So it turned out even better than I predicted and we won against a side chasing the play-offs even though Lansbury went down injured before the game even started and Baker had to be subbed after around 25 minutes.
I really don’t see what there is to not like and surely if we’d known these things were going to happen beforehand, we’d pretty much all have been predicting a defeat?
So while I’m extremely happy that the Villa won (and let’s not forget that’s 4 out of 5, with the Huddersfield defeat being unlucky) I’m also fairly convinced that Steve Bruce has now got his head around our players.
This was demonstrated in the fact that he apparently went onto the pitch and gave Jonathan kodjia a major rollocking, telling him to keep the work-rate up.
I’d also go further and suggest that at long last, we’ve got a manager who is actually in charge. Which is why I believe we’re seeing results.
I’d go even further and suggest that having not seen, but listened to most of the games recently, we are now in a position where we don’t need to fear anyone in this league.
But of course, there’s always a fly in the ointment, that says that it doesn’t matter what we do now until the end of the season, as it’s all pointless.
To which I’d say that’s total rubbish.
The better we finish this run-in, so the better placed we are to look forward to next season in my opinion.
If we can win most of our remaining games and finish well up the table, we will not be looked upon as an expected 3 points, next season, but a real threat.
Anyway, on to the game and from what I heard, it sounded quite comfortable.
The massive attacking threat from Wednesday failed to appear and I’m not convinced they created a decent chance, let alone had a proper effort on goal.
Whereas we had a fair few and could easily have scored more than two goals.
Add in we had to play a makeshift central defence with Mile Jedinak dropping to CB and this victory is even more sweeter, although you have to wonder why Elphick, the natural replacement for Baker didn’t immediately appear.
He surely has to be a goner in the summer.
I only heard the second half, but in a game where Tony Morley said the best bit was Carlos Calvalho getting sent to the stands, it makes sense to suggest that most of the players did quite well.
Certainly Hutton got plenty of support, Adomah was clapped off, as was Kodjia.
Taylor looks a shoe-in for LB and the jury is out on Amavi at wide left.
No stupid mistakes and a win, with a clean sheet against a side who are challenging.
Which is about all you can ask for.
I shall sleep very soundly after a few beers.
Cheers!
Quite simply loving it!
A response to hopefully bring this one back up top (sigh).
Bruce explains why he went the way he did.
You can’t knock it, because it worked.
And somewhat backs up what I’ve suggested, in that he might not be as negative as some of us think;
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-boss-steve-bruce-12721661
His switch to a 4-3-3 has really changed the way we played. I’ve been claiming we needed to go 4-3-3 and not 4-2-2 and we should have 5 wins straight, but 4 is great. The fact we’re doing this with like 12 senior injuries as well, shows just how close we can be to a promotion challenge next season.
Definitely shouldn’t go 4-2-2. Football is hard enough without being two players short 😉
Haha fair enough catching that mistake.
Another clean sheet as well. If we can keep this momentum going into the summer both players and fans will come back for the new season with a belief that we can push and challenge for top spot next season. Bar the top two (who will be promoted)is there any other team that we should fear next season ?
Bottom line is our away form is still nowhere near good enough for us to finish top 6 next season. We still get bullied by these little northern clubs and Kodja is a bottler away from home. He has very rarely produced home form away. Add to this that he will be gone in the summer, Baker is still injury prone and defence still keeps making stupid errors. I can’t see us finishing top 6 next season and it dosnt mean we will get promoted even if we did. We are still 2-3 plus years away from being a prem team the team we have now would go straight back down
I love your positivity Oohah 🙂 – Kodjia has scored 17 goals this season and you are complaining about his performances on one hand then, on the other, bemoaning the fact ‘he’ll be gone’ in the summer.
I can’t be bothered to take issue with the rest of your depressive views of the future – just enjoy the moment mate 4 wins and 4 clean sheets in 5 games or perhaps you would prefer us to be losing!
He is mainly a home player is what I’m trying to say. Away from home he is nowhere near as effective
Which is why when Hogan comes back we should use him away. His runs and pace would be killer on the counter.
Maybe he will replace Kodja when he goes in summer
Good thing he’s not leaving this summer.
Lol Oohah, where is Kodjia going too go? No one is going to be able to afford his transfer fee bar maybe like West Ham who could get him or want him. Possibly Southampton as well. He spent 15m on him, Xia would want at least 25m for him. You also realize with the small chance he goes, we would replace him, right? Xia has proven he’ll spend big money.
True but where are we going to get another 20 goal striker from? £25m is peanuts for most premier clubs Man City would pay that just to have him on the bench. Liverpool may be interested as they’ve no nain striker also Spurs who rely too heavily on Kane
City could buy any striker they want. Liverpool? He wouldn’t fit their style, he’s similar to Benteke just not half as talented bar goal scoring. Spurs maybe, but Ponchentino isn’t going too look around the Championship for a striker. Same way we got him and Benteke, no? We’d scout for one. We also still have Hogan who can score goals when he’s the main striker. As I said, 3 Premier League teams may want him, West Ham, Southampton and soon too be Newcastle when they go up that can afford his price tag. And who knows, Xia might turn down that kind of money still, he’s not going too let this team get torn apart that he’s building for Bruce,
Fair point but even if West Ham etc come in for him he will go. They are miles ahead of us now on terms of support ambition etc. Plus they have the London effect
Away form will be fine from here on in. We have turned the corner I feel. Yes we will loose from time to time but I won’t let it worry me to much. I have faith in setup we have now. We will be fine next season. I’ll even go as far as to say we could finish top.
I’ve criticised Bruce so happy to acknowledge that the team is performing much better under him now. I’m not totally convinced but we have had the rub of the green a few times lately, which is about time.
I agree with the comments here that a decent run in should be the indicator for a much better season next year. The squad is good enough with a few minor tweaks.
formations i/e 442 433 532 352 are just a fraction of what is needed. fans over play their importance. when we win its cause of we played 442 or 433. other contributions are small. like a striker in fine form a goal keeping error etc. the way a team tries to play is helped by formations and sometimes this changes to combat a opposition strengths or weakness.
the remaining games this season are not useless. they are massively important, as most fans agree momentum has been against us over the years. we need a good finish to change this. starting the season next with a good finish to this season. will be the platform for a good start next. with a good pre season also behind um. i have no doubts we will be right up their.
beating teams like wednesday will only increase the belief in this squad, it is a squad game. look at the injuries, we have taken over last month. players are starting to come in a not let the club down. we havent had a good squad in years, over relying on a nucleus of 11 to 13 players.
i think the second goal shows how the team are finally gelling together.
‘Players are starting to come in and not let the club down’ – nail hit squarely on the head Nath. To win against a top six side with so many injuries in key positions is a massive change and shouldn’t be understated. Also Bruce tried to be inventive with his substitutions given the lack of resources / choice at his disposal – all very positive.
I don’t get this injury thing. We still had a team out there worth a lot more than Wednesdays what’s the point!
I think you are dreaming if you think we will be favourites next season. Yes we should be there or there abouts for top 6 but that’s about it. There is no guarantee we will get promoted even if we finished 3rd in league
mr grumpy where did i say we will be among the favorites next season. i said we will be right up their next season. being my opinion nobody else’s including bookmakers.
but i will be slapping money on us winning the league, if i can get a decent price. we will be in my opinion, right in their with a chance.
next season will be the last chance, have the advantages of the big squad budgets. this is why its important, we stick with bruce and hope hes got the squad balance right.
We will see. We have a chance of top 6 next season but even finishing top 6 dosnt mean we will go up. I think we will miss out next season but go up the season after. The squad has too many issues still
You can’t get promoted on home form alone so the away form must be addressed if we are to make any progress.
Granted the recent games have been a needed and welcome improvement and credit to all for that. However I’ve always maintained that the players we’ve had this season should have been good enough to get top six and we have failed. Its the management that has let us down. The pressure is firmly on Bruce going forward and I still think he is the wrong man in terms of a long term appointment due to being too old fashioned and out of touch with the modern game. I won’t be fickle and change my mind on that. Long term we will need a progressive manager to achieve the goals Dr Tony has set.
Agree the problem is it’s not in Bruce’s interests for us to go up as he will almost certainly get sacked. We can’t have Bruce in the prem he would be a disaster
00HAH your positive outlook and future insight in to all things AVFC means we may as well all not bother. All our best players going, we cannot win away and we are not good enough to go up next season, a manager that is only good enough to get back in the Premier League and he will be sacked. Where is you optimism, you just cannot dream up some of the crap you come out with.
It’s no dream you know I’m always right. We can barely win away Fact, Bruce is not a prem manager Fact, our best players will go Fact will we go up next season I’d say 50/50 at best
I know you are always right in your eyes, it is just the negativity you give in your opinions and everybody else does not have clue, you thoughts have no substance and are little more than your option, for which you are entitled too as we all are to our own opinions.
How do you know who will leave and whether Bruce will be any good in the PL? You don’t and neither does anyone else, but we are improving even though it is in small strides. When in the last 6-7 years can we honestly say we have seen an improvement?
Come on OOHA show some optimism and be positive for once……please.
Beat me to it Rocky, Oohah that’s a silly statement mate, he wants to be recognized like most managers that manage football clubs, he’s the best of what’s out there and knows what he wants, that’s guesswork saying he won’t make it as a premiership manager.
If Bruce takes us up in next couple of seasons we will be no more than a bottom 6 team under him and fans will want him out and say yes oohagh as per usual I were right 😄
That’s pretty sad Oohah – having to make a point about always being right.
FWIW I agree with you that history is not on SB’s side when managing in the Premiership but, come on, he’s managed Sunderland and Hull so far!
The posters on here with a negative view of all things Villa keep banging on about SB in the Premiership – so I checked and yep we’re still in the Championship and will be again next season so perhaps the time to be concerned is when (if) we achieve promotion.
I think we have turned the corner with that result against a top six side in the division. If we can produce performances like that next season we will be in the top 6 ourselves.
As for the suggestions that Kodjia is ineffective away from VP, that is caused by Villa’s performance being different home and away. As I have said before the next stage after improving the defence is getting a midfield who can keep possession amongst themselves. In particular this means not passing the ball backwards to the back four.
It is easier to do this when at home because the opposition midfield sit back more. Eventually- as your midfield improves – they are able to force the opposition midfield back even when Villa are away, and at that point you should see Kodjia playing as well away as he does at VP.
Oohahaha has been right in the past when most went against his opinions. but this time hes wrong. we will be promoted next season.i will also go one step further in we will be champions.
SB has pre season and end of this season to get this squad together. their are plenty signs hes already got them playing a tune or two. by the time of first game, we will be ready.
now we all don’t have to fall out, its just a difference in opinions. i can live with that, hope the negative clan will allow us this. after all we all villa supporters. we all want to see us back on the tv and playing the big stadiums don’t we.
Good to see one of our own Marc Albrighton score the winner tonight! Chuffed for him.
Adam,
A classic game that, to see player’s giving their all for the club and fans, i don’t understand what went on with last manager but definitely a different showing of willingness in that club. Well done Leicester.
See Villa v Blues not being televised live; now there’s a surprise considering they only seem to televise Villa away from home – I wonder why?
Next televised game away (again) to Fulham on 17th April
It is very perculiar, seeing it is one of the most fierce derbies in the country…..
Sadly, no-one cares about Midlands footy, mainly because of the under-achievement overall over donkey’s years, imo.
Whatever the result, it isn’t going to affect much, is it?
Even Albion, who are having a very good season, hardly get a mention, because they’re boring to watch.
The fact we’re still the way biggest club in the Midlands, even though we’re currently very average in the second division, says it all.
That said, the Villa have the second highest viewing figures, championship-wise on Sky, so it is a bit strange.
SB has confirmed that the Jedi will play CB tomorrow alongside Chester and hinted this is where he sees his future at this stage of his career. Two questions – is this a good (astute) move by SB and where does this leave Tommy Elphick?