The 'It's Been A Horrible One' Post Match Thread.

[saunders_heroes]

I was surprised how pissed off I was with the result but I still would have been cheered up considerably if Blues had have screwed up. There's no such thing as a healthy rivalry, you should want every opponent to be humiliated. They wouldn't give us the steam off their piss, so why should we take the moral high ground?

Exactly.

[Brend'Watkins]

Hourihane, lauded as one of the brightest prospects in the division. (Okay, just Peter Beagrie). Apart from a few dead piece deliveries and a goal has done nothing to get excited about. In his defence, not played in his best position.

Hogan, banginging in goals for his former club every week. One goal for us since he's been here and a decent assist for Kodja is the sum total of his contribution. In his defence, we're not playing to his strengths.

Lansbury, Forest's most influential and consistent performer. Has done little of note. I assume this is due to not being played in his best position. I also am beginning to think we've got yet another dud as he looks slow in pace and reaction.

These are all Bruce signings meant to improve us. They haven't. They won't either until we play a system that gets the most out of them. Can Bruce change to such a system? No he can't is the answer.  If we carry on as we are we'll be nowhere near promotion come Christmas. We could be if we got someone with a bit of nous.

[PeterWithesShin]

Considering we always bang on about them being obsessed with us, we've done a pretty good this week of behaving the same way.

Since when has it ever been any different? They don't like us and we don't like them and I'd bet my last penny fans from any club up and down the land would like to see their team lose a meaningless end of season match to see their local rivals relegated (wether they admit it or not). Let's not pretend we're any different.

I may laugh at them for being shit, enjoy them being shit and hope they go down, but i'm massively fucked off with that 'performance' today and that we lost.

I said in the quandary thread before the game that I wanted us to win, and I still feel the same way.

[saunders_heroes]

There was nothing on the game but a defeat could mean another nail in the Small Heath coffin, and I don't give a toss if some fans would rather we lost. So what? All this "I'm ashamed with the fans" is so over the top it's laughable. It's a bit of fun, nothing more nothing less.

[nick harper]

I have to say Bruce is damning himself with those comments. I hope he sees that.

That side has some of the most talented players in this league as Bren'd has said but they seem to be utterly straighjacketed by the manager at the moment.

I have been very much in the giving the manager a full season to continue stabilising the club but he really needs to release the shackles and let the team play more expansively. Six months down the line and he seems to have no idea how to set up the front six still.

I think Wyness and Xia must be pretty worried about next season at the moment.

[Louzie0]

Considering we always bang on about them being obsessed with us, we've done a pretty good this week of behaving the same way.

Since when has it ever been any different? They don't like us and we don't like them and I'd bet my last penny fans from any club up and down the land would like to see their team lose a meaningless end of season match to see their local rivals relegated (wether they admit it or not). Let's not pretend we're any different.

I may laugh at them for being shit, enjoy them being shit and hope they go down, but i'm massively fucked off with that 'performance' today and that we lost.

I said in the quandary thread before the game that I wanted us to win, and I still feel the same way.

So do I

[paul_e]

Considering we always bang on about them being obsessed with us, we've done a pretty good this week of behaving the same way.

Since when has it ever been any different? They don't like us and we don't like them and I'd bet my last penny fans from any club up and down the land would like to see their team lose a meaningless end of season match to see their local rivals relegated (wether they admit it or not). Let's not pretend we're any different.

Some fans maybe, others only care about 1 team and couldn't give a shit about anyone else.  I want to see a Villa team that wins games and plays football befitting of one of the biggest clubs in the country, that means beating teams like Blackburn and it definitely doesn't mean cheering a goal against us.  I'm not embarrassed by people that do that, I just don't understand them.

[DeKuip]

I was surprised how pissed off I was with the result but I still would have been cheered up considerably if Blues had have screwed up. There's no such thing as a healthy rivalry, you should want every opponent to be humiliated. They wouldn't give us the steam off their piss, so why should we take the moral high ground?

Exactly.

Our opponents today though were Blackburn.

[Villatillidie1982]

So it's fair to say that Bruce isn't exactly an ambitious manager for us to have at the moment, either in style or in what we can achieve with him. Yes, under him we might bore our way into the Premier League, but I'm not sure I'm all that excited about becoming the new Hull - and, to be honest, I have exactly 0% confidence in Bruce's ability to lay the groundwork for some exciting or modern style which would make us relevant again.

We will hopefully get promoted next season. Presumably Blackburn wanted or needed it more. But Bruce is not the man for the Premier League.

[Villatillidie1982]

Dr Tony should dock the players a week's wage for that performance and the coaching staff should also suffer.

The small time attitude was a combination of the team only giving 50% effort and party time on the terraces.  The players were given an excuse not to perform and they took it.   I would actually prefer playing the shit rather than the likes of Forest or Blackburn - we are more likely to get something from the derby.

As for change of  manager.  Wait and see but right now I would send a private plane for Moyes if it meant no Bruce.  I hope and I am proved to be wrong and spud can change this around  at the start of next season.

Moyes has done little better this season than Remi Garde did last season.

[Sexual Ealing]

We need to lead from the start next year. Sunderland will do a Villa but Middlesbrough, Swansea and/or Hull will be decent. As will all the playoff teams who don't make it + Leeds will be a potential threat. We're not the kind of outfit who'll relish the battle. We need to be imperious or we'll be shite again.

If not the lad from Hull then Dean Smith is worth a look in my opinion.

[QuintonVilla]

What's funny is Small Heath trying to take the moral high ground. This from the tramps who wouldn't know what morals were if they bit them on the arse. You're telling me if it was roles reversed they wouldn't have wanted to lose to try and send us down? Of course they would. They might have even taken more than 2500 fans away aswell to cheer our potential demise.

As for our players, I said on here when we signed them all that we'd turn them to shit and I got slated for it. We've signed some of the best players in this league and now they look like they've never seen a football before. Hogan looks like he's been pulled from the crowd to play, but you can guarantee if he went somewhere like Fulham he'd be scoring for fun. You can only blame the coaching and the tactics. Our midfield look clueless and create virtually nothing yet they've clearly got talent so what's stopping them?

[Axl Rose]

I have to say Bruce is damning himself with those comments. I hope he sees that.

That side has some of the most talented players in this league as Bren'd has said but they seem to be utterly straighjacketed by the manager at the moment.

I have been very much in the giving the manager a full season to continue stabilising the club but he really needs to release the shackles and let the team play more expansively. Six months down the line and he seems to have no idea how to set up the front six still.

I think Wyness and Xia must be pretty worried about next season at the moment.

Wyness seems a bit pissed off on Twitter. And rightly so. Regarding recruitment of players, the board have delivered.

I feel his tweet is aimed more at the players than Bruce, however. Which I think is a bit unfair considering they're not being played in their correct positions. Though we all know that, so I apologise for stating the obvious.

Agbonlahor, Bacuna and Gardner should never be anywhere near the team. I hate how Bruce sees Gardner as the sort of playmaker. Everything has to start with him. It just doesn't work.

[KevinGage]

Dr Tony should dock the players a week's wage for that performance and the coaching staff should also suffer.

The small time attitude was a combination of the team only giving 50% effort and party time on the terraces.  The players were given an excuse not to perform and they took it.   I would actually prefer playing the shit rather than the likes of Forest or Blackburn - we are more likely to get something from the derby.

As for change of  manager.  Wait and see but right now I would send a private plane for Moyes if it meant no Bruce.  I hope and I am proved to be wrong and spud can change this around  at the start of next season.

Moyes has done little better this season than Remi Garde did last season.

Accurate. But we're edging into tallest dwarf territory if we need to make those comparisons.

[ciggiesnbeer]

We dodged a bullet not getting Moyes. Terrible terrible manager. Bruce may or may not be the right solution for us but he is vastly superior to the doomsayer Moyes.