mikeyjavfc

I pay for Sky, BT and Amazon prime. I paid £10 twice for a the god awful single camera Carabao cup coverage. I’ll probably pay £15 x3 for these games too. I’m probably being exploited but that’s capitalism and I am lucky that I can afford it. Personally I think £15 is a bit dear but not too bad in a world where Xbox games are £60 and movies are £10 to rent on Amazon or Apple. This gives me 2 hours of entertainment that I wouldn’t have had otherwise so it comes with a cost. I think £10 would have been about right.

Southgate is hampered by his limited imagination and ability as a tactician. He likes players as technicians who can run fast in straight lines. He has no idea what to do with a creative like Grealish meander around the pitch. Southgate wouldn’t know how to use Messi or Maradona either. I think the best Jack can hope for under Southgate will be a super sub status for games where Southgate’s preferred system isn’t working so he tries Grealish as “something different”, as he likes to put it.

I think the main issue between Southgate and Grealish (assuming there is no weird personal issue) is that Southgate likes to play a very rigid well drilled system, whereas Jack is trained at Villa to adopt a more free roaming role. There is a clear conflict there as Jack’s instincts are to carry the ball across the pitch, switch sides and cut inside, when I think Southgate would prefer his wingers to largely stay out wide chucking in crosses. He would face the same issues if he played for Burnley for example. Judging by last night, Grealish doesn’t really seem to change his game to adapt to Southgate’s style, which is probably why Southgate struggles to praise him after the match even when he plays well. To him he probably isn’t playing very well as he has ripped up all the instructions he was given to play his own game. For that reason I don’t think Grealish can really be a success under Southgate, as he would have to give up all the aspects of his game that make him a unique talent in order to fit the system. It’s obvious to us that the system should be changed to fit Grealish but that is probably a step to far for a conventionalist like Southgate

The weird part is that Southgate’s high morals have been badly shown up since his chosen model of leadership and quiet professionalism (Harry Macguire) was arrested and found guilty of assaulting a bloody Greek policeman! He has stood by Harry Macguire despite being proven guilty in a court of law but continues to wag his finger at others whose crimes are minor (breaking lockdown) or imaginary (Grealish). He should have done the right thing and dropped Macguire if he was consistent but he picked him despite a court appearance hanging over him. Seriously poor leadership from Southgate.

100%. Southgate's wet dream is 11 James Milner's. I bet he hated playing with Gazza in the 90's.

I think we are done personally. We have relatively full 25 man squad and it's only 2.5 months till the January window where we can strengthen again if required. I think we will hold back some FFP allowance until the January window incase we have unforeseen injuries or we want to really push on for a good end to the season. I'd love another signing but deep down I think that it's sensible to hold back now (assuming that we are getting close to our FFP limits).

I know. It feels like it was only a month or two after the purchase before everybody knew this transfer was doomed to not work out. I don’t know why he hasn’t gone on loan, even if we are still paying 80% of his wages that is still some money off the books.

Jesus. How long into that 5 year contract did everyone realise they’d made a huge mistake. 30 days? I seemed to remember he shipped 8 goals in his first 3 games.

Cheers Orjan. Overall some good performances, but many bad as well. Seemed like a good pro though and I think the coaching staff did rate him to get over his errors at one point but never really managed it.

Nyland’s gone. More wages freed up. This ones just a matter of time lads.

FIVE MORE HOURS BOYS! THIS ONES GOING DOWN TO THE WIRE!!

Pray for fax machine paper jam

Aha! It’s just last minute fun and games by Bremen. This trains still on track!

Wow, hell of a way for him to trash his reputation by backing this doomed Rashica transfer

Big Keith was tweeting positively about villa yesterday. Still a fan it seems.

He won’t get a contract that good for the rest of his career. Shows what happens when the average wage in the squad starts the rise. Even average youth players expect a big wage.

They got me. Need to stop search Rashica on Twitter and do some work

welp EDIT: looks like a joke account judging by the twitter handle. All is well

Who wants tenuous links to give false hope? I do!

House hunting in Dorridge

Probably been told he is not in our 25 man squad so this is the fairest thing to do if we couldn’t negotiate a sale or loan. Good luck to the guy, has a touch of class but missing a yard (or several yards) of pace for the premier league. His pass for Wesleys goal against Everton will always be remembered.

Rule 1 of management. Don’t change a winning team.

I’d go same team as last week. If it ain’t broke... We need to be compact and keep our shape without the ball. If we can limit Liverpool to crosses from deep then it nullifies much of their threat. If they are able to run at our defenders or get in behind we are screwed as Mane and Salah are world class at what they do. They are playing a suicidal high line in their first few games so looking forward to some long through balls and a good foot race between Watkins and Van Dyke.

Poor game last night but the whole team was thrown together and had a stinker and it’s easy to get dragged down a level in teams like that. When he’s put in with our best 11 I know he will perform better. Foreign signings generally require time and patience to hit full form anyway, so even in the best case scenario he will take time to bed in. Any fans writing him off already are embarrassing themselves.

Would love the power cube at villa. He’s a decent attacking player and wasted at Liverpool as he barely makes the 18.