Nash Looking Forward to Pitting Wits Against Top Manager Bruce Thursday, 19th Apr 2018 18:08 Assistant caretaker-boss Gerard Nash is looking forward to sharing the touchline with Steve Bruce, one of the Championship’s most experienced managers, when the Blues take on Aston Villa at Portman Road on Saturday afternoon. Nash and fellow assistant Chris Hogg prowled the technical area throughout Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Nottingham Forest with caretaker-manager Bryan Klug preferring to remain on the bench. “The calibre of some of the managers in this league is obviously very, very high,” Nash enthused. “He [Bruce] has managed in the Premier League, he’s a Premier League manager, Aitor Karanka’s done the same thing, who we faced last Saturday. “It’s incredibly stimulating and it’s a great prospect and it’s fantastic to be working at that level even if it’s a few short weeks, to be pitting your wits against people of that calibre. “He’s been a top manager and is a top manager but I’m sure he won’t be taking anybody here lightly, he’ll want to get another promotion on his CV and they’re very much in the reckoning to go and do that.”
Having taken only one session with the first-team squad ahead of the Forest game following ex-boss Mick McCarthy’s departure, Nash says it’s been good to have a week with rather fewer distractions this time around. “It has helped massively,” he reflected. “It was a long week last week in many ways but it was also pretty hectic so I think it was beneficial for everyone to have a little breather on Sunday and we’ve had a chance to do some training this week. “And I think the weather’s helped as well, it’s brought a little bit of variety to it. We’ve been able to train well and we’ll be ready at three o’clock on Saturday.” Klug seems unlikely to make too many changes to the team which came within a minute of the scheduled 90 minutes plus time added-on of winning at the City Ground last week.
Bartosz Bialkowski will be in goal with the back three of Jordan Spence, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jonas Knudsen probably continuing in front of him. Youngster Chris Smith could be in the squad and might well get some game time at some stage during the remaining matches. Myles Kenlock is likely to keep his place as the left wing-back but Klug could opt to bring Barry Cotter back in on the right for Grant Ward, the Irish youngster having made an impressive debut in the 1-0 victory over Barnsley in McCarthy’s final match. Stand-in skipper Cole Skuse will be joined in central midfield by two of Tristan Nydam, Callum Connolly, Luke Hyam, Stephen Gleeson and Ward.
Up front, Klug also has a number of options, although top scorer Martyn Waghorn seems a certain starter. Ben Morris could keep his place having made his full debut last week, while Bersant Celina is back after being ill last week, Mustapha Carayol will also be keen to start and Ben Folami will be looking to make his full Championship debut. Villa boss Bruce says his team is a match for anyone in the division on their day even if they’re currently outsiders for an automatic promotion spot, standing as they are fourth, four points behind second-placed Cardiff, who have a game in hand. “We’ve improved and even though we might not be good enough to go up automatically, we’ve given ourselves a chance,” Bruce told the Express and Star. “On our day we’re a very, very good side. We don‘t fear anybody that’s for sure because we’ve beaten them all. Let’s enjoy it.”
He added: “I’ve said it many times, if we can lose a few games on the bounce, so can others. It's what the Championship is. "Now, we’re looking for two teams to slip up, that’s the difficulty. But you can’t give up hope.” Regarding exited former Blues boss Mick McCarthy, Bruce said: "I’m disappointed for Mick. The one thing you know when you go to Ipswich over the last six years is that it’s going to be a tough game. Mick did a great job in difficult circumstances. "Sometimes you can wish for change as a supporter, and that’s been the overriding factor. How many times have we seen it this year? You have to be careful what you wish for. He’s always kept them up, always kept them mid-table. "People clamour for change these days and supporters clamour for change. Mick has done a wonderful job over the years and he always has a team to mirror him. It’ll not be long before he’s back. Bruce's memories of Portman Road as a player go back some years to his days with Norwich City. "That was a long time ago, blooming heck!" he reflected. "The Tractor derby, or whatever they call it, was good. "It’s always been a good club, it’s always been a smashing place with a history. My son played there for four years so I know it very well." Skipper John Terry is back in training having missed the last two matches with an ankle problem while right-back Alan Hutton is closing in on a return from a hamstring injury but won't be involved against the Blues. Midfielder Birkir Bjarnason could be available again having missed Villa's last game, a 1-0 home victory over Leeds United. Striker Jonathan Kodjia is expected to miss out due to a sore ankle and on-loan Manchester United full-back Axel Tuanzebe remains sidelined, also with an ankle injury, and is considered unlikely to play again this season. Historically, Town have won 19 games between the sides (15 in the league), 14 (12) have ended in draws and Villa have won 24 (20). At Villa Park in November, Albert Adomah netted a goal in each half as the home side defeated the Blues 2-0. Adomah put Villa in front on 36 during an evenly-balanced first half, then added the second in the 66th minute with both goals largely the result of poor defending from Town. In September 2016 at Portman Road, Freddie Sears struck the post and Leon Best and Skuse both had the ball cleared off the line in a frantic final few minutes but Town had to be content with a 0-0 draw against Villa. Until the closing stages it had been a close game of few chances but in the end the Blues were unlucky not to claim all three points. No current Blues player has been with Aston Villa, although U18s coach Alan Lee was a youth player at Villa Park. Midfielder Conor Hourihane, who followed his former Town boss Roy Keane to Portman Road from Sunderland in the summer of 2010, is the only Villa player to have been with the Blues. The Corkman was an unused sub for the Town first team on four occasions in 2010/11 but failed to make it on to the pitch. He signed a new six-month deal in the summer of 2011 but joined Plymouth after a trial late in pre-season with new manager Paul Jewell not seeing him as being close to breaking into his first team. Villa striker Keinan Davis had a trial with the Blues academy in November 2015 while a Biggleswade Town player, featuring for the U18s on a couple of occasions, before joining Villa, who had been showing interest prior to his stint at Playford Road, a month later. Saturday’s referee is Simon Hooper from Wiltshire, who has shown 123 yellow cards and five red in 38 games so far this season. Hooper’s most recent Town match was the 1-0 defeat to Wolves at Portman Road in January in which he booked Connolly, Gleeson, Waghorn and one of the visitors. He also refereed the 2-1 win at Burton Albion in October last year when he booked Luke Chambers, Skuse and Celina - for his shirtless goal celebration - as well as one Brewer. He also took charge of the previous month’s 3-1 home defeat to Bristol City in which he yellow-carded Knudsen, Garner and one Robins player. Prior to that he was the man in the middle of the 1-1 draw at home to Preston in January 2016 when he showed yellow cards to Brett Pitman and three Lilywhites. In the preceding September he was the man in the middle during the 3-0 Capital One Cup defeat at Manchester United in which he booked only Jonny Parr. Before that he refereed the Blues’ 2-0 home victory over Burnley at Portman Road in August of the same year in which he yellow-carded visitors’ winger Michael Kightly and no one else. Hooper officiated in the 1-0 defeat at Reading in August 2014 in which he booked Tommy Smith, Tyrone Mings and Christophe Berra and two home players. He also took control of the 1-0 win at Yeovil the previous season and the 3-0 home win against Crystal Palace in April 2013. Squad from: Bialkowski, M Crowe, Spence, Kenlock, Knudsen, Carter-Vickers, Cotter, Smith, Skuse (c), Connolly, Hyam, Bru, Gleeson, Nydam, Ward, Celina, Carayol, Waghorn, Sears, Folami, Morris, Drinan.
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