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Author Topic: Bruce Sacked at last (now official)  (Read 2113637 times)

Offline sid1964

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1815 on: April 19, 2017, 07:09:13 AM »
If we lose on Sunday it will be interesting to see the results of the poll after that

For me, I am no fan of Bruce and of the "style" of football that we have been playing since he has been in charge

But I believe that the owner will give him the Summer to get players off the wage bill and then to get HIS team on the pitch for the 1st game next season.

If we are not in the top 6 by end of October then he will be gone and it will be the next man up (eventually we will get the right man for our club....hopefully!)

Offline old man villa fan

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1816 on: April 19, 2017, 07:36:44 AM »
As others have said, you don't get many decent managers wanting a job in October.

Offline brian green

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1817 on: April 19, 2017, 07:37:51 AM »
In the last ten months and perhaps back to Liverpool at Wembley I have only felt optimistic twice, once for 45 minutes against Brighton and for the pre season game against Cambridge United.  Yes, lowly Cam U who had the week before drawn 1 - 1 with Ipswich.  We brushed them aside 3 - 0 without breaking sweat.  We played Jack Grealish, Andre Green and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and I walked home thinking the penny had finally dropped at Villa Park and we were going to give our own young players the chance to help build our promotion challenge.

As the season unfolded the exact opposite has happened.  Massive sums of money have been thrown at underperforming purchases while deeply problematical players like Gabby, Richards and Elphick have been coaxed and mollycoddled into favour.

Just like the days when Lambert patronised us and boasted of reduced fan expectations, we are back into a position where we are expected to adopt an attitude of the manager and coaches know best, let them get on with their (very well paid) jobs.  Every bit of evidence on the playing pitch says they do not.

Offline Abbeyfealeavfc

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1818 on: April 19, 2017, 08:09:07 AM »
I have wanted the appointment of Bruce to work out, not because I particularly like him, but because I want some long overdue stability in my club. He makes it hard to fully commit to him because of his tactics, formations and team selections.  Sunday's game against scum is huge for him in front of a packed Villa Park and of course Tony Xia. If we lose and the manner of our performance is poor, he may well lose the support that he's has up to now. Winning won't change him overnight, but it will make his end to this season and start to next season a lot more comfortable for him, with just his best team, tactics and formation to work out. No easy task bearing in mind he's already had 6 months trying to do this and I don't think he's any closer now than he was, when 1st appointed.

Offline West Derby Villan

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1819 on: April 19, 2017, 09:29:34 AM »
I have wanted the appointment of Bruce to work out, not because I particularly like him, but because I want some long overdue stability in my club. He makes it hard to fully commit to him because of his tactics, formations and team selections.  Sunday's game against scum is huge for him in front of a packed Villa Park and of course Tony Xia. If we lose and the manner of our performance is poor, he may well lose the support that he's has up to now. Winning won't change him overnight, but it will make his end to this season and start to next season a lot more comfortable for him, with just his best team, tactics and formation to work out. No easy task bearing in mind he's already had 6 months trying to do this and I don't think he's any closer now than he was, when 1st appointed.

Agree

Offline old man villa fan

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1820 on: April 19, 2017, 09:44:47 AM »
Winning won't change him overnight, but it will make his end to this season and start to next season a lot more comfortable for him, with just his best team, tactics and formation to work out. No easy task bearing in mind he's already had 6 months trying to do this and I don't think he's any closer now than he was, when 1st appointed.

Bruce looks under pressure. He doesn't have that fresh and healthy look he had when he first arrived.

Offline Hookeysmith

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1821 on: April 19, 2017, 03:59:54 PM »
Not sure who used the quote "Football is a simple game made complicated" but I see it as this

Manager decides how he wants to play the game (442 / 351 / 433 / whatever) and sees if the players at his disposal can play to it or he buys ones that can. Overtime the squad is made up of primarily 2 players for each position but drilled in playing the Managers way. Each player not holding the shirt ensures that the first loss of form / injury  / suspension means he gets a chance to shine. If he plays well then stays in on merit.

When a weakness is found in the squad a player is purchased who plays that role (or longer term can be converted to play in it) and each time small margins are improved upon.

Think Conte at Chelsea. Had a history at club and national level of playing 3 at the back. When he came he inherited a flat back 4. One of the first things he did was, with lots of ridicule from the media and some Chelsea fans, buy back Luis as he plays that position. He then sees within the players he has the likes of Moses, up till then a bit of a journeyman, and plays him in a certain role

He will win the title in his first season

And even if he does not then at least we all know what his game plan was.

Someone honestly answer that they think Bruce has the same game plan whatever it is?

That is the reason he should go at the end of the season, actually if the players show no passion or guts on Sunday then by 3pm - at least Zola had the bottle to admit it was beyond him

Offline brontebilly

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1822 on: April 19, 2017, 10:26:59 PM »
I don't understand the argument that Lansbury has no mobility. He is a box to box player and when not shackled to holding a line 10 yards in front of the back four, he shows this.

Lansbury is very one paced from what Ive seen, box to box ala Lampard or Ian Taylor means bombing back.

Lansbury strolls at best, Ive not been impressed with him at all, happy to have the ball with lots of time and space but not leading the midfield like he should

Seems content to be drifting along at midtable clubs in the second tier, maybe its the Thailand beach bum vibe he gives off as another poster put it

Offline Richard E

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1823 on: April 19, 2017, 10:28:31 PM »
Lansbury always seems to be knackered after 60-65 minutes. Not sure whether it's him or the role we are playing him in.

Offline wittonwarrior

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1824 on: April 19, 2017, 10:37:18 PM »
Stev Bruce will be lord again after Sunday. He's personally not my cup of tea as manager but is there anyon better prepared to take the mantle and do we want to become a sacking club.

Offline Salsa Party Animal

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1825 on: April 19, 2017, 11:04:12 PM »
I would keep Steve Bruce for another 13 months and get him to finish rebuilding the squad and clear out dead wood, but tell him he needs to sort out possession game and get promotion. Then we can decide if he is right man to carry on the work or get someone else but getting new hot foreign coach doesn't always work.

Offline pbavfckuwait

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1826 on: April 20, 2017, 05:32:01 AM »
What you say there Salsa is beyond Bruce, he has never produced a side that retains possession, pass and move has never been his style, he gets a back line that is hard to break, yet to achieve that at the Villa, a midfield that will  have at least one stopper in it, Jedi in our case, who is required to supplement the defence, maybe gamble on two guys up top at home, but prefers home and away one up top if he can get away with it, that's why it surprised me that he went and bought Hotlips and Lansbury in January, two players who can pass at pace and bring other players into the game, or at least showed that at their previous clubs, just not here yet, but he then reverts to type by playing those two in positions that do not allow them to play that way.
His style of playing has come unstuck at Villa as he has no obvious pace up top to allow teams to be hit on the break, old pre -historic football, but as the Foxes proved with the right players within the system very very effective over a short period until teams drop off you, play deeper and play you at your own game.
To me the Dr has two options, stick with Bruce but allow him quite a few number of changes in the summer to allow his system to work, as the players at Villa at the moment Bruces way will not prosper, or take the cheaper option and sack Bruce, tell the guy who comes in , get on with what you've got.

Offline Boz

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1827 on: April 20, 2017, 10:16:32 AM »
What you say there Salsa is beyond Bruce, he has never produced a side that retains possession, pass and move has never been his style, he gets a back line that is hard to break, yet to achieve that at the Villa, a midfield that will  have at least one stopper in it, Jedi in our case, who is required to supplement the defence, maybe gamble on two guys up top at home, but prefers home and away one up top if he can get away with it, that's why it surprised me that he went and bought Hotlips and Lansbury in January, two players who can pass at pace and bring other players into the game, or at least showed that at their previous clubs, just not here yet, but he then reverts to type by playing those two in positions that do not allow them to play that way.
His style of playing has come unstuck at Villa as he has no obvious pace up top to allow teams to be hit on the break, old pre -historic football, but as the Foxes proved with the right players within the system very very effective over a short period until teams drop off you, play deeper and play you at your own game.
To me the Dr has two options, stick with Bruce but allow him quite a few number of changes in the summer to allow his system to work, as the players at Villa at the moment Bruces way will not prosper, or take the cheaper option and sack Bruce, tell the guy who comes in , get on with what you've got.

Totally agree, Bruce's teams will never play that brand of football. IMO, it will be a big mistake to keep him into next season, as the players he might buy will be more of the same for his style of football.

Foreign managers are not necessarily the answer, but a manger with a modern more fluent fast passing game is a definite requirement, whatever the nationality.

If 'arry sees him off by out thinking him on Sunday, it will be the beginning of the end for Bruce.

Online TonyD

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1828 on: April 20, 2017, 10:43:31 AM »
I would keep Steve Bruce for another 13 months and get him to finish rebuilding the squad and clear out dead wood, but tell him he needs to sort out possession game and get promotion. Then we can decide if he is right man to carry on the work or get someone else but getting new hot foreign coach doesn't always work.
Why give him more time?  His team tactics, formations etc won't suddenly change.  It will be another season of stagnant football ending 10thish.   Dr T,  you know the drill.....

Online paul_e

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Re: Bruce out?
« Reply #1829 on: April 20, 2017, 01:45:25 PM »
I would keep Steve Bruce for another 13 months and get him to finish rebuilding the squad and clear out dead wood, but tell him he needs to sort out possession game and get promotion. Then we can decide if he is right man to carry on the work or get someone else but getting new hot foreign coach doesn't always work.
Why give him more time?  His team tactics, formations etc won't suddenly change.  It will be another season of stagnant football ending 10thish.   Dr T,  you know the drill.....

I think next season, as it stands, will see us somewhere between 4th and 8th. I just don't see us winning the games where things go against us and with us having to only score in half of our away games all season I can't see us picking up enough points away from home.

The other really interesting thing this season is that we've done fine against teams at the bottom and ok against teams at the top but our form against other midtable sides has been horrific.  Look at sides like Preston, Brentford and Barnesley we've been utterly outplayed by each of those and they're games that you need to win if you want to be promoted.  I think Bruce failing to adapt whilst those clubs bring in managers who are more willing to focus on soft skills is a big part of why we look so static and toothless.

 


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