Aston Villa v Brighton - Match Thread

[PeterWithesShin]

Being a striker for Villa is the same as being the drummer for Spinal Tap.

[Clampy]

Congratulations Bruce. No pressure. Villa Park send off for the season. And you play for a draw at home to fucking Brighton. And I grant you they've done very well this season. Good luck to them, but they're still fucking Brighton. They have Steve Sidwell running their midfield ffs.

How did he play for a draw?

That line up just looked like a 0-0 damage limitation job to me. Full backs in midfield (Amavi is not and never will be a midfielder. Bacuna is just neither here nor there lets face it) And we hardly set the world alight (As per).

Considering we were down to 10 men and had a young lad from Biggleswade Town up front for most of the match, i thought it was a decent point.

Yeah in the end. I was talking more about how Bruce went into the game rather than the circumstances during it. I still can't settle my stomach enough to find a point at home to Brighton particularly great though.
That being said he chose to overpay for a striker with a questionnable injury record. You'd think we'd learn from all the previous sicknotes we've bought. #Blamanche Ron

Who would you have played then out of interest?

[curiousorange]

Big theoretical question - have we seen enough of Davis to play him more often, or do we try and poach someone like Tammy Abraham?

[Toronto Villa]

Highlights

http://www.skysports.com/football/a-villa-vs-brighton/358650

We had much the better chances, should have won, but as usual found a way not to. Baker was poor for getting turned but the penalty decision was just horrendous.

[mr underhill]

if Kodjia had been p[laying we would have won. Davis had 2 chances  fluffed them both and looked very slow to me. Hogan is never going to cut it at VP - no real threat and looks very injury prone. much work to be done in the summer and I'm loosing faith that Bruce is the man to do it.

[Ads]

Big theoretical question - have we seen enough of Davis to play him more often, or do we try and poach someone like Tammy Abraham?

I think he needs half a season on loan, very raw but I think he's got something to.offer.

[supertom]

Congratulations Bruce. No pressure. Villa Park send off for the season. And you play for a draw at home to fucking Brighton. And I grant you they've done very well this season. Good luck to them, but they're still fucking Brighton. They have Steve Sidwell running their midfield ffs.

How did he play for a draw?

That line up just looked like a 0-0 damage limitation job to me. Full backs in midfield (Amavi is not and never will be a midfielder. Bacuna is just neither here nor there lets face it) And we hardly set the world alight (As per).

Considering we were down to 10 men and had a young lad from Biggleswade Town up front for most of the match, i thought it was a decent point.

Yeah in the end. I was talking more about how Bruce went into the game rather than the circumstances during it. I still can't settle my stomach enough to find a point at home to Brighton particularly great though.
That being said he chose to overpay for a striker with a questionnable injury record. You'd think we'd learn from all the previous sicknotes we've bought. #Blamanche Ron

Who would you have played then out of interest?

Grealish for one, from the start. I really don't understand what we're doing with Hourihane either. That's not purely on Bruce (because he's played a little overawed thus far), but he's tended to play him (And Angela) quite negatively (granted slightly less so today in fairness). I'd have been tempted by one of the younger attacking lads from the beginning ahead of Bacuna. It's patently obvious he's not good enough, and I had hoped after his suspension that would be all she wrote. 

I know Jack hasn't always helped himself but we really need someone getting the best out of him and encouraging us to play football. I don't think the Championship is quite the slogfest Bruce thinks anymore. Grealish needs to work harder, but we need to get our talented players, playing better football. I don't see that happening under Bruce.

[mr underhill]

I thought Ange and Hurricane both had good games

[Stinkin_Thinkin]

davis reminds me of Danny Wellbeck decent back to goal striker

[brontebilly]

I can be one of the most negative people out there when it comes to Villa but I thought we played quite well today and fully deserved the point. Onwards and upwards! UTV

Thought the same, good with the ball anyway. Davis held it up well, Grealish added some much needed quality and Hourihane looked the most likely to create something. Balanced against that, our midfield collectively were lazy as hell without the ball. Murray made a mug of Baker regularly, wasn't impressed by Bree and as for mad Tommy's cameo!!

Getting a result when 1-0 down with 10 men is a decent result. Diabolical season mind, the laughing stock of English football for the second year in a row.

[Clampy]

Congratulations Bruce. No pressure. Villa Park send off for the season. And you play for a draw at home to fucking Brighton. And I grant you they've done very well this season. Good luck to them, but they're still fucking Brighton. They have Steve Sidwell running their midfield ffs.

How did he play for a draw?

That line up just looked like a 0-0 damage limitation job to me. Full backs in midfield (Amavi is not and never will be a midfielder. Bacuna is just neither here nor there lets face it) And we hardly set the world alight (As per).

Considering we were down to 10 men and had a young lad from Biggleswade Town up front for most of the match, i thought it was a decent point.

Yeah in the end. I was talking more about how Bruce went into the game rather than the circumstances during it. I still can't settle my stomach enough to find a point at home to Brighton particularly great though.
That being said he chose to overpay for a striker with a questionnable injury record. You'd think we'd learn from all the previous sicknotes we've bought. #Blamanche Ron

Who would you have played then out of interest?

Grealish for one, from the start. I really don't understand what we're doing with Hourihane either. That's not purely on Bruce (because he's played a little overawed thus far), but he's tended to play him (And Angela) quite negatively (granted slightly less so today in fairness). I'd have been tempted by one of the younger attacking lads from the beginning ahead of Bacuna. It's patently obvious he's not good enough, and I had hoped after his suspension that would be all she wrote. 

I know Jack hasn't always helped himself but we really need someone getting the best out of him and encouraging us to play football. I don't think the Championship is quite the slogfest Bruce thinks anymore. Grealish needs to work harder, but we need to get our talented players, playing better football. I don't see that happening under Bruce.

I'd have probably started Grealisg too but i'm not sure that he played for a draw just because he picked Amavi wide left.

[pauliewalnuts]

I thought we were much the better team and could, and should, have won that match.

I didn't think much of Brighton at all.

[andyh]

Finally, we start getting the ball in and around the box, which is manna for Hogan, and the fecker wasn't there !
The poor kid really has no luck. I must admit, the way he was reacting, after that challenge, I thought he had broken his ankle. Let's hope a long summer of rest has him coming back in full fitness.

Young Davis impressed immensely.
There is something to build on there.

Hourihane going into centre mid brought out the best in him, and probably the best 45 mins from us since the last time we played Brighton.

[Deano's Mullet]

 Much the better side today, a draw a least we deserved. Red and pen see scandalous. Celebrations at end were good and I got teary doing half time memorials.

[LukeJames]

Thought we played alright today to be fair, the annoying/confusing part for me though was when Davis came on (who impressed me greatly) we finally push Hourihane and lansbury further forward and start playing the ball in behind when that is exactly what we should have been doing with Hogan 4 months ago.

Looked like we should have had a nailed on pen for the foul on Davis?