M_Afro

2 hours ago, gurru991 said:

Winning in Scotland is an empty vessel. Its a two team league & one team didn't show up that season. Gerrard has not proven himself in terms of the  Premier League & hiring him would be an experiment. Villa deserve better !

It was very much a 1 team league when Gerrard took over at Rangers. He made it a 2 team league again.

Class from Smith as expected. Time to move on now and back the new guy, whoever it may be. UTV

1 minute ago, Davkaus said:

I wouldn't have a problem with a young, ambitious manager joining us, and doing such a good job they leave to one of Europe's top sides within a few short years.

It's just that Gerrard is an absolute word removed. 

Why do people think that Gerrard is such a bad person? Is it because of the way he was on the pitch? If so, I don’t see the problem. He was an absolute winner, knew when to be nasty and absolutely would do anything to win. If ever a club needed a bit of that, it’s us.

Is it off the field antics? I remember one unsavoury altercation but I thought that he was found not guilty. Also, we don’t really know all of the details, people do make terrible mistakes at times and it was a long time ago. I know that in his time at Liverpool and Rangers he has been involved in lots of good community work so if we are going to focus on the bad, it’s only fair that we should take a balanced view on all aspects of his character.

Genuinely interested in the reasons that people see him as such a nasty piece of work. I’ve always thought he was ok.

4 minutes ago, smg said:

The arrogance thinking we are special enough to take Potter, Frank or Viera from their current jobs

The lack of ambition thinking that we’re not!

1 minute ago, NurembergVillan said:

I heard yesterday that we were in talks with Brighton over Graham Potter.

But I'm no ITK, so take that with the proverbial pinch of salt.

Please be true. It makes sense on all levels.

Just now, SuperTed said:

Where have you seen this mate? 

Matt Law on Twitter 

Shakespeare has gone too. Looks like an incoming is imminent 

49 minutes ago, Villarocker said:

You say "Dean's consistency helps us go on runs" when we're "hot". That's not Dean, it's the players. The best Villa team has not been seen this season for varying reasons. I really cannot wait to see this lineup:

------------------------Martinez----------------------

Cash-------Konsa------Mings-------Targett

------------------Luiz--------McGinn--------------

Traore-------------Buendia--------------Bailey

-----------------------Watkins------------------------

I like this formation but we don’t have the players to play it effectively. To play 4-2-3-1 you need 2 absolutely top class DM’s and 2/3 really hard working AMs. Luiz is probably good enough with the right person next to him to compliment his weaknesses. SJM is woeful in that position.

I think Buendia can play that position with the right people behind him but the other two are way too poor defensively. 

I think we have to go 4-3-3 with a narrow front 3. I would bring in Young for Targett otherwise I would stick with your back 5. A midfield 3 (6 and two 8’s) of Luiz, SJM and Sanson. A front three of Buendia, Ollie and Bailey. Until we address our terrible midfield though, we will have issues with all formations.

1 minute ago, hippo said:

Personally I think we would have got wind of it by now if a change was imminent.

So I think he's in charge for Brighton.

Watching Brighton yesterday I honestly think that's a winnable game.

The fact that we are saying things like that about Brighton is so depressing! That statement should be reserved for the likes of Chelsea et al. Brighton at home we should be expecting to win. How we have fallen 

1 minute ago, ender4 said:

The toenails, the pubes and the cabbage?

That could work!

2 minutes ago, vreitti said:

Well the cabbage is available. 

Would rather eat Big Sam’s mouldy toenails on a fresh nest of Warnock’s greying pubes!

1 minute ago, vreitti said:

If that means Shakespeare, Nanny McPhee or Danks. Hell no! 

I suppose I'd be okay with Delaney. 

 

Was thinking an external appointment. Maybe an older coach on a final big pay day.

4 minutes ago, vreitti said:

Perhaps it's as simple as there isn't a standout replacement available? 

Maybe. If that’s true I would look at an interim solution until the end of the season. If we do nothing we are in big trouble.

It’s all gone very quiet. Now is the perfect time to sack Dean. If they don’t do it now, I suspect he will be given until the end of the year at least. I can’t think of a single rational reason that an ambitious owner would do that but there you go. It’s certainly one way of tackling the waiting list.

6 minutes ago, Nigel said:

No you are extrapolating!

There’s plenty of statistical data to support my position.

In my view Smith is a poor tactician and coach. His strength is that he manages to galvanise the stakeholders and create a really good culture. When he joined we were an absolute shambles. The whole club was splintered. Dean has bought everyone back together. He has stabilised our club. He has done his job. We now need someone who can build on his foundations. He has 100% taken us as far as he can but his role in re-establishing us will be remembered fondly by most, as it should be.

I actually think that Dean would make an exceptional Director of Football. I would be happy to see him move upstairs and for us to bring in a new head coach/manager. It’s unlikely to happen but I think he could be an elite Director of Football. Sadly he will only ever be an average manager.

4 minutes ago, Indigo said:

Could may well be wrong and hope I would be, but the apparent interest in Henry at the time looms large for me. I can just envisage a more qualified "name" appointment like Gerrard or along those lines. It's just a hunch really but Villa have a habit of bringing out the pessimist in me.

The Henry rumour was bs I think. We never had any interest in him.

6 minutes ago, Nigel said:

Its impressive that you know this to be true!

I have eyes. It’s not impressive it’s just seeing!

1 minute ago, chrisvilla4 said:

Found it interesting what @TrentVilla alluded too, that the players may like him but not necessarily believe in his methods. We do seem like a rudderless ship at the moment, maybe that leadership was what Terry and ROK gave us, along with Jack. I've said it before, we lack leaders in all areas, Smith himself comes across as passive. 

Agreed. JT is the only spine this club has had in the last 10 years. Without him we are a wobbly mess of gutless wimps.

14 minutes ago, Okonokos said:

If he goes the last lingering thread of my interest in modern football will go. Hate the sport and what it has become 

I don’t understand this. It has always been the same. Deliver or move on. Our owners have been really supportive of Dean. Much more so than most owners. You obviously don’t remember Doug. He would have fired Smith about 2 years ago!

I agree that there are aspects of modern football that are distasteful but managers getting fired for doing a poor job for a prolonged period of time has forever been so. The only difference now to 30 years ago is that they walk away with a fortune in compensation. That’s the distasteful bit.

12 hours ago, sidcow said:

At this point in time Bailey and Buendia are looking a bit dodgy. 

Ings is a good signing obviously but a schoolkid could have called that. 

As it stands I think he's got some questions to answer. 

We need to see if another manager can use them better and get a song out of them but I am concerned that we've pissed away a chunk of the Grealish cash. 

I see it the other way. Bailey and Buendia are both good signings who will likely come good and really add to the squad. I just never understood why we signed Ings. If he was bought as genuine competition for Ollie and we followed it up by addressing our woeful midfield, then fair enough. That doesn’t appear to be the case.

Trying to shoe horn Ings into the team has totally destroyed everything. Ollie looks a shell of a player. Our wide forwards are blowing after 15 minutes due to the work expected of them. Our already powderpuff midfield is under even greater pressure and incapable of doing anything well. This creates pressure on the defence. We cannot sustain possession in the opposition half which makes it difficult to create anything and thus we resort to hopeless hoof ball! There just does not seem to be a plan!