Villarocker

It was tongue-in-cheek when I said that because it seemed like the poster was having a pop at me. As stated since, I would just prefer him to show support for his current teammates rather than his old ones. Obviously, if the games were at different times there would be no issue as players go to watch other teams all the time. But, on the same day and at the same time, when your current team is playing against a fellow promotion rival, I think it would have been better for him to be at Derby rather than Stamford Bridge.

I am not annoyed, outraged or moaning. I would just prefer our Captain to support his current teammates on match days when he fancies watching a football match, rather than going to cheer on his old teammates.

Nope, I just think that injured players, that are close to getting back to fitness and considered for the first team, should go to the games and get involved anyway they can. I think the Captain should most definitely be there to cheer the team on and provide some inspiration. I went to a professional rugby match once and before the game I was introduced to two of the players. They were both long-term injuries with broken leg and torn knee ligament damage respectively. We talked abiut the game and they both said it would be difficult for their team to win because they were near botyom of the table and playing the run-away leaders who had trounced them earlier that season. Despite that, these two guys showed up to "cheer on the boys" and to try to provide a bit of vocal support for their teammates. I think our players could do with as much support as they can get. If Terry was sat at home recuperating it would be a different matter but he actually fancied attending a football match on Saturday afternoon - just not the match where his current teammates were. Personally, I don't like that.

Very but, not as much as the Captain!

I think that most Villa fans will agree that the style of football that we play is just not good enough against the better teams and as a result will see us losing more than we win and draw. Bruce's biggest job is to get us beating the teams around us - do that and we will be at least guaranteed a play-off place.

I don't care if people think he has done his bit. If I was a player, Captained by him, on PROBABLY, less money than him, I would think it fair to expect him to be there cheering on the team on match days - and not be 100+ miles away watching his old mates battle it out for second in the Premier League. Who manages John Terry? Bruce or Terry?

Nathan Jones? Nah, he's been gone too long!

I called it when Terry got injured that we would be out of the top 6 by January 1st and with the next three fixtures before then it's looking increasingly likely. I just cannot see us winning any of those three games. I can see us drawing at best against Sheffield United - although I fear they will bounce back to form in that one - losing at Brentford and a draw at 'Boro. 2 points would put us on 39. Can definitely see us being passed by Sheffield United and one of Leeds or Ipswich.

Whether he is playing or not, the club pays his wages and have appointed him Captain. Him not being arsed to cheers the team on is appalling in my opinion and if Bruce is allowing that I can't understand his thinking. Mind you, there's nothing new there!

He will replace Whelan in midfield as soon as Samba (or Terry) is back.

There is no balance to upset - Grealish for Onomah is the straight answer.

He baffled me with his after-match comments on Radio WM. He said that he felt Grealish was the best player on the pitch (fans and commentary team said that he was Villa's best player but not sure about best on the pitch) and then he said he thought we took the game to Derby and didn't think we deserved to lose two nil but that's what happens when you gift goals. The commentary team seemed bemused that Bruce thought we took the game to Derby and, from what I listened to, I couldn't believe he said it either because the game sounded like we had no idea in the opponents half and just passed it around ourselves before giving it away. It sounded like Derby were just waiting to his us on the break and that's what they were doing towards the end. He also went on to say he decided against Hogan and Gabby starting in case they only had 30 minutes in them. If Gabby only had 30 minutes in him, why leave it much later than that to put him on? Sounded to me like he would have been better off taking Snodgrass and Onomah off, putting Hogan up top and Gabby wide left, with Albert moving right wing. Going to the current best in-form team and not playing a striker seemed clear as day to me that he was simply trying for a point. Fair play to him for not using the injuries as an excuse though.

Sheffield United are on a real downer right now - just watch them come to Villa Park and humiliate us with their passing football next week.

He's got excuses in that we have a bad injury list and a couple of errors cost us today. However, the fans will question the decision to play a young lad up front, out of position, who has recently looked out of form. Why on earth did he do that? I didn't go to the game but listened to the commentary and they said for all of the time that Onomah played up front that it was a bad idea that wasn't working and needed changing. Then, when the change comes, we seem a better team and creating more. Bruce can bemoan the injury list as much as he wants but he really needs to look at himself. Play players where they are comfortable and play in-form players whilst you are at it - or say bye bye to our play-off hopes.

Two mistakes have cost us - is what Bruce will say. Onomah has been struggling to start in midfield so why on earth start him up front? That was bewildering

This is not based on the start but, my immediate thought when hearing Onomah is the striker was "not seen him protect the ball too well lately so not liking the sound of this". Let's hope it's an inspired selection but I'm fearing today. This is a game I would have taken a point from at the start but, in reality, we need to start beating the teams around us. I now hope that we can simply get anything other than a beating.

Not sure of our team. Seems a bit strange to not start a striker but Adomah has been in good scoring form. I guess we will see how he does as a lone striker but not sure he has ever played that role before. They are playing 4-3-3 with a front three strikers of Nugent, Vydra and Weimann so our back four are going to be busy today. I think (hope) it will be tight but can see us losing a close game by the odd goal.

Is that the love child of Albert and Josh?

Don't worry guys, in a few years time the Chinese government will buy that season's Ballon D'or winner out of his contract for us to aid our Champions League winning challenge.

Totally agree with you NV. I think that every Villa fan would agree with you on that! I think that people only criticise the style of play because, like me, they see it as a weakness and could cost us against the better teams, jeopardizing our chances of promotion. If Bruce gets us up playing this style of football - fair play to the man. He will have succeeded.

I said after the Terry injury that I thought we would be out of the play-off places by the start of January. I really hope my fears aren't realised because we need to get wins against these teams that we are playing in the next few games, if we want to make it easy on ourselves going into the second half of the season.

It doesn't matter who the manager is, with a squad like ours to choose from, playing the style we do, any manager would be getting stick for that. Bruce can do something about that - it's up to him.

I agree with you, Mark, that Grealish deserves to start now, and probably in place of Onomah (I thought Bruce would have done that yesterday) but, when Grealish gets the shirt he needs to make sure he keeps it. None of that show-pony crap that we have seen for the last couple of seasons - he needs to deliver consistently good performances now and show everyone that he is the real deal.

But, he got lucky with having to rely on Davis and now he sets the team up around him!

People fearing the play-offs; how would you fancy them if it transpires that we played the two-legged semi-final against say Derby, drawing the first leg and beating them in a ding-dong battle at Villa Park to get to Wembley. Then, we get someone like Cardiff or Boro and beat them. I'm sure there would be plenty of people loving that if it happened, especially after so many losing appearances at Wembley in recent years.