Grasshopper Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 1 minute ago, dont_do_it_doug. said: @Grasshopper Absolutely agree that sitting back has done us very little good over the past couple of months. It has been my biggest bug bear, we've not tried to take the game by the balls often enough. However, I look at say the Brentford game. I was there and for the first 20 minutes we were all over them, we had 2 or 3 good chances. Ball in and around the box. We didn't take advantage, they scored and the heads dropped. Why did their heads drop so suddenly and irretrievably? I don't know. As the man in charge, a large proportion of the blame goes on the manager, but he hasn't had that 'luck' we speak of at times either. It took him a long time to turn that around, though we are STILL struggling to take advantage in the box. I was at Rotherham too, we should have been 5 up at half time. Poor finishing let us down, again. So, if you ask me his luck has balanced out. 35 points from 23 games, or whatever it is, isn't good enough I know. But hopefully it's enough to give them a boost moving forward. Tonight is hopefully another step in the right direction. Even if we lose the game, we need to keep showing that desire to be better. Hey Dave, I'm not picking arguements with you. As you said earlier somewhere, If you cant enjoy a ugly/grind out win walking home/carpark then Football is not for you. Surely a reasoned way of thinking is that if we need 10 chances to score 1 whilst the opposition needs only 2/1 then we should be set up to "minimize the 2/1 and optimize the 10/1" And if you're also relying on lady luck then its better not to tempt fate anyway. Your point about hanging heads is our achilles heal since years. I believe it comes from 2 sources, lack of self-belief & lack of belief in the system/tactics/manager. Now we've had enough managers in the past who have eventually succummed to this, it has been carried over from squad to squad whilst (since the Xia upturn in intent) RDM and SB have been allowed new recruits flushing the turds of old away. However, there are still a few stinking us out and the headdropsyndrome is still only a f***up goal away. Adding even more to my thinking that untill there is not even a slight aroma of turd around the place for a new manager with a modern progressive ethos to have a clean slate to start from, we wont be free of skeletons and baggage that could hinder our progression. Another pointer for me is to note how the top 6 actually play the game. Do we play in a comparable way? Maybe thats also a reason why we are where we are and they are where they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted March 7, 2017 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2017 12 minutes ago, markavfc40 said: I am still not convinced he’d have been ready to come here. Managing Aston Villa with the expectation and pressure that comes with it is a million miles away from managing Huddersfield. He has done a fantastic job there this season but it is a still a relatively short period to judge him on. We have seen other managers over the years do what he is doing at present, and more, at similar sized clubs. Managers like Paul Jewell, Owen Coyle etc. That is not to say he couldn’t have done well here but it would have been a gamble and I think we were right to go for the safer pair of hands. One of the areas Bruce has really impressed me is during our dire run under him he stayed calm and assured and never wavered in his belief that we would turn things around. I am not so sure an inexperienced manager would have handled that pressure so well. I'm not even on about whether we were right to go for him or not. I'm perfectly happy with Bruce. I'm just on about the reluctance for some to give him credit at the time. For all the usual reasons you've outlined above. Sometimes a manager just gives you the impression he's destined for big things, and I get that from him. I think in the not-too-distant future he'll be a manager that will be out of the reach of many clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 @Grasshopper No arguments here, only friendly debate. I won't post them again, but check out the Steve Bruce thread for our shots stats. Eye opening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farlz Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Johnstone Hutton - Chester - Baker - Taylor Lansbury - Jedinak - Hourihane Adomah - Kodjia - Amavi Team picks itself really, not as if we're filled with options. Have to say I think our winning run ends here, they're a very good side and I just don't fancy us. They had 76% possession against Newcastle, expect our game plan will be to sit back and try and hit them on the counter. 2-0 Huddersfield. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted March 7, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted March 7, 2017 20 minutes ago, Farlz said: Johnstone Hutton - Chester - Baker - Taylor Lansbury - Jedinak - Hourihane Adomah - Kodjia - Amavi Team picks itself really, not as if we're filled with options. Have to say I think our winning run ends here, they're a very good side and I just don't fancy us. They had 76% possession against Newcastle, expect our game plan will be to sit back and try and hit them on the counter. 2-0 Huddersfield. I'd go with this, We struggle when teams press us high up the pitch too. Im going for a 3-0 loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnyp Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 14 minutes ago, Farlz said: Johnstone Hutton - Chester - Baker - Taylor Lansbury - Jedinak - Hourihane Adomah - Kodjia - Amavi Team picks itself really, not as if we're filled with options. Have to say I think our winning run ends here, they're a very good side and I just don't fancy us. They had 76% possession against Newcastle, expect our game plan will be to sit back and try and hit them on the counter. 2-0 Huddersfield. I'd certainly respect them but i wouldn't be putting them up on a pedestal. Like i said previously we can beat anyone in this division in a one off game. We totally outplayed Brighton , we were arguably the better side against Newcastle, those goals - comical. It's funny really, in terms of unity, organisation and team spirit they are better than us but if you had to ask me who I'd take out of their staring 11 I'd honestly have to think about. Strange game like that football which is why i hugely admire what they've done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 (edited) 48 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said: @Grasshopper No arguments here, only friendly debate. I won't post them again, but check out the Steve Bruce thread for our shots stats. Eye opening. yes me too I saw them - Shocking I dont know your trade but I think you are like me self employed/own business. I see it from time to time how important leadership is and how many times when I take my eye off the ball the cats will play. I'm no where near perfect and I dont expect perfection from Bruce or anyone. But I see it with my competitors (who often have greater skills and rescources than I) how important it is to not only to have the correct tools but also the optimun plan how to use those tools. I was 100% with Bruce at the off, I'm not one for sitting on the fence so when the crunch comes I weigh things up and take a stance. Hence my tendency to commit to a decision earlier than "fencers". Not a critisism, just my way. So I'm in the Bruce Out Now camp, and it'll take a good long chunk of what I want to see happen on the pitch before I change. Just cos someone who's spent his/hers last 2 months being unpunctual turns up early or on time 3 days in a row, I'm not convinced it's his/her new habit. Edited March 7, 2017 by Grasshopper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Just now, Grasshopper said: Just cos someone who's spent his/hers whole life being unpunctual turns up early or on time 3 days in a row, I'm not convinced it's his/her new habit. Your analogy breaks down pretty easy the doesn't it? You were a fan up until those losses, so it's more like he turned up late 5/6 times, with perhaps extenuating circumstances, apologised and sorted it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Even then it doesn't work really. Because football teams lose football matches. Regularly. Most people aren't regularly late. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Just now, dont_do_it_doug. said: Your analogy breaks down pretty easy the doesn't it? You were a fan up until those losses, so it's more like he turned up late 5/6 times, with perhaps extenuating circumstances, apologised and sorted it out. I'm hanging a heavy weight on the fact that when he took over we still had a shot at the playoffs if we could improve. Through luck, judgement, Kodjia and a few Grealish moments we were on our way. It went tits up and that hurt, especially as I interpretated some writtings on the wall. It's gone now, I'm gaulled and maybe unforgiving but AV means so much to me and the consequenses of being stuck down here is too much to bare. So I am where I am 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted March 7, 2017 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2017 I'm also of the opinion we'll lose tonight - i think we played well and lost a couple then played less well and have won three on the trot - where we are is somewhere between our last two streaks - Huddersfield are decent, they're at home and they have something to play for - we're away, we're in the middle of an injury crisis and we're seeing out the season. A 3-0 home win I'm afraid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brumerican Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 31 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: I'm also of the opinion we'll lose tonight - i think we played well and lost a couple then played less well and have won three on the trot - where we are is somewhere between our last two streaks - Huddersfield are decent, they're at home and they have something to play for - we're away, we're in the middle of an injury crisis and we're seeing out the season. A 3-0 home win I'm afraid. I'm hoping that having nothing to play for will let us play with more freedom and less fear . I watched Huddersfield at VP and then again on telly against Newcastle . They aren't that fantastic IMO . We have better players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nokesy_26 Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 tough one to call, I reckon 2 1 either way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 2 hours ago, BOF said: Sometimes a manager just gives you the impression he's destined for big things, and I get that from him. I think in the not-too-distant future he'll be a manager that will be out of the reach of many clubs. Time will tell I guess. At present I wouldn't rate him over say a Eddie Howe or Sean Dyce both relatively young managers who have done, and are doing, very well. I'd still consider both of them get able for us if we were to get promoted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntrimBlack Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 On 06/03/2017 at 13:17, Grasshopper said: Well his trial began in October, I was 100% behind him whilst he was proving with points. I said around the QPR/Burton games that its time to start playing football and build towards the playoffs because even at that time we were not showing any signs of being capable of beating a Leeds (note at that time) in a playoff. He made 3 drastic mistakes which have cost us the playoffs 1) Gaby 2) SJ 3) no back up for Jedi I wont go into Gestede/McC tactics and reasons for all those shamefull losses Trial over for me as we nosedived and he f*** up the chance of doing what he was employed for. Getting us up. The new evidence (3 wins) although welcome has not changed my opinion so please dont condescend. Maybe I'm in a minority who think he's not the man for us. But does being in the minority mean I'm automatically wrong? Does the majority hold more creedence by simply being a majority? Majorities vote in/out Governments, I think the last time a really good government was majority voted in was in 1936/8 or thereabouts. Since then we've just had corrupt freeloaders who have made enough wrong decisions to be tried for treason. We need correct decisions at this club not a reel of excuses why we fail. Definately not a majority driven political correctness excersise. We need leadership, Strong, a plan, a direction. We are AVFC a club with history tradition and style. We're NOT some **** United/City/Town who play in blue or red You have used this in your last couple of posts. Just to please a cranky old man, would you consider using Aston Villa instead? AVFC hurts my eyes 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grasshopper Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 4 minutes ago, AntrimBlack said: You have used this in your last couple of posts. Just to please a cranky old man, would you consider using Aston Villa instead? AVFC hurts my eyes when Alzheimer allows me Old Farts Club 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted March 7, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted March 7, 2017 Definite win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntrimBlack Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 Whilst it would be great to get a result, I am more interested in the performance. We need to see this team play like a team, to give us any hope for next season. Scraping a dire win, excellent though that would be, probably would not tell us very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted March 7, 2017 Moderator Share Posted March 7, 2017 20 minutes ago, markavfc40 said: Time will tell I guess. At present I wouldn't rate him over say a Eddie Howe or Sean Dyce both relatively young managers who have done, and are doing, very well. I'd still consider both of them get able for us if we were to get promoted. I'd certainly expect both of them to be gettable, but then I don't rate them as highly as Wagner. I'd say Dyche is to Wagner what Allardyce is to Wenger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dont_do_it_doug. Posted March 7, 2017 Share Posted March 7, 2017 10 minutes ago, AntrimBlack said: Whilst it would be great to get a result, I am more interested in the performance. We need to see this team play like a team, to give us any hope for next season. Scraping a dire win, excellent though that would be, probably would not tell us very much. No but I would absolutely take it, for continuity and confidence. We can continue to improve as a team and lose next week Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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