Manager hints at changes after ‘pathetic’ display

STEVE Bruce labelled Aston Villa’s performance in Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat at Norwich City as ‘pathetic’.

Nelson Oliveira’s goal just after the hour condemned Villa to only their second defeat in 10 matches under their new manager.

And Bruce was clearly frustrated after overseeing a second away defeat in succession and apologised to supporters who made the trip to Norfolk.

He said: “We’ve got no excuses, we are disappointed after getting out of jail at the weekend (against Wigan). We certainly didn’t take part in the game. On days like this you apologise to people who have travelled. It was pretty pathetic stuff.

“We didn’t do the basics. We never got hold of the ball and we kept giving it away.”

Asked what he thought of the club’s poor away form, which has seen them win just once on the road in 16 months, Bruce added: “It’s a mentality and if that’s the way we’re going to perform away from home then we around.

“We cannot be any worse than that. In the 10 games I’ve been here, we haven’t put in a worse performance than that.”

Bruce has put his fringe players on red alert for Sunday’s trip to QPR.

He will shuffle his pack at Loftus Road and Aaron Tshibola, who failed to make the matchday 18 at Carrow Road, could be handed an opportunity.

Bruce said: “I’ve had people trav- are not going to turn it elling up and down the country over the last five or six weeks waiting for a chance, they will certainly be getting it on Sunday.”

Asked specifically about Tshibola, he replied: “I’m not just referring to him. I’m talking about a few who have been waiting in the wings. I’ll make changes.”

Leandro Bacuna and Aly Cissokho could come into his thinking while Bruce could also look to his Under-23s squad to freshen things up in the first team.