GrassyNoel

It seems to me that the formation and set up at Barnsley is as close to our best offering as can be . Steve Bruce needs to adopt a system that represents the best squad in the division like most folk have said. 4-4-2 gives us the best balance IMO and should be our default formation, subject to injuries and suspensions to key players. 4-2-3-1 is a possibility playing 2 holders for a tough away game 4-1-4-1 is another possibility, but leaves a striker too much to do. 4-5-1 should be avoided at all costs unless we are coming off a run of defeats and want to stop the rot. 4-3-3 is a possibility when the swagger comes back and we are winning comfortably....particularly at Home. 3-5-2 Is another formation I would avoid, with aging centre backs. 5-3-2 Is a formation we should never have to consider with our squad. Having said all of that.....11 players have to be on top of their game to win anything. I’m printing this.

Maybe we'll oblige.

Bringing Hutton on shows me he didn't want to drop him in the first place. Blind.

I thought I'd braced myself for a loss tonight. I was wrong.

Maybe if we play two in goal.

Best thing tonight are your posts and that beautiful avatar - assume that's you?

Guess we got tired of waiting...

To direct electricity to the brain better in the chair.

More passes at a Christmas party.

Spot on. Also, those teams will undoubtably pick up the vibe that all's not well at Villa. Their tails will be up.

This is how I feel tonight. To be honest, after 5 games, even if we were on 15 points and no goals against, if the football was as bad as it has been I'd probably still be unhappy - it'd feel like the wheels could come off at any point. I want us to swagger out of this league because it's beneath us. Newcastle have given me that feeling this season. And yes, arrogant as it may sound, I do think it's beneath us.

I was in favour of pre-season and further additions... ...but on the other hand we could end up in the same poisition as this season where we effectively give all other teams a massive head start before acting. I'm so confused right now.

Sorry to hear this mate. Get well soon. Keep the faith - you're lad may swing round a few times before settling down. My lad's been raised on Villa but had his head turned by Spurs lately as his mates are all Yid fans. No worries, hurts a bit but want him to have his own mind plus he seems to care about Villa also. Be patient with him, he'll still love going to Villa with his old man I'm sure.

Marxist football! It's the future!

This is arrogant and presumptuous and disrespectful and exactly how I feel and I love it! UTV!!

I maintain it's not the act of chopping and changing managers that necessarily leads to poor results, but who you change to. If you get it wrong six times, blindly sticking with the seventh regardless of results is pinning all cause for poor form on changes rather than the correctness of the manager for your club at that moment in time (any of the poor choices can go elsewhere and be successful, many factors come into play when it comes to success - Ranieri anyone?). So we've got Exhibit A - chopping and changing. We're about to get Exhibit B - unconditional support. I'm not including Lambert here as existing evidence - he was operating under supernaturally bad conditions. Bruce isn't. It's out of our hands now - either Steve turns it around and we all benefit from a better Villa, or... As that's the reality we face, it's a loud UTV from me.

Coyle out, Mowbray in within 24 hours. That's how it's done. I sincerely hope conversations with interested parties are taking place as we speak.

Zola on his way to B6 then...

No I agree, just had to draw the line. Gregory would be my shout. MoN was all those things, but spiteful is the main attribute I think of with him, timing his leaving for maximum damage. It worked, hope you're satisfied.

Totally. We should be mouth-watering for some cocky upstart looking to make their mark. Biggest team in the U.K.'s second largest city. Well supported, historic, former giants and supportive owner. It's on a plate FFS. Saunders - Taylor - Atkinson. Absolute footballing geniuses. Can we honestly mention any manager we've had since MoN (at a push) in the same breath?

I can only conclude that Villa is just too big a job for most.

Ah no! "Honest bunch o' lads" next...

Wish I had a season ticket to rip up.

No matter how far down the wrong road you have travelled, turn back. ~ Turkish proverb

Wonder if there's a gaffer we'd all agree on...