The Official Steve Bruce Thread
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JW1985
Vital Champions League
Who then? There isn't anyone else but Bruce to make those decisions. The staff that have been binned off were all in favour of younger players from Europe, Bolasie doesn't fit that bill. And if the new owners maybe wanted a big name player to announce they're intentions then surely Terry is a bigger name than Bolasie. Who made the decision if not Steve Bruce?
pvb1968
Vital 1st Team Regular
Aston villa want to be promoted.
Aston villa have a squad capable of challenging for promotion.
Aston villa have a manager who came in and stopped the rot but in that time has overseen 5 slumps in form that culminated in successive poor mirror like performances. It doesn't matter if we beat Bristol City and Millwall, the poor form we are seeing now will return and we will be in the championship next season and thereafter if we don't act now.
Aston villa have a squad capable of challenging for promotion.
Aston villa have a manager who came in and stopped the rot but in that time has overseen 5 slumps in form that culminated in successive poor mirror like performances. It doesn't matter if we beat Bristol City and Millwall, the poor form we are seeing now will return and we will be in the championship next season and thereafter if we don't act now.
mike_field
Vital Football Legend
And given Mendes links come from the Sun, can we get a grip.
northamptonvillan
Vital 1st Team Regular
The players haven't got a clue, Bruce hasn't got a clue and we as fans have no hope of that changing.
To have any chance of salvaging anything from this season (and that's a big ask given the lack of direction, belief and desire apparent), the new owners have to act swiftly to appoint the right candidate. The reason we are in this position is that as a club, we have consistently made the wrong choices regarding managers and subsequently players. If it were an easy choice, we would still be in the Premier League. I hope they get this one right.
As a matter of interest, can anybody think of the last team promoted from the Championship with the core of their squad made up of ageing former Premiership has beens, not quiet good enoughs and casualties on salaries large enough to see them never have to work again?
Personally, I've never been convinced that is the way that we will get out of this League. The team needs to be systematically and consistently stronger than the sum of its parts, not a collection of individuals. It will be groundhog day until we appoint a manager who can facilitate that.
As has become the norm with the Villa, I live in hope that better days are just around the corner.
PS. To illustrate my point, our best signing this year is proving to be a young man from Scotland with passion, energy and desire who most of us had never heard of.
To have any chance of salvaging anything from this season (and that's a big ask given the lack of direction, belief and desire apparent), the new owners have to act swiftly to appoint the right candidate. The reason we are in this position is that as a club, we have consistently made the wrong choices regarding managers and subsequently players. If it were an easy choice, we would still be in the Premier League. I hope they get this one right.
As a matter of interest, can anybody think of the last team promoted from the Championship with the core of their squad made up of ageing former Premiership has beens, not quiet good enoughs and casualties on salaries large enough to see them never have to work again?
Personally, I've never been convinced that is the way that we will get out of this League. The team needs to be systematically and consistently stronger than the sum of its parts, not a collection of individuals. It will be groundhog day until we appoint a manager who can facilitate that.
As has become the norm with the Villa, I live in hope that better days are just around the corner.
PS. To illustrate my point, our best signing this year is proving to be a young man from Scotland with passion, energy and desire who most of us had never heard of.
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Bikini Inspector
Vital Football Hero
I see he is rolling out the "some will never accept me here" line alluding to his time at Small Heath. I knew it was coming he used the same excuse at Sunderland claiming that they disliked him because he was a Geordie. On a side note I don't want to be nasty to the bloke but his smashed up nose is really starting to annoy me and it seems to be getting worse as our results degenerate. The first requirement for me when we look for a new manager is somebody with a normal nose.
McParlandTheGreat
Vital Champions League
Don't think we have made the wrong choices regarding players, while we've been in the Championship. A few haven't worked out, like McCormack, but it's difficult to avoid that. What has happened is that when the players arrive:
a) it turns out the manager hasn't got a clue how to use them
b) may not get around to using them in the first place
c) often are duplicates for positions already catered for
d) if they are played look as though no coaching has gone on to integrate them as part of a cohesive team.
We're currently not in a bad position in the division, even though it should be much better. That's due to individual flashes of player class; there is quality in the squad. Without that we could be relegation fodder.
When Bruce goes on about people who are never going to give him a chance, what he doesn't seem to realise it's not personal dislike which is driving fans, it's what they've seen over the last 100 matches.
northamptonvillan
Vital 1st Team Regular
We will find out McP when the next manager is appointed, that is assuming that he doesn't suffer from the same weaknesses as Mr Bruce.
onlyteaminthemids
Vital Squad Member
Pretty convinced this was a clickbait nothing of a story, but if true how can you say Green better than bolasie? Green is injured yet again, wonder if he’ll ever play a full season for anyone? In the first couple of games he looked well off the pace, whereas bolasie looked a threat in both games.
Suppose it’s all about opinions...
crimsondonkey
Vital 1st Team Regular
Just a manager with tactics and systems would do.
McParlandTheGreat
Vital Champions League
Not so much "again". Apparently he's had a cyst on his knee for a bit and decided to get it operated on. Apparently somebody forgot to tell Portsmouth when they signed him.
1958Villan
Vital Football Hero
A lot of people are saying we have a squad good enough to win this league, I'm afraid I have to disagree, the squad we have would find it difficult to win league two.
The reason I say that is nothing to do with the quality of the players in our squad but, everything to do with the make up of the squad.
We have one centreback, when every other football squad has at least four as it is, if not the most important, at least one of the most important outfield positions in a team.
We have one leftback, who is going through such a rough time at present that a rightback is playing his position.
For most of the season we have had another clubs U23 reserve centreback playing rightback.
Our midfield is a mess because none of them now know what position they are to play, we do have midfield positions that are overmanned and others that are undermanned. We have a midfielder with the potential to be worldclass but, he is played in positions that don't utilise his talents.
We have an attack, that on paper, should frighten the brown stuff out of every other team in the division but, one of the automatic two attackers refuses to pass the ball to anyone, in 99% of the games he plays.
We seem to have a team of individuals who receive absolutely no training/coaching in how to play as a unit and they aren't intelligent enough to work it out for themselves.
I believe that the players that make up our squad, if put into a team coached to play a system and their individual responsibility's explained to them, would be, in the most part, standout performers.
As it is, they play like a bunch of schoolkids in the playground.
The reason I say that is nothing to do with the quality of the players in our squad but, everything to do with the make up of the squad.
We have one centreback, when every other football squad has at least four as it is, if not the most important, at least one of the most important outfield positions in a team.
We have one leftback, who is going through such a rough time at present that a rightback is playing his position.
For most of the season we have had another clubs U23 reserve centreback playing rightback.
Our midfield is a mess because none of them now know what position they are to play, we do have midfield positions that are overmanned and others that are undermanned. We have a midfielder with the potential to be worldclass but, he is played in positions that don't utilise his talents.
We have an attack, that on paper, should frighten the brown stuff out of every other team in the division but, one of the automatic two attackers refuses to pass the ball to anyone, in 99% of the games he plays.
We seem to have a team of individuals who receive absolutely no training/coaching in how to play as a unit and they aren't intelligent enough to work it out for themselves.
I believe that the players that make up our squad, if put into a team coached to play a system and their individual responsibility's explained to them, would be, in the most part, standout performers.
As it is, they play like a bunch of schoolkids in the playground.
tarzansbrother
Vital Football Hero
If I were the owners I’d be looking at the impact Gerrard has made at Rangers. Tin pot league maybe but he has got them playing, scoring, qualified for the europa league. He has also picked up a few bargains. Surely John Terry could be risked to make a similar impact replacing Brucie, especially if we get the rumoured director of football.
CDX_EIRE
Vital Football Legend
No thank you sir
tarzansbrother
Vital Football Hero
Who’s your choice? Or stick with Brucie
1958Villan
Vital Football Hero
Paper talk.
For one thing, it was said before Bolasie was signed, that we couldn't afford to pay Terry the same amount as he was getting last season, which was £60k. So then, how could we afford to pay Bolasie £70k.
The signing of Bolasie and Abraham, as well as the rest of the signings, had to be down to Bruce.
If you think about it, there has been no one else in a position at the club to sign players, not since Wyness was binned.
The scouting team found El Ghazi and McGinn, which makes it even more surprising that they were binned.
Bruce has dropped El Ghazi, even though he was involved in two goals in his first two matches, assisting one and scoring one and replacing him with a player he was willing to off-load in the window, a player who isn't producing anywhere near his best.
Bruce could be acting as an agent for one of his previous clubs, a club he managed for 270 games and got promoted twice, a club whose seasons highlight has always been to see Villa get beat. In fact their best times were when we were in the old third division.
(Put in as an idea for those who are paranoid).
