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Aston Villa: Bruce and McCormack’s lack of communication is beyond petty

By Josh Tonti

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 16: Ross McCormack looks on during a Melbourne City A-League training session on November 16, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - NOVEMBER 16: Ross McCormack looks on during a Melbourne City A-League training session on November 16, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images) /
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Outcast forward Ross McCormack was not invited to train with Aston Villa’s first team in Portugal. McCormack’s 17+ months in Steve Bruce’s doghouse is set to extend into this season.

Let’s set a few records straight:

  1. Ross McCormack has been an abject failure at Aston Villa since his August 2016 arrival. The Scotland forward epitomizes everything that went wrong with Dr. Tony Xia’s over-extended spending.
  2. If last season’s A-League performances are anything to show, McCormack can help Villa win games.
  3. Steve Bruce is being awfully picky by refusing to include a player that can do the above. Especially considering the manager is expected to receive little-to-no reinforcements this window.
  4. Nobody is buying Ross McCormack, full stop.

All this talk about “we need to get McCormack off the wage bill” remains stunningly hilarious to me. McCormack, 31, on reportedly heavy Championship wages, hasn’t played extended football in England for 18 months. What rational club is going to offer McCormack the requisite salary to leave Aston Villa Football Club?

None. The End.

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Now that we have that clear, let’s get to the crux of the matter. McCormack’s infamous bust-up with Steve Bruce must have been serious because the two no longer speak to each other…at all. “Gate-gate”, as we’ll colloquially refer to it as, was a series of media griping between the two over missed practices. Bruce felt McCormack wasn’t acting as a professional footballer should, and instead of handling it privately, he spilled it in a press conference, stuck gate quote included.

Steve Bruce and Ross McCormack need to get over their egotistical selves and make amends. McCormack’s ball-carrying abilities and scoring record remain skills that Villa can exploit over a 50+ match season. Lewis Grabban is gone, having left for Bournemouth after his loan expired. Jack Grealish might be next. Callum O’Hare is recovering from a serious knee injury. Suddenly, a spot as a second striker in the starting XI opens up just a little.

Yes, it was the A-League, but McCormack’s 13 goals in 15 matches with Melbourne City are not something to scoff at. There is still quality within, and the former Scotland international brings a different look to the other forwards in the squad.

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