AntrimBlack

Faint praise, I know, but I agree.

Someone needs a kick up the arse, and I don't mean Tsibola.

It is not the fee. It is losing one of our better players.

Oh shit. I was about to post how we missed him tonight. Bad news.

Very poor and insulting from Bruce. Thought one of his good points was man management. Makes me wonder if Bruce is the nice guy I thought he was. I may have to re-evaluate how I feel about him. It just looks like he is picking on the lad. I did not like that.

Most of his involvement has been to miss chances.

Nope. you're still using the wrong words.

Richards.

It was very noticeable that Veretout was showing for most of the throws.

I refer you to deldoy54's excellent post. He has hit the nail on the head.

Excellent post. I agree completely.

Doesn't really work that way, though, does it. They need a structure, a system, so they know what their interaction with their team mates should be. Y'know - coaching.

It suggests that VT'ers are smarter than other fans.

No, but crap football probably will not get us up.

Only my opinion, of course, but he looked better than either in the pre season games.

I dislike this post immensely. I like Bruce, but I cannot believe that he will be able to get us up based on what I saw last season (not pre season). And I will be very happy to be proved wrong. I want what is best for Aston Villa, not for my personal ego.

I don't want to read too much into pre season friendlies. But I would have hated, as a player, to have been brought on in the second half yesterday. You would just know you were not going to do well. I know we have to rest players, but Bruce is going to have to start playing something close to his preferred team and his preferred system in these pre season matches to give the guys a chance to gel. Positives for me. Green and Amavi were great together in the first match. Green should be first name on the team sheet, his age is immaterial. Terry and Chester looked good together. Veretout is our best midfielder. Negatives. A lot of the players in the squad are passengers, although we have enough players good enough for this level for the final squad. Veretout should be taking the corners and free kicks, not Hourihane.

Well, if that is the best we can do, we are seriously in need of a couple more centre backs. Why not involve a couple of young guys?

Richards and Hutton at centre back. We are supposed to learn something from pre season games - what the hell is the use in that? Does Bruce really not know by now that Richards is useless?

Excellent today. Kept showing for everything, Kept the whole team ticking over. Surely we must look to keep him. IMO Veretout and Green the pick of the players over the course of today's two games.

Sounds like the Kiddie match was a bit `as you were', but the Telford match I enjoyed - plenty of energy and pressing from the kids.

Went for this one because there were so many young players in the line up. By the end they were subbing young players with other young players!!! As for the match, Green and Amavi were class, and Veretout controlled the middle. Oh, if only Amavi and Veretout would stay. Davis was decent; caused problems. The lad 0'Hare was very good when he came on; a bundle of energy and a real nuisance for the opposing defenders. Had not seen Sarkic before, but he looks a decent keeper. In control all over the box - no staying on his line for this guy!! And a big shout out for Samba, he got everything that came anywhere near him. Terrific performance by the team, but of course it is all tempered by the level of opposition they were playing.

That's an expensive way to protect an investment.

Agree so much with this.

I really like him and I hope he can recapture at least some of the form he had when he arrived at first. I will be more than happy if he remains with us.