Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[tomd2103]

In my view Bruce is a limited, negative and defensive manager who tactically is clueless. He's certainly not helped by calderwood (another defender) and Clemence (I'm not sure what he brings to the club other than his name). Agnew may make a difference, particularly if he is creative and forward thinking, but I must admit, I don't know very much about him. I can't remember who Bruce had as part of his backroom team(s), when he was successful at getting promotion in the past. I think he tried to bring some coaches he had previously worked with to Villa Park, but they were already in employment, if memory serves me correctly. As a manager he needs people to counter his limitations. Agnew might be Bruce's way of finally admitting this, but for me it's too little too late re auto promotion.

I'm curious to know how Bruce is not helped by Clemence and Calderwood by the way? I take it you spend a lot of time at BH watching training?

because he's naturally very defensive and so are they, so they're not bringing anything different.  We look organised in defence, no one questions that, but we look like a team coached by people who don't know how to build attacks, so all our attacking play is either set pieces or individual moments of quality.  A coach who understands the attacking side of the game better might bring some of that to the club and maybe Agnew is that but 14 months to realise that you need a coach for such a significant part of the game and can't rely on winging it is a great tagline for why I don't think Bruce was the right appointment.

After the past six seasons of having a shambolic defence, we definitely needed a solid foundation to start with. Apart from Wolves this season I can't think of many if any teams that have got promoted from the Championship playing flowing attacking football. The Championship is a season of battle after battle to grind out wins. The football isn't pretty and it was never going to be under Bruce but for years the shambles of a team needed a start point in improving the defence and it isn't going to be completed overnight.

And what does any of that have to do with people thinking we could do with a coach focused on the attacking side of the game?  Is it impossible to train the strikers, attacking midfielders and wingers on creating chances at the same time as coaching the defence?

You also seem to make the same mistake as lots of other people whenever this conversation comes up which is that I (and others who agree) want style over substance.  It's not true, I want us to play effective football that we can build on, I want us to create more and better chances for the strikers because we'll score more goals if we do, I want our players to be able to pass to gaps where they know someone will be running and to make runs that they know will be spotted, you don't get that if you're not working on it in training.  I agree that a strong defence is necessary but I think you can have it without lining up 2 banks of 4 with not much space between them and leaving the 1-2 players who are further forward completely isolated.

As an extreme example, Barcelona have conceded 7 in 16 this season despite being one of the most attacking teams ever created and they've done it because their attack is built around the way they press the opposition and don't let them have an easy way out of their own half.

I get that 46 games is a hard slog and that being able to dig out results is going to be required but it can't be the only way you win games.  Pretty much every team that's got automatic promotion in the last 10 years and has stayed up has had the ability to play through teams and force the tempo of games when needed and we just don't do that.

There are other examples of teams that have gone up out of the Championship playing good football.  Swansea under Brendan Rodgers and Bournemouth under Eddie Howe being two more recent ones.  Interestingly, both took that style into the top flight and have remained there since (though Swansea's time looks like it might be ending).  That's not to say that it can't be done by playing an effective brand of physical football as well, but we don't really play that either.   

[WarszaVillan]

#havingabaddaypostnowdeleted

[paul_e]

There are other examples of teams that have gone up out of the Championship playing good football.  Swansea under Brendan Rodgers and Bournemouth under Eddie Howe being two more recent ones.  Interestingly, both took that style into the top flight and have remained there since (though Swansea's time looks like it might be ending).  That's not to say that it can't be done by playing an effective brand of physical football as well, but we don't really play that either.   

I think both of them could end up relegated this season but given the status of both teams 10-12 years ago it's still a huge achievement for them to have come up and, once they were there, stick to those principles.  On top of that they'll both be in a good place for promotion straight back if they do go because they haven't particularly over-extended themselves trying to buy safety.

[Tom_Mc9?]

I would love us to be playing fast-paced, exciting attacking football but it's just not going to happen under Bruce. Hopefully our clear talent we have in this division is enough to see us through otherwise we're back at square one and it's only getting tougher with more money coming into the league.

[PeterWithe]

Make up your own hilarious comments about comedians taking training at Villa. I might be losing any sense of humour but when I watched the YouTube clip I didn’t find it remotely funny, maybe because the fella doesn’t sound like Bruce.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5203327/Aston-Villa-training-taken-comedianDarren-Farley.html

[eamonn]

Stop the fucking quotathons!! Especially when not used properly.

[Risso]

Make up your own hilarious comments about comedians taking training at Villa. I might be losing any sense of humour but when I watched the YouTube clip I didn’t find it remotely funny, maybe because the fella doesn’t sound like Bruce.


http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5203327/Aston-Villa-training-taken-comedianDarren-Farley.html

Agreed. It’s abysmal.

[Clampy]

A little bit of harmless fun I suppose even if it didn't sound anything like him.

[SoccerHQ]

In my view Bruce is a limited, negative and defensive manager who tactically is clueless. He's certainly not helped by calderwood (another defender) and Clemence (I'm not sure what he brings to the club other than his name). Agnew may make a difference, particularly if he is creative and forward thinking, but I must admit, I don't know very much about him. I can't remember who Bruce had as part of his backroom team(s), when he was successful at getting promotion in the past. I think he tried to bring some coaches he had previously worked with to Villa Park, but they were already in employment, if memory serves me correctly. As a manager he needs people to counter his limitations. Agnew might be Bruce's way of finally admitting this, but for me it's too little too late re auto promotion.

He worked with Mark Bowen a lot in his early days at SHA but then Mark Hughes became a club manager and that was the end of that association.

Eric Black then popped up with him at a few club.....

As did Nigel Spink before he started his own business and quit football.

He's never really had a regular number 2 following him around at the various clubs.

[Bad English]

Stop the fucking quotathons!! Especially when not used properly.

Seconded. Don't fucking quote this anyone!

[four fornicholl]

Stop the fucking quotathons!! Especially when not used properly.

Seconded. Don't fucking quote this anyone!

Or else what? Chinny,chin, chin.

[Bad English]

Bruce is not making a case for himself, is he?

[themossman]

If he stays we’ll miss the playoffs let alone top 2.

[ColinMac]

For the love of god, please just go.

[Ad@m]

We're not fickle, we're just sick of being second best against shit teams at home.