striker

14 hours ago, Farlz said:

Johnstone

Hutton - Chester - Baker - Taylor

Adomah - Hourihane - Lansbury - Bjarnason

Kodjia - Hogan

 

That's what I think we'll go with tomorrow. I'd get Bacuna in at RB and put Amavi back in but Bruce isn't going to do that is he. I can't see us winning any of our next 3 games.

Replace Hutton and put Amavi in instead of Taylor if Bruce is going to play that formation then that's Villa's best team but is Bruce going to do it? If he wants to start picking up points and save his job then he has to.

2 minutes ago, TRO said:

I agree with all......the manager is ultimately responsible for results.

however, I see things from individual players, that i find hard to blame any manager for, including past ones.

The players have to do their jobs, in order for any managerial work.....to work.

if the musician, can't find a tune......The conductor can do nothing.

Yet it is the manager who signs and chooses the players so if they are not consistently doing what he wants them to then ultimately he must take responsibility for that.

10 hours ago, The Fun Factory said:

But no Striker! Sweeper! or Defender! - our dear leader's gift to the literary world?

There's a Striker here alright. 

24 minutes ago, Eastie said:

Bruce has never worked with calderwood before - since he took training we have regressed - ditch calderwood and bring in mike phelan as number 2 who was Bruce's number 2 at hull. 

Would like to see Phelan at the Villa. Good pass and move coach but Bruce would have to drop the negative tactics first which hopefully he's now going to do.

3 hours ago, Eastie said:

We need to win games for confidence and this means particularly in home games playing on the front foot and attacking teams - Barnsley will strongly fancy their chances of beating us .

for me the 352 system depends on having jedinak in the team - as he is not fit it's no good shoehorning players into that position .

play a passing game and play to the strengths of the likes of Lansbury and hourihane - otherwise what was the point of signing them if your going to ask them to play a different role .

I don't think Bruce is listening.

33 minutes ago, Deisler123 said:

No one expects SB to take Villa to play-off. But the bottom line is to stay in this league.

 

I'm thinking you are referring to now but when joining the club as manager playoffs were the very least most fans were expecting from Bruce. I honestly feel losing the next two games will see Bruce sacked despite what Xia is tweeting.

2 hours ago, mikeyp102 said:

Think Xia will keep him until the end if the season

Can't see it if this run of results continues. Bruce is also on a rolling contract so little to think about in severance pay.

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

Absolutely pathetic. What a pile of shit. Bruce has only 16 games to save himself

Less I would guess.

Sitting deep and trying to hit teams on the break requires a solid defence because you're continually allowing teams more possession. Villa are still leaking goals playing this way so it's up to Bruce to change and go for it.

6 hours ago, Eastie said:

Jedinak will be out for another 3 games at least according to Bruce - will be interesting to see how bjarnson plays .

lets wiN these 4 home games and see where we are after that - even then it's a long shot but as Bruce said he once took hull into the play offs on a 12 unbeaten run at the end and having sneaked in they went on to go up .

Looking at how Bjarnson plays I'm in no doubt he could make the sitting midfielder his own position in the run in allowing Bruce to play his two attacking mids further forward. More energy and more skilful that Jedinak. Just needs 1 or two more games to adjust to the Championship.

Will state it again. If Bruce can get his tactics sorted and the team go on a winning run watch the teams in 5th and 6th start to choke allowing Villa to close the gap.

It will take more offensive tactics though and I still hope Bruce will go for it with a much better midfield.

Maybe with Jedinak back in the team Bruce will allow his new midfielders to push further forward but I still don't rate Jedinak.

Suffers from the same affliction as Ayew yet Kodjia is viewed more favourably due to his goal scoring. To me Ayew was much more skilful with a better first touch but didn't score enough.

Kodjia needs to improve on his first touch and hold up play because generally I find him a frustrating player to watch with the ball continually bouncing off him to the opposition. It's this first touch in particular that if it doesn't improve will hamper him being a successful forward in the Premiership when Villa get there.

1 hour ago, Eastie said:

Results worsened massively with the loss of kodija - since he went we dIdnt wIn a game and took one point  In January - before he went we had taken 10 points from 5 games which is play off in December , so it's wrong to say the nosedive was with the same players as the most important was miSsing.

it is far too soon to judge the new signings of last week but I think once the settle In we will look a decent team again and expect to fInish top 10 at worse .

Anything below that then serious questIons need to be asked come may 

Your first point concerning Kodjia is fair enough but I'm not so sure it would have made much difference, losing again when Kodjia returned. Villa were already struggling to put any kind of performance together with Kodjia in the side.

Top ten outside the playoffs must be seen as abject failure if you are going to apply your previous point concerning Kodjia's importance to the team. I don't think any Villa fan would have settled for that at the start of the season or when Bruce first arrived.

It should be noted that results under Bruce took a nose dive using the same players where he originally got the new manager bounce. Considering the drop in level from the Premiership most expected those better results to continue and not tail off.

With his new signings those results have continued on a downward trajectory even though admittedly it is early days yet but Bruce has already made fundamental mistakes not expected of such an experienced manager and it has cost the club dearly in Villa's quest for promotion this season.

Despite Xia's tweet and lets face it the owner was highly unlikely to publicly  criticise the manager when in the process of buying players I feel that Bruce is already under pressure to turn it around.

I sincerely hope that he does just that and he should with arguably the best squad in the Championship (minus the goalkeeping).

He is also well liked by the fan base but liking someone as a person doesn't secure you position as manager if the results aren't there.

4 hours ago, Eastie said:

Unquestionably - having got to within 3 points of the play offs in December most would have thought things would improve even more from there as the team got used to the new manager and we would kick on - however it's been hugely dissapointing and I feel he made a  big mistake bringing in johnstoNe and also failing to get at least loan cover for kodija and ayew while away for  a month

January saw 1point from several winnable games against teams below us in the table - it has killed our season and Bruce should have aware of the need for an experienced keeper and striker cover even if it had only been a loan - the decision to rely on gabby was stupid and for that he has to take total blame .

Good post and one which I totally agree with.

5 minutes ago, Eastie said:

Maybe not but he did say that it was the clubs aim to win promotion this season or next and having bought several players in Bruce will be given time to gel his team - let's be honest we should have beaten forest had it not been for glaring mistakes and I fully expect us to kick on with jedinak and Taylor in the team - now he has the nucleus of his own team and system sorted he should be judged on what happens until the season ends and I expect a serious turnaround in form and results from herein.

I fully agree that he should be given until the end of the season with his signings. I can't see a new manager making up 13 points unless the teams occupying the playoff places have a catastrophic loss of form with Villa improving by the same margin.

However my point is that there must be at least some disappointment within the board how results and performances have taken a nosedive since the initial new manager bounce under Bruce as he has failed to reach that initial expectation to at least be competing for a playoff spot. Some fans I would expect were hoping for more than that although that has proven unrealistic.

I've seen some say or allude to that Bruce is the short term option to gain promotion. I would hazard a guess that Xia also thought along those lines when he first employed Bruce envisaging with his new manager's prior record of promotions that Villa would at least be in a position to challenge for promotion this season.

Being 13 points off sixth at this stage, if you pardon the pun, isn't what the Dr ordered despite Xia's recent tweet.

10 hours ago, TRO said:

When a defensive midfield player wins the ball, because that's what they are essentially "ball winners" by definition, they turn defence in to attack.

they switch the offensive.

so to say we will more defensive, I refute that.

Normally they can also turn defence into attack by breaking up play and finding a team mate. Jedinak is woeful at that. In the games I've seen him play for Villa rarely have I seen him win tackles because he's blowing out his arse trying to catch the player first.

He does head the ball a lot though, normally to the oppo.

Awful footballer.

2 hours ago, Johnnyp said:

But on all known form he probably won't be. Jedinak's stock has actually increased on these pages  by being out of the team. Hysterical really. Anyone remember just how shit he's been for us ?

Exactly and we're already defensive enough without him.

Would like to see Thor become Villa's DM until the end of the season rather than see Jedinak back.

Watch teams rough him up on corners now with shots galore coming at him from all directions and oppo forwards following up at every opportunity.

Because of that Bruce needs to rest him but it depends on the loan agreement?

1 hour ago, Johnnyp said:

Would be no harm keeping an eye on how Leeds end up this season. Monk only on a rolling contract, wouldn't cost us a fortune in compensation, if indeed anything at all.

Is Bruce also on a rolling contract? Thought I heard him say that after just being appointed but may be wrong?

1 hour ago, gatecrasha said:

Well said, now is a time to pull togeather and support. Another manager change results in numerous personnel changes and we are back to square one. 

 

Bringing a new manager in wouldn't necessarily mean wholesale changes. There are several examples of new managers joining clubs and having to make do with the squad at hand. 

1 hour ago, Eastie said:

Yes any slim hope has now gone so let's plan for next season - finally he's decided he will stick with this formation so let's get the team settled and ready to hit the ground running next season - downside is we cannot sort the keeper until the summer but most of the other positions we have the players in place to build towards a promotion shot next year.

Concerning the formation. While like everyone else I do want Bruce to settle on a system it has to be the right one. Villa are conceding goals a plenty playing on the break because to sit back and soak up pressure and then hit teams on the break requires a solid defensive unit you can depend on. I don't see that at the moment. Keeper is highly suspect and the central defensive unit are diving in and making silly elementary mistakes. Those elements might improve of course but to date the central defensive partnership has regressed.

Note your comments on having the right players in place towards promotion next year. Going forward I agree but as it's looking more likely that the playoffs are becoming less tenable it might be difficult to hold onto those players in the summer?

Too slow and will be targeted time and time again by the opposition if played.

Usually when I hear a manager say that such and such is a model pro it's to compensate for not playing him.