These are still very early days in this season, and new faces like Nyland, McGinn and (to a degree) Hepburn-Murphy can reasonably expect some time to settle in. But looking at the bigger picture, the pattern of the last 18 months suggests that while we are likely (and quite rightly so) to be among the promotion contenders, it will be achieved through hard graft and no little luck, rather than a front-foot, attacking style of play which brought success to Newcastle, Brighton, Wolves and Fulham in the last couple of years.
Were we to achieve success and get promoted this season, does anyone genuinely believe we will stand a chance in the Premier League playing the way we do? Sure, promotion and a £100m war chest might allow Bruce to make the necessary improvements to compete at the highest level, but the fact that HIS signings to date (I’m thinking Hogan, Bree and Lansbury in particular) have failed to fire does not inspire me with tremendous confidence in the longer term.
I am fully behind the club and the players, but I reserve the right to remain highly sceptical about Steve Bruce and the coaching staff. Under the circumstances of Tony Xia’s disastrous leadership, faced with administration and possible winding up through HMRC action, he was definitely the right man for the job. No one else would have touched us with a bargepole at that time, and we were extremely fortunate that he chose to remain when the easiest thing to do would have been to walk away from the car crash.
There is no good reason why the squad we have now (and perhaps with a couple of loan signings before the end of the month) should not be challenging for promotion. They have the ability and most have the experience. If we are not well-placed by the end of the year, Bruce will quite rightly come under extreme pressure and his decisions will be microscopically dissected. In fact, I would expect him to be shown the door. He should not be given the whole season if we are struggling by January.
But more than that, I for one expect substantial improvement in our performances – we have to have one eye on the future and a potential return to the Premier League. The way we play will just not cut it. I do worry that this may be a bridge too far for Bruce; while I don’t agree that he is a dinosaur by any stretch of the imagination – that tag is reserved for Warnock and Pulis in my book – I do worry that neither he nor the coaching staff have the wherewithal to make the necessary changes to our ‘style’ of play. Scoring early and shutting up shop will not work at a higher level – it barely works at this level.
So, for the time being, Bruce is our man. My man. While I am loving the results, I am most certainly NOT loving the football. It’s not too much to expect entertainment. I am not asking us to play like Barcelona – we don’t have the players – but I do expect us to be able to work hard, keep the football and take throw-ins, things we struggle with for the most part at the moment. Despite the report that many football clubs could make a profit playing in an empty stadium, we continue to pay an awful lot of money to watch our beloved Villa. As I said, it is not too much to expect to be entertained. Come on, come on, come on, come on…
