The Storming Aston Villa 2-0 Delia's Norwich

[TopDeck113]

Just happy that we're on this sort of run. Long may it continue.  No, the performances and the personnel aren't perfect, but after the last five years and - indeed - after the start of this season and the start of this calendar year it's a joy. What's more I'm anticipating a 2+ points a game average for the remaining fixtures. 

With a few pieces of smart business in the summer, an injury free preseason and all Bruce's experience in ensuring no complacency, we'll be the real deal in August and this time next year I'd fully expect us to be all but home-and-hosed in the promotion race.   

[Lastfootstamper]

Two fans whose opinions I regard highly, DW and Peter W merge to touch upon a very odd metaphysical sensation we discussed en masse in our part of the Holte Lower yesterday, to whit, we can't actually believe that bad luck seems to be leaving us alone.  I think that as far as Villa are concerned I had come very close to being institutionalised to failure.  Like Red in The Shawshank Redemption.

It's something that had woven itself deep into every fibre of the club over the years. Us supporters were the last to succumb entirely to its pervasiveness. It's gonna take a while to shake ourselves completely free of it.

But in (hopefully short) time, we will accept that that growing light at the end of our particular tunnel is just that, and not the headlamp of an express coming the other way.

[Clampy]

And despite all this positivism I can't help think there's an air of the emperor's new clothes about it. We're somehow getting the breaks, the turned down penalties, the clean sheets, the 1-0/2-0 wins, but we're not dominating games, turning teams over or looking like we're actually playing that well. It feels to me at least that we could just as easily lose the next 5 as win them.

I wouldn't call 6 wins in 7 or several clean sheets 'getting the breaks'. I'd call it a good run of form. Why not try and enjoy it?

[AV82EC]

I think what we are is defensively very very solid. 1 goal conceded in seven games tells its own story but no one looks like breaking us down despite possession and pressure. Norwich were a case in point yesterday, lots of nice play up to the box but then fuck all clue what to do with it once they got there and they're faced with the Villa defensive screen. I'll admit it's not pretty and Kodjia can get isolated but it's bloody effective at the moment and with a bit more composure at times it will develop further. It's also interesting to note that starting with two up top meant we played very differently up until Hogan went off and were certainly I felt worth our 1 goal lead and playing half decent football.

[Toronto Villa]

And despite all this positivism I can't help think there's an air of the emperor's new clothes about it. We're somehow getting the breaks, the turned down penalties, the clean sheets, the 1-0/2-0 wins, but we're not dominating games, turning teams over or looking like we're actually playing that well. It feels to me at least that we could just as easily lose the next 5 as win them.

I wouldn't call 6 wins in 7 or several clean sheets 'getting the breaks'. I'd call it a good run of form. Why not try and enjoy it?

And by same token we hit the post and bar a couple of times a game during RDM's time. And inch inside and he could still be manager and we could be somewhere near the top with him still in charge. Those are the breaks sometimes. Right now we are generally very solid. We allow teams to have the ball in mostly non threatening areas. It's all a bit MON but after so many years of garbage, so much of it at VP, we should be enjoying becoming hard to beat and resolute. It's a great formula to get out of this division. I'll worry about aesthetics another time.

[Keeno]

I understand the point that we are not *dominating* games, yet still winning them - which does admittedly leave us sometimes under more pressure than we need to be for periods in matches. But the run of form we've had in the last 7/8 games isn't luck - I think best demonstrated by the way we have instantly returned to form after having that disappointing result at Huddersfield.

There are MANY ways to go about consistently winning football matches - and dominating games in possession, shots and thus goals week in week out... that's something that very few teams even at the elite level can do. Certainly not something that the two teams at the top of the Championship have consistently done this season - both the Toon and Brighton have had their wobbles. I think what Bruce has done is play to our strengths - with, as has been mentioned, a strong back four and taken advantage of our clinical finishing. Hopefully if we carry this momentum into next year (and with a couple of signings), we'll see a bit more of a controlling style at home - but for now I think asking for that relatively early into Bruce's time here is a bridge too far. Just enjoy the winning feeling again!

[peter w]

And despite all this positivism I can't help think there's an air of the emperor's new clothes about it. We're somehow getting the breaks, the turned down penalties, the clean sheets, the 1-0/2-0 wins, but we're not dominating games, turning teams over or looking like we're actually playing that well. It feels to me at least that we could just as easily lose the next 5 as win them.

I wouldn't call 6 wins in 7 or several clean sheets 'getting the breaks'. I'd call it a good run of form. Why not try and enjoy it?

Where did I say that I wasn't enjoying it?

[mr underhill]

My only worry about the bench on Saturday was the lack of attacking options - Hogan looks really injury prone which leaves just Kodjia - we need another striker in the summer as a priority.

[brian green]

Reverting temporarily to miserablism our attacking problem with Codger plus AN Other brings to mind the old (sexist) adage of not putting two women in the same kitchen.  Johnny does like to be the star.  Johnny does not like to pass.

[Clampy]

And despite all this positivism I can't help think there's an air of the emperor's new clothes about it. We're somehow getting the breaks, the turned down penalties, the clean sheets, the 1-0/2-0 wins, but we're not dominating games, turning teams over or looking like we're actually playing that well. It feels to me at least that we could just as easily lose the next 5 as win them.

I wouldn't call 6 wins in 7 or several clean sheets 'getting the breaks'. I'd call it a good run of form. Why not try and enjoy it?

Where did I say that I wasn't enjoying it?

Well in fairness you didn't but you don't come across as overly impressed either. How did you think we played on Saturday out of interest?

[mr underhill]

not brilliantly but we won which is all that matters

[brian green]

If I had to use one word to describe our performance against Norwich it would be "solid".  Solidity has been a long time coming.

[Risso]

I'm a firm believer in that teams mostly end up where they deserve to be over the course of a season.  of course there will be moments of luck and dodgy decisions, but we were mostly shit at the start of the season and in January, and we're better now.  It's just a shame that we had all of those points chucked away in the last few minutes of games, as even 5 more points now would make a huge difference to the chances of sniffling a play off place.

My big worry now is hanging on to Kodjia.  That's going to be the big battle at the end of this season, as I can't see that there's any way that a Premier League team won't offer big money for him.

[paul_e]

I sort of see where Peter is coming from because it's the same concerns I had in November/early december where it felt to me like we were due a run of bad results, we were just nowhere near good enough even when we picked up points.  This run doesn't have me so worried.  I'm not a fan of how we're playing but this is now a Bruce team playing like a Bruce team.  There will be games where the lack of possession bites us on the arse and we concede the first and I'm still concerned that Bruce doesn't really know how to chase a game but this is now 'what it says on the tin'.  It's just a massive shame that he had the brainfart with the formation, etc in jan/feb which realistically ended our chances of the playoffs.

[andyh]

From where we have been for the last 6 or 7 years, I think we need to accept our rise to greatness will come with small steps.
Stop getting beaten so easily.
Win some games at home.
Start to win away games.
Look solid.

All of those are being achieved.

The next stage will be to start dominating games and play with a bit of flair.
That will all come with the confidence of winning regularly.

Small steps.