Villa sacked Roberto di Matteo after just 11 games two years ago. Steve Bruce’s record this season is every bit as disappointingBy Martin Laurence for WhoScoredAston Villa endured a tumultuous summer after their defeat to Fulham in the Championship play-off final. The club faced financial peril until Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens stepped in and bought a majority stake in the club from Tony Xia in July. Their arrival at the club threw Steve Bruce’s position into doubt, with the new owners apparently keen to appoint Thierry Henry as manager. It was something of a surprise when they declared their support for Bruce, but he knew a strong start to the season was required.Back-to-back wins against his former employers, Hull and Wigan, may have been unconvincing but they helped to calm the nerves. Another narrow and somewhat undeserved win at Yeovil in the League Cup kept the winning streak alive and ensured Bruce could hold on to that cliched theory that winning when you’re not playing well is some sort of positive. That’s only the case if performances start to improve though and, barring a strong opening hour against Brentford back in August, Villa have continued to struggle. Related: Football League: West Brom move top as Preston stay bottom Continue readingreadfullarticle
