John

We face Preston on Tuesday night. This is a game between two of the founder members of the Football League. Our visitors were the unbeaten first League Champions in 1888-89 and were also FA Cup winners thus becoming the first team to claim the league & cup double. They were champions again in the following season and were runners-up in the next three. As we know we were the next team to win the league and cup double in 1896-97. We were League champions in 1893-94, 1895-96, 1896-97, 1898-99 and 1899-1900, also claiming the FA Cup three times before that century had closed. Clearly times have sadly changed for Proud Preston and the Mighty Villa since those heady Victorian years. Our last home win against The Lilywhites came in 1973 when Bobby Charlton was their manager and Tommy Docherty was ours. They have drawn their two league visits to Villa Park since then, 1-1 last season and 2-2 the season before that. At the time of writing they find themselves at the bottom of the league table, but they were only 2 points off the play off places last season and we therefore cannot take a win for granted because surely, they will start picking up points soon. Hopefully we can claim the much-needed win that we need on Tuesday. A 2-0 win would be nice!

Abraham was substituted because he had an injury according to Bruce which is fair enough with another game to come on Tuesday. A point is better than nothing but we needed the win that we never really looked like getting. Not near to being a good enough display to put before the fans that made the trip to Bristol and for those that watched it on television.

Might it be, Abraham up front with playing Kodja wide on the left. Grealish in a free role behind Abraham and a midfield three of Thor, McGinn and Hourihane with the rest 99% of the time playing as a 5-man defence (with Axel playing right back & Mile alongside Chester of course)?

So would he be! He'll be happy with double figures this season, he's not a main striker so he has done surprisingly well so far. Hope it continues for him (other than obviously in games against us and where those goals could have a detrimental impact on our season).

It's always Parsifal that he might be more willing to listen to our overtures this time if we have him a Ring.

Warnock and even David Wagner could soon be looking for a new job looking at their recent results.

We drew 1-1 here last season and I would take the same result on Friday evening although we really could do with a win. Our last league win at Ashton Gate was a 3-1 victory in 1979 (we have only made two league visits to them since). Our first ever league visit to Bristol City was a 4-2 win in 1907. The Robins have won 9 of their 42 games against us and we have beaten them 22 times. They will see two of their former favourites turning out against them in Villa shirts on Friday night with Tammy Abraham and Jimmy Danger having scored 23 goals in 41 appearances and 19 goals in 49 appearances respectively for them. They both scored goals for fun for City and it would be super nice if they could both score one against them for us in this game. Make it so lads a 2-0 win would be as welcome as it currently sounds unlikely.

I guess we have at least two plans. One is we get promoted and that will take care of it. The second on staying where we are is a number of income streams such as new sponsors and the odd player sale to satisfy the FFP whilst they put in some more money to keep the club running. I would imagine it's all on a need to know basis concerning how this will happen and that only a handful of people are currently in the know. It is a gamble, but these owners have weighed up the odds and have the cash to take a calculated risk where the man they bailed out did not.

They have started well enough by keeping the bailiff away from our door.

I think we need to trust that our new owners do have a cunning plan to get around FFP if we are stuck down here again next season. They didn't get where they are today by gambling everything on one throw of a dice. As Bud Flanagan once said "No dog can run as fast as the money you bet on him."

Great news. Not only did he stay with us this summer he's also signed a new contract. You would have gotten decent odds on that a couple of months ago. One of our own is Jack!

Bacuna wouldn't be able to tear open a packet of crisps!

One moment of magic from John McGinn could only temporarily dispel the gloom from Villa Park yesterday. The beat team won, and we were a long way off being the best team. Our visitors gave what will be one of their best performances of the season whereas we produced one of our worst in what is fast becoming a season to forget. Sheffield Wednesday inflicted our first home league defeat of the season upon us for a second successive season yesterday. They started brightly and found it all too easy to come away with all three points as they had done last November when they won by the same score. Tuesday’s home win had given us something to build upon and had lifted us up temporarily into the top six. This abject performance shattered any hopes we might have entertained of turning the corner, of producing a run of good results, of installing some much-needed confidence into the team and of easing some of the pressures that are on our club. We have taken 13 points from our first 9 games of the season and sit uncomfortably in the bottom half of the table in 13th place. We had hoped to hit the ground running this season and to not leave ourselves with ground to make up on those teams who were occupying the automatic promotion places again. Instead of that we have the same number of points as we had after the first nine games of last season and that does not represent progress. Runs of poor performances and results happen to teams but to a club that is expected to seriously challenge for promotion a run such as this one is unacceptable, and it shows no obvious signs of ending any time soon. A win would have put us into the top six again and would have taken us within 2 points of the early league leaders, but we were not able to capitalise on their own awful result. This was our manager’s 100th game in charge of our club and this defeat will only place his future at the club under increasing doubt. We didn’t really get going yesterday other than for a few minutes between John McGinn’s sublime goal and The Owls scoring their winner during which time the rest of the team seemed to realise that he needed a little help. Things might have been different had Hourihane’s 64th minute goal bound shot not been flicked off the line by Pudil. We might then have somehow gone on to get a win that would have papered over the cracks that were so clear yesterday but instead their second goal ended any temporary hopes we held of a late comeback. My player ratings from a game in which we had far too many players having an off day and on which we failed to work effectively as a team are: Orjan Nyland – 6 – Beaten by Matias from the edge of the box for their opener and by Fletcher’s powerful header for their winner with the ball ending up in the right-hand corner of the net on both occasions. Saved a 62nd minute shot from Fletcher low to his right. Ahmed Elmohamady – 5 – Not near his best. James Chester- 6 – The cross for their winner passed over him to be met by Fletcher’s head. He must be finding that carrying our defence is becoming increasingly difficult even for him. Mile Jedinak – 4 – What did Axel do to be banished to the bench for the last two games? Mile’s place is in front of the defence not in the centre of it. He lacks pace and is not comfortable in this role. Opponents like Fletcher who was made to look like twice the player he now is yesterday are well aware of that and take advantage of it to our cost. Alan Hutton – 7 – Our best defender yesterday. Made a great challenge on Fletcher after he had run between Jedinak and himself to deny him a scoring opportunity. Albert Adomah – 5 – Substituted on 68 minutes having made little positive impression on the game. Conor Hourihane – 6 – Hit a shot from the edge of the area wide of the post on 33 minutes and another straight at Dawson on 58 minutes. He was unlucky not to put us in front when his goal bound 64th minute shot was flicked clear by Pudil. Reach reached a ball on the edge of the box before Conor was able to clear it and found Matias who hit their first into the net before Chester was able to slide in to get in a challenge. Jack Grealish – 5 – Started wide for some reason. We had players sitting on the bench who can fill the wide roles. Jack is clearly less than comfortable playing out wide and needs to play where he was so effective last season just behind the striker(s). Hit a 6th minute effort wide of the far post and another wide from just outside of the box on 52 minutes. Let a clearance run off him to Reach in the build up to their winner. John McGinn – 8 – MOTM – Hit a stunning volley from 30 yards on 53 minutes that went in off the underside of the bar and thudded into the right-hand corner of the net. His goal, performance level and determination shone out like a beacon on a gloomy night. Tammy Abraham – 6 – Lacked service and without it a goal poacher is seldom a scorer. Jonathan Kodjia – 6 – Passed the ball to Tammy a couple of times rather than attempting to go it alone as has been previously been his preferred option irrespective of having team mates in better positions. This was good to see and bodes well for the hopes of him building a good striking partnership with Abraham. Had an effort blocked on 59 minutes. Substitutes: Yannick Bolasie – 6 – Came on for Adomah on 68 minutes and made a couple of runs that showed that he should have started this one. Hit an 82nd minute that Hourihane scuffed wide when in a good position. Anwar El Ghazi – Replaced Kodjia on 78 minutes. Not on long enough to earn a rating. Up the Villa! John Lewis

One moment of magic from John McGinn could only temporarily dispel the gloom from Villa Park yesterday. The beat team won, and we were a long way off being the best team. Our visitors gave what will be one of their best performances of the season whereas we produced one of our worst in what is fast becoming a season to forget. Sheffield Wednesday inflicted our first home league defeat of the season upon us for a second successive season yesterday. They started brightly and found it all too easy to come away with all three points as they had done last November when they won by the same score. Tuesday’s home win had given us something to build upon and had lifted us up temporarily into the top six. This abject performance shattered any hopes we might have entertained of turning the corner, of producing a run of good results, of installing some much-needed confidence into the team and of easing some of the pressures that are on our club. We have taken 13 points from our first 9 games of the season and sit uncomfortably in the bottom half of the table in 13th place. We had hoped to hit the ground running this season and to not leave ourselves with ground to make up on those teams who were occupying the automatic promotion places again. Instead of that we have the same number of points as we had after the first nine games of last season and that does not represent progress. Runs of poor performances and results happen to teams but to a club that is expected to seriously challenge for promotion a run such as this one is unacceptable, and it shows no obvious signs of ending any time soon. A win would have put us into the top six again and would have taken us within 2 points of the early league leaders, but we were not able to capitalise on their own awful result. This was our manager’s 100th game in charge of our club and this defeat will only place his future at the club under increasing doubt. We didn’t really get going yesterday other than for a few minutes between John McGinn’s sublime goal and The Owls scoring their winner during which time the rest of the team seemed to realise that he needed a little help. Things might have been different had Hourihane’s 64th minute goal bound shot not been flicked off the line by Pudil. We might then have somehow gone on to get a win that would have papered over the cracks that were so clear yesterday but instead their second goal ended any temporary hopes we held of a late comeback. My player ratings from a game in which we had far too many players having an off day and on which we failed to work effectively as a team are: Orjan Nyland – 6 – Beaten by Matias from the edge of the box for their opener and by Fletcher’s powerful header for their winner with the ball ending up in the right-hand corner of the net on both occasions. Saved a 62nd minute shot from Fletcher low to his right. Ahmed Elmohamady – 5 – Not near his best. James Chester- 6 – The cross for their winner passed over him to be met by Fletcher’s head. He must be finding that carrying our defence is becoming increasingly difficult even for him. Mile Jedinak – 4 – What did Axel do to be banished to the bench for the last two games? Mile’s place is in front of the defence not in the centre of it. He lacks pace and is not comfortable in this role. Opponents like Fletcher who was made to look like twice the player he now is yesterday are well aware of that and take advantage of it to our cost. Alan Hutton – 7 – Our best defender yesterday. Made a great challenge on Fletcher after he had run between Jedinak and himself to deny him a scoring opportunity. Albert Adomah – 5 – Substituted on 68 minutes having made little positive impression on the game. Conor Hourihane – 6 – Hit a shot from the edge of the area wide of the post on 33 minutes and another straight at Dawson on 58 minutes. He was unlucky not to put us in front when his goal bound 64th minute shot was flicked clear by Pudil. Reach reached a ball on the edge of the box before Conor was able to clear it and found Matias who hit their first into the net before Chester was able to slide in to get in a challenge. Jack Grealish – 5 – Started wide for some reason. We had players sitting on the bench who can fill the wide roles. Jack is clearly less than comfortable playing out wide and needs to play where he was so effective last season just behind the striker(s). Hit a 6th minute effort wide of the far post and another wide from just outside of the box on 52 minutes. Let a clearance run off him to Reach in the build up to their winner. John McGinn – 8 – MOTM – Hit a stunning volley from 30 yards on 53 minutes that went in off the underside of the bar and thudded into the right-hand corner of the net. His goal, performance level and determination shone out like a beacon on a gloomy night. Tammy Abraham – 6 – Lacked service and without it a goal poacher is seldom a scorer. Jonathan Kodjia – 6 – Passed the ball to Tammy a couple of times rather than attempting to go it alone as has been previously been his preferred option irrespective of having team mates in better positions. This was good to see and bodes well for the hopes of him building a good striking partnership with Abraham. Had an effort blocked on 59 minutes. Substitutes: Yannick Bolasie – 6 – Came on for Adomah on 68 minutes and made a couple of runs that showed that he should have started this one. Hit an 82nd minute that Hourihane scuffed wide when in a good position. Anwar El Ghazi – Replaced Kodjia on 78 minutes. Not on long enough to earn a rating. Up the Villa! John Lewis

If he's signed it's likely to be on a similar one year deal to the one Samba was on. The money will be slightly more than Ipswich would have been able to offer him but it won't break our wage structure. We need another experienced central defender on board to do what Samba did for us last year until we can address the situation on a more permanent basis in the next transfer window. I see it as rather positive that he was willing to turn down Ipswich with whom he had been training to return to us. He left West Ham for us and then returned to them in much the same way. He's a bit of a homing pidgeon isn't he?

He was and asked "what's this thing doing in my hauf an' a hauf big man?"

Looked better for West Ham than he did with us after moving back there. Perhaps he has "unfinished business" with us as well? Not my first choice but if we can't bring JT back then so be it. Axel should be first choice and JC used for back up/ rotation purposes like Samba was though.

This will be the 133rd league meeting between the two clubs. We have won 65 and drawn 17 of these games. The Owls have won the FA Cup 3 times, have been League champions 4 times and have won the League Cup once. This game will see us welcoming Barry Bannan and Josh Onomah back to Villa Park. Like Tuesday's visitors we also had the same manager in the same calendar year as Sheffield Wednesday with Big Ron moving from Hillsborough to Villa Park in 1991. We need a win to build up some momentum and confidence. A second home win and clean sheet within a week would be very welcome. It won't be easy with Wednesday sitting just 2 points behind us. We need to make amends for our home defeat against them 11 months ago. Their heaviest ever defeat was 10-0 at Villa Park in October 1912. A repeat of that win would do nicely!

Goals from Tammy Abraham and Yannick Bolasie on their home debuts gave us a much-needed win last night. This was not a scintillating performance from us. Our visitors rarely threatened our brittle defence and we eased to a routine victory without looking particularly good. The win was comfortable enough and it was achieved without us having to hit our stride. We didn’t look fluent last night, and we have a team of individuals that have yet to become a team but when that does happen the rest of the league had better beware because we have some pretty good individuals. Last night’s win gives the team something to build upon and it has lifted us up to sixth in the table. That is not too shabby given our performances to date. Another win on Saturday could give the team an opportunity to put together a string of positive results that could in turn cement our place in the top six and install some much-needed confidence into them. We played 4-2-4 last night which was a good and unexpected decision. The Millers arrived at Villa Park looking to take a point. They didn’t really look like doing so once we went in front but until Bolasie headed home our second there was always a danger that they would steal a point with an equalizer against the run of play as Reading had done before them. One goal is never a comfortable lead and we really need to kick on once we go in front so that our games do not always go down to the wire. Wood was too close for comfort on 77 minutes with a header that went wide of the post, but our second goal thankfully made the game safe just 2 minutes later. This result will temporarily ease some of the pressure at Villa Park. The rare clean sheet will show our defence that it is not impossible to go through a game without conceding as will our two goals demonstrate that if we make the chances we have the players who can take them. We are not yet a well oiled smoothly running promotion machine, but we might yet in the fullness of time become one. My player ratings from a run of the mill win against The Millers are: Orjan Nyland – 6 – A quiet event free evening. Ahmed Elmohamady – 6 – Did well on dropping back to a role that I consider that he is more suited to also chipped in with a pin point cross that resulted in our second. James Chester- 6 – Solid on those occasions that our defence was tested. Headed wide from a McGinn cross on 64 minutes. Mile Jedinak – 6 – A quiet night for our defence but he was commanding in the air and did well in this central defensive role that we insist in playing him in on this occasion. Headed an 81st minute Bolasie corner harmlessly wide. Will Mile be rested for Axel on Saturday if we choose to try a little squad rotation? Alan Hutton – 6 – Another reliable performance on the left. Anwar El Ghazi – 6 – Substituted on 73 minutes having given a decent enough display. Conor Hourihane – 7 – Earned his place with that free-kick at Blackburn and performed well on his merited return to our starting line-up. Hit a 45th minute free-kick wide of the post. Hit a 66th minute shot that Rodak kept out at his near post. Jack Grealish – 7 – Some welcome signs of a return to form last night. Could it be that he had needed some time to become familiar with having other players around him that can make things happen as well as himself? He is also not seeing as much of the ball as he was and may need time to become more accustomed to his current role. Nicely found by Kodjia but his 19th minute shot went past the far post and Abraham was just unable to reach it to turn it in. Curled a 72nd minute shot just wide of the far post. John McGinn – 8 – MOTM – A determined ball winner and he uses it so very well. Had an 87th minute shot from the edge of the box gathered by Rodak. Comfortably our most valuable player last night. Tammy Abraham – 7 – Looked sharp, pacey and keen. Scored our opener on 27 minutes. Grealish found Kodjia on the edge of the box who played a sweet ball past 2 defenders to Tammy who hit the ball past the keeper and into the corner of the net. He did some nice work prior to finding El Ghazi who hit the ball onto the netting on the top of the goal on 15 minutes. He looked very good and will get better. Jonathan Kodjia – 7 – Showed some nice touches and his partnership with Abraham looks to have some potential. Had a decent 1st minute cross pushed away by Rodak who also kept out his attempt to convert McGinn’s cross from close range 3 minutes later. Headed an 18th minute Grealish cross over the bar. Substitutes: Yannick Bolasie – 6 – Came on for El Ghazi on 73 minutes and sealed the win with a determined 82nd minute diving header from a nice Elmo cross. Looks ready for a start on Saturday. Albert Adomah – Replaced Kodjia on 81 minutes. Not on long enough to earn a rating. James Bree - Replaced Abraham on 86 minutes. Not on long enough to gather a rating but it is nice to know he is still in contention for a place. Up the Villa! John Lewis

Goals from Tammy Abraham and Yannick Bolasie on their home debuts gave us a much-needed win last night. This was not a scintillating performance from us. Our visitors rarely threatened our brittle defence and we eased to a routine victory without looking particularly good. The win was comfortable enough and it was achieved without us having to hit our stride. We didn’t look fluent last night, and we have a team of individuals that have yet to become a team but when that does happen the rest of the league had better beware because we have some pretty good individuals. Last night’s win gives the team something to build upon and it has lifted us up to sixth in the table. That is not too shabby given our performances to date. Another win on Saturday could give the team an opportunity to put together a string of positive results that could in turn cement our place in the top six and install some much-needed confidence into them. We played 4-2-4 last night which was a good and unexpected decision. The Millers arrived at Villa Park looking to take a point. They didn’t really look like doing so once we went in front but until Bolasie headed home our second there was always a danger that they would steal a point with an equalizer against the run of play as Reading had done before them. One goal is never a comfortable lead and we really need to kick on once we go in front so that our games do not always go down to the wire. Wood was too close for comfort on 77 minutes with a header that went wide of the post, but our second goal thankfully made the game safe just 2 minutes later. This result will temporarily ease some of the pressure at Villa Park. The rare clean sheet will show our defence that it is not impossible to go through a game without conceding as will our two goals demonstrate that if we make the chances we have the players who can take them. We are not yet a well oiled smoothly running promotion machine, but we might yet in the fullness of time become one. My player ratings from a run of the mill win against The Millers are: Orjan Nyland – 6 – A quiet event free evening. Ahmed Elmohamady – 6 – Did well on dropping back to a role that I consider that he is more suited to also chipped in with a pin point cross that resulted in our second. James Chester- 6 – Solid on those occasions that our defence was tested. Headed wide from a McGinn cross on 64 minutes. Mile Jedinak – 6 – A quiet night for our defence but he was commanding in the air and did well in this central defensive role that we insist in playing him in on this occasion. Headed an 81st minute Bolasie corner harmlessly wide. Will Mile be rested for Axel on Saturday if we choose to try a little squad rotation? Alan Hutton – 6 – Another reliable performance on the left. Anwar El Ghazi – 6 – Substituted on 73 minutes having given a decent enough display. Conor Hourihane – 7 – Earned his place with that free-kick at Blackburn and performed well on his merited return to our starting line-up. Hit a 45th minute free-kick wide of the post. Hit a 66th minute shot that Rodak kept out at his near post. Jack Grealish – 7 – Some welcome signs of a return to form last night. Could it be that he had needed some time to become familiar with having other players around him that can make things happen as well as himself? He is also not seeing as much of the ball as he was and may need time to become more accustomed to his current role. Nicely found by Kodjia but his 19th minute shot went past the far post and Abraham was just unable to reach it to turn it in. Curled a 72nd minute shot just wide of the far post. John McGinn – 8 – MOTM – A determined ball winner and he uses it so very well. Had an 87th minute shot from the edge of the box gathered by Rodak. Comfortably our most valuable player last night. Tammy Abraham – 7 – Looked sharp, pacey and keen. Scored our opener on 27 minutes. Grealish found Kodjia on the edge of the box who played a sweet ball past 2 defenders to Tammy who hit the ball past the keeper and into the corner of the net. He did some nice work prior to finding El Ghazi who hit the ball onto the netting on the top of the goal on 15 minutes. He looked very good and will get better. Jonathan Kodjia – 7 – Showed some nice touches and his partnership with Abraham looks to have some potential. Had a decent 1st minute cross pushed away by Rodak who also kept out his attempt to convert McGinn’s cross from close range 3 minutes later. Headed an 18th minute Grealish cross over the bar. Substitutes: Yannick Bolasie – 6 – Came on for El Ghazi on 73 minutes and sealed the win with a determined 82nd minute diving header from a nice Elmo cross. Looks ready for a start on Saturday. Albert Adomah – Replaced Kodjia on 81 minutes. Not on long enough to earn a rating. James Bree - Replaced Abraham on 86 minutes. Not on long enough to gather a rating but it is nice to know he is still in contention for a place. Up the Villa!

I do not accept that I am being disingenuous on this and I don't accept as a fact that the dislike of Steve Bruce "is entirely" because of what he is failing to achieve here. Not everyone that doesn't want him here because of or partly due to his past link with Small Heath has said it in his thread and I would not brand them as idiots for holding a view they are entitled to take in any case. I have expressed my opinion as have you. On this occasion we differ somewhat but few of us agree 100% on everything.

"As a former Small Heath boss some of us were reluctant to accept his appointment in the first place". I think that a few did feel that way, at least initially when he was appointed and that his links to Small Heath may have awoken that latent feeling held by some others now. Having said that, I think the vast majority have decided that it is time for change on the basis of performance and results rather than on his past. Hope that clears it up.

Bruce looked shocked after the Blackburn game and is obviously well aware that fans have grown very unhappy with our performances and results so far this season. He is a decent man who has tried hard to succeed at our club particularly last year when he faced managing our club whilst also trying to come to terms with the sad loss of both of his parents. He stuck around this summer when many other managers would have walked out having lost key players like Johnstone, Terry and Snodders as well as having faced losing Jack and Chester along with any other saleable player during the last transfer window. He was prepared to go into this season at a club that couldn't afford to pay it's milk bill without adequate replacements for the players he had been forced to let go where avoiding relegation was in reality our only realistic target. Then when our new owners came in and the club's situation was greatly improved he believed that as a result he faced the sack. He has now made some impressive signings in double quick time but has yet to find a winning formation or to organise the players to perform as a team. He was unable to find a replacement for JT and the jury is out concerning whether we have found a suitable replacement for Johnstone in the time we had to do this. As a former Small Heath boss some of us were reluctant to accept his appointment in the first place, others were disappointed when he wasn't replaced by Henry with whom the newspapers had linked us and patience has now worn increasingly thin as down the table we have slipped. He needs time but won't be likely to be given it. A run of good results starting tomorrow and ending in promotion will save him I'm sure we would all get behind him again if and when that happens. If it doesn't we should trust our new owners to make the right decision when they consider the time is right. Protests have their place and they have rightly taken place in the past when the voice of the terraces was being ignored. Now is not the time for one in my opinion.

I was including the cup defeat which could have made it a run of three defeats. We might have also had another penalty when Jedinak was impeded by Mulgrew when he tried to get to a corner. On balance, I disagree with you on which team if any deserved all three points.