A'Villan Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 1 hour ago, DaveAV1 said: Quite a few of the players back then used to drink in the Cork and Bottle in Boldmere. Gidman was a regular as was Alex Cropley, Andy Gray, Sid Cowans and a few more. Footballers were much more accessible then, nobody was taking pictures of them on mobile phones when they’d got a beer of two inside them. Happy days I imagine it would be a lot more enjoyable to be able to have a casual drink or two and some good company rather than be bombarded with selfie requests and the like. I remember reading an article on the history of Aston Villa, I don't remember the name or era he was from, but one player was known to search the stands for bottles of lemonade with some left overs remaining to drink them. Nowadays they've got the clout to buy the Lemonade company! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bannedfromHandV Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 3 hours ago, Dave J said: Your right - but it was a bargain regardless, Merse was great for us - head and shoulders above anything we had at the time. my apologies regarding the fee Dave, do you know what year it is? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vreitti Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 3 hours ago, Dave J said: Your right - but it was a bargain regardless, Merse was great for us - head and shoulders above anything we had at the time. my apologies regarding the fee I see the same parallels with Jack. Just like Merse, he can make something happen out of nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave J Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 37 minutes ago, vreitti said: I see the same parallels with Jack. Just like Merse, he can make something happen out of nothing. I think it's speed of thought tbh - seeing things before others is what sets them apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vreitti Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 37 minutes ago, Dave J said: I think it's speed of thought tbh - seeing things before others is what sets them apart. Absolutely, then again Merse was already past it when we got him. I kinda think/hope Jack is going to grow even more this coming season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted August 2, 2018 Author Share Posted August 2, 2018 Despite what every one thinks about bruce. Chesters interview suggests he has the backing of the players still and They are happy he is staying. That is vitally important. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIVillan Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 3 minutes ago, Demitri_C said: Despite what every one thinks about bruce. Chesters interview suggests he has the backing of the players still and They are happy he is staying. That is vitally important. I dont think Bruce should be the manager BUT I agree this is important. He has built up this group of players so lets see how they respond to him. Also think the new owners have gone "Okay - go and get things done" Bruce isnt stupid he knows if he isnt performing he is gone. Sometimes when your options are restricted you start being smarter and not the lazy oh bring someone else in. I think this is what killed off Oneil in the end, he kept buying in players because he could and discarded any he had the hump with to the reserves (Luke Young etc). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave J Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 45 minutes ago, vreitti said: Absolutely, then again Merse was already past it when we got him. I kinda think/hope Jack is going to grow even more this coming season. He might have been past his best - but boy he could still play 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoof hearted Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 I was at the 1887 FA cup final, took my two Grand kids with me, after passing them over as many chimney hat wearing gropey strangers towards the front as we could myself and the lads enjoyed a few flaggons of warm stout at the back of the Kennington oval because the teams (us and The Boggies) both played in black & white so we couldn't figure out who was who. Finished 2-0 to one of them but we claimed it because Olbion fans are stupid and just accepted it. *Just thought this was the way the thread was going FYI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praisedmambo Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 18 minutes ago, Hoof hearted said: I was at the 1887 FA cup final, took my two Grand kids with me, after passing them over as many chimney hat wearing gropey strangers towards the front as we could myself and the lads enjoyed a few flaggons of warm stout at the back of the Kennington oval because the teams (us and The Boggies) both played in black & white so we couldn't figure out who was who. Finished 2-0 to one of them but we claimed it because Olbion fans are stupid and just accepted it. *Just thought this was the way the thread was going FYI. It's been a massive improvement from the same old. I liked this nostalgic satire too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 His press conference is live on Youtube tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A'Villan Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Call me masochistic but I don't mind reading the back and forth between pro-Bruce and Bruce-out. Everyone's got a slightly varied view of accounts and it's interesting to read. I didn't get to see any games this preseason, not that it's much of a gauge of things to come, but I am looking forward to seeing if Bruce can alleviate the doubt surrounding his ability to rectify some aspects of his approach. It's another season of familiarity that the players have under their belt as well and if Bruce has them on side and morale is high then the final puzzle two puzzle pieces are appropriate tactics and a bit of luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 2, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted August 2, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Demitri_C said: Despite what every one thinks about bruce. Chesters interview suggests he has the backing of the players still and They are happy he is staying. That is vitally important. Yep. I don't think there's ever been any indication that the dressing room isn't right behind him. Say what you want about Bruce, that's definitely one of his strengths. Edited August 2, 2018 by Stevo985 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praisedmambo Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 Please though four at the back. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted August 2, 2018 Author Share Posted August 2, 2018 58 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: Yep. I don't think there's ever been any indication that the dressing room isn't right behind him. Say what you want about Bruce, that's definitely one of his strengths. It's very important when managing a team. If you lose the players your finished. If definitely is one of his strengths. I do think though if bruce fails at the third attempt this will be his last season here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa89 Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 1 minute ago, Demitri_C said: It's very important when managing a team. If you lose the players your finished. If definitely is one of his strengths. I do think though if bruce fails at the third attempt this will be his last season here. I think it will be his last season here and I wouldn't be surprised to see him sacked around Xmas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave J Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 59 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: Yep. I don't think there's ever been any indication that the dressing room isn't right behind him. Say what you want about Bruce, that's definitely one of his strengths. I've never heard a regular say a bad word about their manager - why would they ? I take no notice whatsoever when players talk about managers in the media - it's just no guage of reality imo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GENTLEMAN Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 41 minutes ago, praisedmambo said: Please though four at the back. I think he will. I seen 3-5-1-1 as a plan B option for the season being tested out in preseason. Although I would have rather gone with a 4-3-3 in all pre-season games in attempt to get off to a quick start; I think all Bruce's team have struggled with the start of the season. It a situation we can ill-afford, giving our first collection of games and our December run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbcuk Posted August 2, 2018 Share Posted August 2, 2018 2 hours ago, Demitri_C said: Despite what every one thinks about bruce. Chesters interview suggests he has the backing of the players still and They are happy he is staying. That is vitally important. Tbh they aren’t going to say anything different to the press, id imagine a few aren’t happy he is staying, but they can’t come out and say that, behind closed doors I bet a few aren’t happy he’s staying Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 2, 2018 VT Supporter Share Posted August 2, 2018 24 minutes ago, Dave J said: I've never heard a regular say a bad word about their manager - why would they ? I take no notice whatsoever when players talk about managers in the media - it's just no guage of reality imo Ok. I wasn't just talking about what players say in the media though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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