Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[eamonn]

You'd miss Hollis, wouldn't you?

[Damo70]

I think if we get rid now we will be picking our next manager from the out of work ones. I don't think managers will be falling over themselves to quit their current job to manage a big team with big expectations without any money to spend in January.* I think we have an unbalanced squad that needs changing in the summer. I think we will stick with Bruce and either fall short of the play offs or fall short in the play offs. Unless he can fluke it like he did at Small Heath with a late semi winner and win in the final with penalties.

*If we are prepared to go for someone and let him have money in January that makes us a far different proposition to potential managers, but that seems unlikely given what has already been spent and FFP.

[Ad@m]

I agree that swapping managers in December is far from ideal but if we don't go up this year the parachute payments halve and FFP goes from being restrictive to being critical.

Now we know he's incapable of getting us up automatically I don't think we have the luxury of waiting until May to look for a new gaffer.

[olaftab]

Well I hope Whyness is awake sitting on his kitchen table scratching his head.

[McGraths Dry Cleaning]

Well I hope Whyness is awake sitting on his kitchen table scratching his head.

I hope he's in the office on the phone negotiating with the planned replacement that they've been lining up in case Bruce doesn't cut it. I expect your version is correct however....!!!

[Clampy]

We're ten points behind Cardiff at the moment which is obviously not good enough but we know how quickly things can change. We've tended to bounce back quickly after a defeat this season and we need to do it again on Saturday. In other words, I'm still optimistic.

[Risso]

The Christmas period starting at the weekend will show where we're going.  4 tough fixtures, with two of the top 6, Brentford who we never seem to play well against and Boro who will be looking to get their own promotion campaign back on track.  Ideally I'd say we need to be looking at a minimum of 9 points, but 6 or less would be completely unacceptable.  We also HAVE to beat Sheffield and Bristol.

[Ads]

The easiest fixture is the first. The wheels fell off Sheffield United a while ago. The sort of side we have to give a whacking too.

[Diablo]

Following Saturday's formation this comment from Steve Bruce where he announced the arrival of a futuristic more expansive Aston Villa team ricocheted around my head (talking on 22nd Sept before the Forest match)

 “I like two up top. I've always thought it was the way forward.

“For the last six months in particular, we haven't done that. But I had to stop the trend of us getting beaten.

“I've had to send a team out that's difficult to beat and try and stop the rut of poor results. It was about putting a bit of resilience back in there – that was the way forward.

“Now we have a squad capable of playing two up top, being a bit more expansive and trying to go and win games – rather than just staying in games.

“When I took over, it was all about staying in the division, never mind trying to get out of it.

[Richard E]

I am starting to drift back towards losing faith. We are not getting good enough results against the teams around the top and we should be running Wolves, let alone Cardiff, a lot closer than we are. A 10 point gap to the automatic promotion places is a big one to bridge, even at this stage.

[boozey182]

On Saturday, Whelan's error cost us the match, and the error itself can't be blamed on the manager. However, the biggest worry I've had about Bruce is that we are always only ever a bad mistake/deflection/unstoppable shot away from a defeat. Our gameplan seems to be keep it tight at the back, cut out any chance of being caught out, and sneak a goal when we're on top. From there, if we get another quickly afterwards, we cruise to victory, if we don't we battle hard to hang on to the lead. With the players we have, this will work more times than it doesn't, but it's telling that against the better teams we struggle. They're more likely to score the great goal, or ruthlessly punish a mistake. I think the QPR match was our best performance of the season because it's the only time we've come back to win following a setback.

Ironically, Bruce's risk averse tactics are incredibly risky. It only takes one moment to completely unravel us. This is the same for many teams, but never the best; which has to be our aim with the squad we have and to get promoted now, we're probably going to have to be the best team in the league for the rest of the season. I cannot see that happening playing the way we do.

The injuries are hurting us, but it's only really Kodjia we desperately need back. We can't replace what he does. Whatever your opinions on Terry, we actually have a better points return and goals conceded record since he's been out. Admittedly this is over a smaller sample size, but it highlights the fact that we can't expect to suddenly become a much more successful team when he comes back. Certainly not to the level we're going to need.

We have to muddle on through to January, collecting as many points as possible, so we can add some firepower and alternative options up front. We'll lose less if we score more. Cracking insight for you there...

[Whiney MacWhineface]

I am starting to drift back towards losing faith. We are not getting good enough results against the teams around the top and we should be running Wolves, let alone Cardiff, a lot closer than we are. A 10 point gap to the automatic promotion places is a big one to bridge, even at this stage.

Me too. I’ve yo-yoed back and forth more than err... a yo-yo.

Currently I think our yo-yo’s string is definitely tangled and in danger of getting knotted, such that our yo-yo is unable to yo.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I think if we get rid now we will be picking our next manager from the out of work ones. I don't think managers will be falling over themselves to quit their current job to manage a big team with big expectations without any money to spend in January.* I think we have an unbalanced squad that needs changing in the summer. I think we will stick with Bruce and either fall short of the play offs or fall short in the play offs. Unless he can fluke it like he did at Small Heath with a late semi winner and win in the final with penalties.

*If we are prepared to go for someone and let him have money in January that makes us a far different proposition to potential managers, but that seems unlikely given what has already been spent and FFP.

IF we manage to go up, my money is Xia appointing Andre Villas Boas as manager. He just seems the type Xia would like having suffered these last two seasons. Big (and good) name, PL experience, young at 40 but has managed big clubs with high expectations, including until the other week, in China, where I'm sure Xia has been watching him.

If we fail to go up, heaven knows but it won't be Bruce. Probably Dean Smith.

[avfcpg]

Well I hope we get through December still in contention because I still have nightmares about our Jan and Feb form last year...was it one point in January and six points in February, with 4 out of 6 games at home ? (it was..just checked).

I've always just had the feeling that we aren't going up under Bruce, have done since day one of his reign. Hope I'm wrong I really do otherwise it's roughly  two years of just stabilizing rather than progressing.
I've not seen us improve football wise one bit since his arrival...which is a massive worry and one that the board should have in mind.

[Dave]

I think if we get rid now we will be picking our next manager from the out of work ones. I don't think managers will be falling over themselves to quit their current job to manage a big team with big expectations without any money to spend in January.* I think we have an unbalanced squad that needs changing in the summer. I think we will stick with Bruce and either fall short of the play offs or fall short in the play offs. Unless he can fluke it like he did at Small Heath with a late semi winner and win in the final with penalties.

*If we are prepared to go for someone and let him have money in January that makes us a far different proposition to potential managers, but that seems unlikely given what has already been spent and FFP.

IF we manage to go up, my money is Xia appointing Andre Villas Boas as manager. He just seems the type Xia would like having suffered these last two seasons. Big (and good) name, PL experience, young at 40 but has managed big clubs with high expectations, including until the other week, in China, where I'm sure Xia has been watching him.

Plus the Dakar rally (what he quit his Shanghai job to do) will be over by then.