collapse collapse

Please donate to help towards the costs of keeping this site going. Thank You.

Recent Topics

Gordon Cowans by JD
[Today at 01:37:32 AM]


Other Games - 2023/24 by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 01:07:18 AM]


Chris Heck - President of Business Operations by VillaTim
[March 28, 2024, 11:45:01 PM]


COLD BLOW LANE ... 1967 to 1975 ... Did anyone (dare to) visit the Den? by dcdavecollett
[March 28, 2024, 11:02:33 PM]


Youri Tielemans (confirmed) by Somniloquism
[March 28, 2024, 10:54:34 PM]


FFP by AV82EC
[March 28, 2024, 10:36:39 PM]


All aboard the shuttle bus. by Demitri_C
[March 28, 2024, 10:29:02 PM]


GUESS THE CROWD R22: ASTON VILLA v Wolves, Saturday 30th March! 🥧 by ironmaidenmania
[March 28, 2024, 08:43:00 PM]

Recent Posts

Re: Gordon Cowans by JD
[Today at 01:37:32 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by Brazilian Villain
[Today at 01:07:18 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by Percy McCarthy
[Today at 01:05:25 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by The Left Side
[Today at 12:52:12 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by tomd2103
[Today at 12:47:19 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by edgysatsuma89
[Today at 12:33:09 AM]


Re: Other Games - 2023/24 by KevinGage
[Today at 12:22:56 AM]


Re: Gordon Cowans by Percy McCarthy
[Today at 12:10:30 AM]

Follow us on...

Author Topic: Bruce Sacked at last (now official)  (Read 2114121 times)

Offline Billy Walker

  • Member
  • Posts: 2364
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #90 on: February 14, 2017, 10:37:42 PM »
What is different to the past few seasons in the PL is that we have a manager and players, right now, who are very good and proven for the level we currently find ourselves at - this a mentality/character issue, as far as I can see.  It's a cliché, but we need to stick together (help the new boys bed in), rally as a club and fight and scrap for every point hereon in. 

Offline timeoutbigbar

  • Member
  • Posts: 2319
  • Age: 36
  • Location: Cheltenham
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #91 on: February 14, 2017, 10:38:01 PM »
This is clearly something deeply ingrained in the club at the moment, yet Bruce hasn't shown any indication that things are moving in the right direction.  On the contrary - things appear to be getting worse.  I don't know whether the answer is sacking him, as I'm not sure the manager is the problem (I don't know what is).  The problem is though it gets to a point where if it looks like we're sleepwalking towards another relegation, which is starting to look possible, there's only one change you can make between now and the end of the season.

I don't fucking know, it's a mess.

Offline old man villa fan

  • Member
  • Posts: 3458
  • Location: Birmingham
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #92 on: February 14, 2017, 10:40:35 PM »
I would only agree to change the manager if the new manager was a progressive manager with ideas that matched the modern game.  The manager needs to be a coach foremost and a manager second.  I am fed up with the supposed quick fixes of 'he's done it before'.

Offline Fin Feds Dad

  • Member
  • Posts: 1386
  • Location: M6 north
  • GM : 09.08.2016
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #93 on: February 14, 2017, 10:41:15 PM »
The quality of football is a disgrace.

Every other team passes the ball better than we do - they close down more - make better runs - work harder for each other.

They are not playing for each other - they certainly aren't playing for the manager.

« Last Edit: February 14, 2017, 11:09:21 PM by Fin Feds Dad »

Offline paul_e

  • Member
  • Posts: 33280
  • Age: 44
  • GM : July, 2013
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #94 on: February 14, 2017, 10:42:31 PM »
I would only agree to change the manager if the new manager was a progressive manager with ideas that matched the modern game.  The manager needs to be a coach foremost and a manager second.  I am fed up with the supposed quick fixes of 'he's done it before'.

That's exactly the type of manager we should've gone for when RDM went, Bruce was the ultimate quick fix, even most of the people who wanted him were saying we'd just replace him when he hit his ceiling in the premier league.

Offline LukeJames

  • Member
  • Posts: 5141
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #95 on: February 14, 2017, 10:42:57 PM »
I would only agree to change the manager if the new manager was a progressive manager with ideas that matched the modern game.  The manager needs to be a coach foremost and a manager second.  I am fed up with the supposed quick fixes of 'he's done it before'.

Absolutely!

Offline West Derby Villan

  • Member
  • Posts: 13600
  • Location: Turn left junction 21A
  • GM : 09.05.2022
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #96 on: February 14, 2017, 10:43:55 PM »
No, he stays for me

Offline BOB MANSFIELD

  • Member
  • Posts: 572
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #97 on: February 14, 2017, 10:45:09 PM »
I solidly agree it is the " coaching " that's missing. But SB or someone above him has to see the elephant in the room, surely ? Sir Brian what's your call ?

Offline Smirker

  • Member
  • Posts: 6353
  • Location: Birmingham
  • GM : Sep, 2014
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #98 on: February 14, 2017, 10:47:26 PM »
Di Matteo was sacked and lost three games in 11. Bruce has lost his last four in a row.

I'd stick with him for now. Stay in the league and try again next season.

Offline LukeJames

  • Member
  • Posts: 5141
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #99 on: February 14, 2017, 10:49:08 PM »
We did the stability thing of sticking with losing managers and they carried on losing and things got progressively worse.

Are we that stupid that we'd continue to back a losing manager indefinitely just for the sake of so called stability.

We don't need stability, we need a good manager, who doesn't panic at the size of the job and pressures, with a good grasp of how he wants to play football, who signs players who fit his idea and drills them in that way.
Bang on, i'm fed up of hearing the word stability!

Offline Salsa Party Animal

  • Member
  • Posts: 2144
  • Age: 51
  • Location: Trinity Road Lower Stand or Dance-floor or Bedroom.
    • http://www.youtube.com/user/Salsapartyanimal
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #100 on: February 14, 2017, 10:50:53 PM »
I wonder would Di Matteo do better with these changes and no Ashley Westwood.

Offline ChicagoLion

  • Member
  • Posts: 22106
  • Location: Chicago
  • Literally
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #101 on: February 14, 2017, 10:51:09 PM »
As said before, he played his new players at Brentford, got torn to pieces and panicked.
So a flirtation with 5 3 2, playing players out of position and before you know it the rabit in the headlights becomes infectious and a lack of confidence permeates the squad because every one can see the chief has lost the plot.
Unless he can somehow bring this bunch of misfits together and soon, he is toast.
He gets the next 3 games.

Offline Des Little

  • Member
  • Posts: 12428
  • Location: A5 Ultra
  • GM : 03.05.2021
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #102 on: February 14, 2017, 10:51:14 PM »
I've voted no, but he's got a huge job on his hands and with every passing game he's getting closer to changing my mind. Waiting until 72 mins to make a change tonight was as baffling as it was frustrating. I fear that this is a job too far for him, but we have to give him this season to get things turned around. That said, he absolutely has to win one of the next two games otherwise I think he could be taking a walk around Tony's bonsai garden.

Offline old man villa fan

  • Member
  • Posts: 3458
  • Location: Birmingham
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #103 on: February 14, 2017, 10:51:18 PM »
I don't think we've deserved to lose any of the last three games.

I agree with something SHQ said about poor planning leaving us with nowt up top when ACON hit and we lost momentum against Cardiff and then Spurs and Wolves.

With a bit more confidence we'd have put some of the chances away against Forest and Ipswich and tonight. It's fine margins.

Newcastle game may suit us where, for once, the onus isn't on us to attack.

I think as poor as the run is, we will turn it around.

I am not having a pop as I respect your fair mindedness about him but I would also note I dont think we deserved to win a couple of Bruces wins either.

Regardless IMHO as someone else just said (cant find the post) we are just too negative. One of the only (perhaps THE only) positive of Sherwood is at least he would go for it. Bruce fits in the mold of all our other recent managers in that he just gets more and more negative.

I don't know why it happens but it does. IS there any evidence Bruce is going to change us into a free flowing attacking team? I dont think so, I dont think its in his DNA. Sadly.



There's no way Bruce sent out a negative side tonight. He had 6 attack minded players in the 11.

We are in a terrible rut - missing chances, low on confidence, teams scoring from their only efforts on goal. It really is a perfect storm but I hope the club holds their nerve.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but it does feel like the number of changes has been counter-productive and made us too disjointed. It was a bigger gamble than it appeared at the time.

How did he set the team up though.  I wasn't at the match but on the radio they thought it looked like 4-2-3-1.  If so, to me, that is negative with the players available.

Bruce has brought quite a few players in but I don't think he has played anything like two similar teams since the start of the month.  Adomah, who I think has been solid rather than anything spectacular, has been in and out of the side.  He is accommodating Grealish at the expense of the team, hoping that he will recover his best form, when we actual need hard work for the team in that position.  There seems to be no structure in our play.

Offline andyh

  • Member
  • Posts: 15577
  • Age: 58
  • Location: Solihull
  • GM : May, 2012
Re: Bruce out
« Reply #104 on: February 14, 2017, 10:52:59 PM »
Lets consider short to mid term ( in football parlance) for a sec.

If we survive this season, is Bruce the man to give us solid footing going into next season and put together a promotion push? That has got to be the very minimum expectation.
But, knowing and seeing his antiquated approach, is he really going to take us the progressive way we NEED to go, or will we grind out and bore our way getting out of this division.

Or, should we cut our losses, and look to bring in someone who has new and fresh ideas and a fresh approach to the game. Someone who sees the future.

We have actually been 'outfootballed' many, many times this season, and it makes you wonder iif  Bruce is just not suited to this division anymore.

 


SimplePortal 2.3.6 © 2008-2014, SimplePortal