Steve Bruce is in trouble: Three things we learned about Aston Villa in defeat to Newcastle
COMMENT By Danny Wright
Football Insider analyses three talking points from Aston Villa’s 2-0 defeat to high-flying Newcastle in the Championship on Monday night.
Villa are in another relegation battle
No win since Boxing Day and five defeats on the bounce leaves Villa just six points clear of the relegation zone. It may have been clear for a few weeks now but Steve Bruce and his side have to be realistic and realise that they face the possibility of back-to-back relegations. It’s happened before in recent history when another West Midlands team, Wolves, suffered two consecutive demotions in 2011/12 and 2012/13. Most worryingly for Bruce will be that a number of teams below them in the table have games in hand. Wolves, Bristol City and Blackburn can all force Villa closer to the drop zone if they get good results in their extra game.
Too many new signings
It takes time for a squad of players to gel and Villa’s January transfer window dealings are starting to look as though they were a last resort rather than meticulously though-out. In essence – panic buying. The club spent over £60million, more than most Premier League clubs, and added seven players to the squad in a matter of weeks in January. All those seven players have been featuring in the first team, heavily disrupting the dressing room and the understanding that the players who were already there had. Only one player who started on Monday night had played for Villa before this season – Alan Hutton. Yes the squad needed refreshing, but not as drastically as this. Although they tarnished the name of the club last season, Bruce has to bring some experience back into the team.
Home double-header will make or break Bruce
Roberto Di Matteo was sacked when Villa were 19th in the Championship and after their next two home games, the club could find themselves lower in the Championship. Bruce will simply have to get a win in at least one of his next two back-to-back home games against either Derby or fellow strugglers Bristol, or his job might even be in jeopardy. The club are in freefall and the former Hull and Sunderland boss looks a broken man in press conferences and on the touchline. The owners have pumped millions into the club and have let Bruce go transfer crazy in January, yet they don’t even have a point to show for it since the window closed.
In other Aston Villa news, Bruce slams hideous display against Newcastle.
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