Cizzler

Nyland is awful. At fault for the goal obviously with a terrible bit of keeping, but looked shaky throughout. Can’t kick it. Shame the other lad looked toilet and all against Yeovil mid-week. Shouldn’t have let Steer go. Tuanzebe - quite simply not good enough on the ball to make it at Man United. Don’t want to see him at Rb again. Chester and Hutton were meh, fine. Mile Jedinak is a rancid centre back. Sure, he wins every header - but his distribution is absolutely shocking. He fundamentally can’t retain possession and he will shank/let one roll under his foot a couple of times a game and all. Why can’t Bruce see this? Never should be at CB again. Bjarnason was awful. McGinn a mixed bag, good set pieces and assist but lost the ball a lot too - actually looked a lot better in DM when Bjanason went off. Hourinhane needs to start as we don’t look like getting goals, and he has a knack at this level. Grealish was our best player by far, and visibly frustrated with the shite he was playing with. Elmo just can’t beat a man, should never be played RW. Needs to be moved back to RB ASAP. Adomah has lost it. Green did nothing when he came on either. Kodjia did nothing bar the goal except give away territory with stupid free kicks. A shadow of the player he was, but feeding off scraps. Bruce clearly has no system, no idea. He’s called a dinosaur on here, which is an easy swipe at him, but he’s clearly yesterday’s man. Not creating a chance against 10 man Ipswich for 90 minutes is an absolute disgrace.

What was Bruce’s plan before bringing Jack and Kodjia on from the bench? Long balls to a 5ft tall striker? Doyle-Hayes is a completely different player to Jack. The system just about works with Grealish and a striker up there who can contest the long balls. Not going to write any of the youngsters off. Grealish was exceptional tonight, but there were plenty of games before last season I’d have hammered him for. I’ve learnt a bit of a lesson there. Green looked okay at times and it was good for Tuanzebe to get some time at LCB. Job done with most the team rested, but the lack of a plan without Jack is a worry.

Do you think he played well then? Sure he won more headers than anyone else, it’s his job to do that in our system. The header he lost that was in my mind as I wrote that originally was in the second half, but isn’t actually registered on whoscored.

Wasn’t even just his terrible passing. If we aren’t defending by our own box and he gets squared up, he just gets rinsed for pace (as he did late in the second half against Wigan). Tbh, he wasn’t even as solid in the air as he usually is (which to give him credit, is an area he normally dominates). Maybe the backpass got to him, but he was even losing 50:50 headers in that second half. A truly dire performance from him, no sugar coating it.

Not at his absolute best, but Grealish was still a cut above. Jinked past 4 of them at 2-1 down to win us the corner we scored from. He’s so comfortable on the ball, our only player who can take possession and relieve pressure. From the new signings, I thought McGinn looked alright. Looks like we’ve replaced Snodgrass’ set piece delivery, which is a big plus. I thought Tuanzebe looked okay at RB too, strong and quick and not bad on the ball - Bruce needs to play him with Chester now (less said about Jedinak today the better, he was absolutely toilet). On Nyland, if I’m honest I thought he looked incredibly ropey. Couldn’t kick, slow off his line, refused to come for crosses and flapped at a high ball too... Only one game, so wont write him off, but all in all a pretty terrible debut.

So **** stupid. Exactly what he did against Sheffield United. Bruce is so **** negative. Just play Tuanzebe at CB and Elmo RB. Jedinak at fault too, such a bad pass. Absolute **** donkey. His passing is woeful for a centre mid, absolutely woeful

Yes, would be happy with all three. Although think only Dele Alli would be a truly like-for-like replacement for Jack in our current system........ (Look how hilarous being facetious is). I’m well aware we’re not going to get a player better than Jack. That’s what I’m upset about. I think we have a chance of going up with him, and none without him. I just used it as an example of how negative our manager is and how negatively he will continue to set us up. I don’t really care whether they scored against a terrible Hull side. I’m happy they did, but it doesn’t change my point? The idea of another 45 games with full backs on the wing and midfielders who can’t pass just seems bleak right now. Jack is the difference to that. I’d love to be proven wrong about any of this, of course. Being promoted without Jack, McGinn actually being a good player or Hutton and Elmo becoming a dynamic, goal-scoring right-wing sensation. I’d be happy if any of it transpired, I’m just saying how I see it.

I can’t see Bruce starting two attacking midfielders. We’ve begun the season playing a full back RW (to play ahead of a RB who struggles to go forwards) and picking Adomah ahead of Green essentially because he tracks back more. It’s obvious FFP is still a problem, so we’re not going to spunk £4m or whatever on ‘squad depth’. Therefore he looks like a Jack replacement. And yea, I get your point but I’m just not going to be excited that we’re replacing the only person on our team who can pass with someone is already 24 and has done **** all for Hibernian in the SPL.

Reason he’s getting hammered for last night so much is because people don’t mind if you’re a greedy **** as much, if you’re actually any good. I’m sorry put that pathetic scuff on his left foot (after running down a blind alley), instead of just playing a simple through-ball to put Elmo clean in (at 1all) was criminal. He’s the most selfish player I’ve ever seen at Villa. He played very well in his first season, so it was almost forgivable. If he’s going to play as badly as he did last night, it’s just not. He’s not our best player, he needs to pass the **** ball.

Feels like a Jack replacement, so just underwhelmed and unexcited.

If he goes, our season is pretty much done. The only player in our side who can actually pass a football. Must be kind of frustrating for him too. That moment when he passed Elphick back a simple ball, only for Elphick to take a touch 4 yards in front of him and suddenly it’s a 3 on 2 for Hull... Head in hands stuff. In hindsight it’s hard to begrudge him a move to a Champions League club, especially if we get £35m. I just **** hate Spurs tbf, would love it if Chelsea swooped in (if he has to go!).

Not sure how he's a journeyman, he's been with us since 2011. It sounds like we have saved money, if he's taken a significant pay cut. "Rebuilding with youth and pace" is a nice idea, but in my eyes so is keeping some of the players that got us 4th last year. What youngster were you hoping to develop and start at left back next season anyway? By all accounts he has a good attitude and he's a useful squad player being able to cover both flanks. The more interesting thing is who is agreeing this contract? Bruce? Xia? Wyness ?

He was. Jack had 30 appearances. Adomah, Hourihane and Snodgrass had 42, 43 and 44 games respectively. That's an extra 29 games between them than Jack had. If they created and scored twice as many than him, that would make sense. Think the unanimous feeling is he got his head screwed on this year, and he was injured for the first half. Look, no one thinks he's one of the best players in the world, but he's without doubt our best player right now. Not sure why he has to drag us out of the league single-handed to have that accolade. You can't prove everything with stats. His end product can definitely improve. He needs to add more goals to his game to become a better player. But he was just light-years ahead of all our other midfielders last season, to the extent it's just really weird to argue he wasn’t.

He was phenomenal after he came back from his injury, a much better player than I ever realised for sure. But considering he's been at Villa since he was 6, getting about 5 months of consistent football (in the Championship, no less) would be a shocking return on a player we've invested so much in. He'll be 23 at the start of the next season. If a Champions League club came in, it's impossible to begrudge him the move. It's the move to a West Ham or a Leicester that would really sting. I mean fair play to Leicester, that fluke Premier League season was an unbelievable thing - but I really can't see them doing anything else for a while (Mahrez will go, and even with him their football under Puel is horseshit). If he moves to a bang average Premier League team, it's for money, nothing else. There's not an international football tournament next summer, so his England prospects aren't as big an issue as they could have been. Michael Keane would have gone to the World Cup if it was last year. I just can't see how he's hamstringing his career by staying one more season. He's going to be the main man at a team which is going for the title. I think he owes us one full year, and if we fail again - that's fine, he can go anywhere and I'll wish him all the best. And I'm not having it that selling him is our only option of complying with FFP. There has to be other ways. If there truly is no other option than choosing between a points deduction or selling Jack Grealish because we spunked silly money on dross like Ross McCormack and Scott Hogan, then Wyness and Round should lose their jobs. It's that simple.

But when you’re playing 5 at the back isn’t that about right? A World Cup squad is really your first XI, back ups for them and a third keeper. Southgate likes Walker as a part of his back three, he actually played really well there in the last two friendlies. So TAA is not a bad option for RWB when Walker is probably 4th choice CB. Can’t think of any English fullbacks that haven’t gone who’ve had a better season than him, and a CL final to come. Also Lingard started behind Kane and Sterling in the last two friendlies. He might even be ahead of Alli in the pecking order, and has definitely been brought to play that role. Grealish, Jadon Sancho or even Bailey would have been exciting - but was never really gonna happen.He’s settled on his system, didn’t really see a wildcard happening. I think Smalling was unlucky to miss out for Cahill and I would have taken Wilshere over Delph - but it’s all a bit meh. A shame Ox is out, but he hasn’t really left anyone at home that could make a difference. Will still cheer them on, hope they surprise me.

He isn’t going to be playing left back or left wing back when we play them, so in the context of your first post it doesn’t really matter. It’s like saying the way to make Adomah look crap would be to attack him.

Why on earth does that matter when he plays left wing for them?

What? The position he plays for Fulham? Imagine that.

3. ————————Johnstone———————— Fredericks——Chester——Bamba——Douglas ———Neves———Grealish———Cairney——— Jota———————Mitrovic—————Sessegnon

He put in a fantastic ball for Grabban, that Grabban really should have scored but plunked it straight at the keeper. Also, he would have had a great chance to score himself if Adomah had picked him out (he was free in the middle of the box), only for Adomah to incredibly selfishly try and bend it in himself from a bad angle. Didn’t he also pick out Jedinak’s head with a free kick out wide late on? Only for Jedinak to completely fluff his free header? I’ve admitted he had a poor game by his standards, he did drive two free kicks straight into the wall. He’s still out best set piece taker IMO though, and his corners were still mostly excellent. Really fizzes them in, especially compared to Westwood’s dinks for keeper catching practice.

We don’t play exhilarating football. It’s hard to in the Championship though tbh. Fulham play pretty football. Brentford do, but get much worse results than us. Wolves are nicer to watch than us, but are a unique situation. Some of their players are exceptional for this level. Apart from those, have you seen anyone in this league who you’ve watched and really enjoyed their style of play? Could argue Bristol City (maybe) - but we absolutely pumped them. This season has been my favourite Villa season in a really long time. I enjoy winning, and our football is not gouge your eyes out bad (see: Warnock’s Cardiff). I really believe Jack is a joy to watch, and some credit goes to Bruce for that.

Think he needs this 8 days off now before our next fixture more than anyone. He busts his gut every game, so no wonder he’s shattered but admittedly tonight he fell a bit short on quality. I still believe he’s one of our best players technically when he’s on song, and his experience could be crucial come play offs.

Oh come off it. We’re 4th in the league, guaranteed play offs and still in with a shout of automatics with 3 games to go. It wasn’t a fantastic display by all means, but we dominated. Had several good chances and they didn’t have any. What was it? 5th game in 13 days? Stealing a living? That’s a joke surely

I actually think this was because of Jedinak not knowing where he should be positionally several times (kind of expected) and Grabban not tracking as much as Adomah usually would (also kind of expected). He was also very comfortable on the ball towards the end of the second half. I was fairly happy with him. Chester MOTM.

Played better tonight. Actually broke things up, fair play.