Steve Bruce

[USA_Villa]

20 minutes ago, M_Afro said:

I think we need to stick with Bruce for now. Let me clarify my position before continuing. I did not want him as our manager. Nothing has happened in the past 10 months to alter my opinion. I do though want us to get promoted this season. I think we must stick with Bruce short term in order to make this happen.

Our main problem is scoring goals / creating chances. In order to do this you need either speedy, skilled footballers who can run from deep with the ball, a target man who can retain possession long enough for support to arrive or a team with the ability to retain possession through passing and movement (ideally a mix of all three). We do not currently have any of these and therefore any manager would struggle. If we sack Bruce now it will make it very difficult to address this before the end of August meaning any new manager will be restricted from the start.

If we can sign a target man and at least one skillful attacking midfielder then it has the potential to transform our team. Suddenly we would have balance, be an attacking threat and also have greater options for tactics and formations. It is more likely that we can get these players if we have a perceived stability. Sack Bruce now and no player would join until the replacement had been appointed. 

Therefore it is essential that we win tomorrow and also on Friday. I don't care how those wins occur but we should all be hoping that they do. Things would look so much better if we signed those two players and got those two wins (which are achievable). If Bruce does not improve matters after that, then we can get rid and replace him with somebody who will at least have a capable balanced squad to inherit.

So the thought process here is to add more fuel to the fire that is already out of control. Let's just keep adding players until we find a mix that looks like it might work. when is he going to integrate the youth instead of buying has beens?

What re you seein

[Dave J]

17 minutes ago, M_Afro said:

I think we need to stick with Bruce for now. Let me clarify my position before continuing. I did not want him as our manager. Nothing has happened in the past 10 months to alter my opinion. I do though want us to get promoted this season. I think we must stick with Bruce short term in order to make this happen.

Our main problem is scoring goals / creating chances. In order to do this you need either speedy, skilled footballers who can run from deep with the ball, a target man who can retain possession long enough for support to arrive or a team with the ability to retain possession through passing and movement (ideally a mix of all three). We do not currently have any of these and therefore any manager would struggle. If we sack Bruce now it will make it very difficult to address this before the end of August meaning any new manager will be restricted from the start.

If we can sign a target man and at least one skillful attacking midfielder then it has the potential to transform our team. Suddenly we would have balance, be an attacking threat and also have greater options for tactics and formations. It is more likely that we can get these players if we have a perceived stability. Sack Bruce now and no player would join until the replacement had been appointed. 

Therefore it is essential that we win tomorrow and also on Friday. I don't care how those wins occur but we should all be hoping that they do. Things would look so much better if we signed those two players and got those two wins (which are achievable). If Bruce does not improve matters after that, then we can get rid and replace him with somebody who will at least have a capable balanced squad to inherit.

I agree with most of what you say - however  Bruce has had  the best part of one year to resolve this issue and despite having two natural goalscorers at his disposal he has failed to utilise them or come up with a game plan that will create chances - which we all know they are able to convert- now some may argue he has been unlucky with injuries to these players - but the bottom line is Bruce has now found himself having to play you know who up front tomorrow and after January this in my humble opinion is unbelievable to have allowed this scenario to have come about.

[USA_Villa]

Just watched the Norwich Press Conference. It was the most scripted pile of S@!t I think I've ever seen. It was worse that watching the US presidential debates.

How about asking a few questions that he wasn't already prepared for? 

Honestly he is making me scream at my PC in frustration. He talks a good shag, but fails miserably when it comes to getting his c*c& out.

Edited August 18, 2017 by USA_Villa

[Demitri_C]

 

[This Could Be Rotterdam]

That press conference is th most condescending thing ive seen in a long time. He talks like we are idiots. Seems to find it funny that we want him out. Well I'm not laughing. I've never seen the villa fans on social media so united in wanting a manager gone. They're not laughing. The thought of giving this man more money is shocking.

the more I see him speak, the more I'm convinced he he won't sort this mess out. Sack him!

[Dr_Pangloss]

57 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Agreed.

I hope the powers that be are taking performances into account.

Unless we suddenly come out and smash Norwich, I don't think much changes.

TBH I have zero faith that the powers that be have a clue at all. Two disastrous managerial appointments in a row does not fill me with confidence at all. I'd be far more confident if I saw a quick and decisive termination of Bruce's contract, followed by a substantial effort to bring in a much more progressive manager who's ideas are consistent with modern day football.

Simply allowing Bruce to (attempt to) further spend his way out of this mess, when we already have one of the best squads in the league, isn't IMO going to deliver what we want. 

[Dante_Lockhart]

It's 'ridiculous' apparently, all this talk the past few days.

[DCJonah]

I can't bring myself to watch it. 

His comments, starting just days before the season started, have been so insulting 

Edited August 18, 2017 by DCJonah

[blandy]

46 minutes ago, M_Afro said:

I think we need to stick with Bruce for now. Let me clarify my position before continuing. I did not want him as our manager. Nothing has happened in the past 10 months to alter my opinion. I do though want us to get promoted this season. I think we must stick with Bruce short term in order to make this happen.

Our main problem is scoring goals / creating chances. In order to do this you need either speedy, skilled footballers who can run from deep with the ball, a target man who can retain possession long enough for support to arrive or a team with the ability to retain possession through passing and movement (ideally a mix of all three). We do not currently have any of these and therefore any manager would struggle. If we sack Bruce now it will make it very difficult to address this before the end of August meaning any new manager will be restricted from the start.

If we can sign a target man and at least one skillful attacking midfielder then it has the potential to transform our team. Suddenly we would have balance, be an attacking threat and also have greater options for tactics and formations. It is more likely that we can get these players if we have a perceived stability. Sack Bruce now and no player would join until the replacement had been appointed. 

Therefore it is essential that we win tomorrow and also on Friday. I don't care how those wins occur but we should all be hoping that they do. Things would look so much better if we signed those two players and got those two wins (which are achievable). If Bruce does not improve matters after that, then we can get rid and replace him with somebody who will at least have a capable balanced squad to inherit.

That's very similar to my whole take on it. I didn't want him, and nothing's changed to make me think otherwise. The only area I differ is that I don't think it's about more signings. I think it's about coaching. We've enough decent players to do well in this league, if they're coached and organised properly. But that's patently not happening at the moment. Rather than spend on more players, I'd rather use a fraction of the money to get a decent coach in - whether it be Mike Phelan, who Bruce has worked with before, or someone else who can improve the attacking and creative play.

Also, Bruce's record here overall isn't terrible enough to justify sacking him  quite yet. It's pretty mediocre, but he did inherit a bit of a mess. He's had money last Jan, and some this summer. He's got injuries, unfortunately. I'd give him a little bit longer before pulling the trigger, but not much longer - maybe about 4 more games to see some sign of an organised, capable, effective team. In his 40 odd games he's taken a team from the bottom 3 to 13th and then back to the bottom 3. Not exactly spectacular. Sort out the coaching and get some help or he's a gonner. I worry about his mental state, as well. He looked proper ill when it went wonky at Sunderland.

 

[Dr_Pangloss]

4 minutes ago, blandy said:

That's very similar to my whole take on it. I didn't want him, and nothing's changed to make me think otherwise. The only area I differ is that I don't think it's about more signings. I think it's about coaching. We've enough decent players to do well in this league, if they're coached and organised properly. But that's patently not happening at the moment. Rather than spend on more players, I'd rather use a fraction of the money to get a decent coach in - whether it be Mike Phelan, who Bruce has worked with before, or someone else who can improve the attacking and creative play.

Also, Bruce's record here overall isn't terrible enough to justify sacking him  quite yet. It's pretty mediocre, but he did inherit a bit of a mess. He's had money last Jan, and some this summer. He's got injuries, unfortunately. I'd give him a little bit longer before pulling the trigger, but not much longer - maybe about 4 more games to see some sign of an organised, capable, effective team. In his 40 odd games he's taken a team from the bottom 3 to 13th and then back to the bottom 3. Not exactly spectacular. Sort out the coaching and get some help or he's a gonner. I worry about his mental state, as well. He looked proper ill when it went wonky at Sunderland.

 

We frankly need higher standards than this, we're Aston Villa, not some other piss pot Championship club. By Premier League standards, David Moyes had a very good record at United, with a win rate of over 50%, but guess what, it wasn't good enough for United, because he was losing far too many games. Same story here. We hardly have a shit squad for this level and Bruce is not even getting 50% out of them. His tactics are shit and he is not motivating them.

Edited August 18, 2017 by Dr_Pangloss

[Jareth]

2 minutes ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

we're Aston Villa, not some other piss pot Championship club. 

This is part of the problem - we are a piss pot championship club - we belong.

[Grasshopper]

29 minutes ago, briggaman said:

Whatever happens, there won't be any movement now until after the Bristol game. It just doesn't make any sense when we have three games coming up over the next seven days. After this fixture congestion the international break would be the perfect time to sack Bruce, if it is going to happen at all.  

Sorry but I dont get this.

We wont even get a draw against Norwich or Bristol playing the way Bruce does. So keeping him is like chalking off 6pts.

Even if the club appoint a caretaker manager (not Calderwood) but say Little/Taylor & Terry as assistant, we would see 100% a different style of play that may get a point or 2 maybe even a win.

With Bruce gone there would be a Blank space where those that want to do better than so far could take a deep breath and "Go Again".

The "sudden change" to open attacking football that slams teams is not going to happen overnight. Even Pep would need time.

The sooner Bruce goes the closer that day comes where we start winning games and rack up points.

The longer he stays, that point, games number xx of the season, moves further away.

Last year we were 19th (iirc) after 10 games and a change in manager was too late to get to the playoffs.

We are 23rd after 3 games now. Lose v Norwich and we could be 24th after 4

BOTTOM OF THE LEAGUE

Unbelievable Jeff!

We'd need the 6 games to catch 19th under Bruce.......and then fail.

Bruce out

immediately

 

[DCJonah]

2 minutes ago, Jareth said:

This is part of the problem - we are a piss pot championship club - we belong.

But why is that? 

If man city finished 13th in the prem, then starting poorly the following year they wouldn't be considered a piss pot premier league club. 

We've got ambitions of promotion and have invested the money to match those ambitions. I guess I shouldn't be but I'm amazed you think fans having the same high ambitions as the owner is a problem. What exactly is the problem with that? 

[Jareth]

Just now, DCJonah said:

But why is that? 

If man city finished 13th in the prem, then starting poorly the following year they wouldn't be considered a piss pot premier league club. 

We've got ambitions of promotion and have invested the money to match those ambitions. I guess I shouldn't be but I'm amazed you think fans having the same high ambitions as the owner is a problem. What exactly is the problem with that? 

It's deluded to refer to the rest of this league as piss pot. Looked at the league table lately?

[DCJonah]

Just now, Jareth said:

It's deluded to refer to the rest of this league as piss pot. Looked at the league table lately?

Maybe, there's some decent teams in it. There's some piss poor teams in it. 

Why is it a problem though? You said it's part of the problem 

[Jareth]

Just now, DCJonah said:

Maybe, there's some decent teams in it. There's some piss poor teams in it. 

Why is it a problem though? You said it's part of the problem 

Expectation - big problem for us - leads to mass impatience and a new manager every 10 months - we need stability. 

[DCJonah]

Just now, Jareth said:

Expectation - big problem for us - leads to mass impatience and a new manager every 10 months - we need stability. 

Having high expectations is a big problem? God you must hate our owner. 

Of course it leads to mass impatience when the team are so far away from reaching those expectations. And I think promotion is a very realistic expectations for this club 

We don't need stability just for the sake of it. That's far more of a problem than the fans and the owner having similar expectations and funding being given to match those expectations. 

[Jareth]

Just now, DCJonah said:

Having high expectations is a big problem? God you must hate our owner. 

Of course it leads to mass impatience when the team are so far away from reaching those expectations. And I think promotion is a very realistic expectations for this club 

We don't need stability just for the sake of it. That's far more of a problem than the fans and the owner having similar expectations and funding being given to match those expectations. 

So why is Bruce still in a job?

[mattjpa]

29 minutes ago, This Could Be Rotterdam said:

That press conference is th most condescending thing ive seen in a long time. He talks like we are idiots. Seems to find it funny that we want him out. Well I'm not laughing. I've never seen the villa fans on social media so united in wanting a manager gone. They're not laughing. The thought of giving this man more money is shocking.

the more I see him speak, the more I'm convinced he he won't sort this mess out. Sack him!

The defence would like to offer Alex McLeish, your honor 

[Dr_Pangloss]

5 minutes ago, Jareth said:

Expectation - big problem for us - leads to mass impatience and a new manager every 10 months - we need stability. 

Stabilising around mid table in Championship? What an absolutely complete and utter load of garbage for a post.