Steve Bruce

[hippo]

8 hours ago, DCJonah said:

So in just days before the season starts he's speaking to the press about how pre season plans have been damaged by an injury to such a key player in Grealish and how his hands are tied by FFP. 

I'll be honest, I was hoping for something a bit more confident than making excuses and complaining days before kick off of the new season. 

Very different to the comments our captain made just days ago. 

I think he's starting to feel more pressure, not sure this is a good sign that he will handle it positively

That doesn't bode well.

I don't want to be over dramatic but once a manager starts speaking like he's not around for long.   (and thats not a dig at SB who I wanted, and think is the man most likely to get us promoted) 

[hippo]

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

it's simple really the McCormack, elphick and Tish transfers have put us in this position. 20m on utter shit with very poor resale value.

this club will they never learn?!

All stemming from the utterly ridiculous appointment of RDM.

[Villan_of_oz]

I know a lot of people won't agree with me, but whether Bruce is a success or not..... RDM did the most damage, he bought the players that have cost way more than they're worth and then got us off to a terrible start.

Tish and Gollini, when you pay 5 mill for a player no matter how young should be ready to perform and capable at championship level.

RMC was ridiculous at 12 mill, again that amount spent on a player, he better deliver (I expect the same from Hogan this season).

Elphick I'm not so hard on, I just think he lost confidence and at his age was unable to regain it and form. 

Its why I truly believe Bruce this season will get us promoted, ffp restrictions are irrelevant to me. Our squad is good enough. Our manager is good enough. We are Aston Villa. Its that simple!

Edited August 4, 2017 by Villan_of_oz

[mrjc]

Nothing Bruce saying there that doesn't make sense (other than that he didn't think he'd be having to deal with it, followed by saying it was made pretty clear!).  The overall tone isn't positive, but agree with the above that Hytner has written it that way - interpreting his "overall impression" as frustrating.

He is right, that we are obviously paying for years of mismanagement...but he also has a very strong squad so can't complain too much.  Anyway, whatever his tone now, the mood will be more determined by results over the next few weeks.

(As an aside, he talks about rumoured scrapping of FFP....rules or not, I'd be more concerned for our long-term viability if we were just able to keep on spending huge fees and wages).

[DaveAV1]

I think SB has had a decent summer in general terms of strengthening the squad and clearly FFP comes into play. But perhaps we should offer some credit to Keith Wyness behind the scenes for keeping the financial situation in check and making sure the manager didn't get "over excited". Because I'm sure Steve Bruce and virtually every manager would spend fortunes every window if they were allowed. That's not a dig, I'm pretty sure Brucie would put his hands up and agree. 

[rodders0223]

Steve Bruce is always best when he has a tight team to work with and little money. It is when has has free reign to spend that is all goes to rat shit.

I am okay with not spending another ridiculous amount of money this summer.

Let Steve just work with what the good core he has and get promoted. 

[6065_Villa]

Just need a better start to the season than last year. A win Saturday will give the players a confidence boost and along with Terry's experience we will go on a roll

[TrentVilla]

 

I was planning to stay out of this thread until we were a few games in but....

I'm utterly sick of the excuse culture at Villa, it's been present for years now. There is always an excuse but behind all the excuses is pure under performance and if we are to get out of this division it has to stop.

I'm really disappointed in Bruce over the last week, I expect more from our manager.

The club have been up front about the restrictions this summer and I'm sure he knew about them when he spent the money he spent in January.

He could have held that money back for this summer but he gambled on trying to get up last season. Only his signings weren't a success, largely due to his football in my opinion.

Whatever restrictions we have in place this summer the message from him as the leader of the football side of the club should be positive. It should be we have enough, we are going for this.

But just like his football Bruce isn't positive.

Compare and contrast the words of Bruce to those of the skipper he just signed, no hint of excuses from him. Just clear set in stone expectation, Terry demands success.

Bruce, well Bruce sounds like a man hoping for it but getting a few excuses in just in case it isn't forthcoming.

He sounds like a man who fears he could be under pressure early in the season.

Just not what I want to hear on the eve of a new season.

Some on here will think this is negative, well actually it's the opposite. I'm positive, I think we've enough in the squad, it's the manager who isn't positive. He won't be positive in his approach to games and somewhere that is going to have an impact on the dressing room.

He has had a good summer in terms of arrivals, just like January even if he has been some what limited by FFP. Time for Bruce to deliver, I don't want to hear excuses.

[NurembergVillan]

5 hours ago, Adam2003 said:

Hytner is a bit of a joke and widely seen so by other Guardian journalists. He's the one who had the 'exclusive' that Gareth Bale was signing for Inter Milan.

Read the quotes without the opening paragraph of negative spin and Bruce doesn't say anything wrong. In fact I think we would all agree with it. And clearly it's in the context of the Neymar deal (don't tell me every manager wasn't asked about FFP after that) hence the comment about big clubs.

Nothing to see here. I don't even think there is a negative tone, he's saying he thinks he can deal with the situation. 

I agree.  If you read Bruce's direct quotes and nothing else, it all sounds fine.  He's been absolutely kippered by the journalist and the sub-editor.

Quote

“I didn’t think I would be having to deal with it as such,”

“But that’s the way it is. It is not a problem to me. I wouldn’t say I am enjoying it because it would have been nice to not have the restriction. That’s what’s come our way. Looking from afar, it’s spiralled out of control in a few years.”

"I don’t think you have to be a rocket scientist to realise this club had spent a lot of money,” he said. “It was made pretty clear, yeah.”

“We spent an awful lot of money last summer and an awful lot of money the summer before,” said the former Hull City manager. “We can’t keep haemorrhaging more and more money. Obviously, the way FFP is – it is a complicated beast. There is talk about scrapping it. Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know.

“People find ways round it. It’s a difficult subject and one for a bigger debate. Certainly, we’re on the cusp of it and that’s been on-going now for a good few months. Ultimately, the club has spent too much. When you see these big clubs now [spending huge money], you do wonder. But there it is.

“I’ve had to generate my own [money] all summer in order to spend. Ideally, we would love to say: ‘Cheque books open, we’re going to find someone.’ It’s the problem we’ve had all summer. We need to box a little bit clever because of FFP. We’ve got to restrict what we spend.”

“I might have to sell somebody I don’t want to sell although I don’t think that will be the case because nobody wants to sell their best players.

“Baker came out of the blue. And when we looked at it we thought that made decent business sense. We let the kid go because we couldn’t offer him the game-time and, of course, that chips away at the FFP and makes a little dent that we need. I am going to have to make some big decisions if they come our way – to balance the books.”

“Why are we favourites when we finished 13th last season?” he said. “Because we are Aston Villa. It’s in the name and that’s what the club demands. So whether I have FFP or whatever, the demand is that we are there or thereabouts. We have to be. I am under no illusions about that. That’s why I came here.”

Original article

[sne]

Might be taken out of context and all that.

But either way it isn't really an inspiring rallying cry from our manager for us and the players to get behind going into the first game of the season is it 

We are the mighty Villa, hear us roar!

Meow?

[Jareth]

Well an interview is going to include questions and answers, composed of words. Maybe we just have too many of these interviews these days with our insatiable need to create content for social media channels, everyone is a broadcaster now. My point being, please let the season start already. 

[markavfc40]

@NurembergVillan bang on the money. Another storm in a tea cup over f all.

[Mjvilla]

I read @TrentVilla post and thought ok, it makes sense, although I don't agree. Then saw @NurembergVillan post and it just blew what you said out the water Trent and made me compelled to respond.

"We are Aston Villa. It's in the name and what the club demands"

Not one ounce of excuse there and sounds like a pretty decent rallying call and a 'come on lads, let's flex our muscles and show this league what we're about'

 

 

[DCJonah]

23 minutes ago, Mjvilla said:

I read @TrentVilla post and thought ok, it makes sense, although I don't agree. Then saw @NurembergVillan post and it just blew what you said out the water Trent and made me compelled to respond.

"We are Aston Villa. It's in the name and what the club demands"

Not one ounce of excuse there and sounds like a pretty decent rallying call and a 'come on lads, let's flex our muscles and show this league what we're about'

 

 

I think both of them are right. 

He says some things that are good but he also continues to mention restrictions and having his hands tied, which there really is no need to keep going on about, especially days after he has publicly stated his whole system we spent all of pre season working on has been ruined due to an injury. 

He mentions summer spendings but fails to mention January. He talks about wasting money but nothing about how he's got nothing out of Hogan and Bjarnasson. Nothing about how he picks Bacuna over hourihane, Hutton over Bree. It comes across as an excuse because he's painting his own picture by ignoring any parts of the truth that reflect badly on him. If he was just being honest and not making excuses then why not say the full picture?

I certainly don't see it as a rallying cry. Talking about how his hands are tied 2 days before the season kicks off isn't what I imagine inspires players and fans. 

He's just done a lot of complaining this week. Very strange timing and for me it's down to the pressure he's starting to feel. He knows he's not staying in this job unless he gets off to a good start. 

Edited August 4, 2017 by DCJonah

[Stevo985]

The most disappointing thing about articles like that is that our own fans fall over themselves to criticise the manager without even reading it.

You'd think he'd get the benefit of the doubt.

[TrentVilla]

16 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

The most disappointing thing about articles like that is that our own fans fall over themselves to criticise the manager without even reading it.

You'd think he'd get the benefit of the doubt.

I don't think anyone is falling over themselves to criticise him. I'm also unclear how you conclude people that are critical haven't read the article.

Perhaps they just have a different opinion having read it. I certainly do.

What I find dissapointing is the rush to jump on people who hold a different opinion, like they are some how not as good a fan because they dare to be critical.

[DCJonah]

18 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

The most disappointing thing about articles like that is that our own fans fall over themselves to criticise the manager without even reading it.

You'd think he'd get the benefit of the doubt.

I read the article. 

It helped me form my opinion on it. 

[Stevo985]

13 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

 

What I find dissapointing is the rush to jump on people who hold a different opinion, like they are some how not as good a fan because they dare to be critical.

I'd find that disappointing too.

[Stevo985]

7 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

I read the article. 

It helped me form my opinion on it. 

Good for you

[striker]

You also don't want to give any squad of players a get out clause for poor performances.