Cardiff City are steadily climbing the table thanks to their revival under Neil Warnock; something Aston Villa fans would like to see their team doing.
Aston Villa fans
Many Aston Villa fans were hoping to see an instant turnaround in their fortunes when Steve Bruce took over the reigns are Villa Park. Replacing former Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion manager Robert Di Matteo, the Villans got often to a steady start. However, Aston Villa are now without a win since Boxing Day, and a slow dissent is starting to emerge amongst a section of Villa supporters.
And who can blame them? 36 points from 31 games isn’t good by any team in the Championship, leaving the Villans in 16th place, a massive 19 points off the play-offs.
Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce
But how much of this is down to Steve Bruce? In his last thirteen games, Aston Villa have picked up only 11 points, only scoring nine goals. Considering the quality of attacking players they have, such as Jonathan Kodjia, Albert Adomah, Scott Hogan and Jack Grealish; Villa should simply be doing better.
One manager, who took over the reigns of another Championship side at a similar time to Bruce, is veteran Neil Warnock. Taking the Cardiff City job, Warnock has inspired the kind of revival Aston Villa fans will look at with envious eyes, guiding his side to 12th in the table.
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock
Recent victories against Leeds United and Derby County, the second a 3-4 win after going 2-0 down, typify the kind of fight and determination Neil Warnock has always been able to source from his sides.
In the past, Warnock has enjoyed success with Sheffield United, Crystal Palace, Queens Park Rangers and Rotherham United, and is arguably one of the most successful managers around at Championship level, with a track record of promotion.
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock
Did Aston Villa miss a trick not bringing in the Championship veteran then? Defensively, Warnock’s teams are solid, and there’s no doubt he would have been able to patch up Villa’s leaky back-line.
The former Rotherham man is also astute in the transfer market, and might have been able to stop Villa paying the kind of huge, over-inflated fees they have been subjected too in their pursuits of players like Ross McCormack, Aaron Tshibola and Jonathan Kodjia.
Warnock would have also brought out a fight in the Aston Villa players, that fans have been desperate to see for years, not just since their relegation. A former Champions League winner, Aston Villa have fallen a long way, and Neil Warnock would have certainly have worked hard to try and restore pride in it’s supporters.
So did the Villans miss a trick? Should Steve Bruce be given more time? Or is the project at Villa Park too big even for Warnock? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
Cardiff manager Neil Warnock
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