BRUCE NEEDS HAND FROM KOD
Fit-again star striker can fire Villa up table
STEVE BRUCE has sent an SOS to fit-again striker Jonathan Kodjia to solve Aston Villa’s scoring woes.
The Ivory Coast international could take the heat off underpressure Bruce if he can rediscover his goal touch.
Kodjia, who scored 19 goals for Villa last season, is available following surgery on a broken ankle. He went under the surgeon’s knife in Belgium and has spent all summer in rehab plotting his road to recovery.
Invested
Now Bruce is hoping £15m signing Kodjia can come to the rescue and fire Villa back up the table, starting at Barnsley today.
He said: “Anybody without their centre-forward who the club invested a lot of money in will find he’s going to be a miss.
“With goalscorers, the reason they cost the most money and are ®Êby DAVE ARMITAGE always the most expensive is because they are a rare breed. He’s looked well in training and he’s naturally fit.
“It was a fracture, not a muscle, tendon or ligament injury and it’s healed so we think he’s right.”
Bruce’s side were marked up as favourites to win the Championship before a ball had been kicked.
But seven points from as many games sees them languishing at the wrong end of the table.
Back-to-back goalless home draws against Brentford and Middlesbrough have heaped the pressure on Bruce, but he is confident an upturn in fortunes is just around the corner.
“We all believe that we are nearly there,” he said. “I know for a fact that come the end we will be there or thereabouts.”
Bruce believes he still has the backing of the majority of Villa fans but believes social media just fuels the calls to axe managers.
He added: “What’s the fix? Off with my head and then somebody comes in and changes it? That’s not the way forward, surely?
“It’s been a frustrating start for everybody, but we’re unbeaten in five games. We’re not far short.”