Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[Toronto Villa]

The issue with the likes of Dean Smith is if they do come to us, how are they going to fare with the significantly higher expectations? And his Villa allegiance aside, what if he thinks shopping in League One or Two is the right thing to do? As fans of a "big club" how will we react to players we've never heard of? Will we give it time? The same time Brentford with little or no expectations, happy to be at this level will give him?

I sometimes feel as fans we have indirectly contributed to this. We came down, and I was guilty of it, that it was going to be a piece of piss getting back up. And we got in managers with that in mind. Not a house built back up with thought and with a solid base. Instead it was thrown together with big money splashed about on expensive furniture and art while the foundations remained weak and unfinished.

I almost think now staying down, being financially forced to think much smaller, through the right acquisitions and our academy is the way to go, and with a manager who has the time to build properly. We as fans need to recognise that and give it time to work.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I don't want Dean Smith he's done a good job but he's not for me

I want foriegn because I don't really rate British type managers in general, and ones who at least want to play a passing game (hence the foriegn)

I know we had Garde but he came at the wrong time etc it shouldn't put us of having a go with another
Koeman would do and is available I think

Put the whisky down - we haven’t got a cat in hells chance of getting Koeman

Newcastle got Rafa. You never know.

They were premier league when they appointed him.

Yeah but they were bang below average when they did

Indeed, they were a shit show, a joke club going down regardless of which league they were in. Rafa's previous job was Real Madrid but he took it all the same. It can happen. Koeman isn't particularly near the top of my list of desired managers but his previous job was fucking Everton, I dont think its laughable at all to assume we could get him.

[SoccerHQ]

We will need a coach as our next manager.

These two seasons have been the chance to spend our way out of this division. We've spent way over 50m and we're not even guaranteed to make the top 6.

It will be harder from next season so we need someone who can properly drill and work the team on the training ground which I really am not convinced the current managerial team do.

We need someone who can shake Grealish about and actually get him in a position on the pitch where he can churn out regular goals and assists. I like him but he is too much on the edge of games. He should be a dominant stand out player at this level.

If Hogan is still at the club we obviously need a manager who can play to his strengths...whatever they are.

Dean Smith has his faults. I saw a lot of his Walsall team and after 18 months he got a limited selection of players playing really good football but if Plan A isn't working don't expect much in the way of Plan B so they went on a few winless runs.

It's interesting you mention signing players TV. I believe at Brentford he isn't involved much in that just gives the club the profile of player he wants and then works with them on the training ground.

We won't be able to appoint another chequebook manager so I think appointing Smith sometime in the next six months makes more sense than in the last two years.

[taylorsworkrate]

17 points away from 1st place - unacceptable
9 points away from automatic promotion places - unacceptable
5 games without a win - unacceptbable
8th place - unacceptable
1 team in top 13 scored less goals than us - unacceptable
general level of performance - unacceptable

I cannot see what he has done to justify still being in a job.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

17 points away from 1st place - unacceptable
9 points away from automatic promotion places - unacceptable
5 games without a win - unacceptbable
8th place - unacceptable
1 team in top 13 scored less goals than us - unacceptable
general level of performance - unacceptable

I cannot see what he has done to justify still being in a job.

Dare I say it, it's unacceptable. And do you know what, he's known it for a long time, the players stopped believing him weeks after he signed them, the kids are confused, the crowds are falling and Wyness refuses to pick up the phone to Xia and admit he completely fucked up.

If we act quickly there's enough there to salvage the season. The secret is we have to act quickly. Otherwise, we really will be fooked.

[tomd2103]

The issue with the likes of Dean Smith is if they do come to us, how are they going to fare with the significantly higher expectations? And his Villa allegiance aside, what if he thinks shopping in League One or Two is the right thing to do? As fans of a "big club" how will we react to players we've never heard of? Will we give it time? The same time Brentford with little or no expectations, happy to be at this level will give him?

I sometimes feel as fans we have indirectly contributed to this. We came down, and I was guilty of it, that it was going to be a piece of piss getting back up. And we got in managers with that in mind. Not a house built back up with thought and with a solid base. Instead it was thrown together with big money splashed about on expensive furniture and art while the foundations remained weak and unfinished.

I almost think now staying down, being financially forced to think much smaller, through the right acquisitions and our academy is the way to go, and with a manager who has the time to build properly. We as fans need to recognise that and give it time to work.

Yep.  No promotion this year and we are looking at a total rebuild.  We should be looking at building around what looks a good crop of U23 players and will need a manager with a track record of doing that.  People lime Wyness should have a vision of the direction and Round should be in charge of delivering someone who can share that vision.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Good to hear the traveling fans at the end told Bruce what they thought of him. "You don't know what you're doing" has never sounded so pleasant on the ears.

[Pete3206]

He's had it. Dr Tony, pull the trigger!

[sickbeggar]

And Tony, just no-one who's managed or played for blose, norwich and man u as next manager and we should be okay

[KevinGage]

Dean Smith might make more sense in the summer, if (when) we haven't gone up and FFP really starts to bite.  He might be one of the few still keen on the job under those sort of constraints.

Getting shot of Bruce now, just three points off the play-offs, will look like another panic move.

If Boof fails to even deliver the play-offs in May, naturally he should be tied up in the North Stand car park.  And the African Car Reverser instructed to do his very worst.

[OzVilla]

I agree Smith would make far more sense in the Summer. Much more of a longer term choice. I think we are going to be at a crossroads within a week unless we get a result against Boro and then Bristol.

The Dr might decide to stick with Bruce and see it through this season in the hope that some good business in January, injured players returning and a easier looking fixture list over Feb/March gets us right back in the hunt. If we then don't make it FFP will force a re-build and Dean Smith would be a certain candidate.

Twist now and we'll need an impact manager, someone who demands respect and who can get results quickly and galvanize the whole place. Ronald Koeman would be top of my list but I wouldn't rule out John Terry along with an experienced hand as a guide (dare I say someone like Glenn Hoddle or Terry Venables).

[PeterWithesShin]

Personally i'd bin him asap and bring in someone with a long term vision rather than wait until the summer. It would give him another 5 months and an extra transfer window to start implementing what he wants.
Bruce is already on his 4th crap run of results, or 3rd if you count the end of last season and start of this one as one run, and I have no doubt there'll be another before the end of the season. And after just over a year of Bruce our 'style' of play still seems to be to nothing more than try and keep it tight and hope someone does something at the other end.

[ciggiesnbeer]

We need a big club manager not someone else who this is the biggest job they have ever had.

Dean Smith seems a great bloke whose teams play decent enough and could well be the manager for us in five years or so. But now? We would ruin him. No offense but Walsall and Brentford with a win rate of <35% is just not the CV of a manager we need.

[old man villa fan]

When we were relegated I said that we should have had a clear out of the dead wood. We should have negotiated paying off Richards and Gabby, rather than paying them wages for no return. I said that we should have treated the situation as a chance to rebuild from the bottom by bringing in a progressive  coach who could develop a fresh style based on youth alongside some experience in key areas. My view was that we had to think about today, tomorrow and the day after.

Roll on 12 months and I was for getting rid of Bruce because I could not see Bruce's style being capable of scoring enough goals to finish in one of the top two positions. My opinion at the time was that a Play-off position was too low a target.

Eight games ago I said that the next 10 matches were crucial. At the time we were 7 points off 2nd place. I said that after the 10 games we would only have 20 matches left and if we were no closer, it would get harder week by week to close the gap. I further said that if the gap widened, it would be almost impossible to close it if other teams like Middlesbrough, Derby and Leeds started to get their act together.

I was going to wait until after the Bristol game to comment and we could well be within the 7 point gap but it's not looking good at the moment.

My fall back position at the end of last season when nearly everyone accepted to continue with Bruce was that if automatic promotion was not achievable around Christmas, we should look to change and bring in that progressive type coach and rip up most of the team. At least then if we got into a good run we could hit the Play-offs with momentum.

I think this time is fast approaching. I think the players (especially the experienced ones) have lost faith in the Bruce way.

Some posters throw out "well, who would you bring in" as a defence of keeping the current manager. This always happens when a manager's position is under question. What we should be deciding is what is the brief for selecting the manager. What would the target be, how long should the target realistically take, what type of contract should the manager be given, would there be money available for transfers, what type of style of football do we want, how much should the team be based on youth etc. If Wyness and Dr Xia were to answer all of those questions, they would define the brief and a short list of managers could be put together. That is how you answer "who next?"

I am a patient supporter and willing to accept it taking time to get back, as long as it is for the betterment of the Club. What we have done in the last season and a half is pathetic and don't get me started on what Bruce has done to the squad.

[OzVilla]

As an adide, even if we did fluke a promotion we'd need an entirely new side such is the way SB has built his squad.

Not sure we have more than a couple of players able to hold their own in the PL.