Steve Bruce admits trying too much, too soon at Aston Villa
Boss Steve Bruce admits he tried to blood too many new players too quickly at Villa but insists there can be no more excuses as he looks to halt his team's alarming slide.
Villa are heading into Saturday's home game with Derby on a dire run of seven defeats in eight Championship games which has left them just six points above the relegation zone.
Bruce signed seven players during last month's transfer window, in addition to bringing in goalkeeper Sam Johnstone on loan from Manchester United but none of the new boys have yet experienced victory in a Villa shirt.
And while convinced they will all prove their worth in the long-run, the manager concedes his "gamble" of making so many swift changes to the team has backfired.
"Sometimes I have to look at myself. Throwing them all in together was arguably wrong," he said.
"I took a calculated gamble to throw them all in as I thought it might give us a huge lift. In hindsight – and you are always learning – it was probably wrong.
"Usually when you get a player in you can drip-feed one, maybe one or two. We should not be putting in five or six but that is what I thought would give us a spark. It hasn't worked."
Bruce admitted the new signings are still getting used to their new surroundings and need time to settle, with six of the new players currently living in a hotel.
He added: "There were six of them in this morning at ten past eight, all the ones who are in hotels. They can't wait to get out of the gaff – no disrespect to the hotel!
"That is the way it is. I'm convinced they will be good players for the club in the long run.
"We can't judge players on a month. They need time, they need to get settled in the area and get their families here and get into a routine. I am glad with what we've done but I didn't have to throw them all in the team so quickly and all together."
Bruce believes a number of factors have contributed to the dip in form which has seen Villa lose their last five games on the spin and subjected the 56-year-old to what he describes as the worst six weeks of his managerial career.
But he added: "Really all of those are excuses and there can be no more. At the end of the day we have not been good enough. That is the simple plain fact.
"Saturday is another chance to put it right. I'm under no illusion as to difficult it is going to be.
"As the manager I have to take full responsibility. I will do my utmost to turn it round.
"The board have been nothing short of fantastic but I have had a horrible six weeks. The kind I have never had in 20 years.
"All of us in football understand when you come under the pump you have to see it through. You have to stay with it, it's as simple as that."
