Aaron Tshibola

[PeterWithesShin]

They loaned him out to Hartlepool before he'd played much for them, like most clubs do with youngsters.

[purpletrousers]

My bro-in-law Reading season Tkt holder was sad to see him leave, albeit we paid an OTT price for him. He also seemed to have been very good doing his fan-relations duty, got sent a nice pic of him with one of my nephews, I hadn't heard of any attitude problems, I can probably dig for more from their end, but I think his ship has already sailed.
Obviously was always a Clarke signing, and perhaps no surprise he's getting a tune out of him there.
Also Clarke doing well in 4th and great record against Celtic, seems to have found the right place for himself.

[eamonn]

He's a big believer in God and Jesus too so he must be a good lad.

[TheTimVilla]

In terms of his attitude – and this isn’t to dismiss your story – but would he be the first young footballer to have a bit of an attitude? Would this warrant effectively throwing him on the footballing scrap-heap? I remember David Platt and Mark Bosnich being grumpy and arrogant, but it didn’t stop either of them producing the goods on the pitch.  Is his attitude any worse than Henri Lansbury’s couldn’t-care-less about actually playing football approach?

It just seems to me that if he keeps on playing well in Scotland it won’t be long before either one of the old firm or another Championship club takes an interest in him and he goes on to bigger and better things.

I met Dwight Yorke in the early BFR days, with the London Lions, and he was one arrogant arsehole.

[RussellC]

Just because he's had a game or two in Scotland doesn't make him good enough for the Championship.

What about the spell he had playing well for Reading....in the Championship?

Oh yes, sorry, those 13 games were brilliant. So they loaned him out to Hartlepool.

Hmm. A bit of Bruce-esque revisionism here... He went on loan to Hartlepool in 2014/15, returning to Reading the following season, where he made 16 appearances in total.

I just don't understand why he wasn't given a chance in pre-season, when the squad was on its knees. Is it really better to persevere with a player like Henri Lansbury - who's barely ever broken sweat in a Villa shirt - than to try to get a tune of a young player who clearly has some ability? 

[sirlordbaltimore]

What's this clear ability you speak of ?

[Risso]

Can't say I ever saw it either.  Awful player.

[RussellC]

Athletic, mobile, combative.  Definitely didn't pull-up any trees in a Villa shirt but as a 20 year old certainly looked to have a lot of potential with (dare I say it) some coaching. I'm sure the general consensus would have been different had he come through our youth ranks. Time will tell I suppose, but it seems to me that he's another that we've written-off (figuratively and literally) without actually trying to develop.

[sirlordbaltimore]

Athletic, mobile, combative.  Definitely didn't pull-up any trees in a Villa shirt but as a 20 year old certainly looked to have a lot of potential with (dare I say it) some coaching. I'm sure the general consensus would have been different had he come through our youth ranks. Time will tell I suppose, but it seems to me that he's another that we've written-off (figuratively and literally) without actually trying to develop.

How many load spells has he had since he signed for us? Two plus the current one from what I recall.

If you can't impress at Forest and especially MK Dons then there has to be serious questions asked.

You can't coach something that isn't there clearly. If he stopped doing all that praise God stuff and buckled down he might still make a career in the lower leagues though

[paul_e]

I don't think he's great but I'd like to have seen him get a bit more of a chance because he has the presence to be the type of midfielder we need but, when he arrived, looked overawed by the whole thing and not really ready to be a club of our size. He's played another 35-40 games in league 1 and the SPL since we last saw him and done a decent job in many of them so I think it would be good if only to show that going on loan and giving it a go earns you some 'credit'. We've seen, in Hutton (even though I'd have let him go this summer), that allowing someone to come back into things after they've been abandoned can work out but that sort of rehabilitation doesn't really fit Bruce's almost compulsive desire to sign new players.

[john e]

I'm on Russellc side
I think he does have some ability it's his attitude and determination that's in question for me

he'l never be any good unless he can change that

[Damo70]

In terms of his attitude – and this isn’t to dismiss your story – but would he be the first young footballer to have a bit of an attitude? Would this warrant effectively throwing him on the footballing scrap-heap? I remember David Platt and Mark Bosnich being grumpy and arrogant, but it didn’t stop either of them producing the goods on the pitch.  Is his attitude any worse than Henri Lansbury’s couldn’t-care-less about actually playing football approach?

It just seems to me that if he keeps on playing well in Scotland it won’t be long before either one of the old firm or another Championship club takes an interest in him and he goes on to bigger and better things.

I met Dwight Yorke in the early BFR days, with the London Lions, and he was one arrogant arsehole.

Yorke lived next door to my cousin around that time and asked her out a few times but she said no as she was seeing a guy. He used to drink in Solihull with Bryan Small and if I was out with my cousin Yorke would chat to me, but he never seemed interested in chatting to me if she wasn't around. However, Small was always friendly and chatty with me whether my cousin was there or not.

I never met Platt but I have met Bosnich and he was great, really chatty and friendly.

[PeterWithesShin]

He wasn't setting the world alight but he showed some promise that I thought was worth sticking with, but after those stories about him being out drinking and then the hippy crack shortly after that,appeared he pretty much vanished from the first team squad. So i'm guessing there was something off the pitch that caused it as wasn't on the pitch as he was no worse than Westwood and Gardner at the time.

[Drummond]

Just because he's had a game or two in Scotland doesn't make him good enough for the Championship.

What about the spell he had playing well for Reading....in the Championship?

Oh yes, sorry, those 13 games were brilliant. So they loaned him out to Hartlepool.

Hmm. A bit of Bruce-esque revisionism here... He went on loan to Hartlepool in 2014/15, returning to Reading the following season, where he made 16 appearances in total.

I just don't understand why he wasn't given a chance in pre-season, when the squad was on its knees. Is it really better to persevere with a player like Henri Lansbury - who's barely ever broken sweat in a Villa shirt - than to try to get a tune of a young player who clearly has some ability?

Not revisionism, just a lazy post really.

My wording could have said. 'So good wa she that Reading loaned him out to play 23 games for Hartlepool then gave him 13 games themselves.' 'Then we flounced in with a load of dosh and bought the potential rather than any quality because we had a bit of cash.'

He's not done anything to evidence he's good enough, particularly to get in the side in front of Grealish, McGinn, Hourihane, etc.

As for Lansbury, career so far...

Senior career*
Years   Team   Apps   (Gls)
2007–2012   Arsenal   3   (0)
2009   → Scunthorpe United (loan)   16   (4)
2009–2010   → Watford (loan)   37   (5)
2010–2011   → Norwich City (loan)   23   (4)
2011–2012   → West Ham United (loan)   22   (1)
2012–2017   → Nottingham Forest   145   (32)
2017 –      → Aston Villa   26   (1)
National team
2005–2006   England U16   5   (0)
2006–2007   England U17   14   (4)
2007–2009   England U19   11   (4)
2009–2013   England U21      16    (5)

[PeterWithesShin]

But that's what most clubs do with young players, it's like saying Grealish was so good we sent him to Notts County and then we started to give him some games. Or Harry Kane was so good Spurs sent him out on loan 4 times. And when Tshibola was frozen out he wasn't competing with those players, it was Gardner, Bacuna and Westwood.