Next Villa manager

[PeterWithesShin]

I'd really like to know who the ten names on the list are. At least 6 of those in the poll aren't on it, according to ITK sources in the press.
I have sympathy with those on here who aren't very excited at the prospect of Steve Bruce taking over, but maybe it's a question of perspective. A Liverpool fan I work with is very surprised that we're not thrilled with the prospect of Clarke in control.

They are probably surprised we go to football matches as well.

[sickbeggar]

Still firmly in the ABB camp.

Not for me Bill. A nothing manager

[Louzie0]

I'd really like to know who the ten names on the list are. At least 6 of those in the poll aren't on it, according to ITK sources in the press.
I have sympathy with those on here who aren't very excited at the prospect of Steve Bruce taking over, but maybe it's a question of perspective. A Liverpool fan I work with is very surprised that we're not thrilled with the prospect of Clarke in control.

good one diverpool fan darn souf best place for them.

He's from Liverpool, but I can't talk since I've moved here as well 

[Louzie0]

I'd really like to know who the ten names on the list are. At least 6 of those in the poll aren't on it, according to ITK sources in the press.
I have sympathy with those on here who aren't very excited at the prospect of Steve Bruce taking over, but maybe it's a question of perspective. A Liverpool fan I work with is very surprised that we're not thrilled with the prospect of Clarke in control.

They are probably surprised we go to football matches as well.

Stunned at the away turnout, it's true.

[Villa in Denmark]

I'd have Bruce would be ideal to work with the squad. Strikes me as a keep it simple pragmatist.

Pop a system and an attacking structure onto the firepower we have and we're likely to make the play offs.

Yeah, that's pretty much my take on it. I know long term etc... but long term we've been fucking shit, and I'm so frazzled by it all that I'm only interested in sorting the fucking short term out for now.

But will the Doc feel the same? He hasn't had to live through the same unrelenting misery that we have, he's the fresh faced new kid so will he be interested in pragmatic, short term solutions? 

Why is there such a certainty that Bruce is a pragmatic choice?

Who in your opinion would be a more pragmatic choice?

Honestly I don't know I'm just not sure that 'out of work and has managed in the championship' is recruitment strategy we should be following if we plan to be the best team in the world in 5 years.  I do totally get the idea of caring about the short term right now but I just think doing it without an eye on the long term would be a really silly idea and I just don't see a long term strategy that Bruce fits into.

I agree. We've just stuffed the squad chock full with, albeit hopefully high end, Championship players. Employ a Championship manager and what have we got? 


A Championship club.

[sickbeggar]

If he doesn't get us up this season he'll be the most pointless appointment ever because after all that's why RDM was jettisoned so early.  Going to be depressing if we're out of it by January with 4 months of Bruice football to go

[adrenachrome]

I think I've lost interest in this subject so comprehensively these last few years that I'd be quite happy to take Rowett purely on the basis it'd piss the knuckle draggers off.

That's what I never got with the "it's just because he managed Blues" thing about McLeish. It wasn't that. It was that he was a proven failure who played godawful football. If he'd been a decent manager, the fact we'd taken him from Small Heath would have been a BONUS.

This, this, this. I think you'd either have to be spectacularly, Earth-stoppingly thick, deluded or a knuckledragger, or a mix of all three (which is quite common) to believe otherwise.

Because when the ancient Romans sacked Carthage in 150 BC, they destroyed the city of their ancient rivals, but refused to plunder all their treasure, jewels, riches and women because they hated them so much. All throughout history there have been cases where people would rather die and go to hell than accept valuable assets from their most hated foes.

And thus, if Birmingham City were to drive an articulated lorry full of Faberge eggs, gold ingots, lost masterpieces by the likes of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Picasso, the Holy Grail itself, plus the skeleton of Jesus Christ, into Villa Park, we would duly set fire to it because we couldn't stand to accept such priceless artefacts from them because we don't like them very much and they smell.

But Gary Rowett won't come because he's got more sense, so Bruce it is. I suspect he'll be judged on how good/shit he is.

The Romans sacked the living shit out of Carthage and Corinth in the same year, 146 BC.

The sack of Carthage is one of the few examples in history where the Roman's actually sacked a city taken under siege.

The raped, pillaged and leveled the place, taking 50 thousand slaves in the bargain and absorbed Carthaginian territory into Roman dominion. They hated them and took everything from them.

It was a violation of their most sacred oaths to protect the city following the second Punic war. It was a terrible betrayal prompted by fear and jealousy, and a source of great shame to many Romans.

modern equivalent would be us watching the German economy recover after WWII, re-occupying the country and flattening it. That level of bad faith.

Or imposing such harsh conditions on them after our victory in WW1 that the rise of fascism and WW2 was all but inevitable.

Swings and roundabouts.

[Monty]

I have no real idea where the idea that Bruce will 'pop an attacking structure' on our team has come from.

[damon loves JT]

I think I've lost interest in this subject so comprehensively these last few years that I'd be quite happy to take Rowett purely on the basis it'd piss the knuckle draggers off.

That's what I never got with the "it's just because he managed Blues" thing about McLeish. It wasn't that. It was that he was a proven failure who played godawful football. If he'd been a decent manager, the fact we'd taken him from Small Heath would have been a BONUS.

This, this, this. I think you'd either have to be spectacularly, Earth-stoppingly thick, deluded or a knuckledragger, or a mix of all three (which is quite common) to believe otherwise.

Because when the ancient Romans sacked Carthage in 150 BC, they destroyed the city of their ancient rivals, but refused to plunder all their treasure, jewels, riches and women because they hated them so much. All throughout history there have been cases where people would rather die and go to hell than accept valuable assets from their most hated foes.

And thus, if Birmingham City were to drive an articulated lorry full of Faberge eggs, gold ingots, lost masterpieces by the likes of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Picasso, the Holy Grail itself, plus the skeleton of Jesus Christ, into Villa Park, we would duly set fire to it because we couldn't stand to accept such priceless artefacts from them because we don't like them very much and they smell.

But Gary Rowett won't come because he's got more sense, so Bruce it is. I suspect he'll be judged on how good/shit he is.

The Romans sacked the living shit out of Carthage and Corinth in the same year, 146 BC.

The sack of Carthage is one of the few examples in history where the Roman's actually sacked a city taken under siege.

The raped, pillaged and leveled the place, taking 50 thousand slaves in the bargain and absorbed Carthaginian territory into Roman dominion. They hated them and took everything from them.

It was a violation of their most sacred oaths to protect the city following the second Punic war. It was a terrible betrayal prompted by fear and jealousy, and a source of great shame to many Romans.

modern equivalent would be us watching the German economy recover after WWII, re-occupying the country and flattening it. That level of bad faith.

Or imposing such harsh conditions on them after our victory in WW1 that the rise of fascism and WW2 was all but inevitable.

Swings and roundabouts.

The Carthaginians knew they lost the second Punic War. Germany never really acknowledged defeat in the field in 1918.

[Sexual Ealing]

I think I've lost interest in this subject so comprehensively these last few years that I'd be quite happy to take Rowett purely on the basis it'd piss the knuckle draggers off.

That's what I never got with the "it's just because he managed Blues" thing about McLeish. It wasn't that. It was that he was a proven failure who played godawful football. If he'd been a decent manager, the fact we'd taken him from Small Heath would have been a BONUS.

This, this, this. I think you'd either have to be spectacularly, Earth-stoppingly thick, deluded or a knuckledragger, or a mix of all three (which is quite common) to believe otherwise.

Because when the ancient Romans sacked Carthage in 150 BC, they destroyed the city of their ancient rivals, but refused to plunder all their treasure, jewels, riches and women because they hated them so much. All throughout history there have been cases where people would rather die and go to hell than accept valuable assets from their most hated foes.

And thus, if Birmingham City were to drive an articulated lorry full of Faberge eggs, gold ingots, lost masterpieces by the likes of Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Caravaggio and Picasso, the Holy Grail itself, plus the skeleton of Jesus Christ, into Villa Park, we would duly set fire to it because we couldn't stand to accept such priceless artefacts from them because we don't like them very much and they smell.

But Gary Rowett won't come because he's got more sense, so Bruce it is. I suspect he'll be judged on how good/shit he is.

The Romans sacked the living shit out of Carthage and Corinth in the same year, 146 BC.

The sack of Carthage is one of the few examples in history where the Roman's actually sacked a city taken under siege.

The raped, pillaged and leveled the place, taking 50 thousand slaves in the bargain and absorbed Carthaginian territory into Roman dominion. They hated them and took everything from them.

It was a violation of their most sacred oaths to protect the city following the second Punic war. It was a terrible betrayal prompted by fear and jealousy, and a source of great shame to many Romans.

modern equivalent would be us watching the German economy recover after WWII, re-occupying the country and flattening it. That level of bad faith.

Or imposing such harsh conditions on them after our victory in WW1 that the rise of fascism and WW2 was all but inevitable.

Swings and roundabouts.

The Roman lads are going to be disappointed with themselves with that one, Clive. Which is to say nothing of  the boy Clemenceau, going in with his studs up when it should just be about seeing the game out at that stage.

[adrenachrome]

I have no real idea where the idea that Bruce will 'pop an attacking structure' on our team has come from.

Certainly it has not been his modus operandi in the past.

On the other hand, he would sort out the defence double quick time.

Dann and Cunnigham is probably the best DC partnership that SHA will ever see.

[Dave]

I have no real idea where the idea that Bruce will 'pop an attacking structure' on our team has come from.

Certainly it has not been his modus operandi in the past.

On the other hand, he would sort out the defence double quick time.

Dann and Cunnigham is probably the best DC partnership that SHA will ever see.

The case for the prosecution would like to present before the court the transfer signings of (a) Titus Bramble, Sunderland 2011 and (b) Wes Brown and John O'Shea 2012

Prosecution rests.

[sickbeggar]

Who could forget the blose promotion under bruce with the attacking flair of dj Campbell and Gary Mcsheffrey. Its incredible to think they started out at blose and went on to so much more

[Drummond]

You do wonder if there's anyone who could sort us out.

[cdbearsfan]

I'd imagine loads of people could easily sort out one of the most talented squads in the division with loads of money to piss around with.