January 2023 Transfer Rumours, Discussions and Done Deals Thread

[Jon Crofts]

Neil Taylor was more than adequate up to the halfway line for the Championship at the time

There I fixed that for you.

[brontebilly]

It was Steve Bruce, who knows what he saw in players, he signed Lansbury and Hogan in the same window.

That was when he was trying his version of Moneyball. Just buy the top scorer at the time, Hogan, the person with the most assists (Hourihane) and the player with the best combination of assists and goals at the time (Lansbury). With seemingly no thought as to if they were actually any good or how he'd end up fitting them in.

I don't think the transfers we made under Bruce were as bad as people like to make out. Lots of fans also thought Hogan and Lansbury would be good signings but admittedly they weren't.

He shipped out a lot of underperformers and we brought in some decent upgrades permanently or on loan (eg Hourihane, Johnstone, Snodgrass, Grabban, Elmo, McGinn).

I think if you compare the squad he inherited and the one he handed to Smith it's very hard to avoid thinking he made a bit of a mess of things.

If you ignore the reality of the club nearly going bust in the days/weeks after losing to Fulham. That had a huge impact on preparing for the following season, lost out on signing the likes of Johnstone, Snodgrass and Grabban permanently as a result.

Bruce finally stopped the rot of charlatan players taking the piss out of the club. Publicly humiliating McCormack was the day our recovery as a club started.

[Sexual Ealing]

Bruce was a fucking chancer.

[serbentoflight]

Bruce was a fucking chancer.

Bruce IS a fucking chancer. .

[eamonn]

You'd enjoy having a pint with him though, down to earth, like.

[villadelph]

Rumor that Liverpool is considering Guendouzi..

[Simon Page]

Bruce stopped the rot. Not perfect by any means, but it was under him that we ended half a decade of going backwards. Parted company later than we should, but it pisses me off a bit when people forget what he came into. He started the process of me actually liking Aston Villa again.

[Malandro]

It looks very much like that the Duran signing was nothing to do with Emery, which a) worries me a little bit and b) probably means he's not going to be getting many minutes any time soon

What worries me (I’ll say it quietly, as it’s all from you tube) he looks like a bit of a donkey.

[astonvilla82]

Bruce stopped the rot. Not perfect by any means, but it was under him that we ended half a decade of going backwards. Parted company later than we should, but it pisses me off a bit when people forget what he came into. He started the process of me actually liking Aston Villa again.

very true

[Dave P]

Bruce stopped the rot. Not perfect by any means, but it was under him that we ended half a decade of going backwards. Parted company later than we should, but it pisses me off a bit when people forget what he came into. He started the process of me actually liking Aston Villa again.

I was glad he was kept on when NSWE took over as we needed continuity. He left at precisely the right time.

[Lastfootstamper]

If they'd binned him when they rocked up, maybe we wouldn't have had to play catch-up just to make the playoffs.

[Beard82]

You'd enjoy having a pint with him though, down to earth, like.

And hes a might fine author

[Smirker]

I think we'll announce am exciting signing very soon.

I don't know anything.

Just a hunch.

[algy]

I'm in the Steve Bruce sympathy group too. Nothing much to add over anyone else, but in my mind we've had far worse Villa managers then Bruce over the last decade. He played his part in the revival of our great football club, and like every manager his time had passed once NSWE had settled in.

Welcome back at Villa Park whenever he likes ... just not as manager

[Brazilian Villain]

I think we'll announce am exciting signing very soon.

I don't know anything.

Just a hunch.