Steve Bruce

[TRO]

9 minutes ago, Eastie said:

So you knew we wouldn’t win  ? On our day we are good enough to beat anyone in this league and that includes Fulham - we did not perform in the first half - that’s why we lost - not because of a lack of ability .

second half we more than matched them - the difference being that we played much higher up the pitch and took the game to them .

This team had the ability to win - they failed to deliver first half and that’s where we lost the game 

In the manner in which we played, i suspected 1 goal would be enough.

lack of ball control, lack of assertion, playing on the back foot......indicated that to me.

Yes, i think we could have won it......but the players proved otherwise.

i thought Adomah and Elmo was poor....I thought Grabban lacked initiative, despite him having to play on his own.....you cannot win things with too many not at it.

you have to ultimately blame the manager, but its sometimes a cheap shot.

ps is it Klopps fault for that shocking goalkeeper.....directly no , indirectly yes.

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, TRO said:

In the manner in which we played, i suspected 1 goal would be enough.

lack of ball control, lack of assertion, playing on the back foot......indicated that to me.

Yes, i think we could have won it......but the players proved otherwise.

i thought Adomah and Elmo was poor....I thought Grabban lacked initiative, despite him having to play on his own.....you cannot win things with too many not at it.

you have to ultimately blame the manager, but its sometimes a cheap shot.

ps is it Klopps fault for that shocking goalkeeper.....directly no , indirectly yes.

Of course, direct it at another manager who lost a game. A manager who was up against a technically better team and still tried to score goals, still tried to attack, lost his best player and didn't get all men behind the ball -and when they had to defend it wasn't at the expense of attacking flair.

Point at Klopp all you like, but he didn't hide behind his fears.

Edited May 26, 2018 by Dick

[villabromsgrove]

How many of us think that Bruce can take us up into the Premier League with a much less experienced squad next season?

I don't, which is why I say that we have to end Bruce's contract now.

[TRO]

23 minutes ago, Eastie said:

So you knew we wouldn’t win  ? On our day we are good enough to beat anyone in this league and that includes Fulham - we did not perform in the first half - that’s why we lost - not because of a lack of ability .

second half we more than matched them - the difference being that we played much higher up the pitch and took the game to them .

This team had the ability to win - they failed to deliver first half and that’s where we lost the game 

On our day?

[andym]

4 minutes ago, TRO said:

In the manner in which we played, i suspected 1 goal would be enough.

lack of ball control, lack of assertion, playing on the back foot......indicated that to me.

Yes, i think we could have won it......but the players proved otherwise.

i thought Adomah and Elmo was poor....I thought Grabban lacked initiative, despite him having to play on his own.....you cannot win things with too many not at it.

you have to ultimately blame the manager, but its sometimes a cheap shot.

ps is it Klopps fault for that shocking goalkeeper.....directly no , indirectly yes.

If its a one off bad performance and the players choked i think you can absolve the manager.

But the highlighted has been an issue many many times this season. When the same issues keep occuring and keep costing you, thats when the manager takes responsibility.

And as for the point about Klopp - yes its his fault. That keeper is rubbish and has made many errors. Klopps arrogance in not getting a proper keeper has cost him on the biggest stage.

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, TRO said:

On our day?

The ones where Bruce gets the praise and nobody mentions the poor players we apparently have.

If only we had the squad Cardiff.

[villabromsgrove]

Tro, I know you've had a long held opinion that it's the players more than the manager who are at fault. However, given that we are likely to have to attack the Championship with a far less experienced squad of players next season, do you think that Bruce needs replacing?

[TRO]

5 minutes ago, andym said:

If its a one off bad performance and the players choked i think you can absolve the manager.

But the highlighted has been an issue many many times this season. When the same issues keep occuring and keep costing you, thats when the manager takes responsibility.

And as for the point about Klopp - yes its his fault. That keeper is rubbish and has made many errors. Klopps arrogance in not getting a proper keeper has cost him on the biggest stage.

I agree Andy.

but he has to be able to bring in better.

maybe it does need a new manager, but we might be throwing away all the good things that he has brought in, like the character in to the club....its a risk.

[mrjc]

He’s done a good job at providing us some stability, getting some good morale around the squad and getting us challenging again.  And, in fairness, that can’t have been easy with the mess we were in. 

BUT....he has now had more than 1.5 years, three transfer windows, very substantial resources, and a squad which is largely his own. He was brought in hailed as a promotiion specialist, and we haven’t achieved it. More than that, and I am talking across the season rather than a single match, we didn’t deserve to achieve it.  

Also considering that this will likely be a very different job next season - there simply has to be a change of manager imo. 

[USA_Villa]

50 minutes ago, terrytini said:

I disagree but I don’t think he can do another 49 game season. 

I hope he can't

1 Goal in three games in the playoffs says it all.

[USA_Villa]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

I am disappointed too.....but not surprised.

i was just not prepared to run our team down after every match and blame the manager....The players are simply not good enough.....decision making, energy, etc is just not there.....we only started playing when it was too late.

There are many, many aspects to a game of football and we have got so many right over a season.....but their goal was symptomatic of many we have conceded.....ball watching as opposed to player watching.....its basic stuff.

movement has always been our undoing and it still is.

 

Honestly, I can't believe you're blaming the players. We scored one goal, and probably had six shots on target, in three games. That's not down to players, that's down to coaching and system. These players were some of the highest paid in the division selected by the manager who coached them.

Enough. Time to go. Refresh. Steve you tried, but it wasn't good enough.

[jim]

11 minutes ago, andym said:

If its a one off bad performance and the players choked i think you can absolve the manager.

But the highlighted has been an issue many many times this season. When the same issues keep occuring and keep costing you, thats when the manager takes responsibility.

^^^^^^

THIS!

Time and time again under Bruce we have seen performances like today. He sets us up to snatch a goal and when it doesn’t work, he chucks all the strikers on in the vain hope something will happen.

He won’t change and it isn’t going to be any different next season, so for that reason alone, he has to go.

 

[Guest]

TRO, just want to say that although I completely disagree with you, I respect you. We both want the same thing at the end of the day, a successful club. Have a good night and UTV.

[Villarocker]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Lets take stock of the difference in this game.

Sessegnon plays a treaded ball through the middle of our defenders and Cairney reads it and responds by running on to it and scores.

The most fundamental movement you can possibly think of....basically embarrassing for experienced players.

so why would i blame the manager for that.....its shite play.

Sb has already explained why he has gone for experience, to sanitise the club of toxic attitude, that has worked, bur perhaps we are not quite ready for the intensity of promotion.

I am not so unconvinced of the brand of football as unconvinced of the ability of the players.

Too many inabililities of individual play existed in that game for me......I am not convinced a better manager, would have got a different result.

as an example and not a conclusive problem.......Elmohamady was so passive and indecisive it was untrue.....no assertion or any sign of confidence in his play....he may still be injured, that i have no idea.....but its piss poor.

 

I saw Elmohamady has a positive simply because Sessegnon was ineffective in the game.

Cairney was our problem and that fell at the feet of the midfield. They didn't close him down or track his runs and the end result of that was the winning goal. 

[Eastie]

18 minutes ago, jim said:

^^^^^^

THIS!

Time and time again under Bruce we have seen performances like today. He sets us up to snatch a goal and when it doesn’t work, he chucks all the strikers on in the vain hope something will happen.

He won’t change and it isn’t going to be any different next season, so for that reason alone, he has to go.

 

There is a reason he’s waited 20 years to manage a big club - he’s a limited manager who can get results by stifling opposition - none of his teams have been attractive to watch and none of the so called big clubs have wanted him as manager .

[Guest av1]

He failed this season, and next season he will have far fewer tools to work with. He has to go.

 

[Straggler]

You have been weighed.

You have been measured

And you have been found wanting.

 

[sheepyvillian]

54 minutes ago, TRO said:

In the manner in which we played, i suspected 1 goal would be enough.

lack of ball control, lack of assertion, playing on the back foot......indicated that to me.

Yes, i think we could have won it......but the players proved otherwise.

i thought Adomah and Elmo was poor....I thought Grabban lacked initiative, despite him having to play on his own.....you cannot win things with too many not at it.

you have to ultimately blame the manager, but its sometimes a cheap shot.

ps is it Klopps fault for that shocking goalkeeper.....directly no , indirectly yes.

I tell you what's Bruce's fault, setting us up so defensively to begin with.

I didn't see us string 3 passes together in that first half. Nothing short of embarrassing.

[penguin]

2nd half showed how good we can be. Would have blitzed this league with a more positive, progressive manager imo. Bruce only knows how to set up as the underdog 

[Demitri_C]

33 minutes ago, USA_Villa said:

Honestly, I can't believe you're blaming the players. We scored one goal, and probably had six shots on target, in three games. That's not down to players, that's down to coaching and system. These players were some of the highest paid in the division selected by the manager who coached them.

Enough. Time to go. Refresh. Steve you tried, but it wasn't good enough.

I'm suprised your defending the players and not blaming thdm. They were utterly rubbish. Bruce tactics were not great but the players really did bottle the Wembley pressure.

They again let us down at Wembley