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.

[picasso]

I’m with you Mondaze apart from caring about whether we win or not. I always want to win. But I quite like playing in this division and given that I worry about our chances in the Prem I would rather spend another year here. Personally I would rather fight promotion than relegation. Been there, done that, and it was awful.

If we are here for another year, I would like to see more of our youngsters given some experience and balls played to Hogan,s feet rather than his head. I still believe we have a good striker there.

[westcountryvillain]

100% agree with Picasso here, Hogan is getting slated for his lack of contribution but if there's nothing to feet to allow him to strut his stuff then that's Bruce's ineptitude. He'd scored 21 at Brentford before we signed him in January, and we've seen in the last few days the type of football they play. I think he'll go in the window and score a hatful, with a big lump like Davis preferred in the absence of the Kodj, having Hogan gives us options.

Agree we need another year with the nucleus of a team that will go up and keep us up.

[Exiledvillan]

I see what you’re saying folks regarding the hustle & bustle of the Championship, going into games with hope rather than dread. Not having money to spend, seeing the youngsters flourish at OUR club (if the boneheaded manager would grow some stones and play em, that is).
Thing is, I want The Villa to be playing at the highest level, despite me not missing the Prem’s uneven financial playing field. That option doesn’t look likely atm, SB has said all along that 2pts a game would do, well that’s 92 over a season. Our December tally is 6 from 18pts, 1 point a game!!!
We’d need another 51 from 21 games, 2.43pts per game, now that would be a fun run in wouldn’t it? 17 wins outta 21 woohoo!!!

[bongosdad]

5 points off 2nd! Game on

[TrianonDave]

And not A Whelen or Gabby in sight!!!!

Well done the lads and Happy new year.

[mondaze]

monday proved my point... when we scored the first goal, we could have easily been two behind, it seems every match is a lottery, we came out winning at a canter because Bristol wanted to win so came at us, even when they went behind. We countered brilliantly, for a change and by the end bristol had lost their legs after a hard game just two days before. it's exciting and frustrating in equal measure.

[stateside]

It was a confidence thing. Watch the highlights again https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/highlights-aston-villa-5-0-bristol-city/ You could see 8 outfield players scared to make a mistake lest the fans start moaning. You see the players absolutely making sure they don't misplace a pass even though it meant they had to properly control the ball and make sure they don't over hit the ball. The back pass to Johnstone was possibly unnecessary but it is accompanied by jeers and groans from our fans. The two players that didn't care about playing scared were Hutton and Grealish. Hutton lost the ball setting Bristol up with a chance whilst Grealish set up the first goal with his positive play.

After the goal confidence went up a notch. After the second it soared. Players were taking on opposing players and there was no care about losing the ball because there was players following up and getting the loose ball.

You can see it all just in this five minute clip.

[TrianonDave]

Some great points there Stateside, could not agree more. We could have folded early on but in the end, Bristol were left blowing bubbles and should have finished 6 or 7. Good job as I said selling Baker (wink)

No wonder my betting has gone belly up, just who (apart from Wolves) would you put your money on? the bookies must be raking it in.

[stateside]

If they can draw from that game and ignore the fans moans Villa can finish 2nd