Steve Bruce: Aston Villa 'crisis' was nonsense, says manager after first win

Going back to last season, Saturday's victory over Norwich was only Villa's second league win in nine matches for Steve Bruce's side

Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce says that talk of "crisis" was "nonsense" after seeing his side's first Championship win of the season.

Villa started the day bottom of the early season league table thanks to Bruce's former club Birmingham City losing at Burton on Friday night.

They responded by beating Norwich 4-2, Conor Hourihane hitting a hat-trick.

"To be lurched into a crisis again after a week is just incredible," the Villa boss told BBC Sport.

"Two results go against you and the roof caves in again, but you've got to be bigger than that. I knew we weren't going to be bottom for long.

Andre Green's right-foot curler was his first goal for the club

"Two weeks ago, against Hull, we were close to blowing them away and didn't take our chances. Then there were times against Cardiff in the second half which weren't acceptable. Against Reading in midweek we were OK.

"But all that nonsense about us being in a crisis shows you where the club has been. How the club can be in crisis after a week.

"Middlesbrough have spent £45m since coming out of the Premier League and they've been beaten twice. It's a tough, tough division. And we haven't got any divine right to blow away teams.

"There's a big myth out there that I have millions and millions to spend. The club has spent millions over the past four or so years but the fact is we're a bit hamstrung at the minute."

Although Bruce did make several big signings in the January window, the club are, in fact, massively in credit on their summer trading.

If the kids are good enough, they'll play - Bruce

Among the three changes Bruce made from the midweek defeat at Reading was to bring in 19-year-old striker Keinan Davis as one of three teenagers in his starting line-up.

Davis responded by making the first goal and several times going close himself.

"Against two big German centre-halves it was a case of 'Welcome to the Championship', "Bruce told BBC Sport. "It was a fantastic first start for a young player who was at Biggleswade a year ago.

"He was magnificent on Monday for the reserves. That made me think I could take a chance as I wasn't sure Scott Hogan was fully fit and Gabby Agbonlahor had a twinge in his back.

"If they're good enough they'll play and they've certainly shown glimpses that they're good enough. I've done it before. I did it down the road when I was at Blues and I threw Darren Carter in. And when I was at Sunderland and I put Jordan Henderson in.

"We had four 19-year-olds involved, as James Bree came on too. He's still only a boy. And I nearly played our young midfielder Callum O'Hare too. He was very close to starting."

"But you know when you throw a kid in what you're going to get from the crowd, especially when things are a bit edgy. And the fans were magnificent."