Speaking to Sky Sports, Steve Bruce has backed his Aston Villa side to climb the Sky Bet Championship table despite their early season struggles.
Villa have picked up just seven points so far this season, and after seven fixtures of the campaign, Bruce’s side sit a lowly 18th.
From the opening fixtures of the Championship season, Villa have managed just one victory, which came midway through August against Norwich City.
Despite not losing a Championship fixture since August 15th, Villa have struggled to turn draws into victories, particularly since the international break.
Bruce’s side have had back-to-back fixtures at Villa Park, but have been held to a goalless draw on two occasions, first of all by Brentford on Saturday, and then Middlesbrough last night.
The stalemate with Boro was particularly frustrating for Bruce, with Villa dominating possession but failing to take a number of opportunities that came their way.
Reflecting on another disappointing result, Bruce remained positive, he said: “At times like this you have stay strong and fight the flak. There is no need for the hysteria. We have made a bad start in regards to the points but I know for a fact that we will climb the table.
"We need something to turn our way. We have to stay positive and one day we will take the chances created."
Bruce welcomed back Jonathan Kodjia to first-team action last night, with the striker appearing as a second-half substitute and completing 20 minutes against Boro.
Kodjia was influential for Villa last season, scoring 19 Championship goals before a broken ankle cut his campaign short.
The Verdict
Bruce is trying to remain positive but Aston Villa feel like a club on the verge of imploding, with luck not on their side at this current time.
There is no doubt that Villa had enough chances to win two football matches on Tuesday against Boro, but for whatever reason, they simply couldn’t take them.
The return of Kodjia will hand Bruce a light at the end of the tunnel, with the clinical Ivorian set to be key for Villa in the coming weeks.
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