Villa v Preston - Tues 2nd October - 7.45pm

Preston to double team Grealish. Bruce to be tactically inept. Score 0 - 1 late breakaway goal. Cue massive crowd reaction against Bruce.
Happy to be proved wrong.

I say a 1-1 draw, we don't lose at home under Potato Head do we?

One of two things will happen:

1. there'll be a new set of players in and we won't have a clue what the formation is supposed to be, or

2. he'll go with the team most likely to score goals based on experience so far.
Hourihane looked the most threatening midfielder at Bristol so can't be dropped, McGinn and Thor have both scored of late so can't either, and Kodjia is either going to start on the right or up front if Tammy is injured. That means Jack will be on the left. Of course if Kodjia is up front Bolasie can play at RW, or Jack can play there and El Ghazi can play on the left.

Why doesn't he go for a halfway house and play Jedi as DM? It's his natural position, he can do his heading thing, we can have Tuanzebe at CB and we're pretty much back where we were last season in terms of formation, so Bruce can blame the players when we lose (it's the fault of the ref and linesmen when we draw, and Bruce's responsibility when we win).

Controversial I know but the best thing to do with our attack is play either Jack or McGinn with Hourihane, but not both.

I have a feeling we're going to get a win in this one, which is what we need. Whilst I understand it completely, I don't think there's any point in hoping for a defeat for the greater good, because at this stage they're going to wait until the international break to make a decision on Bruce whatever happens, so might as well get a win from this one, and we really need the three points.

Bruce needs to pick the right players on our attacking positions though, just put El Ghazi and Bolasie or Adomah on the wings and give Grealish back the role he had last season.

I wasn't correct about Weimann at Bristol (although he tried, didn't he?) but Robinson and Johnson both have goals in them and will have a point to prove...

FoxyAV wrote:I wasn't correct about Weimann at Bristol (although he tried, didn't he?) but Robinson and Johnson both have goals in them and will have a point to prove...

They usually both play well against us?

As Preston don't have a big centre forward we don't need Jedinak in centre defence (I wonder if Bruce even knows this), therefore my team would be as follows with Grealish being brought back into the centre where he can influence us once more:

.................................Nyland

Elmohamady........Chester..........Tuanzebe..............Hutton

 ..............................Bjarnason

 .....................Grealish.............McGinn

El Ghazi.................Kodjia/Abraham.....................Bolasie

Well that team will definitely not start as it is too sensible and players playing in their proper positions.
So what will Bruce dream up for Tuesday then, the mind boggles!

However whatever team is out on that pitch we have to beat the bottom team, we really, really don't have anymore excuses.

achilles wrote:As Preston don't have a big centre forward we don't need Jedinak in centre defence (I wonder if Bruce even knows this), therefore my team would be as follows with Grealish being brought back into the centre where he can influence us once more:

.................................Nyland

Elmohamady........Chester..........Tuanzebe..............Hutton

 ..............................Bjarnason

 .....................Grealish.............McGinn

El Ghazi.................Kodjia/Abraham.....................Bolasie

Well that team will definitely not start as it is too sensible and players playing in their proper positions.
So what will Bruce dream up for Tuesday then, the mind boggles!

However whatever team is out on that pitch we have to beat the bottom team, we really, really don't have anymore excuses.

Nice line up! I reckon he'll go:


Mainly because all the midfield have now scored bar Grealish, and if he drops him there'll be uproar. Bruce reckons we lost the last match due to bad refereeing and Bristol's goal took a deflection. Plus Jedi has headed the ball more than any other defender in the existence of defending. I maintain though Bruce's best bet though for me is to play Jedi as DM so he strengthens the defence.

By which I mean I think this is Bruce's best bet of steadying the ship the way he likes to play the players he has. It doesn't mean I agree with it or think any other non-dinosaur should or would set us up.

...............................Nyland.............................
Elmo..........Chester...............Tuanzebe......Hutton
.....................McGinn..........Bjarnason................
......ElGhazi...............Grealish .................Bolasie
................................Abraham.........................

Creativity and legs in this 11. Pass & move would be nice to see

Dazzle wrote:...............................Nyland.............................
Elmo..........Chester...............Tuanzebe......Hutton
.....................McGinn..........Bjarnason................
......ElGhazi...............Grealish .................Bolasie
................................Abraham.........................

Creativity and legs in this 11. Pass & move would be nice to see

That looks very similar to my line-up?

What though do you think Bruce will do, rather than what you'd like to see (you know, with just one player out of position, ignoring that Chester would be on the left and Tuanzebe on the right)?

Okay, what I think Bruce will do.
On the basis that he is currently in a MUST rotate mode I think that Jedinak will get rested, El Ghazi will come back in, Tammy may well be injured, so something like this:

.................................Nyland

Elmohamady........Chester..........Tuanzebe..............Hutton

................................Whelan

El Ghazi...........Hourihane...........McGinn................Grealish

................................Kodjia.................

achilles wrote:

Dazzle wrote:...............................Nyland.............................
Elmo..........Chester...............Tuanzebe......Hutton
.....................McGinn..........Bjarnason................
......ElGhazi...............Grealish .................Bolasie
................................Abraham.........................

Creativity and legs in this 11. Pass & move would be nice to see

That looks very similar to my line-up?

Yes it is, just not employing Bjarnason as solely a DM

Dazzle wrote:

achilles wrote:

Dazzle wrote:...............................Nyland.............................
Elmo..........Chester...............Tuanzebe......Hutton
.....................McGinn..........Bjarnason................
......ElGhazi...............Grealish .................Bolasie
................................Abraham.........................

Creativity and legs in this 11. Pass & move would be nice to see

That looks very similar to my line-up?

Yes it is, just not employing Bjarnason as solely a DM

Both of you are employing starting 11s he hasn't yet tried but you have put them all in what theoretically are their correct positions, with the exception of Tuanzebe and Hutton, which can't really be right can it? And probably McGinn. And frankly, if Jedi really is in there because the goalie can't control his area, wouldn't it be simpler to put Jedi in goal?

The more I think about this one, the more I think it's going to be a frustrating draw at best. And despite all the calls at the end of the game for him to go, Bruce will still be charge against Millwall.

Bunn???? No wingers? I hope this is the shortest suicide note in history. He knows he's fuc*ed and, just like Eric Black, he taking the opportunity to take the piss on more time. Settled team?Settled formation? Someone's having a larf!
(Having said all that, I bet the streaky bastard gets a win).

Yeah, I saw that. Bunn, our fourth choice goalie. Can't trust the first choice cos Bruce is screwing the defence on purpose. Can't trust (?) the second choice, who's been on the subs bench, can't play Steer because he's on loan so straight to Bunn who, as far as I remember is a capable goalie but what the hell is this doing to Nyeland? Yet another career Bruce is doing his best to fuck up.

I agree about wingers and this is what I thought would happen. Play everyone who's scored a goal and hope they can do it again. I'm happy to see Thor play, for example, but if we no longer want to play probably our best player in his correct position* stick him on the bench and stick Kodjia there too so at least we have a spare striker.

*Since it seems Jack's buyout is apparently £30million maybe it's Bruce trying to devalue him so when McGinn gets taken away by a proper team like Bournemouth, Watford or Brighton we'll still have an attacking midfielder.

Acceptable, so far. In fairness, you can only beat what's put in front of you, but Preston really are total pants.

Not playing too bad to be fair, although Preston do look very poor. Hopefully we can complete the job in the second half, would like to see Grealish get off the mark.

On the plus side Tuanzebe can keep his place for the next three matches. Well, probably. Bedeau has surely to be the answer?

I mean we would have played Elphick, or De Laet, wouldn't we?

Brought pressure on ourselves by totally going missing second half. Typical. Can't sustain a performance for more than a half (and usually not that long).

So. We have a one man advantage against Ipswich for most of the second half and can't lay a glove on them.
Preston get the same and start tearing us a new one. Looking like one win in ten.

Cometh the hour, cometh Glenn Whelan.

I cannot believe this shit, Bruce has to go now I have no idea what his half time talks are like but Jeezzzz, and then to cap it all we have the chance to win it and they cock it up, LAUGHABLE.

It's quite fitting really, Whelan epitomises everything Bruce.