02-10-2022, 11:35
(This post was last modified: 02-10-2022, 11:39 by Slick_Footwork.)
The decisions the club make from a footballing point of view are a joke.
We get what we deserve, which unfortunately for us fans, is freefall.
We are desperate for someone who knows a thing or two about the game to come in and sail the ship, but Lai keeps appointing numpties. I didn't think it was possible, but somehow Ron Gourlay is a step backwards from Luke Dowling. The guy is an absolute buffoon.
Gourlay comes in and said he wants to "get the fans back on side" and then appoints Bruce, a washed up manager who has never played good football and would be the choice of nobody. A manager who failed to get Villa promoted with the likes of Grealish in the team. I said when he was appointed, what's he going to do here with no money? Ironically, he's done even worse than I expected.
Then after Bruce coming in and taking us from a playoff position to mid table, Gourlay decides he's seen enough "positives" to keep him on.
Then after winning 1 game in 10, he doesn't sack him. We've been "unlucky".
The reality is, we haven't been unlucky, we've been complete gash. There is no pattern of play. Just a bunch of individuals in an XI.
I said after 4-5 games that Bruce needs to go before the season runs away from us. We've missed out on 15 points since. But bizarrely the division is so weak that if we got a good manager in now, we could still make the playoffs. We actually have better players in the squad than last season. If Gourlay has any brains at all, he needs to sack Bruce immediately and get a proper manager in. Carlos Corberán worked miracles with Huddersfield last season and had them playing football. He knows the division and is out of work. Dyche is an alternative. Anyone frankly, we need a change.
As for yesterday's game, I looked at Bruce's lineup and thought immediately it was completely imbalanced. A 5 man midfield which contains 4 players in Rogic, Swift, Grady and Wallace who don't defend. Meanwhile we have the best player at the club - Okay Yokuslu - sat on the bench and probably wondering why he turned down Champions League football to come here...
It seems apparent to me that Bruce has the same problem with Yokuslu that he had with Carroll. One bad game and thrown out of the team. While others can be consistently poor and keep their place.
Bruce needs to get back to basics and play 2 sitting midfielders and 3 attacking midfielders for balance. Yokuslu and Jake should be the choice, Yokuslu sitting with Jake running around pressing and tackling. Then he needs to select just 2 of Grady, Swift and Rogic because Wallace is surely a shoe in. Unfortunately it will be tough fitting both Swift and Rogic in the same side as they're very similar, but that's what happens when you just sign good individuals rather than building a team.
The irony was we had all these "creative" players playing yesterday and just played hoofball to Asante. I feel sorry for the kid because like Grant, he clearly isn't an out and out forward. The latter of which needs to give up penalty duties. I've lost count of how many he's missed...
As for Townsend at centre half, I just don't get it. He was always poor defensively at left back and only any good going forward. Surely Bruce could've played Jake or Yokuslu there, both played in that position in the past. I appreciate it's probably not Bruce's fault that we made the suicidal decision to go into a season with just 3 fit centre backs. But that doesn't excuse the fact that he picks the wrong XI constantly and game in and game out, we have no pattern of play and look like a side who have never played together.
We get what we deserve, which unfortunately for us fans, is freefall.
We are desperate for someone who knows a thing or two about the game to come in and sail the ship, but Lai keeps appointing numpties. I didn't think it was possible, but somehow Ron Gourlay is a step backwards from Luke Dowling. The guy is an absolute buffoon.
Gourlay comes in and said he wants to "get the fans back on side" and then appoints Bruce, a washed up manager who has never played good football and would be the choice of nobody. A manager who failed to get Villa promoted with the likes of Grealish in the team. I said when he was appointed, what's he going to do here with no money? Ironically, he's done even worse than I expected.
Then after Bruce coming in and taking us from a playoff position to mid table, Gourlay decides he's seen enough "positives" to keep him on.
Then after winning 1 game in 10, he doesn't sack him. We've been "unlucky".
The reality is, we haven't been unlucky, we've been complete gash. There is no pattern of play. Just a bunch of individuals in an XI.
I said after 4-5 games that Bruce needs to go before the season runs away from us. We've missed out on 15 points since. But bizarrely the division is so weak that if we got a good manager in now, we could still make the playoffs. We actually have better players in the squad than last season. If Gourlay has any brains at all, he needs to sack Bruce immediately and get a proper manager in. Carlos Corberán worked miracles with Huddersfield last season and had them playing football. He knows the division and is out of work. Dyche is an alternative. Anyone frankly, we need a change.
As for yesterday's game, I looked at Bruce's lineup and thought immediately it was completely imbalanced. A 5 man midfield which contains 4 players in Rogic, Swift, Grady and Wallace who don't defend. Meanwhile we have the best player at the club - Okay Yokuslu - sat on the bench and probably wondering why he turned down Champions League football to come here...
It seems apparent to me that Bruce has the same problem with Yokuslu that he had with Carroll. One bad game and thrown out of the team. While others can be consistently poor and keep their place.
Bruce needs to get back to basics and play 2 sitting midfielders and 3 attacking midfielders for balance. Yokuslu and Jake should be the choice, Yokuslu sitting with Jake running around pressing and tackling. Then he needs to select just 2 of Grady, Swift and Rogic because Wallace is surely a shoe in. Unfortunately it will be tough fitting both Swift and Rogic in the same side as they're very similar, but that's what happens when you just sign good individuals rather than building a team.
The irony was we had all these "creative" players playing yesterday and just played hoofball to Asante. I feel sorry for the kid because like Grant, he clearly isn't an out and out forward. The latter of which needs to give up penalty duties. I've lost count of how many he's missed...
As for Townsend at centre half, I just don't get it. He was always poor defensively at left back and only any good going forward. Surely Bruce could've played Jake or Yokuslu there, both played in that position in the past. I appreciate it's probably not Bruce's fault that we made the suicidal decision to go into a season with just 3 fit centre backs. But that doesn't excuse the fact that he picks the wrong XI constantly and game in and game out, we have no pattern of play and look like a side who have never played together.