Re: Bruce stays or Bruce goes. All in here thread.

[deadbuzzardalive]

I thought it seemed strange, but googled something like 'face mole scars' and some of the images that came up showed people in a pretty bad way. Then again having gone on youtube to look at some interviews whilst he's been Villa manager and I can't actually see any moles on his face at all.

Whatever it is I doubt he's been in a fight with one of the players.

I actually saw an interview with him yesterday, and he mentioned at the end of the season he's going to be speaking with the 'top brass', and for a moment he seemed to look worried, or maybe it just looked that way to me. Presuming they intend to keep him on, they could do with him getting a win today to help keep fans onside.

[big ming]

Can anybody point out anything about Villa which is dramatically ( or even marginally) better than the situation we found ourselves in 12 months ago?
The only thing we seem to have improved at is "pissing money up the wall".
Never going anywhere under the dinosaur,Bruce.

[UnclePanda]

Can anybody point out anything about Villa which is dramatically ( or even marginally) better than the situation we found ourselves in 12 months ago?
The only thing we seem to have improved at is "pissing money up the wall".
Never going anywhere under the dinosaur,Bruce.

Yes, 2 things:

1) We didnt get relegated
2) We've won more than 3 games this season.

Thats all I have!

[Guest]

I think we're miles better at a lot of stuff.

We actually fight for the loose balls.
We have some toughness.
We look organised.
We take shots now and then.
We have some resilience.
We win matches quite often.

Now obviously this should be expected, but that wasn't the question.

And it will get a lot better. It always does.

[The Utterer]

The season is a 4/10 overall from me.
Football style 3/10
Signings 5/10
Kodija has been one of only a few signings who have done the business 9/10
Hogan 4/10
Hourihane 6/10
Lansbury 5/10
Johnson 7/10
Adomah 6/10
Bree 6/10
Jedinak 8/10
Chester 8/10
Taylor 8/10
McCormack 3/10

Steve Bruce 5/10 so far for me

All in all the season has been crap and was slightly worse than what i expected. The team is nowhere near and still needs massive work.

[deadbuzzardalive]

So Bruce has us finishing in 13th place, eighteen points off the play-offs,and even more damning thirty-one points off automatic promotion. For me that spells failure, and he's shown nothing to suggest that we should let him coach this team going into next season or that we should give him a budget to spend on more players that he's incapable of using properly.

If we want promotion next season then get someone in who can at least get us playing football, otherwise we don't have a chance.

Time for Round to be brave now and to start making moves to implement the changes he said he was going to bring to the club when he was appointed.

[Guest]

I think he's stop the rot so to speak. I think the attitude on the pitch has changed and we look to be some what organised. The job that was to be taken was massive and there's no question about it. We've been a team in decline for years. Everything has turned rotten and it takes som time to get it right.

Next up for him is improving the style of play. Making us more consistent.

I think we're getting there personally. We'll be a totally different team next season than what we've seen this season.

Personally I don't mind our signings that much. I think they are ok. I slightly worried about our striker situation though. If Kodjia is out until September with a proper knock, then we suddenly have 3 slightly injury prone players with Kodjia, Hogan and RHM all out. To satisfy all our strikers you can't really sign another first team player, so I guess the best option is to find a winger/inside forward that can play all along the line, and move him back to replace Amavi after Kodjia is back. Alternatively hope Kieanan Davis is up for it or buy a young lad like the Exeter one to rotate.

Only position I think we need to reinforce is cover for Jedinak. Who that could be I've got no idea. I'd like to see us sign Johnstone up permanently as well.

[deadbuzzardalive]

If we keep Bruce and only sign cover for Jedinak, then I think a relegation battle would be more likely than a promotion push next season. We'd need five or six signings, and it would probably help to bring in Phelan to help with coaching.

[Trotters]

I'm as torn as Bruce's face.

The game against Blackburn proved that there's absolutely nothing going on at a tactical level. The players didn't seem to have even met each other before and for much of the game, look like they'd never seen a football before.

The game against Brighton was a million miles better but still massively lacking in pretty fundamental areas:
1. Passing
2. Atrocious shooting
3. Movement off the ball
4. Throw ins

I mean that's Day 1 of football so why, when we have a pretty outstanding bunch of players, can we not do the basics?

So the problem lies with either Bruce, his coaching team or Bruce AND his coaching team.

If we go into next season without changes to at least one of them, then I can't see us going up. Even a halfway decent coaching setup should see us as champions so Xia/Wyness need to pull the trigger somewhere.

[DelboyVilla]

So after being in charge of the team for 3/4 of the season Bruce has managed to 'stop the rot' and make us a bottom half Championship team despite spending a King's ransom on the League's 'best' players? What a super performance?

Under the 30 plus games under Bruce's leadership I can see zero improvement in the performance of the team and in fact would argue that we have regressed in playing style. So what are the benefits of keeping Bruce at the helm? I see very few! If he can't get a side that on paper is one of the strongest 3 teams outside the EPL playing decent winning football then I don't see how he ever will?

I say change now for the good of the side and the fans.

[Guest]

The basics will get better. He needs a pre-season.

If you get placed as captain on a sinking ship, you don't start teaching the crew how the engine room works. You get them to plug the holes to avoid sinking. Once stabilized you try and get the rest of the shit sorted. Rescue operations are never pretty.

[DelboyVilla]

The basics will get better. He needs a pre-season.

If you get placed as captain on a sinking ship, you don't start teaching the crew how the engine room works. You get them to plug the holes to avoid sinking. Once stabilized you try and get the rest of the shit sorted. Rescue operations are never pretty.

As per usual couldn't disagree more!

Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is a sign of madness!

35 games in charge is enough for someone of his supposed caliber to have a dramatic effect and he has had seemingly had none!

With the backing he received it is criminal to finish in the lower half and he needs to go!

[Guest]

Oh please. Those cliches are so ridiculous. Bet you are pretty fucking worthless at maths then if you really think that.

Every thing you get good at in life comes from repetition.

[DelboyVilla]

Oh please. Those cliches are so ridiculous. Bet you are pretty fucking worthless at maths then if you really think that.

Every thing you get good at in life comes from repetition.

You keep telling yourself that!!??!!

[deadbuzzardalive]

Dr. Tony Xia‏Verified account @Dr_TonyXia 10m10 minutes ago
End of the season. A lot2do this summer as we almost wasted last one. Need focus on how2form a team rather always up2great individuals.#UTV

[deadbuzzardalive]

I keep seeing people saying 'at least we've stopped the rot', doesn't look like we've stopped any rot to me; spent £70m+ and managed to finish 13th in the Championship, closer to the bottom three than the top six, the football is diabolical, and it's only because of Kodjia's goals that we weren't in serious troube of going down, if anything the rot has gotten worse.

[Dions_Bald_Head]

Some shitty goings on in my life as of the last couple of years have actually helped me in my attitude to Villa because McGrath knows how miserable I'd be about my beloved club. It's from this enforced perspective that my pennyworth goes like this:

Bruce hasn't worked wonders this season but given the losing streak we'd been on for so many seasons, the fact that he managed to eventually turn us briefly into the in-form team of the moment & climb up the table is, for me just about enough to give him a chance because, now that he's been bloodied in & literally has the scar to show for it, why waste that experience. Remember we're told that the club was left a mess & has been restructuring as well this season - let's keep some continuity & see summer & pre-season from Bruce. He says he's dreamed of a job like this, let's see him fight for it. I agree with Dr Tony; enough of the managerial merry-go-round - it's embarrassing.

[Trotters]

Sorry to hear of the last couple of shit years, DBH.

I see your point but I look at Joppe's comment that "The basics will get better" and it sets off huge alarm bells as the players we signed were pretty much top-of-the-tree as far as this league is concerned (and in top form when they came here) and they've had the basics coached out of them!

Finding out why is the answer to how we act. Has Round tried to implement a style of play that no-one understands? If that's the case, who's to blame there?

Have Bruce & Round come up with a long-term plan that the coaches are struggling to implement?

Has Round been silent and let Bruce come up with his own ideas that are just dull and lifeless?

Somewhere there's been a fundamental failure to get the right players in the right places at the right times. Fancy tactics and a style of play can come later but getting the basics wrong at this level with the money spent is unforgivable.

Someone in that group of Bruce, the coaches and Round has to go. In my opinion.

[FoxyAV]

Sorry to hear of the last couple of shit years, DBH.

I see your point but I look at Joppe's comment that "The basics will get better" and it sets off huge alarm bells as the players we signed were pretty much top-of-the-tree as far as this league is concerned (and in top form when they came here) and they've had the basics coached out of them!

Finding out why is the answer to how we act. Has Round tried to implement a style of play that no-one understands? If that's the case, who's to blame there?

Have Bruce & Round come up with a long-term plan that the coaches are struggling to implement?

Has Round been silent and let Bruce come up with his own ideas that are just dull and lifeless?

Somewhere there's been a fundamental failure to get the right players in the right places at the right times. Fancy tactics and a style of play can come later but getting the basics wrong at this level with the money spent is unforgivable.

Someone in that group of Bruce, the coaches and Round has to go. In my opinion.

For me, it's a basic understanding of what your players do best and playing to their strengths, or selling all the ones that don't fit in your game plan. At the moment it's a case of get the ball to Kodjia and let him do his thing. It works, he scores, but it doesn't look pretty and its's very hit-and-miss. Playing Hourihane and Lansbury the way they like to be played is key for me, and if that involves dropping Jedi (and setting us up to be less defensive) then so be it. Jack's not a winger but he's going to do some serious damage sitting behind someone like Kodjia. Hogan just doesn't fit in at the moment and I bet it's because he's not used to being stranded up front or trying to play with a selfish strike partner. In both cases it's not his fault. We can accommodate both strikers but not at the same time.

[smetro]

Be a major surprise if we dispense with Bruce now.
I wanted him and won't lie he has been disappointing.

That said Im not seeing all these quality football sides in the championship. Ive been to every home game this season and the best team I have seen is wolves. Brighton and Newcastle looked very ordinary - We aren't far off that IMO.

I will agree though - if you want sexy football Bruce isn't your man - but be wary those who promise it often don't deliver it - and then just bullshit on about building an ethos , an identity, style of play etc.

I actually think our younger players could provide the platform next season. When Green was in form I thought we looked good, Davis looks an option on yesterdays showing, and Jordan Lyden waiting in the wings.

But FFS brucey get a top notch keeper...

[Guest]

I see your point but I look at Joppe's comment that "The basics will get better" and it sets off huge alarm bells as the players we signed were pretty much top-of-the-tree as far as this league is concerned (and in top form when they came here) and they've had the basics coached out of them!

They haven't, obviously. What however has happened is that we have a lot of new players together in a side trying to settle down as a team. It often takes minimum 12 months for a very new side to settle down and get "gelled" so to speak. Hourihane for instance will look so much better next season. This is just how it is. Unfortunately we have had a couple of seasons in a row with a lot of new blood coming in, which never gets the team settled and this leads to shite football.

You can often have success at adding a few new players into a settled squad and get them playing well straight away. Adding new players to an already newly formed team that isn't cohesive and unified will often lead to trouble as they won't have the stability around them.

Ofc. there are always exceptions to any rule, but this is my experience any way. If I'm not right about this next season I'll gladly fly down to Ayers rock or where ever you live and buy you a Stella.

[Trotters]

You already owe a shitload of beers. You don't need to be adding international flights to it.

But you pop on over to "Ayers Rock" and I'll be along shortly.

[Guest]

Haha

[deadbuzzardalive]

This pretty much confirms that Bruce is staying...

Dr. Tony Xia‏Verified account @Dr_TonyXia 8m
Received lots of advices on tactics,players&managers issues. Thanks anyway but we need stability&I only believe teamwork not upon individual

[Saunders82]

I don't buy into this bottom half of the table, yes I know one win and one goal mean we finish in 13th BUT points wise we were level with 10th place. We have to look at the missed opportunities we have had this season, if we can have a good pre season and sort out these sort of things then next year will look a lot better. Lets not be too quick to knock Bruce, yes we have spent big and lots of those players have not performed, but lets not forget that playing at Villa Park or for Aston Villa has been a BIG step up for some (Hourihane?) we all wanted them to hit the ground running but it hasn't happened YET, my shout is for stability getting a few in to strengthen us even on the coaching staff if it is deemed to be needed, and shift some deadwood THEN see what happens, Rome wasn't built in a day remember, but remember last season we were McGrath awful full stop that takes some turning around.

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