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Aston Villa fans have expressed their dismay after hearing the news that Jonathan Kodjia is injured and could be out for some time.

Steve Bruce broke the news at his weekly press conference and admitted 'it didn't look great' after telling how the striker broke down on international duty with the Ivory Coast.

He joins fellow forward Scott Hogan on the injury bench with the former Brentford man also facing a lenthy lay-off after an operation on his stomach.

Kodjia is due a scan on his ankle to determine the severity of the injury but it looks like Bruce will have to plan without his talisman striker for the near future, at best.

Villa also have other injury problems with captain John Terry out until the New Year with a broken metatarsal.

Andre Green and Gabby Agbonlahor are also out and Robert Snodgrass will be assessed before heading down to QPR. Josh Onomah is fit to start, though.

“Snodgrass trained yesterday,” Bruce continued.

“We put him through paces yesterday. “A couple of weeks agao he played with fractured rib so we will see how he is.

“Andre Green is progressing well. He’s out in America with Under Armour working in their state of the art centre.

“Gabby is just starting his recovery.

“It could be vitally important that he gets the bit between his teeth again because we are short.”

Here's a selection of your responses...

Richard Franks: Kodjia out for a few weeks... international break needs to do one

Home Of The Villa: So J_Kodjia & ScottHogan_9 both out for a few weeks....the mantle falls back on KeinanD100 - no pressure. Sure he can handle it but not great news in the forward areas

Crayf: O'Hare needs to start tomorrow. No Hogan or Kodjia, play O'Hare in the hole behind Keinan

James: Why on earth would we allow Kodjia to go away? He wasn't available for us

IanGogo: Impressive decision to allow him to go on international duty while injured

Jamie Barfoot: Absolute striker crisis! Great gabby is back soon

Chlo: No Terry, Kodjia or Hogan for a while, great

James Evans: Really disappointing news about Kodjia & Hogan. Feel for Hogan as you think he would've got some time over Xmas to get up and running. Got to feel his career at avfc will be over now. As for Kodjia should never have gone on international duty as he has barely played this year.

In other news

A measure of the man

Keinan Davis bulldozed his way through two towering German defenders on his first start for Aston Villa.

He then gave the rough and rugged Nathan Baker a taste of his own medicine when he stood up to the fearless centre-half just days later.

Now the 19-year-old has scored two important goals in 13 league appearances, has made his international debut for England and has just been rewarded with a bumper new contract for his efforts.

But the 19-year-old, void of an academy upbringing, hasn’t always been this powerful beast.

When he arrived at Villa he was raw and needed fine-tuning.

His eating plan was also out of sync until Villa’s sports scientists intervened.

And when the talented teen started consuming the correct calories the signs of improvement began.

Six months into his claret and blue career, Davis had improved so much that he bypassed the U18 side for the U21s.

Ex-boss Remi Garde also handed him a place on the substitutes bench in the Premier League which was followed by a Match Of The Day shoutout.

A rapid rise to the top was in progress but Davis remained grounded and true to his roots.

It wasn’t long after his move to Villa from Biggleswade Town that he returned to run the line for his old boss in a practice game.

Davis continues to attend their end-of-season awards nights as a mark of respect for the club that set him on his way.

Rejected by Stevenage as a kid, the striker didn’t know where to turn until he met Dave Northfield, the boss at Biggleswade FC (formerly Biggleswade Town).

Northfield took him in and gave him the support and belief that he needed.

“I always knew he had something. He was fantastic for us and when Villa signed him up, I was made up for him," the boss said.

“It couldn’t have happened to a nicer kid, and I say that with my hand on my heart.”

The pair remain in close contact and Davis remains the 'humble, grounded kid' he has always been since moving to Villa.

Scoring early in his claret and blue career has helped.

And while strikers are judged on their goals, his unselfish ways have taken the pressure off his own personal tally.

Davis has so much to offer to his team-mates and has received plenty of praise from them since his integration into the first-team.

“When the ball goes up to him, you know it’s going to stick,” said Hourihane.

“Without him, I wouldn’t have scored a hat-trick against Norwich.”

Boss Steve Bruce now has to monitor Davis closely to get the best out of him.

“He will go up and down because of his age,” admitted the manager.

But he's now an important part of his team.

Villa have taken Davis onto a new level.

Because he only played part-time football before moving to the Midlands, there was an initial burst of improvement in the early months of his claret and blue career.

Academy staff dedicated long hours to maximising his potential.

A personal workout plan was designed for him to adhere to away from group training.

He needed to catch up with the rest of the group so he worked on increasing his strength and core stability.

On the practice pitches, coaches helped him with his positional play. He knew how to hold the ball up but his decision-making needed to improve.

Goals were never hard to come by, though.

He scored for fun in his younger years and quickly added to his tally for the development team.

Then came an inevitable plateau and that's when the real work started.

Could Villa transform Davis from a player with potential into a trusted first-team performer?

Judging by his early contributions this season, the answer is edging towards a 'yes'.

Over the summer he stepped up another gear.

Bruce took him on the pre-season trips to Portugal and Germany and handed him a start against Norwich in August.

Davis was told just 90 minutes before kick-off that he was leading the line in front of almost 30,000 fans.

And what an impact he had.

"It was the best debut I've seen from a youngster," said the manager.

That's why Villa subsequently rejected calls from lower-league clubs to take the England U20 ace on loan in the last transfer window.

Had Jonathan Kodjia and Rushian Hepburn-Murphy not been injured in recent months, Davis might not have got a look-in.

Remember a certain Marcus Rashford only got his opportunity at Manchester United when injuries ruled other players out, and while it would be wrong to put him in the same bracket as the England striker, it just goes to show that they sky is the limit if you take your chance when it comes.

Davis is a young man who will continue to be nurtured at Villa in times ahead and there will be no pressure placed on his ever-growing broad shoulders.

However, he could just end up being the bright spark that Villa need to kickstart their promotion push.

This week's contract extension will give him the security he needs.

And knowing the type of character he is, he'll already be hoping for further improvement as he aims to make it all the way to the top.

The latest podcast

Jim Walker, a man synonymous with the revival of Aston Villa between 1987 and 2004.

It is not often a physiotherapist becomes a fans' favourite, but Jim achieved just that during his 17 year spell at Villa.

More than just a 'bucket and sponge man', Jim was popular with managers, players and the claret and blue faithful.

We've had the pleasure of catching up with him for the Birmingham Mail's latest Alliv Notsa podcast.

Jim started out playing for Derby County and recalls how Brian Clough introduced him to first team football.

The 70-year-old looks back on how he became a physio, the resistance he faced when he first came to Villa and shares the Paul Birch prank he was once on the receiving end of.

Jim also discusses what he is doing now and how his Christian faith has helped him since the passing of his wife Susan and during his own cancer battle.

Jim is a thoroughly nice bloke, he's Villa through and through and this interview is well worth a listen.

You can hear it by clicking on our podcast at the top of this piece.

Don't forget to subscribe to Alliv Notsa and to rate us on iTunes. Details below:

Other ways to get our podcast

We're up to Episode 26 of the podcast and, as ever, welcome your support, so have a listen and let us know what you think.

To get involved, to give us your feedback and to suggest topics for us to natter about, email mat.kendrick@trinitymirror.com

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1) Search for Alliv Notsa and find the Birmingham Mail's podcast or go straight to https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/alliv-notsa/id1245197159

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2) Click the follow button

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Taylor tribute

Graham Taylor’s name now sits proudly on the supporter wall at the National Memorial Arboretum after the proceeds from his memorial services were donated to the remembrance site.

The former England, Aston Villa, Wolves and Watford manager passed away in January and a memorial match was played this summer to remember the heroic boss.

An incredible £40,000 was raised by Taylor’s family and friends and donated to the Arbotetum.

And representatives at the Staffordshire-based site today posted the following thank-you message on their Facebook page.

It read:

“Tonight we say a heartfelt #ThursdayThanks to the family of the late Graham Taylor OBE and the many thousands of people who kindly made donations in his memory.

“Graham’s wife Rita and two daughters Karen and Joanne, were our guests at our recent Armistice service, having generously chosen the Arboretum to benefit from the donations raised at memorial services and the sale of tickets for the two memorial matches.

“A remarkable total of just under £40,000 was donated and, in recognition, Graham’s name has been added to our supporter wall.”

Taylor was remembered at a game between Wolves and Villa shortly after his death last season.

But it was the summer friendly between Villa and Watford in the Midlands that was set up in memory of him.

Thousands of fans attended and hundreds of Taylor’s friends and former colleagues supported the day.