Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[brian green]

I hope that Bruce, Wyness and Round are not bullshitting themselves in the boardroom, glossing over how serious our situation is.  All I ask is unvarnished realism about our prospects and Bruce's strengths and weaknesses. 

I still compare Bruce to Dynorod.  Somebody brought in to clean out the crap that had us relegated so pathetically.  He never was going to be the architect of a new, dazzling Aston Villa.

I can live with that rationale but as of this moment there is still a lot of crap - Richards, Agbonlahor - still unmoved and seemingly accepted in the system and further crap has been added - McCormack - with the end result that our playing performances viewed over the season are only marginally better, if at all, than those achieved under McLeish, Lambert, Sherwood, Garde and RDM.

[ciggiesnbeer]

To be fair I dont think the McCormack thing is on Bruce. But yeah I agree with the rest. With or without Bruce this club needs to find a "villa way" on the pitch. This crap really is enough already.

[kippaxvilla2]

But they are stuck with Richards and Agbonlahor.  Unless they pay them £10m to fcuk off.  Then that adds to the losses and ffp ramifications.  The management of this club since 2010 is still affecting us in a pretty dire way it has to be said.

[TheTimVilla]

This stuff about waiting for Wagner is just fanciful it really is.  Bruce is going nowhere.  And that even assumes Wagner would be stupid enough to consider it.  He's a very clever German bloke with ambition.  He doesn't need to risk his career on the lottery that is Villa.

Unless Wagner isn't the only man on standby? It seems odd to think our fate would lie on the outcome of a football match between two other teams! As said before, if Bruce is getting sacked, it needs to be immediate in order for a new man to get in, analyse the squad, etc. I would fire Bruce today, thank him for what he's done and then bring in a manager who could take us up. Unless Bruce can show evidence that he understands that the team who scores most goals in a match wins and to score goals you need to attack.

[brian green]

I did not wish to blame Bruce for bringing in McCormack no more than he is responsible for Agbonlahor and Richards being in the squad.  What I do feel is part of his justification as our manager is that he rolls up his sleeves and sorts out the basic stuff.  Part of that basic stuff is moving out sub standard players.  He gives the impression of avoiding doing a Fredo on the lake with the malingerers in favour of rehabilitating them.  I can't see rehabilitation working.  Persuading the owner to buy off their contracts is the painful but unavoidable alternative.

[KRS]

This is a pointless thread now. The club have made their stance on Bruce clear and he's going nowhere, so what's the point in all this wishful thinking when its never going to happen this summer?

[cdbearsfan]

Barcelona have said that they will be announcing their new manager next Monday. It seems increasingly likely that Steve will be taken from us.

[Ad@m]

I did not wish to blame Bruce for bringing in McCormack no more than he is responsible for Agbonlahor and Richards being in the squad.  What I do feel is part of his justification as our manager is that he rolls up his sleeves and sorts out the basic stuff.  Part of that basic stuff is moving out sub standard players.  He gives the impression of avoiding doing a Fredo on the lake with the malingerers in favour of rehabilitating them.  I can't see rehabilitation working.  Persuading the owner to buy off their contracts is the painful but unavoidable alternative.

If no-one came in to buy McCormack what more could Bruce have done beyond letting him go out on loan to Forest?

[LeeB]

Barcelona have said that they will be announcing their new manager next Monday. It seems increasingly likely that Steve will be taken from us.

Surely Paul Lambert would get the best out of Messi, playing him as what he'd like to call a "number 10"

[Mister E]

Bruce ain't going to set the "Villa Way" - that's down to Round and Wyness.
We need someone to establish a team that is good for promotion and also provides a foundation for the first season back in the Prem. Is that really SB? - not convinced.

Definitely not SB which kinda throws the stability argument out of the window

Stability is very important if the alternative is hiring yet another poor/mediocre manager.
I agree with Mister E though, I would hope/expect that a club of our size and relative wealth that spends two seasons in the Championship should return to the PL completely reborn and prepared. I don't see that with Bruce, just more the same of what we've suffered these last 6 or 7 years. He may manage to scrape promotion next season but I doubt many will really be looking forward to the new season. More apprehension and surviving a relegation battle than going up to show them what we can do with our new found style, swagger and confidence.

Whichever way I look at the future season(s), I can only see it being ugly, even in victory and success. Maybe I'll be more positive as the new season draws closer but I somehow doubt it.

Yes, and my main point was about Round and Wyness do what they need to do: establish the "Villa Way" and then they can assess whether Bruce has what it takes to deliver it.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Bruce ain't going to set the "Villa Way" - that's down to Round and Wyness.
We need someone to establish a team that is good for promotion and also provides a foundation for the first season back in the Prem. Is that really SB? - not convinced.

Definitely not SB which kinda throws the stability argument out of the window

Stability is very important if the alternative is hiring yet another poor/mediocre manager.
I agree with Mister E though, I would hope/expect that a club of our size and relative wealth that spends two seasons in the Championship should return to the PL completely reborn and prepared. I don't see that with Bruce, just more the same of what we've suffered these last 6 or 7 years. He may manage to scrape promotion next season but I doubt many will really be looking forward to the new season. More apprehension and surviving a relegation battle than going up to show them what we can do with our new found style, swagger and confidence.

Whichever way I look at the future season(s), I can only see it being ugly, even in victory and success. Maybe I'll be more positive as the new season draws closer but I somehow doubt it.

Yes, and my main point was about Round and Wyness do what they need to do: establish the "Villa Way" and then they can assess whether Bruce has what it takes to deliver it.

My guess is Round (and Wyness) defined "the Villa Way" as ugly football based on the last 17+ years and thinks that's what we like.

[ChicagoLion]

This is a pointless thread now. The club have made their stance on Bruce clear and he's going nowhere, so what's the point in all this wishful thinking when its never going to happen this summer?

Which means the best we can hope for is the play offs, with all of the negative implications that scenario brings with it.

[cdbearsfan]

Barcelona have said that they will be announcing their new manager next Monday. It seems increasingly likely that Steve will be taken from us.

Surely Paul Lambert would get the best out of Messi, playing him as what he'd like to call a "number 10"

Actually, the more I think about it, the more Pulis makes sense.

Yes, they play some nice stuff on the ground. But they lack that extra "lump it up to the big man" dimension that he is so adept at providing.

[Clark W Griswold]

This is a pointless thread now. The club have made their stance on Bruce clear and he's going nowhere, so what's the point in all this wishful thinking when its never going to happen this summer?

Which means the best we can hope for is the play offs, with all of the negative implications that scenario brings with it.

There is no way we're going to go from where we are now to top 2 next season whoever is here. Bruce might just get us in the playoffs if we have a good summer of deals and pre season.

[old man villa fan]

But they are stuck with Richards and Agbonlahor.  Unless they pay them £10m to fcuk off.  Then that adds to the losses and ffp ramifications.  The management of this club since 2010 is still affecting us in a pretty dire way it has to be said.

Last year Agbonlahor had 2 years to go on his contract. I was all for paying him off last year. It may have cost us one and a half years pay.

Move on a year and what did we get for a years pay. We could pay him off now and it might cost us 75% of his outstanding contract in a deal as he may now feel that he could get a contract elsewhere.

 What are we going to get out of him in the next 12 months? He is not first choice and so he might play a couple of games and some appearances off the bench.  The future of the Club is better served by using RHM and Davis in this position.

We will pay about the same to keep him or pay him off. It will make little difference to the finances. Or put it another way, to keep him, we have to sell somebody else for the sake of one year.

Richards is a different matter as he has longer to go on his contract but some financial inducement and somebody telling him he doesn't have a future here and if he sits out his contract, his career will be finished may see him wanting to move on.

Like Brian, I think we should get rid of these two and I believe attitude within the club will improve when this 'Godfather' like cloud is cleared out.