Wezbid

What I would say is that, I could take not winning the game if we carried on with what was previously successful. But it changed, and got safe. 3 away games playing safe and getting draws = 3 points. 3 away games going for it, you'll be unlucky not to win at least one = 3 points. Just go for it. Better to go out swinging than with a whimper. Although, we had our chances. Bruce is fearing for his job and on the defensive, you can hear it in the interviews. He doesn't want to lose but he forgets that not winning is the bigger deal. He's signing good players but the more he talks the more he leaks that the job and expectancy is more than he expected/can take. I genuinely think Bruce reading this forum would be good for him and us. Not for any selection purposes, just to see that people would rather see us going for it regardless of whether we are home or away. I actually think he's a good manager and the players do seem to like him but he got himself into a situation of his own making. Hull went up scoring a shed load playing attacking football so I don't buy he's just a defensive manager. Take the shackles off yourself and the team, if you don't, you'll be slowly sealing your fate.

No we don't, nobody knows what total teams will need and there are about 12 top teams this season. Teams will be taking points of each other more than ever. Suspect (suspect, not know) the points needed to go up will be lower than usual since teams will be beating each other more than ever. Away to Bristol City isn't easy, we had chances to take the 3 and so did they.

The kid can play, but he certainly can't dress himself!

Pretty dodgy that they can't even stream the draw or record it and then show it at some point. My fantasy league has done cup draws and streamed them from their phones ffs. We'll just have to take their word for it. They, as in the people who shown one team playing 2 different teams, in the same round...

With him being a Villa fan I can't see Palace or Bournemouth being that much of a pull, even a league above.

If we go for it and attack teams and lose/draw I think more fans in the main will at least appreciate the intent to try and finish teams off. Too many times we've acted like Villa in the last few years of the Prem and trying to cling on to a slender lead. That's partly confidence of the players but it's down to the manager to stop that sort of thing. For a team expected to go for automatic promotion, it isn't good enough. The last 2 games are positive and hopefully a catalyst both for the team and the manager. I couldn't give a rats arse how certain players got their chance, so long as we use the results and confidence from them to push on. I was starting to join the Bruce out crew but will happily be proven wrong. I just hope others can do so too. If we play positively and don't win, with the likes of Hourihane and Lansbury playing closer to the opposition box than our own then that's a positive sign, not just a poor result to jump on. The same folk will also moan about scraping a win with a cautious approach. That sort of mentality will mean you're never happy as it'll never be constant flowing attacking and winning football but so long as it becomes more often than not than I hope the feeling around the club will change for the better. The last 2 games could be a great springboard in setting up the direction of the season. Bristol City will be tough but they should be more scared of us and I hope Bruce sets us up to go at them. That's all I expect, as the result of a game doesn't always tell the story.

I've defended Hutton a decent amount but Bree and RdL are the way forward, Hutton did play better last session than some will give him credit for but he's struggling more and more in his defensive duties. His legs can't match his enthusiasm. I think most fans would settle for a slightly less gung-ho right back in exchange for not getting cross after cross coming in from our right hand side. I think he did earn his place last season and obviously triggered a new deal but it doesn't mean we have to play him when the competition for his place are putting in a performance. He could easily find a starting place at another Championship club at RB but we have little need for him now. I won't slate him like many have but I do think we should concentrate on RdL and Bree.

He's a really good player but how many of his goals and assists are from set-pieces? Hourihane can and will provide on that front. His delivery is upper Prem class from set-pieces, like Snodgrass. It's a long old season and the likes of Green, Adomah and Elmo will blow hot and cold so it'd be great in terms of depth and quality but at the same time it adds to the confusion of getting a somewhat settled side. I'm not against it at all but at the same time, it just creates more questions. I don't know why I'm not jumping for joy as before his move to West Ham he was on fire and was no doubt in countless fantasy teams in a league above where we're playing. I suspect Snodgrass, Hourihane and Onomah would terrify the opposition though, provided we continue with allowing forward thinking mids the freedom to play as such. It kinda feels like an Arsenal situation where there are so many talented players around the midfield area that they never quite excell because of the chopping and changing. In conclusion, I don't bloody know!

Many things happened when I was a child that many would barely bat an eyelid about back then. It doesn't make it right or acceptable (this isn't in regards to this issue specifically). You can develop good, hard-working youth players without treating them like dogs. There is a difference between pushing a person to achieve things and abuse. For every so many who made it, how many turned away from the game because of methods? People will say well, they obviously weren't up to standard if they gave up. Which is bollocks. There's being too weak to play competitive football and there's also good players pushed beyond what's acceptable who could have made it if they weren't pushed over the edge. Plenty of youth players these days have too much, too soon but that is not what people condemning harsh, old-school 'methods' are promoting. I think people need to understand that point before the 'they have it easy' brigade suggest so. I would rather the youth earn a sensible wage and treated with respect and allowed to play with some freedom and enjoyment of the game as opposed to humiliation, fear of making a mistake and playing safe and therefore limiting themselves. An element of discipline can still be there without having to instill a fear culture. It will work for a few bit I'm sure many more talents have been lost. I used to get a garden cane wrapped around my legs growing up at times, more at the other person's frustration and anger than anything I'd done wrong but back then it wouldn't have been seen as anything that bad. It was still wrong imo. I learned nothing from it other than people can lash out at you regardless. Plenty of us will look back at youth football, PE in school etc and tell the younger generation how it was rougher, harsher, and how easy they have it but a lot of it isn't an approach I would look back on with any sort of fondness and I'm only 32. I dread to think what the likes of Bruce and co had to deal with as youths. It made them what they were, but maybe they could have been even more.

Why isn't it uploaded yet? This is a disgrace!

And a cuddly toy.

Not like you to pick on the negatives!

Or a player lacking in confidence.

I would walk around with a permanent erection if Olof became manager.

I highly doubt the board think promotion is highly unlikely after one game. It'll be tough with so many teams capable of beating one another and going on a run but that's completely different.

He's better than Jobi McAnuff.

Didn't look like a save you'd expect most keepers to save imo. Just a cheap attempt to get on his case.

I wish I was as fat as Gabby, Richards or McCormack. Preferably Richards.

Maybe an element of the unknown to you. Not to the people who work with him day in, day out.

Elmo's been excellent so far...

Looking great so far.

I seen a video of apparently Villa fans (familes) being attacked by Germans. Hope they're alright.

It's probably because he works his balls off, even if some of that is down to him giving the ball away, after seeing many players just go through the motions for the past few seasons, people will associate and take to someone who gives their all. Another reason he's probably endeared himself to the crowd is because since O'Neils counter attacking exciting football, we've had players who don't want the ball or just look to keep passing it sideways backwards. Hutton actually drives forward with ball and looks to create attacks. The problem half the time is other players don't get involved and he ends up isolated which in turn increases the odds of him losing the ball. I live with a Spurs fan who really liked him and talks of him fondly from his time there. He probably had midfielders who were more forward thinking and helped support him when he drove down the touchline, therefore not just running into a cul-de-sac. He lacks a bit of discipline but if he had more support when he tried to build attacks he wouldn't have to race back so often. Also, when a full back attacks, isn't it customary for the defence to shuffle along so the rcb covers and the holding midfielder can drop back to keep us with a back 4. I see it alot elsewhere but when we do it, we don't seem to offer the same support. It doesn't happen on the left hand side because Taylor doesn't burst with the same power, pace or directness. Plus, Green or Amavi are more willing to help out defensively on the left than Adomah does on the right hand side. I think Hutton and Elmohamady on the right would work pretty well. Against Walsall, Bree have the ball away plenty of times then when I read the player thread afterwards, he was being talked up. I don't get it. If Hutton had played the same I think I'd be reading different comments.

I know Sunderland are in the dump financially but they've just got parachute payments, a huge earner of the books in Defoe and £30/35m for Pickford. They can't expect him on the cheap. He had one poor season, before that he was banging in 25 a season.

I don't think he's awful like the majority on here. He captained Bournemouth to the Prem. He just hasn't done it at all in a Villa shirt. I wouldn't be surprised one bit if he moved on and did well again.