Stevo985 Posted January 20, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted January 20, 2018 He was getting mocked for saying he wanted to build the team around Grealish when Grealish got injured. Doesn't look so silly anymore. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomaszk Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 What a coach Steve Agnew is. Bruce I'll take or leave thanks. Clear who makes the difference at Villa. Excellent excellent stuff. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 27 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: He was getting mocked for saying he wanted to build the team around Grealish when Grealish got injured. Doesn't look so silly anymore. Well he was mocked for saying he was going to build the attack around Jack after he got injured, and then said he'd had to "fit him in somehow" when he returned from injury. Great to have him back thou and kudos to Bruce for getting our attack on point now. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bannedfromHandV Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 4 hours ago, dn1982 said: Yep all those players playing at a higher standard would see us relegated. Now that’s baffling!! None of them wanted to be here? What's so difficult to understand about that? If you force someone to do something they don't want to do it's a rare character that still gives their best, and I would bet everything I own that had we kept those players they would have been demotivated and disinterested. Half of them couldn't be bothered in the PL so why you think they would suddenly commit in a lower division is bewildering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomaszk Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 31 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: He was getting mocked for saying he wanted to build the team around Grealish when Grealish got injured. Doesn't look so silly anymore. Ah yes, when he hadn't played him in any sort of system and we were getting passed to bits by teams from league 2. A lucky liar with a fantastic squad. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bannedfromHandV Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Imagine where we might be without the one we have, bearing in mind that the previous one had us in 22nd. The grass is often not greener. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomaszk Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 3 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said: Imagine where we might be without the one we have, bearing in mind that the previous one had us in 22nd. The grass is often not greener. After Villa he will never have a decent job again. He's done. What we're doing now what we should've been doing since August 2016. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dodgyknees Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) My favourite period as a Villa fan for a long time. Great results against tricky teams - and the 5-0 win against high flying Bristol City the pick. i’ve wanted to see this form and style for ages. We have the players and now it looks like we have found a way to play good football, a good tempo, good passing and much better movement. Edited January 21, 2018 by Dick 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poitier Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Stevo985 said: He was getting mocked for saying he wanted to build the team around Grealish when Grealish got injured. Doesn't look so silly anymore. I think it was failing to come up with any other plan for the several months Grealish was out that he was mocked for. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bannedfromHandV Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 39 minutes ago, Tomaszk said: After Villa he will never have a decent job again. He's done. What we're doing now what we should've been doing since August 2016. He wasnt here in August 2016?! The feckless Roberto Di Matteo was, and wreaking havoc too with the funds. Sure, some of them proved to be astute purchases (Chester, Adomah, Kodjia), but most of the rest have proved a massive waste of money - £17M alone on mccorslack, and Shitebola. He picked up the pieces of a team that had been hastily assembled, with little direction and had won 1 of 11 games in THIS DIVISION. If you can't see the difference from where we were when we played Wolves in his first game (think it was wolves, 0-0 and played badly) to where we are now I'm at a loss to continue discussing with you. Again, to reiterate, we were 22nd in this division after roughly 25% of the season (so not an insignificant sample size). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vreitti Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 49 minutes ago, Tomaszk said: What we're doing now what we should've been doing since August 2016. Agreed. Still feels pretty damn good that we're actually doing it at the moment. Long may it continue. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmark86 Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 2 hours ago, Tomaszk said: What a coach Steve Agnew is. Bruce I'll take or leave thanks. Clear who makes the difference at Villa. Excellent excellent stuff. I'm gonna take a wild shot in the dark and assume you wouldn't be happy with Bruce even if he won the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
osmark86 Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Tomaszk said: After Villa he will never have a decent job again. He's done. What we're doing now what we should've been doing since August 2016. Same man, so what's your point exactly? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingman Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 (edited) I thought he may have took them to his Portuguese retreat for a mini break? Any ideas?.. Edited January 21, 2018 by Kingman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareth Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 The reason some can never accept Bruce is down to one thing - Potnonomicaphobia (the irrational fear of potato and potato dishes) 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 8 hours ago, Stevo985 said: He was getting mocked for saying he wanted to build the team around Grealish when Grealish got injured. Doesn't look so silly anymore. Don't think he was mocked for the idea. Grealish is a superb player. It was more to do with the fact there was nothing to suggest that was going to be the case and it looked like an excuse, given the awful start to the season. I'm glad it wasn't, grealish is clearly an amazing player at this level. Credit to Bruce for getting performances like these out of him. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eholm Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 Ok, I'm not a Bruce fan and still believe that his default style of football is now dated and in no way see him as the future of our club. However, maybe we have to view it that there are now two types of 'manager'. IMO there is a manager and a head coach - some may argue that this is just semantics but I see some legitimate differences in the two specific roles. Bruce is your definitive 'manager' i.e. manages the staff and players he recruits effectively in order to get the best out of those players. He is not a coach and so is heavily reliant on his coaching team to impart the tactical organisation and game plan onto the players. Bruce is not hands-on on the training pitch and simply watches/oversees whilst getting feedback form his coaches - upon which he makes decisions on team selections. This may well explain the reasons why we are suddenly so much more of an attacking unit now that he has recruited his preferred attacking coach i.e. Agnew. Now, this is not a criticism of Bruce, actually I am defending him and trying to understand the way in which he manages. Yes, he is heavily dependant on his coaches but HE recruits them as part of his workforce knowing what they can produce in conjunction with the players. For that he deserves credit. Personally, I prefer a more of a 'head coach' manager. Someone who is very heavily involved in the tactical set up and coaching of the team. Yes, they still have a team of coaches but as the head coach they are fundamental in what that training looks like and they spend a lot of time on the training pitches actually directing and taking the sessions. I see Wagner, Hughton and Howe as these types of 'managers'. Even Klopp, according to material have read about him, is an extremely hands-on 'coach'. So we have two types of 'manager' in football and SB is definitely the in the former category. I credit him for finally getting all the components of his workforce to click and his appointment of Agnew looks excellent. IMO, however, the modern game has tactically developed exponentially and this is why we are seeing so many more 'head coaches' enjoying success as they play a crucial and extensive part in training the players directly to impart their own tactical knowledge. for this reason, I believe we need the latter type of 'manager' to have long term success. Just my thoughts on a rainy Sunday morning here in Swansea...with the sun definitely starting to come through over VP. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dn1982 Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 10 hours ago, bannedfromHandV said: None of them wanted to be here? What's so difficult to understand about that? If you force someone to do something they don't want to do it's a rare character that still gives their best, and I would bet everything I own that had we kept those players they would have been demotivated and disinterested. Half of them couldn't be bothered in the PL so why you think they would suddenly commit in a lower division is bewildering. I never said they did. I was pointing out Bruce had a good squad of players that he cashed in to get this squad so using net spend as a point is spurious. It seems you are arguing a point you made. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacbuddies Posted January 21, 2018 Share Posted January 21, 2018 A quote from Bruce taken from the Birmingham Mail online: I’ve got four or five training with the under-23s this morning, good players, but that’s the squad. Like Birkir for example, he comes into the team and has been terrific. I think he needed to play today, I had to reward the squad. Glenn Whelan was fit and big Mile Jedinak was not quite 100 per cent fit, but I decided Birkir needed to play. If I hadn’t played him then the squad doesn’t have the belief that they can get in, do a job and stay there. I am not sure Mr Elphick would agree with this comment! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post markavfc40 Posted January 21, 2018 Popular Post Share Posted January 21, 2018 11 minutes ago, pacbuddies said: A quote from Bruce taken from the Birmingham Mail online: I’ve got four or five training with the under-23s this morning, good players, but that’s the squad. Like Birkir for example, he comes into the team and has been terrific. I think he needed to play today, I had to reward the squad. Glenn Whelan was fit and big Mile Jedinak was not quite 100 per cent fit, but I decided Birkir needed to play. If I hadn’t played him then the squad doesn’t have the belief that they can get in, do a job and stay there. I am not sure Mr Elphick would agree with this comment! I think John Terry is very much an exception isn't he. He is the best defender in this division never mind the club.He is also arguably the best on the pitch leader in the country. I am sure at Chelsea when he was out injured players came in for him and did very well but found themselves out of the side when he was back fit. Bjarnason came in last week and replaced Whelan and did very well. In terms of ability there is arguably little between them. In terms of ability and the influence they can have on others then Elphick and Terry are poles apart despite Elphick doing well for a couple of games. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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