Viloon

Ezri is a bit marmite at mo, I can't help but feel while a game is slower, he fits in nicely, but as soon as a high press is employed and they are trying to break our lines, he really struggles. He's just so slow to move and control/pass. Not knocking him, his record speaks for itself, just saying he has been quite exposed against Legia and last night to areas of his game I would like to see improve.

It's clear everyone is guessing and making stuff up on their FFP views, can't we keep this thread for transfer news/rumours etc and as above, post FFP opinions in the actual FFP thread, it really undermines this one.

Me and my two sons were right in front of the pitch where Phil was 2nd half and were awed when he came on, even the Valencia supporters around us were saying how good he was. For those saying he has no legs, what impressed us the most was his turn of pace, he's a lot quicker than he seems and was chasing all over the pitch. His technical skills are out of this world. After full time, he and the other subs were doing shuttle sprints and it's clear Unai is getting everyone fit, with the ECL we have a challenging season and I for one will be gutted if Phil isn't here. After an injury hindered last season, I can't understand how after what UE did with all our other players, why more people aren't excited to see what he can do with Coutinho, he still has it, he just needs a home and support imo. At times he made the opposition players seem like kids trying to get the ball off him. Can't wait to see the impact he has for us this season.

Good energy, never stops trying, liked by the fans. I do agree he lacks composure and more importantly accuracy in front of goal and his touch isn't great either. He will suffice this season if Unai can't get better in, but I think we will see him exposed now the team is better, if he missed those chances in a league game yesterday (which he does) he will cost us points and the mood on here will shift in seconds.

So apart from Chelsea, all these people predicting that due to this window, our owners don't want to spend money and Emery isn't being backed and we can't pull players etc etc, name me the other teams in the PL who just went and bought 4-5 players, spent loads of dosh and justifies the hysteria.... Gordon to newcastle?? Forest & Bournemouth signing a couple of players each? Spurs signing a right back? Wow, we seriously got left behind, I'll be surprised if we stay up and Emery doesn't leave. Seeing as we're the only team in mid table who aspires for europe, it's obviously only us who has no ambition and can't find players in a window that is notoriously inflated price wise and when most players don't want to leave unless they have problems with their club, or the the selling club doesn't want to let them go AS THEY ARE IN THE MIDDLE OF A SEASON. We are light up front, but Bertie coming back gives us options and both Bailey and Bertie can play striker. What if this season the new manager doesn't see a european push and he wants to set the foundations for success. Would that not seem sensible, seeing as he's only been here a handful of games? But please carry on, I do enjoy a giggle while I'm working....

This is the transfer thread, can people start posting dodgy transfer links please so we can at least spend today with false hope of signings, it is deadline day after all. All the broken record conversations can carry on tomorrow

If Mcginn was playing Friday night, we'd have drawn/lost. His lack of tracking back and just letting runners go past him, while pointing at everyone else to track them has cost us so many times in the past. As everyone said, we'd have not won that normally and I think that's because, partly, Mcginn wasn't on the pitch. He disappears when we are under pressure.

I think Ollie knows he's not had the best of times recently, he isn't really the answer for us up top, I would play Ings and look to bring in a new forward in January as the two options. That leaves Ollie potentially playing wide forward. I like Ollies attitude and he plugs a gap, but could we sign better wide forwards/wingers for reasonable money? absolutely. I just can't see us playing him much if we want to improve as a team.

We have a tough run of games coming up, will be a baptism of fire. I hope the fans stay patient, we can't expect to brush aside Top 6 sides in his first games. This time, I do think we need to do what Arsenal didn't with him and give him time. The expectation of comfortable survival this season, with a mid table finish as success, then breaking the top 10 next season.

Mcginn isn't a victim of the system, the system is a victim of Mcginn. When he wasn't on the pitch pre-season and Luiz/Sanson or someone else was in the middle, the ball retention was better, service to Coutinho/Buendia was better and more frequent and the team looked more cohesive. Then Mcginn would come on and the long balls would start and the middle became disjointed, as well as us becoming under more pressure from the opponent. He simply doesn't fit a team that wants to play the ball around in the middle and increase pressure on the opposition box, he is a liability defensively and old fashioned in attack. I'm praying he gets injured so we can see the team without him for a while, as that's the only way it will happen and maybe turn our fortunes around a bit.

He gave the ball away repeatedly and his long ball tactics are nothing to do with gerrard, it's how he plays and has played since he's been with us. He's just not a keep things simple kind of player. Whatever our opinions of his playing ability though, he doesn't deserve to start every game and is nowhere near a leader/motivator, whilst on the pitch. I don't really care if he's a joker in the changing room, the captain should be the one to be able to get reactions out of people in a game and if they're stood there looking at him thinking, you shouldn't even be here, which I reckon some are, then you get disharmony. Not his fault, he is what he is, while I don't blame Gerrard for how bad a player I think JM is, I do completely blame him for making this woeful decision and think he's too pig headed to admit it. Can't believe we are addressing these issues after just one game, it has zapped the early pre-season enthusiasm from almost everyone.

It really is a questionable decision to make JM captain. Let alone isolating Mings at the same time. Agree with many, Mcginn doesn't suit a possession based, ball retaining style at all, in pre-season and saturday, he keeps knocking the ball forward, running after it like a lost chicken (or Rhino) and losing possession. He doesn't show for the ball much and is miles away from his team mate most of the time. No wonder Coutinho and the other midfielders struggle to control central areas, Mcginn is a liability. This decision will haunt Gerrard.

In both games against the aussies, the half that Mcginn played was disjointed with the team struggling to link up play and retain possession. In the halves he didn't play, the team looked cohesive and pinged the ball around as you would expect a modern team to do. Both Coutinho & Buendia became twice as effective without Mcgin belting the ball 50 yards all the time. Not saying it's all on Mcginn, but he is an old school player who for me holds the team back. If he is first choice this season, I'll lose alot of faith in our gaffer and what he is trying to achieve.

Most comments seem to be about him on the ball, but his off the ball work is atrocious. He seems to mark some zone where there's no players in it, let's play get behind him, then runs back a bit which makes no difference whatsoever. I'm as baffled as anyone else how he plays week in, week out. I remember when he got injured for 3-4 games last season, I thought the team looked so much better without him there. To get consistent top 10, he needs replacing.

Just went on the Digne thread on Everton forum, saw thread on AEG and they are all bricking it they will sign him, none of them want him and most have Villa mates laughing their socks off at them. I can't see Rafa lasting too much longer there, they proper hate him.

Biossouma is a smokescreen, announce Renato Sanches!

Mings and Konsa are both behind their men in those pics, which means unless it goes over them (the utd players) they will win the header. If you are marking someone the last place you go is behind them when a cross is coming in to the box. Poor from both CBs.

I can see it, the style he is implementing. I think a combination of the squad taking onboard and executing is one thing, which will come with time and not having the players he needs means it's happening in fits and spurts. In the past, we have relied heavily on getting it out wide and developing from there, which I think was because Jack was there and previous managers didn't have the ability to develop the middle of the park properly. Now we are diversifying our play alot more, pressing higher, winning second balls etc. It's just much more how I think modern football in the top tiers is played and I think we are developing that style of play. Mings hoofing it needs addressing, I do think we need more technically adept defenders, which again is something he can only change over time with either player development (In Konsas case) or replacing people (which I think we need to do with Mings). As for AEG, I honestly can only see the reason he came on as Gerrard giving him an opportunity to prove himself. If he gave everyone a clean slate when he came in then it would make sense. Hopefully he will have seen what we all see most weeks - he isn't good enough and needs to be shifted. I didn't like the substitution, but I understand him giving players a chance if he hasn't really seen them in front of him before, just like Trez against Brentford.

I ignore any comments questioning SG at the moment, he's just through the door and trying things out to learn about our squad, who he wants to keep and who doesn't fit. Anyone who questions him before half way through next season needs to give their head a wobble. The one aspect I do like is we are getting an identity in the way we play, which has been my biggest gripe for years. The passing and movement, the high press, you can see he has a style of play and once he has removed the deadwood and players who don't fit his system and has recruited the players he thinks do, I think we'll all see a modern Aston Villa, playing similar to how the top teams play. We lack quality at the moment in certain areas, but it's definately there to see what he is trying to do.

I actually thought there were signs of it starting to come together last night, I think as always people expect things to happen straight away and don't realise it takes time and games for synergy to be formed. The things I like about them is they actually compliment each other, as in, Ings is clever, his runs are intelligent and his instincts are more predatory. Ollie is the worker, chases everything down and actually did ok holding the ball up last night, although that is something he still needs to improve on. I'm not writing the partnership off yet, there are many things both lack and I would lean towards either upfront on their own in some games, depending who we are playing and who is available for us.

I cannot see Bissouma happening, Brighton don't want to sell, especially in January and we'll have to pay over the odds to land him, which we won't do. Think we'll be looking at other targets and these links were more about us being admirers rather than any concrete effort to land him, would be amazed if it happened this month.

Aren't we the team that's lost most points from winning positions/being ahead in 2021 or this season? That smacks of inexperience and I can understand why Gerrard is getting some older heads in. Digne improves us both from an upgrade on attacking and defending (imo) and also can help organise and use his experience as a top international at how to manage games. I'm all for these signings, experience is something we lack in abundance. Get him in.

Didn't James go to Everton because of Ancelotti and then he buggered off to real Madrid? I think that had a lot to do with why he started so bright and then faded when the guy he went there to work with left so soon. We certainly don't have that concern for the loan period and 99% same next season, if SG can get him playing, I can see it lasting a while.

This forum cracks me up with people questioning this deal. It's Stevie Gs first signing after only being in charge for a few games. We know the defence needs sorting, we know there are other areas probably higher priority than this, but when he gets the opportunity to grab a world class player who has been struggling at his current club, knows him very well and what he can do and thinks he'll fit, let's back him! Not every player needs to be 21 and have resale value, if PC comes in for 40 mill and is a baller for three years and retires to Brazil for nothing, who cares, I say that's money well spent. We need experience and we need players who will improve us, which he will. Let's enjoy the moment and give the manager time to get his squad together, age and money is such a thing for some, it won't matter if we're top 8 and playing attractive footy, the blend and balance is wrong with so many young players here. Welcome Phil.

An assist! Do me a favour, so by playing a 3 yard lay off on the half way line is an assist now? Ramsay assisted himself that goal with the run and finish. Watkins loses the ball way too often for me, has terrible decision making and quite often breaks down our play. His work rate is excellent and his awareness/positioning is also good,. I do feel to break top 6/8 we need a better striker up there who is more technical and able to hold the ball up better and who knows when the better option is in front of him.