Fan power wins the day as Bruce pays price for Baggies’ bad run
FAN power and a disappointing Championship position have cost Steve Bruce his job at West Bromwich Albion after just 13 league matches this season. Okay, they have not won any of their last nine but five of them have been drawn and with a long season still ahead, the Baggies are only ten points behind Swansea, who are currently sixth and occupy the last place in the play-off zone.
Converting those draws into wins would make a big difference but then so would better strikers to take the chances created.
The Baggies were expecting promotion this season. Instead, they find themselves in the bottom three and once the fans start calling for the manager’s head, it is often only a matter of time before he is gone. Directors: listen to the customers!
The fans’ arguments are that it is ‘our passion’ and ‘we pay our money to watch’ but if say that same spectator worked in a supermarket and I ‘paid my money’ and yelled for his dismissal he would be up in arms about it!
I know it does not work like that... but just a thought!
On Saturday West Brom are away to fifth-placed Reading. Not what the Baggies need right now but with the Championship and the bounce of a change you never can tell. Then a week tonight they are at home to Bristol City who looked poor in their 3-0 defeat at Birmingham on Saturday. This game will be live on Sky (8pm).
Bruce has been a great friend since he captained Manchester United and now after 24 years and 12 managerial posts, he has made enough money to walk away from the abuse at recent clubs. Go and sun yourself in Portugal pal. You have had a great career on and off the pitch.
As at St Andrew’s, it is the Baggies ownership that should take a long look at themselves. On that subject what is happening to the takeover at Birmingham? Why do the EFL appear to be dragging their feet? They will be making thorough checks after some previous experiences unconnected to this takeover or those involved. Supporters’ campaigns as well as the results can influence club owners. In reverse Steve Cooper, who is popular with the fans at Nottingham Forest, has signed a new three-year contract despite the team being bottom of the Premier League going into last night’s home match with Aston Villa.
The club’s Greek owner, Evangelos Marinakis, has been ruthless with managers in the past and deserves credit for this as Cooper is clearly a good manager.
The team has so many new players so quickly.
But it seems that once again fan power has carried the day but this time in the right direction!
Will Wasps rugby club survive? If not what will happen to the Coventry Arena? Coventry City is up for sale. It’s worth buying if the Arena was included! The Sky Blues certainly have a good CEO and head coach, but the Arena would surely be crucial to any sale.
I caught up with former Aston Villa winger Mark Walters during the week who told me a great Doug Ellis story.
Mark lives in Solihull and had been invited as well to the official opening of the Emporio Atari in the
town’s Touchwood Shopping Centre – already a favourite coffee haunt of Mr and Mrs Newbon.
Mark, now 58, explained that when he was transferred from Villa to Glasgow Rangers, the club owed him an ex gratia payment.
But the Villa chairman felt deeply insulted when he read that, when asked, who Walters would most want to plant a ‘custard pie on,’ he answered: “Doug Ellis”.
The late Deadly Doug was so angry that he withheld the payment!
Mark then asked his new Rangers managers what to do. Graeme Souness suggested: “Write Ellis a letter of apology.”
It was good advice. Walters received the money which he invested in buying a London house which started his property portfolio.
Walters played for Liverpool, Southampton and England. These days he is a matchday ambassador at both Liverpool and Villa.
We both had a laugh as we recalled another Ellis story. On the eve of a European tie in Barcelona, the chairman saw Jim Paul struggling to push the heavy kit luggage box.
“Get that youngster to do it” came the suggestion, to which the kitman (shaking his head) replied: “No, Mr Ellis that youngster is your 17-yearold winger Mark Walters who is making his debut for Villa tomorrow!”
Mark’s documentary ‘Mark Walters In The Footsteps Of Andrew Watson’ is nominated in the Royal Television Society awards in the category Documentary & Specialist Factual History. The documentary is being screened on the BBC soon.