While I was never wholly confident about beating Norwich, I did find myself thinking along the same lines as Oohah, in that Norwich had only won one in seven games and maybe we might not be the victims of a team on a terrible run for once.
But it wasn’t to be today.
Which would be fine with me, if we were just outplayed by a better side.
Well, we actually were to some extent, because I feel Steve Bruce shot us in the foot with his starting line-up.
I’m now utterly convinced Gabby should be nowhere near the starting line-up.
Okay, our midfield creates nothing, but in a situation like that, you need a forward who tries to do something and looks to get involved more. And let’s face it Gabby doesn’t have a footballing brain, does he? You need to give him good chances where he can actually try and get a strike off (and even those days are gone).
So as much as I don’t rate McCormack from what I’ve seen for us, he should have started before Gabby. At least he thinks about the game and is just a much cleverer player all round.
But Gabby wasn’t alone in being poor. Our midfield is just horrendous, in that it’s totally non-productive. You only have to look at how many goals the midfield scores to see that. Westwood, oh god, just don’t start me. If we don’t get a replacement for him, that’ll be the first sign of my respect for Bruce waning. If I didn’t know any different I’d have sworn that he wasn’t playing at all.
Why drop Adomah? I just don’t get it.
He can come inside and create and I think he helps Hutton tremendously.
Elphick? I can only ask when is Baker back?
Another defender needed too, while you’re at it SB.
Much has been said about Ayew having to go the African Nations, but will he actually be missed? Not in his current form, I’d suggest.
So now, it seems the honeymoon period is coming to an end and the new manager effect might be wearing off.
Let’s face it, we haven’t played well for a few games now and as I suggested last time out, we have serious concerns that we aren’t scoring enough.
It’s why I blame the midfield.
Oh well. While of course we don’t have the right to expect to win any game, I still feel that that is another three points we should have had.
QPR away next and I have to say I’m not feeling the confidence I have been of late, at the moment.
I think I have to change my mind about wholesale changes in January after reading Bills transcript of Bruce’s press conference.
I said it was possible, since he had bought none of them, and I hoped it would include a rout of the dead-wood, which the Norwich display proved is still rotten. However it is not going to happen.
Nath’s first post above is correct about he Villa squad. We have 3/4 of a decent defence and we are unlucky that our RB replacement for mutton was injured in one of his early games otherwise it might be 4/4. We also have an abundance of attackers including a moderately capable right winger.
None of the above can work if the midfield is overrun. Every opposing manager knows this and makes sure he swamps the midfield.
Bruce says he does not think January is the time for big changes. Since big changes to the midfield are the only thing that will get Villa into the play-offs SB is accepting this season as a write-off. Most of us know it is, unless we can beat Spurs Res.
Where I question SB is I believe he thinks his man-management skills will enable him to make silk purses out of a number of sows’ ears he has inherited. No chance IMO.
Well that’s it then, another season in championship is on the cards, is SB hoping some of our youngsters will be ready? If that’s the case why no information forthcoming from the second side. You hear only little bits that’s they want you to know, like Badger sod the thinking we need a midfielder and now , not on the hope we might teach wimps how to play later on.
On the other hand such talk from SB could be all part of the negotiating process for the new players the club needs. Saying that he’s only going to bring in one or two might help keep the price down a bit.
I think we’ll have to wait and see as SB is an old campaigner and knows how the system works. He can be tight lipped and canny when he needs to be.
I am not expecting us to get promoted this season. If we do its a bonus, I am actually enjoying the championship and have no interest in the premiership with all its money. Bruce is no mug he will get us up if not this season then the next with his own team. Utv.
Have you noticed how elitist the EPL is? Outside of that league you really have to dig around for any news. The money is more obscene than ever. I like the Championship too. Another couple of seasons would do me fine! 🙂
If Leeds go up this year, with their vile owner and the damage he’s done to the club he’ll be able to help himself to all the TV money. It’d give me sleepless nights…
Agree with you Bum Bum I’m sort of enjoying championship football more now as at least any team top or bottom can beat each other. The top 4 teams are the establishment in Brexit terms they need to bog off into a super league now then we can have a really good premier league which all teams have a pretty even chance of winning. Who wants to watch the sky 4 with their overrated managers who are only good at spending 100s of millions and still struggle to win things. Man Utd Spend £3om in Rooney £20m on Carrick £80m on pogba £55m on Marcial and still only 6th in league. That’s £200m including wages on just those four players the whole prem is a rip of
True. It’s appalling to think Sanchez is being lured from Arsenal to China for a wage packet of half a million pounds a week!!!! What a shameful world we live in. I’m gonna start watching the Russian Hunger Games instead!
The thing is let’s be honest are we presently able to hold our own in the premier possibly the barcodes could but even they’ll struggle as dave says atm I quite enjoy this league let’s not run before we can walk UTV
ok guys
i went on a spending spree and offcourse i spent alittle on me, santa insisted, i got me a fire stick, kodi thingy mbob. i am new to this, i saw a few of you post they were good for football streams. well i have channels on 3pm ~sportdevil but i cant get good channels do i have to download a addon.
i know this is probably against the rules to explain to a dinosaurs but if you could give me a few pointers and quickly delete the post i would be so grateful.
I’d love to help but I haven’t the foggiest what your on about in the first place fire stick??
i got it working but not great. i watched the chelsea game but was constantly freezing and buffering. the 3 oclock was horrendous and i tried again on brum game and was still no better. i trying to sort out for tommorrow.
so any tips would be welcome 🙂 i been researching online and it says i should download some addons but my mate didnt mention this he said it comes pre loaded 🙁
thanks giddy i am also clueless but i got the films working brilliantly which pleases others but i just want the footy sorted grrrrrr
amazon fire stick it says on box
Nath,I’ve messed with Kodi and didn’t have much joy with it.
Much easier to just go through the usual methods, imo.
To stay sort of on topic, from what I’ve seen of the youngsters, none of them are that good, imo. I watched them against Norwich and their no 9 looked miles better than anything we had.
As for being happy in the championship, I don’t think we should be enjoying it and especially wanting to stay in it for a while.
The longer we’re away, the worse it will be, because although bucket loads of extra money in the Prem doesn’t necessarily make a great team, it certainly helps.How many millions do we fall behind each season we’re out?
As much as we wouldn’t have a prayer if we were to get promoted this season.
To say ‘we’re enjoying the Championship’ is to avoid the truth of admitting how poor Villa have become – it’s seductive and represents the top of a very slippery slope.
We are now 9 points off the play offs and even a win today may not move us up any places – but we have to win to at least stay within touching distance.
The truth is we have a squad individually as good, if not better, than every other Championship club but collectively, as a team, they just aren’t cutting it. Yes, we’ve secured a run of better results but have our performances been better – not in my book?
SB has to come to realise (and quickly) that this experiment of playing Gabby is a failure and a waste of time (not even Championship quality and does he frighten defenders – NO) and, as a team, we have to start playing as if we believe we can win rather than as if we are merely avoiding defeat.
Changes today please and at least play Kodjia, McCormack or Gestede in the centre with wingers to supply the ball into the box.
Moderate rant over UTV
Nath, i have a fire stick and I have no problem, yes maybe now and again freeze, but I have infinity mobdro you get better streams and kodi is good for films , but remember to use your Add-ons, streaming is not against the law,
oh great bill 🙂
i don’t think i have mobdro do you download that ??? i have that kodi and was on it all yesterday i found football on that and films but the footy is freezing like you say.
could you explain how i get that mobdro. i just looked its icon is there and its on the manage applications but wont let me use ?? any ideas
Yes Nath, you might have the old version , but not to worry, just delete it and to help you put latest version on use your tablet or computer by asking the web how , I’ve done it and it opens all countries over the world . Nath its easy to do but you get good and bad streams but if you have infinity it helps your streams.mobdro tells you when to upgrade once it’s working.
firstly is it completly freeor is their a monthly prescription. i have version 2.0.28
and this doesn’t work its saying upgrade to premium package
bill just to let you know, i had it installed. but i had a setting which was not to allow apps access so i switched this on and the mobdro just needed to finish installing i had the latest version i think thanxs for helping me 🙂 hopefully i will be able to watch us now at noon :)))))))))))
Well done Nath, them add-ons are useful also tools you’ll have fun with it keep it plugged in 24/7 it won’t hurt it but it useful when they send upgrades, i use Exodus, Phoenix, in kodi.
Nath, if its buffers go down the list and you will see other stations abroad thats got our games , they sell them the rights.
i cant wait now for the game to start and test this out lol 🙂 thanxs for your assistance
0-2 VILLA one in the eye for Holloway COYL UTV
No post on today’s match lads?, its like keeping your heads down and wait and see, I’m going for 2-1 lost today, only because I can see that players we have are lacking in guts, I hope I’m wrong but been upset to many times to show faith in our team, utv.
Can’t see past a draw at best
I can’t wait to see what team he puts out anything like our last outing then brucey must be looking for the sack.
We need to bounce back with a win, but I think there is draw written all over this game.
Sorry lads, I’m off work and meant to write something today, but I’ve only just woken up!
I’ll post my thoughts after the game.
Me too only got up half hr ago 😄
Stupid time to kick off sick of these kick off times
Oh, still positive and hoping for a win.
But more ikely a draw.
Gabby??????
We won’t win today Badger Qpr always turn us over. Very rarely get a result there
Villa: Bunn, Hutton, Chester, Baker, Amavi, Jedinak, Gardner, Bacuna, Adomah, McCormack, Kodjia.
Subs: Gollini, Elphick, Westwood, Grealish, Ayew, Agonlahor, Gestede.
4-3-3
i hope our team remembers hollyways digs at our club before the season started, right or wrong he should butt out, hope players dish out the justice. proving hes a bad pundit and manager lmao
just seen the team, could this spell the end of gollini. ??? is this a 442 with mccormack linking up with kodjia ?? bacuna and adomah as wingers. ???
i think we should return to basics. plus mccormack gestede ayew these players have been playing out of position or without decent service. if we do play 442 and mccormack is playing off kodji then we have two of the best forwards in this league. cant believe they haven’t done this already
0 3 villa
We’ve picked a decent team but don’t agree with Bunn playing he is utter shite worse than Gollini. 2.0 to QPR we never win there the best of times
what had gollina done wrong, yet hoofball hutton plays,gabby and westwood take up 2 places on bench
At long last, changes, 5 to be honest Bunn , Baker, Bacuna McCormack Adoma . Should be interesting.
Got a bad feeling about this one
Yep, it’s a 4-4-2.
Whatever happens, I think this is what most of us wanted.
This constantly giving the ball away makes it really hard work for us.