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Commentary

Bob Bradley to Aston Villa?

August 11, 2010 — by Sean

There’s a lot of rumbling about Coach Bob heading to Birmingham to take over at Aston Villa after Martin O’Neill’s surprising departure just days before the season starts. It’s been a strong side, and O’Neill has done well during his tenure there. His leaving was as sudden as it was mysterious, though most assume he was simply fed up with the transfer pot at his disposal.

Bradley has 11/4 odds of being selected, and he was given polite backing by Sir Alex during Man U’s tour of the States. Before the Brazil matchup last night, Tim Howard thought better of criticizing the coach:

“With his style, I think he’d be accepted by all the players. It’s hard to say how he’d do, because the way things happen now with managers in Europe, and certainly England, is pretty damn crazy. But overall I think he’d be accepted. And that’s the biggest thing, is player acceptance.”

There’d be a learning curve for certain, but Bradley is a decent tactician and clearly knows how to motivate his players. He prepares well, his teams are always fit, and I think he’d make a good showing holding the reins at Villa. I say go for it, Bob!