Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[RussellC]

The number of people coming out in Bruce’s defence is absolutely bizarre. Along with the blatant misrepresentation of facts. I’ve heard at least 5 people say “they’re only 7 points off the top” without anyone pointing out that we’re only 5 points from the bottom.  Simon Jordan was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me yesterday. Usually to the point and not afraid of offending, he took the “Bruce is a great guy, just needs more time” route. Jim White pointing out that he had the owners come-in 2 weeks earlier we might have been able to ‘keep’ Johnstone, Snodgrass, etc (conveniently forgetting that they were never ours to keep). Well, maybe, but if we’d got promoted last season then we’d have definitely been able to keep hold of them!

[Clampy]

The number of people coming out in Bruce’s defence is absolutely bizarre. Along with the blatant misrepresentation of facts. I’ve heard at least 5 people say “they’re only 7 points off the top” without anyone pointing out that we’re only 5 points from the bottom.  Simon Jordan was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me yesterday. Usually to the point and not afraid of offending, he took the “Bruce is a great guy, just needs more time” route. Jim White pointing out that he had the owners come-in 2 weeks earlier we might have been able to ‘keep’ Johnstone, Snodgrass, etc (conveniently forgetting that they were never ours to keep). Well, maybe, but if we’d got promoted last season then we’d have definitely been able to keep hold of them!

If they had come in earlier, I suppose we could have kept Johnstone seeing as we were prepared to pay £6m for that Bristol city full back. I think that's probably what he meant.

[Drummond]

Sacking your manager and the costs associated with recruitment are excluded under FFP. Appendix D 2.7.3.

So we can chuck as much money at a new manager for a Golden Hello as we please, as its any cost associated with the change of management.

Messi as player/manager, Ronaldo as his player/coach, Terry as player/defensive coach....

[berneboy]

Sacking your manager and the costs associated with recruitment are excluded under FFP. Appendix D 2.7.3.

So we can chuck as much money at a new manager for a Golden Hello as we please, as its any cost associated with the change of management.

That is the best news I've heard since yesterday.

I've looked it up. Doesn't it say 'The following items cannot be the subject of an application for treatment as a Permitted Exceptional Item under these Rules by a Championship Club:

[XXVilla]

Sacking your manager and the costs associated with recruitment are excluded under FFP. Appendix D 2.7.3.

So we can chuck as much money at a new manager for a Golden Hello as we please, as its any cost associated with the change of management.

That is the best news I've heard since yesterday.

I've looked it up. Doesn't it say 'The following items cannot be the subject of an application for treatment as a Permitted Exceptional Item under these Rules by a Championship Club:

Whatever that means

[RussellC]

The number of people coming out in Bruce’s defence is absolutely bizarre. Along with the blatant misrepresentation of facts. I’ve heard at least 5 people say “they’re only 7 points off the top” without anyone pointing out that we’re only 5 points from the bottom.  Simon Jordan was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me yesterday. Usually to the point and not afraid of offending, he took the “Bruce is a great guy, just needs more time” route. Jim White pointing out that he had the owners come-in 2 weeks earlier we might have been able to ‘keep’ Johnstone, Snodgrass, etc (conveniently forgetting that they were never ours to keep). Well, maybe, but if we’d got promoted last season then we’d have definitely been able to keep hold of them!

If they had come in earlier, I suppose we could have kept Johnstone seeing as we were prepared to pay £6m for that Bristol city full back. I think that's probably what he meant.

Maybe, but it's the way that Bruce was absolved of any blame in the situation. That he was the victim of misfortune timing, rather than actually bearing any responsibility through our failure to get promoted.

[mike]

Sky: Sacking Steve Bruce was 'a mistake' by Aston Villa, The Debate panel agree

Caught a discussion on Talksport this morning where some talking head was going over the results from last night.  He must have been a Derby fan because Alan Brazil said to him "Derby have had a good start" and then the conversation went something like this:

Talking head - Yes they have and they got a draw with Norwich, which wasn't a bad result as Norwich were doing well and had won their last four
Brazil - They wanted their manager out not so long ago
Talking head - Just goes to show that Steve Bruce should have been given more time
Brazil (sounding a bit upset and angry) - Well it's too late now

I'm sorry, but how the f@ck does Norwich winning four games in a row before drawing with Derby mean that Steve Bruce should have been given more time?  I wonder how many times some of these idiots coming out with this rubbish have seen actually us play this season? 

Then again, in the Guardian (and whatever you think of it the journalists are a bit more credible than the meatheads on Talksport and Sky) 'Aston Villa are targeting a high-profile appointment after sacking Steve Bruce following a damaging run of results that made his position untenable in the eyes of the club’s owners.'

[mike]

Sacking your manager and the costs associated with recruitment are excluded under FFP. Appendix D 2.7.3.

So we can chuck as much money at a new manager for a Golden Hello as we please, as its any cost associated with the change of management.

That is the best news I've heard since yesterday.

I've looked it up. Doesn't it say 'The following items cannot be the subject of an application for treatment as a Permitted Exceptional Item under these Rules by a Championship Club:

Whatever that means

It either means we can get somebody really good because Ads was right or someone cheap because he isn't.

[ktvillan]

How does Oliver Holt write when he's lodged so far inside Martin O'Neill's rectum?

You read my mind Ads. 

[PeterWithe]

LOL

[ktvillan]

The most accurate barometer of a manager’s ability and performance is the crowd that watches his teams week in week out.  Everyone else is speculating based on past performance, reputation, glimpses of matches etc.  This is especially true of ex-player pundits who are actively encouraged not to apply any thought, intelligence or analysis to their opinions, and are all too willing to “support their mates”.   There are exceptions, such as Leroy Rosenior, and to an extent Collymore.  The rest of them, and other team’s fans, are talking out of their arses.

[tomd2103]

The number of people coming out in Bruce’s defence is absolutely bizarre. Along with the blatant misrepresentation of facts. I’ve heard at least 5 people say “they’re only 7 points off the top” without anyone pointing out that we’re only 5 points from the bottom.  Simon Jordan was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me yesterday. Usually to the point and not afraid of offending, he took the “Bruce is a great guy, just needs more time” route. Jim White pointing out that he had the owners come-in 2 weeks earlier we might have been able to ‘keep’ Johnstone, Snodgrass, etc (conveniently forgetting that they were never ours to keep). Well, maybe, but if we’d got promoted last season then we’d have definitely been able to keep hold of them!

If they had come in earlier, I suppose we could have kept Johnstone seeing as we were prepared to pay £6m for that Bristol city full back. I think that's probably what he meant.

Maybe, but it's the way that Bruce was absolved of any blame in the situation. That he was the victim of misfortune timing, rather than actually bearing any responsibility through our failure to get promoted.

That's the thing, all of the nonsense spouted by the likes of Jim White is so easily debunked.  Johnstone is a decent Championship keeper, but is young and has his faults at this stage of his career (as he is currently proving with Albion) so was hardly irreplaceable.  Bruce was given the money to buy and loan a goalkeeper this summer (as well as having Steer who many thought at least deserved a chance) and he ballsed it up to the extent he had to resort to playing Bunn the other night with the inevitable consequences.   

You would at least expect the local media to point some of this out, but WM and the Birmingham Mail have been two of his biggest cheerleaders.

[cdward]

Sky: Sacking Steve Bruce was 'a mistake' by Aston Villa, The Debate panel agree

Steve Sidwell and Craig Bellamy both agreed the decision to dismiss Bruce came too soon....
So Craig Bellamy and Steve Sidwell are the debate panel - enough said, move on, nothing to see here.

[Brassneck]

How can it possibly be too soon?  For those who had to endure the woeful football, it is about 12 months too late.

These so called experts don't realise that it isn't just the crap has been going on this season, it has been going on since day 1.  Nothing was going to change under Bruce.  We would have continued to huff and puff and failing to take advantage of the quality our squad possesses.  Most managers in the Championship (and many in the divisions below) would have attained the 14 points that Bruce did.  It was/is a terrible return given the kind opening batch of opening fixtures we were given.

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

Glad to know we've annoyed all Bruce's media chums. If ever there was a ringing endorsement that we were absolutely right to sack him it's Sky Sports' roster of empty-headed workshy shit-fountains queuing up to say we were wrong.