Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[RussellC]

However good or bad Hutton is, he's still a million times better than the godawful Taylor. 

Have to disagree, i'd say he's absolutely as bad. Which makes his standing with some of our supporters even more baffling.

Well, we'll have to disagree on that one.  I've barely seen Taylor have a single even passable game.  Hutton has had some good and very good games.

The 2 are incomparable. Hutton was excellent in both play-off semi-final games last season for example. He was also very good against Hull this season (whilst playing in his preferred position, coincidentally).  I can't remember anything good that Taylor has ever contributed in a Villa shirt. 

[chrisw1]

However good or bad Hutton is, he's still a million times better than the godawful Taylor. 

Have to disagree, i'd say he's absolutely as bad. Which makes his standing with some of our supporters even more baffling.

Well put it this way, Hutton has been one of our better players for the last 3 seasons.  Taylor is one of the worst I have ever seen in a Villa shirt.  Does that help?

[RussellC]

He's got 3 games to take 7-9 points. Lose at Blackburn and he's a goner. It would be 5 league games without a win and 3 points from 15.

I've had enough now.

Now that we've got a CEO in place I think Bruce is a dead-man walking, regardless of results in the next few games. It's just a matter of time now. I don't think they will sack him this week as they'll give his new signings to bed-in first, but I think they'll have already realised that he's not the man to take us forward, this season or beyond. I'd be absolutely amazed if he's still in charge for our FA Cup 3rd round tie.

[RussellC]

However good or bad Hutton is, he's still a million times better than the godawful Taylor. 

Have to disagree, i'd say he's absolutely as bad. Which makes his standing with some of our supporters even more baffling.

Well, we'll have to disagree on that one.  I've barely seen Taylor have a single even passable game.  Hutton has had some good and very good games.

We will. When Taylor first came i don't recall anybody moaning about him for quite some time. He was solid. And probably offered the same, if not more than Hutton going forward. Granted they may have been zero.

That about sums Taylor up. The best that anyone can say about him is that there was a brief period where no-one moaned about him.

We're talking about an experienced international here - one who played in the semi-final of the Euros - and there is literally no contribution in a Villa shirt of note. Not a particularly good tackle, or a decent delivery into the box? Just that he spent a few games going through the motions and not making glaring errors.

[sickbeggar]

He's got 3 games to take 7-9 points. Lose at Blackburn and he's a goner. It would be 5 league games without a win and 3 points from 15.

I've had enough now.

Now that we've got a CEO in place I think Bruce is a dead-man walking, regardless of results in the next few games. It's just a matter of time now. I don't think they will sack him this week as they'll give his new signings to bed-in first, but I think they'll have already realised that he's not the man to take us forward, this season or beyond. I'd be absolutely amazed if he's still in charge for our FA Cup 3rd round tie.

And if he wins the next 2 games which are certainly winnable for anyone with half a clue what they're doing, we could have 15 points and be in a play-off place. I can see this dragging on for months.

[Ads]

Blackeye haven't lost at home since September last year I don't think.

It's like Barnsley all over again, when we should be romping it.

Hutton Chester Axel RDL, with two weeks watching DVDs on Blackeye set pieces, on Deck's runs, on working on feeding the simple ball via midfield.

On.abandonning 4141 to push Jedinak next to McGinn to shield and drive the ball on. Getting Bolasie, El Ghazi and Grealish to work on patterns to impact space created.

I wish I'd never started watching this bloody Amazon series. It's given me a right footballing crush. And I already hate Poch for making me think those c***s Spurs are reasonable.

We have so much talent. We need coaching. I read that article yesterday on how that fella at Donesk with no money, a team shunted out the Dombass because of Putin, but still improving the players.

I accept a means to an end, but I think I've gone as far as I can. When the likes of Leeds, for all their intent they're quality starved and with a thin squad, top of the table, being embarrassed by a workmanlike and nothing more Sheffield United, I canne stands it anymore.

Normally I have my vim back by Monday, but I am absent of vigour.

[sirlordbaltimore]

However good or bad Hutton is, he's still a million times better than the godawful Taylor. 

Have to disagree, i'd say he's absolutely as bad. Which makes his standing with some of our supporters even more baffling.

Well put it this way, Hutton has been one of our better players for the last 3 seasons.  Taylor is one of the worst I have ever seen in a Villa shirt.  Does that help?

Maybe you just have lower expectations of what a footballer should be able to do. I like footballers that can play football. Not just 'destroy' or gallop about the pitch leaving gaping holes in the defence at one end and then giving the ball away to the opposition at the other end.

Graft is a very good thing to have in any players armoury. But it shouldn't be celebrated if it's the only thing in there to my mind.

As for the semi final, I hardly call being told to sit on a player (Traore) for 90 minutes and doing so playing well. It was basically the manager saying, 'He'll rip you a new arsehole if you play your normal game Alan. Just sit close to him and niggle him instead'

Feint praise indeed.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Ha! Nice one, Ads. I must get round to seeing it. One thing I've noticed from reading other clubs forums is the better the football their team play, the more the fans love to talk tactics, formations, etc. I look forward to reading about it on here in the not to distant future.

[garyshawsknee]

Well put Ads. Even with a lack of defenders, it seems pretty obvious that playing players in their natural positions would make a big difference to the defence. How RDL hasn't  figured is pretty puzzling. 

[john e]

First and foremost I want us out of this god forsaken league. It is truly shite being where we are and with whom we have in charge trying to get us out of it.
Some may scoff at Alladyce, but like others have pointed out, he does the basic things correctly. All players would be played in there natural positions and know what is required of them.
Another important eliment we seem to have trouble with is fitness. Again, you just know Allardyce would sort that out.

Allardyce is not my cup of tea long term for sure, but he is better than the chancer we have in charge right now.

sorry mate but its exactly this sort of thinking that's got us right where we are now

I don't think it's bad thinking to state that Allardyce would be a better organised manager than Bruce. He wouldn't make my top 10 of choices to replace Bruce, but he IS a better manager than Bruce.  If it was a straight choice between Allardyce and Bruce, I'd go for Allardyce.  Not that I want him at all, I'm still hoping for our version of Pochettino or Wagner.

No question, but my mum would be better than Bruce at the minute

It’s the let’s get up then sort the shit out that got us here

we’ll put up with Bruceball as long as it gets us promotion is the same as we will put up with big Sams shit as long as we get  up

It’s short term gambles that don’t work long term

different direction needed

[murgsy]

Still not gone? My hope is that they are just busy lining-up the new appointment.

[Allan C]

I think they'll give him several more weeks so he can at least play the team with the latest signings and see how that pans out.  We'll probably win a couple and the cycle will go on.

Personally I lost patience some time ago and very much hope they are lining up a replacement, but it is extremely difficult to get someone in a job to jump ship at this time of year.  My greatest fear is they will turn to Fat Sam, former England manager....

Although Sam wouldn't register highly on the thrillometer he's far more in tune with the modern game than Bruce and I think he would likely get us promoted then hit the buffers half way through our first season back in the prem. By which time we'd be far more likely to attract a top manager.

No  absolutely not. That was the plan with Bruce and we don’t want anymore of that. Now is the time for a completely fresh start so when we do go up, we’ll be set up to compete and stay there. The time of the dinosaurs is over.

[old man villa fan]

I still don't know how people can use McCormackgate as a stick to beat Bruce (or any other manager with)

McCormack took the piss out of the club by not turning up to do his very well paid job, not once but numerous times.

What is a manager supposed to do when a player does that? serious question.

Do you think his team mates would have wanted him welcomed back into the fold like he'd done nothing wrong either?

Imagine the message that would've sent out. I'm a supporter and I couldn't care if Ross had previously scored five hat tricks in a row. You can't have players taking the piss and doing whatever they want. For all his faults, the one thing Bruce definitely got 100% right was getting the whole squad unified last season. There were no bad apples as far as I could see, just a group of players all playing for their manager and each other. For the first time in YEARS.

I'm not even sure McCormack has even apologised to Bruce or his team mates. Fuck him, and rightly so.

.... and an opposing reaction to Gabriel Agbonlahor's indiscretions.

If McCormack's mind wasn't in the right place, I'm sure this wouldn't have helped.

[pbavfckuwait]

Someone mentioned that Bruce had united the dressing room last year and that we should be happy for that. To mee this is how it works.
His 1st year, still unsettled squad and dressing room, ended up 13th (No Terry)
2nd season , play off final, some real signs of a united team, close but not close enough (Terry here)
3rd season, defensive shambles, players falling out with the manager, Elphick, Albert, alot more of them looking disinterested, no one seemingly knowing what they are suppose to be doing (No Terry)
Anyone see a pattern, and for someone to state that Bruce is not a chancer, to me a chancer in football is the type of manager who deflects blame from himself onto his players, especially the younger members of the squad.

I also still can't work out how Bruce knew Rossgate was not at training, as he is never f.....ing there.

[Allan C]

I still don't know how people can use McCormackgate as a stick to beat Bruce (or any other manager with)

McCormack took the piss out of the club by not turning up to do his very well paid job, not once but numerous times.

What is a manager supposed to do when a player does that? serious question.

Do you think his team mates would have wanted him welcomed back into the fold like he'd done nothing wrong either?

Imagine the message that would've sent out. I'm a supporter and I couldn't care if Ross had previously scored five hat tricks in a row. You can't have players taking the piss and doing whatever they want. For all his faults, the one thing Bruce definitely got 100% right was getting the whole squad unified last season. There were no bad apples as far as I could see, just a group of players all playing for their manager and each other. For the first time in YEARS.

I'm not even sure McCormack has even apologised to Bruce or his team mates. Fuck him, and rightly so.

McCormack should have been disciplined to the maximum allowed by the club and rightly so. The full story should never have been made public by Bruce cos I’m pretty sure McCormack wouldn’t have gone public with the circumstances. I’m willing to bet that at every club in the country you’ll get similar situations but we rarely hear the circumstances. That’s how should have handled it