Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[SoccerHQ]

Would people keep Bruce if the alternative was giving Pulis a six month deal?

I look at our squad and think that would actually be a logical move although could only imagine the reaction.

We have a tight well drilled defence (when Jedinak isn't in there) and we have some quick players in the final third when they're all fit. Squads with those characteristics are usually ones Pulis gets a tune out of.

Managers like Dean Smith would be better to be appointed during the summer I think.

Criticising Bruce's style of play then suggesting Pulis is a tad baffling.

It was more along the lines of which manager would fit our current squad rather than gambling on a Wagner/Garde type who wants to play a more pressing side.

We don't have the legs in our squad for a start.

It's important not to write off this season, yes we've let slip of a promising position a few weeks ago but we are still just in the play offs and so promotion is still very much possible.

[john e]

Someone on here said the longer we keep Bruce the longer it will take to recover from him
and I agree with that

He’s already turned the squad into an average bunch of championship players
Terry will probably be gone at the end of the season along with a couple of others

he sold Ayew And Baker and his replacements were not as good
I hope he doesn’t add Grealish to his outs in January the only real footballer we have in Midfield to bring in some other rubbish that can’t pass a ball like his other buys

when he goes and he will go next year I’m sure, we will be in the biggest shit basket we have been in for donkeys years
we will need a miracle man not just a half decent manager

anyway Merry Christmas and hope the new year brings us glad tidings

[Toronto Villa]

Every morning now I come on here hoping the question mark has been removed from the thread title. What has gone from accepting he is our manager based on a specific goal, to begrudgingly accepting him as manager while we plod through results, mostly unconvincingly has become we have to get rid of him because he is suffocating us.

The job is too big for Steve Bruce and his team of bog standard coaches. It might work at Wigan or Blues or Hull where there’s little to no expectation and you sneak through playing mundane football. But this is a job way, way out of scope and he’s been sunk by it. Pull the trigger and give someone else whatever resources we have in January.

[Ads]

Terry is not as good as Baker?

[leylandalbion]

Throw in is a case in point.  For the first 10 mins yesterday we were taking them quickly, as soon as the confidence drained it was back to laborious one and slow kick outs

[Villafirst]

Terry is not as good as Baker?

He decided on Samba as back-up to Terry/ Chester. Not exactly good business was it? Baker should not have been sold.

[Clampy]

Terry is not as good as Baker?

He decided on Samba as back-up to Terry/ Chester. Not exactly good business was it? Baker should not have been sold.

The problem was once Terry came in Baker was never going to sit on the bench. He probably wanted first team football.

[paul_e]

We need, as a minimum, a couple of plans for how to attack teams. At the moment our goals tend to come from one individual doing something good/remarkable. Bruce has demonstrated in his time he has no clue what to do if plan A, playing into a target man, doesn’t work. That is a huge indictment of his lack of tactical nous. If you want to see the lack of planning or development just look at our throw ins.

I think you're going straight to step 2, the minimum expectation for me is that players can control, pass and move.  Once we get those fundamental basics right we give ourselves the options to change the tempo, control the game and create an attacking platform.  I'm fed up of smaller clubas, with significantly cheaper squads and for lower rated managers and coaches who are light years ahead of us in such basic areas.

[berneboy]

Terry is not as good as Baker?

He decided on Samba as back-up to Terry/ Chester. Not exactly good business was it? Baker should not have been sold.

No, we shouldn't have sold him but I thought Bruce had hinted that he would prefer not to have sold him. We don't know the whys and wherefores.

[paul_e]

Terry is not as good as Baker?

He decided on Samba as back-up to Terry/ Chester. Not exactly good business was it? Baker should not have been sold.

The problem was once Terry came in Baker was never going to sit on the bench. He probably wanted first team football.

Which is fine, it doesn't account for him deciding that the only backup he needed (ignoring tommy and micah who he clearly doesn't want) was a 33 year old who'd been training with us for 6 months because he couldn't get a club and had been almost constantly injured for a year before that.  I was ok with samba getting a pay as you play deal of some sort but we really needed to have another Cb that he trusted to start games and his decision to let that be Jedinak now looks terrible.

[Clampy]

Let's be honest though. Not too many people had a problem with Jedinak playing there before yesterday. I'm sure there were some who prefered him over Samba. I

[VILLA MOLE]

Terry is not as good as Baker?

He decided on Samba as back-up to Terry/ Chester. Not exactly good business was it? Baker should not have been sold.

No, we shouldn't have sold him but I thought Bruce had hinted that he would prefer not to have sold him. We don't know
 the whys and wherefores.

We do know we spent a shed load on a striker that doesn't fit into our team

In any shape or form.  With the FFP on the horizon this should have been considered

[ktvillan]

The job is too big for Steve Bruce and his team of bog standard coaches. It might work at Wigan or Blues or Hull where there’s little to no expectation and you sneak through playing mundane football. But this is a job way, way out of scope and he’s been sunk by it. Pull the trigger and give someone else whatever resources we have in January.

I think this is true - we hired him for his promotion record but that was with low to middling expectation clubs.  He doesn't seem to be handling the pressure of this job particularly well and I think we'll be out of the play-off spots after boxing day. 

[mr underhill]

not directly related but I can't remember - who was playing right back when he shifted Hutton to left back?

[Mister E]

not directly related but I can't remember - who was playing right back when he shifted Hutton to left back?

Elmo.