Re: Match thread Blackburn v Villa

[Saunders82]

Surely Bruce & his coaching staff can see that our midfield is too far away from the front man, who we can all see needs another player with him, this lack of tactics causes us to be under pressure all the time because the ball just keeps coming back at our defence putting them under pressure. Until that problem is sorted out then all the talent we have is wasted, do the simple things and who knows.

[Saunders82]

Well a draw doesn't seem much to celebrate, a point better off than losing altogether but fuck me if it isn't another Saturday written off.

Bruce, the big drivelling shitbag that he is, almost looked disappointed when we scored whereas Calderwood leaping all over him like we'd won a cup final. Maybe Brucie was banking on losing and getting paid off.

It looked that way to me too

[big ming]

Hourihane has papered over the cracks again. So, we stumble on blindly until it is too late to save this season.
McGrath ,I hate Bruceball.

[achilles]

Grealish was crap and should have been subbed if Bruce had any balls!

[Saunders82]

Grealish was crap and should have been subbed if Bruce had any balls!

Today he played balls in and around the box and just stopped ball watching instead of getting into the box for a return pass and a chance to score, & when he did do it his shots were granny shots.

[De Kuip]

Unfortunately I think the draw will be enough to keep his job, as I said when I forecast 2-2 earlier.

Please, please let me be wrong!

[deadbuzzardalive]

I don't think Bruce would have got the sack even if we'd have lost, but it would have been another nail in his coffin. Comes to something when you find yourself feeling half disappointed with a last minute equaliser from an excellent free-kick... That's six games without a win now, if you include the League Cup, that stat should be enough in itself for the owners to get rid, but once again many of us will rant and rave as to why he should go, and once again he will still keep his job.

I'm now clinging on to the hope that they've just been waiting to complete a full takeover before making a change.

[deadbuzzardalive]

Bruce's excuses are absolutely infuriating, still blaming losing 'half the team', still going on about how we can't keep changing managers if we want to progress, and still going on about how he's won promotion four times, and how he got us to the play-off final, as if that was some kind of achievement, and still going on about how we're going to get better, pretty sure he's being saying that since he came here... Also talks about us being second from bottom when he joined, but forgets to mentioned that we were actually only six points from top six.

I've never wanted a manager gone so bad, so much so, that I think I'm now at the stage where I'd be happier with him being fired, than us actually getting promoted.

Edit: Link to WM interview after game, on twitter.

[big ming]

Dean Smith now has Brentford in 2nd place and playing attractive football with bugger all resources. Enough said.

[FoxyAV]

I'm still shellshocked we had a back four of players in their correct positions. All this time Tuanzebe could have been getting settled but Bruce played Jedi there. All this time we could have been playing De Laet but no, it seems his card was marked (I do really like Hutton but, well, he's no De Laet).

It struck me though that Chester's been moved to the left rather than his natural right side so the defence is still fucked one way or another. I do really like the look of Tuanzebe.

I've also been wondering if McGinn was Grealish's replacement and if playing both at the same time blunts them both and if we wouldn't be better off playing one or the other, just not both.

It's a huge conundrum.

I was wondering how Tammy would deal with hoofball and it seems he's as good as Kodjia and Hogan, just taller.

Elmo too really does try, and I like him for it, but we have a really good looking player in El Ghazi who plays on the right wing and looks really dangerous. Sure, Bruce presumably wants to play him on the left wing but as shown in the last game he isn't so good at defending (playing for Bruce must confuse a lot of the players he brings in) so we have Adomah playing again, who I assumed was now a member of our new Bomb Squad.

I just don't know anymore. We're 12th out of 24 teams, perfectly average after seven matches. The manager has just worked out it is possible to play the defence in (almost) their correct positions. He's doing nothing to disprove my theory that if our ambition is to throw massive amounts of money staying firmly in the Championship he's our man.

It was quite refreshing to hear whoever the (ex-?)footballer was on Sky saying stuff like 'Blackburn played like a team while Villa played like a group of individuals'.

[FoxyAV]

Oh and whenever Bruce blames players for not being able to live up to the expectations and pressure of being at a big club... is he really talking about himself?

[deadbuzzardalive]

I thought Abraham's performance was a big positive, despite limited service he looked very good. There was one spell of football where both teams kept giving the ball away, it was like one of those clips you see on twitter of 'crap nineties football', you could see him getting frustrated with what he was seeing, and trying to get his teams mates to calm down in possesion... Nice to see one of our players botherd about things like that, and expecting better.

Other positives were Tuanzebe looked decent in defence, and Taylor was much improved at left-back as well. Suddenly that area of the pitch might not be as bad as we feared, as long as we steer clear of injuries, and Bruce sticks to Tuanzebe and Chester as the back two.

[DelboyVilla]

Well another lucky result in spite of Potato Head and it was good to hear that the travelling fans gave the deluded knobhead quite a bit of stick! Grealish and McGinn seem to be fitting in with Bruceball and any creativity is being ground out of them during training! Although training is not Potato Head's problem as he doesn't often turn up allegedly? He is managing mid table with a Premier League quality side and no doubt Abrahams, Bolaise and El Ghazi are all wondering why and what kind of mess they have joined!

[big ming]

Been waiting for someone to say " we've stopped the rot". That is probably about the extent of our ambitions at the moment.
Rotherham beat Derby yesterday and will have some confidence coming to VP. Stage is set for another unconvincing home performance. Cannot bring myself to want anything other than a home win but, if it means Bruce staying, it will be a very mixed blessing indeed.

[FoxyAV]

This is the confidence Bruce has instilled in the team and us supporters. We know success relies on chance, but defeat or a draw pretty much rely on the opposition playing as a team, with a half decent manager, and that applies to almost all of the Championship. With our squad we should be in the top two and aiming for promotion but we're scrapping out draws with teams put together for the price of a Grealish or Abraham.

[VillaBill]

I thought Grealish was really average once more, it may be time to drop him out and try 4-4-2 Tuesday, I don’t want to see one up top ever again, especially at home.

[DelboyVilla]

Grealish's dip in form has coincided with the Bruceball let's all defend as Potato Head has shit his pants about losing?

He hasn't become poor over night? Bruceball is to blame!

I think Potato Head has told the other players that all our strikers have leprosy as they seem to be keeping half a pitch length away from them at all times?

[achilles]

I think that Grealish has played poorly for most of this season and perhaps he needs dropping to give him a kick up the backside.

Perhaps we might get away with playing a 4-3-3 at home, something like this:

.................Nyland......................
Elmo...Chester...Axel... Hutton/Taylor
...Hourihane...Jedinak...McGinn
...El Gazhi...Abraham...Kodjia

I am convinced that most supporters would appreciate it a lot more if Bruce showed some 'balls' with his selections and went on the attack especially with the attacking options at our disposal, good grief we should destroy teams.

[deadbuzzardalive]

I wouldn't drop Grealish just yet, he's been below par but he's still one of our more dangerous players, and I think we need to give him, Bolasie, El Ghazi and Abraham a run in the team together so they can develop an understanding. I'd play him with Hourihane and McGinn in midfield, both of whom are good at the defensive side of the game, and can take it in turns to hold, even Grealish does a lot of tracking back these days, and plays more like a box to box midfielder himself, we don't need an out and out DM in the Championship.

[STO67]

We were poor again yesterday. Bruce set up not to lose rather than make them worry about us. Strange selection with Taylor and Adomah starting. I'm grateful for the last minute goal but enough with Bruce now.

[FoxyAV]

I'm afraid I don't want to see Elmo and Jedi starting again. Subs, fine, but we need a new manager who can come in and get the players coached properly. Taylor played really well at his former club (sound familiar?), Hutton is our best RB now De Late is gone and Bjarnason mobilises the midfield so much better than Jedi. The squad isn't the problem, Bruce is.

[deadbuzzardalive]

I don't mind Elmohamady so much as right-back, but there's no way he should be starting as a winger ahead of Adomah, never mind El Ghazi and Bolasie, I would have Green and Kodjia ahead of him out wide as well.

[DelboyVilla]

Allegedly Green is on loan somewhere getting some matches under his belt?

I would let Potato Head pick his own nose never mind a winning side!

We set up to try not to lose like the tax dodger (and also fellow former Inbred manager) McLeish. I remember his sides with defenders all over the pitch!

[FoxyAV]

I don't mind Elmohamady so much as right-back, but there's no way he should be starting as a winger ahead of Adomah, never mind El Ghazi and Bolasie, I would have Green and Kodjia ahead of him out wide as well.

Oh, I don't mind Elmo but prefer Hutton. Elmo's a proper professional and you can't help but admire that. Snodgrass is gone though, and so (annoyingly) is De Laet, and I get the feeling Elmo is only there because he's Bruce's man, in that Bruce wants him on the pitch and in the dressing room. Thing is he's good enough to play but for me, not as good as Hutton.

[VTID85]

Hutton is better at LB than Taylor in my opinion, so putting him there allows for Elmo still at RB with Tuanzebe in the centre with Chester. Then that frees up the right wing for El Ghazi, the left wing for Bolasie and Adomah to cover either of them.

That then leaves the middle and up front - McGinn and Hourihane in the middle, Grealish ahead of them sitting behind Abraham or Kodjia. Or, Abraham and Kodjia up front with Grealish and McGinn in the middle and Hourihane to cover either of them.

Honestly, that took longer to type than to work out. What the fuck is Bruce struggling with?

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