PeteWilson Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Without any spending, we have: ---------------Guzan--------------- ------------------------------------ -Lowton---Vlaar-Okore---Bennett ------------------------------------ ---------Westwood--Delph--------- ------------------------------------ --Bacuna---Weimann---Gabby---- ------------------------------------ -------------Benteke--------------- Plus: Bent, NZogbia, Clark, Baker, Donacien, Hutton, Luna, Bowery, KEA, Kozak, Tonev, Helenius, J Grealish, C Robinson, D Johnson, Add in a couple of signings - e.g Bertrand, Lescott, Hoolahan etc. Is it really that bad? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mart-L7 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Its right up there in the worst footballing team I've seen. When it clicks for 45 mins total all season it's ok 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LondonLax Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Our best 11 is quite good but with a few injuries the lack of depth shows us up as poor underneath. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BleedClaretAndBlue Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 With Benteke, Okore fit and up to speed, and the rest of them having a stormer im confident we can draw with anyone :/ Its a very cheap squad and it shows. Most championship sides would fancy theirselves against us any day of the week and thats where the problem lies. Very fortunate to still be up imho 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Big_John_10 Posted May 24, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted May 24, 2014 It's a very poor team. Before I write it off completly I'd like to see what a manager with more than one idea on how football should be played could do with it. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McGrath1874 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 We are quite weak I'd say. Having an ok starting 11 is all well and good, but you need a strong squad to do well, or in our case survive a season in the premiership. I think our midfield is the worst I've ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theboyangel Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 I don't think our team is as bad as some make out and with a couple of good additions, we'd be a comfortable midtable team. We never really looked in trouble, relegation wise until after the Chelsea win - we were comfortable sitting in 10/11th but we had a dramatic dip in results (strangely coinciding with key injuries and loss of form of important players), combined with others (Palace, Sunderland et al) finding form, closing the gap and ensuring a nervy end to the season. Lambert has revealed he's known about the sale of the club for a while and it would be fair to assume the players would've also known, this along with the back room staff debacle could have been a factor in why we got dragged into a battle at the bottom. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Villarocker Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Vlaar and Okore will be decent enough but we all know that after those two we need a whole new defence. Guzan is fine but not too sure about his back-up. Delph is fine but still not sure of Westwood. Think he should be back-up for someone else. The rest of the midfield is far too weak to talk about and all need replacing. Benteke is the only really decent striker we have. Gabby is hit and miss and lives off the fact he's a Villa fan. But, he is vital to us when he's in form. Weimann is hit and miss but, to be fair to him, he's not playing as a centre forward - his preferred role - when our front 3 are all fit. Maybe a new manager with new tactics and formation would bring out better performance levels from the team as a whole, who knows? But, under Lambert's management, there's only a handful of players that are anywhere near good enough for this level of football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Yes. Yes it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Fullbacks that can't defend. A midfield that can't defend or can't create, barely score and don't impose themselves on a game. An attacking trio that can't create, have a poor touch and don't score enough. Yeah I'd say it's pretty poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob182 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Fullbacks that can't defend. A midfield that can't defend or can't create, barely score and don't impose themselves on a game. An attacking trio that can't create, have a poor touch and don't score enough. Yeah I'd say it's pretty poor.Fullbacks, I'd agree with. They're better attacking than they are defending. But the rest, I think you're being a little harsh, and perhaps judging them on the bad parts of last season alone, which could partly be down to Lambert's tactics/man management. Delph, Westwood and KEA have showed they can score and create (Though we don't have the user-creative AMC that we all crave). Also, I'm sure I read at some point that KEA had pretty impressive stats, regarding breaking up play. Benteke, Gabby & Weimann can create and can score. The first-touch thing has often been down to confidence or carrying injuries. Gabby is the weakest, when it comes to all-round ability and potential, but we've known his limitations for a long time, even when we were a good side. Like BJ10 said, I would be interested in seeing this team under a different manager with different tactics, training and a pre-season under their belts. All playing at their best, it's not actually a bad team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quazzie goat Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Fullbacks that can't defend. A midfield that can't defend or can't create, barely score and don't impose themselves on a game. An attacking trio that can't create, have a poor touch and don't score enough. Yeah I'd say it's pretty poor. Haven't Westwood, KEA and Delph scored like 10 between them this season? And Westwood has one of the highest key pass rates in the league? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Mantis Posted May 24, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted May 24, 2014 It's not great but as with a lot of things on VT not nearly as poor as many people make out. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DamsonwoodVillan Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Yeah it's a team of young likeable characters I guess but if we're being honest it's not good enough to challenge the top 10. Player for player it looks ok but it doesn't account for how strong this league is now. No team are mugs any more and every 3 points is hard to come by. That team could beat an off colour Chelsea, but in the same week could be turned over by an in-form Palace. We need more consistent Premier League quality right the way through the side. I posted this in another thread: bearing in mind the names of speculation so far and what is just about reasonable, I'd be happy with this... Guzan Richards Vlaar Okore Lescott Holtby Delph Rodwell Milner Benteke Agbonlahor/Weimann I don't think we can achieve this without a takeover though. Although the combined fees for those names may not be too bad, the wages would smash the new structure the club have strived so hard for completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Fullbacks that can't defend. A midfield that can't defend or can't create, barely score and don't impose themselves on a game. An attacking trio that can't create, have a poor touch and don't score enough. Yeah I'd say it's pretty poor.Fullbacks, I'd agree with. They're better attacking than they are defending. But the rest, I think you're being a little harsh, and perhaps judging them on the bad parts of last season alone, which could partly be down to Lambert's tactics/man management. Delph, Westwood and KEA have showed they can score and create (Though we don't have the user-creative AMC that we all crave). Also, I'm sure I read at some point that KEA had pretty impressive stats, regarding breaking up play. Benteke, Gabby & Weimann can create and can score. The first-touch thing has often been down to confidence or carrying injuries. Gabby is the weakest, when it comes to all-round ability and potential, but we've known his limitations for a long time, even when we were a good side. Like BJ10 said, I would be interested in seeing this team under a different manager with different tactics, training and a pre-season under their belts. All playing at their best, it's not actually a bad team. The majority of the last two yrs have been bad so what else am I meant to judge them on? I think between kea delph and Westwood 8 leagues were scores this season. That is poor in my eyes, one midfielder alone should be scoring that. Gabby and weiman were on fire the last half of lamberts 1st season and created a lot but for the remaining 1.5 seasons they have been poor and are one of the reasons we are really low scorers. Yes a new manager may get more out of the team, but under our current manager they are poor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordSepulchrave Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 (edited) It's actually our attack force that worries me - Weimann and Gabs just haven't scored enough. Both offer other things to the team - Weimann's clever movement and work rate and Gab's pace and ability to ping in a cross, but the lack of goals from both was worrying last season. KEA, Westwood and Delph actually work well as a mid-three, and our back line at full strength is something that I'd be confident in. Terrible depth on both though. A couple of quality additions, and I reckon we don't have relegation to fear next year. Will probably still be a fairly mediocre side though. Edited May 24, 2014 by LordSepulchrave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaggy Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Poor manager buys poor players = relegation struggles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brumstopdogs Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 With a better and more versatile manager I would have more confidence that the side could do better. It's not just the players it is the way they are set up and the way they are told to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanO Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Yes it is really bad. You don't finish 15th 2 seasons running with a good team (and 16th the one before). Under investment and some poor poor signings will be what we remember from the Lerner/lambert era, I only pray that whomever buys the club truly want to invest money. If we go into the season with the squad we have now does anyone think we will do better? If so then you need to read Albert Einstein quote about doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome = insanity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted May 24, 2014 Share Posted May 24, 2014 Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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