Lerner's Driver

You do realise that you've just agreed with someone who said I was talking sense when criticising your inability to discuss Bruce with a sense of balance? And yes, I realise that isn't what you intended, but it is what you've done, which is amusing.

Wrong. As is so often the case with people who are blinded by their absolute certainty, you fail to, or more likely refuse to, see the nuance in what others say who don't absolutely agree with you. It's been pointed out to you more than once that most people on here see Bruce's flaws and there aren't any who offer their unquestioning support. Tro was probably his most staunch defender, but even he, like the rest of us only did so on the basis that the position, his position, the team's position, was not black and white. But you don't think that way or talk that way do you? You accuse and create adversaries. It's irritating. Just like your unreadable paragraph length sentences. Balance in.

Classic classy Trump like verbiage. Deflect, deny, ignore and instead of engaging, simply repeat the intended message. It's utterly charmless.

But I thought it was undefendable? You can't have it both ways old chap.

Not against him getting the boot if we go up, Championship is very probably his ceiling.

I understand what you are saying and you may well be right. It's certainly what happened last year, but I think this year is looking a bit different in that yes, the team still does not look fluent, but we are starting to look harder to beat, we do stay in the game for most of the matches and we are creating chances, so I think our chances of progress are also significantly improved. Whether it lasts or the upturn is enough, is yet to be seen, but in a way, that's my point. Until the tennis match is over you can still come back and win. To extend your tennis analogy, until recently, (when he went up a level to dominating), going the distance was Murray's stock-in-trade, where he would often engage in marathon sets and rarely totally dominated, but still ended up winning more matches than he lost through a mix of having just enough skill and determination to overcome his opponents.

However it is achieved (whether it be via play offs, or automatically), IF Bruce gets us promoted then 'contriving to make the other team look good' won't matter, so in my opinion, it's not a valid reason in and of itself.

Me too, Bruce might not be the only one choking either, if he manages it.

Hmm, not sure its that clear cut, if we get that far we will have a chance. I think it's probably better to judge our chances on a game by game basis than it is to guess about the future based on how much you like the brand of football. After all he's been choking it for most of the season and we are sixth, so he may just choke it in the play off final and win. You don't have to like it.

We weren't. We weren't great, but that is understandable given the circumstances. Derbies = hysteria.

Not pretty, but derbies rarely are. They had some clear cut chances which went begging and so did we. Glad to see Jedi return as he and Keinan brought the shape we needed. I'm not sure why people are calling it abysmal because although not sparkling by any means I thought we battled well and could easily have won it. We have seen a lot lot worse in recent years. Abysmal in my eyes equals not in it, totally outfought and outthought - neither of those things happened. Decent point from a tricky game.

Your mate is wise, so do I. I find it to be a great help when surveying the assault and battery charges I am facing, or when I find myself in the local library perusing the 'newspapers', but then again, I do also try to remember not to blindly believe everything Im reading simply because I know some naughty people deliberately tell lies, or make things up, or worse still, say stuff they believe which is born from ignorant, sheltered, agenda driven cognitive biases.

You know lots. Will you tell us some more of it?

Just imagine being certain... you never have to do this irritating, petty little open minded thing. The only frustration comes in time not hurrying along quicker to the inevitable outcome you knew it would well before the drooling hordes catch on.

Personally, I'm a big fan of a bit of dub pressure!

Much better than the Wolves showing. I enjoyed Terry's goal and performance and the high pressing in particular. Wheelan continues to be a weak link and they had a few chances of their own including one where Johnson kept us in front when they should have equalised but overall we definitely deserved it and we've beaten a rival. Well played Villa! The Brouters' wet dream will have to wait at least another week!

We have and no doubt we'll be back there again sooner than anyone had hoped. Of course, it's the hope that kills you, but when you think about it, so few clubs, managers, or players ever consistently meet the fans' expectations. We all demand success, but over the course of a season, perhaps only a handful of teams meet or exceed the common aspiration, the rest by definition, disappoint or downright fail. Barring the occasional brief periods of success, following football is largely a low reward, energy sapping slog. I'm beginning to see the appeal of philately.

Villa falling apart at the seams? Another win only papers over the cracks? Quick Tony, pop down Homebase and get us some Grout.

Wolves are just a better team, better players, more ideas, better movement, better passing, better energy. If they are one of the promotion favourites, I don't see us getting to their standard.

What odds on Hutton getting sent off?

Southgate and every member of the FA (including Joan from HR), out?

We are on a decent run at the moment, which currently sees us top of the form table and 5 points off the top of the actual table, so I have a straight forward yes or no question for the Bruce Out Now supporters... if getting your preferred progressive manager tomorrow meant he got to build the club in his image, would you willingly sacrifice promotion this season? I know some will say the two elements are not mutually exclusive and I accept that possibility, but I'm asking a very specific hypothetical question.

Don't those 1's look pretty at the bottom of the thread?

I'm furious, current results are irrelevant because I know Bruce is incapable of getting us up. VS I'm furious, Bruce has proved he can get sides up before, so despite the occasional poor performances, I'm encouraged by the recent form and I'm prepared to keep an open mind. (delete as appropriate)