Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[Chris Jameson]

Hilarious, but still sad that it is hilarious. Ten years ago recruiting the Spuds manager would have been a perfectly sensible if slightly stomach churning suggestion. Just shows how far we’ve fallen.

Last Spurs manager we had just used us a stepping stone for greater things like the Sky Sports studio and some sort of role at Swindon.

[Nunkin1965]

I don't give a shiny shite how obnoxious Warlock is - all I know is that I would rather he was out manager and we were second as of this morning.

Not sure he would have the same success with us as it would be a totally different dynamic.  He has done well at clubs where he is able to peddle a "noone rates us / noone like us" narrative and he wouldn't be able to do that here.  There would also be a level of expectation on him that he would have not experienced before and as we have seen with Bruce, some managers don't like that light being shined on them (I saw an interview at the weekend where Mick McCarthy referred to Ipswich fans who have dared to become disgruntled with years of lower mid table finishes as "numbskulls").

I think this is right - I've worked in plenty of places where staff have come into a bigger operation and floundered where they have previously excelled and I think the same happens in football.

Whatever anyone thinks of the guy and his management style, his teams have a fabulous work ethic, work their socks off and play for their manager. The siege mentality abounds. I don’t think he suffers fools gladly though so he’d dig out a few people here thats for certain. Which would be a good thing.

You never know though. Just because there won’t be so much money swilling around at VP doesn’t mean we can’t have a better “team” at this level.

[Allan C]

Hilarious, but still sad that it is hilarious. Ten years ago recruiting the Spuds manager would have been a perfectly sensible if slightly stomach churning suggestion. Just shows how far we’ve fallen.

Whose advocating we recruit Spurs manager?

He's likely off to Real Madrid, which must be the only reason Zidane hasn't been binned. I meant I want somebody like him. Reading his biography, he seems exceptional.

Spot on, looking for a manager of Poch’s class is where we should be going and what we should have done when we hired Bruce.

[chrisw1]

Hilarious, but still sad that it is hilarious. Ten years ago recruiting the Spuds manager would have been a perfectly sensible if slightly stomach churning suggestion. Just shows how far we’ve fallen.

Whose advocating we recruit Spurs manager?

He's likely off to Real Madrid, which must be the only reason Zidane hasn't been binned. I meant I want somebody like him. Reading his biography, he seems exceptional.

Spot on, looking for a manager of Poch’s class is where we should be going and what we should have done when we hired Bruce.

This is real blue sky thinking here guys.  Why on earth haven't we thought about recruiting a world class manager before?  I think we should go and get one tomorrow.

[Ads]

Hilarious, but still sad that it is hilarious. Ten years ago recruiting the Spuds manager would have been a perfectly sensible if slightly stomach churning suggestion. Just shows how far we’ve fallen.

Whose advocating we recruit Spurs manager?

He's likely off to Real Madrid, which must be the only reason Zidane hasn't been binned. I meant I want somebody like him. Reading his biography, he seems exceptional.

Spot on, looking for a manager of Poch’s class is where we should be going and what we should have done when we hired Bruce.

This is real blue sky thinking here guys.  Why on earth haven't we thought about recruiting a world class manager before?  I think we should go and get one tomorrow.

Don't be a dick.

[PeterWithesShin]

Pochettino had been out of work for a while after being sacked by Espanyol with them bottom of the league, i'm pretty sure signing an out of work manager isn't beyond us.

[Ads]

Pochettino had been out of work for a while after being sacked by Espanyol with them bottom of the league, i'm pretty sure signing an out of work manager isn't beyond us.

He was a gamble, but I recall Ballage [who I don't like a great deal generally] saying you silly English, you just wait and see. And he was right.

[PeterWithesShin]

We obviously won't be able to get a world class manager while stuck in division 2, but despite being sacked Pochettino had received a lot of praise and had been doing what Southampton wanted regarding training, youth etc. That's were you need an 'engine' and have something you want your manager, and the next one, etc to buy into and be able to implement. And maybe like Pochettino they become a top class manager.

[PeterWithesShin]

I'll add where we constantly fail is we bring in a manager that is nothing like the previous one so each time we are back to square one as we rip up the squad and start again.

[ColinMac]

When Southampton appointed Pochettino, they were around the relegation places and many experts thought they were nailed on for relegation after sacking Adkins to appoint him.  If Poch was prepared to take on that situation,  then surely a manager of similar ability would consider taking a chance on a club like Villa, even in the championship, if he succeeded he would certainly go on to bigger and better things.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

It will be interesting to see what happens with Wagner should Huddersfield go down. He's done more than a decent job this season keeping them out of the bottom three but you do wonder whether they can last the season. If relegated I can't see him staying there, he's already got the T shirt. Unless some PL club like Newcastle make a move for him if Benítez decides he's sick of the circus up there, Wagner may be an option. We approached him and delayed the appointment of Bruce on the hope he would leave Huddersfield but the timing was wrong. He was interested though so who knows this time. Lots of 'ifs' but should certainly be on our radar whatever happens in May.

[Fred Crump]

Hilarious, but still sad that it is hilarious. Ten years ago recruiting the Spuds manager would have been a perfectly sensible if slightly stomach churning suggestion. Just shows how far we’ve fallen.

Whose advocating we recruit Spurs manager?

He's likely off to Real Madrid, which must be the only reason Zidane hasn't been binned. I meant I want somebody like him. Reading his biography, he seems exceptional.

Spot on, looking for a manager of Poch’s class is where we should be going and what we should have done when we hired Bruce.

Sorry Ads mate, I thought you were being ironic. I agree with you that we need to unearth a gem like Potch but that’s the difficult bit - some of the recent punts on little known foreign managers eg the guy at Norwich haven’t worked out well so in some ways I’d prefer a British non big name like Dean Smith. Whoever it is needs to be first and foremost a coach and a developer/ identifier of young talented players.

[sirlordbaltimore]

When Southampton appointed Pochettino, they were around the relegation places and many experts thought they were nailed on for relegation after sacking Adkins to appoint him.  If Poch was prepared to take on that situation,  then surely a manager of similar ability would consider taking a chance on a club like Villa, even in the championship, if he succeeded he would certainly go on to bigger and better things.

Not with no money to spend or a with a squad he'd have to trim regardless he wouldn't i'm sure.

[tomd2103]

Hilarious, but still sad that it is hilarious. Ten years ago recruiting the Spuds manager would have been a perfectly sensible if slightly stomach churning suggestion. Just shows how far we’ve fallen.

Whose advocating we recruit Spurs manager?

He's likely off to Real Madrid, which must be the only reason Zidane hasn't been binned. I meant I want somebody like him. Reading his biography, he seems exceptional.

Spot on, looking for a manager of Poch’s class is where we should be going and what we should have done when we hired Bruce.

Sorry Ads mate, I thought you were being ironic. I agree with you that we need to unearth a gem like Potch but that’s the difficult bit - some of the recent punts on little known foreign managers eg the guy at Norwich haven’t worked out well so in some ways I’d prefer a British non big name like Dean Smith. Whoever it is needs to be first and foremost a coach and a developer/ identifier of young talented players.

If we don't go up then that really should be one of the key skills would should be looking for in our next manager.   

[chrisw1]

The thing is, as Fred suggests for every gamble that pays off there are probably several that don't.

If we don't get promoted I think we are now probably in a stable enough position with a reasonable core of a squad (excluding the loans but including our youngsters) to consider taking that type of punt.  I still feel at the time Bruce was appointed it would have been far too much of a gamble and with the wrong appointment we could well have continued free falling.

Whilst I probably believe Bruce has done a far better job turning us round than many on here will give him credit for, if we don't get promoted then I would still be happy with a change to a more progressive manager.  Someone like Smith would probably be safer, but if we do go more exotic I just hope we can find the next Wagner, Nuno or Poch and not the next Garde, Magath, Solskjaer, Mel, Meulensteen or Zenga....