Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Bristol City

[TRO]

1 hour ago, villarocker said:

I would say that I fall into the category of being "hysterical" because I was calling for the manager to be changed. I saw no sign of Villa producing that kind of performance that they produced today - did you? Be honest? Did you really watch Villa this season, or last, and believe that we could produce that kind of performance and result with Steve Bruce in charge?

I believed that the players, if coached/managed the right way, were capable of punishing teams in this league based purely on their individual ability. I didn't think they were world beaters but did believe they are not that bad and could hammer teams if let off the leash. 

My problem with Bruce was that every time we seemed to take a lead in a game we appeared to retreat back to protect the lead and play on the break, which, against the better teams almost always backfired. It may be a case that it was purely all down to the players, over and over, and tonight the penny finally dropped. Somehow, I doubt it. 

I didn't say Bruce could never get this kind of performance from his team. I just felt that we wouldn't get it and it would ultimately cost us promotion. That doesn't mean he would never get it - just that I felt he wouldn't get it in time to get us promoted. 

I am sure a lot of those players have experienced this sort of pressure before as quite a few have been promoted before - Jedinak, Elmohamady, Adomah, Snodgrass, Chester - five of the mainstays of our team for example. 

I agree we should all get behind the team but, surely fans should be allowed to voice their concerns when they see promotion so possible  but see football that leaves them feeling we will not be able to compete against those we will need to beat in order to get that promotion. 

Confidence is so intangible and also so fickle......Every players confidence grew while the game was being played and every goal was a dagger in their heart and a filip to us.

We have had many leaders in our time and many have been in defence.....tonight Jack led the offence and his total domination of ball control and running with it reminded me of the days of Brian Little.

He led us out of the wilderness of defensive caution.

[Harry]

4 hours ago, Lichfield Dean said:

Oh also we had a load of flame throwers and fireworks on the pitch before the game.

Presumably a New Year thing but now I think we should have them before every game...

I think that was Dr Tony blowing the January transfer budget.......literally.

[TRO]

3 hours ago, flashingqwerty said:

great to have bruce shove one in the faces of the brouters (of which i am one).

fingers crossed he can go on to get the team doing this on a consistent basis now as we all had hoped would be the case at the start of the season.

happy new year everyone!!!

I don't think he has shoved it in your faces......I think the players found renewed confidence on the night and the goals were like fuel to the flames.

I wouldn't necessarily give him the credit for tonight, in the same way the criticism was doubtful too.

Great night though.

[Harry]

3 hours ago, brommy said:

In fairness to the few who booed Baker it only happened after Baker took Grealish out with an unnecessary, late and bad tackle. If anything lacked class it was Baker's tackle.

I think TBF  that tackle proved why we were right to sell him. 100% commitment and 100% reckless. Had he still been in a Villa shirt it would have been a red card or he would have injured himself and then been out for two months.

[OutByEaster?]

The tackle was hard and possibly reckless, but I don't think it was malicious, and in fairness to Baker, it was the type that used to get a roar from the Holte End when he did it in claret and blue - I don't think we can be too hard on him.

 

 

[Ponky]

There seems to be a view here and in the media that this was Hogan's first goal for us. Maybe for the season but he also scored in our 2-0 win over Wigan last season. 

Still a better goal ratio than Gabby though ;-) 

[Michael118]

That was Hogan's second goal for us. The other came in the 0-2 away win at Wigan last season.

His record compared with Gabby's is 0.11 goals per game from 16 starts and 1600 mins played. Gabby has 0.22 goals per game from 6 starts and 787 mins played. Hogan is averaging 1 goal for every 8 starts. Gabby is averaging 1 goal for every 3 starts.

 

Edited January 2, 2018 by Michael118

[Michael118]

Hogan vs Gabby vs Davis

Goal Ratio (avg goals per game)

Gabby - .22

Davis - .13

Hogan - .11

Goals per games started ratio

Gabby - .33

Davis - .12

Hogan - .12

[Raver50032]

An amazing result, and a very good overall team performance once we had scored. The first 20 minutes were very even, like two dogs meeting in the park and wondering if one of them was once a proper male and still able to 'play.' Bristol had a couple of deep forays into our final third in the opening three minutes and I thought we might be in for a bumpy ride. On 22 minutes, I turned to my mate and said, 'wow... 22 minutes in and we've created nothing... at home...' Ten seconds later, Hogan does that looping header and we're off... Boom. And it never really stopped after that.

Baker - deserving of the pantomime boos after he went all '617 Squadron' on Grealish.

Grealish MOTM... and well done Mr Bruce. Where has this performance been? Middlesbrough away might be the moment our season changed... or maybe Agnew. Let's hope the lost points at home to Millwall and Sheffield United aren't the reason we don't take 2nd, or don't manage to squirm into the play offs.

Like somebody else said, it was very nice to come away from a Villa Park Villa win feeling as though we actually won.

Please... keep it up. You can perform like that with all the injuries you have. No excuses.

[lapal_fan]

I watched it, but haven't been able to find the words to describe it. 

It was simply, superb. 

The vitally important thing now, is to do it again, and again, and again.  We need that run of 14-18 games unbeaten, with a few good performances.  

This game was against opponents above us in the league.  We've raised our morale, dented theirs, and probably propped up some eye brows above us - just a great, great win all round. 

You've got to stick with this team now, and (injuries permitting) gently rotate to keep the lads fit.  

Bruce has got to trust them to keep that level of performance up, and the players have got to trust and believe in themselves to keep that level of performance up.  

Do this, and I have no doubt we'll be top 2 and putting pressure on Wolves by the end of the season.  

Still got a few players to return too, which will be great.  

We won't win like this every week, but I think as demonstrated today, with confidence, this is a very good team at this level. 

[Villanun]

Only got to see the highlights, but what a performance! Amazing result. A word for that goal-line clearance - I know it's a cliche, but that really was good as a goal. More of the same please!

[omariqy]

4 hours ago, Michael118 said:

That was Hogan's second goal for us. The other came in the 0-2 away win at Wigan last season.

His record compared with Gabby's is 0.11 goals per game from 16 starts and 1600 mins played. Gabby has 0.22 goals per game from 6 starts and 787 mins played. Hogan is averaging 1 goal for every 8 starts. Gabby is averaging 1 goal for every 3 starts.

 

What about goals in the cup?

[GodsBarkeep]

A very nice and convincing win against a good side

Let's not get hysterical en masse about it though, 

We know how much Mr Bruce hates that

 

[GodsBarkeep]

4 hours ago, Michael118 said:

That was Hogan's second goal for us. The other came in the 0-2 away win at Wigan last season.

His record compared with Gabby's is 0.11 goals per game from 16 starts and 1600 mins played. Gabby has 0.22 goals per game from 6 starts and 787 mins played. Hogan is averaging 1 goal for every 8 starts. Gabby is averaging 1 goal for every 3 starts.

 

Clearly goal machine Gabby should be first name on the team sheet then

[AVFCDAN]

2 hours ago, lapal_fan said:

We won't win like this every week, but I think as demonstrated today, with confidence, this is a very good team at this level. 

I think that sums up why people get frustrated with the team and by proxy Bruce as well.

If you play to win every game with the quality of our squad we probably would win most games, why play negative and defensive long ball football? Over the course of a season it wont get you promoted and even if by some miracle it did then you would certainly be onto a hiding every week in the Prem anyway. 

Its no surprise that playing with Whelan and Jedinak in the same team will result in long ball football with low possession and no through balls to the striker that someone like Hogan would thrive on. When you have quality attacking players like Hourihane, Lansbury, Grealish, Green its bordering on criminal to be starting with two plodding central midfielders in this league.

Edited January 2, 2018 by AVFCDAN

[lapal_fan]

3 minutes ago, AVFCDAN said:

I think that sums up why people get frustrated with the team and by proxy Bruce as well.

If you play to win every game with the quality of our squad we probably would win most games, why play negative and defensive long ball football? Over the course of a season it wont get you promoted and even if by some miracle it did then you would certainly be onto a hiding every week in the Prem anyway. 

Its no surprise that playing with Whelan and Jedinak in the same team will result in long ball football with low possession and no through balls to the striker that someone like Hogan would thrive on. When you have quality attacking players like Hourihane, Lansbury, Grealish, Green its bordering on criminal to be starting with two plodding central midfielders in this league.

But you can't always look at what we are.  You have to look at what the opponents are doing, how they're set up, how they play, if they're on form, etc etc.

Teams simply won't allow us to play like that every game.  

Bristol's Manager came out after the game and even said, "at 2-0 down, I told the team to go gung-ho if you will, so it's my fault for the 3rd, 4th and 5th goals". 

Other teams won't go gung-ho at 2-0 down, they might look at it and try and keep their goal difference tidy.  Other teams will set up and say "villa are susceptible to counter goals/in the last 10 of each half" etc etc. 

You know that if we're losing, the crowd get tetchy. 

We've got to stop looking so inwardly, and look at how others play, what other teams are doing.  

We're good, but we're mentally fragile (I would say), there's almost an expectation that if we are winning, we'll somehow implode, the crowd start getting on the players backs.. any number of things, but after the last few years, we don't have an arrogant/steely mentality - we're getting better, but we're not there yet. 

There's a million variables, too many to go into.  But I agree with not having Whelan and Jedi in the same team, as naturally, they don't show for the ball and drive forward like Grealish/Hourihane do.  Bruce is responsible for the players who get picked, and how he roughly wants them to play.  All that goes out the window if we concede after 2 mins.  I'd also hope he tries to give the players confidence to go out onto the pitch, to express themselves. 

 

[AVFCDAN]

3 minutes ago, lapal_fan said:

But you can't always look at what we are.  You have to look at what the opponents are doing, how they're set up, how they play, if they're on form, etc etc.

Teams simply won't allow us to play like that every game.  

Tell that to Wolves or Newcastle/Brighton who cruised the league last year.

If you are good enough you play the way you want to every week and let the opposition worry about countering what you are doing. I'm not saying we are good enough to do that but thats the reason we can lost one week and than spank Bristol 5-0 the next, there is no consistency in the way we play and our attitude to winning games, until that changes we are just going to keep meandering in this league going nowhere, unless Tony fancies spending another 50 million this year.

[Dante_Lockhart]

Amazing what happens when we go in with no fear and attack.

[Chap of Steel]

Extended highlights now up:

 

[Michael118]

36 minutes ago, omariqy said:

What about goals in the cup?

Hogan has 3/3 in Cup games and Gabby 0/1.