Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[PeterWithesShin]

Great news for Mick McCarthy.

[stuart445]

I was on Bruce's side but with each passing day of this window I am getting more and more on the side of wanting him out.

I was hoping that he could see the obvious problem that we have and would put 100% effort and concentration into getting creativity into our midfield but then he went and signed a 36 year old defender, so instead of fixing something that is broken he has decided to fix something that wasn't broken in the first place

[Matt Collins]

Creativity is a problem

But on very first impressions de defence is WAY stronger with the signings of Terry and samba. Not sure what the problem is

[Brend'Watkins]

Bruce was honest enough to call us poor last season in a number of games.  He used phrases such as "Must do better" quite a lot. I haven't seen any preseason games yet but reading on here it seems nothing has really changed and we're doing no better,  He must have some idea on how we go about improving and I'm certain that doesn't include hoofing the ball up to the diminutive Hogan.

[eamonn]

I was on Bruce's side but with each passing day of this window I am getting more and more on the side of wanting him out.

I was hoping that he could see the obvious problem that we have and would put 100% effort and concentration into getting creativity into our midfield but then he went and signed a 36 year old defender, so instead of fixing something that is broken he has decided to fix something that wasn't broken in the first place

It seems Terry is able to pass a ball better than anyone else in the squad bar Grealish.

[chrisw1]

I was pretty hopeful that Lansbury, Hourihane, Bree & Hogan would come good and Green would rip people apart.  But creativity and attacking wise we still look absolutely desperate.  Yes it's early days, but it doesn't look like rustiness, it just looks like nothing has changed since last season - that is a huge worry.

[brontebilly]

I was on Bruce's side but with each passing day of this window I am getting more and more on the side of wanting him out.

I was hoping that he could see the obvious problem that we have and would put 100% effort and concentration into getting creativity into our midfield but then he went and signed a 36 year old defender, so instead of fixing something that is broken he has decided to fix something that wasn't broken in the first place

It seems Terry is able to pass a ball better than anyone else in the squad bar Grealish.

Terry has always been a superb distributor of the ball, with Chester and Terry at the back we should be able to play out. However I severely doubt that was a consideration by Bruce in bringing Terry in, "bottle", "character" etc were the boxes Terry ticks for Bruce.

Bruce needs a good start I reckon, one like RDM last season and he will be gone early on.

[Sexual Ealing]

It's not enough to sign 'creative' players if the rest of the team can't give or receive a pass.

[Diablo]

It's not enough to sign 'creative' players if the rest of the team can't give or receive a pass.

Well paid, professional footballers not able to give or receive a pass? In this day and age?

[Fasth56]

After going to Walsall last night it is obvious nothing has changed.

The team as a whole do not take chances, they get the ball, move forward 20 yards and instead of driving on look to pass back. They never put in a first time cross, they are unable to maintain possession and resort to speculative hollywood passes to move the ball forward.

Bruce appears to have no idea of how to set up the team. Last night he had Lansbury playing as the defensive midfield playmaker, late in the game he bought on Lyden and instead of swapping the two around he puts Lyden to play the attacking midfield role.

To be fair Terry played well and was our best player.

Beginning to think Bruce will be gone by October. There is nothing wrong with the squad that an injection of confidence and a system wouldn't put right.

[Mister E]

Outgunned by Shrewsbury; and now, outpassed by the mighty Walsall. And lest anyone say that they were just friendly games, it's my experience that what gets practised is what gets delivered.
The general level of play (simple things, like passing to a player in the same colours, taking free kicks that apply some pressure on opponents) and the tactical ineptitude and lack of offensive impact - all of these are just at such low levels that, once again, I found myself asking the age-old question: "what do these f***ers do during training and why has there been no apparent coaching input?"
There is no vision as to what our games should look like, the approach the players should have and the clear ways that we should manage, control and win the games. Terry must be wondering what he's got himself ito.

From being very 'meh' about Bruce's appointment I am now definitely firmly against his continued involvement at VP and would prefer the pain of yet another managerial search to bring in a Proper Manager.

[Clampy]

Outgunned by Shrewsbury; and now, outpassed by the mighty Walsall. And lest anyone say that they were just friendly games, it's my experience that what gets practised is what gets delivered.
The general level of play (simple things, like passing to a player in the same colours, taking free kicks that apply some pressure on opponents) and the tactical ineptitude and lack of offensive impact - all of these are just at such low levels that, once again, I found myself asking the age-old question: "what do these f***ers do during training and why has there been no apparent coaching input?"
There is no vision as to what our games should look like, the approach the players should have and the clear ways that we should manage, control and win the games. Terry must be wondering what he's got himself ito.

From being very 'meh' about Bruce's appointment I am now definitely firmly against his continued involvement at VP and would prefer the pain of yet another managerial search to bring in a Proper Manager.

Out gunned and out passed is a little over the top to be honest.

[Mister E]

Outgunned by Shrewsbury; and now, outpassed by the mighty Walsall. And lest anyone say that they were just friendly games, it's my experience that what gets practised is what gets delivered.
The general level of play (simple things, like passing to a player in the same colours, taking free kicks that apply some pressure on opponents) and the tactical ineptitude and lack of offensive impact - all of these are just at such low levels that, once again, I found myself asking the age-old question: "what do these f***ers do during training and why has there been no apparent coaching input?"
There is no vision as to what our games should look like, the approach the players should have and the clear ways that we should manage, control and win the games. Terry must be wondering what he's got himself ito.

From being very 'meh' about Bruce's appointment I am now definitely firmly against his continued involvement at VP and would prefer the pain of yet another managerial search to bring in a Proper Manager.

Out gunned and out passed is a little over the top to be honest.

Shrewsbury outscored us and Walsall seemed to string a few passes together and often passed around us.
It may be OTT, but that is what I saw.

[LukeJames]

Creativity is a problem

But on very first impressions de defence is WAY stronger with the signings of Terry and samba. Not sure what the problem is

You must have missed the Shrewsbury game.

[Hookeysmith]

Almost a year on:
Supported in transfers - has got almost every single player he has identified
Supported to have the exact backroom team he wanted
Supported in pre season - to go to the camp he used for all his other promotions (apart from the Blues)

And still we have no discernible method, formation, plan of play

Surely any Manager has a way they want to play and then brings in the players that compliment it and drills it in to them. We have seemingly gotten worse since last season!

As others have said the most worrying thing of all is the inability to even get the very basics right - dead balls are awful, supporting the strikers, getting players overlapping for width, moving the ball with pace and precision

Why can we not do any of these and more?

Simple - the Manager is well past his sell by date and his outdated ability and lack of tactics are being shown up. For as long as he is with us I cannot get out of my mind that interview he did at Sunderland that was entitled "I don't do tactics"  how right he was

The clown has to go