Scott warns critics: You’ll never break us!
SCOTT Hogan reckons Villa’s dressing room is bullet-proof and believes the togetherness will help the club to promotion this term.
The 25-year-old is back among the goals and revealed the secret behind Villa’s rise after the win at Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Hogan believes a unified dressing room has lifted the group in their times of need and he insisted the ‘critics will never break us’.
“Nothing penetrates the dressing room because we all believe in each other,” he said.
“If someone wants to say it, let them.
“We all see each other every day and know what we can do. If people want to write, tweet, whatever.
“It is one of the things which gets missed.
“People look at the names we have in the group and think we are all individuals. People look beyond the fact we really are a tight-knit group.”
A sign of Villa’s unity was evident before the win at the City Ground.
Rather than a traditional pre-match huddle, each player showed a mark of respect to their team-mate, either in the form of a hug, hand-shake or fistpump.
Away from the training ground, the team regularly take part in teambonding social actitivies and Hogan reckons it’s starting to show with improved results.
“I have not been at Villa long but this is probably one of the best groups they have had here in terms of morale and the way we get on,” he said.
“There are no cliques or anything like that. It is a real group. It’s really good in the changing rooms, around the place.
“The gaffer is good on that. He creates that culture and lets the lads have a laugh because he knows there’s big pressure on them. We’ve got to try and relieve pressure.
“He comes down on us when we haven’t done well, like after the Brentford game last month.
“He’s been a player, he knows what it’s about.
“It’s just lads getting together, we work hard, we’ve got good coaching and it’s coming together nicely. Hopefully now we’ll kick on.”
Hogan is back in the team and bagged the match-winner at the weekend.
But the most pleasing part is seeing the likes of Tommy Elphick, Birkir Bjarnason and Alan Hutton (playing out of position) coming in to help Villa through the busy festive period.
“There’s lads who don’t get involved when they’re sat at home and they’re a bit upset, obviously,” Hogan added.
“But in training there’s no sulking, everyone is trying to get in the team. There’s a culture where if you train well, you’re in. That’s a big part of it.
“There’s no major fall-outs. Of course there’s arguments, that’s football, but it really is a strong group.
“Even the players who don’t play, they congratulate you if you win and the feel-good factor is there to see on a Monday after a win.”
Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho will allow Villa transfer target Axel Tuanzebe to leave Manchester United on loan this month.
Tuanzebe, 20, is understood to be on manager Bruce’s January wishlist as the Villa boss looks to bolster his options ahead of the Championship promotion run-in.
The defender, who can also play in midfield, has appeared eight times for United across the last two seasons under Mourinho and made his Champions League debut towards the end of last year in a 2-1 victory over CSKA Moscow.
Tuanzebe was left out of the Red Devils’ 3-0 win over Stoke City on Monday night and also missed the under-23s’ 4-0 defeat at Arsenal.
Mourinho is happy for him to leave on a temporary deal this month.
He said: “I want a squad of 22 players, maybe because I want to make the kid a good player, and I am not giving him the chances I am giving to Scott McTominay because he (Tuanzebe) plays in a position where I have so many players.
“I am not giving the opportunities to Axel so probably Axel is the only one that I open the door for him to go and play because I believe he is a really good talent and he needs to play.”