Lerner's Driver

Another team in relatively poor form. If we score first and early 2-1, otherwise 1-1.

Brilliant idea.

As predicted. Beat Bristol City, which is doable and it's Rotherham after that, so small steps, but we have sight of a little run now. Well done Villa.

Derby are nothing special full stop and their away form is also average. By comparison, our own form is shocking of course, but if there is going to be an upturn in fortune, then it could well come against a meh, you win some you lose some, type team. Derby's most replicated away scoreline is a 1 nil loss, meaning like most away teams they keep it tight, frustrate their opponents, look to nick one on the break and frequently don't quite manage it. This strategy has worked all too easily for opponents coming to Villa Park recently, but assuming we finally get some luck and can get our noses in front before they do, I think we'll win ugly today. A dour 1-0 to the Villa.

Hmm, could be seen as baiting the authorities, which is never wise... Ahoy Football League, if you had any doubts about our financial viability without my money, then f*** you, fine me and see if I care. All very well being confident and powerful, but you can't hope to ignore the rules forever. Not saying we will be sanctioned, or that we have breached Financial Fair Play yet, but if we have, or are close to doing so, then we could be served a transfer ban and that takes away one of Tony's only fun toys. The last thing we need to do is buy more players of course, but at some stage we will, so not sure about the braggadocious style in this instance. Why invite a challenge when he already has plenty on his plate?

Don't blame you for not going. I'm trying to apply a management performance template to Bruce and his contribution. Anyone who has been through this process knows that it's likely you are on your way out because you are not rated, but if you engage with the process and can demonstrate your improvement, they won't sack you because you are meeting the criteria. He's got 3 or 4 games at most to continue showing improved performances and results, I'd say.

Yes improvement over the last few games. You didn't answer the question, I notice. Of course it's debatable as to how long a run of defeats can be sustained and there's no doubt each one tightens the noose, but... If performances are improving, they buy him time because it shows he is learning, responding and having an impact, even if it's not enough (yet), to produce the win. When all these things stop being seen in his performance as manager and we go maybe 3 or 4 more games without a win, then yes it's time. Not quite yet, in my opinion.

I wasn't there last night, only listened to two thirds of it on the radio so, this is a question for all those on here who are certain Bruce must go... were there any signs of improvement last night? Putting aside the recurring individual errors, the fragile mentality and the hideous inevitability of yet another defeat, did his line up, the overall team performance and his approach to the match show he had learned something and there were some signs of improvement from his players? Of course, the things I've asked you to put aside are important and must be dealt with, but when hate sets in people lose their sense of balance. If there were any signs of improvement, he still has to be given time. If there were no signs of improvement then sure, sack him.

We just bought a team of captains, perhaps that is part of the problem. They all feel emasculated by each other...

Oh okay, good idea, let's do that then. Hang on though, what if appointing 'the right one' doesn't work immediately though? Should we get angry, frustrated and sack him in 5 months too, despite the fact we were all sure he was progressive and a much better fit than Bruce? Ok, yeah, let's do it right now. No time to waste. Can't take this pain any more, we absolutely have to have new hope immediately.

They don't either, it's just something to say when you have content to provide.

Picking team (a) and actually watching it play would be the equivalent of hanging yourself in front of a mirror as a dog chews on your vitals and Dr Joseph Venglos gently whispers, "let the experiments begin".

Fair analysis based on what you've seen of these players for Villa, but you haven't seen much and you haven't seen that formation, so let's give it a chance, otherwise, we truly might as well just slump into that never ending depression.

So very brief! Don't agree with the sentiment, but I truly enjoyed reading this post. Keep up the good work!

@Grasshopper interested to hear your thoughts on Steve Bruce. Are you for or against him and can you back up your views with evidence?

It's fair to say that Steve Bruce is not exactly Jean Paul Sartre when it comes to deep thinking. Indeed, it was Bruce himself who remarked, "I'm not really into tactics", during his time with Sunderland. He may have been half joking, but many a true word, etc Instead, his forte is man management, whilst typically his number 2 is tasked with the technical stuff. We all knew that before we got him and it hasn't changed since. As such, the gamble under Bruce is specifically about whether the players find him inspiring and Clemence is drilling them in the right stuff. Whether you like the mix of roles and responsibilities or not, it's obvious that working in this way adds a layer of complexity to the gelling process at a club, something which is only further complicated by the addition of multiple new recruits all at once. Relationships like teams take time to build. Xia has accepted this now with talk of going at it next year and so should we.

We all like to see progress. But mark my words. We could wait another hundred years. And we won't ever see it. Paragraphs out.

That's a joke. You are joking, right?

Agree with this 100%

Dropped more points from winning positions than any other team.

Bruce in. He's still not had enough time. Lumpy? Yes. Ugly? Yes. But he gets to the end of the season.

We are going to win

@Grasshopper I think it was you that wanted Steve Bruce to 'grow a pair'. Does this line up suggest his gonads are swelling?

Patience, what's that? This is 2017, where the minimum requirement is total, instant success, or you are FIRED five minutes after being appointed.

Agreed. We are all sick of it and just want to enjoy the thing we love again, but at the end of the days it's only football. Really not worth getting that upset about when there's plenty otherwise to worry about in the world.