striker

Thought Samba and Terry were solid. When Lyden came on he did well in a short cameo and must be given more playing time. Green's approach work is good but needs a lot of work on his final ball. The rest were pretty poor again and the same issues that plagued last season remain. Based on what I've seen so far the bookies making Villa favourites to win league or gain promotion are having a laugh.

Villa have got a ready made 10 in Vertout. Hopefully he'll be given a chance in that role in the second half?

Still think he would be better used as a DM in the Jedinak role which would negate the need to sign Whelan from Stoke.

Not being an admirer of Steve Bruce as a football manager to be fair to him, he has been frugal in the transfer market with the exception of Hogan which is to be commended. He has, on paper, improved the squad while not spending a lot so if he does gain promotion this season then despite the standard of football on show so far he will have put Villa on a better financial footing steadying the ship so to speak while trying to rid Villa of the dross signed in recent seasons. If Villa struggle in the opening games of the season however and are hovering in and around mid table with no improvement in performances then he will be sacked but considering the above he will have contributed to stabilising the club which will make it much easier for any new manager coming in to be more successful. That's as positive and balanced as I can be at the moment about him as Villa manager.

Another to add to the outs once Bruce is sacked. I guess Whelan will be next.

No doubt about it Mooy is decent but under the right manager I think Vertout could be better. That's why I feel it's imperative that Villa hold onto him until at least January whereby there might be a new manager in place anyway.

Villa don't need yet another leader on the pitch. What they do need is a system of play that the players feel comfortable with and will get the best out of them.

The point is though and why posters are reacting to yesterday's game is that it was a repeat of inept performances under Bruce last season. In fact in most respects identical and with a 1st half team that will be very close to the starting line up against Hull. Considering that some said performances would improve once Bruce had a pre-season under his belt, yesterday's performance was worrying although admittedly pre-season isn't over yet.

I still feel Vertout has enough about him to be Villa's Merson in the Championship.

Good post and much I agree with there. I would also add that the signing of John Terry was hopefully going to assist in the loan market but there is still time yet for that to happen. It may be that the collapse of the Amavi deal plus the lack of outgoings has hindered any further signings?

I know it was pre season but apart from Vertout who looked really good for 30 minutes in the first half that was so reminiscent of last season under Bruce. No sign of any improvement at all offensively.

Needs to play Vertout in the McCormack role. McCormack has been poor and looking to go down at every opportunity.

Vertout is class. Must hold on to him.

Landsbury is similar to Huddlestone and probably better now.

You mean like Jedinak was a short term fix last season to get Villa promoted? For me Bruce is taking more of a gamble with short termism signings like Elmo, Terry and possibly Whelan rather than looking for good quality loans for instance or younger players chomping at the bit wanting to play. As I've stated in a previous post Villa's first team squad should be Championship ready now attuned to what is needed to gain promotion and shouldnt be spending more money on players heading towards the end of their careers. One final point on this before I opp out. If Villa achieve promotion and at this moment in time I feel that's a big If with questions still hanging over the manager's ability to get the present Villa squad to gel, with these short termism signings Villa are once again going to be faced with another massive rebuilding job to do once back in the Premiership and look how that worked out before.

Reading some comments on here from Stoke forums I've noted Stoke fans stating it's probably time to let Whelan go. Doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence that Villa are going to be reliant on two aging DMs who are going to be expected to stand up to a more physical league with more games played than the Premiership. Jedinak found it tough enough last season and that was a season ago.

Fair post and those managers did rely on him for years but Hughes is keen to sell him now which should tell you a lot. Not convinced at all that these type of signings are the way to go for Villa. You also have to consider that most of the 1st team squad are Championship ready now so Villa could afford to either bring a younger DM in on loan with a view to buy to add more stamina and energy or indeed give Lyden a chance.

I agree with the overall point that another defensive midfielder is needed but I'd hoped for someone better than Whelan who at his best was average and now is, well, imo the wrong side of average. Concerned that if Whelan is signed the defensive spine of the team will lack pace and energy.

Bruce out.

Will be surprised if Bruce targets any more young players with a view to playing them in the 1st team this coming season. He is under tremendous pressure to secure promotion hence the signing of Terry, the mooted interest in Whelan and other more experienced players.

New manager, better players and an expectancy to be promoted for a club that's hopefully turning the corner. Those are totally different circumstances to when he first joined the club. If I was him I'd hedge my bets and stay to January to see how it goes. If he applies himself he might even get a move back to the Premiership even if Villa are floundering in mid table. Could see the likes of West Ham, Burnley, Swansea or Bournemouth being interested if he does well until January window.

Very good post and about where I'm at currently concerning the Villa. Will be watching the last couple of games in pre season to see if Bruce has intergrated the players into a system that is more offensive and suits the players better than last season.

Sigurdsson is an excellent goal scoring midfielder who can also create and he has done his consistently in the Premiership over several seasons. Is he worth 50m? Nope but he will certainly not be a waste of a transfer fee.

Would rather see him playing for Villa this season and proving that Sev are a bunch of rocket polishers than loan him to them.

Sea, Villa just don't sign experienced players.