What a strange game that was.
I don’t know what Reading came as, but it wasn’t a football team with any intent on winning, was it?
I don’t know what their plan was, but if it was to try and contain Villa, it failed miserably even before they had Dave Edwards sent off for two clumsy challenges.
It was almost like watching an “A” team playing a “B” team, with the latter being instructed to not really try and the result was the most one-sided game I can recall in years.
It comes to something when their goalkeeper was probably their hardest working player.
Still, Reading’s lack of effort made it look like we were in a training game, where we literally had the run of the park, with plenty of crossing practice thrown in. Which is just as well, as it looked like we needed it.
With the poor crossing matched only by some equally poor shooting and heading, it made for somewhat frustrating viewing and that was the quietest I can recall Villa park being, for a 3-0 win, ever.
Never mind. After us having about fifteen attempts on goal and nearly 75% possession, Bjarnason opened the scoring with a nicely taken strike not long after the restart.
I have to say I marked him as our MOTM, as he worked hard and had much more movement in the middle.
Grealish was a close second, as he pulled the strings.
Anyway, after some more good teamwork, Hourihane scored the second with a glanced header and that pretty much wrapped up the game, which led to Onomah and Kodjia coming on for Snodgrass and Adomah, followed by Whelan for Grealish.
These were good, common-sense changes aimed at resting the starting three, but the truth is I could probably have got on and looked a threat.
Even Whelan had a small dalliance near the penalty area in open play, such was Reading’s lack of intent.
Not that I’m taking anything away from the win, as you still have to get the goals.
Talking of which, Scott Hogan scored the third to make things more deserving of how the game went.
So it’s hard to judge if we played well or not really, as the opposition were so poor, but a 3-0 win is exactly that, which helps nicely with the goal difference and should see us safely into the play-offs.
More importantly, it’s a win, where we can hopefully go on another roll, leading to good momentum for when it really counts.
Happy days, eh?
this debate will all be academic. if and when we fail to win playoffs or qualify hopefully. spare us the embarrassment of losing at wembley or worse getting promoted and getting hammered week in and out. we should say no to the money, do a clear out of all the players and build from youth. at least we will lose with effort. they wont fail not trying.
as for the next manager i also havent a clue. who ever it will be they also will be questioned on tactics by fans that know little about tactics. we should be the first club to not bother with a manager, let the players manage themselves just like now really
more written crap from our resident expert,that its not bruce fault its the players fault ,the very same players bruce has signed and picked week in week out,what is it 5/6 fullbacks yet bruce leaves out bree and loans out delaet the best two at the club,signs 5/6 midfielders and cannot get the right combination,our wingers snodgrass never can beat a defender with pace,or with a trick all he can do is cut in to his favoured foot which is so easy to stop,adoamh of the boil but only natural replacement green hasnt been seen for ages,mind you bruce tried hard to sell adoamh last august,our strikers all scored for fun before bruce got them again why have they all stopped? our youth have not got a chance all year surely at this level no reason no to give them game time every other club can just look at last 2 games city played liverpool used 18 year from start and a 21 year old as sub,utd used a young lad as sub yesterday, bruce idea of sub is throw on 2 strikers take of wingers that can create or put whelan /jedi on
i am a expert compared to you and the rest of your post i havent bothered to read, as you probably only wanking over burtons draw with your love blue nose
you are from from an expert, and funny enough anyone doesnt agree with you must be a blues fan what are 10 years old, just not a sheep believing bruce is anything but a good manager
your not even funny. i can clarify for you. i don’t think bruce is a good manager. personally i wouldnt have picked him or any of the last managers except for lambert and sherwood. both were young and worth a chance
what you fail to understand is not liking a person or manager. doesn’t affect a manager from doing their job. you couldn’t make a good argument why he is shit. you can only call me names and refer to bruce making a decision 12 months ago.
how about yesterday =. what has bruce done. which made villa lose to norwich. what tactics didnt work for you. how would you have done things differently.
here is your one chance to reply with something worthwhile and insightful.
No Nath not again, its your views don’t try to make other people minds up please, I go along with DAvila, its a managers job full stop, I’ve had enough of excuse after excuse he brought in back room coaches to hide the fact he’s not able to decide what’s what, OK we are aiming for play offs now he’s done it beforehand let’s see how good he is with Villa at the,end, I say he’ll bottle it.
then its your choice. i don’t live my life needing to convince others, how they want to perceive things is their choices. the only freedom left in the world is making your own mind up.
i am in the same boat as you guys. i am sick of hearing the same excuses over and over, manager this and that, players are supposed to be the best in the division thats also bulshit. the best squads are 1 st and 2nd and so on. reputations count for nothing in sports. its what you do with the time you have not living on what you done.
if i was needing to be popular i would not speak out on stuff i see wrong. but i lost the need to be popular at primary school. if it was down to managers tactics we wouldnt be beating wolves 41 and other games were we destroyed other teams.
players are coming towards their end and they are struggling to keep a high standard through each games. standards are dropping especially against what is regarded as weaker opponents.
its only human nature. players see norwich as easy game before a hard cardiff one which will matter more. same as QPR was a easy warm down after we destroyed the best side in the league.
boxers make the same mistakes, they have a warm up fight before a main challenge and they fail to prepare correctly and they fall flat on their faces.
fail to prepare / prepare to fail
i am waiting to be convince why iam wrong. if thats important. why did villa lose to norwich. just the mistakes during the 90 mins please not stuff happening weeks or months ago, example like loaning players out in January or last bloody summer has anything to do with being beaten yesterday
I’ve supported Bruce since he walked through the door and will continue to do so but I have to agree with some of the posts on here that he has to go in the summer.
We have without doubt blown a very good opportunity to really stamp our authority on 2nd, not just once but a few times.
The fact that we have only taken 14 points from 10 games since beating Small Heath in February is obviously the main reason.
Forget about the poor start, forget about the poor December. After we beat Small Heath we were 2nd. Promotion was in our hands. It was ours to lose.
I’m not making excuses for Bruce but this all coincides with the death of his dad and the illness of his mom. He’s been through an awful lot and lets not forget he’s still stood on the touchline and tried to perform his duties whilst going through emotional hell.
Regardless of weather we go up or not Bruce needs to go. More for himself than anything. He needs to take some time off too be able to grieve properly. Something that I don’t think he has had the chance to do.
Whatever happens in the summer, weather he goes or stays, what he’s done for this club given what he walked into and what he as been through as an individual warrants respect.
There’s more to life than football.
UTV.
From 2010 till this season, our club has been on a downhill spiral and became rotten to the core. Lerner lost interest and our best players left, and suddenly we went from manager to manager to try and fix things, but without stability you can’t build foundations from youth upwards. Bruce definitely has his faults but he stopped the rot, and up until two weeks ago most were singing his praises. At the start of the season I would have been happy with playoffs after last season. Trouble was we got close to automatic and fell away at the worst possible time. But we will make playoffs barring a disaster. I think our ageing team has run out of steam, but on their day like against Wolves can beat anyone in this league, which is why I still have hope for promotion. If it doesn’t happen we will have still seen progression. I expect Bruce to stay even if we don’t get promoted, but he will have to get off to a better start than he did this season where we have been playing catch up.
B6,
Very intelligent post, your bang on by saying Bruce has a very trying time in his life, I’m like you hanging on till the season’s over, Bruce has made,some unforgivable decisions of late and I think the club is to big to handle, he’s been a,good championship manager that’s his limit.. I wish him well.