all the more pathetic when he actually gets 99.99% support at the ground.

I think he's upset and knows how badly he's screwed this up. Finished as a manager which is why he's waiting for his payoff.

Look, many folk around by where i sit, support Steve Bruce in the main.

I have detected a shift in opinion.....Draws and losses will do that.....they are having alternative thoughts.

However, some of the stuff written about him is rank OTT.....and i think in the main that's why he gets folk like me challenge it.

Lets be clear, like him or loathe him he has brought stability back to us and prospective new players no longer have to have a ten foot barge pole to fend off the advancing Villa manager.

We are not where we want to be and we are not playing convincing football, I think we all agree on that.

Now the fact we nearly went bust and our expectations went down a lift shaft with a busted cable.....The New owners with untold wealth was not going rectify a disrupted closed season with a flick of a switch.....Whether we buy that, Steve Bruce does have a get out of jail card, whether we like it or not, that's what this closed season has brought and the owners will accept that for now.

We are reintroducing new players once again and it did get better last season too, when they got used to each other and it could do so again.

For me, He has this season and I think the owners will give it to him....We will see where we are.

Personally, I think too many Villa Fans are beating themselves up with frustration.....We all see the same thing, but we all have OUR OWN interpretations of it.

The owners will not act on frustration,or whats written on VT, they will act when they think its having a detrimental affect on the club as a business and restricting its progress.

[DaveAV1]

2 hours ago, bobzy said:

We really don't have the best squad in the division.  Attackers?  Wingers?  Yes, probably.  Defensive midfielders?  Defence?  Goalkeepers?  Absolutely not.

Let's not start peddling this myth as well to prove that Steve Bruce is useless.

You’re right, we have many limitations in the squad. Just remind me who put the squad together?

[terrytini]

4 hours ago, LakotaDakota said:

You wouldn't think that we were in the play off positions & 2 points off second place...

Also one of only 6 teams to lose fewer than 2 games & fourth highest scorers in the division.

I’m afraid  the “ Play Offs “ are an all but meaningless goal and achievement, unless you go up.

As we debated last year and the year before being “ in and around” the play offs means a team can be pretty much any position as low as halfway right until April and still be classed as “ in contention”.

People rightly expect more.

As for “ not losing” - that’s a useful achievement in the quest to avoid relegation.

[Vive_La_Villa]

59 minutes ago, Tomaszk said:

We do!!!

Good lord, three exclamation marks, I might faint.

Leeds have a left back with 1 season of championship experience as part of a brilliantly setup wolves side, and 21 year old winger on loan from City. That's it from last year!

OK. Bamford was their big money but he's hardly starred.

They are a great example of what a proper manager can do with some training. They've hardly gutted the squad that finished 13th last year!

They've just started playing football and now you're using them as an example of a team with more talent than us.

I didn’t say they have more talent than us I just said look at them because I think they have some very good players. 

My original reply was to a post that suggested we had the best attackers in the league. I disagree. 

[DaveAV1]

16 minutes ago, TRO said:

Look, many folk around by where i sit, support Steve Bruce in the main.

I have detected a shift in opinion.....Draws and losses will do that.....they are having alternative thoughts.

However, some of the stuff written about him is rank OTT.....and i think in the main that's why he gets folk like me challenge it.

Lets be clear, like him or loathe him he has brought stability back to us and prospective new players no longer have to have a ten foot barge pole to fend off the advancing Villa manager.

We are not where we want to be and we are not playing convincing football, I think we all agree on that.

Now the fact we nearly went bust and our expectations went down a lift shaft with a busted cable.....The New owners with untold wealth was not going rectify a disrupted closed season with a flick of a switch.....Whether we buy that, Steve Bruce does have a get out of jail card, whether we like it or not, that's what this closed season has brought and the owners will accept that for now.

We are reintroducing new players once again and it did get better last season too, when they got used to each other and it could do so again.

For me, He has this season and I think the owners will give it to him....We will see where we are.

Personally, I think too many Villa Fans are beating themselves up with frustration.....We all see the same thing, but we all have OUR OWN interpretations of it.

The owners will not act on frustration,or whats written on VT, they will act when they think its having a detrimental affect on the club as a business and restricting its progress.

TRO you need to stop sitting with Brucie’s family!

[TRO]

We can debate until the cows come home of all the twists and turns goals for or against selections and lineups, formations etc.

We just have to WIN all our games....Draws are no good.

Every draw is a cosmetic loss, when your aspirations are promotion.

Steve Bruce just needs to ensure his team are mentally and physically prepared to win EVERY game.....and when we lose or draw it should be the exception.

[bobzy]

9 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

You’re right, we have many limitations in the squad. Just remind me who put the squad together?

So is it that we've assembled a limited squad or that the squad we have should be walking the league?

 

[terrytini]

3 hours ago, bobzy said:

We really don't have the best squad in the division.  Attackers?  Wingers?  Yes, probably.  Defensive midfielders?  Defence?  Goalkeepers?  Absolutely not.

Let's not start peddling this myth as well to prove that Steve Bruce is useless.

You’ve said “ if you give any sort of credit to Bruce..etc etc”.......yet your Post doesn’t really do that. It says another’s view is “ peddling a myth”.

How good our squad is, is subjective. For someone to say it’s the best in the Division, whether you agree or not, ( as it happens, I agree) is no more “ peddling a myth” than you are by stating a contrary view.

FWIW I’ve posted pro and anti Bruce and have felt attacked for it twice in two years at most....it’s not as bad as you say.

[bobzy]

1 hour ago, Tomaszk said:

We do!!!

Good lord, three exclamation marks, I might faint.

Leeds have a left back with 1 season of championship experience as part of a brilliantly setup wolves side, and 21 year old winger on loan from City. That's it from last year!

OK. Bamford was their big money but he's hardly starred.

They are a great example of what a proper manager can do with some training. They've hardly gutted the squad that finished 13th last year!

They've just started playing football and now you're using them as an example of a team with more talent than us.

Leeds were strong last season and faded badly.  Who knows what will happen this time round, but many people were picking them as title contenders at the start of the season.  Barry Douglas was an absolute star for Wolves last season and is a brilliant signing.  They've strengthened their side and look better for it.

Meanwhile, we've signed a whole load of attackers and sacked off our defence entirely.  Yes, they're a team with a better squad than us.  Presumably you disagree?

[TRO]

1 minute ago, DaveAV1 said:

TRO you need to stop sitting with Brucie’s family!

If you think that is what it amounts to....as opposed to trying to be reasonable, and attempts at a balanced view then that's your call Dave.

peace be with you, brother.