Bruce Sacked at last (now official)

[London Villan]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06mwgdk

John Percy 40 second interview on 5 Live. 'A shapeless mess'.

Summed up perfectly in 40 seconds.

That’s it in 40 seconds, get sharing.

[paul_e]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06mwgdk

John Percy 40 second interview on 5 Live. 'A shapeless mess'.

Absolutely spot on, as he says it's about stockpiling players and hoping that if he churns things about enough something will work and he can pretend that was the plan all along.

[kippaxvilla2]

The Mail on Sunday's Oliver Holt: "Spoke to Steve Bruce at Craven Cottage six months ago, two weeks after his dad had died. He was grace personified. His mum died soon after. He was still giving everything for the club. Last night, some moron of a 'fan' threw a cabbage at him. Sometimes, football stinks."

[Monty]

It's an interesting one. Clearly Bruce has had a tough year, and the personal abuse got (I think) way out of hand at times, so one can sympathise. On the other hand, there's a clique of football pundits who are all mates, all have the same stupid opinions on which the only people who agree with them are each other, and they keep each other in work. It's in these guy's interests that people like Bruce don't get too much close examination.

[Chris Jameson]

I wish whoever the moron was who thre the cabbage hadn't done it because not only was a fucking stupid thing to do but it has detracted from why he was sacked.

[dave.woodhall]

It's an interesting one. Clearly Bruce has had a tough year, and the personal abuse got (I think) way out of hand at times, so one can sympathise. On the other hand, there's a clique of football pundits who are all mates, all have the same stupid opinions on which the only people who agree with them are each other, and they keep each other in work. It's in these guy's interests that people like Bruce don't get too much close examination.

And I think that we'd be much the same in their shoes. As one writer once said to me, "I'm not going to burn  my bridges with someone I might still have to rely on to do my job properly".

[Monty]

It's an interesting one. Clearly Bruce has had a tough year, and the personal abuse got (I think) way out of hand at times, so one can sympathise. On the other hand, there's a clique of football pundits who are all mates, all have the same stupid opinions on which the only people who agree with them are each other, and they keep each other in work. It's in these guy's interests that people like Bruce don't get too much close examination.

And I think that we'd be much the same in their shoes. As one writer once said to me, "I'm not going to burn  my bridges with someone I might still have to rely on to do my job properly".

Quite possibly. It's the nature of the beast.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06mwgdk

John Percy 40 second interview on 5 Live. 'A shapeless mess'.

Absolutely spot on, as he says it's about stockpiling players and hoping that if he churns things about enough something will work and he can pretend that was the plan all along.

Spare a thought for John Percy, a chap that studied through university, worked hard through his career before getting his big, glamourous break at the Telegraph covering football, only to be sent off to cover Aston Villa. Even being paid for it, it must have been horrible for him. I'm just surprised it wasn't him that threw the cabbage.

[olaftab]

Pundits sit on the credibility fence that’s very thin and try to stay on it but fail miserably by falling to the ineffective side mostly appearing to protect their “mates” in the game but essentially protecting themselves. One day they may need a job so never offend anyone in the game.

[Drummond]

I guess this is another thread.

It's an interesting one. Clearly Bruce has had a tough year, and the personal abuse got (I think) way out of hand at times, so one can sympathise. On the other hand, there's a clique of football pundits who are all mates, all have the same stupid opinions on which the only people who agree with them are each other, and they keep each other in work. It's in these guy's interests that people like Bruce don't get too much close examination.

And I think that we'd be much the same in their shoes. As one writer once said to me, "I'm not going to burn  my bridges with someone I might still have to rely on to do my job properly".

Quite. Which is why rent-a-gob, man-of-the-people, Redknapp plays them all so well. Available any time for quotes and opinions he gets left well alone.

Mourinho, who sticks two fingers up at most people, doesn't.

[rob_bridge]

Bruce is nowhere near the worst manager we have ever had.

However he simply wasnt good enough.

[PaulWinch again]

The Mail on Sunday's Oliver Holt: "Spoke to Steve Bruce at Craven Cottage six months ago, two weeks after his dad had died. He was grace personified. His mum died soon after. He was still giving everything for the club. Last night, some moron of a 'fan' threw a cabbage at him. Sometimes, football stinks."

At a high level I’d agree. Although ‘giving his all’ is a push based on the lack of attempts to change things.

Bottom line though is that being nice and going through a tough time shouldn’t
keep you in a job you’re not performing in. It does mean people should maybe think before they say things, but it doesn’t change the fact the club had no choice but to act.

[kippaxvilla2]

Apart from anything else I thought he was looking increasingly unwell the last few weeks.  He was literally purple on Tuesday night.   

If you lose both parents within weeks of each other added to the batshit craziness of Villa the last few years then it’s bound to have an effect.  It clearly affected his professional capabilities as well.  When 30,000 amateur managers plus however many others out there can see playing players out of position isn’t going to work then why couldn’t he and his staff? 

[aj2k77]

The Mail on Sunday's Oliver Holt: "Spoke to Steve Bruce at Craven Cottage six months ago, two weeks after his dad had died. He was grace personified. His mum died soon after. He was still giving everything for the club. Last night, some moron of a 'fan' threw a cabbage at him. Sometimes, football stinks."

A cabbage and family deaths have nothing to do with Steve Bruce and his Aston Villa failure.

[tomd2103]

The Mail on Sunday's Oliver Holt: "Spoke to Steve Bruce at Craven Cottage six months ago, two weeks after his dad had died. He was grace personified. His mum died soon after. He was still giving everything for the club. Last night, some moron of a 'fan' threw a cabbage at him. Sometimes, football stinks."

A cabbage and family deaths have nothing to do with Steve Bruce and his Aston Villa failure.

Would have to agree and the signs were there long before his sad circumstances with his family arose.  On reflection, he got off very lightly after his first season, as he had plenty of time and money to turn things around, and ended up wasting both. 

That said, I still maintain he deserves a lot of credit for the way he conducted himself during such a difficult family time.