Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[dorsetvillian]

I think its obvious that Bruce will now leave. The financial situation just doesn't suit his management style. We need a new approach throughout the club. The new manager will have to embrace these financial restrictions and so will the supporters. As others have said, teams like Huddersfield and Brighton have been promoted with tiny budgets, so why not Villa. What is essential is a continued unity in the club from the board, manager team and supporters.

[pauliewalnuts]

It looks to me like a Lerner style retreat.

We are all aware that we will face severe FFP challenges next season. I am an Aston Villa fan. But I am also a businessman. Under the current circumstances, I think the club needs to rethink not only the past two years but also the past ten years. Villa needs to be a sustainable football club. People join. People leave. That is the cycle of football.

If that's not a hint at a Grealish exit then I don't know what it is.

I also don't understand how some people seem to have worked out we've got this FFP thing licked because we'll get some money for Gil or Gollini or whichever player we'd all forgotten played for us, when the chairman is talking of 'severe challenges' with the CEO having mentioned next year being a problem, too.

He really couldn't have made it much clearer. Brace yourselves.

[Matt Collins]

I've not seen anything to suggest a Lerner style retreat

This is all externally imposed

[pauliewalnuts]

I've not seen anything to suggest a Lerner style retreat

This is all externally imposed

What about the "I am a fan but I am also a businessman" comment? That's not.

Don't get me wrong, I don't really blame him. I think he's realised it's going to cost him a lot more money than he thought it would to do what he wants and is telling us - really very clearly - that things are going to have to change quite significantly.

[Ads]

We can't chuck money at it because we're not allowed to. We have to slum it with the chumps and box clever.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

I've not seen anything to suggest a Lerner style retreat

This is all externally imposed

What about the "I am a fan but I am also a businessman" comment? That's not.

Don't get me wrong, I don't really blame him. I think he's realised it's going to cost him a lot more money than he thought it would to do what he wants and is telling us - really very clearly - that things are going to have to change quite significantly.

This is how I read it. A good deal of hand-wringing to come.

[David_Nab]

I've not seen anything to suggest a Lerner style retreat

This is all externally imposed

What about the "I am a fan but I am also a businessman" comment? That's not.

Don't get me wrong, I don't really blame him. I think he's realised it's going to cost him a lot more money than he thought it would to do what he wants and is telling us - really very clearly - that things are going to have to change quite significantly.

I wish he had been a Business man from the bloody start ..the wages and fee's paid in last 2 years are comparable to the squandering under Lerner

[old man villa fan]

You can always afford to get rid of a failure and somebody that is not going to get you to where you want to be.  You cannot afford not to.

[Sexual Ealing]

Surely - SURELY! - even if he has a rolling contract we'd have a break clause at this point of his tenure?

[JUAN PABLO]

we are right in the shit and part of this is because of Bruce . I hope he does  hurry up and goes.

it will get shitter If he stays here.

[PeterWithesShin]

Surely - SURELY! - even if he has a rolling contract we'd have a break clause at this point of his tenure?

Surely that would go against the whole point of a rolling contract?

[Richard E]

It wouldn't be that unusual for there to be provision that the contract automatically rolls over for another year on the anniversary of it being entered into (for example) unless either side gives notice to the contrary within a certain period.

[LeeB]

Surely - SURELY! - even if he has a rolling contract we'd have a break clause at this point of his tenure?

Surely that would go against the whole point of a rolling contract?

We can break his contract if he doesn't take a penalty at Arsenal, or if he spends more on wages than Spurs.

I've heard.

[Richard E]

Somebody has to carry the can for the failure to go up, if only to sate the bloodlust I feel because of how f*cked off and disappointed I am.

[PeterWithesShin]

It wouldn't be that unusual for there to be provision that the contract automatically rolls over for another year on the anniversary of it being entered into (for example) unless either side gives notice to the contrary within a certain period.

Usually in football a rolling contract is a one, occasionally two, year contract that renews daily.

IIRC one of the main reasons Super Ron left was because they wanted to switch his rolling contract to a fixed one.