Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[Gary Penrice]

I wouldn't be averse to Bruce moving upstairs & giving JT his first managerial post.

[Monty]

I wouldn't be averse to Bruce moving upstairs & giving JT his first managerial post.

Christ, I would be.

[Exeter 77]

Not sure where that would leave Steve Round.

[kentishvillan]

I don't think he's the man to take us forward. If the last 12 months shows anything (and the next will), is that the footballing dinosaurs are getting left behind. Warnock is the anomaly but I would put good money right now on them finishing rock bottom of the Premiership next term. Pardew, Hughes, Allardyce, Pulis, Lambert. They've all been left behind somewhat. The two best teams in the Championship this season were Wolves and Fulham. They play decent football, have reasonably young squads and have the basis to build and the ability to make a good fist of survival. I see the relegation scrap being very competitive. I can see next season being a firm 40 points needed to survive, at least and you'll see 10 or more clubs battling it out because there won't be a great deal at all between the bottom 12.

For ourselves, we should really bite the bullet with Bruce and find a more progressive manager. Make a sensible appointment. Not a RDM because he won the champions league, or a Sherwood because he did 'ok' at Spurs.

Filling our squad with experience got as nearly, but not over the line. But ultimately I'd have had us down as certs for dropping back down straight away under Bruce.

Get our U23's in. Get a younger, more progressive manager in. Easier said than done, but maybe we start looking around at managers who have instilled a footballing ethos at their clubs and maybe excelled in L1 (or have done well on a shoestring in the Championship). Bruce is short term thinking, and ultimately he failed in his remit.

We've players in place here, who could do well in a more technically minded set up. Certainly I look at Hourihane and I can see another level in him. If we keep Jack too. In the end Bruce's transfer policy smacked of short term thinking and his footballing philosophy showed nothing but a hit and hope short term attitude.

I think we need to start building. Automatic will be even harder next season. I think it'll take another couple of seasons sadly (unless we win the playoff trophy next time). Get RHM, Green, in regularly next season. Create a side with energy, pace, and some technical ability. Build a footballing side. Ultimately, these are the sides that go up and do well now.

I feel for Bruce, I like him, but his football is largely awful and when we find ourselves up against it, he regularly comes up short in his response.

Agree with a lot of that ST and if Bruce is to go then I think you have covered some of the qualities that we should be looking for in his successor.  The obvious choice for the type of manager you have mentioned is Dean Smith, but I’m sure there are plenty of other options beyond these shores.  I still think we could well end up with John Terry as our next manager if Bruce does go this summer.

Agree, that Dean Smith seems to tick a lot of the required boxes and would certainly be a refreshing change from the tedious list of British hacks (Pardew etc) that lazy journalism usually throws up. Don’t know enough about him myself, but would Lee Johnson at Bristol City have similar managerial/ coaching strengths to Dean Smith ?

[old man villa fan]

I have generally stayed off here for some time as I felt it was not the time during the run in and play-offs for negative comments.  I was never happy with the appointment of Bruce (likewise if it had been somebody similar) as I thought it was a massive opportunity missed and a massive risk if it failed.  I stand by my comments at the end of last season when I said that he should be sacked as I did not see that he could set the side up to score enough goals when they were needed to get automatic promotion.  When you look at the play-offs and scoring just one goal in three games, that sums up the approach taken by Bruce when he has got into difficult situations.  He bottles it.  The teams that have done well against Fulham or pushed them the hardest are the ones that have pushed up on their midfield, so what did we do, sit back.  As soon as their player was sent off, Kodjia should have been on with Grabban, not leave it for them to get organised.  One of the things that has got me for a long time is the manager being not willing to switch Snodgrass and Adomah during games.  We have been so predictable to play against.

Bruce should be told immediately that his best was not good enough and it is time for the Club to look for a new manager as his way is not the way that we now need to adopt going forward.  We were in a difficult position financially when Bruce came in but he has made it worse by his transfers (in and out) and high wages being paid for short term contracts/loans.  This was the risk that I could see from day one.  Bruce wanted to make it his team and sod the consequences for the Club.  Bruce's thinking was only about his time at the Club, although some criticism should go those above for allowing it, albeit difficult these days to hold managers in check when they are likely to throw a strop and use their media friends to gain leverage.

Going forward, we have to bring through young players due to the financial position.  Having said that, I do not think the financial position is as bad as some are saying.  There will still be a core of experience that will still be quality at this level to help the young players.  Bringing in the young players will add natural enthusiasm to the squad that the new manager needs to harness and use.

First and foremost, the new manager has to have a modern technical understanding of the game.  If he doesn't quite have the clout to control the players, you team him with an appropriate No. 2 so that they work as a team.  The new manager/coach needs to have seen what good (everything that goes to making a successful team) looks like i.e. have been at big clubs, either as a player, coach or manager.  I think this will limit British managers to very few but there are many foreign managers that could fit the bill where technique, football discipline etc. are the basics that they work with.  People are going to say to me who?  I do not know as I do not have data and dossiers on managers and coaches out there but I could list the qualities needed if it was my job to do it.  Personality will also play a big part as he will need to be able to get the respect of the young players as well as being like their teacher, father, brother and friend at various times.  In essence, the manager and the young players need to grow together so that the sum of the parts is greater than the individuals, something that Bruce failed to do spectacularly.


 

[old man villa fan]

There is logic when You consider.
1. He knows the squad
2. It represents stability.
3.He is backed by Wyness.
4.We are skint so they can avoid compensation for him and the back room staff.
5. FFP means we are not in a position to pay compensation.
6. Attracting a new manager without a Transfer budget will prove extremely difficult particularly when you consider the deadwood that is still lying around and that the loan players will be let go.
I don’t think any one should be surprised if they stick with him.
What a mess.

The best way of spending the last of the parachute payments would be on his compensation.

[ChicagoLion]

There is logic when You consider.
1. He knows the squad
2. It represents stability.
3.He is backed by Wyness.
4.We are skint so they can avoid compensation for him and the back room staff.
5. FFP means we are not in a position to pay compensation.
6. Attracting a new manager without a Transfer budget will prove extremely difficult particularly when you consider the deadwood that is still lying around and that the loan players will be let go.
I don’t think any one should be surprised if they stick with him.
What a mess.

The best way of spending the last of the parachute payments would be on his compensation.

It doesn’t work like that, sadly.

[pauliewalnuts]

I wouldn't be averse to Bruce moving upstairs & giving JT his first managerial post.

Christ, I would be.

Me too. I am struggling to think of a worse idea, in fact.

If we are going to do this, give it to Dean Smith, he's done a good job where he is.

I can not face the thought of more outdated football. Let's change things around.

[old man villa fan]

Looks like it. No compo to pay to anyone and he knows the players already.

Does he know the young players that he would have to use next season!

[old man villa fan]

There is logic when You consider.
1. He knows the squad
2. It represents stability.
3.He is backed by Wyness.
4.We are skint so they can avoid compensation for him and the back room staff.
5. FFP means we are not in a position to pay compensation.
6. Attracting a new manager without a Transfer budget will prove extremely difficult particularly when you consider the deadwood that is still lying around and that the loan players will be let go.
I don’t think any one should be surprised if they stick with him.
What a mess.

The best way of spending the last of the parachute payments would be on his compensation.

It doesn’t work like that, sadly.

In an indirect way, yes it does.

[ChicagoLion]

There is logic when You consider.
1. He knows the squad
2. It represents stability.
3.He is backed by Wyness.
4.We are skint so they can avoid compensation for him and the back room staff.
5. FFP means we are not in a position to pay compensation.
6. Attracting a new manager without a Transfer budget will prove extremely difficult particularly when you consider the deadwood that is still lying around and that the loan players will be let go.
I don’t think any one should be surprised if they stick with him.
What a mess.

The best way of spending the last of the parachute payments would be on his compensation.

It doesn’t work like that, sadly.

In an indirect way, yes it does.

You seem to struggle to understand basic accounting.

[AsTallAsLions]

Meaning Evil is running a poll on whether he should go or not. 63% think "Yes, he's the right man to bring us up". I get that he's earned some grace from the fans but I'd have thought the consensus would be swinging the other way by now.

[Steve67]

No doubts that poll is being hijacked by the Albion and Blues fans.

[Matt C]

Has it ever been published whether he’s on a rolling contract or set period?

[AsTallAsLions]

Has it ever been published whether he’s on a rolling contract or set period?

Nothing official but the press this morning is reporting it at as rolling, along with his quotes about staying as long as the owner wants him.