Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[cdward]

Last seasons championship finished exactly how it was supposed to. The 3rd and 4th placed teams beat the 5th and 6th in the play offs, got to the play off final, and the team that finished 3rd won and got promoted and the team that finished 4th lost and didn't.

Bruce failed twice by not getting us to 1st or 2nd and then not winning the play offs.

[chrisw1]

Last seasons championship finished exactly how it was supposed to. The 3rd and 4th placed teams beat the 5th and 6th in the play offs, got to the play off final, and the team that finished 3rd won and got promoted and the team that finished 4th lost and didn't.

Bruce failed twice by not getting us to 1st or 2nd and then not winning the play offs.

I don't think that is in dispute.  What point are you trying to make?

[Allan C]

I don't agree with any of that sorry Chris, the bloke played his part in nearly ruining us.

You don't agree that we were close to getting promoted?  That Wolves were unusually excellent due to the cash injection and champs league players?  That the injuries to our best players were unfortunate? That in his first season he gave us our first bit of success for some time?

Fair enough.

We weren't close at all in reality.  We scored one goal in three play off games and the play off final was almost as embarrassing as the FA Cup final under Dim Tim.  To coin a phrase, we wouldn't have scored if we were still playing now.

I just don't buy the "nice bloke who got us very close" line you're peddling.  In my view Bruce was a liar and a charlatan, the worst kind of person who always tries to deflect attention from his own incompetence. He's left us with a train wreck of a defence and a drastically reduced chance of going up this season.

We were the closest team possible, both in terms of league position and being in the play off final.  I haven't tried to defend the final performance itself - it was shocking.

I have not mentioned him being a nice bloke, but he was not a charlatan.  He did what he does and came as close as you can get to achieving what he was employed to do (without actually achieving it).

I agree he's left us with a terrible defence, but then I've also said he should have been sacked after the final.

Sorry Chris but I don’t agree with much of your summary. If I’m honest, I can count on one hand the games I enjoyed under Bruce’s reign. He was wrong for the job and his style of play is disappearing where it belongs. I think if we had scraped through and got up, I think we’d be in the same position Cardiff are now.

[cdward]

Last seasons championship finished exactly how it was supposed to. The 3rd and 4th placed teams beat the 5th and 6th in the play offs, got to the play off final, and the team that finished 3rd won and got promoted and the team that finished 4th lost and didn't.

Bruce failed twice by not getting us to 1st or 2nd and then not winning the play offs.

I don't think that is in dispute.  What point are you trying to make?

Ooh touchy.

PS. i am the real Chris W

[chrisw1]

I don't agree with any of that sorry Chris, the bloke played his part in nearly ruining us.

You don't agree that we were close to getting promoted?  That Wolves were unusually excellent due to the cash injection and champs league players?  That the injuries to our best players were unfortunate? That in his first season he gave us our first bit of success for some time?

Fair enough.

We weren't close at all in reality.  We scored one goal in three play off games and the play off final was almost as embarrassing as the FA Cup final under Dim Tim.  To coin a phrase, we wouldn't have scored if we were still playing now.

I just don't buy the "nice bloke who got us very close" line you're peddling.  In my view Bruce was a liar and a charlatan, the worst kind of person who always tries to deflect attention from his own incompetence. He's left us with a train wreck of a defence and a drastically reduced chance of going up this season.

We were the closest team possible, both in terms of league position and being in the play off final.  I haven't tried to defend the final performance itself - it was shocking.

I have not mentioned him being a nice bloke, but he was not a charlatan.  He did what he does and came as close as you can get to achieving what he was employed to do (without actually achieving it).

I agree he's left us with a terrible defence, but then I've also said he should have been sacked after the final.

Sorry Chris but I don’t agree with much of your summary. If I’m honest, I can count on one hand the games I enjoyed under Bruce’s reign. He was wrong for the job and his style of play is disappearing where it belongs. I think if we had scraped through and got up, I think we’d be in the same position Cardiff are now.

I agree with you Allan in terms of performances etc.  The point I made is he very nearly succeeded in the job he was hired to do.  It may have been painful to watch, but arguably without the Wolves cash injection etc he may well have done it.  I don't see how when a gamble comes that close to succeeding it can be classed as a ridiculous decision to have appointed him or how those who thought he would get us up were somehow stupid.  He absolutely should have done better, he made a right royal fuck up at the end of the season and deserved to lose his job.  But that doesn't change the overall point I was trying to make.

[ChicagoLion]

Still baffled, he failed by every single measure and you are still trying to justify it.

[Allan C]

I don't agree with any of that sorry Chris, the bloke played his part in nearly ruining us.

You don't agree that we were close to getting promoted?  That Wolves were unusually excellent due to the cash injection and champs league players?  That the injuries to our best players were unfortunate? That in his first season he gave us our first bit of success for some time?

Fair enough.

We weren't close at all in reality.  We scored one goal in three play off games and the play off final was almost as embarrassing as the FA Cup final under Dim Tim.  To coin a phrase, we wouldn't have scored if we were still playing now.

I just don't buy the "nice bloke who got us very close" line you're peddling.  In my view Bruce was a liar and a charlatan, the worst kind of person who always tries to deflect attention from his own incompetence. He's left us with a train wreck of a defence and a drastically reduced chance of going up this season.

We were the closest team possible, both in terms of league position and being in the play off final.  I haven't tried to defend the final performance itself - it was shocking.

I have not mentioned him being a nice bloke, but he was not a charlatan.  He did what he does and came as close as you can get to achieving what he was employed to do (without actually achieving it).

I agree he's left us with a terrible defence, but then I've also said he should have been sacked after the final.

Sorry Chris but I don’t agree with much of your summary. If I’m honest, I can count on one hand the games I enjoyed under Bruce’s reign. He was wrong for the job and his style of play is disappearing where it belongs. I think if we had scraped through and got up, I think we’d be in the same position Cardiff are now.

I agree with you Allan in terms of performances etc.  The point I made is he very nearly succeeded in the job he was hired to do.  It may have been painful to watch, but arguably without the Wolves cash injection etc he may well have done it.  I don't see how when a gamble comes that close to succeeding it can be classed as a ridiculous decision to have appointed him or how those who thought he would get us up were somehow stupid.  He absolutely should have done better, he made a right royal fuck up at the end of the season and deserved to lose his job.  But that doesn't change the overall point I was trying to make.

I think it was a poor decision to hire him in the first place yes based on his style of football. It would never have been good enough for what I wanted to see at Villa Park whether he achieved promotion or not. I don’t think people who thought he might do it are stupid, they just had different opinions to me. Do the ends justify the means??? Sorry but I don’t think so in this case.

[ChicagoLion]

McNeil Turner Lambert Bruce

[Bad English]

McNeil Turner Lambert Bruce

Looks like a back four Bruce would pick if he was player-manager for Rotary Club All-stars.

[Monty]

Looking back, I think it's clear that the mistake was made in hiring him and giving him the pre-season and season last year, because we absolutely should've been promoted and automatically at that. Bruce got close, but it shouldn't have been close.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

True Monty but it was no surprise what-so-ever that he failed. I'd add that I never thought he was in a rush to get promoted, he'd mention occasionally in his first season how it may take three seasons to get out of this division. He was in his comfort zone and it showed, the lazy arse.

[brian green]

Two of those back four are Freemasons so would not be eligible play for the Rotary All Stars Darren.

[Sexual Ealing]

Two of those back four are Freemasons so would not be eligible play for the Rotary All Stars Darren.

I'm guessing it must be the older two Brian. I can't see Lambert being able to organise the exposing of his own nipple, and when you've got to nail an intricate handshake when it matters, thereabouts won't cut it. 

[eddiemunster]

Now the spudfaced one has gone, can we lock this up and move on??