Bad decions and preparing for the prem???????

[TrianonDave]

If we ever get there and chances are looking dim at the minute but surely you have to plan for the future and the question, What if'
What if we did get to the prem? this team would get demolished. I thought the idea was to go down dust down and start again.
We have players now who are set up to get us up and no more when we should have invested in youth, yes it may end up taking us longer but a solid team playing good football can survive in the prem like Huddersfield, Brighton and Burnley.

We are too short sighted and of course have wasted millions on one off wonders.

Maybe we should have kept the likes of; Lowton, Bennett, Baker, Rudi, and played more of the Youth like Carke, O'Hare , Yes Davis is developing but we have been forced to lump him up there rather than progressively introducing him into the team. Hopefully Green will come good.

A team with these guys in would surely have done better than: Elmo, Elphick, Whelan, Maccormack, Gabby, Tish, Bjarnson, Richards, Samba and Hogan!!!!!

But it is too late and now we are in a right pickle especially if we do not get promoted, Because of FFP rules IF we get to the promised land Dr Xia will not be able to spend money he has not got or indeed Money the club is not turning in to profit.

Just where do we go from here and how long has SB got with His signings??

[bbvilla]

Good points well made TD. Old Guardian article on Twitter from when Bruce got the sack at Sunderland in 2011 said he was a tactics-free dinosaur then!! And also thick as ten planks. Many now telling Wyness / Xia to go for the Villa boy Dean Smith at Brentford, well he's now outplayed us twice at his 12000 capacity little West London manor on a budget of £10.50 😟

[westcountryvillain]

Agree TD - the future looks brighter if we can get Kodj fit, play to Hogan's strengths (he will score goals and go up in value) and play the youth as we're going nowhere with the old heads. The exception has been JT, an excellent signing but covered up so many other issues as by not conceding we were picking up wins without being prolific.

[TrianonDave]

I think that decision to sell baker is now looking rather stupid and short sighted, we do a lot of that don't we. Wouldn't be surprised if he ends up playing for Liverpool and winning the league and becoming the new Cahill for England!!! He is back at VP on Monday, He will be so up for it. I really can see Bruce sacked this time next week especially if we lose the next 2 games!!

[stateside]

I said the same thing on here earlier this season and was told don't worry we'll buy players. I also said last season that youth was the way forward but the fans didn't like that they wanted those higher priced players to go straight back up

[TrianonDave]

I see that Elphick had a really good game so maybe with this win, it will give old potato head some breathing space? A very good win and puts us back into contention, it could have turned out much much worse had we lost and the other teams around us won.

So, we need to beat Bristol City Monday, I just hope the crowd gets behind the lads as we have EFL break with the FA cup next week. Much better to go into that break in the top 6 psychologically. We can dump the FA cup and come back with a game plan of promotion, JT back and hopefully some new players to boost the cause but first we need desperately that win over BC, They lost at home today and had their keeper red carded who will miss the game against us. It will be tough but we need to dig in hard ad we need to support now.

[stateside]

Bruce by his own admission got lucky. But for illness sweeping through the club Jedi would have been centre half, Whelan would be CDM and Hutton would have been RB and Hogan would have come on as a sub to either replace Davis or more likely team up with him to get us back into the game.

Instead Elphick played his best ever game in a Villa kit, Jedinak played better than Whelan has been all season, Hutton continued showing he is a better player at left back than right back and Hepburn-Murphy did more in 15 minutes than Hogan did in 75 minutes.

But, everyone will be well again on Monday and we can go back to the same poor system and selection.

[TrianonDave]

For me Whelan MUST not start...We cannot say the Jedi needs a break as he has hardly played this year.

Got to be a win but really, I just do not know which villa team will turn up!!

[stateside]

Then Bruce apparently had a swipe at the fans again! Something about club in crisis or something according to the fans. You dropped Grealish you idiot who has played really well every time you have called on him! Left in Onomah who has been inconsistent all season. Left to you Mr Bruce Gould have screwed that up yesterday and we would have gone 6 games without a win.

[mondaze]

every game is a lottery in this division... any or all of our wins could have easily been loses and vice versa... It's more exciting than the premiership but it's also more frustrating. to be honest i don't care if we go up or not. I watch the games because its a habit... but i honestly don't care if we win lose or draw.