CABBAGES AND KINGS
Following Bruce will be no holiday
KEVIN MacDONALD reckons Steve Bruce will be sunning himself in the Caribbean this winter – where Aston Villa will be in the Championship in January is anyone’s guess.
Bruce was ejected from the Villa hot seat on Wednesday following a 3-3 draw with Preston that saw a cabbage flung at him before kick-off. But if chief executive Christian Purslow and owners Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens thought his removal would provoke an instant upturn, this trip to the Den quickly proved them wrong. Millwall, with just one previous league win all season, were the better side and deserved the three points.
The new man, whoever he is, has a job on his hands to get Villa back in the big time – something Bruce almost achieved last season via the play-off final.
“I’m sure he will find another job if he wants to,” said MacDonald, now in his third spell as caretaker.
“He’s had a difficult year with his parents passing away and he might need some time for reflection.
“He told me he might go and watch some cricket in the Caribbean over the winter – he can afford it!”
Of course, it is likely another job offer will come Bruce’s way before England take on the West Indies. The chances are high, too, that his new team could be another Championship team in trouble.
That’s exactly what Villa are, simply because of their pressing need to get back into the top flight. Many men of impressive stature have been touted as replacements for Bruce – a Thierry Henry/John Terry superstar rookie combo is one intriguing permutation – but there is no escaping the fact this division has long since become a straightjacket for clubs with European Cups on their CVs. MacDonald, having been at Villa since 1995 apart from a brief spell at Swindon, knows Villa must make the right call.
“It’s a question for the owners - if we don’t go up this year are they going to be patient and say, ‘He’s still the right man for the job’?” he said.
“It is important to get back to the Premier League but everyone is striving for it and it isn’t easy. It has to be done in the right way.”
Tammy Abraham fired Villa ahead but when Shane Ferguson levelled as Millwall got a grip on the game and Tom Elliott’s second-half strike turned out to be the winner.
Striker Elliott said: “We knew Villa had their own problems so we knew it was the best time to play them.
“Villa have very good players but we showed our quality.”
MILLWALL: Amos 7; Romeo 7, Cooper 7, M Wallace 7, Meredith 7; J Wallace 7, S Williams 7, Leonard 7, Ferguson 7 (O’Brien 88, 4); Elliott 7 (Morison 74, 6), Gregory 8.
ASTON VILLA: Nyland 6; Bree 6, Tuanzebe 7, Hutton 7, Taylor 6; Elmohamady 6 (Kodjia 66, 4), Bjarnason 6, Hourihane 6 (Adomah 87, 4), McGinn 6 (Bolasie 69, 2); Grealish 7; Abraham 6.
MOTM LEE GREGORY (MILLWALL)