Wilson looks the part now
TIME is ticking for Steve Bruce, who admits he can’t afford many more performances like this and still keep his job.
Social media is alive with ‘Bruce Must Go’ rants but Villa’s biggest crowd of the season, an impressive
35,572, didn’t come to a firm decision.
There were boos but nowhere near enough to hang him and Bruce lives on to Friday night’s game at Bristol City.
After that it’s Preston at home and Millwall away, both of them struggling.
Nothing out of those three and Bruce is unlikely to have a job going into the international break.
When it was put to him after this lame defeat that he can’t afford many more performances like that, he said: “No, absolutely. We didn’t play well at all.”
John McGinn’s stunning
25-yard equaliser was the best moment for Villa.
They rarely got the better of Sheffield Wednesday, who played with five men in defence when needed, had a plan, and scored good goals through Marco Matias IF DERBY’S on-loan Liverpool winger Harry Wilson fails to make the grade, he could always try his hand as a Fernando Torres lookalike.
The youngster is often likened to the former Anfield striker.
And the 21-year-old Welsh international admits that if he could have half the career Torres has had, he will be a happy man.
He said: “I’ve had that quite a lot on social media. I don’t see it, but I think a lot of the fans do.
“I’d be delighted if I could achieve half of what he’s done. It was brilliant going to Anfield and watching him score.”
Derby went behind after just 54 seconds to a Henrik Dalsgaard header, but Wilson slotted home the and Steven Fletcher. It’s one win in seven league games for Villa plus an embarrassing Carabao Cup defeat at Burton.
This is a job Bruce loves, the biggest of his career he calls it, but he is edging towards the brink.
Last season he won one of his first seven games.
Two defeats in 17 stopped the rebellion and one defeat in 12 followed, nine of those victories, before Villa finished up losing the play-off final.
“When you’re managing a club like this, you’re always under pressure, if that’s the right word,” added Bruce.
“I still think that people who can’t pay the bills, who struggle to do that, are under more pressure.
“I’ve been in football for a long, long time. I know I will never win some people over.
“The ones who have wanted me out since the first day I came will be on their high horse, that’s for sure. But we were poor. End of.” equaliser – his first goal in a Rams shirt – before David Nugent put the hosts in front.
Wilson was then tripped for Mason Mount to curl home a stunning free-kick.
Wilson said: “I was desperate to get off the mark. So to do that was great and I’m now looking forward to getting more.
“I think going out on loan can only be a positive.”
Brentford had suffered only one defeat prior to their trip to Pride Park.
Midfielder Lewis Macleod said: “Derby played well but we could have done much better. It was nice to get off to a good start but we had a bad 15 minutes.”