DevonIsAPlaceOnEarth

29 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

He's also sticking with an underperforming manager 

A great chairman isn't someone who consistently makes the wrong decision. At the moment he's made more wrong ones than right. 

I agree he's sticking with an underperforming manager, albeit one that has us 5 points from automatic promotion. But he has shown that he will give the boot when it is necessary.

If we win the next game we will be in the playoffs, and we don't want a Blues/Rowett situation from last year.

37 minutes ago, TreeVillan said:

Win 4 matches on the bounce, and not a word mentioned. Lose the next game and Xia is the devil incarnate. Fellow Villa fans you never fail to amuse me. 

I'm really surprised at the negativity toward Xia, he has been nothing but a great chairman. He appointed a bad manager in Di Matteo, but which chairmen have never made a dodgy one?

I like Kodj and I know it's a form thing, but maybe it is time to give Hogan a go next to Davis. Take the pressure of Kodjia.

They should be paying Tony £4K. The sky is blue, grass is green, the ref was dreadful.

A rather stupid error of judgment today. Dallied on the ball, then made a rash challenge when he was dispossessed. It was a young players mistake.

Not trying to get involved with what he should or shouldn't have done, but must be recognised in that one on one situation it was a wondersave.

6 hours ago, Skills said:

clutching at straws here but got zero after the Adomah's took the penalty against Barnsley...    Is Kodjia our designated penalty taker or did he shun Adomah for the second time in as many minutes? 

 

From what I saw from the lower Holte, Adomah pretty much forced the ball in Kodjia's hands for the penalty.

A privilege to watch.

Just got home. What a terrible game, on the walk to the train station I heard a bloke say "an awful game made even worse by awful refereeing". He wasn't wrong.

Thought Bolton were decent in fairness to them, we were relatively poor. Bruce's tactics were good today, and he used his subs well. Samba was needed because they were bombarding us.

Job done is as good as I can sum up.

2 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

There has been some testing at the last couple of games and it's not far off.

 

Thanks for the update. If anything it's good the club are making sure it's right before rolling it out.

Has e-cash function been activated yet? I was quite looking forward to this because it would save bringing my whole wallet to the game.

2 hours ago, Jareth said:

Is there actually anything more that can be discussed about Bruce?

Do you think he has claimed his PPI back yet? If not, I don't think he is the right man for us.

Hoping for an unchanged side unless Jedinak is fit. I'm trying to be grounded and not under estimate the opposition, but on the form guide we should be looking to dominate the competitions goal difference column after this fixture (Leeds aside).

5 minutes ago, Don_Simon said:

It is waaaaaaaay too early to be apologising. We are currently doing what a squad like ours should be doing. Nothing more and nothing less.

I wanted him gone and if an outstanding candidate became available, (Hello Jose), would still want him out. 

However,  if like another poster has said we get results against our promotion rivals away from home, I'll start to believe he's turning / turned it around.  

Fingers crossed! (For turning it around,not for Jose).

Perhaps so, I was adamant that he had lost the changing room and that he should have gone after the Bristol game.

It's academic now, its a results business like you say. Wolves will be the crucial one. It's great to be feared side though.

Steve, I am very sorry. Keep up the good work please.

A goal scoring midfielder, what is this witchcraft?

Didn't have a great game, but what I think Davis brings is time and space for other players. Kodjia and Hourihane will be the main benefactors of Davis being up to.

1 hour ago, Eastie said:

Seems snodgrass enjoyed playing with him during their time at Leeds -

Robert Snodgrass has paid a warm tribute to Ross McCormack following his former Leeds United team-mate’s recall to the Scotland squad. Snodgrass, right, who left Leeds for Norwich City in a £3million transfer last summer, said his fellow Scot was “one of the best players I’ve played with” after a week in which McCormack signed a new four-year deal at Elland Road. 

Read more at: http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/sport/football/leeds-united/one-of-the-best-snodgrass-in-tribute-to-ex-leeds-teammate-1-6016240

This was before he'd had played alongside the predator that is Gabby though.

I was in the Holte so cannot say I heard anything. If something offensive was chanted we must take action on it and apologise.

My impression of our club is that we are progressive, that this sort of thing is very uncommon and usually dealt with by those nearby

4 minutes ago, Raver50032 said:

Difficult to tell Ash to be fair. Given the pontificating narrative of the manager, nobody will be able to criticise come whatever on Saturday, because the Barnsley result 'shut people up.'

 

Did it ****. All it has done is delayed the inevitable. What Tuesday showed was that, with different players, the mantra is the same. Must, not, lose... And we still did.

I agree with the sentiment, but my feeling is that Bruce's "Shut people up" line will be accurate if we win the next two games comfortably. I know that is a hefty 'if'. 

I will gladly hold my hands up and I say I was wrong to call for him to go if we do that, and I hope others would do the same.

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Its a really significant point....and one we have never learned from

• Guy whittingham
• Tony casacarino

its clear to me that the scouting was lacking, just like it is now......it should be accountable.

We all know that you can't get it right every time.....but jesus, we have made some errors......too bloody many, to be honest.

It is a valid point. My feeling on this is that Di Matteo probably never had a plan, he just went after big hitting players. We never really had a system with him.

i think Bruce signed Hogan with the intention of building a team around his style, the only problem was that Kodjia just became unstoppable and undroppable. I don't think our scouting are naive to think that Hogan and Kodjia would work well as a two. Or I might be giving them too much credit.

14 hours ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

What pisses me off..

Why not just play the U21's then from game one of the cup if we don't take it seriously?

Why not just get knocked out then rather trudge a few rounds in then collapse?

I don't feel the cup is a financial loss on any fete. It is a way into Europe to begin with, and you never know what might happen.

In fairness, as Eastie said, is this not what we did essentially. We rested the 'Saturday 11' in the previous round.

Don't get me wrong, it doesn't sit well with me either setting a side up to likely lose. It's unfortunately a case of hate the game, not the player. I say we are best off without it in the sense of the league being everything for us this season.

I would suggest the whole League cup is a financial loss for the club anyway. I would think we are best off without it. The Saturday league fixtures attendances are a concern though, and I suspect Tony et al with have noted this.

Now that was a supreme, classy performance. Read everything, and made it look so easy. Every time they beat the fullback, Terry had the cross cut out. Excellent.

No complaints today. Wasn't pretty, but we won 3-0. If we do that more often than not we will go up.