Steve Bruce

[Stevo985]

8 hours ago, wiggyrichard said:

I’m saying I DONT think we’re anywhere near ready for the Prem, if we do go up then 80% of the playing staff are not good enough even to survive in that league

Probably true. But I think that's a problem faced by the majority of teams who go up to the Prem.

FWIW I think our squad now is better than the squad that got relegated.

[Demitri_C]

22 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

 

FWIW I think our squad now is better than the squad that got relegated.

Stevo what you doing to me, agreeing with you twice in two days? This is true, we of course will not stick with the same squad should we go up. 

This squad is better than the one than went down. You might have had individual players like gueye who were great but as a team they were hopeless. This is more of a "team" 

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by Demitri_C

[nick76]

As I mentioned on here a couple of times, I'm in the 'Bruce In' and obviously some small justification I'm feeling at the moment but I know it can turn in one game, so I still believe he is the right man but just as I didnt get carried away when things were going wrong I'm not going to get carried away when things are going right.  I'm just going to enjoy each game as much as I can but I'm going to be nervous all season outside of game days.  I've never felt like this, all this season matters is getting promoted so I'll enjoy the games but I dont think I'll be enjoying the season.  Keep it up Bruce 

[Demitri_C]

I said it before and I will say it again I dont believe the we have not improved since last year. we have. let me present my case.

*two away wins back to back.

*winning games on sky.

*SEVEN goals yes SEVEN in the last two away games

*Midfielders scoring goals not just big kodj like last year

*able to keep clean sheets consistently

*johnstone looks class

*bouncing back when the opposition scores not crumbling as often as last year

is it perfect? of course not. still a lot more to do and have to keep our feet on the ground, but i think we have FINALLY turned a corner. the next four games will tell us that as they are toughies after Bolton. Lets hope we dont do a Brentford against Bolton.  

[Vive_La_Villa]

There has been massive improvement the last 3-4 games and I think a lot of that comes down to Bruce finally finding his first 11.

When is the last time we had no changes to a  team 3 games in a row? They are becoming settled and confidence is increasing.

We have the right balance at last. 2 talented wingers. A holding player that sits and lets Houriane dictate the game.

A big man up front that holds the ball up and gives defenders a rough time which in turn gives our best player a chance to drop and influence the game. A stable back 4 which is Premier League quality. A goalie that looks a transformed player.

Is there still room for improvement? Of course there is. But we may just finally be heading in the right direction. 

[Guest av1]

46 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

I said it before and I will say it again I dont believe the we have not improved since last year. we have. let me present my case.

*two away wins back to back.

*winning games on sky.

*SEVEN goals yes SEVEN in the last two away games

*Midfielders scoring goals not just big kodj like last year

*able to keep clean sheets consistently

*johnstone looks class

*bouncing back when the opposition scores not crumbling as often as last year

is it perfect? of course not. still a lot more to do and have to keep our feet on the ground, but i think we have FINALLY turned a corner. the next four games will tell us that as they are toughies after Bolton. Lets hope we dont do a Brentford against Bolton.  

I don't think anyone disagrees that we have imoroved since last season mate. We have better players so we were always going to improve. What some of us question, is that given the resources and the squad of players available, have we improved enough?

Its great to win back to back games and I'm not petty enough to not give Bruce credit for that, but this squad should be winning back to back games. We have the strongest squad in the league so we should be going on long winning streaks. 

As i say, we are in a good bit of form so Bruce deserves credit. But my opinion of Bruce has been formed over the last 12 months, I'd be a complete hypocrite if that opinion was to change after 2 wins. 

I was pro bruce when he signed and i susported him for a period after that, my opinion changed once so maybe it can change again. But it will take a lot more that a couple of wins. 

[TRO]

7 hours ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Do you know whats really telling for me, lose a game by a goal and there's pages and pages of OTT posts. 

Win a game 4-0 and it's relatively quiet, it's like we enjoy the misery more than the good times, go figure. 

Just do your own thing and wallow in a very encouraging night.

[AvfcRigo82]

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

Probably true. But I think that's a problem faced by the majority of teams who go up to the Prem.

FWIW I think our squad now is better than the squad that got relegated.

I kind of agree in a way on this.

Right now we have an honest bunch of lads that look like they are getting it together with something to achieve,

Whereas the previous was always going one way and just a disaster that was waiting to happen.

Thankfully almost all of that squad has since been replaced in 2 years.

Quite remarkable really when you look back.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, Stevo985 said:

Probably true. But I think that's a problem faced by the majority of teams who go up to the Prem.

FWIW I think our squad now is better than the squad that got relegated.

Oh i would agree with that......the mental strength alone is on an upward trajectory, which is part of the overall concatenation.

[Lerner's Driver]

Phorensic analysis of what has already happened is great and can provide some insights as to what might happen in the future, but at best, all you will ever have is an artist's impression of a specific moment in time.

No sketch can ever fully convey the complex back story of a an individual, or individuals getting focused and deciding to cooperate.

That stuff either just happens, or it doesn't and you won't know that it has, until it either does or it doesn't. In between times, all we can do is speculate and hope.

 

Edited September 27, 2017 by Lerner's Driver

[TRO]

2 hours ago, DCJonah said:

You know we are still not in the promotion spots?

We win 3 in a row and we are still not on target, shows you how poor the start was, which is why people have been concerned. 

Look at some of the key players in this mini revival as well. 

Hourihane - last season and the start of this season on the bench while bacuna played. 

Adomah - sitting in the stands and not even on the bench at the start of the season. Gabby playing left wing over him. 

Davis - impressive performance at the end of last season against Brighton and then no where to be seen for the first few games. 

The last few games have shown the concerns were fair, Bruce didn't know his best team, he wasn't getting the performances from them.

We've had a great month and it will continue Saturday but our target was automatic promotion and we are not on track for it. The playoffs would be acceptable and we are not on track for it. 

We've still got a long way to go. This formation is working but we won't be able to play the same 11 every game for the rest of the season. Bruce will have to adapt, rotate and make his squad work consistently over a long period. So far he's failed to do that. If he gets us promoted then you can post this kind of stuff, until then he's failed to meet his target with the best squad in the league. 

 

 

We are on track....the results are putting us on track.....but you are right, we are not there yet.

what has been said in the past is history, as they say lets no sweat the small stuff.

Together, we can start to enjoy things again.......United.

i would like to make one point.....we have 36 games left, its colossal.....we have just witnessed a transformation in confidence on the back of 3 straight wins, thats the impact it can have.

We as fans have to keep our nerve.....it WILL help the team.

[AvfcRigo82]

7 hours ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Do you know whats really telling for me, lose a game by a goal and there's pages and pages of OTT posts. 

Win a game 4-0 and it's relatively quiet, it's like we enjoy the misery more than the good times, go figure. 

Have you thought of the many contributing factors as to why this could be?

The fact that SB has had enough time now to be showing his 'promotional ratio' stats and where this team should be sitting in the league right now.

The amount of money Tony Xia has spent putting SB squad together & we prob have the most expensively amassed squads in this league.

So when SB starts the first 7 games on a Ratio that saw RDM sacked 3 games later over a year ago then of course fans are entitled to voice their concerns.

We have seen enough decline and shit results in the last 6 years to do us a lifetime, so forgive us that have had our fill and demand improvement.

It is not so much all against and little for in terms of SB but for the squad that he has at his disposal here and now then we should already be sitting in that top 4 zone at this stage.

So for tensions to stay calm like you refer too it is still going to take a few more victorys until the 'hysteria' dies down.

That is when the boo boys and girls, the Bruce out brigade etc etc. might actually get behind the manager when he actually has us where we should be right now in the top 4.

Keep up the wins and stop the petty interviews and the fans will be firmly behind him and won't be calling for his head. It's modern day football.

One thing you have correctly touched on is that there have been no real partys cause we have strung 3 wins in a row together.

Come back with your argument when that stat has changed to 7 wins in a row and you will soon see alot of the Bruce out brigade throwing a party and firmly behind Bruce and the team.

Sustainability is key. Credit comes when credit is due.. so keep up the good work Bruce and you will soon have the Holte End Hairdryer off your arse.  

[Grasshopper]

2 hours ago, DCJonah said:

You know we are still not in the promotion spots?

We win 3 in a row and we are still not on target, shows you how poor the start was, which is why people have been concerned. 

Look at some of the key players in this mini revival as well. 

Hourihane - last season and the start of this season on the bench while bacuna played. 

Adomah - sitting in the stands and not even on the bench at the start of the season. Gabby playing left wing over him. 

Davis - impressive performance at the end of last season against Brighton and then no where to be seen for the first few games. 

The last few games have shown the concerns were fair, Bruce didn't know his best team, he wasn't getting the performances from them.

We've had a great month and it will continue Saturday but our target was automatic promotion and we are not on track for it. The playoffs would be acceptable and we are not on track for it. 

We've still got a long way to go. This formation is working but we won't be able to play the same 11 every game for the rest of the season. Bruce will have to adapt, rotate and make his squad work consistently over a long period. So far he's failed to do that. If he gets us promoted then you can post this kind of stuff, until then he's failed to meet his target with the best squad in the league. 

 

 

@bannedfromHandV & @TRO

I'm on holiday, so I'm reading from afar.

Tro - Let BfHV have his happiness. I'm happy we won too.

BUT!

We have a front foot of

Elmo (PL player) Snodgrass (PL player Hourihane (best MFer last season who Bruce had behind Bacuna) Adomah (our best assister who sat in the stands Davis (Unknown Youth talent till Brighton) & Kodjia (Proven Goal machine)

Add a Back/MF line of

SJ (Trained with ManU level players)

Chester (PL player and International)

Terry (PL player who won everything)

Taylor (PL player)

Whelan (PL player)

AND YOU DONT EXPECT TO BE TOP 2 in this league?

We should walk it

However, we are still not even in the playoffs. So lets enjoy a great win - Blow Bolton away with another 4-0 (at least) then see how long it takes before Bruce gets us in the top 2 or gets sacked

[fightoffyour]

3 hours ago, DCJonah said:

You know we are still not in the promotion spots?

We win 3 in a row and we are still not on target, shows you how poor the start was, which is why people have been concerned. 

Look at some of the key players in this mini revival as well. 

Hourihane - last season and the start of this season on the bench while bacuna played. 

Adomah - sitting in the stands and not even on the bench at the start of the season. Gabby playing left wing over him. 

Davis - impressive performance at the end of last season against Brighton and then no where to be seen for the first few games. 

The last few games have shown the concerns were fair, Bruce didn't know his best team, he wasn't getting the performances from them.

We've had a great month and it will continue Saturday but our target was automatic promotion and we are not on track for it. The playoffs would be acceptable and we are not on track for it. 

We've still got a long way to go. This formation is working but we won't be able to play the same 11 every game for the rest of the season. Bruce will have to adapt, rotate and make his squad work consistently over a long period. So far he's failed to do that. If he gets us promoted then you can post this kind of stuff, until then he's failed to meet his target with the best squad in the league. 

That's so right on, man.

Our current form (the standardised last 6) is P6 W3 D3 L0 Pts 12. I would grade this as "great" - this is the acceptable level of results that over the course of a season would mean we achieve our aim of automatic promotion. For reference I would call 2.5pts per game (ppg) "excellent" and 3pts per game "perfect".

However our start (the first 4 games, to not count any games twice) was P4 W1 D1 L2 Pts 4, which I would grade as "awful".

This means that our overall record of P10 W4 D4 L2 Pts 16 is still "quite poor". We are not where we need to be. Not even in the playoff spots, which could be regarded as "ok" (or even "quite poor", depending on your expectations) for the season. In fact, we still need to win our next 3 in a row to get our overall position and ppg back up to being "great" and on track for the top 2. This shows that it can be difficult to play catch up in this league. 

 

In summary, I'm happy with the current form. What's more encouraging than anything is the performance of last night, which has been universally praised when most predicted a recognisably flat performance resulting a draw or a narrow win (credit to whoever it was that predicted 4-0 and almost all of the correct goalscorers). A settled side has also emerged and confidence building, which is perhaps just what this side needed all along. But as for anyone eating humble pie? Not a chance. Not yet.

Edited September 27, 2017 by fightoffyour

[Vive_La_Villa]

I still don't think Bruce is a good manager. I reckon if they had me as manager and Grasshopper and DC as my coaches we'd have a good crack at getting this squad promoted!  Its probably the strongest squad in the league. 

However I guess Bruce has earned his chance so will hopefully be the man to deliver. 

[Lerner's Driver]

14 minutes ago, Grasshopper said:

@bannedfromHandV & @TRO

AND YOU DON'T EXPECT TO BE TOP 2 in this league?

We should walk it

In my experience, there is literally no point in 'expecting' that something 'should' happen, especially if you are hoping somebody, or something else will produce what you desire. Instead, concentrate on what you can positively contribute to influence the desired outcome. Doing anything else is a waste of emotional energy.

Edited September 27, 2017 by Lerner's Driver

[striker]

9 hours ago, TRO said:

........don't be hysterical

Haha mate good one.

9 hours ago, TRO said:

Good post Mark as ever.

I always think ( based on the past) there is always one player that lights the touch paper called "Balance"......I think Snodgrass is that player.....(and he is not fit yet)

They are all playing well and Hourihane has come on leaps and bounds, but Snoddy has made us look balanced IMO and sparked them all off.

fingers crossed.....looking good.

Snodgrass was poor in his first couple of games yet there were signs that the team was already starting to improve when Bruce changed it to 4-4-2. That and not just one player for me was the catalyst to better form and results.

However I would suggest waiting until Villa's fixture list pits them against better teams in the division before thinking that Villa have finally turned a corner. Remember most felt or expected to get wins on the board due to recent opposition and Bolton will be no different.

It is though a very welcome sight indeed to see Villa getting points on the board and starting to climb the table while playing more attacking football.

Long may that continue.

[fightoffyour]

49 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

I kind of agree in a way on this.

Right now we have an honest bunch of lads that look like they are getting it together with something to achieve,

Whereas the previous was always going one way and just a disaster that was waiting to happen.

Thankfully almost all of that squad has since been replaced in 2 years.

Quite remarkable really when you look back.

They are an honest bunch of lads, and they've managed to batten down the hatches after a poor start that sent the fans into mass hysteria. But now it turns out we're fickle because we're pleased at the current form, which is second to none (except for Leeds, whom it is actually second to). Now we need to keep this up - WE GO AGAIN!

[Demitri_C]

1 hour ago, av1 said:

I don't think anyone disagrees that we have imoroved since last season mate. We have better players so we were always going to improve. What some of us question, is that given the resources and the squad of players available, have we improved enough?

Its great to win back to back games and I'm not petty enough to not give Bruce credit for that, but this squad should be winning back to back games. We have the strongest squad in the league so we should be going on long winning streaks. 

As i say, we are in a good bit of form so Bruce deserves credit. But my opinion of Bruce has been formed over the last 12 months, I'd be a complete hypocrite if that opinion was to change after 2 wins. 

I was pro bruce when he signed and i susported him for a period after that, my opinion changed once so maybe it can change again. But it will take a lot more that a couple of wins. 

No directed at you av but if you go back more in the thread there were a few debates going on in the last few days were we were debating with some posters abiut this very subject. Some said they had seen no improvement to when bruce first came and i argued this wasnt the case.  And the above is reasons why i believe that this isnt true.

[Demitri_C]

36 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

Have you thought of the many contributing factors as to why this could be?

The fact that SB has had enough time now to be showing his 'promotional ratio' stats and where this team should be sitting in the league right now.

The amount of money Tony Xia has spent putting SB squad together & we prob have the most expensively amassed squads in this league.

So when SB starts the first 7 games on a Ratio that saw RDM sacked 3 games later over a year ago then of course fans are entitled to voice their concerns.

We have seen enough decline and shit results in the last 6 years to do us a lifetime, so forgive us that have had our fill and demand improvement.

It is not so much all against and little for in terms of SB but for the squad that he has at his disposal here and now then we should already be sitting in that top 4 zone at this stage.

So for tensions to stay calm like you refer too it is still going to take a few more victorys until the 'hysteria' dies down.

That is when the boo boys and girls, the Bruce out brigade etc etc. might actually get behind the manager when he actually has us where we should be right now in the top 4.

Keep up the wins and stop the petty interviews and the fans will be firmly behind him and won't be calling for his head. It's modern day football.

One thing you have correctly touched on is that there have been no real partys cause we have strung 3 wins in a row together.

Come back with your argument when that stat has changed to 7 wins in a row and you will soon see alot of the Bruce out brigade throwing a party and firmly behind Bruce and the team.

Sustainability is key. Credit comes when credit is due.. so keep up the good work Bruce and you will soon have the Holte End Hairdryer off your arse.  

You seem to forget that di matteo spent a massive chunk on players bruce isnt using (tish McCormack and elphick) 20m of shit. So i dont think thats entirely true. We spent very little in transfer fees in the summer and he probably spent as much as di matteo did in janury with Hogan being the big signing.