One Year After...

On October 12, Steve Bruce will celebrate his first year in managerial charge at Aston Villa. But it has not been an easy year for him nor the fans, and the team has been changed a good deal. Of di Matteo's last team, only Hutton, Chester, Jedinak, Adomah and Grealish are survivors, and only two of those were at Villa before di Matteo arrived. Clearly, Bruce was not happy with what he found to be in place, though he had no option but to continue with the same squad until the next transfer window, the following January.

To say that Bruce has done a magnificent job would be an over-the-top statement, but, being the very experienced English player and manager that he has been, he did not take long to determine that attitudes at the club were not right and, one way or another, sought to change matters. There have been many arguments amongst fans as to whether the club should have taken the opportunity to rebuild from the club's academy, and we will never know now whether that would have been the better way, but even if Bruce's instinct is not to overly rely on youth, it may well have been that circumstances in the club were not at their best for that approach to work well, particularly given the Chairman's requirement for promotion to be attained within two seasons of his takeover. Clearly, the Chairman decided (based on scrupulously derived evidence) that Bruce was the best available person to manage the team in order to satisfy that target.

Despite the occasional good 'runs' during the remainder of the 2016-17 season, and another heavy round of expenditure in January, the jury was still very much 'out' (from the fans' viewpoint) on Bruce's suitability. But, after a stuttering start to the season, some rhythm has been established.

How Bruce's actions are to be viewed is, of course, open to be read by every individual, but I read it that Bruce has been disappointed by the lack of commitment from players in certain quarters. Among those would even appear to be Hutton and Adomah, who, when re-introduced, have clearly tried to raise their game. By the sheer expediency of bringing in fresh hard-working players, the existing staff have seen that they have to raise their bar to get attention.

And that's how I see Bruce's main achievement. The reintroduction of an honest work ethic that I have felt was disappearing before Bruce appeared on the scene. And so long as that ethic can be maintained then the target of promotion for this season becomes more likely.

To those who fear something may be being lost in this process, I share the reservation, but perhaps the proverbial kick in the pants was, in fact, the necessary thing to blow away the cobwebs before anything else could be attempted. We will see.

Meanwhile, may the club's collection of points continue apace.

Onwards and upwards!

Plus Points To Consider

It’s a curious thing that over 100 years ago if there was one criticism due to the formidable Villa sides of those days, it was that they failed to convert enough chances into goals.

And to me, there lies the key issue of today’s players: that they are creating enough chances but are not putting them away. We have just witnessed two 0-0 results, but I’ve also seen that we had at least 8 chances (perhaps 10 or 12) over those matches that should have been converted. And if one of them had gone in then the rest of the match may have been quite different.

As to the quality of the players? In the middle and up front we have good enough players in my opinion. In Hourihane, Snodgrass, Adomah, Onomah, Kodjia and Davis (not forgetting Green and Lansbury) I see plenty of ability, and (importantly) a willingness to work. Importantly, I saw (against Boro) full-backs helping too, especially Taylor who played a couple of clever balls.

Once they get on the pitch it’s the players that mostly determine the outcome, and if they are in a profligate or tense mood, then that’s what we will see. But as long as the chances are being manufactured, surely there’s reason for plenty of hope. Another manager is surely not going to be able to make the same players put the ball in the net?

The existing manager? Possibly not our ideal choice. In our frustration, we may find fault in what he says in pre and post match statements, but what he says is not the important issue. The players are probably as frustrated as the supporters in not getting the result they want, but so long as the willingness to work and the ability to create is there, the results will surely come. Furthermore, injuries have seen some more be sidelined while others are coming back. Once we get a settled team working then the cohesion should come.

If by some cruel irony the results fail to materialise, then the inevitable ‘chop’ will take place, but let’s give this promising squad our backing. Let’s transcend the disappointments and frustration of 6 years and start propelling the team upwards.

Isn’t that what supporters are for?!

UTV!

Family Stability Is Needed

We seem to spend all our time in blaming the manager, but are we thus saying that we have confidence in the players to do their job properly? I feel we are expecting too much from players who are these days cossetted and made to feel as though they are worth the money they're paid, and nothing else. For me, the character of footballers generally has declined in quality, and they seem not to understand that the badge they're playing for has to be upheld as though the defence of the country is at stake. That's how it once was: a pride that once existed of playing for 'the Villa'.

Trevor Ford - a fearless striker of 70 years ago - said that when he entered the gates of Villa Park it made him feel great. And taller too: just to enter Villa Park had such an uplifting effect on him. More recently, you could sense that a similar pride and commitment existed for Ian Taylor, Dion Dublin, Olof Mellberg, Martin Laursen and Stan Petrov. Strangely, with Gareth Barry, I always felt that he would leave when the time was ripe. That his heart was never quite fully for the club, though he was a good player for us, no doubt.

Over the last 20 years, many Villa youngsters have passed on, some of whom had great talent, but lost in the search for self-glorification, and myopia in management.

So maybe I'm talking about an attitude that has now passed us by. Maybe the transition to money-consciousness has overtaken all players. And maybe that where once Aston Villa was 'a family' - and people openly said that was so - that attitude has gone; that players simply became commercial entries in the ledger. A two-sided coin that has lost its sense of real worth. All we have seen this past seven years is players coming and going, like confetti. In fact, O'Neill was shipping players in and out in numbers before seven years ago. A situation this past 10 years or more that I don't think ever existed before

To bring out the best in the player at Villa Park I believe there needs to develop a sense that the entity they're playing for has a great standard to be restored. It's not a question of simply knowing how to play footie but a developed loyalty that brings out that extra dimension in a player, just as it did for Frank Barson all those years ago who, when his team was down to eight players, played the game of three players in one. And John 'Slogger' Sleeuwenhoek, who, in the declining days of the mid '60s, defended his penalty area as though it belonged to him. And back in the 70s, players like Rioch, Lochhead, Graydon and Nicholl could always be counted on to give 100%, an attitude that the likes of Brian Little grew into. Followed by Ron Saunders and his team of captains.

How do we achieve that attitude on the field?

When today's chairman talks of the need for 'stability' in my view he must transcend that thought to take on board the view that Aston Villa is an entity that is more than simply a football club. It should be a home to players who are committed to the highest standards, in the full tradition of the club going back to George Ramsay, and a tradition that is made to grow to carry on and be absorbed by future generations of players.

In the attempt to bring about that sense of 'family' and commitment, it makes sense to me that the club has purchased the services of the likes of Terry and Whelan. But in my view, they really do have to step up and show a higher authority and example.

How else is Aston Villa to be restored to the top? After seven years of constant change, in my view, it will take more time for that plan to percolate through. Sacking the manager is an attractive option, but on reflection (and given the state of the club these last seven or more years) is it really the way forward? Would another manager be able to get over the hurdles just outlined? Not by simply changing playing tactics he won't.