vreitti

No we won't.

Absolute dogshit tonight. Still I'd not sell him, not now, not for any sum. We need stability.

Why, oh why does he keep tinkering so much with the first 11? It's beginning to feel like he simply picks half the team at random.

We really are frustrating to watch. I suppose we can count ourselves lucky again tonight. Then again, we also had plenty of chances in the end to nick it. I love Kodjia, and without him we would be neck deep in relegation shit, but for the love of God, please learn to pass. There were plenty of options, on more than one occasion. We lack playmakers. Badly. Decent performances from Westwood, Hutton, and both CBs, who just keep impressing. Shockers from Jedi and Amavi. Bacuna and Ayew not far off. Both should be replaced. Also Bruce got the lineup wrong tonight again. I really don't understand this unnecessary rotation every match. The problems are there for all to see, they won't magically disappear by swapping Westwood for Gardner, or Ayew for Adomah. One would hope he'd already realized our best first 11.

Piss off Kodjia. Learn some goddam humility, and pass the fecking ball for once.

Seriously, has Kodjia ever made a pass to a teammate?

Pretty entertaining and decent first half. I'd say we were the slightly better team. Thumbs up for scapegoats westwood and hutton. Massive thumbs down for Jedinak. Absolutely woeful passing.

I'm really looking forward to the good Doctor's tweets regarding incoming transfers in a matter of days. I'm sure we won't be disappointed.

Without not knowing much about anything, I can pretty much guarantee we have money to spend. It's an altogether different issue whether (and/or how much) we'll be spending in January. Considering the turnaround since Bruce came in, I'm fairly certain we'll spend whatever it takes, if the manager's preferred targets are available/attainable.

Hopefully the players will have revenge on their mind. I'm expecting a proper performance. Anything else, and we'll be handily beaten as Leeds is on a roll. I'd leave Grealish on the bench for this one, and start with Ayew on top instead of McCormack.

Absolutely spot on. Sure in a better setup, he'd probably do better. Who wouldn't. He's actually no better than Jedinak, and playing them both at the same time would be suicide.

That is also what I'd go with. Sadly I don't think Bruce will see it that way. I'm guessing he'll still want to have one 'big man' up front. Probably something along the lines of this: --------------- Gestede --------------- Grealish -- McCormack -- Adomah Which would leave us with shit in the middle of the park.

Don't think Kalinic ever was suited for the 'english way' of playing.

This could actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise for us. That is, if we somehow manage to develop a more coherent team in his absence. I'm thinking McCormack especially could benefit greatly from having a partner that's more a team player. Of course if said partner is Gabby, it won't make a difference.

I have to concur with others here, really like what Bruce is doing with Jack for the time being, easing him in, picking the right circumstances for him to shine, as he obviously ain't ready to be starting week in, week out yet. Having said that, I don't agree on the '5 years or so' timescale. I know most midfielders tend to peak at the age of 26-27, but surely we are allowed to expect better, and more mature performances a lot sooner?

I don't agree with this at all. RDM actually made some really shrewd acquisitions. Kodjia, McCormack, Adomah, Chester and the Jedi were all great buys for this level. Kodjia might even produce the goods at the next level. Tish is still a mystery, and Gollini can surely improve. The problem is, he should've bought at least one more midfielder. Bruce has done an amazing job thus far results wise, impossible to disagree. Yet I still feel he should've already gotten us playing better, all things considered. Time will tell, I hope he is able improve the balance now, and seriously get us challenging for promotion come spring. Anything else than playoffs with the squad we already have, is a failure imho.

What the hell is that!?

I don't doubt his ability, nor do I think it's a question of confidence, to me it's more a question of very poor decisionmaking and a lack of intelligence. I honestly doubt Bruce will be able to change this.

I want to believe this, especially the last part. Jordan just makes it so hard.

I'm sorry, but this just wrong. Kiraly is a legend, for those pants alone, nevermind his goalkeeping skills.

That's got to be the worst Villa lineup ever.

Exciting times indeed, gonna be really interesting to see what our targets actually are. I think a lot of people will be surprised. Most on here keep banging on about more midfielders, but I think Bruce's priorities are elsewhere. Sadly it seems he's looking to replace younger players. I myself will be rather disappointed if we ship out Gollini and Tish so soon.

He doesn't seem mobile enough for a wide position. In my view his best position is just behind a striker. I suppose that's the number 10 position then? As you said, we don't employ that formation at the moment. But maybe we should? Call me crazy, but we've paid £15m for a proven goalscorer, perhaps we ought to adjust and play to his strengths!? Kodjia can surely adapt, come in from wide positions, and maybe even play as our main striker if push comes to shove. He mostly does his own thing anyway. Gestede however would be a more natural partner for Ross. Ayew at current form I wouldn't even include in the 18 man squad.

And we know this based upon a handful of matches he's played? I might be mistaken but wasn't QPR his first start under SB? He's been out injured for most of the season ffs.

That'd be plain stupid, considering his goal scoring record in this league!? For whatever reason, he hasn't yet performed for us, but common sense says it's just a matter of time, right?