Steve Bruce - officially confirmed (as Sheffield Wednesday boss)

[olaftab]

We don't win ugly? What was Saturday then?

Yes that was Peter Beardsley standard and to be honest every win under Bruce has been ugly.

[paul_e]

This is why, As I've said all along, the only way Bruce can be considered a success is if we're promoted this season because the football won't be good to watch and he won't leave us with a squad full of players who can make a step up and play the exciting football we want to see.  He was an appointment that was all about results and he needs to hope that the results justify the decision.

Specifically on yesterday I don't think that was our worst performance under him, the Blues and Leeds games were just as bad because in all 3 we played for a draw and clean sheet and in all 3 we've failed to get the latter and never looked like creating enough chances to win those games.

[OCD]

I was surprised at that comment too because I thought we were lucky not to get hammered when we played Wolves.

[john e]

This is why, As I've said all along, the only way Bruce can be considered a success is if we're promoted this season because the football won't be good to watch and he won't leave us with a squad full of players who can make a step up and play the exciting football we want to see.  He was an appointment that was all about results and he needs to hope that the results justify the decision.

Specifically on yesterday I don't think that was our worst performance under him, the Blues and Leeds games were just as bad because in all 3 we played for a draw and clean sheet and in all 3 we've failed to get the latter and never looked like creating enough chances to win those games.

although Leeds was not great I did think we did some decent things in that game at times,
Blues was rubbish and last night an abomination

[paul_e]

I was surprised at that comment too because I thought we were lucky not to get hammered when we played Wolves.

I've given him a bye for the Wolves game because he'd only juast join ed and probably hadn't even taken a training session.  The other 3 are all on him.

John - the problem with Leeds is that we never looked like scoring and didn't seem all that bothered about it and then they scored and we got worse and seemed to want to defend the goal difference rather than try for a point.

[paul_e]

My biggest problem actually is that the players don't seem to know how they're supposed to be playing together.  Watch and look for players running away from a pass or not making a run that they're expected to, or not picking up a player that's drifted away from their mate.  We look like a group of individuals not a team and that's why we're so easy to nullify. I have no idea what Bruce is getting them doing in training but it's not causing the team to gel or creating the unity that a good team needs.  We look a little better at set pieces (at either end) so maybe that's where he's set his focus but if so I think he needs to shift that now and put some real effort into making us look like a team.

[Risso]

The midfield is STILL the root cause of all of our problems.

Westwood is just crap, always has been, always will be.
Gardner isn't much better.
Jedinak is solid, but limited, and his passing is poor
Tshibola isn't fancied by Bruce
Bacuna is at best, a limited utility player.
Grealish is exciting, but young and very inconsistent

Any combination of the above has massive problems and has ramifications for the forward line, which on paper at least has far more quality to it.

I can't see us seriously improving until we sort the midfield out.

[Chris Jameson]

I hope you're right in your blind faith, Chris but he bores the shit out of me.

It's not a case of 'blind faith' but giving the bloke a chance. Granted we were never likely to see the fast, free flowing, entertaining football we've all become accustomed to during recent successful seasons but it's noticeable that a couple of people who were quite obviously opposed to his appointment and were never prepared to give him a chance have started posting again.

I thought he was a good appointment at the time and still do, it's not blind faith, I like the bloke, he gets teams promoted, let's worry about the relegation bit when we eventually get back up to the Big League. Bringing Agbonlahor back into the team baffles me but apart from that he's stuck with the likes of Hutton, Gardner, Westwood and Elphick for now and obviously doesn't rate a guy who has played a handful of games for Reading in recent seasons.

If he hasn't got us in a playoff position by the end of January then we should definitely sack him and bring in the Huddersfield manager.

[dave shelley]

The midfield is STILL the root cause of all of our problems.

Westwood is just crap, always has been, always will be.
Gardner isn't much better.
Jedinak is solid, but limited, and his passing is poor
Tshibola isn't fancied by Bruce
Bacuna is at best, a limited utility player.
Grealish is exciting, but young and very inconsistent

Any combination of the above has massive problems and has ramifications for the forward line, which on paper at least has far more quality to it.

I can't see us seriously improving until we sort the midfield out.

That's exactly as I see it.  The only little bit of guile in there is Grealish  but, as is being alluded to is his inconsistency.  The midfield needs major heart surgery.  Until we get that, it's mid-table mediocrity I'm afraid.

[chrisw1]

This is why, As I've said all along, the only way Bruce can be considered a success is if we're promoted this season because the football won't be good to watch and he won't leave us with a squad full of players who can make a step up and play the exciting football we want to see.  He was an appointment that was all about results and he needs to hope that the results justify the decision.

Specifically on yesterday I don't think that was our worst performance under him, the Blues and Leeds games were just as bad because in all 3 we played for a draw and clean sheet and in all 3 we've failed to get the latter and never looked like creating enough chances to win those games.

It was a bollocks comment then and it's a bollocks comment now.  Success will be getting us in the play offs.  Whether we win them is a bit of a lottery and that in itself would be no judgement on him being successful or not.  If he get us promoted next season, that is still success. 

We were in relegation form when he joined.  Now most people would be very surprised if we don't finish top 6.  Notwithstanding last nights shambles, so far he has done a very good job.

[Toronto Villa]

If the manager is going to conciously pick Westwood or Gabby despite having other options he shouldn't expect anything other than the result or performance from last night or the criticism that comes with it. I fully accept players need to be rotated and that maybe he doesn't as much depth or quality to call upon but those two are a complete waste of time. I hope Bruce follows through on changing things up because it is looking poor right now.

[Rioch is King]

His comments on BBC about last nights game...

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce:

"I can accept getting beat, what I can't accept is players not putting their boots on, not turning up.

"We did not do enough with the ball or without it and we got exactly what we deserved from the game - nothing. I can't remember a chance, I can't remember a cross going into their box, and the number of times we gave the ball away was totally unacceptable.

"Everything was set up for us after our late winner against Wigan at the weekend and I thought we would go into the game bouncing, but it never happened.

"Norwich were on the back of a tough run but we didn't put them under any pressure at all. You have got to play at a certain level if you want to play for Aston Villa and they didn't come anywhere near to reaching that.

"Having seen that I can see why the club decided to make a change and bring me in."

 

[LeeB]

His comments on BBC about last nights game...

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce:

"I can accept getting beat, what I can't accept is players not putting their boots on, not turning up.

"We did not do enough with the ball or without it and we got exactly what we deserved from the game - nothing. I can't remember a chance, I can't remember a cross going into their box, and the number of times we gave the ball away was totally unacceptable.

"Everything was set up for us after our late winner against Wigan at the weekend and I thought we would go into the game bouncing, but it never happened.

"Norwich were on the back of a tough run but we didn't put them under any pressure at all. You have got to play at a certain level if you want to play for Aston Villa and they didn't come anywhere near to reaching that.

"Having seen that I can see why the club decided to make a change and bring me in."

 

At he saw what I saw. Long term it may be a blessing that some of those shitheads showed their true colours this side of January.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Just listened to that interview and he sounds extremely pissed off, doing well to hide his anger. Let's see what happens at the weekend but it's comforting to know he saw last night in exactly the same way as us fans.

[paul_e]

This is why, As I've said all along, the only way Bruce can be considered a success is if we're promoted this season because the football won't be good to watch and he won't leave us with a squad full of players who can make a step up and play the exciting football we want to see.  He was an appointment that was all about results and he needs to hope that the results justify the decision.

Specifically on yesterday I don't think that was our worst performance under him, the Blues and Leeds games were just as bad because in all 3 we played for a draw and clean sheet and in all 3 we've failed to get the latter and never looked like creating enough chances to win those games.

It was a bollocks comment then and it's a bollocks comment now.  Success will be getting us in the play offs.  Whether we win them is a bit of a lottery and that in itself would be no judgement on him being successful or not.  If he get us promoted next season, that is still success. 

We were in relegation form when he joined.  Now most people would be very surprised if we don't finish top 6.  Notwithstanding last nights shambles, so far he has done a very good job.

You can disagree but it's quite clearly not bollocks, it's an opinion.  As I said he came in to get us promoted and that's what he's got to be judged on.