Can Aston Villa win promotion this season?
It is a year ago since Aston Villa appointed Steve Bruce as manager, and it has been an unpredictable 12 months.
It has seen one big spending transfer window, another penny pinching one, and mixed results on the pitch which have tested the patience of both Bruce and the Villa supporters.
In short it has been a reality check for all concerned, not least pundit Richard Keys who boldly predicted one year ago today that Bruce would lead Villa straight back up to the Premier League.
This prediction did not even get close to coming true, with Villa failing to even mount a play-off push.
This was not necessarily Bruce’s fault, with him taking over a Villa team still reeling from their devastating 2015/16 Premier League relegation season, and a poor start to the Championship under Roberto di Matteo.
The team finished in 13th place, but this season has begun to look a bit more positive.
Four successive wins have lifted Villa to seventh place, just five points off the top of the table.
It’s early days this season, but Keys’ prediction may turn out to be correct, just 12 months too early.
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