WOLVES DEFEAT
Steve Bruce’s post match word’s hardly inspire confidence, do they?
“We thought there were shoots of recovery but there’s been too many bad performances now.”
“We’re simply not good enough.”
The season and hopes of a turnaround have stalled badly in recent weeks.
If Villa are unable to beat Wolves and Cardiff, then we should sooner be be looking over our shoulder, as harbouring aspirations of promotion.
SIMPLY NOT GOOD ENOUGH
Bruce must watch in bafflement at the lack of creativity, innovation and flair. The displays are stagnant, dismal and are getting worse.
Equally, of what we do create, only Villa could make a predatory and proven Championship striker like McCormack look like a pub player.
McCormack was guilty of a bad headed miss, but otherwise fed off scraps.
Our midfield, well, it might as well not be on the pitch most of the time.
Aside from the marauding of Jedinak, who has neither the pace or stamina to last, Bacuna and Tshibola looked ill-equipped for changing a game or protecting the defence.
The amount of times that possession was gifted away or all three midfielders were ghosted past was alarming.
The defence was offered little or no protection; Hutton tried hard, Elphick had one of his better games in a Villa shirt and Chester largely impressed again. But we do look vulnerable. The manner of the conceded goal stands as evidence of that.
Jordan Amavi, looked every bit the type of playing mulling a move away from Villa Park. It was another stinker from him, both at the back and going forward. There’s a big decision to be made on Amavi on current form.
The Agbonlahor experiment has also got to be brought to an end.
We are picking a striker, who offers us virtually next to nothing. And, without wanting to state the glaringly obvious, doesn’t score goals or threaten in any way.
Gabby leading the line and is seriously our attempt at winning football matches? Pull the other one.
Whilst it’s hard to profess that Hepburn-Murphy is the answer, it makes no rational sense for him not to be even considered given the amateurish alternative.
To rule RHM out completely, just makes the club look foolish. We are discounting him in favour of the likes of Agbonlahor; just look at his disciplinary track record for comparison.
The subs were ineffective and too late to affect the game.
Green looked handy, making direct runs down the line and feeding at least one ball better than anything we’d managed all afternoon.
Grealish cut a desperate figure. But then his appearance late on was just that, a desperate final roll of the dice in the hopes of dragging a goal out of nothing as against Wigan.
We were dreadful.
Bruce is working with a miss-match group for sure, richly assembled, with a couple of wannabes and senior players who are long past their best.
I don’t think he’s helping himself though.
The formation was negative, likely as a result of his awareness that Wolves would out-pass us and out-think our midfield. A damning indictment against a side that is scrabbling around in the bottom third of the league, armed with one of the most obtuse managers at the helm.
What is alarming is the apparent blindness that the club has arrived at in January.
Selling Gestede makes sense, but only if you have a replacement. Signing Kodjia makes sense, but only if you make provision for both him and Jordan Ayew going to the African Cup of Nations.
And let’s not even discuss our woeful lack of midfield options. The need for wholesale change doesn’t overstate the problem.
It’s January the 15th and despite our claims to want to be promoted, we’ve been dragging our feet rather than being decisive and getting the players we need.
Instead, we’re wasting time trying to rehabilitate the likes of Gabby.
Financial prudence in important, but it must be balanced against sitting idly by, allowing our known problems worsen a disappointing season.
Our year needn’t be a write off, but it will be mostly through our own ineptitude if we fail to even threaten the playoffs.
The result of these combined failings, are results like yesterday.
It goes without saying that it needs to be rectified; urgently.
rhm has to be given a chance if he is fit,,, as does green,,
maby we should give the kids a chance next home game
but it is clear we need another forward and hourihane lansbury and maby brady or and the lad from peterboro
at least we would have some creativity
Bruce has a difficult choice. If there are players like Green/RHM knocking at the door, then they must be considered. Equally, he has to be proactive in the transfer window. It’s not the case of needing to bankrupt the club, but we literally have completely inadequate players in more than one position. As you say, desperately short on creativity.
I couldn’t have said better myself, although slightly harsh on tshibola. Great article, despite the gloomy reality it rightfully highlights.
Yes, not the most positive piece unfortunately. The alarming thing about Tshibola, is that he was not only anonymous for long periods yesterday, but he got over-ran on more than one occasion. Still young, but much to learn.
Very good article and spot on, financial prudence yes but we already have funds from the sale of Gestede and why on earth don’t we ship out McCormack to raise even more,, yes it’s a gamble but I believe that Rhodes would be ideal for us,
On a personal note I can’t for the life of me understand what Bruce sees in Agbonlahor does absolutely nothing. The end of the window is in sight so stop talking about possible new players and get on with it, if we slide further down the table no one will want to play for us,
I’m not sure what the answer is up front right now, but I know it’s not Gabby. It’s as though none of us have seen his years of decline. It baffles me why Bruce would want to make the attack so toothless.
Very surprised at just how modest Villa looked today – on this form would not rule out a relegation scrap as there was nothing to indicate goals are forthcoming. Wolves have been ridiculously shaky at the back most of the season and to not be piling pressure of a pretty ropey defence was truly odd.
Personally think we lacked the ingenuity to get at them. Equally, we couldn’t string a pass together. I cannot understand, even accounting for a few minutes to soak up early home pressure, why we didn’t test them for anything like a sustained period.
A Wolves fans comment: You where just toothless and didn’t carry any real threat against our defence which is ready to crumble under any sustained period of pressure. Agbonlahor looks a passenger and McCormack is either disinterested or confused by the attacking approach. The Villa midfield looked a bit pedestrian until the young lad, Green?, came on late on. Defence was OK.
Overall a mid table chump league outfit, like us, both having major deficiencies to challenge in this god forsaken league.
Hi & thanks for the comment. This has been an increasing symptom as the season’s gone on for us. Most cannot understand why we are even considering Gabby let alone picking him. As for McCormack, who knows what’s happening there. The league table doesn’t lie – and as you say mid table mediocrity beckons unless either one of our clubs engages itself a brain.
Bruce needs to look at his own performance.
Such negativity in his setup and tactics.
Playing agbonlahor for me should be a sacking offence!
The Dr should think very carefully brfore he trusts him with any money this transfer window.
Bruce is certainly playing a dangerous game with Gabby. Picking up on your point; would we have tolerated a Sherwood, Garde or Di Matteo doing the same experiment? I think it’s a waste of time – but it highlights a huge misjudgement and misplaced trust from Bruce on this one.
Cracking article
Absolutely bang on
Thanks for the feedback. #utv
“We should be beating teams like Wolves and wigan” You really need to get the “we are a big club ” out of your head as we are not. Wolves played us off the park in both games and Lambert has them playing better football than us. He’s at a club that has support from the board, not like when he was here. They are only 3 points behind us yet you call them lower league. Like I said you need to re think what you write. Oh and by the way did you go to the match? Mcormack headed over midway through the first half not early in the second.
My mention of Wolves/Wigan has nothing to do with a perceived “big club” mentality. My point was that if Aston Villa actually want to get out of this division, then beating Wigan and Wolves is the means by which to do it. And at no point did I refer to Wolves as “lower league” club.
I’d also say it’s early days for Lambert at Wolves and I’m sure he has a supportive board. Whilst Lerner was a hindrance, Lambert had years in which to mould a side in his own image. He broadly failed in terms of purchasing and developing players at Villa.
I have corrected my error about the header – I am unfortunately – only human.
Thanks for stopping by.
I’m weary to my claret and blue bones of performances like that. And by the way, what’s going to happen if Kodjia gets a serious injury – no goals for the rest of the season? On the plus side though, I’m confident Bruce can keep us in this division.
Yes, that performance was classic Villa of recent seasons wasn’t it.
The thought of a Kodjia injury doesn’t bare thinking about!
…hopefully Bruce keeps us up! #utv