Grasshopper

1 hour ago, VILLAMARV said:

only it hasn't.

VM you‘re not getting the joke

27 minutes ago, Keener window-cleaner said:

What a team! I'd be happy with them, as long as they don't come along with Sammy Sideways, Barry Backwards and Harry Hoofer.

......and the former managers favourite Eck Squewsis

1 hour ago, Nigel said:

Stoke looking at Rowett to replace Hughes....shame!

please Gary, please take it! pleeeeeease

1 hour ago, TRO said:

It was the same manager, that won away to 'brough and beat Bristol.

do you just wait for a defeat to try to drive home your point, even more?

It just proves he‘s as capable of losing as well as „fluking it“

..........soon to be used as an excuse.

“....... ffp......no money......injuries.....Its hard playing possesion football on a pitch like that........the players.......“

4 minutes ago, TRO said:

One of your much better posts.....and i think its fair to say that your concerns are still shared by those of an alternative opinion.....albeit it would be wrong of me to speak for them.

He has to get to the end of the season, when the picture will be painted and then we can judge more accurately.

I hope he does prove you wrong, but I do get some of your concerns too.

 

Tro, all my posts are good, you just dont get most of them 

1 hour ago, OutByEaster? said:

So here we are on January the 7th with what almost feels like a new start. There are no more distractions, there's nothing confusing, nothing that isn't clear.

Steve Bruce has taken on a job with a clear aim and he has made sacrifices in his plan to achieve that aim. I may not like being knocked out of the cup in the fashion we were yesterday, and I might hanker for a more progressive style of football, but what I really want, and what Steve Bruce really wants and what the owner really wants and what I reckon all of us really want is now as clear as day.

Promotion is the job.

Not style, not cup runs, not making me smile every day of the season, not the beautiful game; just making all of us incredibly happy in May.

Now, given all of that, and given that I thought we'd struggle to make the playoffs this season, I think it's more than possible to suggest the manager is doing okay - don't get me wrong, the floor around my pram is littered with the toys of this season - I've been a critic and I've been more than that at times. I've also given credit to a manager who is soldiering on through a season that's at times been painful and ugly. Maybe I should have been watching the table, not the pitch. We're 5th, and 5th is okay.

We're in a position where we're 2 points clear of dropping out of the playoffs, and we're 5 points from second place - for me Wolves have one of the automatic places sewn up and with twenty games left I think there are still a dozen teams involved in the chase for the other spots that give you promotion or a shot at it.

Twenty games will tell us whether Steve Bruce is right.

Twenty games will tell us if the pragmatism and experience of the manager wins out over the occasional terrace dreamer carrying the lost ambitions of a very wounded Lion - whether results trump enjoyment.

We have a foundation, we're in the conversation. So for me, I'm giving Steve Bruce a fresh start, a clean sheet, shelving my reservations and starting today. I'm sure a number of you will find that impossible, that's your right, it hasn't been an easy tenure to enjoy and sometimes it's been difficult to endure - but it may still be one that ends where we want it to.

Twenty to Twenty=two games to play gaffer. 

Be right.

 

I can only take my hat off to you, respect you 100% and admire you for coming to this point. And I wish, I really do, with all my heart I could join you, Bruce would get result after result that gets us promoted and we can be happy bunnies back in the PL and life there can find a new beginning for AFVC as a football club.

I‘d even accept midtable PL with the odd cup run or romantic win against the chosen 4/5/6 Sky favourites if it simply is so that football has moved on and we have missed the boat and dont have the rescources to compete for PL title or ChL places.

But for that 1st paragraph to be, I would have to hang on to some truth and belief that Bruce has it in him using his methodology.

My problems with that lies in that I dont believe the style of football that Bruce consistantly presents is something I see as a way to win the majority if games left and at worse only losing very few.

His „favourites“ constantly picked ahead of others in the squad. Players not played in their prefered roles and positions, the subbing on & off of players so that the mandate is a backward step over a positive one, basically setting up the game plan, the line up and system of play to fail, with the excuse that its the players and not him at fault.

I cannot support someone who is not, basically and principally, managing his responsibilities with the best interest of the club in mind.

This is something that I have aired on here since the Leeds defeat and home draw which was confounded by the Cardiff performance/result last January. At the latest I was 100% convinced by the 3-0 Brentford defeat.

Since then I have not moved from being convinced that we are wasting precious time with him. Even during the run after Derby, I swayed to „ok, I‘ll get behind him“ even though I was not convinced by „his way“ as a successful model.

Bruce has consistantly proved that the good is not sustainable and that the bad regularly rears its ugly head again.

Some will point to the „good period“ that got us to 4/5th before the slide kicked in again. We dropped out of the playoffs, only to return again. Being in or out of the top 6 is no garantee and neither is the timing when that occurs. What is a garantee is that after 46 games there is not recount, statistical adjustments taking nett spend, past promotion records or injury lists taken into account. It will be exactly what it is. 46 games P W D L GD Pts xyz and if we are not top 2, we will have to negotiate the playoffs, indeed if we finish top 6. If all those stars do not align the club not only faces a completely new challenge but with a different set of tools at hand to negotiate that task.

I will continue my belief that Bruce must go immediately whilst hoping that I am wrong for the good of the club.

Bruce Out

59 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

Why are you still going on about the first two games of the season? That was a completely different team.

same manager

1 minute ago, Demitri_C said:

4-0vs burton  AND Barnsley.  Guess those were flukes eh?

1-3 at home v P‘boro, defeats v Cardiff, Reading & Brentford certainly make it look that way

15 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

Let's get this said first; well played Peterborough, a performance of passion, purpose and pride. Their fans made a good noise throughout and they thoroughly deserved to win the game. They should enjoy their celebrations and I don't want the things I'll say about my club to in any way reflect on their success.

They were the better team in three ways:

Commitment - they cared and they played like they cared, they worked hard, they were brave with and without the ball and they worked for each other.

Passing - they played better football than we did, it was them trying to get it on the deck, it was them trying to pass and move, their football provided them with their opportunities.

Chances - they created a hatful and but for an excellent performance from Steer they could quite easily have doubled their tally today.

For us, we're out of what is arguably the biggest competition we get to take part in - you can bang on about promotion all you like, but the game is about more than money, it's about more than the big TV show, it's about glories and joys and this competition matters. It should matter more, but Sky have said no - that's a different debate, but in a half decade full of shocking seasons, performances and results, this still has to take it's place in the pantheon of shameful days in this new century.

I think once you accept one thing, there are then two ways to look at this defeat. Here's the thing; I think it's important to note that the team we put out were talented enough to have won that game, we had the better players almost without a doubt.

There are two themes for our disappointment, one collective and the other individual.

We'll start in the traditional way with the manager - he's not had a good day - he's picked a reasonably balanced side but they've not performed for him - not tactically, but in terms of their commitment, their enthusiasm and their desire - this wasn't a team that cared about the FA Cup, or the pride of Aston Villa or their personal pride - it's part of the role of the manager and his staff to ensure that's not the case, that the very least we can expect is that those players give 100%, that they try - today that's not true of all of them. He brought on the right substitutes although you can argue that he took off the wrong men - all the paper things he did today were fine for me, all the things that involve thinking about football were good - but this team had no heart and that's one of the things I would expect Bruce to be getting into them. 

The three things they beat us on are all things that a good manager has an influence on, he should be able to inspire and energise, and we should be able to play the kind of football that he'd expect - that we're struggling to play the kind of football that League 1 teams expect is a real concern.

Some things are clearer individually.

First up, let's absolve Jed Steer of any responsibility - he's made a good half dozen excellent saves of the type that might ordinarily win you a match and he can rightly be angry with his compatriots.

Those that can say that whilst they didn't contribute enough, they did at least show a little effort or composure would include DeLaet, Terry, Davis and probably Taylor - they at least showed a willingness to try. Bree isn't a centre half - and I wonder why we keep making this experiment try to work - bless him, he gives it a go, but it's just not his position - he can also be halfway excused. I'm prepared to go easy on Green too as he's just back from injury.

O'Hare was willing and put in some effort, but he looks lightweight and ineffective - after ten minutes when our collective confidence dropped and Peterborough realised we were there for the taking, his performance dropped noticeably and he might well be better in a more confident side, but at times today he looked lost.

Into midfield - Hourihane was the most willing of them, he put in a performance with maybe 80% of the usual vigour of his league performances, short changed us a bit and coasted a little - in comparison to his peers, that's almost acceptable.

Bjarnason then, a midfielder from a nation that doesn't have the talent of some of the larger nations, but has achieved so much through a collective spirit and  a willingness to work harder than anyone else - today he bought the talent bit, not the other bit - the longer the game went on, the less interested in it he looked.

Which puts him some way ahead of the worst player on the pitch - Josh Onomah is fit, strong, mobile and talented - but mentally? He left the field after somehow getting 90 minutes with absolutely spotless shorts and enough in the tank to have played in the 17:30 kick off. He was sloppy on the ball, he didn't chase back, he didn't make himself available - this was as lazy a performance as I've seen in a long time. He needs to take a long look at himself and figure out what kind of footballer he wants to be. I would not be in the slightest bit bothered if he was back at Tottenham next week - there have been hints of it in his play all season but on this performance he made it pretty clear he doesn't care a jot about this football club. I would hope he has the decency to be ashamed enough for it to improve him.

At half time, Henri Lansbury came on. I know this because it was on the big screen. He played a through ball for O'Hare that wasn't bad and later he bottled a tackle - those aren't the highlights of his performance, that's it - before and after those moments, he was less involved in the game than I was.

Overall, this was a performance with less heart than a Vegan stew, less passion than a dirty weekend with Jacob Rees-Mogg and less commitment than a relationship with Mick Jagger. You can say it's just the cup, you can write this game off, you can forget because it's happened so often of late that we should be better than this, but if you do, don't come complaining to me when we bottle a big game in the play off run or lose the derby - these players think the game should be easy and they play that way - fair play to Peterborough for showing them what can be achieved if you go at it right way.

This ^

Bruce has to go.

He is the one who can either steer the ship or let it run its own course

Players go backwards under Bruce

Bruce has reverted back to type, Players out of position, sitting back after leading......etc

Bristol was a fluke.

The players played to Hogans strength, he scored, Grealish ran at the defence/carried the ball forward, Bristol opened up to get back in the game, were shot of stamina and the players capitolized.

Sack him now before we lose ground again.

Bruce Out

Bruce Threw that game.

He picked a team with so many out of position or exposed.

He regularily throws players under the bus by not respecting their traits as players.

By doing this he has disrespected the club and fans.

A disgrace.

After a fluke 5-0 his true colours reappear and will continue to do so in the league.

The guy is damaging the club

Bruce Out

1 hour ago, LakotaDakota said:

Not bothered that we're out as it will probably be beneficial to us having a free weekend here & there for the rest of the season but the performance/result isn't great, Especially after being 1-0 up within 10 minutes.

Look at Wolves today, They had a player sent off, played 50+ minutes with 10 men and now have a replay, Cardiff have a replay, Boro, Sheff Utd & Preston are all through so have at least 1 more game than us to play & Leeds will probably win tomorrow.

Out of the top 9 that leaves us, derby & bristol city out & City are still in the league cup. I would rather have fit, rested players.

I cant and wont argue with those points.

That leaves us & Derby with the least fixtures. Derby who more than likely will be 2nd anyway.

Another point would be, all those other playoff contenders get some well needed „playoff-esque“ practice.

But the manner of the defeat, giving up a lead by stopping playing, to a L1 team, the Barry Fry „thang“ and the embarrassment of it all is totally unexceptable and is a sackable offence.

PS player record is of no significance

ie Fergie was shit as a footballer

Jose wasnt even one

neither was Warnock

3 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Just for the record guys, Saturday will be SB's 850th match in charge as a football manager.

That's on top of hundreds of appearances as a player.

 

You can debate his 'style' all day long but you cannot debate his experience.

For a balanced view

How many trophies has he won?

whats his win %?

Possesion %?

Our of completed seasons how nany if them gave been successful ones? (considering clubs expectancy, nett spend..... and all the other b*ll*x)

Balanced View Out

1 minute ago, TRO said:

Thats not for me to say, obviously, i think they are.

but, i do see elements of the counter argument too.....and while i do not agree in the main....I don't dismiss out of hand what is being said.

some of the comments you make about the football is right.....I'm not afraid to say that.

are you Brin, Brout or Brence?

1 hour ago, Grasshopper said:

Playing SJ for a part of the game (cup-tied) is a good shout

Bree for Elmo

Taylor for Hutton (if Bruce insists on going with AH as 1st choice LB) Disclaimer - I wouldnt

CB‘s JT & a Youth player (for some experience - RDL sub for JT 2nd half)

Doyle-Hayles & Lyden (if fit) or Onomah CM‘s

Elmo RW or Youth player

Green LW

AM O‘Hare

CF Hogan (till he scores the RHM as Sub)

                        SJ (JS)

Bree Suliman/Mitchel JT (RDL) Taylor

       Doyle-Hayes Lyden/Onomah

Elmo                  O‘Hare                  Green

                     Hogan (RHM)

Bench

JS Hutton RDL Whelan (he surely cant be too shyite for v peterboro?) Onomah Green RHM

Hogan out injured

RHM for Hogan

McK on the bench

37 minutes ago, TRO said:

The thing is GH when you never have a moment when you can give any credit, it becomes less believeable.

when you analyse the whole thing, you do make some good points and I for one accept some of them.

the fact that you seem to struggle for some reason to find anthing positive to say particularly about SB....i think weakens your arguement as opposed to strenghtening it.

but hey ho.

And your arguements are strong?

48 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Who said you're not allowed to say it?

Nobody has said we DON'T hoof it. What people have said is that we don't hoof it anywhere near as much as posters like you make out that we do. 

you didnt get the sarcasm

1 minute ago, NeilS said:

Looking at BOF's table, I reckon most of those losses against the top teams have occured away from VP, we must be due to play them at home soon which will prove whether we have a chance of automatic promotion.

We‘ll just have to sit back and see

15 minutes ago, Taxahunter said:

Its not completely true, we have won 12 in the league and played 14 where we havent won, so actually we have won less often than not.

Dont let facts get in the way though

Playing SJ for a part of the game (cup-tied) is a good shout

Bree for Elmo

Taylor for Hutton (if Bruce insists on going with AH as 1st choice LB) Disclaimer - I wouldnt

CB‘s JT & a Youth player (for some experience - RDL sub for JT 2nd half)

Doyle-Hayles & Lyden (if fit) or Onomah CM‘s

Elmo RW or Youth player

Green LW

AM O‘Hare

CF Hogan (till he scores the RHM as Sub)

                        SJ (JS)

Bree Suliman/Mitchel JT (RDL) Taylor

       Doyle-Hayes Lyden/Onomah

Elmo                  O‘Hare                  Green

                     Hogan (RHM)

Bench

JS Hutton RDL Whelan (he surely cant be too shyite for v peterboro?) Onomah Green RHM

1 hour ago, a m ole said:

Calling Villa fans arrogant on a forum called ‘One Team in Bristol’

The irony.

To be fair, there’s a good number of level headed posters on there saying to not be so precious.

F*** them inferior B*******ds

They‘re not even in the South-West Midlands

1 hour ago, Taxahunter said:

I don't know what Bruce tells Elmohamady, but he can at least say to him, that we want a bit og variation in his game. When ever he gets the ball he justs hoofs it up along the sideline and hopes somebody gets to it, it's f*****g annoting to watch...

You are not allowed to say we hoof it

An aimless pass to no-one or to a player that has no chance of getting it is effectively a hoof

A hoof is a hoof however medium or long the attempt is.