Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[Clampy]

I am sure he knew it was not going to be easy but I am far from sure that he expected it to be as painfully difficult as it has become.

Sadly i think a lot of our supporters went in thinking it'd be easy as well.

i was one of them

the standard in the championship is not very high in my view,
 i don't know why we should be struggling to come to terms with it
 with the investment made at all levels we should be pissing it, everyone will have there reasons for that but its not because the other teams around have better or more technically gifted players or have spent more money than us,
 so the reasons must lay elsewhere

all things considered it shouldn't have been a very difficult job for us to get out of this league imo

We have pretty much had to start from scratch after several years of neglect; rebuilding club from the owner down, we have changed the team management twice since relegation and bought virtually a whole new playing squad. It has been a far from straightforward undertaking.

Agree entirely Chris. We were an absolute mess.

I was hopeful that we would do it last year when RDM came in and even more so when Bruce took over but deep down, I always had feeling it was going to take a couple of season's and it may well take longer than that but let's hope not.

[ChicagoLion]

Got the first appointment wrong, went for the quick fix with a Bruce, it failed.
Bet the rest of the farm on Bruce who has under achieved.

[Ayup]

We should be a lot better off points wise than we are and we've had games where we've looked pretty ropey but we're still up there and like Hogan said in his interview, 5 points is nothing.

Let’s put our hope in Hogan then. What has he shown so far?
Regarding our league position, I hope nobody is putting any money on us based on your advice.

[Malandro]

We should be a lot better off points wise than we are and we've had games where we've looked pretty ropey but we're still up there and like Hogan said in his interview, 5 points is nothing.

Let’s put our hope in Hogan then. What has he shown so far?
Regarding our league position, I hope nobody is putting any money on us based on your advice.

Why not?

It's going to be a fine line either way. Who knows?

[Clampy]

We should be a lot better off points wise than we are and we've had games where we've looked pretty ropey but we're still up there and like Hogan said in his interview, 5 points is nothing.

Let’s put our hope in Hogan then. What has he shown so far?
Regarding our league position, I hope nobody is putting any money on us based on your advice.

It's not advice, it's an opinion. It's a forum it's full of them.

[brian green]

It's the magic of mathematics.   They have the five points in the bank, we do not.  While we are trying to claw back those five points they are clawing to keep them.  Our competitors are not going to sit back and let us catch them.

If we had a consistent team with consistently competent management you could look at a five point gap and make odds for or against bridging it.  But we have no consistency and have not had for years.  We are consistently inconsistent.  We are just as capable of a Brentford result as a Bristol City result.  That being the case after all the pain and the dozens of millions spent our future remains a coin toss.  It should not be this way.

[Clampy]

By the same token Brian, 5 points is very catchable. Every team up there bar Wolves have dropped points. Sheff Utd and Cardiff were once second but they're not anymore. I'm sure there are teams who are below us looking at the points gap with second place and thinking they can do it as well. It's up to us.

[brian green]

I think you miss my central point Clampy.  Five points is catchable but to have any confidence of making the catch you have to put results together consistently.  Without consistency it is an even money bet that we will finish ten points off the pace as being level.

Between now and mid May there will be at least three games, six if we are to go up through the play offs that we must win and others must lose.  My own personal view based on what I see and have seen is that we are too erratic and mentally fragile to be confident that we will not still be in the second tier next season.

[VinnieChase84]

I think you miss my central point Clampy.  Five points is catchable but to have any confidence of making the catch you have to put results together consistently.  Without consistency it is an even money bet that we will finish ten points off the pace as being level.

Between now and mid May there will be at least three games, six if we are to go up through the play offs that we must win and others must lose.  My own personal view based on what I see and have seen is that we are too erratic and mentally fragile to be confident that we will not still be in the second tier next season.

We have to play at home Derby, Cardiff, Wolves, Leeds, Preston - Aim for 12/15 from those - if those results happen then I’m in no doubt we would be 2nd

[Matt Collins]

I think you miss my central point Clampy.  Five points is catchable but to have any confidence of making the catch you have to put results together consistently.  Without consistency it is an even money bet that we will finish ten points off the pace as being level.

Between now and mid May there will be at least three games, six if we are to go up through the play offs that we must win and others must lose.  My own personal view based on what I see and have seen is that we are too erratic and mentally fragile to be confident that we will not still be in the second tier next season.

Nobody else apart from Wolves has been capable of that degree of consistency either though have they?

[Mister E]

I think you miss my central point Clampy.  Five points is catchable but to have any confidence of making the catch you have to put results together consistently.  Without consistency it is an even money bet that we will finish ten points off the pace as being level.

Between now and mid May there will be at least three games, six if we are to go up through the play offs that we must win and others must lose.  My own personal view based on what I see and have seen is that we are too erratic and mentally fragile to be confident that we will not still be in the second tier next season.

Nobody else apart from Wolves has been capable of that degree of consistency either though have they?

The fact that we're having this extended debate somewhat underlines Brian's point: we - as fans - have not see enough to reassure us that this manager can create a winning ethos and a run of games that would see off the competition. Or, that in a play-off situation we would have the mental fortitude to come through.

[Ads]

Well we are 5th so we have some consistency.

Derby went from out the Play Offs before December to 2nd on a good run. I'm confident if we beat Forest the Villa Dreadnaught will let slip the moorings.

It's a critical period for everybody, but we've picked an opportune moment to win two six pointers with six scored and none conceded. Now we have a run of games against some mid table and bottom of the table sides.

Hogan is right, 5 points is nothing.

[chrisw1]

I think you miss my central point Clampy.  Five points is catchable but to have any confidence of making the catch you have to put results together consistently.  Without consistency it is an even money bet that we will finish ten points off the pace as being level.

Between now and mid May there will be at least three games, six if we are to go up through the play offs that we must win and others must lose.  My own personal view based on what I see and have seen is that we are too erratic and mentally fragile to be confident that we will not still be in the second tier next season.

We are most certainly erratic.  But what we have in our favour is the return of injured players, in particular Grealish and Terry but also Jedi now back up to full fitness and hopefully Green will also contribute.  Non of our competitors will be adding that sort of quality to their squad.  It is still touch and go, but with the exception of Kodjia this is the first time all season we have had a pretty much full squad to rely on.  I think all teams bar Wolves will falter at some point and we are pretty well placed for the run in.

[mattjpa]

Sorry but that really is nonsense for the simple reason of the squad we have. You don't have to be the greatest manager in the world to get that lot functioning.

My own view of the squad is that its completely unbalanced, lacking pace, and doesn't have enough goals in it to get us an automatic promotion place. Regardless of who the manager is. Its a collection of journeymen (Huttons, Snodgrasses, Taylors), old pros winding down (Terrys, Jedinaks), wasters (Gabby, Richards, McCormacks), with a light scattering of 'maybes' (Grealish, Davis, Johnstone). In other words - a classic playoff bound championship level team/squad.

That's not to say Bruce hasn't under performed/under whelmed us all throughout.

You do realise you have itemised the ingredients for almost every squad in the country? my opinion for what its worth is the squad is well balanced - there is cover in every position, a great mix of established pros, senior players that need to be managed, youthful talent and raw youngsters breaking through. Obviously there are some wasters I would get shot of but thats also the case at any club..

Bruce has made mistakes but it is the injuries that have done for us. We have had 5-6 big players in key positions out at various times. Much like Leicester and Wolves currently, you have to be very rich or lucky with injuries to win a league

[Ad@m]

Well we are 5th so we have some consistency.

Derby went from out the Play Offs before December to 2nd on a good run. I'm confident if we beat Forest the Villa Dreadnaught will let slip the moorings.

It's a critical period for everybody, but we've picked an opportune moment to win two six pointers with six scored and none conceded. Now we have a run of games against some mid table and bottom of the table sides.

Hogan is right, 5 points is nothing.

Yep, and we all know what the Villa tend to do in such circumstances...