Manager Steve Bruce Sacked by Aston Villa After 2 Seasons

Aston Villa confirmed on Wednesday that manager Steve Bruce has been sacked following a poor run of results at Villa Park. 

The 57-year-old leaves the club in 12th place in the Championship table. The search for a successor has begun, the club confirmed in a statement on their official website.

"We would like to place on record our gratitude to Steve and his team for their hard work and commitment. We wish them well for the future.

"The process of recruiting a new manager has begun. In the meantime, Kevin MacDonald, Aston Villa U23s manager, will be in charge of the team for our trip to Millwall on Saturday.”

Bruce's departure comes after he oversaw an eventful 3-3 home draw with Preston North End on Tuesday.

The Villans let slip a 2-0 lead, equalised in stoppage time but missed a last-minute penalty that would have given them all three points.

The draw means that Aston Villa have won just one of their last 10 games and have only managed three league wins this season.

A supporter showed their anger towards Bruce at the match by throwing a cabbage at him. Police are trying to identify the fan involved, per BBC Sport's Dan Roan:

The Villa boss spoke about the incident after the match, per Frank Keogh at BBC Sport.

"To say it's disappointing is an understatement for a club like this," he said. "Unfortunately, it sums up the society we are in at the moment. There's no respect for anyone."

Sportswriter Oliver Holt explained how it's been a difficult year for Bruce:

Bruce took charge of Aston Villa in 2016 and came close to returning the club to the Premier League last season. They reached the Championship play-off final but lost to Fulham.

Sky Sports Statto detailed his record at the club:

Bruce has now paid for a slow start to the season, and the club will hope to bring in a new manager who can secure promotion back to the English top flight.

Aston Villa's next fixture is against struggling Millwall who are in the relegation zone with just six points from 10 games.