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Broken promises? Aston Villa fans react as Tony Xia plays down expectations

Aston Villa owner Dr Tony Xia in the stands (Reuters)
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The Aston Villa owner arrived with huge statements of intent but, with the club struggling in mid-table, appears to have lowered his tone.

Aston Villa owner Tony Xia has taken to Twitter to suggest that the fans perhaps expected too much of the club’s first season in the Championship.

Few supporters demanded, or perhaps even anticipated, that Villa could challenge for an immediate return to the top flight after huge changes in the playing staff and the inevitable hangover that lingered on the back of one of the most pitiful relegations in Premier League history.

However, after the club spent huge sums on a number of proven second tier stars, from Jonathan Kodjia to Ross McCormack, Mile Jedinak to Tommy Elphick, and appointed a bona fide promotion specialist in Steve Bruce, they could be forgiven for being a little disappointed with recent performances.

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After a bright start to Bruce’s tenure, Saturday’s 2-1 loss at Nottingham Forest was their fourth in five games, meaning they are now 13 points adrift of the play-offs.

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce

And Xia has taken to Twitter to warn fans that Rome was not built in a day, although with progress stalling and the spectre of countless fellow Premier League dropouts stagnating in the lower leagues, you can understand the fans’ concerns.

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