TheStagMan

Interesting to hear how Fulham signed 26 players this season, including a number of players who aren't over 30. Yet somehow their manager managed to craft them into a convincing team that plays attractive football and has a swagger and confidence, a team that are now in the premier league. Odd that, apparently our manager needs several seasons and a number of pre-seasons to get us to start looking like a team, one that looks devoid of ideas. Perhaps he isn't very good any more. Football has moved on, Bruce has not. Properly gutted tonight. Angry, disappointed, frustrated and sad all rolled into one.

Well done Fulham. Congratulations. Good luck in the prem next season. I don't have a cat to kick so I am off to buy one.

so, just bluster then. Righto. Lets hear your take on today's events then.

That frankly is a ridiculous and insulting statement. As a Villa fan I AM ALWAYS BEHIND THE TEAM and will ALWAYS support ASTON VILLA and always want my team to win. That however does not mean that I cannot criticise things where I think improvement can be made (as well as praising where things have been done well). You can be a fan, supportive and still look for improvement you know, it is not one thing or the other. And as for your Form comment - really? So basically you are saying that our players are good enough if they are on form. You could say that about any team. How come other teams (with worse individual players) can keep consistent form? I wonder how that might be achieved? Hmmmmmm if only there were someone at the club who could be responsible for that. My third paragraph was spot on. You might want to go and re read a lot of your old posts, it is always the players fault, never the manager, at least since you stopped flip flopping at the start of the year.

Yes!

One thing we certainly have in our favour is that we have the big game players who have played in high pressure games before. Fulham have some, but not as many. That should give us the edge, just based on that I think we would be able to keep calm heads and come back from a goal down more easily than Fulham would. I am so nervous about this one, but quietly confident at the same time. One of the people I am working with on a project at work is a Fulham fan, we had a good chat about the final and the upshot is - both sets of fans are bricking it. We didn't want Fulham in the final, and they did not want us. Here's to a great game tomorrow.

So, please explain to me why I have seen games where our players control the ball, keep possession and play with confidence. This to me indicates that the players are more than capable. The only reason for them sitting back and hoofing the ball back up the pitch has to be managerial. Either they are being told to do it, or they are not being told to stop doing it. I get that things can happen during a game that the manager can do nothing about. Absolutely and he cannot be blamed for those, but something that happens regularly can only be pointed at the manager. It is interesting to see you say that he is not blameless for what happens on the pitch because your earlier posts would suggest that he had absolutely no control over what happened on the pitch. In which case why even bother to have a manager. However whenever anything good happens on the pitch he seems to get the credit which is a bit one-sided don't you think? Anyway - my original post here was in response to a particular post to try and explain why some people (myself included) are concerned about the style of football produced, not to restart a how good/how bad is Bruce thread - its been done to death, so let's agree to a truce and get behind the team (and the manager) for tomorrow. One thing we do agree on is that promotion is what matters.

Exactly which bit of the past was re-written and what was the wild speculation?

Just been looking, it says sold out

How dare you say that about this beauty!

What you and TRO in your haste to criticize people who complain (or comment) about Bruce-ball - fail to realise is that its not the style of football that is the main concern - it is the implications of the style. What I (and others) and surely yourself want is a long-term sustainable upward trajectory for Villa. My main concerns with Bruce's results to-date have been the fact that a lot of the wins looked less than convincing (dare I say lucky). Now this has improved certainly during the second half of the season whereby the run of wins did feel more convincing, and there wasn't the feeling that the wheels were going to come off at any moment as there was last year, although they did, and as a result, we are in the playoffs rather than automatic (which was within our grasp - just - at one point). Watching games where we defend deep and spend 20 mins + in a game pinned in our penalty area hoofing the ball up the pitch for it to come straight back is not, to me the way to build a sustainable future for us. OK, it worked in the semi final first leg, and you could argue that the end justifies the means. If you are happy seeing that style of play then that's your choice, I'm not happy with it, it won't work all the time, and when it stops working it will have a snowball effect. I want to see an Aston Villa team that play with confidence and swagger and take the game to the opposition, now I realise that is not going to happen for the first season or two if we do get promoted, but by god it should have been happening in the Championship, and there were flashes of it proving that it could be done, and based on that I believe we could have got automatic if our manager had been a bit bolder. Now you will say - why dwell on that, it has gone. But the fact that it is in the past does not change the fact that it happened, and the need to see continued and sustainable improvements still exists. Repeating the same thing will usually have the same results. As for the highlighted bit.. its not my words, but I agree with them (minus your added hyperbole). Do you not push yourself to improve all the time, do you not analyse your own actions and strive to do better? I certainly do. That's not to say you should not enjoy the successes and victories and be proud of them (absolutely), but certainly in my working life (and personal) I look at what I have done, even when it has gone well and look at ways to improve, simplify or streamline things. In my opinion, until Villa are winning the league and playing CL football regularly, they need to be doing the same, or are you happy with the idea of us being either a yo-yo club, or one that ferrets around in the lower reaches of the PL, considering a successful season being one where we are not relegated? Now, that said.... Bring on Fulham, let's do this!

And those gates off eBay...

It was nothing of the sort. It was a response to another of your many snide comments. If you think that identifying concerns and weaknesses are self defeating then good for you. There are others who do look for weaknesses and try to address them, even when things are going well.

Christ almighty. No. We are all behind the team at this crucial time. That does not mean we suddenly think Steve Bruce is the messiah, nor does it mean that we have forgotten about the poor performances and quality of the football that has occurred in the past, the decent football that has occurred has bought him more time, and potentially he may buy another season by getting us promoted. There are still very big question marks over his ability to lead us to where we want to go in the prem, and there are a number of us that will express them whilst we feel they are still there. Maybe he will fix them I hope so because that is good for Villa. Frankly comments about smugness are stupid. If we fail to get promoted EVERY VILLA FAN will be gutted. Smugness will not come into it I assure you.

I just love the way he disappears at the end of the clip. But I do think we need to have a couple of paramedics on hand with a defribulator at the final and an ambulance outside with the engine running because when we win he is going to have a heart attack.

Dear Lord, get over yourself and chill. It was a comment about the string of shit managers we have had since O'Neil rather than an attack on Bruce so cool your jets.

I agree, but in fairness that isn't a massive achievement....

Awesome

Awful news. Can't believe he was only 37. So sad. Let's hope there is a minutes silence at the game tonight. Im sure the fans will also give him a good send off. RIP

Now you are just being silly. As usual.

That's the spirit :-D

Exactly. There must be a way to close out a game without playing attack v defence for 45 mins.

No, we are acknowledging that it happened. It being a poor second half.

Huh? Who said anything about not going up?

So it's wrong then. The minimum is higher than what is stated. Otherwise you can just say the minimum is zero.....