Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[Toronto Villa]

This Thierry Henry story isn’t going away. Some reports saying he will be announced as early as today. I have no idea how good or bad this is especially on the back of Lampard going to Derby. It would be a gamble for sure but if he brought in the right support staff then maybe it could work.

It is bollocks.

I’m sure it is Chelts. Just getting conversation going. Keeping Bruce with all the other stuff going on makes sense even though he should have been potted the day after the final.

[PeterWithesShin]

I doubt many of us seriously expect us to go up this season, I don't, so to me it make more sense to start the rebuild now rather than wasting another X amount of months and money.

[sirlordbaltimore]

If Henry comes in an Wenger's assistant that's fine by me.

On his own, as manager ? Nah. Mental idea.

[olaftab]

No thanks to Henry

This.

[Toronto Villa]

I doubt many of us seriously expect us to go up this season, I don't, so to me it make more sense to start the rebuild now rather than wasting another X amount of months and money.

I’m torn on that. Bruce has got promoted with less. Even without the key players from last season who have left or will we still should be one of the better sides/squads. That said he’s a jammy bastard to still be in this job so how much time will he get if we get off to a poor start? Are we better sticking now or having to scramble in a month or two will possibly less to choose from in terms of managers and staff?

[olaftab]

So the odds must be decent that Bruce won't finish the season as manager. We can't afford to bin him now but we'll be able to in a few months if he's failing. And we'll spend X millions in fees and wages on Bruce players despite the odds being high that he won't be the manager within a year. Not the greatest master plan i've ever seen.

For now we need to use our disposable income on acquiring players to give us a chance of promotion. If it goes to shit, we change, we take stock with the new guy who will have a lesser budget but time to mould it for promotion in 18 months time. It doesn't seem that daft to me.

It’s not daft but could turn out to be another waste. Allowing Bruce to stay and sign wrong players again and failing will cost much more than sacking him. We need to take the bitter pill now.

[paul_e]

So the odds must be decent that Bruce won't finish the season as manager. We can't afford to bin him now but we'll be able to in a few months if he's failing. And we'll spend X millions in fees and wages on Bruce players despite the odds being high that he won't be the manager within a year. Not the greatest master plan i've ever seen.

For now we need to use our disposable income on acquiring players to give us a chance of promotion. If it goes to shit, we change, we take stock with the new guy who will have a lesser budget but time to mould it for promotion in 18 months time. It doesn't seem that daft to me.

It’s not daft but could turn out to be another waste. Allowing Bruce to stay and sign wrong players again and failing will cost much more than sacking him. We need to take the bitter pill now.

IF the new owners had already sounded someone out and identified the staff and players to pick up in the next 2 weeks then I'd be with you on this, but the line on the statement about taking the next few weeks to review everything suggests that isn't where we are.  For me the situation this summer is that everything has lined up in a way that makes getting rid of him a much more difficult choice than it should be and I just don't want us to fuck up on the next manager because we've rushed into it. The worst thing is that the thing that's saving him, for me, is his own incompetence, if the squad didn't have such obvious gaps that need to be filled we could let him go and, like we did under MON, grab a last minute signing or 2 before having a proper look in January and next summer but we really need to pick up 2-3 players this window and replacing him makes that difficult.

[Chris Jameson]

What is the Henry rumour? I’ve not seen anything but then again I’ve only seen Harrogate Advertiser today. Taxi fares set to rise in 2.5% increase is the big story.

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

What is the Henry rumour? I’ve not seen anything but then again I’ve only seen Harrogate Advertiser today. Taxi fares set to rise in 2.5% increase is the big story.

That is the Henry rumour. Terry Henry has bought all of Harrogate's taxis and is going to up the prices. Apparently he sees passengers like free kicks - he just takes them before everyone's ready.

[robleflaneur]

Whether the interest in Henry in becoming Villa's new Engine is genuine or not,I don't think it's fair to immediately write him off as a manager.
There is no link between being a great English footballer and becoming a good manager but the European stars do have a better track record,especially the Italians and the Dutch,and Deschamps and Zidane have made a succesful transition.
Henry also has a WC semifinal on his coaching CV.I suppose it's not the 'Championship'

[olaftab]

What is the Henry rumour? I’ve not seen anything but then again I’ve only seen Harrogate Advertiser today. Taxi fares set to rise in 2.5% increase is the big story.

That’s a bloody disgrace however I don’t care as only posh people like you Chris travel by taxi. Oh and on Henry Talksport Transfer slot we’re discussing it about an hour ago as “lined up” by new owners.

[olaftab]

What is the Henry rumour? I’ve not seen anything but then again I’ve only seen Harrogate Advertiser today. Taxi fares set to rise in 2.5% increase is the big story.

That is the Henry rumour. Terry Henry has bought all of Harrogate's taxis and is going to up the prices. Apparently he sees passengers like free kicks - he just takes them before everyone's ready.

Henry’s taxis “we depart just before passengers get in”

[cdbearsfan]

For fuck's sake. 2.5%? Robbing bastards.

#jesuisharrogate

[old man villa fan]

I'm all for getting rid of Bruce as he doesn't fit in a long term progressive vision but time is too tight to look for a manager before the season starts. Unless they somebody lined up, we keep Bruce. The more important recruitment is a technical director to oversee all football matters at the club. Also a CEO for general control of the club management.

The plan for the future should be the most important thing for the owners. How do we take the club forward to get back into the PL, stay there and eventually challenging at the top end. Who fills the various roles throughout the club will not become clear until you flesh out the plan.

It is becoming clear in football now that you have to live within your means to get to the top.  The governing bodies are ensuring the structure cannot be broken by 'new' money.  This means that the cost of running the club has to be less than income from gate receipts and other commercial income. This is proving very difficult to achieve if clubs want to improve by bringing in new players. The only answer on the way up is to ensure sales of players exceed the value spent, consistently and that it also shows a progressive improvement. The closest to this in recent years is how Southampton were working. They have not been able to sustain this and one of the reasons, I believe, is that they are not a big club. A club like Villa could, however, break the glass ceiling and get to the next ceiling. What this means that every player bought or brought in is part of the progressive plan, not a luxury purchase that doesn't fit.

The team manager must fit with the owners plan for the club. You would like to think owners are at a club for the long term and we have continued to screw this up with the result that we have ended up where we are. Ownership stability is a must and they must run the club as a business and not as a hobby by just throwing money at the manager, believing that the manager will get the success as it has been traditionally.

The financial plan must dictate how the manager operates and this is becoming clearer every year in football. We must build a sustainable future step by step. Throwing money at it is like going to the casino to get rich.

In my opinion, Bruce does not fit with how I believe we should go forward. His general idea is to buy for success. He has made some very good buys throughout his career but in his long career, failures have exceeded successes and he has burned through clubs finances. How many clubs have managed success after he has left or being sacked.  Bruce plays young players as a last resort and is a symptom of not being a technical tactician.

Going back to where I started, I do not think we have time to get rid of Bruce before the season and there are more important recruitments to be made first. We should however be looking for his replacement now and ensure the person fits with a long term progressive plan.

I would not allow Bruce to spend any money that has a negative effect on the long term plan. Every £ spent now that is not wisely spent is a £ less that the next manager has to spend. I would go as far as to say that the only expenditure is to fill any holes left by players that may be sold between now and the season starting. The players we have are good enough for a good holding season until we sort our future plan. We must start bringing through the young players as they form a key part in a long term progressive strategy.

[dave shelley]

What is the Henry rumour? I’ve not seen anything but then again I’ve only seen Harrogate Advertiser today. Taxi fares set to rise in 2.5% increase is the big story.

Has Denis Wise moved into the area Chris?