Edge of the Press-ipice

[PeterWithesShin]

Don't blame Dave for that title.

http://thebirminghampress.com/2017/02/whats-it-all-about-ashley/

[Steve67]

I truly hope that people at the club read these reports. They are honest and, dare I say, reflect what the majority of Villa fans think. How much longer can this shit go on? Great article Dave.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Those last three paragraphs. So true.

[Ian.]

Nothing makes sense. We've got like you say a whole new board room, coaching staff, manager and near enough playing staff and we're still making the same silly mistakes, still treat the ball like a hot potato and have the luck of a cursed fool.

Every manager either young and promising or tried and tested seem to run out of ideas and chose the most unlikely of line ups. I have nothing against 3 at the back and I think it could be used with success, however playing Hutton over Bacunna and not playing Amavi made a mockery of the system.

I have no idea what the problem is or why we can't dominate a match given the players at our disposal, my biggest confusion is why someone with the experience and knowledge in the game such as Bruce who has a proven track record is making such a mess of it since the end of last year.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

The point about players who were generally shite for us, then going on to excel for their next club is bang on and very worrying. Off the top of my head:

Lowton
Clark
Sinclair
Albrighton
Gueye

Even Daren Bent is still banging them in whilst our multi million pond strike force fail to score again.

Add in the players who were previously great, then turned to shite upon joining us (McCormack, Elphick, and to a lesser extent Jedinak) and you start to wonder just what is wrong at our club.

[brian green]

Marlon, you missed out the much reviled Jordan Veretout who has played very well since having the "get rid" sign hung round his neck at Villa Park.

[brian green]

And Adama Traore, another singled out for denigration.

[oldtimernow]

Oh and the unsaid "British managers and players know best theme" that seems to have grabbed hold after Garde's tenure.

[Boz]

The point about players who were generally shite for us, then going on to excel for their next club is bang on and very worrying. Off the top of my head:

Lowton
Clark
Sinclair
Albrighton
Gueye

Even Daren Bent is still banging them in whilst our multi million pond strike force fail to score again.

Add in the players who were previously great, then turned to shite upon joining us (McCormack, Elphick, and to a lesser extent Jedinak) and you start to wonder just what is wrong at our club.

Dave, A very appropriate and accurate report of the situation at VP.

It surely must be the coaching staff and the manager who has the overall responsibility for picking the team, how its set up, yet they can't apparently find the right format for the players they've now brought in.

Bruce has until the summer to turn things around, otherwise one has to conclude the task's beyond his capabilities.

[nick harper]

When I was watching Ipswich comfortably knocking it around for the first 25 mins of the second half with Villa continually giving it back to them, it could have been any home game in the last five years. It really is incredible how the personnel have completely changed but the pattern remains the same.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Very true. Hutton is still our main attacking outlet. Everything still going down the right despite the all the changes in manager.

[ROBBO]

The Villa job seems to be a lead weight that attaches itself to whoever dreams that they are the one that will bring greatness back to Villa Park. It shows how far we have fallen when I watched Lowton yesterday and wished he was still playing for us.
I don't pretend to be able to fathom the thinking of Bruce but we are looking reminiscent of the side that got relegated from the premiership and I would rather have a cohort of three members of this site to pick and set up the team on match day, they could do no worse.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

Marlon, you missed out the much reviled Jordan Veretout who has played very well since having the "get rid" sign hung round his neck at Villa Park.

Correct Brian. I thought Veretout and Traore would've been fantastic in the Championship but it appears neither fancied it.

[brian green]

They would have fancied it Marlon if they had been treated better when they were our players.  As somebody said haterz gonna hate.

[Billy Walker]

At this stage, after the past five or so years, I really think it is the pressure and desperation of the fans that is rubbing off on the players.  They play with fear and the weight of the world on their shoulders.  When opposition managers come to Villa Park, the gameplan is simple - keep things tight for the first forty five minutes, get the home crowd jumpy, then go for it in the second half.