delboy54 Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Maybe Bruce has accidently discovered the right formation for us Maybe Bruce has see that playing players in their normal positions works Maybe we have finally found the "start" button for this season Maybe he has seen how bad Hutton played Maybe he now has seen we have abundance of young players who want to perform on the "stage" and not worried about the opposition Maybe we are on the way back Maybe the Wigan and Bristol City games coming up will see us reverting to "business as usual" Maybe I sould stop typing maybe Maybe.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 21, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted August 21, 2017 8 minutes ago, GingerCollins29 said: I think you should join me at my next round of English lessons Alan. Who's Alan? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villabromsgrove Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 We got a glimpse against Norwich of the attacking talent available to Bruce. How many of us think that SB will change the style he has entrenched himself in over many years, in order to utilise these attacking talents to their fullest? I don't. In my opinion we may see a slight change for a short while, but I believe that we will return to his default negative brand of football before too long. I don't think Steve Bruce can change, which is why I do not see him as the man to take us onwards and upwards. That's why I still believe that we need a new proactive coach as our next manager .... and soon. Saturday's display will have been noticed by a number of prospective new managers who will have seen some decent raw material with which to work at Villa. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerCollins29 Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 12 minutes ago, Stevo985 said: Who's Alan? Aren't you Alan Hutton in disguise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post sidcow Posted August 21, 2017 VT Supporter Popular Post Share Posted August 21, 2017 (edited) Seen a lot about Bruce moaning how OTT the criticism was and how we are a difficult club to manage. Well no shit sherlock. You can't acknowledge what a big club this is that you have waited all your life to manage and expect no pressure or criticism when things are not going well. The club, because it is a big club has expectations. If you want to hang around near the bottom of the table getting relatively little pressure, go manage a club who realise they are league 1 and grateful just to be in the championship. Edited August 21, 2017 by sidcow 13 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sne Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 2 minutes ago, sidcow said: Seen a lot about Bruce moaning how OTT the criticism was and how we are a difficult club to manage. Well no shit sherlock. You can't acknowledge what a big club this is that you have waited all your life to manage and expect no pressure or criticism when things are not going well. The club, because it is a big club has expectations. If you want to hang around near the bottom of the table getting relatively little pressure go manage a club who realise they are league 1 and grateful just to be in the championship. Yup! I maintain my opinion that he is the wrong fit both for the club, and for the players at his disposal. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexbelowsound Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 Can't say i'm overly convinced by the Norwich performance but it's a step in the right direction. We need to push on against Bristol and win well. If he even remotely tries to pull what he did at Reading then he will have undone any positivity or good will he built up on Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapal_fan Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 40 minutes ago, GingerCollins29 said: Aren't you Alan Hutton in disguise? So far, all I have seen in your posts is asking people if they are people from the club (when I suspect you don't really need to know the answer) or being argumentative. Unless you're being so abstract that in fact your posts are all pro Bruce and you wear a beret in real life Either way, it's not that helpful and I find it hard to debate anything with you. It's a shame really because I bet you do have stuff to say about the topics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 21, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted August 21, 2017 45 minutes ago, GingerCollins29 said: Aren't you Alan Hutton in disguise? I mean, this MIGHT be funny if you aimed it at someone who actually liked Alan Hutton. As it is it's just bizarre. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honest_bertie Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 He got a result, if that was by considered approach or fluke and forced changes then either way credit to Bruce, he got it. I still don't think he is the right man for job but if we continue to win the next 3 matches like that then I will acknowledge he deserves to stay. Living in Norwich I get to hear the Canary post match analysis, anyone thinking this match was down to Villa alone being great probably want to consider how poor Norwich were, their fans couldn't believe it. They have a new manager trying to implement new players and style of play, making mistakes as he goes. As far as a new dawn, we can only wait and see. What concerns me is that if he did stumble or was forced into the changes then will he continue to use the setup? It worked and credit to the players that made it happen but we have to stick with it now and press on, concerned he might divert back to more negative style when it's not happening for us. Time will tell I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomav84 Posted August 21, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted August 21, 2017 This post is not meant as a dig to anyone, but just out of interest...what would it take for those firmly with two feet in the 'Bruce out' camp to switch to 'Bruce in'? Whilst i accept that one performance shouldn't drastically change an opinion, for better or worse, lets say that we go to Bristol and turn them over comprehensively, and follow it up with some impressive performances and results, how many would it take for opinions to change? I'm sure I've seen posts saying they would still want him out if he took us up as he isn't the right man to keep us there, which to me sounds odd...i think if you have been promoted, you deserve the right to play/manage in your new division (see Bournemouth, who had much the same team out when they played us in their first game). FWIW, I was leaning towards 'out' after the Cardiff game but back on the fence now after Norwich... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberman Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 A real step in the right direction, but needs to be built on now. I'd like to see O'hare left out of the juniors and at least on the bench for friday. Once again I hope that is Gabby dropped further down the pecking order - he can play in the whatever-it's-called Cup - keep Davis for Friday. Give Bree or De Laet a run in place of Hutton and we're looking pretty strong. Who knows - we might even be 'ready' to play 2 strikers? Finally - I really hope Steve focuses on the 20 shots and 4 goals rather than the 2 conceded. That's the way to win this league. It may be a bit 'Keegan', but the midfield has to be free to get that 2-3m closer to the box to create a threat and if that means less protection at the back at the risk of a few more against it's still as risk worth taking IMO. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villarocker Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 6 minutes ago, tomav84 said: This post is not meant as a dig to anyone, but just out of interest...what would it take for those firmly with two feet in the 'Bruce out' camp to switch to 'Bruce in'? Whilst i accept that one performance shouldn't drastically change an opinion, for better or worse, lets say that we go to Bristol and turn them over comprehensively, and follow it up with some impressive performances and results, how many would it take for opinions to change? I'm sure I've seen posts saying they would still want him out if he took us up as he isn't the right man to keep us there, which to me sounds odd...i think if you have been promoted, you deserve the right to play/manage in your new division (see Bournemouth, who had much the same team out when they played us in their first game). FWIW, I was leaning towards 'out' after the Cardiff game but back on the fence now after Norwich... I wanted Bruce gone before the Norwich game but I am quite open to switching my view to him staying - all he has to do is keep winning! Not much to ask, is it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastie Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 13 minutes ago, tomav84 said: This post is not meant as a dig to anyone, but just out of interest...what would it take for those firmly with two feet in the 'Bruce out' camp to switch to 'Bruce in'? Whilst i accept that one performance shouldn't drastically change an opinion, for better or worse, lets say that we go to Bristol and turn them over comprehensively, and follow it up with some impressive performances and results, how many would it take for opinions to change? I'm sure I've seen posts saying they would still want him out if he took us up as he isn't the right man to keep us there, which to me sounds odd...i think if you have been promoted, you deserve the right to play/manage in your new division (see Bournemouth, who had much the same team out when they played us in their first game). FWIW, I was leaning towards 'out' after the Cardiff game but back on the fence now after Norwich... Results - he will be judged on results more than anything and needs to go on a decent run of them - we did that twice under him last season and then had 2 really poor runs under him - consistency is needed - I can tolerale the dour style of football if it brings results but it hasn't . we are a far better team on the front foot playing attacking football as we did on Saturday - Bruce has all the ingredients here - time to make a delicious cake rather than a dried up old stale doughnut. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Straggler Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 For me this is all about what lessons Bruce has taken away from the win against Norwich. Something went right on that day, but we have seen many times that what we see as fans and what Bruce sees as manager can be two very different things. The easiest thing to spot was that Davis made a profound difference to how the team played. IMO the shirt is now his until someone takes it off him. I can accept the occasional resting to keep him from burning out in his first full season, but other than that he needs to play (yes even at the expense of Kodjia, JK will have to win his place back). To be fair to Bruce he has already been in the press explaining why Davis will probably be rested for the cup and that he is inked in for Friday so I can't argue with that so far. It is also a tough call to make, as over the season we will see teams coming here with a plan how to nullify Davis and we need to be able to react as and when that happens. Green needs to keep playing. Again to be fair to Bruce he didn't need me to tell him this, he was already doing it. Hourihane needs to continue to be encouraged to get forward and to continue to be picked. This is a big one, Bruce has shown before that he prefers Bacuna in this role, but it would take an absolute moron to drop or even restrict a player in form like this. CH may even have the odd bad game , but his selection is a statement of intent to attack and he needs to be persisted with. Is Bruce smart enough and brave enough to try and ride this little flutter of positivity and turn it into a hurricane of a season where we sweep all before us? I like to think that he is, I hope that he is, but I fear that he is prone to going back into his shell the first time it doesn't work. This is not a short term adjustment that needs to be ridden until we can go back to defensive and turgid displays, it needs to be a launchpad, to be worked on, honed, improved until we are ready to do the same to premiership teams next season. As I stated above, if we keep playing like this our opposition will start coming here with plans to stop us from being successful with it. How Bruce reacts to this will make or break him, this is a time to lead from the front. Can we swagger out and beat teams before they have kicked a ball or do we go back to looking scared of scoring for fear of the other team fighting back? I really don't know. I'm in such a low ebb with Villa that almost every fiber in my being is screaming that this is a false dawn and nothing will ever change. However there is still that little glimmer buried deep down that allows a little hope, it is the thing that keeps me coming back for more even in the darkest times, knowing that sooner or later we have to turn the corner and start clawing our way back. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunnski Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 4 hours ago, Stevo985 said: They managed 3 shots on target. Two of which were their goals which admittedly were poor mistakes from us. But one of those was terry and I'd still say he played well, he just had a slip up. I'd say Hutton was the only player who you could say didn't play well on Saturday. Compare that to Reading where I don't think you could say a single player played well. The addition of Davis isn't the sole reason for that, which seems to be what is being suggested by some. I'm not saying that it was all down to Davis or that it was pure luck but all I'm saying is we didn't control the game and we nearly threw it away by letting Norwich back into it twice, their was a goal line scramble and a header from a corner, either of those could of went in and made it 3-3. Hopefully Bruce will start setting us up to score goals as well as keep it tight at the back, then he can start having a go at the fans who have being rightly pissed off at him for the shite hes served up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted August 21, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted August 21, 2017 Just now, Bunnski said: I'm not saying that it was all down to Davis or that it was pure luck but all I'm saying is we didn't control the game and we nearly threw it away by letting Norwich back into it twice, their was a goal line scramble and a header from a corner, either of those could of went in and made it 3-3. Hopefully Bruce will start setting us up to score goals as well as keep it tight at the back, then he can start having a go at the fans who have being rightly pissed off at him for the shite hes served up. See I think we did control the game. Norwich just punished two sloppy mistakes. The fact we bounced back almost immediately from both suggests we were in control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 31 minutes ago, tomav84 said: This post is not meant as a dig to anyone, but just out of interest...what would it take for those firmly with two feet in the 'Bruce out' camp to switch to 'Bruce in'? Whilst i accept that one performance shouldn't drastically change an opinion, for better or worse, lets say that we go to Bristol and turn them over comprehensively, and follow it up with some impressive performances and results, how many would it take for opinions to change? I'm sure I've seen posts saying they would still want him out if he took us up as he isn't the right man to keep us there, which to me sounds odd...i think if you have been promoted, you deserve the right to play/manage in your new division (see Bournemouth, who had much the same team out when they played us in their first game). FWIW, I was leaning towards 'out' after the Cardiff game but back on the fence now after Norwich... I want him gone until we reach the 2pts a game average. At that point I'll be happy to see how long he can maintain it. I doubt he will achieve it though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 I thought we controlled the game for the most part, but there were periods when we seemed to try and sit back on the lead, conceded too much possession and territory, and during those periods Norwich scored. If that game doesn't show to Bruce that we look a million times better when we just go out and try and blow teams away i don't know what will. Our midfield in particular is not built for sitting back and chasing the ball around. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vreitti Posted August 21, 2017 Share Posted August 21, 2017 39 minutes ago, tomav84 said: This post is not meant as a dig to anyone, but just out of interest...what would it take for those firmly with two feet in the 'Bruce out' camp to switch to 'Bruce in'? Whilst i accept that one performance shouldn't drastically change an opinion, for better or worse, lets say that we go to Bristol and turn them over comprehensively, and follow it up with some impressive performances and results, how many would it take for opinions to change? I'm sure I've seen posts saying they would still want him out if he took us up as he isn't the right man to keep us there, which to me sounds odd...i think if you have been promoted, you deserve the right to play/manage in your new division (see Bournemouth, who had much the same team out when they played us in their first game). FWIW, I was leaning towards 'out' after the Cardiff game but back on the fence now after Norwich... Whilst I'm very happy with the superb result against Norwich, I like so many others, believe it was more a case of his hand being forced in regard to the lineup, rather than by choice. Will he follow it up this week with a similar, positive approach or revert back to the negative, defensive-oriented garbage we've had to endure for the last 10 months is key for me. Also Davis simply has to start against Bristol C, as his display was one of the most impressive debuts I've ever seen in a villa shirt. I can't say for certain how many more "impressive performances and results" would be needed for me to completely change my view on Bruce. A HELL OF ALOT! More importantly I really want to see some genuine progress in the coming weeks and months, that's for certain. I suppose I'm fine for the time being (with him still being here), just seeing what happens one game at a time. Having said that, I'm not opposed to him leaving right away either, if we're able to get in a modern, more progressive replacement. If by some miracle Bruce still manages to get us promoted this season, he's for sure earned the right to have a go in the PL, imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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