villaslash

Congratulations Cameron! 

hopefully this will end the trend of keeping Watkins on for the full 90 minutes with no sub.

Archer being fed by Coutinho, Buendia and Bailey would be great to see.

please no 4-3-1-2 formation zzz….

I like McGinn but I am concerned this guarantees even more game time as you generally have your Captain in the majority of games.

He may be a strong player but I don’t think he fits in our strongest team formation right now. 

7 hours ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

We need to get our 3 most dangerous players on the pitch at once. Bailey, Buendia, Coutinho. The best way is Deano’s old 4-2-3-1. Kamara and Doug behind the aforementioned three is something we should trial at Rennes

I would agree but put Sanson in for Luiz alongside Kamara.

I’m interested if Sanson and Kamara could partner up in Central midfield. This would let us have a single forward and pick three from Bailey, Coutinho, Buendia, JJ, Traore, Luiz, McGinn depending on who and how we are playing.

They both seem to have the ability for a good tackle and interception but the skill to dribble it out a bit and make a decent pass.

5 hours ago, DevonIsAPlaceOnEarth said:

Anyone know why he missed the game today?

I had the same question. I’m hoping the idea is just give GK the whole game instead of rotating.

I hope it wasn’t a koala bite from the photo shoot the other day my daughter loves them both so much I don’t know who she would pick.

Yes. This craze was a little bit before his time but his beard reminds me of when Villatalk only wanted to transfer in players with manly beards (see Carlos Cuellar)

1 hour ago, CarryOnVilla said:

And not a pun to bulk it out… seems fishy 

Call me when number of pages on Villatalk surpasses number of minutes played…getting close

Thanks for all the recommendations. We ate at Dishoom’s before a show at the Wyndham right next door.. Food was great and fun vibe. I’ve never seen a line a block long for an Indian restaurant. Thankfully had reservations.

We also ate at Sagar earlier in the week for some Southern Indian and it was excellent.

cheers- thanks.

At their prime and in their time

Trevor Ford

James Milner

Martin Laursen

6 hours ago, MarkLillis said:

Then one year later sign for Man City because they paid his release clause and “he needs to play the highest level he can”

Pep will then proceed to play him in approx 20% of the seasons matches….

Missing a key step

Leeds to Villa to Man City to team in Liverpool

its how all the kids are doing it these days

Thanks so much for the suggestions thus far! Really appreciate it.

We are staying near Hyde Park but traveling all over the place so all these locations are great.

We are going to be in London for half a week and wondering what are some of your favorite London Indian restaurants?

We love Indian food and will take suggestions of any kind. We are usually able to get a fairly good Northern Indian cuisine where we live so would love it if anyone has great Southern Indian, street style food/chaat or Rajasthani suggestions as well.

thanks in advance-cheers!

I’ve been to Oahu and Kauai. Both fantastic and each island is unique.

Just to get some response action one of my cousins from “that part of the family” recommended a visit to St. Andrew’s instead. Thoughts?

kidding of course

Hello,  we are traveling to Bewdley from the USA for a family reunion 6/24-6/28. One of the highlights being of course a tour of Villa Park. My wife and I did it with my Dad a decade ago and it still gives me goosebumps. I was hoping to go with my Dad and now my kids who are 5th generation Villa fans. I’ve been telling them about coming out of the tunnel and all the other great things on the tour.

I just found out the reason I couldn’t book the tour earlier in the year was all tours are canceled due to construction and maintenance this summer. I wrote a pretty heartfelt email to the club which they promptly and politely told me sorry but trip advisor has many recommendations of other things to do in the West Midlands ( I was secretly hoping for a VIP tour led by Tyrone Mings but hey you can dream)

Anyone have any recommendations of other Villa things to do other then stand at the gates and go to the club shop? I believe the BMH tours got eliminated a few years ago.

Any help is much appreciated. We have the giant list of other sites, best Balti (though feel free to give some other ones). Super gutted right now as I think this will be my Dad's last trip and was hoping for him to go around VP and share stories like the first game after WWII etc with the grandkids.

thanks a ton!

I do like all this early no nonsense transfer business. Whether you like the players or not shows a clear well supported plan.

The only drawback being a diminished speculation thread filled with airplane spottings, and players hidden in hotel rooms and basements.

Excited to see how this line up does. I’ve wondered how Sanson would do in the middle. UTV!

The BBC Phil McNulty article is so infuriating. Doesn’t even mention Ming’s goal just says nothing of note in the 2nd half. You can’t even describe the third goal but you can spend two paragraphs on Southgate’s Maguire fetish?

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/60830350
 

Woo hoo I say Woo hoo!

but for Fraser’s right foot would have been 6-0.

loved the team understanding when those fast passes were coming through and someone would let them go right through to the 2nd person just sending the South Hampton defense into disarray .

gave the match to Coutinho but have to say I love a good McGinn butt block to forward dribble. Special mention to McGinn’s butt the 12th man.

43 minutes ago, MWARLEY2 said:

Really worried Gerrard will go with Watkins as a wide player and Watkins up front with his thinking being that Coutinho will be able to create chances for Ings and Ollie will stretch and occupy their defence. 

On paper yes, but it has been tried and just does not work . At all 

Double Watkins- nice do we get to play an extra player in the 2nd half

Oh my gosh when will this game happen. I had talked myself into making it to Saturday to watch Villa and the game is on Wednesday. Killing me.

1 hour ago, TomC said:

   6 hours ago,  nick76 said: 

I’m delighted with our window but I’m bitterly disappointed we haven’t sorted the DM position.  

I can’t be more impressed with the players we’ve brought in and the contract extensions, easily an 8 out of 10 window.

Missing out on getting a DM I don’t think was the right thing by the club.

 

I'd be more disappointed about missing out on a DM if it had been a summer window. Although this was a particularly active January window, January is usually a hard time to get things done. So, using January standards, give this window 4 out of 5 stars in my book.

 

I’m torn. Do I give it an 8 out of 10 or a 4 out 5 stars. Let me call an accountant really quick.

Villaslash on Villatalk just wrote this insightful editorial

Probably nothing will happen unless something does and it happens before the deadline.

Yes, I should quit my day job and become a sports writer. Look out Phil.

6 hours ago, WHY said:

A peak Gareth Barry would be ideal for our team now, read the game superbly, could have the ball under pressure and could ping passes on a six pence, Gareth Barry was a fantastic footballer. Got a few Man City fans as mates and they said he was the main reason they won their first title.

8 hours ago, TomC said:

I agree with you, I don't think of him as primarily a DCM when at Villa. But CM or CB? He played many different positions, but I remember him spending a lot of time in back when he first started out with us...

If you count him as a DCM, yes, I'd say he's our best of the PL era. I'd like to drop peak-era Barry into today's side. It would certainly solve that gaping hole in midfield.

 

Agree. In that team I don’t think you could really call anyone a DCM but if you did it would be Barry. What a classy group of players (pre Gabby becoming a knob)

I like his ability to make a forward dribble around a couple of players when in the middle instead of being forced into a lateral or back pass. 
 

we haven’t had anyone who can really move the ball like that in CM for a while. Based on some of his play when he drifted into the center against Man U, I wonder if we could play him there with McGinn on the right and Ramsey on the left.