bobzy Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 45 minutes ago, Dr_Pangloss said: But he'd still be getting by-passed for large spells because of the way Bruce sets us up. He still saw more of the ball than anyone else in our team today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mykeyb Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 While running the risk of being critical of Bruce has he managed to get performances out of any of the Is transfers? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eastie Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 33 minutes ago, mykeyb said: While running the risk of being critical of Bruce has he managed to get performances out of any of the Is transfers? Neil Taylor maybe but the others have yet to reproduce the form shown at their previous clubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted April 15, 2017 Share Posted April 15, 2017 Seems to be mostly just switching play from one side to another. He has a decent set piece on him but I would like to see more next season, and to build a better partnership with Lansbury. All a bit one paced sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrytini Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 Thought he was very good second half, and ok first. I really like him and Lansbury together and think they will be the best midfield pairing in the League next season as long as - as I think he will - Bruce let's them play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtsimonw Posted April 16, 2017 Share Posted April 16, 2017 Good on set pieces, but I honestly can't say I've really noticed him since H joined the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVTuco Posted April 23, 2017 VT Supporter Share Posted April 23, 2017 Why doesn't he play? Is he so shit he can't beat Bacuna to a place in the starting line-up? I don't like this decision by Bruce one bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtsimonw Posted April 29, 2017 Share Posted April 29, 2017 Seems like he was just a piece of Barnsleys system that benefitted from how they play, don't see what he offers at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr_Pangloss Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 (edited) I would say the comparisons people were making to David Platt when we used him look pretty ridiculous now. @kurtsimonw is on to something, clearly Hourihane has to play in a very particular system, he doesn't have it physically to play in another role. However Bruce is massively to blame for not playing a system to help get the best out of him, given he contributed loads of assists and his fair share of goals at Barnsley, so why not get him on the ball more and in better areas here? Why do we play so **** negatively when we have spent outrageous sums of money this season? What on earth are we so afraid of? Edited April 30, 2017 by Dr_Pangloss 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted April 30, 2017 Share Posted April 30, 2017 9 hours ago, Dr_Pangloss said: I would say the comparisons people were making to David Platt when we used him look pretty ridiculous now. @kurtsimonw is on to something, clearly Hourihane has to play in a very particular system, he doesn't have it physically to play in another role. However Bruce is massively to blame for not playing a system to help get the best out of him, given he contributed loads of assists and his fair share of goals at Barnsley, so why not get him on the ball more and in better areas here? Why do we play so **** negatively when we have spent outrageous sums of money this season? What on earth are we so afraid of? It is quite puzzling why Bruce has signed such good and proven attacking players but plays them so negatively. Why didn't he just sign some dm if that's what he wanted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tomaszk Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 Have we made his set-pieces shit yet? No? That's something to look forward to for next season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LancsVillan Posted May 1, 2017 Moderator Share Posted May 1, 2017 Like Hogan I think our 'style' of lack thereof is costing him. I also wonder if the move from being the big fish at Barnsley to being just another midfielder in the Villa Park environment may just have had a negative effect on him. He seems reluctant to even take a shot, never mind to miss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dn1982 Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 He looked ok and I thought he'd grow into a good payer but Bruce has killed him. He had a couple of good games in CM then get some moved around. He's played LM in 4 left and right in a 3 and left and right in a central 2. He's played with 4/5 different people and only been here since Jan!! How any player is supposed to find their feet and put in performances I've no idea. The same can be said for Lansbury. I thought a 3 of Jedinak sitting with Hourihane left and Lansbury right would be as good as any in this league but if you stop them playing their natural game getting forward in and around the box why sign them? It begs the question apart from Taylor were they Bruce signings? Bree, Hourihane and Lansbury have been shafted by Bruce since they got here. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtsimonw Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 I don't necessarily think shafted. Lansbury has mostly been good, this past few weeks aside. Hourihane simply hasn't played well and has been dropped for a few games. Bree started, got injured, and Hutton has been in great form since. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 I'm seriously disappointed with (presumably) Bruce for not making better use of Hourihane and Lansbury. They're both creative, attacking players. However, Lansbury (in particular) seems to be used as a holding midfielder alongside Jedinak and Hourihane expected to do everything else. Bonkers. Get those two higher up the pitch and we might see some decent play. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 16 minutes ago, dn1982 said: Bree, Hourihane and Lansbury have been shafted by Bruce since they got here. Shafted by Bruce. Come on they have been here for 3 months. Not wanting to take it off topic but James Bree is a 19 year old who has moved away from home and just happened to find himself competing for a place in the team against one of our more consistent performers. His time will undoubtedly come. As for Hourihane he is a creative player that will also chip in with a few goals. His whole game though is reliant on linking up with others. To create he has to get to know the runs of Hogan, Kodjia, Adomah etc. To get himself into areas where he can score he has to build up an understanding and relationship with others in the middle of the park so he knows when he can break forward without leaving us exposed. It won’t happen overnight though and it will take time. Hourihane has shown he can excel at this level and I am sure once he has settled in and gotten to know the games of the players he is now playing with, and they have gotten to know his game, and that he has also gotten used to playing in front of 30 odd thousand every other week rather than 10k, that he will come good here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Before linking up with Bruce this guy was a serious contender for championship player of the year. Since joining Bruce, he is dropped for Bacuna and has become a nothing midfield player for a nothing team. Sure it's nothing to do with Bruce though. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 7 minutes ago, DCJonah said: Before linking up with Bruce this guy was a serious contender for championship player of the year. Since joining Bruce, he is dropped for Bacuna and has become a nothing midfield player for a nothing team. Sure it's nothing to do with Bruce though. In fairness, there was absolutely hysterical over-hype on here of Conor Hourihane (and James Bree, "linked with Man City!"). He (they) had done very well at Barnsley, but was undoubtedly a big fish in small pond and Bree in a youth prospect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 4 minutes ago, bobzy said: In fairness, there was absolutely hysterical over-hype on here of Conor Hourihane (and James Bree, "linked with Man City!"). He (they) had done very well at Barnsley, but was undoubtedly a big fish in small pond and Bree in a youth prospect. He might have been a big fish in a small pond but he was still scoring and creating at an impressive level. He's come to a bigger club but it's the same opposition he was succeeding against. Bruce has done nothing to help get the best out of him so far. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobzy Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 4 minutes ago, DCJonah said: He might have been a big fish in a small pond but he was still scoring and creating at an impressive level. He's come to a bigger club but it's the same opposition he was succeeding against. Bruce has done nothing to help get the best out of him so far. I agree... ..but our big fish is Kodjia, who has (by and large) performed well. We're set up to get the best (assumed) out of him, rather than Hourihane. Of course, I think we're on the same page and getting the best out of both of them would be better, surely! However, I think it's easy to see why Hourihane may well not be as good. Not this level of not as good, but still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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