Aston Villa v Brentford: Pre-Match Thread

[Drummond]

If Brentford are so good how come we finished above them last year?

Because we had Johnstone, Terry, Snodgrass and Grabban. Who we've replaced with an accident waiting to happen, an aged midfielder out of position, Elmo semi out of position and no one.

Alternatively.... We have Nyland, Tuanzebe, McGinn with Grealish and Kodjia back from injury.... with more to come.

[Richard E]

Anybody else keep thinking this game is tonight rather than tomorrow? Most annoying.

[garyshawsknee]

Come tomorrow night, you may wish it was on Thursday!!

[mr underhill]

that's the spirit

[sirlordbaltimore]

If Brentford are so good how come we finished above them last year?

Bruce got lucky

[ChicagoLion]

If Brentford are so good how come we finished above them last year?

Bruce got lucky

We spent more on Hogan than they have on thier first team.
Yes Bruce is very lucky,

[robleflaneur]

The problem with talking about Clough, Shankley or even Fergie when it's mentioned how his Yanited side "struggled" at first, is that you're talking about the very best managers to grace the English game.

So unless Smith is a genius, I think he's far more likely to be swallowed by the enormity of the club then emerge as some genius.

I respect what Dean Smith has done, but I don't think he'd be capable of replicating it here and I have no interest in granting him the opportunity to fail.

The reality of the club is that we are in the second tier.If we are an enormous club then we should be looking to recruit the best available manager and not be content with a manager because he is in situ.
Southampton copped a lot of flak because they sacked Adkins who was doing a reasonable job but went for Pochettino who they thought correctly could do better.
I'm not saying that Smith is the best available candidate but to dismiss  him on non footballing grounds is ridiculous.How do you know that he can't cope with the pressure of getting Villa promoted ? How do you know that he is not capable of replicating his achievements here ?Having a method of play is a transferable skill.

[Ads]

Why is size a non-footballing matter? This is a huge club with an enormous expectation and that provides a scale of pressure Smith has never come close to experiencing at two small outfits.

Not that there's a vacancy and not that I expect Smith to be replacing Bruce anytime soon.

[robleflaneur]

Why is size a non-footballing matter? This is a huge club with an enormous expectation and that provides a scale of pressure Smith has never come close to experiencing at two small outfits.

Not that there's a vacancy and not that I expect Smith to be replacing Bruce anytime soon.

Because football is a game between 2 teams.The performance of the players decide the issue not the size of the clubs. His small outfit are playing against the same teams that we are facing and have to combat the same problems but with a different and probably inferior squad of players.
Size does not always provide  extra pressure.I'm sure a rocking VP lifts a player's performance.Size brings you bigger budgets,thus a chance to bring in better players instead of losing your better players.Having to worry about severe financial problems in the lower leagues,as in life itself,is the worst sort of pressure.

[Duncan Shaw]

Anybody else keep thinking this game is tonight rather than tomorrow? Most annoying.

Kinell, I thought it was!  Working away in Bath, got a pub lined up to watch it and everything!  I'll be travelling tomorrow, gutted!

[Ads]

I don't agree at all. It's not a level playing field. There's dramatically more pressure at Real Madrid than anywhere else in Spain. Yes it's still 22 blokes on a pitch, but stripping it down to such simplicities renders it meaningless.

There's not even close to the level of expectation at Brentford as at Villa. A start like Smith had last season would have seen him sacked. The start Bruce has had to this season has people calling for his head.

That's a huge factor. This club ages managers and invariably eats them.

Garde
McLiesh
Lambert
Atkinson
O'Neill
Little
Gregory
O'Leary

Only Taylor in the last 30 years has come out the otherside.

[Boz]

Why is size a non-footballing matter? This is a huge club with an enormous expectation and that provides a scale of pressure Smith has never come close to experiencing at two small outfits.

Not that there's a vacancy and not that I expect Smith to be replacing Bruce anytime soon.

But maybe Smith would step up to the plate and accept the challenge and opportunity to grow into becoming a manager of a big club.

Brentford have also just signed Dasilva from Arsenal, so they are progressing as a club.

[Richard E]

Just checking, it Is Brazil we are playing against tomorrow, yes?

[robleflaneur]

I don't agree at all. It's not a level playing field. There's dramatically more pressure at Real Madrid than anywhere else in Spain. Yes it's still 22 blokes on a pitch, but stripping it down to such simplicities renders it meaningless.

There's not even close to the level of expectation at Brentford as at Villa. A start like Smith had last season would have seen him sacked. The start Bruce has had to this season has people calling for his head.

That's a huge factor. This club ages managers and invariably eats them.

Garde
McLiesh
Lambert
Atkinson
O'Neill
Little
Gregory
O'Leary

Only Taylor in the last 30 years has come out the otherside.

And if you look at all the WM clubs since the start of 2006 season,ease of totting up,Villa ,Wolves and Walsall are equal best for appointing the fewest managers(not counting caretaker managers) behind Blues,Albion and Coventry.
If you look at similar size clubs such as Newcastle and Sunderland ,they have an attrition rate 50% higher than Villa's.
In your list,2 are now international managers despited being aged by the Villa job.

[PeterWithesShin]