OPINION
Aston Villa suffered a damaging 2-1 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday afternoon, and it was another disappointing outing for manager Steve Bruce.
The 57-year-old has struggled to get the best out of a very decent Villa squad this season, with the pressure now mounting on Bruce after another poor loss.
If Villa’s performances were good and these results were unlucky then Bruce would have a bit more leeway with the fans, but the fact is that the veteran boss continues to make some absolutely criminal decisions this season.
Case and point on Saturday was his decision to shunt Jack Grealish, Villa’s star man and best attacking outlet, onto the wing.
Such a decision really beggars belief, with Grealish not having the pace or the experience to be effective in wide areas over the course of a whole match.
That really showed against the Owls as Grealish failed to make any sort of sustained impact going forward for Villa in what was a frustrating afternoon for the youngster.
While many will point the finger at Grealish himself, the fact is that he was totally shackled by Bruce’s decision to play him on the wing, and he really had no hope from the start.
There are many clear ways for Bruce to fit all his key men into a solid starting XI, but it just feels as though he has no idea how to utilise his squad.
Head-scratching decisions like this seem to be a regular occurrence this season under Bruce, and quite frankly, it illustrates how out of the loop he is.
Unfortunately, this means he must now be sacked, with there looking to be no escape for Villa from this continuous cycle of a promising win being followed up with a damaging loss.
He quite simply is not the man to lead the club to promotion, and Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris must recognise that as soon as possible.