NewVilla signings WILL come good insists Bruce
STEVE Bruce insists the January transfer business will benefit Aston Villa in the long-term even if the changes are contributing towards Villa’s plight right now.
Seven players were signed last month and another seven let go with Bruce admitting that the upheaval is playing a part in Villa’s struggles – including Tuesday’s 3-1 home reverse to Barnsley.
Back-to-back home defeats have extended Villa’s winless run to eight games and the manager is now desperately looking for a system to suit his under-performing side.
“We changed a few things but maybe there was too much change, at the wrong time,” he said. “I thought we needed it. “With that it’s my responsibility.” Villa signed Sam Johnstone on loan from Manchester United and let previous No.1 Pierluigi Gollini move on an 18-month loan deal to Atalanta.
Full-backs Neil Taylor and James Bree were signed with Aly Cissokho moving on.
In midfield Henri Lansbruy, Conor Hourihane and Birkir Bjarnason arrived to replace the departing Ashley Westwood.
And up front Scott Hogan was tasked with replacing the void left by the departures of Rudy Gestede, Jordan Ayew and Ross McCormack.
“For the sake of the club I thought it was the right thing to do,” said Bruce.
“I know for the sake of the club it will make us better.
“We’ve got two full-backs waiting in the wings (Taylor and Bree) who will make us better.
“They will bring competition for Hutton and Amavi. There’s been big change for far too long.
“You need to stick your chest out and see it through. “Now we show our balls.” Bruce has also tinkered with his formation in a bid to change Villa’s fortunes.
A three-man defence was tested but Villa lost to Nottingham Forest and Ipswich under that system.
Performances were poor before Christmas but Villa were still getting results through determination and resilience.
Bruce wanted to make changes in a bid to make Villa more attractive. He wants to excite the supporters, take the game to opponents and meet the high expectations that being at Aston Villa demands.
What isn’t helping absence of Mile Jedinak.
Since the middle man picked up an injury the team hasn’t won a single him is the game. In fact they haven’t recorded three points all season without the battling Australian in the side.
The trip to Newcastle on Monday could also come too soon for him but Villa will need to find a way to get it right at St James’s Park if they are to end this dismal run.
Meanwhile, Villa-conquering Barnsley manager Paul Heckingbottom has revealed that he used the departures of Conor Hourihane and James Bree to inspire his players to victory at Villa Park.
The heroic Tom Bradshaw cost just £650,000 in comparison to Villa’s £30 million strikeforce of Jonathan Kodjia and Scott Hogan.
And it’s precisely those kind of numbers that ‘Hecky’ uses to motivate his players when they play the giants of the division.
He said: “We use the fact that we are a small group of players, small group of staff, with a small budget.
“We don’t shy away from what we’re short of, we use it as motivation to bridge the gap.
“It’s a fixture that we were looking forward to from the beginning of the season, but losing two players here just added that little bit extra.”