Harry

Bullet dodged on my part I think. After the no show against 10 men last week it was hardly going to be packed to the rafters. I'm all for playing the kids and giving the fringe players a chance but at least play with attacking intent and go for it rather than the usual turgid defensive crap.

Given his connections to people at the club already, personally I think he is a shoe in as next manager. Not sure what to think.

Now that's just wishful thinking

Oh and I can't wait for Bruce's inevitable excuses.

No way am I buying a ticket for the cup game next week. I think the inevitable loss to Barnsley on Saturday will see Bruce gone.

Another evening wasted. The tactics were all wrong in the first half and we were unlucky in the second but you make your own luck and we just can't do that with Bruce in charge. Special shout out to Lansbury for the most unnecessary red card ever.

I'm not going to write him off as a signing but he way way too defensive yesterday. It was like having two right backs. Whether that is how he was asked to play I don't know but he is very much a squad player in my eyes. Both Adomah and Snodgrass are far better options IMO. Still good player at this level but certainly not a game changer.

Certainly no better.

I stopped reading at Talksport.

Exactly it will be the fickle fans, unreasonable expectations, not given enough time, not supported this summer in the transfer market, clearing up the previous regime / managers mess, etc....speech.

Not good to base the next manager on a single game but the way Smith set out Brentford yesterday I would have him as manager a heartbeat.

We can but hope.

I don't think the fans did 'turn on' the team. They were booed at half time and much more so at full time something many other teams fans do and will continue to do. Personally I don't agree with booing and I never have. I said in my post above the fans were going mad at the team but that was comments we made to each other and the howls of exasperation. I do not recall any chanting or songs against the team during the match either. Having said that the atmosphere was flat to say the least. I know the standard response is the fans should get behind the team. That is very difficult when your are watching the absolute rubbish we witnessed yesterday. The fans were behind the team particularly as we attacked. Did the fans make VP a hostile atmosphere for the away team (do we ever?)......no we did not. As I said in my post above I lay the blame 100% with Steve Bruce. How come a manager like Dean Smith with far fewer resources and man for man 'worse' players can set out a side full of attacking intent and application where the players all knew their role and our manager simply cannot? The answer is really simple; Steve Bruce is not capable of doing those things. Sadly all the empirical evidence of the last year has woefully exposed his limitations as a manager. He's a nice bloke and 100% committed to his job but he's just not that good.

Certainly two hours of my life that I won't get back. Utter crap from Villa coupled with the ignominy of being outplayed by Brentford and scrabbling a desperate point at home against them. I'm sorry but I totally lay this at Bruce's door. I don't think he has a clue as to what the appropriate formation is or who are his best 11 players are or how to change a game by variation of tactics or for that matter what tactics to adopt at the start of a game. Today's game summed all of that up for me. The fans around us in the Holte were going mad watching the utter crap that was being served up and I think Bruce and the team got off pretty lightly given the abject performance we all witnessed. Carry on like this and we will achieve mid-table mediocrity at best. What little faith I had in a Bruce as a manager has now gone and the quicker Dr Tony sees that he is not the manager to get us promoted the better. The simple fact is we can't even do the basics right and it will not get any better until the owner pulls the trigger and fires Bruce. Oh and finally a special mention to the utter tossers who steward K2 and K3 in the Holte who managed to eject or encourage to leave with the help of the police around a dozen fans for basically nothing.

Not poor, more wasteful with some of his final balls but he ran and ran and was a threat for the whole game. But as I said the post match thread Wigan were dreadful.

He did, a very classy performance IMO.

He looks about 12!

My MotM. Superb performance. Can't believe it is not his natural position.

Clark MotM for me, a very assured performance. No need to look for another LB in my opinion. Doyle-Hayes was great at CM. Wigan were dire but Villa played with such confidence. Kept the ball on the ground and actually passed it around rather than the usual hoof ball. Only one game I know but I would move on some of the older players: Hutton, Elphick, Richards, Gabby, etc and rely on the kids to make up the squad.

Maybe one to shift before the window closes?

Maybe a nice choice to have?

As I said........

The fact that he seemingly cannot get the players to do what he wants on the pitch says more about him as a manager than it does the players. I can just about buy the idea that there is more than just one player, RMC, might not want to be at the club but I can't believe that there are a number. If there are I suspect that is because they are utterly hacked off with the coaching and tactics of SB and his team rather than the club. It is a total cop out to blame the players. Terry for example is a consummate professional and personally I think that could be said of a lot of the squad. Much as Hutton gets stick on here, he never gives less than his best, regardless of how good that is! Anyway even if he does think the players are the problem he needs to MANAGE the situation to get the best out of them. Spoiler alert....he is not going to get an entire new squad before 31 August.

I know its irrelevant at the moment but it is somewhat sobering that we are bottom of the league.

Spotted at the test match today. I am happy to report he only drank water all day.