Steve Bruce

[terrytini]

2 minutes ago, Johnnyp said:

You think he'll change it. I think you want to believe he'll change it. Hand on heart you can't say with confidence that he will. He has implemented nothing in terms of style, structure.  Absolute myth that he made us defensively better last season. We conceded as many and with the same clumsiness as when RDM was there. 

All true.  I think he will, also I want to believe he will, also I can't say with confidence he will, but I think he will, as I said.  I agree with the rest too.

I don't agree with those - few now - who blame the players.  I fully understand anyone who thinks he will mess it up.  I fully understand how those feelings are increased after the friendlies. I just happen to think the problem is relatively simple and he will address it.

[terrytini]

Just now, vreitti said:

I'd really like to agree with this. Then again going by this logic, surely he must've realized these problems with his approach ages ago. Therefore I have severe difficulty understanding how come he didn't look to fix it already at the latter stages of last season?

You, fair point.

I've puzzled it too and come to the conclusion that last season he decided - wrongly in my view - that in order to prevent 'freefall' he needed to be defensive - he knew it would fail a lot, but he knew it'd succeed a fair bit too, and stabilise us.

Just my theory because I'm as baffled as you why he didn't change things.

Of course, that, sadly, doesn't explain the last two games I' ve watched, which is why they DO matter.

 

[USA_Villa]

15 minutes ago, Johnnyp said:

I keep going back to that Brentford game when they slaughtered us but the difference in coaching from Bruce and Smith was night and day . When they had the ball they're movement was excellent,  everything on the floor with the ball, so much energy and the sheer savagery they hunted us with when they didn't have the ball. Think this job will be vacant in October / November time and Smith, not just based on that game, has to be given serious consideration. 

I agree.

 

[Kiwivillan]

The problem with Bruce and why I think we're doomed to mediocrity with him is he has no football philosophy and no ability to adapt

[Vive_La_Villa]

1 hour ago, Rob182 said:

On top of what others have said about pre-season, another thing to remember is that the players naturally won't be giving the same level of energy/urgency in pre-season as they would in real season. Another difference is that some players won't go flying into challenges for a game that means nothing. I'm not saying players will only give 50%, but you're less likely to see a player busting a gut to track back, in the way that they would when the game actually means something. 

Are you telling me beating our local bitter rivals Shrewsbury Town is of no importance to the players!! Sack them all!!

edit: I understand those that are concerned about Bruce but I'd be concerned because of what you saw last season and not what you see in pre-season even if it looks the same. If anything I'd expect it to look the same but I'd also expect massive improvement in each game. If we look as bad in our last pre-season game or worse still against Hull. Then it's time to panic.

Edited July 16, 2017 by Vive_La_Villa

[vreitti]

18 minutes ago, Kiwivillan said:

The problem with Bruce and why I think we're doomed to mediocrity with him is he has no football philosophy and no ability to adapt

So it would seem, fortunately we'll very soon find out for sure.

[Darth Villa]

Several bluenoses I work with warned me the football under Bruce wouldn't be good to watch and that's his major downfall. Accepting that their standards are normally a bit lower than we might expect down Villa Park, that's a damning admission. I hate agreeing with them but the football has not been inspiring has it?

I just hope the end result will be a return to the Prem and I will accept the mediocre displays only if that's where we are a year from now.

[VILLAMARV]

For me it's still progress of sorts. But then I think my low expectations drive that more than anything. However much I want it to happen I can't see how this squad is promotion ready.

Jury's out on all the keepers. Backline is looking a bit better but with Hutton, Richards, Elphick and Cissokho all found wanting and still all here taking up space in the squad and budget there's very little depth. Bacuna is still a joke as far as I'm concerned. Gardner has no role to play in this team as far as I'm concerned. Lyden, Tish and Grealish have a lot to prove and improve upon, Bjarnasson looks bang average. Of course there's Hogan, McCormack, Lansbury, Hourihane, Bree and Adomah who have (if not here then elsewhere at least) proven to be half decent second division footballers. Let's hope they ALL come good here. Jedinak and a motivated Gabby still have a bit to offer at this level imo but are left wanting in areas meaning they aren't good enough to carry a team. I'm going to assume Terry, for all his qualities on the pitch isn't going to take a game by the scruff of his neck from Centre Back, nor should we expect him to. Then we've got DeLaet who we've never really seen and is coming back from injury along with Kodjia, who's still going to be well greedy. Veretout and Amavi have a bit of quality but who knows if they'll be here or if they themselves want to be here.

And all of them, literally all of them, get shown up the minute an 18 year old kid from Solihull gets on the pitch and gets the ball.

I hope Green and Adomah stay fit. That's our width. Yes Birkir and Grealish might 'do a job'. It's just I think the might is the bit of that sentence that really deserves the speech marks. And the job they do wont be very good. Wing backs don't instantly add any width and are not the answer especially as that formation requires the forwards pulling wide, making space for the midfielders etc and to expect ANY movement from ANY of our squad is laughable based on what they've shown in the claret and blue so far. And thinking they're going to learn all these systems when they cant even deal with the one they've been playing all year is also laughable.

That's not to say I believe this is Bruce's plan. But it's where we are as I see it. We have a first XI that I would expect to win more second division games than we lose, and the same couldn't be said this time last year. However, no amount of wishy-thinking is going to turn them into a decent team in 6-8 weeks. A season of hard work, application and open-minded learning maybe. And that's a massive maybe. We are still an injury away from some horrific choices.

Bruce stopped us losing last season and that was what we needed, we were in that much of a mess. It's a shame we wasted time and money on and with RDM but that's easy to say in hindsight. People expecting a bit of tika-taka from Bruce are going to be massively disappointed. We're going to grind out results if we can which I happen to think is a good way to approach this league given the massive lack of any real talent, cohesion or form in our squad. People seem very happy to blindly expect everyone to improve. That is very unlikely to happen even if we march towards promotion. But this year is going to be Gardner's year eh? Just like we've been saying for the last 7 years........

[Grasshopper]

I really cant imagine or believe that Bruce can change a team so dramatically for a 46 game season from what he displayed during his 30+ showing last season.

And to think that over that time period he had long enough to DEVELOP a style or game plan that increased in effectiveness but failed to do so.

If I could muster up the belief that "it'll all go right and we'll finish top 2" I would have to deem myself not only delusional but in need of some serious phsycological help.

Edited July 17, 2017 by Grasshopper

[LondonLax]

Back when Martin O'Neil was our manager and Bruce was manager of Birmingham I thought at the time that we had the better manager of the two. I haven't changed my opinion, I don't think Bruce is an amazing manager.

I do however respect his record of getting teams promoted from this league and felt he showed enough last season to have another crack at this season with a full preseason. If we are still dire by October/November though we will need to act to make a change.    

[villan_007]

Where were all these tears when we scored seven goals in two games a few days ago??

[Spoony]

People have complained about "boring football", "no movement" and "hoofball" since basically John Gregory. Maybe we just aren't good enough to be tapping it around like Barcelona?

I can't explain it but we've had so many managers and everyone has had the same gripes about all of them. Maybe that's just the way football has to be for a mediocre team like ours.

[DCJonah]

9 hours ago, weedman said:

I will say this with confidence. The way a team or players play during pre season matches - especially the first ones - is in no way indicative of the way they will play in competitive matches. If our 2nd pre season match has caused people to change their opinions on Bruce then they don't understand pre season matches.

 Lack of passing and moving? It's pre season, their getting their fitness up.

No cohesion in the team? It's pre season, their getting their fitness up.

Bruce defying everyone and playing Hutton and Richards at centre back? It's pre season etc etc.

Whether we win every game 5-0 or lose every game 5-0 will not dictate how our season goes, the only game you can take anything from is the final one, and even that's a stretch. It's about getting the players some match fitness and getting them used to playing with each other. Tactical work etc will be being done on the training ground, and the matches are only there so the players are ready for a competitive 90 minute match in a few weeks time, some of the over analysis and jumping to conclusions after the last game is ridiculous

Love the way this is put out with such confidence. How many pre season tours have you been part of? 

It makes no sense. Why wouldn't players work on tactical things against real life opposition? Where's the benefit to just ignoring it and saving it for cones on a training ground? 

And as I've said previously, when it's issues that existed for 46 games previously, then it's fair to have concerns when those issues show up again. 

[DCJonah]

7 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Are you telling me beating our local bitter rivals Shrewsbury Town is of no importance to the players!! Sack them all!!

edit: I understand those that are concerned about Bruce but I'd be concerned because of what you saw last season and not what you see in pre-season even if it looks the same. If anything I'd expect it to look the same but I'd also expect massive improvement in each game. If we look as bad in our last pre-season game or worse still against Hull. Then it's time to panic.

Wow, it's been made clear in numerous posts that people are not bothered about the result. 

Yet you ignore that and for what? So you can post fake outrage in an attempt to mock others, who aren't even doing what you're taking the piss about. 

Good one. 

[Villarocker]

I was never convinced by Bruce's appointment and didn't think he would be a success here but have been willing to give him a chance to prove me wrong. I've not seen anything that makes me think he will do that and I fear that he won't get us promoted. 

I do think that Bruce would do himself and the club a huge favour if he got at least one or two new coaches in because it's the playing style that is a problem and that's surely developed by the coaches on the training field?

[AshVilla]

54 minutes ago, villan_007 said:

Where were all these tears when we scored seven goals in two games a few days ago??

To be fair that was vanarama level

The step up to league one level was just to much for Bruce 

From league one upwards teams start to use tactics

Edited July 17, 2017 by AshVilla

[Demitri_C]

3 minutes ago, AshVilla said:

To be fair that was vanarama level

As soon as we play a decent league one side we just can't handle it

It's one meaningless game 

[Vive_La_Villa]

13 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

Wow, it's been made clear in numerous posts that people are not bothered about the result. 

Yet you ignore that and for what? So you can post fake outrage in an attempt to mock others, who aren't even doing what you're taking the piss about. 

Good one. 

Dude it was a joke because somebody mentioned that the same level of urgency, effort wouldn't be there in pre-season.

Some people are far too sensitive and serious on here.

[DaveAV1]

No need to worry SB and the coaches have been working on a plan all summer. The results are so devastating to the opposition that they dare not release them on the football world until the Hull game.

Believe me at BMH some of the tactics have left people breathless, especially Gabby and RMC. In one attack v defence session it was impossible to tell who was attacking and who defending, sneaky! Movement off the ball has improved immeasurably, so much so that some of the players managed to keep away from the pesky sphere entirely. SB as a modern thinking coach has noticed that a lot of the modern day kits are bright fluorescent colours, just like traffic cones, and so in another sneaky move to confuse the opposition our players are going to imitate traffic cones. 

Brace yourselves ladies and gentlemen for the day of the revolution August 5th 2017. Then you'll see, all he ever needed was a full preseason. 

[Vive_La_Villa]

11 minutes ago, DaveAV1 said:

No need to worry SB and the coaches have been working on a plan all summer. The results are so devastating to the opposition that they dare not release them on the football world until the Hull game.

Believe me at BMH some of the tactics have left people breathless, especially Gabby and RMC. In one attack v defence session it was impossible to tell who was attacking and who defending, sneaky! Movement off the ball has improved immeasurably, so much so that some of the players managed to keep away from the pesky sphere entirely. SB as a modern thinking coach has noticed that a lot of the modern day kits are bright fluorescent colours, just like traffic cones, and so in another sneaky move to confuse the opposition our players are going to imitate traffic cones. 

Brace yourselves ladies and gentlemen for the day of the revolution August 5th 2017. Then you'll see, all he ever needed was a full preseason. 

I sense you're not convinced by Steve Bruce.