Preston have 5 points from 10 games.
I don’t think I need to say anything more than that, apart from they’re either going through a torrid time or are totally rubbish.
So it has to be a Villa win, right?
Well, yes, of course it should be, but do you have any faith that we’ll get the victory?
I think we will win, but I no longer expect it, even against clubs that are going through a worser patch than us.
Straight to the squad and Tammy Abraham is a doubt after his being subbed off in that awful Bristol City game because of a calf problem.
Scott Hogan and Keinan Davis, the former supposedly close last week, are still out with groin problems.
The good news is Bolasie might start.
Whether he’ll start as a winger might well be debateable (ahem).
As for Preston, Josh Harrop is out for the rest of the season.
The good news for them is that Calum Woods and Michael Crowe are close and might feature.
It’s Bruce’s latest comments that I want to have a look at though.
My thoughts are in bold;
“We’ve been close. We’ve lost twice in 10 games. The three or four draws we’ve had could have been wins.”
Er, Should have, could have, would have. Quite simply, they weren’t, even after the easiest start we’ve had in years. Just to remind you, we’re 15th in the league and if you draw, you might as well have lost, if you’re supposedly challenging for promotion.
“We could quite easily have been four or five points better off – and yet we’re still only two points behind the play-offs.”
True. And six points behind the leaders. Is that where you’re aiming for, the play-offs again?
That’s not good enough.
“I know patience is a dying art in football, but I am convinced that we will be fine the longer the season goes. We’ll get there.”
Bloody right it’s a dying art watching the crap football you play. We had a monster crowd against Sheff Wednesday, yet you probably cost the club at least a couple of thousand fans who won’t turn up again while you’re in charge.
That said, I believe you’re correct in saying we’ll get better.
But we’ll always be playing catch-up, as we’re miles away from looking like a challenging team.
“The nucleus of this team is fine. We’ve just got to stay patient and let the new signings settle into their surroundings.”
I totally agree, it’s a great team on paper.
So why do they look like a total bunch of amateurs that don’t have a clue what to do?
It’s not just the new signings either. McGinn apart, I’m struggling to think of a single player who looks on top of his game.
I really doubt that’s much to do with new signings.
I’d like to see one of the interviewers ask Bruce about the 2 wins in 21, or whatever it is now, as that’s quite simply a shocking record.
I read an article today about RDM and it seems he was sacked for having a very similar record to Bruce, at this point.
I don’t believe it matters what Bruce says.
His head is on the chopping block if he doesn’t start winning consistently.
Another two or three weeks of not winning and we then go 10 or more points behind.
I’m going for a 2-1 win, purely because I don’t see us not conceding, even against poor sides.
The win is purely because we’re at home.
Regardless, I predict another rubbish game to watch.
Because that’s what you get under Bruce, as it stands.
Whelan wants Bruce out too.
Hahahaha
So what happens now? I’m worried that our owners are going to wait till after Millwall game. At half time we had this game in the bag and we blew it. Whelan missing a penalty to win it has left us in a state of limbo.
I suspect the phones ringing already
Yep Whelan, strange choice.
Unless he was the only one with the confidence to take it.
With his goalscoring record of course he should be confident
In 12th now which is probably more than we deserve.
Scraping a draw at home with the bottom team is bad enough but Bruce should be sacked just for not having cover for Chester. That’s really criminal.
Bruce out!
Bruce just has to go – enough is enough
I hope to look back at the end of this season and say that Glen Whelan missing that penalty was the turning point of our season. Time to lure Rafa Benitez to Villa. He will get us promoted this season and be backed with big money in the future. He has taken Newcastle as far as he can.
Fact is we failed to beat bottom of table team at home. Bruce will probably blame referee for penalty and sending off.
Didn’t Bruce say when ipswich went down to 10 men that it was more difficult for us to play against.
That 2nd half was shocking our 10 men were all over the place.
We were very lucky not to lose tonight.
He has to go now.
I have a big worry. To sack Bruce and then pay big compo to get a manager already employed is going to put even more pressure on our FFP position. So not only are we unlikely to be able to afford someone like Benitez, any new manager is not going yo have any transfer funds in January. Worse still, Bruce will leave us with an unbalanced squad without much chance of rectifying it either this season or in the summer and he distinct possibility of a points deduction next season.
We may have wealthy owners but we are still deep in the soft stuff.
FFP is screwed anyway. It won’t kick in this season anyway (I don’t think so anyway, any penalty would be next season). He is history, and it will be very soon. Take the hit and sort the issue. Sticking with Bruce in an attempt to avoid an FFP penalty makes no sense.
DS – The point of my post was not to ‘stick with Bruce’ but the problems we face even when he goes. It’s OK to put two fingers up to FFP but, unless we get promotion, we could be facing a 12point deduction next season. I’m not convinced we can get promotion with no defence – whoever is the next manager.
Put the tea lady in charge and wait till Benitez resigns which he will. The squad we have is better than most in championship. I really believe a good technical coach would have us flying up the league within a few weeks.
We need to offload Bruce now. We are stuck in this league if he stays. Spend the next week or two to make a forward thinking decision. Whether it’s Henry, Dean Smith or someone else we need to give them games to evaluate squad before transfer window.
👞🦕🥦👋 Please Dr Tony please understand this and talk to your fellow owners
Has he gone yet.
As you say in the headline Badger
“We might as well forget it.”
I have done, signing off now until a new gaffer is appointed.
I believe that a cabbage was launched at Bruce and a lot of fans thought his head had fallen off!
Wow. What a night. I actually feel sorry for Bruce now. It’s almost as if God himself is saying “sorry Steve, time’s up, you’re not up to this” but he’s not going to go himself so the owners must act.
I’m delighted he dropped Nyland. It should’ve happened after Wigan or Ipswich. But, yet again, the inexplicable decision to banish Elphick just keeps coming back and impacting more and more. Now Chester is banned, one of the old boys out there must be drafted in. James Collins looks the best bet. But it shouldn’t have come to this.
In my opinion, had Elphick been kept in the team, we would be at least top 3, easily. That would’ve masked the poor football and general lack of progress but we’d all be happy as we’d be competing for the title. There’s no problem with our attack. As I said the other week, they will fire because they’re too good not too. But Bruce’s sabotaging of the defence is what, I believe, will ultimately cost him his job. I think deep down he knows he screwed up big time. There are too many dreadful decisions being made. Whelan taking the penalty is another in a long list…
Everyone is repeating themselves every week now, so it’s over to Mr Sawiris et al…
So, for one last time: thank you Steve for steadying the ship, but it’s time to hand over and let someone more capable steer her into the harbor of the Premier League.
Agree with your Elphick view. Further, why send Jed Steer on loan. He had already one season on loan in the championship and did well.