Hull City vs Villa | Page 12 | Vital Football

Hull City vs Villa

Melon Donkey said:
It's blazingly obvious to me what the issue is and its an issue we have had since last season. The lack of dynamism in the central midfield has been exposed time and again . We never drive or create through the middle. There is no guile, creativity. It is either get the ball out wide or nothing and if teams nullify that then we are easy to play against . How many times tonight did we get it wide only to check back inside and go backwards. Grealish is the closest we have and he is not a central midfielder so no point expecting him to do it. The gap between central midfield and the forwards is ridiculous. If the ball goes in the opposite box then out again our central midfield may catch up and grab the ball but they are never in the box on the first phase.

For this I blame Bruce fair and square.
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I logged in to say pretty much the same thing. Grealish is a very good championship player but unless the other players can put enough of a shift in to allow him to get further up the pitch Grabban will remain isolated. I actually forgot Lansbury was on the pitch, Hourihane isn’t a million times better but pops up with goals. Lansbury scored one good goal against us and we paid a few million for him whilst Forest fans weren’t that bothered about seeing him go.

Grabban has a great touch and looks like an all round centre forward but we just aren’t using him as effectively as we should be.
 
Bruce said before the match that he would avoid playing those who'd been on their travels, except for Chester. That's one explanation of why Thor, Elmo, Hogan, Davis and Hourihane didn't start. It doesn't explain why the team he did choose failed to put in a performance; it's as though our backup players are bewildered when they're given the chance.

Lansbury hasn't started for a long time. Bruce seems to expect his players to work it out on the pitch, rather than perform a role for which they've trained, so maybe some rustiness was to be expected. Likewise Tuanzebe. I wouldn't criticise them too much.

The fundamental problem is that we still don't have a midfield capable of getting a grip on a match. Jedi is OK in a defensive role but we need somebody who can do that AND offer something creative going forwards. Thor has shown he can do that but Bruce doesn't seem to trust him; I bet Thor wishes he'd left in January. Grealish is an attacking player; he needs to be forwards because he's wasted and average playing further back.

What is really puzzling though is why Bruce's half time team talks are so ineffective, indeed negative. Does he just talk garbage?

Whatever, we have the players to take Reading by the scruff of the neck and beat them convincingly. Any bets to whether we will?
 
snackiest said:
Forget auromatic promotion. But well done Bruce for reaching play offs. Now get hourihane, kodja, grealish and adomah firing. Qpr, Bolton and now hull. Very sad. March cost us.
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Well done Bruce? I could’ve got us to the fucking play-offs.
 
Melon Donkey said:
It's blazingly obvious to me what the issue is and its an issue we have had since last season. The lack of dynamism in the central midfield has been exposed time and again . We never drive or create through the middle.
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I would go even further back, all the way back to selling James Miner. I was going to say criminal sale but really its been criminal that no manager replaced him.

danvilla2 said:
Grabban has a great touch and looks like an all round centre forward but we just aren’t using him as effectively as we should be.
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An argument you could make for any of our CFs.
 
gmvillan said:
I think Lansbury was completely spent by the end of the first half - hardly surprising considering he hasn’t played 90 minutes of proper football in about 6 months!
To be honest, if I was Bjarnasson right now I’d be raging. That match was tailor made for his mobility in the middle of the park and he didn’t even make the bench. But our on-loan center-back/holding midfielder from Man Utd got to play at right back (because he’s apparently better than the three other right backs at the club)..
:arrghh::arrghh::arrghh:
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To be fair Bjarnasson was pretty crap in the last game anyway
 
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Villan57 said:
I just can't believe Johnstone is hoofing every single ball and nobody is giving him an option they all turn their backs on him . It wouldn't be so bad if we had Davis up there but we haven't .
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Yes, this happens continually. Just pot luck if a Villa player gets hold of it - mostly just comes back. And as you say, players (inc Terry and Chester) just walk away when he has it, giving him no options. And then, to compound this, he is frequently going straight to touch or so close to it to make any control really difficult. Surely, surely they address this at training?? This happens regardless of who is up front and Grabban /Hogan are never going to be able to collect effectively. This is so frustrating to watch, but even more so to think that the coaches just let it keep happening, right through a match sometimes.
 
Wolves fan in peace guys, noticed a few of your fans been on Wolves sites so thought I'd join your site.
Sorry to say but while you have Bruce you will struggle to get out of the Championship.
I remember when he was virtually installed as our manager & was just 24 hrs away from getting the job, but due to huge outcry from Wolves fans our owner at the time (Steve Morgan) had to back down (thankGod) & Bruce didn't get the job (phew).
He is one of those dinorsour managers along with Pullis, Lambert, Pardew...etc.
You have enough quality in your team to be guaranteed top 2 at least, but for some reason he's not getting the best from your players.
Whats happened since you beat us, where's all your passion & fight gone.
That night in the 2nd half you just steamrollered us, & we ad Wolves fans were genuinely worried you might catch us.
You need to ditch Bruce even if you go up, I'm afraid these dinoursor managers will hold you back, someone like Marco Silva or even Dean Smith a young hungry manager with fresh ideas will do you the world of good.
At Wolves we've been treated to the best football I've witnessed in my 55yrs.
3 at the back , 2 wingbacks pushing forward fantastic forward players, how Villa used to play not so many years ago.
Sorry for invading your site.
Good Luck for the rest of the season.?
 
I agree with you mate - Dean Smith would get this squad promoted I believe.

Fair play to your boys, deserve promotion big time.
 
I'm not so sure about Dean Smith, yes he's one of us but managing us is a different kettle of fish.
There's a lot of fraudsters out there pretending to be this new generation of manager - Gary Monk, Tim Sherwood, the bloke at Barcelona City etc
 
For the poster who sid about my obsession with jack Grealish - this is why.

7 goals 7 assists IN FOUR SEASONS !!!!! (two of those in the Championship against teams like Rotherham and Burton

A) He supposed to be a creative midfielder - so, what does he create
B) He , quite obviously doesn't defend either

And this is from a bloke is the most hyped up bloke I can remember in my 40 years of following us. Come on, speak honestly, if he had been bought from Barnsley - would the supporters be giving him the patience he has been given.

Four years and he still isn't producing, and if he doesn't produce in a team of this quality against this opposition (I mean, come on, he is playing with Jedinak, Adomah, Snodgrass etc... against the likes of Barnsley, Reading, QPR and Hull - if he cn't dictate these games, do you really think he will dictate against De Bruyne and co...

Game after game after game, he does absolutely sod all, and has somehow maintined godlike status amongst the fans.

Mind you, I suppose it is the same fans who boo Gareth Barry so I ain't surprised

Put it this way, christ I hope he goes on a run now like Harry Kane and gets some into Automatic, but if we don't go up, it is a fact, this team needs rebuilding. And I think Jack has had plenty of time now to show what he is made of and has failed to take it.

Time for the likes of O'Hare and Green to be given that chance for me, and I fully expect Jack to go to the likes of Fulham if they go up, or maybe West Ham if they stay up, have another couple of years doing the same, and end up at somewhere like Norwich when he is 27 or so, and we will all say "christ, where did it all go wrong" , in the same ways the likes of Freddie Adu, or Francis Jeffers, or Josh McEchran

Oh, and forgot to add, something I said about 6 weeks ago.

Play Grealish - you lose Admonah as well, and look what has happened
 
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Bruce decided that experienced players were the way to succeed, able to handle the pressure he reckons.

Well, either they are not handling it or it's down to the fact that we are just not good enough.

Midfield is a major issue, Grealish is the one obvious quality player, Barnie must wonder what he can possibly do to get picked ahead of Jedi or Whelan, both of whom are devoid of any creativity.

Not a prayer of automatic promotion & all of our own doing.
 
Silhillvilla said:
I'm not so sure about Dean Smith, yes he's one of us but managing us is a different kettle of fish.
There's a lot of fraudsters out there pretending to be this new generation of manager - Gary Monk, Tim Sherwood, the bloke at Barcelona City etc
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Yes mate, but Smith has done a great job at Brentford he's lost some of their best players in transfers, but Brentford are still one of the best footballing teams to watch.
He'd walk to Villa given the chance & you should get him before someone else, surely anythings better than Bruce.
 
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