Suffice to say I didn’t get to see/hear a kick of the Hull game.
I won’t say what I was doing at the time as I’m sure I’d only bore you, but by the sound of things I didn’t miss much, with pretty much none of the team firing.
What concerns me from what I have heard is that Bruce threw another attacker on, while not sorting out the supply line to provide the ammunition.
I’ve always thought games are won in midfield and if we don’t dominate there, we need to be lucky.
And moving Grealish deeper was exactly the same mistake I was complaining about just a short while back.
Why does Bruce do that?
Yes, Grealish’s game has much improved because he now tracks back better, but it’s not where he’s best at, is it?
We need to get him in amongst it, in that floating number 10 position, for him to do his best, in my opinion.
Squad news and Reading seem to have a load of injuries, which I don’t really have time to go into.
On our side, Whelan should be available, but I don’t think I’d start him.
Neil Taylor should also be fit and he might play.
I don’t know how Bruce will go here; he could start numerous different players, but I doubt he’ll change too much.
Maybe Hourihane will come back in for a bit of added energy?
Who knows how Bruce thinks?
In short, this should be another reasonably easy win on paper.
But just as I predicted a draw against Hull, so I think this is looking very drawish too.
I hope I’m wrong, as a win should pretty much guarantee us a play-off place, I’d have thought.
The last thing we want is to just about qualify for the play-offs.
I’ll go 1-1 and certainly don’t expect to lose.
But then, I’m sure most of us got our Bolton and QPR predictions wrong.
Another game that I think we’re going to make look difficult.
Yes Taylor’s in, so is Hourihan , Hogan leading the line, Elmo right back, Whelan on the bench. Interesting this.
1 Sam Johnstone
5 James Chester
3 Neil Taylor
26 John Terry
27 Ahmed Eissa El Mohamady Abdel Fattah
37 Albert Adomah
14 Conor Hourihane
10 Jack Grealish
7 Robert Snodgrass
20 Birkir Bjarnason
9 Scott Hogan
Substitutes
22 Jonathan Kodjia 15 Mile Jedinak 31 Mark Bunn 18 Josh Onomah 6 Glenn Whelan 45 Lewis Grabban 8 Henri Lansbury
Is Hutton injured?
Must be not on subs bench, didn’t see any problem on Saturday’s game reference injured players.
Hmm, cheers Bill.
Tuanzebe and Hutton were dropped to be rested having just come back from injury, according to the official site.
In other news, we’ve spent 5.5m on agent fees over the last year, 3.5m more than Wolves who sit second. 30% of the agent fees went to Adama Traore before Fox was a business genius.
Sunderland were second highest at 4.7m* Wolves were also below the likes of Boro and Reading.
The Wolves part is very interesting, considering some of the players they’ve bought in.
Wolves – super agent and champions league players – It’s all very fishy. Surely Mendes is influencing matters at Wolves and circumventing FFP. if it was finance someone would be claiming insider dealing!
I think there is more movement in tonight’s line up compared to Saturday. Bjarnasson instead of Jedinak and Hogan always offers great movement if his teammates pick him out. I am optimistic of a win so 2-0 Villa.
a point that needs to be made about grealish. i am a big fan of him and i have praised him loads and all justified. BUT he needs to add goals to his game. no good playing as attacker and not scoring he needs to shoot more and work the goal keeper more. its no good playing behind the striker just to supply him he needs to be stepping up and i am sure he is trying to add this, but more is still needed.
when hes playing behind the striker he should not be tracking back. i want him picking up the ball and driving at the defenders. last game when he dropped back. i have no issues about that, because he wasnt affecting the game as a attacker. and removing jedi he slotted in as a midfielder but more forward thing one than jedi
That’s what I meant when I said he needs to get amongst it more Nath
i agree but he has made big improvements. i think one improvement is he produces more, which in itself hard to do, apart from last few games he has be very high consistent performer. BUT i think he needs movement as others have said. its hard for a forward player to stand out when he is surrounded by road cones
Blimey, we’re creating plenty of chances.
Just need to convert one.
Dave Edwards second yellow!
Jeez, good counter and we should have scored.
Hope this isn’t shades of Middlesbrough 0 – 0 with them playing with 10 men for 87 minutes!
well we have more movement, which resulted in more chances and their red card. what a difference it makes. we carry on in same vain reading will tire and we will score. we do need to cross better. if your not looking before you cross, then you need to hit the area. we are doing neither. overhitting crosses or hitting the first defender more times than not.
See Fulham 1 up. Got a stream on the game we’re missing chances again, Adomha playing well so is Grealish and Snodgrass, just not getting the end product.
Yes, Bjarnasson.
1-0
Good news – Thor is a better player than he’s given credit for and I don’t feel Bruce has handled him very well.
Totally agree. Thor was dropped for Blues game but has hardly had a look in since. He offers much more movement than Whelan and Jedinak.
Cracking goal. Hopefully we will get more space now they will have to try and get back into game.
Just seen Thor’s goal – crackerjack!
2-0 Hourihane with a glancing header.
Should wrap things up.
Surely this would be the perfect game to get a kid on now?
Except there’s none on the bench 🙁