I would think every Aston Villa fan has their own opinions when it comes to Steve Bruce.
There are those like me who acknowledge the state of the club when he arrived and what he has actually achieved with us even if we failed given the ridiculous ‘promotion only’ attitude of Dr Tony Xia – albeit in time the reason for such a lofty aim given the state we were still in has become abundantly clear this summer.
But I also acknowledge the poor football even if I get why the attitude of safety first, don’t concede, was so important to us.
Others differ, discount the mitigation in my argument and believe failure to get promoted is the ultimate failure and Bruce should’ve paid with his job whilst people were walking out of Wembley.
Others place more emphasis on performances, entertainment, what Bruce went through and how we should show some loyalty given we demand it when coming to their determinations.
danvilla2 took a more novel approach on the Vital Villa Forum as people weighed the positives and negatives of Thierry Henry’s speculated arrival – and even though we know Bruce is staying, I think his offering is even more appropriate today.
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I’m in two minds and conscious I can completely contradict something I’ve wanted for years, probably decades with the Villa.
I’ve always wanted that ‘young, hungry manager’ type who can bring the fast, free flowing football back to the hallowed turf. It’s been ten years since we had such football. On the other hand, this is the Championship and over 46 games you need to grind out the results Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday.
I feel for Brucie, I hope he remembers this is only football and there are more important things in life. He’s gone through a lot in the last few months and losing his job gives him a lot of time to himself he may not need.
Again contradicting myself, I’m not his biggest fan and the football is often pretty poor, in what is a poor league overall. The two clubs that went up we’re a level above – I thought we were the best of the average.
There is something that quite excites me about Henry, despite all the valid reasons and cautions. It’s a huge risk which could be a bad move and we finish mid table or get promoted with the impetus it delivers. Part of me is happy to take that risk, however, if I was the owner I would give Bruce the first ten games to see what’s going on and then make a call. That way, it’s justified.
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Ten games just might tick everyone’s box here. It’s time enough for Bruce to demonstrate that with greater pressure off, he can show the improvements many are crying out for. It’s also an acknowledgement of what he went through privately last season yet continued working diligently for our cause and nods to the fact he narrowly failed on our stated aim. It gives him time to show the spirit in the camp is bolstered by disappointment and those that remains are determined to go one better.
If it’s not to be a fairy tale for him, ten games won’t define a season for a new man.
