The Much Awaited Return of Promotion Maths

[Toronto Villa]

I think the best way to guarantee promotion is for Bruce to tell the team to focus on winning the championship. Look up not down and all that.

at 7 straight wins and counting I think he's doing just that.

[olaftab]

Ryanair Dub to Brum, has to be done.

I'm over for QPR and Leeds, here's hoping we're still in 2nd at that point!

Mate we are unlikely to be first at that point as that will take a few more games.

[olaftab]

Straight 8 in a row is my best lifetime  experience with the Villa however as Fulham are below us I will be happy  with a draw there.

[villan from luton]

Really looking forward to Fulham game now, will be tough but honestly think we can win there

[QuintonVilla]

After the Brentford defeat I predicted we would be about 9th by February  What a pillock

[SoccerHQ]

We could look back in 5 years and that 48 hours of nicking a 1-0 at Boro and then smashing Bristol was two of our most important results in recent history.

Certainly a switch has been flicked on and we've looked a proper team these last six weeks.

[TopDeck113]

The Boro game might well turn out to be for Bruce what that game against Derby was for SGT Mark 1.

[paul_e]

We could look back in 5 years and that 48 hours of nicking a 1-0 at Boro and then smashing Bristol was two of our most important results in recent history.

Certainly a switch has been flicked on and we've looked a proper team these last six weeks.

Absolutely this. We looked in a complete mess in December, Adomah had gone off the boil, Hogan looked like the latest in a long line of expensive mistakes and Snodgrass looked like he'd had enough and Grealish was fit but couldn't get gametime at 10 ahead of Onomah.  The turn around from that to now is huge.  whoever is at the heart of it doesn't really matter, I'm glad it's happened and so long as we're learning from this and we stick to playing to our strengths then everyone at the club (bar a few notable exceptions) should be proud of it and safe in their position.

[john2710]

The momentum is with us, you can see the team spirit is there.

Fair play to Bruce, he's proving a lot of people wrong.

There's a long way to go, but as Ron would say "do you want to bet against us"?

[Deano's Mullet]

What was pleasing today was our passing and ball retention. Often that goes out the window in the Derby but I thought for a local grudge match we showed a lot of quality. The passing and movement have been hallmarks of our upturn in fortune since Boxing Day. I even thought Blues tried to keep the ball on the deck even if they were fairly impotent. Hourihanes goal reminded me of the sort of goal Garry Parker used tomscore, particularly his goals at Anfield, Bramall Lane and Maine Road.

[SirSteveUK]

Straight 8 in a row is my best lifetime  experience with the Villa however as Fulham are below us I will be happy  with a draw there.

just League matches only ?? What season was that?

[SirSteveUK]

Our rivals have a tough run of fixtures. None of those teams will want to come to Villa Park needing a result.

Fulhams next 5

Villa (h)
Bristol City (a)
Wolves (h)
Derby (a)
Sheff U (h)

[SirSteveUK]

Don't forget - 80 points wold have achieived 2nd place only TWICE in the last 10 years 2008 + 2013
 

[passitsideways]

What was pleasing today was our passing and ball retention. Often that goes out the window in the Derby but I thought for a local grudge match we showed a lot of quality. The passing and movement have been hallmarks of our upturn in fortune since Boxing Day. I even thought Blues tried to keep the ball on the deck even if they were fairly impotent. Hourihanes goal reminded me of the sort of goal Garry Parker used tomscore, particularly his goals at Anfield, Bramall Lane and Maine Road.

I think Jack has played a massive part in that, both in being able to find space to receive a pass, and that our players have confidence to pass to him even when it's a little crowded, because they know he can wiggle out of it.

[boozey182]

What was pleasing today was our passing and ball retention. Often that goes out the window in the Derby but I thought for a local grudge match we showed a lot of quality. The passing and movement have been hallmarks of our upturn in fortune since Boxing Day. I even thought Blues tried to keep the ball on the deck even if they were fairly impotent. Hourihanes goal reminded me of the sort of goal Garry Parker used tomscore, particularly his goals at Anfield, Bramall Lane and Maine Road.

I think Jack has played a massive part in that, both in being able to find space to receive a pass, and that our players have confidence to pass to him even when it's a little crowded, because they know he can wiggle out of it.

That's so true. I've complained that our midfield for many years now have always looked for the safe option, which has invariably meant passing backwards or sideways. That still may be true of them, but now the safest option is to pass it forward twenty yards to Jack. It makes such a massive difference to how we play. We're in their half, not ours.