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Pressure grows on Bruce as Aston Villa near relegation zone

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce (REUTERS)
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Villa have now lost seven out of their last eight league games and are only separated from the drop by six points.

Aston Villa Manager Steve Bruce

Steve Bruce is struggling. The Villa faithful are turning on him and his job is in jeopardy.

Although they played well for parts of Monday’s fixture away to Newcastle, they still recorded a disappointing 2-0 loss.

Rafa Benitez’s side are now top of the league and remain favourites to win the Championship. In contrast, it is now next to impossible for the Villains to return to the Premier League at their first attempt.

Steve Bruce has put on an optimistic front during this run of dismal form and remained positive that he can turn the clubs fortunes around in the long run.

But it was after a 3-1 home loss to Barnsley that the former Birmingham City boss conceded the fact that his current club are now nearing a relegation fight rather than a playoff push.

He told BBC West Midlands after that loss: “We’re going to get swallowed into it and we can’t allow that to happen. Am I worried? I think I’ve got to be worried, given how we’re performing at the moment.”

It has been a turbulent season at Villa Park with one time Champions League winning manager Roberto Di Matteo already being sacked in October. The Italian had only gotten the job 124 days prior to his departure.

Could the same short tenure be in store for the former Manchester United captain? One hugely consoling factor for Bruce, is the fact that he still has the full public backing of owner Dr Tony Xia.

But for how long?

Newcastle United's Yoan Gouffran celebrates after Aston Villa's Henri Lansbury (R) scores an own goal for Newcastle United's second