I know we’re talking about the Villa and we should never count our chickens, but surely if you can’t feel confident for this match, you’re not going to at all, are you?
I know Reading were supposed to have been quite unlucky after going two down last week, but the fact is they are not getting points and only have 1 from four games.
Contrast that to us, where Brentford apart, we’ve played poorly, yet still sit on eight points.
The only news really is that Anwar El Ghazi will definitely get on the pitch, as long as we get International clearance.
I’d expect him to go straight into the team, myself.
So who drops out for him?
You have to suspect it’ll be either Whelan or Jedinak, which makes sense. They’ll both need a bit of looking after over the season.
For me, I’d go for Elmohamady at RB, Tuanzebe at CB, Adomah on the right and either Whelan or Jedinak in front of the back four.
That should be sturdy enough.
And if El Ghazi’s not quite on it, Green subs for a few more minutes that he definitely needs, as frankly I think he’s been poor.
The only doubt is Alan Hutton who has broken his nose.
I really don’t see that being enough to put such a good pro off though and even if he has to wear a mask, I’d expect him to start too.
It’s really fingers crossed, knowing how we messed up against the likes of Bolton (who are off to blinding start this season! it’s a funny old game indeed) last season, but I have to go for a home win, hopefully combined with just a little bit of arrogance and flair, just like Wednesday.
And of course assisted by lots of hard work.
Villa 3-1
And I suspect Kodjia might get another.
Here’s hoping!
Oh my god!
Calamitous defending twice, only stopped by Nyland.
Good grief 🙁
i’ve only just noticed, but is it a trick of the camera, or does the pitch look terrible?
Not a convincing performance by the sound of it.
Reading get a pen.
What for???
Chester seemed to get it clean.
1-1.
I can’t believe that.
That looked a terrible decision to me.
That didn’t look like a pen to me Badger.
game over.
Wow.
6 points dropped on the bounce……..
Absolutely.
And it’s exactly what we can’t afford.
That’s game 5 of 10 isn’t it?
Gutted, Kodjia was walking around as if he on holiday , we start defending then it happen holding off attacker and ref gives a pen, shit,
Looks like we were diddled out of 2 points by the ref.
That’s why being one up is never enough. Disappointing
2 points out of 6 at home. Just not good enough. Same old same old! Await ref to blame excuse. We need to put teams like this to the sword like Leeds do. I just don’t think Bruce teams will. Unfortunately we haven’t got time for players to settle in. We are already 5 points behind top 2.
Yes Villiaaway, 6 points gone and top teams drawing a gap , honest Kodjia might be a player on form but he’s a player that don’t get stuck in when he’s needed. He just walks around waiting for the ball. Shit shit.
What the hell! Is it really another poor ref decision but even so we should have been well ahead by then.
Even this early top two looks unlikely
BBC final score….bloke just said Villa chose to sit back and got punished…..could have been something he would say the majority of the time last season….and most matches from now on.
I said after the Brentford match that I had no confidence we would move on to better performances …we have seen it all before.
Sheffield United away next league game. We will be lucky to get a point there. If we don’t win we will probably be outside play offs. Badger mentioned Bruce has 10 games, I suggested till end of November, but either way it looks inevitable because Bruce teams rarely have two great performances in succession.
Don’t panic, there’s a long long way to go yet, and Leeds will blow up in the second half of the season, Bielsa’s teams always do, his ‘covering every blade of grass’ pressing style is too knackering for most players!
I’m still very confident.
Dave C, I’m defiantly panicking, seen this many times before if he (Bruce) just except it it will end up again a bad day at the office, we do not have that killer instinct, I giving Bruce 3 more games for my support, up till now it’s like last season again.
It’s now showing major problems, when Villa got to half Time Bruce should have exploded in the dressing room and said don’t come off at the end losing points, I watched again Kodja head down walking back, that shows me that he hasn’t a gaffer in or on the pitch, Ginnes runs his legs off a Kodja walks.
From most people’s comments one thing seems consistent, is that when the going gets tough, Kodja goes missing. We desperately need competition up front for when he is having a stinker.
Was just going to ask have we still got room to get someone in that will pass in the box.
I know Kodjia has three goals in two games but we are just not clinical enough in front of goal. We desperately need another striker and it looks like Abraham isn’t coming.
Sheff Utd away – they are just running into form and I really don’t fancy us st all.
I hope that when the anger has gone that I can see some positivity, but right now it feels like a defeat.
i’m withholding my thoughts until I can be bothered to watch a replay of the pen incident.
And the truth is, i’ve got better things to do than hunt for one, at the moment.
Rubbish game, simple.
Same with me Holte, I just cannot believe what’s happen today, Its time that Bruce gets hard on player that don’t put a shift in.Kodja is one of them, if one sees it the others will follow. We are a massive club they should be proud to be at Villa Park, to me it looks like I get paid anyway. I wonder what excuses he will come out with today.
Trouble is Bill in this league no club can afford passengers when things aren’t going to plan. I maintain that Bruce is reactive rather than proactive when it comes down to substitutions. He is proving stubborn in his stance about playing defenders out of position. It will be his undoing when new owners get twitchy with the axe. I heard they were at the game today so probably weren’t impressed that we threw it away.
Holte
This is a post that someone sent in to a blog today, he was at the match.
Just got back from the game….
– Kodja was rubbish today, walking everywhere, head down running into people not passing, couldn’t be bothered to get back on side when it could have led to a chance cause he wasn’t even watching play!!
– Bjarnason was excellent the whole game
– El Ghazi very promising
– Tuanzebe isn’t a right back needs to play him in a back three or on the bench. We have 3 great right backs already
– Adomah acted like a spoilt brat when he came on another who couldn’t be bothered to run and made so many bad decisions
– Scottish Cafu does what he does
– McGinn was excellent
– Hourihan was the only one who showed real passion out there and tried his best but most of the team were two passes behind him
– Grealish was obviously injured from the start why play him? but him and McGinn look good together
– Elmohammady good game nothing special
– Nyland is starting to look more like the keeper we hope he was
– Jedinak seemed more like a centre back today
– Chester……… why did you do that?? in the 94th minute
OVERALL first 20 minutes looked good then average at best- 6/10
I rest my case, I’ve watch Kodja closely over a few games and it shows what I see.
Sorry, that’s a rubbish appraisal, imo, Bill.
As i said, i’m reserving judgement until i’ve seen better.