Steve Bruce is still seething at Aston Villa loss to Norwich

For while the manager claimed to still be 'boiling' on the inside after defeat at Norwich three days previously, his words certainly weren't as blunt as those used in the immediate aftermath.

The message, however, remained the same.

Ten games into his Villa Park reign, Bruce has seen the good, the bad and, now, the ugly from his team. Performances like the one at Carrow Road – which he branded 'pathetic' after the final whistle – simply cannot be repeated.

"You use words in hindsight, where you look back and think did I really need to say that?" said Bruce.

"But after the game sometimes, you let your guard down, even after doing this for 20 years.

"It is still boiling inside of me because we were nowhere near the level of which I have seen the team perform.

"If they can't get to that level, then you can't criticise. But I had seen us produce three, four, five six performances which got us wins and results. We were nowhere near that level the other night. Words you regret but my actions were there for everyone to see. I demand we are better than we were the other night."

As poor as Tuesday night was – and there is no question it was by some distance the worst display of his tenure – Bruce was keen to stress it remains, at least at this point, a one-off.

A haul of 18 points from his first 10 games is, he believes, two behind schedule, with tomorrow's game at struggling QPR at first glance the ideal opportunity to get back on track.

Ian Holloway's team are 18th in the table, having lost their last four games. Yet for Villa, playing away is anything but straightforward.

Just eight of their 28 points have been earned away from Villa Park this season, while October's victory at Reading remains their only one on the road since August last year.

January might be barely a fortnight away but major upheaval is unlikely. The current squad and the manager must find a way to fix it.

"I have said to the players it is up to them to show me they can play and take the club forward," said Bruce.

"If there are one or two we can bring in that can improve us, then it is my job to try and get them. But I can't see there being a mass influx, or a mass exodus, because January does not really work like that."

Villa made nine new signings during the summer. Bruce added: "We have got to be patient. Some of these players have only been here three or four months.

"They need time to adjust and I think that is the biggest challenge they have got, adapting to playing for Aston Villa.

"No disrespect to all the other clubs in the division, apart from Newcastle, they have not got the expectation this club has. It becomes a huge demand and they have to get used to playing week-in, week-out with that demand."

Nathan Baker (groin) is expected to have a late fitness test. The defender has missed the last three matches.