Norwich City v Aston Villa, Sat 7th April @ 12.30pm | Page 16 | Vital Football

Norwich City v Aston Villa, Sat 7th April @ 12.30pm

I keep being told that this is the strongest squad in the Championship.
I keep hearing that this team is packed with quality players who should be mullering opposition teams.
Don't tell me, show me, as a famous previous manager once said.
 
Our two best results this season 5 1 and 4 1 Bristol and wolves both teams bang in form at the time. When we play on the front foot with aggression all over the pitch we can blow teams away but we don't. If it's Fulham and wolves up then that's two managers with next to nothing championship experience and then Neil's warnock who would have walked us out of this league. How many slumps in form this season as well as last seasons losing streaks. You can spin it any way you like but yesterday was a chance as was at home against qpr a chance to get near to automatic promotion and we play like Sunderland. Look at our form since blues at home and we were second.
 
I've just been thinking how Davis ripped Norwich apart at Villa Park , now he can't make the squad because Hogan and Grabban are so prolific at doing jack shit .
Davis is the only proper centre forward at the club who would fit into this "style " which seems one game to be hoof ball and the next slow motion walking keep ball . I'm sure he can do either style and I'm pretty sure given the run Hogan has had he'd have netted just as many but he'd have set up far more with his hold up play .
Either "style" requires your number 9 to show for the ball not hide behind to huge centre backs hoping one of them will cock up .

On another note why are Jack and Albert having to tackle back on the edge of their own box whilst Snoddy and the Irish iniesta lounge about further up the field . Jack should never have to be tracking back he should be the outlet ball .



I just find this all so frustrating
 
As bad as yesterday was the thing is now I can see that the club is being run by professional forward thinking people as we repair the damage done over the last 10 years. Everything is moving forward to one day have a club that does not over spend and nurtures young talent into its 1st team, it won't happen under Bruce but will eventually.
 
Limitations of squad versus limitations of coaching?
We’re a bunch of overrated has-beens combined with journeymen who can’t compete at the level they’re playing at on a regular basis. Bruce brought them so is ultimately responsible for what we see. To get us into the play offs will be an achievement given how many times we’ve been outplayed. We’ve got loads of coaches not just Bruce so for me it’s the players letting us down. Let’s take Hourihane as an example. He’s in because he can score goals but for that benefit we have to put up with a total nonentity in the build up play. Does the benefit outweigh the detriment? Make your own minds up but to remove him we have to play someone better and unless a youngster can do it we have no one.
 
Well that wasn't worth cutting my Friday night short for and getting up at daft o'clock.Just can't believe how bad we are since blasting the Wolves away but it was the same after beating Blues.We seem to hit a peak then roll back down the hill.
 
The first thing I would do if manager is drop Hogan to the bench. He had 13 touches yesterday... that’s a fucking disgrace and it’s the same story virtually every week. We look so bloody weak up front yet he continues to get selected. I don’t care about “service”, he chases around the pitch and makes some forward runs, most of which are pointless, but I don’t see him busting a gut to really get involved in the play - if he did he’d have far more than 13 touches. He hides and is a complete waste of space and doesn’t fit the tactics. When he was dumped earlier in the season and Davis was brought in that sparked our season off and we went on a great run, but it seems like Bruce has forgotten that already
 
He was always gonna play Hogan, he was the forward integral in the 7 game run and scored goals - brought him back into the team and he played well and scored on Tuesday.

I think our teams problems lie far deeper then just replacing Hogan, the way we played yesterday Batistuta would have struggled.
 
Steve Bruce makes a fatal managerial mistake in showing favoritism towards far too many players. He openly talks about making mistakes after a game and then proceeds to make the same mistakes the following week leading to yet another apology.

The players know they aren't going to be dropped regardless of how they play therefore they do not play to keep themselves in the team or play for Bruce himself which shows a lack of respect for themselves and Bruce as a manager.

It looks like he picks what he considers to be his best 11 then sends them out hoping that will be enough and hoping some sort of individual skill will fluke him a win.

It's happened far too many times with SB in charge at Villa Park and he has demonstrated the same faults at all his other clubs.

Thing is he is far too long in the tooth to change his ways now so personally, I just expect to see more of the same.
 
gator said:
Well that wasn't worth cutting my Friday night short for and getting up at daft o'clock.Just can't believe how bad we are since blasting the Wolves away but it was the same after beating Blues.We seem to hit a peak then roll back down the hill.
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I really do admire the time, money and support you and the thousands of others give to Aston Villa on away games - What a shame you are all let down by a bunch of prima donnas's who don't bother to reward you and the club with a bottling no-show.

When I used to do the same on away games I could take a defeat provided the lads gave 100% however far too many of the current first 11 need a lighted rocket up their jacksie's.
 
JuanPabloAngel said:
Yes we have done that a few times this season and ended up with egg on face. With 6 games to go, just play your best team. We've demonstrated too often that the squad players don't seem up to the task, or up for the fight.
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After watching yesterday’s game it seems to me that with the exception of a few players ie Terry and Chester the rest don’t seem up to the task yet again. How many times this season have we said the next game is crucial for the team to fall short and yesterday it happened again. I am so despondent. Looking at some of the games we have lost recently to teams lower than us we would be in the top two if we had won these. If we do go via the play off will the team choke again? Probably.
 
JuanPabloAngel said:
Yes as long as with persist with this direct hoofball nonsense, he is the only player who can win the ball.
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Again we resort to hoofball and Hogan struggles with no support. Watching teams like Cardiff, Fulham and Derby playing the game on the ground makes us look like dinasours and if we play hoofball in the play offs (if we get that far) we are sunk. Not confident at all.
 
danvilla2 said:
Come on you Villa boys, lets put the pressure on Fulham and Cardiff. We must have a pretty good recent record against Norwich, certainly at home and I can recall the odd away win so we have to be confident given Norwich are very, very average in a very average league.
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Your final comment about Norwich perfectly explains why we should have won but again the team chokes. I feel very sorry for the thousands who made the trip to Norwich to watch such crap. Bruce needs to sort them out ASAP.
 
JuanPabloAngel said:
No. Just no. Don't give anyone a rest. FFS, they are professional footballers trying to get promoted to the richest league in the world. Which will directly affect their wages, if they play their cards right.

There are 6 games (maybe 9 if we end up in the play-offs) left - everyone should be bang up for the fight. The only way they should be missing any games is through injury or suspension.

None of them should be 'rested'.
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I think yesterday proved that some of them are not up to the fight.
 
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