Steve Bruce

[Genie]

1 minute ago, Woodytom said:

7 points from 9. Seems to have turned it around so no complaints from me.

One slight concern is, the lack of possession. I know the most important stat is the goal but I don't believe we can continue to win with 30ish % possession at home.

Leicester won the Premier league doing it last year. 

[Woodytom]

Just now, Genie said:

Leicester won the Premier league doing it last year. 

True, but that was very much a one off phenomenal achievement. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the turnaround and the results were important first and foremost. But being in a position after 40 mins at home to Fulham where they have had 74% of the ball is a slight concern of the struggles we may come across in the future.

[VillaChris]

He's very quickly got 11 men organised and knowing what they're doing in a coherent formation.

When was the last manager we had who did that?

It's only basics but that will certainly do for now.

[Genie]

4 minutes ago, Woodytom said:

True, but that was very much a one off phenomenal achievement. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy with the turnaround and the results were important first and foremost. But being in a position after 40 mins at home to Fulham where they have had 74% of the ball is a slight concern of the struggles we may come across in the future.

Yeah I agree, c25% is a bit too low, even for a team built on counter attacking.

I was just making the point. It can be possible to make low possession work on a weekly basis.

[TrentVilla]

12 minutes ago, Woodytom said:

7 points from 9. Seems to have turned it around so no complaints from me.

One slight concern is, the lack of possession. I know the most important stat is the goal but I don't believe we can continue to win with 30ish % possession at home.

There is no stat in football so misleading as possession.

Fulham had lots of the ball but it was meaningless keep ball in their own half.

[Woodytom]

3 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

There is no stat in football so misleading as possession.

Fulham had lots of the ball but it was meaningless keep ball in their own half.

Agreed but perhaps other teams won't be as unproductive with it. 

[TrentVilla]

Just now, Woodytom said:

Agreed but perhaps other teams won't be as unproductive with it. 

With respect mate you are missing the point, their possession was so high precisely because they didn't even try to be productive with it.

[sidcow]

33 minutes ago, Woodytom said:

7 points from 9. Seems to have turned it around so no complaints from me.

One slight concern is, the lack of possession. I know the most important stat is the goal but I don't believe we can continue to win with 30ish % possession at home.

Do you think we can continue to win with stats of 16 shots of which 7 were on target v 5 attempts of which 0 are on target? 

There is a saying in business "turnover is vanity, profit is sanity" 

Same with football,  possession is utterly irrelevant if you don't create chances. 

Have little possession is irrelevant if you are creating loads of chances and stopping the opposition from having chances. I remember under Lambert we often dominated possession and play but never worked openings. 

Possession is vanity,  goals are sanity. 

[sidcow]

21 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

With respect mate you are missing the point, their possession was so high precisely because they didn't even try to be productive with it.

See my post above. They were rather like us under Lambert. Lots of the ball but doing very little with it. 

[Villan_of_oz]

Humble pie anyone?

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Genie said:

Chuffed to bits, what a fortnight. Of course it won't be like this every week but so happy right now. 

 

If anything....It will get better, he's only just started.

[Villarocker]

Possession football is good when you have players who can 1) Handle the pressure of wanting/having the ball and, 2) Having players who can make possession count for them - for example, the way Liverpool bring the ball out of defence and want players to come on to them so that it creates space in the opposing half etc. 

Villa do not have players with the confidence to do either of the above, let alone have players who have shown they have the ability to. Look at the Preston game for instance; Jedinak passing through our own defence to their forward to score. Westwood not being able to make a simple 10 yard pass to a teammate and instead dwelt on the ball and lost possession, resulting in another goal for Preston. 

I'd rather our players have less possession in our own half and more in the opponents half. If that means hoofing it up to the big men and getting players running off them so be it, that'll do for me. I hate watching tippy tappy crap that means the whole of the back line plus the midfield have touched the ball but you still haven't crossed the halfway line. It drives me mad! I think scrambling football is more exciting and combative and if Bruce's style is that way then that will do me just fine. 

Edited October 22, 2016 by villarocker

[Villan_of_oz]

2 minutes ago, villarocker said:

Possession football is good when you have players who can 1) Handle the pressure of wanting/having the ball and, 2) Having players who can make possession count for them - for example, the way Liverpool bring the ball out of defence and want players to come on to them so that it creates space in the opposing half etc. 

Villa do not have players with the confidence to do either of the above, let alone have players who have shown they have the ability to. Look at the Preston game for instance; Jedinak passing through our own defence to their forward to score. Westwood not being able to make a simple 10 yard pass to a teammate and instead dwelt on the ball and lost possession, resulting in another goal for Preston. 

I'd rather our players have less possession in our own half and more in the opponents half. If that means hoofing it up to the big men and getting players running off them so be it, that'll do for me. I hate watching tippy tappy crap that means the whole of the back line plus the midfield have touched the ball but you still haven't crossed the halfway line. It drives me mad! I think scrambling football is more exciting and combative and if Bruce's style is that way then that will do me just fine. 

Exactly this!

[NeilS]

It seems that this was Fulhams first away defeat, now I haven't watched their games so I don't know for certain, but maybe their game plan away from home has been to frustrate the opposition by keeping the ball, luring them out of position pressing and getting in behind the out of position opponents. Bearing in mind that is their first defeat on the road I am thrilled with the 1-0 victory, and for me at this moment in time after our start, any victory is welcome.

Well done Brucey for overcoming that game plan.

[Neil]

22 minutes ago, Villan_of_oz said:

Humble pie anyone?

My favourite pie, tastes yummy if he keeps providing me wrong.

As long as I'm eating humble pie, the villa are succeeding...wins all round

[TRO]

30 minutes ago, villarocker said:

Possession football is good when you have players who can 1) Handle the pressure of wanting/having the ball and, 2) Having players who can make possession count for them - for example, the way Liverpool bring the ball out of defence and want players to come on to them so that it creates space in the opposing half etc. 

Villa do not have players with the confidence to do either of the above, let alone have players who have shown they have the ability to. Look at the Preston game for instance; Jedinak passing through our own defence to their forward to score. Westwood not being able to make a simple 10 yard pass to a teammate and instead dwelt on the ball and lost possession, resulting in another goal for Preston. 

I'd rather our players have less possession in our own half and more in the opponents half. If that means hoofing it up to the big men and getting players running off them so be it, that'll do for me. I hate watching tippy tappy crap that means the whole of the back line plus the midfield have touched the ball but you still haven't crossed the halfway line. It drives me mad! I think scrambling football is more exciting and combative and if Bruce's style is that way then that will do me just fine. 

I agree

I also think you will find he is adopting a style to :

• give himself some breathing space, to change things, but win points at the same time.
• Stop the rot of conceding late on or after we have scored
• re-ignite the fan base
• To return confidence to the players & staff.
• To get the team fit.
• allow individual players to recover their form, without duress.

He could well change and play more entertaining football, when he feels we are ready.

"winning the right to play football" seems to be his philosophy too.

Edited October 22, 2016 by TRO

[Don_Simon]

31 minutes ago, Villan_of_oz said:

Humble pie anyone?

I wanted Steve Bruce and even I think thats an absurd statement. Humble pie after three games? Ridiculous.

Its the same kind of short termism that sees managers fired after four games, or Paul Lambert given a new four year contract after a decent start to a season.

Just let it play out for a few weeks, months if you're feeling generous, before that question is asked.

[StefanAVFC]

As Trent said, the possession stats were so stewed today because Fulham literally just sat in their own half passing it back and forward between their midfield, defence and keeper. We allowed them to do this as part of the game plan, and frankly it worked.

Same as the Reading game. I'm sure if Bruce has a different plan that consists of not conceding so much possession, we'll have more.

How refreshing it is to have a manager who actually has a plan and gets the players to follow it?

[Mantis]

More possession will come with more confidence anyway. Right now, the only way to get confidence is to get good results which is exactly what we're doing now.

[sexbelowsound]

The radio commentator said that he can't remember seeing that many back passes to a keeper in a game before. He also said he had more touches than the midfield of Fulham combined.

Pretty much sums up their high possession stats. I honestly think possession stats should only be taken into account when at least in the oppositions half, otherwise you get nonsense like today.