striker

Still feel there is an outside chance of the Villa reaching the playoffs if the manager gets the tactics right and settles on his best side.

If Villa start breathing down the necks of those in the playoff spots I can see them dropping points due to nerves.

An absolute must win tonight though.

11 hours ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

He is not a deep lying play maker. He's an attacking mid. 

So play him there. It's actually not that complicated Steve. 

I think Bruce sees Lansbury as the new Huddlestone.

9 hours ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

 I am unhappy at how things are right now and we will certainly miss out on the playoffs, but for the time being - tomorrow is a new day. 

Apologies for cutting your post up but I don't want to get involved in your debate with another poster.

Its really the last bit of your post I'm interested in.

Even though I've been critical of Bruce over the last 5-6 games I do still believe that reaching the playoffs is not insurmountable if our manager can find his best team and a system that can get the very best out of that team quickly. With the squad of players at the Villa now the opposition in the remaining games of the season are all beatable in a poor league. Villa have arguably the best spine in the Championship, probably as good if not better than Newcastle's and should really push on onto a very good run until the end of the season.

Considering imo it is no longer the squad we should be worried about because as stated above the players are again imo plenty good enough to go on a playoff breaching run, I wonder if you doubt whether Bruce can organise his own signings to improve performances, bust a gut for him and the club until the end of the season?

2 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

I don't think I quite explained what I was trying to say in terms of the change in the fans. I'm not expecting anyone to turn happy-clappy, I'm expecting criticism where it's due, and there will be times where it's due, where I think we have to change is in our expectation of how criticism will work and what bad performances teach us.

In recent years, a bad result, or a couple, has tended to suggest that our quite insane club was petering on the edge of yet another catastrophic precipice, that the poor stuff on the pitch reflected the poor stuff off the pitch and would inevitably lead to something really awful. A couple of bad results has tended to lead to a calamity, a run of poor form a catastrophe - not just on the pitch, but off it too. Players moaning, coaches in trouble, no money, problems of every kind and description. Years of that have taken their toll.

I think it's left us with very few steps between "I'm slightly unhappy" and "burn everything to the ground". I'm not saying fans need to change in that there needs to be a sudden rainbow of positivity - when we play like we did against Brentford, then any team would expect some fairly harsh criticism, any manager should expect the same - but, and here's the big but that I didn't explain well - I think we've stopped floundering in lots and lots of ways, we're much less an insane asylum and much more a football club, we've got investment, we've got a better structure, we've got some sensible things going on - I think finally, like most clubs, a handful of bad results or a period of poor form is just indicative of exactly that, poor form and bad days, I don't think it means that the Villa world is about to disappear into hell (again) in a whirlpool of poop. 

I think that's where we need to change, I think we've trained ourselves to expect the absolute worst from any given situation, because that's what we've had - and as a result, we've lost a little of our critical faculty and we jump right in at the first sign of trouble because we expect things to get worse in every eventuality. When they're bad we should say so, that's natural, but when they're bad we should sell them all and sack the manager is a path we jump onto a little too quickly. 

The club has changed, it's more stable, it's better funded and as a result better organised - we should take a little confidence from that I think, and from that confidence a little calm. We can afford to be critical without needing to invoke the apocalypse.

 

 

 

Brilliant post mate, thanks for explaining and I fully understand where you are coming from now. 

23 hours ago, coda said:

Draw!

1 hour ago, OutByEaster? said:

Blimey. That escalated quickly.

Calls to replace the manager are to my way of thinking, mental. Teams that have three managers a season don't succeed, you don't have to look far to see proof of that and what our club needs more than anything right now is a period of stability. I think we've achieved the most important thing we needed to this season; we've stopped falling. There's a long way for us to rise, but sacking the manager every three months isn't going to help. We need the team to bed in and the manager to bed in and that's going to take a little time, time that might well be punctuated by the occasional shit show like Tuesday, but time that needs to be given.

As ciggiesnbeer say above, for some of the fanbase, he's is not going to get much slack because we're sick of losing. That's not his problem, that's ours, we need to learn how to support a football club again, one that isn't self destructive and isn't falling to pieces, in that regard, it's not the manager that needs to change, it's us.

 

Good post one which reiterated my opinion a few weeks ago but I'm starting to waver from that initial viewpoint.

It hasn't been 'the occasional shit show.' It has been a consistent run of games of poor performances with inept tactics that have given the initiative to the opposition.

I also strongly disagree that it is the fans that have to change. Do you expect the fan base to applaud more of the same from a manager who has a track record of promotions yet has presided over a plethora of performances that would have made McLeish proud?

It isn't the fans who are picking the team or employing tactics either that have arguably cost the club points against teams most would expect Villa to beat by showing a little more ambition on the pitch.

Neither McClaren nor Lambert have needed time or the fans to change to improve results at their respective clubs.

I'm not advocating the removal of Bruce yet but I and other fans should be able to voice their disapproval at recent results culminating in being stuffed by Brentford rather than being told we are the ones who need to change.

That article is worrying to say the least but he has brought some good players to the Villa this window. The question is does he really know how to get the best out of them? We shall see?

Not advocating a change of manager yet but a new manager wouldn't necessarily mean another overhaul of playing staff as we've seen with other clubs.

2 hours ago, mykeyb said:

I agree totally. How long has Lambert been at Wolves?, Their fans can see what he is trying to achieve. McLaren has rejuvenated Derby who were below us when Bruce came, they are now out of sight.

 

Firstly mykeyb my apologies for deleting the rest of your post but I wanted to highlight the excellent point you have made above.

Neither Lambert or McLaren needed to spend millions to turn their respective clubs around. Nor have they needed much time to do it. What they have done is organise the players available into a cohesive unit that is both affective going forward and in defence. Playing to their strengths as a team via good sensible coaching.

That has negated the excuse of more time or just too many new players imo. Remember under Bruce (apart from one game) with a squad on paper every bit as good as Wolves or Derby the performances were still poor. New player syndrome doesn't wash with me as all but one of the debutants last night had already been blooded in the Championship over many games with other teams.

A repeat of last nights performance against Forest on Saturday should be as unacceptable to Xia as it was last night to the fans and unless Bruce scraps his present tactics I do not think Bruce will be manager of Villa for much longer.

1 minute ago, Demitri_C said:

Bruce looks like he wants to kill someone at the moment he is fuming 

Yes and before sticking it to the players he should learn to set the team up properly. Much more of this won't wash with the owner.

Lose Saturday and Bruce will be right under the cosh.

Why can't the Villa play pass and move football. I mean Brentford can do it with worse players on paper.

Really should have been a 5-0 drubbing.

After this performance Villa will have to start worrying what's behind them. Currently in relegation form.

Is Rowett employed yet?

No wonder McCormack didn't want to play.

There have been some very poor performances by Villa this season but this is without doubt the worst.

I really can't see what Bruce is trying to do in this game.

This really is awful. Bruce simply needs to change it now.

Brentford are rank at the moment. Villa need to be more clinical or they are going to pay for it again.

Just now, stewiek2 said:

Looking at the obligatory youtube clips what I like about Hogan is he is two-footed. Comfortable on the ball with both feet and is a bit of a poacher, something we've lacked for a good while now.

Reminds me a bit of Shearer.

28 minutes ago, This Could Be Rotterdam said:

But he knew what he was signing up for. It was clear as day that him choosing sunderland as the place to rebuild his career was bonkers. I'd much prefer Bruce in charge of transfers than Moyes. 

Fair point but I don't think he knew the finance would be pulled from under him. Anyway we're off topic so back to Villa transfers. 

Edit.

53 minutes ago, dudevillaisnice said:

Maybe Rhodes has an attitude problem? Club maybe asked around and were advised look elsewhere after McCormack incident?

Rhodes has a fantastic goalscoring record but for him to stay in the championship so long and then finally get promoted with Boro but not get a look in there is bizarre especially when they aren't scoring goals.

Boro are still probably looking too much for him?

1 hour ago, This Could Be Rotterdam said:

To be fair, seeing the way that Moyes is 'building' a team at Sunderland, im incredibly glad we didnt choose him! Safe to say richards would be a starter. 

That's more than a tad unfair on Moyes. He's had both arms tied behind his back by the Sunderland owner. Must be kicking himself that he turned us down with the transfer activity at the Villa.

14 minutes ago, AshVilla said:

15 mill is a ridiculous fee for Hogan

No thanks

It would be 10m if the Ayew deal goes through. Considering who Villa have already brought in with the 6m gleaned from the Gestede transfer that would be a very low overall expenditure for the squad being strengthened in all departments in one window.

Gardner going to Forest on loan didn't exactly improve his performances when coming back to Villa but I hope that isn't the case with Tish?