Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[Allan C]

Why are we surprised at out current predicament, and standard of performances?
We have performed this season, exactly how we performed last season. The same ‘style’ of football, the same paucity of quality, the same levels of mediocrity.

We KNEW what were going to get.
I and many others said that Bruce was not going to undergo some sort of footballing epiphany over the summer and come back playing the sort of football that would get us out of this shit, poxy division.
Bruce should have gone on the last day of last season.
But, the powers that be know better than us and have decided that this miserable, soul destroying, pathetic excuse for football is acceptable.

I could fucking weep.

Is the correct answer

Almost the correct answer. I would have sacked him the minute we were safe last season

[Rudy65]

Dean Smith would get the biggest honeymoon period in recent memory if he came to us, playing shit like Whelan or not.

Not a chance. Forget the Villa fan link, if he comes to us and doesnt start well the fans will turn v quickly. I dont want him because he hasnt done it elsewhere. If he wasnt a Villa fan he wouldnt get a sniff from the fans as being an adequate replacement

[Rudy65]

Starting with a midfield of Whelan and Jedinak was one of the most stupid things Bruce has ever done. They have the mobility of a pair of wardrobes and about the same passing range. Whelan especially was abysmal. It makes it so easy for a manager like Dean Smith to set his team up to pass us off the pitch.

You see the two might be slow but I thought it might work as one had been detailed with standing on that little ginger fucker. Instead we gave them acres to play through us and little pressing of the ball. I also presumed that, with that front four, we were going to play on the floor to them. I shouldn't have been so stupid. In 3 weeks we have gone from being in striking distance of the automatic places to just keeping in touch with those in the play offs. From our promotion expert, at the time of year he identified as crucial, that is woefully unacceptable. If we are as skint as suggested then we need a manager that can play football now. If we stick, we need the mother of all rabbits to come out of the hat by way of a striker in January. And some extra pace out wide wouldn't go amiss either.

You might play those two away at a six pointer against, say Wolves but not away to Brentford who have a poor home record

[The Edge]

I was half joking when I posted on the match thread about Cambridge scientists being able to programme organic base material to perform complex tasks.  They are from MIT actually, visiting The Fens but they can do it.  Rotting wood slime, which is about as low in the life form chain as you can get, can be programmed to make maps of the Tokyo underground and in another demonstration they can stimulate a gob of slime to steer a little Lego car around an obstacle course.

Here is the serious point.  Putting aside Bruce's denseness and his stubbornness, given the correct team of intelligent people around him there is no reason why we cannot succeed.  What is wrong was touched on by another poster.  He relies on and trusts a dwindling hard core of "his" players.   Players who are too old, too slow, too full of injuries too technically inadequate, too set in their ways, immune to bonding with younger players, immune to bonding with the supporters conforming only with Bruce's template of being tough, hard and loyal to him.

When Bruce goes, the resurgence will come about not because he has gone but because all his baggage can go with him.  Everything and everybody.

Good post 👍

[JUAN PABLO]

Last nights football was rubbish. We are just a dull boring team and never getting up with SB in charge.
Hoofing it up from the goalie to the small Hogan was just ridiculous, we cant even pass the ball and why O'Hare is not at least on the bench, we need to get the youngsters on the bench and not these old pros who have come for their last big pay day.

If we actually scrapped in to the prem we would be bottom two by christmas and going down with SB in charge so we might as well pull the trigger now.   

These footy experts said his football is not that exciting  but he will get you up , well yes its dull but Villa are not going up

[Allan C]

He lost me last night. He's failing and it's inexcusable.

Blimey...it must be bad.
Not gloating Ads, your faith and defence of him has been admirable, but there is a limit to any mans patience.

Agreed, both Clampy and yourself have put up an alternative view which although I didn’t agree with I was always willing to listen to and that’s the way these forums should work.

[villa `cross the mersey]

Just to think we used to moan when we only finished 6th or 8th under O'Neill and O'Leary!!!
As an oldie I can recall worse times in the late 1960`s but unless we act swiftly we could be heading in a similar direction, especially if the fears over FFP are realised
I was never a fan of HDE , in fact I really did not like the fella one bit but he would have reacted by now - ok he treated the club like a corner shop but at least we were still  seen as a "big" club and respected around the country .....under Lerner and now Xia we are more like BHS.....again well respected but as soon as things turned bad no one was arsed when they eventually folded - a reminder of their once great days still remain, albeit crumbling on city/town centre high streets across the UK.
Villa are now like those shops - externally grand but with a deteriorating core and little or no chance of them getting back to their former glory 
The question is - if/When Bruce goes who on earth would be willing and able to take on the job ?
There will always be the likes of Fat Sam, who lets face it would do anything for the money.
I really cannot think of anyone available right now ..... at least under HDE we would be talking about the likes of Beckenbaur (sp?) or Hoddle

[TopDeck113]

The "romantic" suggestion of Dean Smith is laughable. We are one more failed managerial appointment from being the next Leeds, Wednesday or Forest. A club that believes it should be dining at the top table, but without the money, impetus or wherewithal to achieve it, so ends up a decade or more tramping around the second or third tiers reckoning that they'll get back through some divine right.

[The Edge]

Starting with a midfield of Whelan and Jedinak was one of the most stupid things Bruce has ever done. They have the mobility of a pair of wardrobes and about the same passing range. Whelan especially was abysmal. It makes it so easy for a manager like Dean Smith to set his team up to pass us off the pitch.

You see the two might be slow but I thought it might work as one had been detailed with standing on that little ginger fucker. Instead we gave them acres to play through us and little pressing of the ball. I also presumed that, with that front four, we were going to play on the floor to them. I shouldn't have been so stupid. In 3 weeks we have gone from being in striking distance of the automatic places to just keeping in touch with those in the play offs. From our promotion expert, at the time of year he identified as crucial, that is woefully unacceptable. If we are as skint as suggested then we need a manager that can play football now. If we stick, we need the mother of all rabbits to come out of the hat by way of a striker in January. And some extra pace out wide wouldn't go amiss either.

I agree some extra pace out wide wouldn't go amiss. Also some extra pace in the middle, up front and at the back. If we could sign Pacey Mcpaceface it would make my day.

[rob_bridge]

The "romantic" suggestion of Dean Smith is laughable. We are one more failed managerial appointment from being the next Leeds, Wednesday or Forest. A club that believes it should be dining at the top table, but without the money, impetus or wherewithal to achieve it, so ends up a decade or more tramping around the second or third tiers reckoning that they'll get back through some divine right.

Actually it is a practical suggestion - on limited budgets he has done well or very well playing attractive football. If we are going to get some poor results, the least we can expect is some approach at entertaining football/

Of course we could go down the tried and tested route and wait for Pardew/Moyes or whoever to get sacked.

[VinnieChase84]

For me it has to be Jokanovic or Dean Smith. A modern football manager with a progressive high press approach to games.

[The Edge]

Just to think we used to moan when we only finished 6th or 8th under O'Neill and O'Leary!!!
As an oldie I can recall worse times in the late 1960`s but unless we act swiftly we could be heading in a similar direction, especially if the fears over FFP are realised
I was never a fan of HDE , in fact I really did not like the fella one bit but he would have reacted by now - ok he treated the club like a corner shop but at least we were still  seen as a "big" club and respected around the country .....under Lerner and now Xia we are more like BHS.....again well respected but as soon as things turned bad no one was arsed when they eventually folded - a reminder of their once great days still remain, albeit crumbling on city/town centre high streets across the UK.
Villa are now like those shops - externally grand but with a deteriorating core and little or no chance of them getting back to their former glory 
The question is - if/When Bruce goes who on earth would be willing and able to take on the job ?
There will always be the likes of Fat Sam, who lets face it would do anything for the money.
I really cannot think of anyone available right now ..... at least under HDE we would be talking about the likes of Beckenbaur (sp?) or Hoddle

Or Brian Clough....... Oh wait

[Nelly]

I wouldn't give the job to Terry. I'm tired of people cutting their teeth at Villa. It's a job for someone who is confident and able to perform within Villa's limitations.

[Clampy]

He lost me last night. He's failing and it's inexcusable.

Blimey...it must be bad.
Not gloating Ads, your faith and defence of him has been admirable, but there is a limit to any mans patience.

Agreed, both Clampy and yourself have put up an alternative view which although I didn’t agree with I was always willing to listen to and that’s the way these forums should work.

Exactly that.

For me, after the last shambolic few years and going through a succession of managers and spending silly amounts of money, I wanted us to give the next guy, whoever it was a chance to have a fair crack of it and in this case it was Bruce. This season he's lost his best centre half and his replacement, his top goal scorer from last season and last night lost this season's top scorer after 10 minutes. All that said, we should be doing a lot better than we are, that's absolutely obvious.
I'd like to see him turn it round but if he doesn't, he can have no complaints. That's how football works.

[mr underhill]

unlucky (re injuries) and tactically inept (re the last 12 months) doesn't really cut the mustard does it? Time to jog on.