Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[Drummond]

This season has been lost for a long time. We've just been on a great run that now has us brought back down to earth with a couple of bad defeats against teams in the play-off places, playing like their lives depended on it.

We're trying different things, we're safe in mid-table and in reality only have the game on Sunday to look forward to.

We're in a glorified pre-season now in preparation for next season.

The point was made earlier that we'd be 11th if we'd started from when Bruce came in; which in all honestly, whilst not being ideal also isn't awful, given what we've had to endure for years. I'm not happy that we're losing to the likes of Fulham, Reading and Huddersfield but at the same time want to give them a chance to put it right. We've a recruitment system that isn't being completely overseen by the manager; Round also has a significant part to play and I suspect Wyness has been involved in contracts and fees etc which means it can't all be Bruce's fault.

The signings whilst not setting the world on fire haven't been awful (Bjarnsson perhaps excepted) but they have been trying to gel together. Our team is almost all brand new, so it takes time, the other teams in this division, have all been that and not had the major surgery that we've had to undertake.

[Clampy]

This season has been lost for a long time. We've just been on a great run that now has us brought back down to earth with a couple of bad defeats against teams in the play-off places, playing like their lives depended on it.

We're trying different things, we're safe in mid-table and in reality only have the game on Sunday to look forward to.

We're in a glorified pre-season now in preparation for next season.

The point was made earlier that we'd be 11th if we'd started from when Bruce came in; which in all honestly, whilst not being ideal also isn't awful, given what we've had to endure for years. I'm not happy that we're losing to the likes of Fulham, Reading and Huddersfield but at the same time want to give them a chance to put it right. We've a recruitment system that isn't being completely overseen by the manager; Round also has a significant part to play and I suspect Wyness has been involved in contracts and fees etc which means it can't all be Bruce's fault.

The signings whilst not setting the world on fire haven't been awful (Bjarnsson perhaps excepted) but they have been trying to gel together. Our team is almost all brand new, so it takes time, the other teams in this division, have all been that and not had the major surgery that we've had to undertake.

That's more or less where I am with it as well.

[Drummond]

Does that mean we're now best buddies and I can call you clampywampy and the like?

[Clampy]

Does that mean we're now best buddies and I can call you clampywampy and the like?

Yes, of course.

Oh, hang on. I do think Bjarnasson will turn out ok actually so maybe not.

[old man villa fan]

How much time does a good manager need with players to organise them into a consistent and effective team.

[paul_e]

I don't disagree with any of that, I just don't see that, given the squad as it stands, sticking with Bruce is definitely the right thing to do.  If we stick with him I fully expect another 7-8 players in and out and another 3 months of the team getting to know each other until we're struggling to stay in touch with the playoffs come November and the pressure really starts to stack against him.

There's still posts on here talking about giving him time for us to click as if how we're playing now is nothing like how he plays and we just need patience until he delivers the free flowing, high tempo game he's known for.  The smash and grab, backs to the wall stuff we've seen for the last few months is what he does and what he's done for his entire career.  We might get better at it by removing players like Grealish and Amavi (and maybe Kodjia) and replacing them with workhorses but the style is in place and isn't going anywhere.

[AndyB6]

With all this talk of how important it is for a manager to have a pre-season with the players I am expecting the mother of all pre-seasons in the summer!!!

[Phil from the upper holte]

This season has been lost for a long time. We've just been on a great run that now has us brought back down to earth with a couple of bad defeats against teams in the play-off places, playing like their lives depended on it.

We're trying different things, we're safe in mid-table and in reality only have the game on Sunday to look forward to.

We're in a glorified pre-season now in preparation for next season.

The point was made earlier that we'd be 11th if we'd started from when Bruce came in; which in all honestly, whilst not being ideal also isn't awful, given what we've had to endure for years. I'm not happy that we're losing to the likes of Fulham, Reading and Huddersfield but at the same time want to give them a chance to put it right. We've a recruitment system that isn't being completely overseen by the manager; Round also has a significant part to play and I suspect Wyness has been involved in contracts and fees etc which means it can't all be Bruce's fault.

The signings whilst not setting the world on fire haven't been awful (Bjarnsson perhaps excepted) but they have been trying to gel together. Our team is almost all brand new, so it takes time, the other teams in this division, have all been that and not had the major surgery that we've had to undertake.

That's more or less where I am with it as well.

Me 3. It has to stop with the negative football

[itbrvilla]

With all this talk of how important it is for a manager to have a pre-season with the players I am expecting the mother of all pre-seasons in the summer!!!

I have no doubt that we'll be just as shite only having spent another fortune.

[Rico]

For me i'd be getting rid at the end of the season.  I just have this gut feeling  that this is a job too far for Steve Bruce. I just think that with the resources he has had available to him we should be in the play offs or at least knocking on the door by now.

This is stating the blinking obvious, but having watched Village for a long time now I ask myself what teams have been the most pleasing to watch, not to mention successful.  Saunders, SGT, BFR and Brian Little all produced excellent footballing teams where the starting point for every match was to simply score more goals than the opposition. All of those teams had excellent defences, but I can't recall many times where they set up with the sole intention of keeping it tight and hope to nick one.

Therein lies my problem with Steve Bruce. The whole ethos of his teams is all about being defensively solid, but to the detriment of the attack. Since he took over he has had some of this divisions most prolific marksmen at his disposal, but with the exception of KodjIa the rest have been a huge let down.

Again, going on nothing more than gut feeling I believe that if Steve Bruce is our manager next season then a play off place at best is all we can hope for, when what I actually think that with the resources available we should be top two. Shame really, cus I like Steve Bruce, but that doesn't make him the right man for the job.

Goals win games!

[ChicagoLion]

Is there any difference with the way Mcleish set the team up?

[Three Spires Villa]

Is there any difference with the way Mcleish set the team up?

Nope dont think so

[Chris Smith]

The twists and turns and the name changes in this thread just go to demonstrate just show how short term the average modern football fan thinking is. This club has lacked stability for so long it is has become the accepted approach for some.

Having to go through another recruitment process and then the unavoidable consequence of having to adapt of another change of training methods and playing style would see us once again going into the season on the back foot. If we want to get promoted next season logic says it will be best achieved by sticking with a man with a proven track record of doing just that and who the players already know. There are no guarantees in sport but change just adds further uncertainty.

[DB]

The twists and turns and the name changes in this thread just go to demonstrate just show how short term the average modern football fan thinking is. This club has lacked stability for so long it is has become the accepted approach for some.

Having to go through another recruitment process and then the unavoidable consequence of having to adapt of another change of training methods and playing style would see us once again going into the season on the back foot. If we want to get promoted next season logic says it will be best achieved by sticking with a man with a proven track record of doing just that and who the players already know. There are no guarantees in sport but change just adds further uncertainty.

Well said.

[Clampy]

The twists and turns and the name changes in this thread just go to demonstrate just show how short term the average modern football fan thinking is. This club has lacked stability for so long it is has become the accepted approach for some.

Having to go through another recruitment process and then the unavoidable consequence of having to adapt of another change of training methods and playing style would see us once again going into the season on the back foot. If we want to get promoted next season logic says it will be best achieved by sticking with a man with a proven track record of doing just that and who the players already know. There are no guarantees in sport but change just adds further uncertainty.

My thoughts exactly. A bit of continuity for a change might do us good.