Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[paul_e]

You can find examples like that of every club he's been at.  This is why I don't agree with the people who say 'at least he sees the problems' because that's missing the fact that's he's shown through his entire career that he either doesn't see them as problems worth solving (because the results are ok so why mess with it) or he doesn't have the ability.

As I said earlier, praise the results, praise the defensive stability, that's what he does.  Just don't expect performances to get much better or for us to take an early lead and then pile on the pressure and rip a team apart.

[Toronto Villa]

In this division the style of football has proven successful for Bruce. It likely won't change because he knows it works. What is pretty much nailed on is once we get promoted the quality of football won't be sufficient and Bruce's teams struggle at the top level. That's why I think he'll be replaced within 12 months of us being promoted and safe with someone more progressive. I also believe it's what Wyness was alluding to in terms of creating 3 teams. One for promotion, one to establish ourselves in the PL and the last to push on and compete at the top end.

[old man villa fan]

We saw the Bruce way yesterday in his team selection. In front of Hutton and Taylor, he had Adomah, Bacuna and Amavi. I can possibly understand two of the there but not all three. It limits us so much in going forward and ball retention.

I just see too many players in the same positions to the point of getting in each others way.  Then to see us concede a goal by a ball played to two free players in the right back position is infuriating when we have so many players (mentioned above) that should be covering that space.

The team is set up to keep things tight at the expense of variety in our play. It is ok when it's working but trying to change the shape and tempo mid-game is almost impossible.

[Risso]

My feeling is we've been getting results because on the whole, we've got better players than the opposition, like Chester and Kodjia, not because Bruce gets us playing in a superior fashion to the other team.  It's why I don't think we'll ever see this team completely outplay and batter anybody.  He also seems to be a bit "Captain Obvious" in his transfer dealings, ie with the likes of Hogan.

[ChicagoLion]

My feeling is we've been getting results because on the whole, we've got better players than the opposition, like Chester and Kodjia, not because Bruce gets us playing in a superior fashion to the other team.  It's why I don't think we'll ever see this team completely outplay and batter anybody.  He also seems to be a bit "Captain Obvious" in his transfer dealings, ie with the likes of Hogan.

And this is why I think we will struggle to get up automatically because of these limitations.
I reckon play offs next season.

[john e]

In this division the style of football has proven successful for Bruce. It likely won't change because he knows it works. What is pretty much nailed on is once we get promoted the quality of football won't be sufficient and Bruce's teams struggle at the top level. That's why I think he'll be replaced within 12 months of us being promoted and safe with someone more progressive. I also believe it's what Wyness was alluding to in terms of creating 3 teams. One for promotion, one to establish ourselves in the PL and the last to push on and compete at the top end.

I agree with this apart from the assumption that a lot of people are making that promotion next year is a forgone conclusion
no manager can guarantee that,
Bruce had his record of promotion but he also has one way of playing and if that isn't working and we go on a losing run which can easily happen we could be looking at the lottery of the play offs,
just because we are Aston Villa will not be good enough for a free pass to the prem especially if our main tactic is being hard to beat stop the opposition from playing and nick a goal and try and hang on

Yesterday we drew, but the performance was very similar to ones where we have won one nill and lost one nill, in fact all our games are pretty much the same to be honest and that's not good enough

I reckon it's a massive risk to go into next season relying on what we have seen so far this season to gain automatic promotion

[Clampy]

I'm personally happy to go into next season with a manager who's got the promotion record he has and let's face it, results wise, he's been pretty good so far.

[manic-road]

I'm personally happy to go into next season with a manager who's got the promotion record he has and let's face it, results wise, he's been pretty good so far.

Same for me, it's not a league for pretty football but grinding out results to gain promotion.

[ciggiesnbeer]

He has the best win rate of any Villa manager since SGT.

Sure its 30 odd games and sure its the Championship but still, thats pretty impressive.

[Ads]

But for Chester's gut yesterday we'd have won and carried out a promise to invade the pitch and mob the Scottish Cafu.

We will do a lot better next year with Amavi gone, Bacuna not starting and Hourihane in his natural position.

[eamonn]

Bruce stood on average less than  50 metres behind Cantona and Robson's attacking flair for years at Manure. Can't he channel some of those sights into coaching our lot (notwithstanding Bacuna and Cantona only being similar by sharing the same last letter of their surname) instead of acting like he spent years playing in a George Graham 1-0 to the Arsenal side ?

[mr underhill]

big changes in the summer - a few in in key positions but lots out.

[peter w]

I think that's it - the amount we'll clear out will give us a more dynamic and balance squad. I know this has been done elsewhere but we must be looking to shift the likes of Elphick, Richards, Amavi (maybe and only because we have decent full-back cover and we really need to get someone to play on the left with pace and will cover Taylor + we'll get some money back for him), Gardner, Tshibola, McCormack, Gabby, Bacuna, the foreigners on loan. I think that a goalkeeper is obvious, we'll get an experienced and mobile centre-half, a wide player, one more forward, and one midfielder.

Bruce will want us to take the shape that he knows that will go up and he will be given the money to get the players that will do it. Hopefully that will be offset by the sales and we'll only need a minimal net surplus.

[brian green]

Plus Peter we should have Richie DeLaet back.  According to Leicester fans he is good going forward but poor defensively.  Another Amavi? Perhaps, but having bought him and carried him through injury he should be given his chance.

[john e]

the only stat that counts is the fact that when Bruce came we were 10 points of a play off place and now we are 11
he's been here 6 months and we are further away from a play off place than when he came
he's taken us backwards. Totally failed fucked up the season which had been a right off for a couple of months and people still think 'he's the Man '

the whole thing is being built on sand,
there is no tactics to speak of no pattern of play, it's grim to watch the good run we have been on whilst still not performing anything like a team which could gain automatic promotion next season has just papered over the cracks