Steve Bruce

[markavfc40]

39 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

No wonder this club got a losing mentality when fans are happy with a draw against Birmingham. I understand people are still rolling on the Bruce positive train, but let's be honest here. This game was a shocking, shocking performance. It was a very very lucky point and we got outplayed. We had near to none chances and played really negative football throughout the whole game.

If people seriously are satisfied with performances like these we truely are doomed. No ambition, no quality, no winning mentality. Sorry if i sound negative but i'm just writing how i feel.

To offer up some context here Steve Bruce arrived just over three weeks ago into a team that had won one game in 12 this season and a club as a whole with 4 wins in 50 odd games. You don't turn that around overnight.

What you do is try to get a foundation in place and then build from that. You make yourself difficult to beat, you try to string a run of positive results together and off the back of that confidence starts to be restored.

In four games under Bruce we are yet to lose. In those four games we have won two on the spin for the first time in 18 months. Won away for the first time in 14 months. Managed to see out games when teams are putting us under pressure in the final minutes something that had become a major issue. All these things will now improve confidence and stand us in good stead going forward.

For as much as I dislike Sha I have to acknowledge they started the game today in 7th place with a win seeing them go 5th having lost once at home this season. Also despite the fact I would love to say otherwise it has rarely been an easy game at their place for us as there is a mentality amongst them that they see themselves as underdogs to us means they almost always give everything. In the end we came out with a draw having restricted them to three shots on target. It is another point for us to build on.

I am sure this isn't the way Bruce ultimately wants us to play but, as mentioned above, he had a number of issues to overcome and he has now given us something to build on. I expect to see us improve as an attacking force over the coming months and certainly with one or two centre midfield additions in January. For now though securing points is all that matters and restoring some confidence. On both those fronts I am so far happy.

Edited October 30, 2016 by markavfc40

[The Fun Factory]

Here is a fun fact. Bruce has managed more games than the last 3 permanent and 2 temporary managers put together at Villa- K Mac,Sherwood, Garde, Black and RDM.

[Demitri_C]

1 hour ago, The Fun Factory said:

Here is a fun fact. Bruce has managed more games than the last 3 permanent and 2 temporary managers put together at Villa- K Mac,Sherwood, Garde, Black and RDM.

Powell tbf two of them are not managers

[Mjvilla]

5 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

Powell tbf two of them are not managers

I'd say 5 of them aren't managers.

[AVTuco]

Who's Powell?

[sidcow]

22 minutes ago, AVTuco said:

Who's Powell?

 

[TRO]

I was happy with the result under the circumstances.

but what i am hoping for, is for SB to get us as fit as them.

we were unable to apply our superior quality largely because they were so much fitter than us.

they clattered us out of our stride and out muscled us on the ball culminating with them possibly unlucky to draw.

Quality is a wonderful thing.....but we must work on our fitness to put us in a position to implement it.

Edited October 30, 2016 by TRO

[darrenm]

1 hour ago, AVTuco said:

Who's Powell?

[VillaCas]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

I was happy with the result under the circumstances.

but what i am hoping for, is for SB to get us as fit as them.

we were unable to apply our superior quality largely because they were so much fitter than us.

they clattered us out of our stride and out muscled us on the ball culminating with them possibly unlucky to draw.

Quality is a wonderful thing.....but we must work on our fitness to put us in a position to implement it.

I don't believe we have a fitness issue at all! Who looked unfit? Why would we be any less fit than SHA? 

Some of the players (midfield) may have a slowness issue but that's a different thing entirely. 

We need to hang on and grab points until we can bring in some creativity in midfield 

[TRO]

26 minutes ago, VillaCas said:

I don't believe we have a fitness issue at all! Who looked unfit? Why would we be any less fit than SHA? 

Some of the players (midfield) may have a slowness issue but that's a different thing entirely. 

We need to hang on and grab points until we can bring in some creativity in midfield 

Well the manager has already said we have and i think it was in evidence.

We were out fought.....davis ripped his shirt off and had a torso like ronaldo, something our lot can only dream of.....they just do not look  in that kinda shape.

why does Ronaldo have to look like that with his skills?

He needs that level of fitness to IMPOSE those skills.

Not blaming SB....(it should be work in progress)

we were unable to impose our superior quality, simply by losing one on ones, second balls & they were winning all the aerial balls only jedinak and Baker competed.

you say slowness issue, yes, totally agree. What its down to i would say fitness our players do not look as athletic imo.....but i will be corrected.

If we are going to claim better quality.....we need to impose it.

Edited October 30, 2016 by TRO

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

Fitness was definitely an issue but even if Villa were fitter there still would not be a big difference in quality between the two teams. Apart from Kodjia, Amavi and maybe Ayew not many Villa players would be considered better than their Birmingham equivalents on that pitch today. Forget price tags.

The only complaint I could have with Steve Bruce today was not changing things up in the 2nd half when it was clear how badly we were struggling especially in midfield and with Ross McCormack being completely ineffective on the RW, Options available to him weren't great though.

[AshVilla]

Who's the fitness coach now?

Still the italian or did he leave

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

3 minutes ago, AshVilla said:

Who's the fitness coach now?

Still the italian or did he leave

The cause of poor strength and conditioning is probably down to the number of changes in management, poor investment is sport science from the Lerner era, poor coaching structures under Lambert and Sherwood and a large turnover of players.

The club needs to take a long term approach to maximising player fitness.

[AvfcRigo82]

A point away from home.. acceptable. It is becoming harder for some to swallow because it was against the shit but what we need to remember is where we were only 4 games ago!

Still 30+ games to go yet. We can only get stronger and improve further and move up the league.

The game as a whole today, we kept up with them first half but I feel second half we just about held on for the point, as did the shit, so considering how the game itself panned out I would say that a draw is a fair result as things stand.

And so we go again.....

 

[Villarocker]

6 hours ago, markavfc40 said:

To offer up some context here Steve Bruce arrived just over three weeks ago into a team that had won one game in 12 this season and a club as a whole with 4 wins in 50 odd games. You don't turn that around overnight.

What you do is try to get a foundation in place and then build from that. You make yourself difficult to beat, you try to string a run of positive results together and off the back of that confidence starts to be restored.

In four games under Bruce we are yet to lose. In those four games we have won two on the spin for the first time in 18 months. Won away for the first time in 14 months. Managed to see out games when teams are putting us under pressure in the final minutes something that had become a major issue. All these things will now improve confidence and stand us in good stead going forward.

For as much as I dislike Sha I have to acknowledge they started the game today in 7th place with a win seeing them go 5th having lost once at home this season. Also despite the fact I would love to say otherwise it has rarely been an easy game at their place for us as there is a mentality amongst them that they see themselves as underdogs to us means they almost always give everything. In the end we came out with a draw having restricted them to three shots on target. It is another point for us to build on.

I am sure this isn't the way Bruce ultimately wants us to play but, as mentioned above, he had a number of issues to overcome and he has now given us something to build on. I expect to see us improve as an attacking force over the coming months and certainly with one or two centre midfield additions in January. For now though securing points is all that matters and restoring some confidence. On both those fronts I am so far happy.

Post of the year for me, that ^^^^

[Villanun]

8 hours ago, villalad21 said:

No wonder this club got a losing mentality when fans are happy with a draw against Birmingham. I understand people are still rolling on the Bruce positive train, but let's be honest here. This game was a shocking, shocking performance. It was a very very lucky point and we got outplayed. We had near to none chances and played really negative football throughout the whole game.

If people seriously are satisfied with performances like these we truely are doomed. No ambition, no quality, no winning mentality. Sorry if i sound negative but i'm just writing how i feel.

It's because I'm unhappy with the performance today that I'm happy with the point. Playing badly and getting a barely-deserved draw isn't great, but it's a lot better than we've been used to.

[TRO]

9 hours ago, villarocker said:

Post of the year for me, that ^^^^

Concurred

[TRO]

Its not a case of going overboard on Steve Bruce ( for those that don't like him, nothing will change)

However, after changing manager after manager and still no change in fortunes. ..in 5 minutes so to speak, he has managed to get us hard to beat.

A Few weeks ago, we could only dream of that.

still much to do, but we ALL know that.

 

Edited October 31, 2016 by TRO

[PaulC]

Under RDM I thought the football was better to start with but he had no luck, with balls hitting bars and late goals against, it seems that Bruce has brought some luck. Yes we may be better organised but the difference in results is purely luck really.

[VillaCas]

11 hours ago, TRO said:

Well the manager has already said we have and i think it was in evidence.

We were out fought.....davis ripped his shirt off and had a torso like ronaldo, something our lot can only dream of.....they just do not look  in that kinda shape.

why does Ronaldo have to look like that with his skills?

He needs that level of fitness to IMPOSE those skills.

Not blaming SB....(it should be work in progress)

we were unable to impose our superior quality, simply by losing one on ones, second balls & they were winning all the aerial balls only jedinak and Baker competed.

you say slowness issue, yes, totally agree. What its down to i would say fitness our players do not look as athletic imo.....but i will be corrected.

If we are going to claim better quality.....we need to impose it.

 

10 hours ago, Kuwabatake Sanjuro said:

The cause of poor strength and conditioning is probably down to the number of changes in management, poor investment is sport science from the Lerner era, poor coaching structures under Lambert and Sherwood and a large turnover of players.

The club needs to take a long term approach to maximising player fitness.

The fitness issue is a complete red herring - there are lots of problems for Bruce to sort out and lots of reasons we have struggled but fitness is way way down the list

Nearly every manager says that - it gives them a bit of breathing space. Sherwood said it, Garde said it. Our facilities and application of sports science is second to none - ask any of the new signings. I visit SHA 'facilities' at Wast Hills a dozen times a season and I can tell you that they are shite - do you really think that after 7 years of Carson Yeung they have that right and we have it wrong?

We have ten new players - did they all arrive lacking fitness? suffering from changes in management? poor investment in sport science? and poor coaching? Take say Hutton for example - he's not played regularly and so should have more excuse than most but didn't look unfit to me. Baker and Chester competed for 100 mins - did you think they were unfit? Gardner and Westwood covered more ground than anyone else on the pitch - did you think they looked unfit? Do you think Ayew, Adomah and Kodija look unfit? Who exactly looked unfit? MOTM Jedinak?

If we have to wait for Bruce to get all our players looking like Davis then we are in for a long long wait. You don't need to look like that to be a good player. Does Hazard look like that? Mata?, Silva? Messi? Rowett can't afford quality so has chosen to fill SHA with big lumps and pump the ball long every chance they get. There is no way that they are fitter than us

We have four big problems for me - lack of shape/structure (Bruce is already sorting this), not knowing our best XI (early days but Bruce making progress I think), lack of midifled creativity (will have to be sorted in January) and all these leading combined with 5 years of decline leading to a lack of confidence.  IF we can sort the first three out the fourth will sort itself out and then we will be able to play with a little more swagger and let the better quality that we have show through