Whilst thinking about this game, I’ve been nosing around the Birmingham Mail site and came across an Erdington band’s version of the song “Fairytale in New York”.
I didn’t listen to it, but it’s apparently quite good, as it’s typically self deprecating, which is what we Brummies excel at.
Which got me to thinking that if you didn’t laugh at our current situation, you’d have to cry.
Which is exactly how I feel at the moment.
I spoke to my very knowledgable Derby mate today, saying that we had no hopes of getting anything tomorrow and his banter aside, he totally agreed.
Then again, he also agreed with me that getting rid of Bruce would be a massive mistake for us, so what does he know, given that it seems I’m in quite a small minority at the moment?
It’s the Pulis factor, isn’t it?
You just know he’s going to at least make Boro difficult to score against, even though he’s only been there for five minutes.
Couple that with the fact that even if we create anything, we don’t look like we are going to score many and I can only see this going one way.
Thinking positively, Bruce has said we will be better.
Hmm, how’s that going to work then?
Can we expect to see a totally different midfield, with some pace in it?
Two hopes and my bet is that his big idea of a change-up will involve not playing Whelan and Jedinak together again as defensive central mids. Whoopy doo!
It’s all ok though, as Wyness has told us that the lads haven’t had their day off and have had extra training instead.
Really?
REALLY?
I suspect it’s the training that is totally wrong in the first place, given that we can barely pass the ball, let alone pass it and look for the return.
Ah, it’s all basic stuff and you certainly don’t need me to tell you about it.
I could rattle on about who’s available and who isn’t, but I’m pretty sure you all know that too, so instead, I’ll just comment on the Express and Star’s article, where, while the headline is about Terry doing 6AM sessions, it appears that five or six players are doing their “B” coaching licenses. It would seem that the club has also applied to hold the course at Bodymoor Heath.
That’s all very well and good, except I wonder what they’re going to learn, given that our coaching seems abysmal and has oft been criticised by us fans?
My point here is that I’d much rather these players put 100% into getting us promoted and worry about the coaching side later, after they’ve actually achieved something.
It makes me wonder where their priorities are and if indeed that’s the carrot that Bruce offered them to come to the Villa in the first place?
I can’t see past a 2-0 defeat.
And strangely, I find myself not quite laughing about it, but just shrugging it off.
It’s what we Brummies do isn’t it?
Take the mickey out of ourselves, take it on the chin and moan.
It could always be worse. You could be a Blues fan, where they’re having hysterics.
“We played badly against Brentford and all of a sudden we’re in crisis again and we have to eradicate that from the club.
bruse says lmao i wish him luck a good team would have score two or three today
I’m Gob Smacked, i did see the game and its no different but we won , well done Villa.
Bruce with the stupid comment again. He actually thinks fans were complaining solely about Brentford. Then again this is the idiot that said Elphick wouldn’t have played if Whelan didn’t fall Ill, as Jedinak would’ve again for absolutely no reason played center back, and those two again would’ve cost us a game.
Well done Elphick for shoving it in Bruce’s face though. Hopefully showing Bruce that Jedinak doesn’t need to play at center back and showing Whelan never needs to play again.
It was an awful performance, but we somehow won. Typical of every win we’ve had.
Although nothing makes me happier than seeing Pulis lose. Shit manager, shit attitude. Really makes me hope Boro start slipping. Sad as I did top them for a top 6 spot at the start of the season.
jedinak has no legs to play midfield. he is a bigger liability in midfield than he is at the back, he has played lots of times at the back and not just because bruce picked him.
fancy bristrol city boss. a good tactician and he put flint up field against wolves even when they were wining one nil, thats a defender like samba. it was the right thing to do, it forced wolves on the back foot more and pinned them back from breaking,
If the reason for Davis and Whelan not playing today was because of illness then you could assume that best both can hope for is a place on bench against Bristol City with only 2 days to recover. Hepburn-Murphy by all accounts impressed when he came on for Hogan, and Grealish should start so could be time for youngsters to take their chances. I would sooner that then be a nursery club for Spurs and Man Ure. If all we can do in January are loans because of FFP rules then I would rather do no business and blood our own.
i agree murphy did well, he used his speed to break on boro but he also used his head and not running into blind alleys, i think the way to beat bristrol is to work harder than you worked all season. they will be exhausted, also they have 4 games in 9 days, injuries and reserve goalie
While I agree blooding our own should be the way to go. The big problem is, we have no choice but to go up, or we’re screwed financially. So we’ll be looking for a senior striker, which we should be doing anyways. While I’m a fan of Murphy and Davis, Murphy just came back from injury and Davis doesn’t score. We need a regular goal scoring striker.
According to one report we have the lowest January transfer budget (£1m) of any team in the Championship. So those not wishing to blood Prem team players may get their wish but just who will play in goal then?
Bruce will sell players so Elphick has just put himself well into the shop window – expect him to go which means Jedinak will be a ‘go to’ CB where, frankly, he’s a liability from what I’ve seen.
I really can’t see us improving the squad in January so let’s hope these youngsters are as good as is being claimed on here
Losing in the last minute will have knocked the stuffing out of Bristol City and as mentioned a reserve goalie who looked shaky might mean it is a good time to play them. We live in hope anyway.
agreed but we still have to match their work efforts, which was really high all game.
Definitely work rate against teams like Millwall, Brentford and Bristol City next up is the minimum the fans expect. Most successful teams have a balance of experience and youth. Apart from Davis up until recently our team lacks youth and it says something when Hutton looks like one of our quickest players. Players like Grealish, Green (when fit) Murphy and O’Hare really could make the difference if given chance.
Apparently we want Powell, which is as underwhelming as we can get. I swear if we sell players to sign him… It’ll be another disaster.
Enoch would be a major coup for any club!!
watching teams like bristrol city and wolves, you can see where villa lack. its mostly work rate both in possession and out. against boro this work rate was a improvement on past games.but it was nowhere near the late game. city and wolves. wolves play loads sideways and backwards. but they also move forwards with speed =once they spot a opening. city where wolves equal. they press very high and all game. they also move loads with the ball, which means they keep good possession.
villa need to wake up and rise to the challenge. if they believe they are better than these two they need to up the work rate and prove it. i notice jedi win the ball and drive forwards from a deep laying villa, but no sooner he past halfway he was dead. he tried to find hogan but it was a pass of desperation. he was out of breathe. that is our midfield.
sorry but if jedi has a role its at the back not in midfield. no legs to press or getting forwards in support. this is a reason why we are so stretched. wolves and city always compact. even towards the end with 10 a side they always had support where ever they were on pitch
coaches need to coach 2018 is our year
fans want ohare, but i would rather see hayes. we lack a ball playing midfielder who has legs to get up and down the field. apart from whelen, hourihane lansbury .we have no others. hayes is better passer than all these, not so sure if he has the defensive side. but surely he could bring him on last 20 for whelen.
our strikers don’t score because they are starved off chances. compare to other teams we rarely create good chances. CLEAR cut chances, our wide players don’t have a good final ball. snodgrass is too interested in cutting in and shooting. adomah does get to byline and doesn’t find the final ball. he has done the hard work reaching the area he does.
oh before i shoot. i saw hutton and adomah exchange two or three passes, they took the ball from our box to the opposition, passing and moving, nothing special, just a simple draw the defender and release the ball back to the other, THIS is what we lacked in games, they did more this yesterday, but not enough to make a big difference, but gives me hope they are trying to improve the teamwork.
Bloody good game that Bristol and Wolves, we won’t match Bristol speed or skills, i even noticed how young they was , still lets see they have a reserve goalkeeper in for us.
When asked if he’s surprised how the last five games have seen things slide, Teale is frank.
“Not surprised really; have felt we have lacked a game plan all season, just playing off the cuff. I think lack of pace all over the pitch is a problem. For me, lack of movement and slow decision making are key. That’s down to the players. If someone does not move into position quick enough, then the next player slows his decision and so on.”
somebody called teale who partnered the god himself.
i did see better movements yesterday. BUT and its a massive BUT boro allowed villa room, in last 5 games teams have adopted a press high tactic. which means more movement is needed, i hope the penny has dropped at villa and they work harder on movements off the ball and the pressing to work the opposition,
anybody see much off Liverpool midfielder Marko Grujic
A very welcome, and surprising result. As others have said perhaps a case of the opposition not exploiting Villa’s weakness. What that is IMO, is not being a deadly counter-attacking team without Adomah which reduces the risk to opponents of pressing us high up the pitch and leaving empty space behind their back line. Boro did not seem to press us at all. Still we have beaten a side in 7th position.
After watching the Bristol v Wolves game it was noticeable that was played at Premiership pace. We have to hope they can’t do that again with no time to recover.
another championship manager is sacked nope its not bruce. its the famous bread maker from forest
What’s this news coming out an hour ago?
Wigan attacking midfielder Nick Powell is wanted by Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce
Bruce is aware of Powell’s talents having managed him during a brief loan spell at Hull in the second half of the 2015/16 season.
The 23-year-old, who joined Wigan Athletic from Manchester United on a free transfer in the summer of 2016, is enjoying a fine campaign in League One.
He has scored 10 goals and provided two assists for the Latics.
Bruce has already asked Wigan about Powell but was rebuffed.
The Sun journalist Alan Nixon claims Bruce will make another attempt for Powell’s signature once he has shifted some of Villa’s deadwood.
Firstly I wish everyone a happy new year 🍾 secondly I’m still behind brucey, if the manager who ever is successful he gets my support yes I bang my head but there’s something about him Bristol a huge test if we get a point at least I’ll be fairly happy. I support the villa a wins a win
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL US VILLA FANS, MAY 2018 BE OUR YEAR.
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Happy New Year 2018 is our year :))))
Happy New Year everyone!
1-0 to us today…!!!
can i post a article. gives a different perspective view, to our fall from grace, maybe you disagree or not. our club’s future is balancing on a knife edge. we could go the way of leeds utd another big club with a fine history, stuck in a division with no money. or we could still go up this year and reclaim our rightful place at the big table..
http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=7524002
bristrol city had lots of injuries out for the wolves game. played 5 players out of positions. i don’t know if this has been amended with only 48 hours between games. we know the goalie will be out. so they are just as much stretched as villa. it maybe worse for them having smaller squad.
i just hope we can improve our work rates. bristrol would have given us a good old press like millwall, sheff wed, leeds etc not sure they can manage this. end of the wolves game they were exhausted.
villa should use the little club mentality. cup final game beat city and we are just 3 points behind them. we need legs in midfield. i am not sure jedi has it. not 90 minutes and not up and down. pressing and movements.
last game i saw gestede drop a shoulder and he left jedi in his dust, gestede isn’t the fastest cat. whelen and hourihane or why not try hayes and houirhane. two ball playing midfielder with energy to press and lots of movements to back up all players on the ball
i think we could win this but we need to have a high tempo all the game, 2 nil villa
Nath, i urge all to read that, thanks for finding it, makes sense to me and I’ll now sit on the fence about Bruce and bite my tongue till end of season.
i don’t mean to sway your minds. i also had views about mon i remembered, which looking back was wrong. but at the time, i believed it to be true, we just get caught up with stuff. we sometimes can’t see the forest for the trees.
bill i just been reading that whelen isn’t going to make this game. can you see jedi playing this game. i think its time to play hayes. yes it is a big game. but the club need to match the opposition in effort. especially in the middle.
i watched the last game on a boro link. they spotted the lack of pace movement and work down the spine of the villa team, they were right. i get jedi sits in front of the defence, but we are then chasing shadows, with houirhane doing the work two