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Author Topic: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre-Match Thread  (Read 15700 times)

Offline Ads

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #75 on: January 22, 2021, 12:48:50 PM »
The away end at Sunderland is the coldest place on earth. They took the breeze from Roker Park and brought it with them to the Stadium of Light.

Online Clampy

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #76 on: January 22, 2021, 01:07:37 PM »
Stoke is always cold whenever I've been there.

Offline SoccerHQ

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #77 on: January 22, 2021, 01:16:59 PM »
He came in, spent a shit load of money that we didnt have on players that were not good enough. He had and has no idea of tactics which limited any chance of promotion. He failed miserably blamed everybody else until someone chucked a cabbage at him and then he fucked off. Good riddance.

He made some good signings amongst the poor ones as all managers do, albeit some on loan - Snodgrass, Abraham, El Ghazi, Hourihane, Elmohamady all helped to turn the club around - and probably the best player we’ve got from Scotland since Des Bremner.

Bruce had his time and came up short but it wasn’t all doom and gloom in that period given the previous 6 or 7 years we’d endured.

What tickles me about those players is he was making out they were all bargain basement loan signings rather than some of the top ones in their positions in the championship which likes of Snodgrass and Tammy obviously were.

Looks like they're going to gamble on Saint Maximn for this one although he hasn't played since November 21st.

Online paul_e

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #78 on: January 22, 2021, 01:27:00 PM »
He came in, spent a shit load of money that we didnt have on players that were not good enough. He had and has no idea of tactics which limited any chance of promotion. He failed miserably blamed everybody else until someone chucked a cabbage at him and then he fucked off. Good riddance.

He made some good signings amongst the poor ones as all managers do, albeit some on loan - Snodgrass, Abraham, El Ghazi, Hourihane, Elmohamady all helped to turn the club around - and probably the best player we’ve got from Scotland since Des Bremner.

Bruce had his time and came up short but it wasn’t all doom and gloom in that period given the previous 6 or 7 years we’d endured.

That's 6 players out of 20, I'll add Terry as well but that's about the lot and 3 of them were very much much short term solutions. a record of getting it right 1 time in 3 doesn't look good.

More important is the idea that he was 'exactly' what we needed when he came in, that's just nonsense. The absolute minimum requirement was someone who could organise a defence better than RDM but there are hundreds of managers who fit that requirement and most of them would also have also been able to setup the squad in a way that we didn't end up promoted with 12 senior players to pick from.

Offline FatSam

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #79 on: January 22, 2021, 01:37:13 PM »
He came in, spent a shit load of money that we didnt have on players that were not good enough. He had and has no idea of tactics which limited any chance of promotion. He failed miserably blamed everybody else until someone chucked a cabbage at him and then he fucked off. Good riddance.

Di Matteo spent £54m (net £30m) summer 2016.

Bruce spent £21m (net £5m) January 2017, £2m (net £-13m) summer 2017, £0m January 2018 (net £0m), £7m (net -£7m) summer 2018. A total of £30m (-£15m)

Hogan was obviously a waste of money in terms of fee and wages, but all of the others were relatively low fees. Lansbury has obviously been a waste of wages, but most of the others have served a purpose, or been off-loaded. He generally played the loan market well.

I agree that this wasn't sustainable long term, because by the time he left we had a relatively old squad apart from the loanees, had to go out and buy a whole new squad in summer 2019, and if we hadn't been promoted would have been royally fucked. However, someone (Xia?) was sanctioning these transfers, and you'd struggle argue that Hourihane, McGinn, El Ghazi, Taylor, Elmohamady and Whelan (ultimately) weren't good value.

I agree that he didn't have a clue about tactics, and that he ultimately failed. However, he was starting from such a low base, with a squad that had been conditioned to lose football matches, and he did start to change this.

I am pleased that he is no longer our manager, but I don't understand the animosity towards him.

Offline CT

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #80 on: January 22, 2021, 01:50:53 PM »
The away end at Sunderland is the coldest place on earth. They took the breeze from Roker Park and brought it with them to the Stadium of Light.

I would say the old away end at Oldham would just shade victory in that one. (FA Cup 1990)

I’m sure Boundary Park was in Ice Road Truckers once.

Offline JUAN PABLO

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #81 on: January 22, 2021, 02:05:21 PM »
Stoke is always cold whenever I've been there.

coldest away match Ive been was Oldham  think we lost 3 0 too.

Offline Damo70

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #82 on: January 22, 2021, 02:08:03 PM »
The away end at Sunderland is the coldest place on earth. They took the breeze from Roker Park and brought it with them to the Stadium of Light.

I would say the old away end at Oldham would just shade victory in that one. (FA Cup 1990)

I’m sure Boundary Park was in Ice Road Truckers once.


I always found Boundary Park cold but the coldest I have ever been at an away game was the goalless draw at Notts County one midweek under BFR. The wettest I have ever been was Huddersfield away in 1987 in the early SGT days. My matchday programme turned into a ball of paper mache  in my coat pocket. The coldest I have been at Villa Park was in the Trinity Road stand for a midweek ZDS cup game against Forest.

Offline Damo70

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #83 on: January 22, 2021, 02:31:01 PM »
Stoke is always cold whenever I've been there.

Stoke away in '87/'88 was the worst view (or more accurately lack of view) I have ever had at a game. We were alongside the pitch and right down the bottom with our eye level view in line with the players legs. Although to be fair I wasn't cold.

Offline not3bad

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #84 on: January 22, 2021, 02:48:19 PM »
Stoke is always cold whenever I've been there.

Yeah I was thinking Stoke. I had a lovely day there. 0-0 draw, bloody freezing, no beer at half time, staff ignored me when I queued up to get a pie.

Offline trinityoap

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #85 on: January 22, 2021, 02:48:54 PM »
Another vote for Oldham.Frozen Bovril anyone?

Offline Drummond

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #86 on: January 22, 2021, 03:15:37 PM »
Yeah but it's the coldest place on earth.

Only if you're a great big shandy-drinking jessie!

(coldest place I've ever been, I don't think that Coats R Us does a roaring trade up there though.)

A mate as at Uni there. We went and had a night out. I slept fully clothed with 2 duvets on.

The kitchen had ice inside the windows and the washing up sponge was a brick of ice too.

It's just cold. And yes, if there was a bravery award it would go to the women of the city; the amount of clothes they wear appears to be inversely proportionate to the temperature.

Online Richard E

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #87 on: January 22, 2021, 03:20:07 PM »
No away end could possibly be as cold as Meadow Lane in 1992. And it was a terrible game.

Offline Damo70

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #88 on: January 22, 2021, 03:20:48 PM »
Gotta disagree there Allan. Of course Bruce steadied the Villa ship. He, like it or not, was just what we needed at the time he took over. I think he did a good job, but we were on different trajectories. He’s a decent man, prone to making excuses like the best of us at times will. We out grew him ( I know- difficult!). He’s a top half championship/ bottom half Premiership manager and our ambitions are now, or should be, back in the top 6. I bear no malice to the bloke- tried to get us up, narrowly failed and the rest is history. Don’t forget the personal struggles he had, losing both his parents whilst managing Villa.

The late 60’s / early 70’s were before my time, but I see him as a Vic Crowe coming in and turning the ship around after the craziness of the Doc, before handing over to the more competent Saunders equivalent of Smith. Those older than me may well disagree, but there are similarities with how things seem to be playing out. Hopefully history repeats.
  this is absolutely spot on in every detail


I agree with this. The club had been struggling since the MON walkout and we had in the main stunk out the Premier League for half a decade finishing 16th, 15th, 15th, 17th and 20th. I think he did steady the ship and he turned it around enough to get to a play off final we were unlucky to lose. I also think the new owners did the right thing by giving him a chance given that the new season was upon us. I backed him longer than most but in the latter weeks of his reign he went into the under pressure manager default mode of making excuses and blaming everyone and everything apart from himself. I think we were right to appoint him, right to stick with him and give him a shot after the takeover and ultimately right to sack him. We probably could and should have have sacked him a little bit earlier but apart from that little quibble generally speaking I think the owners
did exactly the right things at the right time. Bruce spent a fair few quid, had a decent amount of time and ultimately just fell short. I agree with the poster who described him as a bottom half Premier League manager, top half Championship manager.
« Last Edit: January 22, 2021, 03:28:13 PM by Damo70 »

Offline Damo70

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Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle United Pre Match Thread
« Reply #89 on: January 22, 2021, 03:24:18 PM »
No away end could possibly be as cold as Meadow Lane in 1992. And it was a terrible game.

I seem to recall Staunton missed a penalty.

 


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