Disgraceful Aston Villa actions prove that football managers deserve far more respect. Adam Baker has his say on the sacking of Steve Bruce. The throwing of cabbages and other vegetables used to be restricted to comedy sketches in Monty Python films. Now, it seems, football supporters have got in on the act, in the latest show of disrespect to people in the pressure-cooker hot seat of management. Of course I’m talking about the disgraceful actions of one Aston Villa supporter, who chose to hurl a vegetable at Steve Bruce, less than 24 hours before his exit from Villa Park. Last month I penned a column about the ever-limited lifespan of managers in the Premier League and EFL, and Bruce has become yet another boss to fail to reach two years in charge before being ousted. Villa’s results weren’t exactly spectacular, especially given the wealth of the talent on show when they drew 1-1 with Bristol City little over a week ago, but regardless of tactics, team selection or style of play, no one deserves to have things thrown at them. Bruce, with more promotions from the Championship under his belt than anyone else, has had to deal with plenty of hardship, both on and off the field. The Midlands club were on the verge of administration in the summer before a takeover, hampering close-season recruitment, while Bruce also suffered heartbreak away from football, losing both parents in the past 12 months. Maybe it’s worth taking that all into consideration when you’re stood there, cabbage in hand? Days later the pre-match comments of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola struck a chord, as he declared that his side’s team bus “shouldn’t need the protection of the police” en route to Anfield for Sunday afternoon’s Premier League blockbuster. Last season Liverpool fans caused several thousand pounds worth of damage by throwing objects and breaking windows of the Man City bus ahead of a Champions League tie. Why? I remember Steve Cotterill’s final game in charge of the Robins, when a supporter charged to the front of the Atyeo Stand to launch an expletive-led tirade at the City boss, who just eight months earlier had helped the club secure their first title in 60 years! It wasn’t that long ago that Lee Johnson revealed he had received death threats on the back of Bristol City’s poor form and opted to move house. I’d also add that you can’t sit through 90 minutes at Ashton Gate without hearing obscenities in songs about Bristol Rovers boss Darrell Clarke and his family members. All this over a game of football, how can that be right? In what other industry would the above happen? Potentially politics, where eggs have been launched and punches thrown on the campaign trail, albeit against (and by) people deciding the future of our country (not that it’s in anyway excusable). If you received poor service in your local supermarket, you’d probably head to customer services to complain, not chase down the store boss and threaten him or his family. Alternatively, you’d choose to shop elsewhere. That’s where football differs, of course. If you’re fed up with your team’s play or results, you don’t just head down the road to support another club. It’s in your blood, it’s your team, but that doesn’t give you carte blanche to do whatever you like. I’m old enough to remember real terrace humour, before the days of all-seaters. I’m aware it’s a passionate game, where tensions run high. I engage in banter with friends who opt to support the rival team to mine. But strip it all back and think about it rationally and you have to wonder what goes through some people’s heads at times. Maybe the old saying from Mr Shankley about football being more important than life and death was wrong after all. https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport...disgraceful-aston-villa-actions-prove-2083092
If LJ's results crumble who would we replace him with, a Steve Bruce, Mick McCarthy, Neil Warnock type or would we once again go for the cheaper options, a young, inexperienced yes man from with- in the clubs structure, a dopey Darrell Clarke type who has experience and success in the lower leagues, a Sam Allardyce type, get a unknown foreign dynamo, appoint a successfful conference manager, no, I think we are safer to stick with LJ and stay just average. (Said in a respectful way) There is no doubt about it, we are just an~ Average club. Average players. Average league position. Average coach/manager. Average results. Average ambition.
I would agree with most of your "average" assessments, but think the last one is a bit off key ……. OK somethings "just" happen like you find yourself in the playoffs because at the last minute you have 2 or 3 games against easy clubs / doomed at the bottom! and a team in sixth has to play the top 3, 2 away 1 home and lose! in the playoff's you hit lucky and wham bam thankyou man you are UP …. We are not an average club … above average in many respects Lee is sort of "average" but also a bit green on a scale of 1 to 10 5 is average LEE is about 5.4! AMBITION RE COMMENT play off's … and prem football. it has been seen how disasterous it has been to go up and come back down.. and now even the parachute payments are over a shorter time frame …. so care must be executed to have a solid base to stand on.. and that takes time. WE HAD big debt but over a couple of seasons this has diminished in some part and it was due to selling off 4 or 5 profitable players. troll the championship / prem on the weekends fixtures and ex City players would be able to field a good championship side probly able to fight for top 6!!!! so ambition whilst it is there, it has to be measured.
Average results. - Don’t agree here - we are very unpredictable. Average ambition. - Not sure I agree here either - I think SL does WANT premiership football but he wants to achieve it within a very strict pay structure. This restricts us as footballers want to earn as much and reach as high as possible in their short careers. SL could turn himself into a millionaire very quickly if he let go of the pay and transfer structure (he’s currently a billionaire!!) and we would also be at risk of falling foul of FFP. It’s hard for the fans - we all want success and we want it NOW and it’s frustrating seeing the likes of Warnock achieve it quickly (again) with his anti-football style, but achieve it we will - I sincerely believe. Maybe with LJ and maybe not but I think we will get to the Premiership soon. Then of course we will be in another basement battle right from the start - but that’s for another day!!!
That's todays assessment! Three months down the line with either 8 more wins under our belt, or 8 more defeats, will we be above- or below-average in your opinion?
On the original article - I was disgusted at the way some of our ‘fans’ were behaving during our bad run a couple of seasons ago - disgusted and ashamed. I shared the sentiment at the time that he should go, but hurling abuse and threatening his family is below human behaviour and the threats in particular should be investigated by the police and the thugs brought to justice.
Not been to the Gate this season CJS but on previous visits I’ve not heard anything on that persons level. ‘Cheer up Holloway....’ was about as strong as it gets Or ‘he’s only a sad little Gashead ..... etc’ Or ‘if you all hate Bristol Rovers clap your hands’ Or ‘stand up if you hate the Gas’ I think those masterpieces were composed in the 1980s or even earlier perhaps!!!!
Nah, I just sing CJS is a twat. To be honest we don’t sing much about the gas now apart from when we’re on Sky. And as a guess it’s because some gasheads might be watching to cheer on the other side, but that’s the only time really.
We all just seem to be filled with apathy at the moment. Fans, players, management etc I think it's possibly because LJ's appointment polarised supporters opinions so vastly that after nearly 2 years of him in charge, most posters on here don't even get too excited or upset whether we win, lose or draw
That makes sense to be honest. But why would Adam Baker feel strongly enough to add in his article..... "I’d also add that you can’t sit through 90 minutes at Ashton Gate without hearing obscenities in songs about Bristol Rovers boss Darrell Clarke and his family members"?
I don’t really like songs about family members, but unfortunately every club does it to their rivals.
Personally I am not aware of any songs about family members of players/managers of rivals from our end. If there is a song or songs then I cant think of it.
Captain Jack Sparrow said: ↑ please log in to view this image please log in to view this image please log in to view this image That makes sense to be honest. But why would Adam Baker feel strongly enough to add in his article..... "I’d also add that you can’t sit through 90 minutes at Ashton Gate without hearing obscenities in songs about Bristol Rovers boss Darrell Clarke and his family members"? SMHBCFC I must admit I am half deaf - but I have never heard that song?? You would only publish such a thing in a public media situation if you didn't have the respect for the person to whom it was directed ...it just informs others of a minorities actions which could readily be escalated … wild life presenters often make the statement … a 2 edged sword publish the plight and its whereabouts of ….. say pangolins ..… where they are and their value to rogue hunters, thus maybe adding more hunters, killing them for their scales, or report it as a wildlife programme so the general public know of their existence and thus their plight ……… to be honest … in well over 70 years of being close to nature etc I had never known about pangolins … have you?
