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Ratings & Reactions: Bristol City v Villa


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Match Polls  

78 members have voted

  1. 1. Who was your man of the match?

    • Nyland
    • Tuanzebe
      0
    • Chester
      0
    • Jedinak
    • Hutton
      0
    • McGinn
    • Bjarnason
    • Grealish
    • Hourihane
    • Kodjia
      0
    • Abraham
      0
    • Sub. Bolasie
      0
    • Sub. Adomah
      0
  2. 2. Manager's Performance

  3. 3. Refereeing Performance


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  • Poll closed on 02/10/18 at 18:45

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25 minutes ago, briny_ear said:

It makes it better in the sense that it is a factually correct statement rather than one deliberately skewed to make things look as bad as  possible. 

Things could and should have been better but it’s hardly the disaster some are making it out to be.

But it is factually correct to say one win in eight? Nothing skewed about it. If we were cherry picking results and skipping over certain games to prove the point, then that would be skewering the figures.

What about the recent form guides you see in the media, that typically go back six games? Do you prefer those? In which case it’s one win in six.

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19 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

For twenty minutes in the second half, we were good, we were full of spark and energy, spiky and determined and positive. 

What's interesting about that is that all of those things are about motivation, they're all mentality - we weren't good because of a tactical change.

The selection was odd - Grealish on the right is a nonsense. We seem to look for things that have worked and then start by saying "Well, we need to keep that" - so having both Abraham and Kodjia start games becomes a must and having all three of Grealish and Hourihane and McGinn play becomes a must and then suddenly, we've no space for balance or blend. Join that onto our back four which is a dogs dinner (although they did reasonably well today) and you've got a mess. The manager doesn't know his best team, he doesn't know whether to stick or twist, he's defensive of his own position and picking teams based on perceived criticisms.

We showed that in the first half, we went a goal down on our own disorganisation, the players looked demotivated and confused. In the first half the manager was constantly bringing them for instruction - it makes you wonder what happens during the week.

Steve Bruce is a manager who is good at shape, effort, solidity and motivation. Our squad is full of attacking players with verve, intelligence and ability. We currently have a manager floundering around trying to prove he can make something out of a squad that isn't what he's good at. A squad he built. Colonel Sanders with a pumpkin.

For twenty minutes in the second half we were good. Nothing to do with a tactical change, all mentality - it that's come from the dressing room, then fair play to him - but if it did, then it's a strength that only serves to bring his weaknesses into focus. We weren't good enough for the other seventy minutes - no pattern, no method,

The occasional flash of brilliance, a good set piece and fingers crossed at the back. That's the culmination of two and a half years work. That's the complete result of all that effort, all that experience, all that money- the occasional flash of brilliance, a good set piece and fingers crossed at the back. It's not enough. Not by a long chalk.

I think Steve Bruce nailed it when he said "We're a good side, they just need to gel" the only problem is of course that Steve Bruce and his managerial style is preventing them from doing it.

I think a draw was fair, Bristol huffed and puffed and so did we, they got the better end of a couple of decisions from the ref but we didn't do enough to walk away feeling robbed. 

The fans were pretty clear at the end. I think it probably is the end too.

 

Let’s hope your prediction is as accurate as the rest of your post there, OBE.

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3 hours ago, The Fun Factory said:

4 out of the last 5 games we have conceded first and are chasing the game. 2 of those we have got  a draw but lost the other 2. Until we look solid at the back we are going nowhere, regardless of the supposed quality of options in attack.

Yep. Yet again we would have won had we kept a clean sheet, but we won't be getting many of those this season. So, in the knowledge we need to score goals, we take off both strikers. Clever Steve. Very clever.

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7 hours ago, fifamad said:

Deserved a draw at least not a great performance but everyone on at Bruce the players have to take some of the blame, Grealish was poor again as were many others. 

Do you think that maybe Hrealishsform is suffering from being played in a different podition and with a different set of players every game?

He was wide right yesterday, wide left the game before and has played cm and cam this season too.

If you move players around constantly, they are going to lose focis and perform poorly.

Not to mention, that 9f the 4 positions he has played in, the only one he is effective in is cam.

Bruce is shoehorning grealish into a side at any expense, and ultimately its hurting both the individual and the team dynamic.

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Abraham was substituted because he had an injury according to Bruce which is fair enough with another game to come on Tuesday. A point is better than nothing but we needed the win that we never really looked like getting. Not near to being a good enough display to put before the fans that made the trip to Bristol and for those that watched it on television.   

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I went to the game last night, it's the first time in my 29 years of supporting Aston Villa that I haven't celebrated a goal. I just don't care anymore, goals paper over the cracks of Bruce's shambolic tactical naivety.

It's really not hard to pick a team, with a squad as big as ours we can field players in their correct positions for a large amount of formations.

Last night we had a centre back at right back, a midfielder at centre back, a right back at left back, a midfielder at right wing, a striker at left wing. It just doesn't make any sense. It's almost like he wants to be sacked.

Visiting Villa Park is now a chore, and I although I will go I just can't be arsed this week.

He needs to go, and the sooner the owners pull the trigger and bring in a caretaker manager to at least pick a team that makes sense the quicker we will start picking up 3 points in games again. We are rapidly losing ground on the other teams in this league, in a season where there are no standout teams.

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13 hours ago, Harry said:

Bruce has to go as the winner takes it all.

And we have to take a chance on someone else.

The owners have the money (money, money) to hire a better manager.....its a rich man’s world.

That was his Waterloo

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1 hour ago, wilko154 said:

I went to the game last night, it's the first time in my 29 years of supporting Aston Villa that I haven't celebrated a goal. I just don't care anymore, goals paper over the cracks of Bruce's shambolic tactical naivety.

It's really not hard to pick a team, with a squad as big as ours we can field players in their correct positions for a large amount of formations.

Last night we had a centre back at right back, a midfielder at centre back, a right back at left back, a midfielder at right wing, a striker at left wing. It just doesn't make any sense. It's almost like he wants to be sacked.

Visiting Villa Park is now a chore, and I although I will go I just can't be arsed this week.

He needs to go, and the sooner the owners pull the trigger and bring in a caretaker manager to at least pick a team that makes sense the quicker we will start picking up 3 points in games again. We are rapidly losing ground on the other teams in this league, in a season where there are no standout teams.

For me its a Bodymoor Heath Problem......The manager and his coaches have players playing well within themselves and do not resemble a cohesive football team.

I can't say they are not playing for him, because I simply don't know......but certainly that's what it looks like.

There are so many faults, I don't know where to start and its all been said anyway....and its been with us for so long despite personnel changes.

I just simply cannot believe that plans are not being drawn up to replace him.

We can all speculate on factors of his management......but for me, there is that much wrong, he has to move over.

Edited by TRO
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1 hour ago, John said:

Abraham was substituted because he had an injury according to Bruce which is fair enough with another game to come on Tuesday. A point is better than nothing but we needed the win that we never really looked like getting. Not near to being a good enough display to put before the fans that made the trip to Bristol and for those that watched it on television.   

The way we play John.....you can pick up an injury just watching it.

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12 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

...Bruce .. said "...they just need to gel" the only problem is of course that Steve Bruce and his managerial style is preventing them from doing it.

Normally I don't really like the chant of "you don't know what you're doing" because I don't have the abilities to know if managers do or not.

But in the current situation, it's apparent that he doesn't know what to do, how to do it, what side to pick, what "tactics" to employ. We used to know exactly how we'd play, even if we didn't enjoy it that much. Now even that's gone. He's floundering around because he's realised that the first 2 seasons style of football, his way, is not adequate and won't result in promotion. So he (I assume) resolved to change to a more attacking type of football, with more creative players, better attacking players. But he hasn't got a clue how to get that aim to actually work. He's trying something he's ill equipped to handle, and boy does it show. Throughout his time here (and before that as well) it's been blindingly clear that coaching is the problem. He can organise a defence, though he's undermined himself hugely in terms of this season depriving himself of a full set of decent defenders and keeper. But the rest of it - not a clue. It's not just him, it's Calderwood too. It's the combination of a defensive minded manager, who's belatedly realised that won't work, and a coach who appears not to be the right fit in terms of attacking play.

Chopping and changing, too many players out of position, not knowing the best 11, players not being able to settle in one role and develop understandings, players lower on confidence because they never get picked, or were going to be sold then weren't (Albert, Jack).

I've got some sympathy for Bruce in as much as the club nearly going bust in the early summer was clearly a drawback and he couldn't do any transfer business, the new owners have then potted many of the football staff he worked with and intentionally or otherwise that's got to undermine his confidence in whether there's much faith in him from above. He's no doubt feeling vulnerable both because of the what's happened with the owners, the knowledge that so often new owners leads to new manager, and also because of entirely valid criticism of performances and results by us supporters. His interview responses are dreadful, he needs to accept responsibility not try and blame fans as unintelligent and never been happy with him. That's just counter-productive as well as wrong.

People like me who never wanted him in the first place have by and large said "OK, he's here now, give him a couple of years and see how it goes. We've pointed out what he's done well, and what he hasn't. The criticisms we made when he got appointed, or when he was about to be, have mostly turned out to be exactly right.

In other words the concerns about him are and were completely valid. The people who wanted him have also pointed out where he's fallen short, what the problems are with the style of play and results and so on. This is not "unintelligent" blanket objection to him. It's the result of seeing with our own eyes. It's in black and white in the results.

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