Bristol City Vs Aston Villa Post Match Thread

[Drummond]

Interviewer says some fans were singing for him to go, he says he's not interested in social media. 'have you a message for those fans Steve?', 'No, why should I?'

Wanker.

[andyh]

Well we dusted worselves down after a disappointing result last weekend and started to implement some of the things that've seen me gain so many promotions in the past. As I've said before: there's no easy games in this league - and I was delighted the Icelandic fella finished off a well-deserved goal for wor. If the fans aren't happy with that result, they can all haddaway & shite. Reet,  I'm haway to get worsel' a large doner & fries.

That has made me laugh so much......thank you.

[Villan For Life]

Interviewer says some fans were singing for him to go, he says he's not interested in social media. 'have you a message for those fans Steve?', 'No, why should I?'

Wanker.

That’s not social media Steve, that’s the fans of the club that you are letting go to rack and ruin. They weren’t on social media. Now do the decent thing. There’s no future for you at AVFC.

[Drummond]

From the OS

The Boss: Bruce on settling for point, Birkir Bjarnason, coming from behind and big decisions

Steve Bruce spoke to Club TV after the full-time whistle at Ashton Gate, where Aston Villa drew 1-1 with Bristol City.

His thoughts can be read in full below.

On the game itself...
I think we deserved three points.

The referee has made a bad decision in the first half – we should have been a goal up.

Their first shot at goal takes a deflection and sneaks into the net.

The longer the game went, the better the opportunities we created.

We also had a big penalty shout. When decisions like that go against you, you've got to accept it and move on.

We're close. We haven't won again and there's an air of disappointment, but we've only lost once away from home in the league this season.

I know we have the makings of a very good team. We're gelling together and are only five points off the top.

We haven't started well but are within sight – that's what this league is all about.


On a point that, on another day, would be considered a good one...
Overall I'm pleased because it's not easy to come here, with a big expectant crowd.

The boys have rolled up their sleeves.

We need a bit more confidence in our play, but that'll come. We're on the right lines.

On the half-time team talk...
Birki Bjarnason's goal changes it a little bit.

It's nothing more than we deserved at the time, and I feel we certainly deserved something out of the game.

I thought we deserved all three, actually.

There was a 20-minute period after the restart. It's when we're in those areas I say, 'could we have scored?'

On whether he got the defensive improvements he sought...
I think so – I'll have to watch the game back in full.

But we looked solid and didn't give much away.

We had the better chances and opportunities and have to remember it's not a given to come to Bristol City and win. It's not easy.

But our supporters were here in their thousands again and it was great to see.


On Birkir Bjarnason...
He can feel harshly treated.

But he's had a long summer and I've tried to give him the rest he needs while I can.

I need him ready for this long marathon that we're about to embark on.

When we get to the middle of winter he'll be good for us.

On taking points from a losing position again...
There's a sprit there and you can see it in the dressing room.

They're a bit short on confidence at the minute and they know they can move the ball better as a group.

But there was a resilience about them which was good to see.

[dorsetvillian]

Just back in. Christ how shit was that. 5 players played out of position. kodja and Jack played wide,  with three wingers on the bench. Its painful to watch and see our promotion hopes slip away so early. I'm sick and tired of Steve Bruce, his style of play, tactics (or lack of!) and random formations. Please be gone tomorrow.

[old man villa fan]

From the OS

The Boss: Bruce on settling for point, Birkir Bjarnason, coming from behind and big decisions

Steve Bruce spoke to Club TV after the full-time whistle at Ashton Gate, where Aston Villa drew 1-1 with Bristol City.

His thoughts can be read in full below.

….....................…. On whether he got the defensive improvements he sought...
I think so – I'll have to watch the game back in full...……………...

He is an experienced manager and was a very experienced player and he needs to watch a video to see if the defence improved!  What is he seeing when he is on the touchline.  No wonder he cannot change tactics during the game or make game changing substitutions.  He is just full of s***.

[Meanwood Villa]

I went tonight and the only reason I did was because my Dad lives in Bristol. I can't remember a time I was less enthused to go to a game and unfortunately it lived down to my expectations. Tedious shite again. While he was getting results last season it was tolerable but he is most definitely a busted flush now and the sooner he is gone the better.

[nodge]

We're there or thereabouts, we're more thereabouts than there, to be fair, Nan's hair.

[tomd2103]

Watched the game out and just got back in. What is there to say really, as it's the type of football we've seen under him throughout his time here.  No discernible style of play, just long hopeful balls up to a striker who is clearly not capable of playing that way.  Unbalanced side with players playing out of position meaning attacks regularly break down due to players giving the ball away or having to turn back on their favoured foot.  The only addition this season has been defensive instability, mainly caused by him not properly replacing the goalkeeper and centre half from last season.

Let's face it, unless a few players click and go on a hot streak of form, we are a mid table side under him and that has been the case since he has been here.

In terms of players:

Nyland - unconvincing again
Tuanzebe - not sure he's good enough on the ball to be a full-back, especially going forward
Chester - looked unusually shaky at times
Jedinak - also unconvincing again.  Wins the ball in the air, but doesn't seem to be able to clear his lines
Hutton - form of the last couple of seasons seems to have deserted him at present
Bjarnason - good header but wasn't really on the ball enough for a defensive midfielder
Hourihane and McGinn - quiet games and think they might be a bit too similar to play together
Grealish - completely wasted out wide, got frustrated and reverted back to his bad old habit of holding on to the ball too long
Kodjia - offered very little threat and should have been replaced earlier
Abraham - clearly not the type of player who is going to enjoy or prosper from long balls pumped up to him in the air and a physical battle with Championship centre halves.

[aj2k77]

Shite, fuck off Steve.

[Ads]

13 hours after leaving the north west I am home.

Not really worth it tonight.

It's incredible the squad we have and yet we start with 5 players out of position.

Grealish and Kodjia wide is just bizarre. Why would you want your lynchpin so far from where he can affect play in any direction? Where his touches are limited? Why would you want to shackle your number 10 and a striker with defensive duties?

At what point did he think we needed the height of Jedinak against their tiny front line?

At what point did he think the midfield needed 3 in there?

Where was the positive sub during our 20 minutes second half to try and force the lead? Instead it came 10 minutes too late and after the game had petered out.

No game plan or means of attacking against an utterly dreadful Bristol.

It was tedious stuff yet again. This is a squad that should be swashbuckling and blowing sides away with pace and power. But we're limp, at best.

I see absolutely no signs of improvement. We just bungle 11 onto the pitch and shake them about hoping for magic. It's utterly unacceptable.

We were singing numerous variations of there or there abouts. An homage to the O'Leary jibes. But the reality is we're nowhere near and actually we're mid-table in the 2nd division.

He needs to be sacked after Milwall. Regardless of results against Preston and Milwall, he must be sacked.

Taking off both strikers for two wingers was a real wow moment too.

[mr underhill]

Bruce replaced a manager who chalked up similar results over a similar time frame - so what's preventing our new majority owners from doing that which Dr T saw as being essential?

[eamonn]

I had this down for a nailed-on draw, wish I was a betting man but I forgot all about the game as I was rushing from work to get my barnet cut for a wedding in Rome today, and went straight to see the League Of Gentlemen live last night. A quick pint in the pub after and it dawned on me I hadn't any idea of the result. Get the phone out and see they hadn't let me down. And wince while reading the first page of this thread seeing our regular grumbles with a fresh perspective and wonder if we're a bit self-entitled before remembering how much of this shite we put up with. To an outsider, I guess it is easy to dislike us but every club's fans think they should be doing better, otherwise what's the point, I guess.

As with many seasons in my time as a Villa fan, mainly since the start of the 2000's, so many seasons are spent drowning in draws. The danger of the "we're hard to beat, only one defeat all season" mantra that Bruce clings to is that it hides the plain truth that we're just not good enough under him.
Given the resources he has available to him and the fact he's been honest more than once that this is the biggest club he'll ever manage, it's a real pisser that he is incapable of rising to the occasion.

Time to catch me flight.

[dorsetvillian]

Did anyone notice when Bruce took Tammy off,  as the boos got louder, you could see Bruce look across and angrily shake his head at the away fans. He kept pointing to his feet as if to say Tammy had a foot problem. Please go now!

[Neil Hawkes]

Sack him, sack him, sack him, fuck him off, get rid, be gone you useless potato headed fucker

While I agree with your sentiments, I will never agree with vegetable references to any manager of our club.