Aston Villa sack Steve Bruce

Aston Villa have confirmed they have sacked manager Steve Bruce.

Last night’s 3-3 draw with bottom club Preston – in which a cabbage was thrown at Bruce – has left the Championship club 12th in the table with 15 points from 11 games, a far cry from the title challenge many expected.

It capped a poor run of form which saw just one win in 10 matches that left the Midlands club mired in mid-table.

Fans had become increasingly frustrated with dull football that Bruce’s team had been playing, without results to justify it.

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Bruce took over Villa in October 2016, and stabilised the club after a poor start under Roberto Di Matteo, leading the club mid-table safety in 2016-17.

In his only full season in charge Bruce lead Villa to a fourth-placed finish and the play-off final, but lost 1-0 to Fulham. That defeat condemned the Villa Park faithful to a third season outside the Premier League and a financial crisis which was only solved by an 11th hour multi-million pound investment from Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens who took majority control of the club in July.

Before a ball had even been kicked in last night’s match, one supporter even smuggled in a cabbage and aimed for the 57-year-old.

It didn’t hit Bruce but he admitted after the draw that he was fully aware that the vegetable was launched in his direction.

He said after the game: “To say it’s disappointing is an understatement for a club like this. It was before we had even started too.

“I find the whole thing hugely disrespectful. Unfortunately, it sums up the society we are in at the moment. There’s no respect for anyone.

“Certainly for someone like the bloke who is being questioned…I’m surprised he knew what a cabbage was.”