striker

Plus 6m in the bank already from the Rudy Gestede sale.

And wore an I luv u Taylor Swift t shirt. No thanks.

Awful puns. Just too cheesy.

Reading through this thread in particular it's very clear to see from a fan perspective where Villa need to strengthen and with Villa's mooted interested in Lansbury the manager has also indentified that weakness so both are singing from the same hymn sheet. One would hope Bruce is thinking of more than just one midfielder though as Villa's midfield needs a complete rebuild. I also feel Villa need to invest in another forward. Agbonlahor isn't going to create on his own. He hasn't been prolific even with a better midfield behind him. McCormack isn't really an striker in the true sense of the word and to get the best out of him he needs to play in behind a forward who plays on the shoulder of a defender. So far Bruce has been reluctant to play that way with Kodjia positioned out wide. To me this is one reason why Villa's forwards haven't been firing as they should. So if Bruce is going to persist with Kodjia as a wide forward when he comes back and Agbonlahor is clearly not up to the job of scoring on a regular basis then even with a better midfield in place I think it's imperative that Bruce brings another forward in. Rhodes would be ideal on loan or someone of his ilk just to give Villa a better option than Gabby to make Villa less predicable going forward.

Since the rumoured 25m bid his performances have taken a nose dive. Either his mind is elsewhere or the expectation on his shoulders now is weighing to heavily on him? It might be better to move him into a left midfield position with Ciss more solid defensively at LB?

Never going to be a player is he. Over the next two transfer windows Bruce will get rid along with several others.

You won't get the best out of McCormack until Kodjia is played centrally or Villa buy a forward that makes runs off the shoulder of the defender.

Tish looked marginally better than either Westwood or Gardner but offensively it's hard to judge him without having a forward to pass to.

Pretty much the above. Surprised at the reaction here. For most of the game Villa A were playing against Spurs B and no ambition was shown to win the game, none. It was an absolutely abysmal performance which lacked any type of quality and that game was lost before the players went onto the pitch. Its like playing in the Championship has become a comfy pair of slippers for the Villa and when you come up against a Premiership team now, even a B team you expect to lose. So much wrong with that mentality and it hasn't changed any since being relegated. In fact it's gotten worse. As the quoted post above stated a decent Championship team with a better mentality would have asked more than a few questions of that Spurs team today. Villa just rolled over and got their tummy tickled.

I would like to think either this window or the next Bruce will replace Jedinak with someone who has defensive attributes but can also distribute to a team mate rather than constantly heading or passing to the opposition. With the exception of maybe one or two games Jedinak has been awful while being part of probably the worst midfield that has represented the Villa.

Both Jedinak and Westwood are struggling in the Championship and will be replaced by Bruce so how on earth are they Premier League players? Very odd post.

Not sure how many games you would get out of Delph in the Championship due to him being injury prone?

Of course a player can be manipulated but it is ultimately the player and his families decision whether any contract is acceptable.

Agents have to take instruction from their clients. That may sound naive in today's world of football but although he may be influenced the player is in control and it's the player who fans should be directing their anger at.

With Gestede now confirmed as a goner I hope to see Rhodes wearing a Villa shirt soon.

While watching every televised game this season involving the Villa I have consistently noted the Villa strikers receiving the ball with their backs to goal. Very little through balls to run onto even down the channels. For me this is something that must change if Villa are going to score enough to make the playoffs and would entail more movement from the strikers on the shoulder of the opposing defenders plus a midfielder who can actually play a through ball into space. Remember Bobby Robson telling Shearer (who was going through a lean spell in front of goal) to at least be more side on when receiving a pass and that got Shearer scoring again.

I honestly feel that players should be able to look after themselves on the pitch without the manager having to try and protect them in pre or post match interviews. Didn't see the game yesterday but by all accounts Grealish was targeted so why didn't he have a word in the opposition's ear stating that if you continue to chop me I will roll over like I was shot and get you sent off? Alternatively when in close contact with a player you can get away with an elbow into a player's midriff trying to fend him off. Had it done to me (very **** painful) and it makes you think twice before trying to rough a player up to get a reaction. If you can't look after yourself on a football pitch no matter the standard then go and try netball.

Cannot believe the powers that be at the Villa have given Gardner a new contract of any sort. Villa's goal is to be back in the Premier League so it doesn't make sense to give a player a new contract who clearly can't cut it consistently in the Championship. Utter madness.

Hopefully that 6m is going towards the two midfielders Villa need.

Emmm I'm not sure Grass but you don't rate him as a Championship player?

I thought defensively Hutton was sound against Leeds and his crossing had improved slightly (not in row z) along with his passing. In the games I've seen (televised) he hasn't really let the Villa down too much. It could be said of the FBs that have played for Villa recently Amavi has made more mistakes. Sometimes although limited in ability I do feel Hutton gets a bit of a raw deal on here. He has by and large been one of Villa's more consistent performers this season especially under Bruce which explains why he plays instead of Bacuna.

The rumoured 25m bid affected him last night which can happen to an even more experienced player.

Impressed with Leeds last night in how they hunted in packs to regain possession. They won the majority of the second ball doing this and maybe it's something Bruce and the Villa coaches should note.

When you look at that Leeds team how many of their players would get into the Villa side? On paper not many yet collectively they have imo bettered the Villa over both games not only in points but in game content. Monk has done some job there and seems to be more tactically astute than Bruce while building a team that is much more than the sum of its parts. That may be unfair on Bruce who hasn't had a chance to bring in his own players yet but I would still like to see more cohesive team play from the Villa.

Sudder every time I see Jedinak in possession. Awful player. Distinct lack of quality from both teams in the first half going forward.