In the 13th of a series of pre-season reports, HarryFromBath assesses the mood around the Championship clubs by delving into their forums, looking here at how things have progressed for the Claret and Blues this summer after their play-off final defeat to Fulham. Reports on Birmingham City and West Bromwich Albion will follow later today, with all of the teams in the division covered between now and the start of the season.

“A year ago, when we finished 13th (or wherever the heck it was) I thought being an Aston Villa fan couldn't get more depressing. The club I love never fail to prove me wrong. By the time we have sold everyone worth anything we will be left with the old, the overpaid and the young and untested.”

It has been a summer of uncertainty for Villa. The extent of their financial issues came to light after their play-off final defeat to Fulham meant that they missed out on promotion back to the Premier League. Reduced parachute payments left them struggling to comply with FFP regulations.

A missed £4 million HMRC payment in June brought owner Tony Xia’s apparent cash flow problem to the fore because of strict rules about money leaving his native China. Concerns were allayed with news that billionaires Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris will make a significant investment into the club.

“So, what a fun month. No transfers in and a serious lack of cash. It’s really painful to watch.” This has all played havoc with Villa’s transfer window. All of last season’s departing loan signings have yet to been replaced, while the club have only just started to be linked with new arrivals in recent days.

“The way it now looks, we will be left with the players that nobody else wants and will need to play them alongside the best of our emerging young talent. We could be prevented from adding to our wage bill by making any signings by FFP and anything we want to do will be taken out of our hands.”

Steve Bruce

“Steve Bruce is a nice guy and I wish him the best but I'm gutted he's sticking around. This team isn’t fit for purpose. I doubt it will be even mid-table. We need about eight decent players, and even then we need a plan, rather than get a load of better players together than the opposition usually has.”

“Tactics?” The 57-year-old former Birmingham and Hull boss replaced Roberto Di Matteo in October 2016 in the Claret and Blues’ first season in the Championship after relegation from the top flight. It is not just his pragmatic football that frustrates fans. Many simply don’t trust his tactical judgement.

“There is no organisation whatsoever”, “Bruce staying was always the logical decision given the time frame, but he has to stand up to the plate and take charge of this shambles”, “Either nobody knows what the system is, or they can't be bothered to play it. We look Sunday league standard at best.”

“We look nothing like a team who knows what they are supposed to do”, “The thing with Bruce, is that it’s all a bit wash, rinse and repeat, predictable and boring. We'll always be solid, but we lacked a cutting edge and ruthless streak to our game last season. Let's not concede and try and nick one.”

Much Alarm and No Arrivals

“The current squad is fairly poor and desperately needs strengthening”, “At present it's more a case of destroying our team rather than rebuilding it. It would be nice to think we could do a rebuild in a year or so or when we have a cash injection which is much needed, but presently it far from likely.”

Claret and Blues have welcomed the news that 22-year-old Atletico Madrid keeper Andre Moreira has been linked with a loan move to Villa Park this week.

Right-back Ritchie de Laet has been the only addition to last year’s squad, the 29-year-old returning to his parent club having been on loan at Royal Antwerp.

Departing loan signings have included keeper Sam Johnstone (now at West Brom having left parent club Manchester United), striker Lewis Grabban (now at Nottingham Forest having left parent club Bournemouth) and winger Robert Snodgrass, the former Canary back with parent club West Ham and in action at Portman Road on Saturday.

Sam Johnstone

“We are really going to miss Snodgrass or a player of his ilk this season. He was our main creative force”, “We need an outlet, someone who will take the ball and pace on the wings”, “De Laet could be an important player for us this season if he stays fit. He's so versatile and reads the game well.”

Keeper Pierluigi Gollini has moved permanently to Atalanta having been on loan with the Italian club while defender Chris Samba and striker Gabriel Agbonlahor have been released. Defender Micah Richards, midfielder Aaron Tshibola and striker Ross McCormack have also been transfer-listed.

“We look so bad at the back.” The club had an option to extend former England captain John Terry’s contract for a further year which has not been exercised. For many fans, his absence has been a big factor in some of the disjointed defending they have seen in some of their pre-season friendlies.

Jack Grealish

“We must assume that Jack Grealish will be gone. We are better off planning for him not being here rather than hold a fond hope he will stay.” The attacking midfielder is the club’s most prized asset. At the time of writing he is still at the club but very few Villa fans expect him to remain this season.

Pre-Season Results

Villa started pre-season with two experimental XIs playing at Kidderminster (a 1-1 draw) and Telford (a 3-0 win) on the same afternoon. Wins at Walsall (4-1) and Burton (4-0) were followed by a 3-1 loss to West Ham on Wednesday night. They finished with a 2-1 win at Dynamo Dresden 2-1 on Saturday.

“That's one of the most defensive line-ups I have ever seen.” Fans have had doubts about Bruce’s continued use of wing-backs in pre-season. The starting line-up in Dresden (above) was criticised for being too defensive and for having too many out-of-position players shoe-horned into the side.

“A win a win but we were bloody awful against Dresden”, “Playing with a 3-5-2 shape depends on an energetic fluidity with midfielders prepared to drop into wing-back positions when attacks break down. We were one of the most static teams last season and this makes this system a non-starter.”

“It looks like we'll be using 3-5-2. We had better sign some players to suit it then”, “It seems as if were just using bodies rather than a system. Burton ran us ragged for 45 minutes with three”, “The team desperately lacks pace. We badly need pace and urgency. There is no movement off the ball.”

“We need to restructure defensively. We lack quality and have to use full-backs as centre-halves”, “Our back five against West Ham comprised RB, RB, RB, RB, LB”, “We seriously need pace at the back and the ability on the ball to play out from defence”, “Our defence just isn't composed enough.”

One glimmer of hope has been 19-year-old midfielder Jake Doyle-Hayes. “He looks a player. He takes the ball, turns and tries to be positive, moving the ball forward quickly instead of passing it back to where it came from. His composure, technique, passing and movement set him apart from the rest.”

Promotion is Beyond a Dream

“Everyone will have their differing opinions but if anyone thinks that we are safe next season, just because we are Aston Villa, you are deluded. If you offered me 21st place and three or four youth players blooded with a full season under their belts, I would take that in a heartbeat.”

“My issue is that there is no news. There has been absolute silence more or less and that is the most frustrating thing. Some transparency is all I want, I just want to truly know where we stand so I can start gauging how I expect our season to pan out. Being left as we are in limbo is out of order.”

“We won't have depth, but there's a team in there. Who we can fill the gaps with is so important.” Some fans can see a season of relative stability ahead. “Don't get me wrong, this is the worst state Villa have been in for 10 years, but the rebuild isn’t that hard. The style of play is more relevant.”

“From an enjoyment perspective it’s for the best we didn't get promoted. If we were in the Premier League this season we would be financially better off but bloody hell, we would be thrashed week in week out”, “It’s a bit premature to talk of a rebuild before we've finished falling to pieces, isn't it?”

Websites

There are a good number of active message boards. Villa Talk is one of the most knowledgeable and it is straightforward to navigate.

@HarryFromBath

Photo: Action Images

1RWR added 12:45 - Jul 30 If anyone on here has doubts about next season then look no further than the mighty Villa. Think we're in a far better position on & off the field. The future is bright, the future is blue!
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carlo88 added 15:41 - Jul 30 Serves the feckers right for 1981
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