Delphinho123

1 hour ago, Tomaszk said:

I don't think it's tricky. He's just a wally who doesn't understand what's happening on the pitch.

I wholeheartedly agree. Nothing tricky about it at all. The predicament he finds himself in is his own doing through daft team selection and tactics. It's not like he's had no transfer funds, injuries and had players sold without knowing.
He has had all the tools to be good and to succeed in this job and he's made a spectacular mess of it tbh. 

Liverpool struggling, whilst playing a very similar formation and style to us, is interesting. A lot are putting it down to their struggles in midfield and the ageing personnel in there. Without Thiago and Fabinho especially, they're lost. 
Now, if they're struggling and conceding lots of goals, with the world class players they have, is it any wonder we are? 

The most frustrating thing is, it's such a simple switch up. We simply have to go back to basics and make us hard to beat again. Play a 4-3-3 with only one fullback advancing depending which side the attack is on. Play Luiz and Kamara in front of the back 4, perhaps even with Dendoncker in there and Luiz the more advanced of the three. Make it so the midfielders play as midfielders and not some stupid hybrid full back role. Those 3 in the middle make us instantly harder to beat, especially when we lose the ball in transition. Play two players out wide, or even a little narrower if needs be. They need to be Bailey on the right and I'd argue Ramsey on the left due to his ball carrying ability and his work rate. If that means benching Buendia and Coutinho, then so be it. Perhaps one of those can play in the easier matches.

Gerrard has to change it, otherwise he loses his job. It may already be too late. 

Tuchel, Potter and Poch. You'd think at least one might be interested...!?

5 minutes ago, maqroll said:

A loss v Leicester and he's done.

He really is. 

He has zero credit in the bank and it's come down to a game by game basis. He has to turn results around now. 

39 minutes ago, gwi1890 said:

Exactly no top level manager should be learning on the job, he should have followed the same path as Vieira. Possibly challenge himself in a different country after the Rangers job.

I agree.

The daft thing about the City game is we played well because he finally realised the system he’d used since at the start of the season was daft. It took a star studded Man City team in red hot form to make Gerrard play more defensively with more disciplined full backs and two players who are solid in possession to sit in front of the back 4. 

I fail to believe he would have played this system or picked the team he did if we were playing anyone other than City. 

Hopefully he learns and plays a similar team next match with McGinn the only exception. 

The point I’m trying to make is, it’s embarrassing that he’s stumbled on a system that most people on Villatalk have been crying out for, for months. 

I have no faith in his management. 

4 hours ago, ferguson1 said:

We looked better yesterday with our shape and balance. By no means perfect though, as the left side is still an issue. Now Ramsey could do a job for now but in January or next summer we need to address the left sided forward issue.

Not the place here I know, but if Leicester don’t improve from their slump I’d be keeping a close eye on Harvey Barnes, who would be very good for us I reckon.

Just hope Gerrard now sees and understands the importance of having Kamara and Luiz together right now? Add Dendoncker to this and we could finally have solved our midfield woes.

We needed to sort the left sided forward issue when Grealish left for £100m. Instead, we spent all of our transfer budget that Summer on two right sided attackers and another striker. 

Shock horror. Man with pace, ball carrying ability and work rate plays well on left of front 3.

Honestly, I’ve been saying it for ages, he needs to play further forward. I think McGinn does too but there probably isn’t room. Where does McGinn do his best work for Scotland? 

Leave him out there, play Luiz and Kamara as the two, Bailey on the right and you have balance, pace and work ethic. 

It’s a no brainer for me. 

4 minutes ago, picicata said:

He does need to come out of the team and Gerrard, should he stay, needs to admit his mistakes and swap round the captaincy.

However, there is a player in there still. I know there is a narrative now to say he has basically only ever been good for us in the championship but I feel that does him a disservice. He has clearly had some good games for us, he was the first to respond to Gerrard when he came in during the uplift in those first six games, that might well be why Gerrard likes him so.

It's no coincidence that both his and JJ's form has dropped off a cliff. They are being asked to play in ways that is completely unnatural to both of them, in fact probably unnatural to most midfielders. JJ was given the opportunity to play a much more natural version of his game yesterday and looked so much better for it. McGinn, given the same opportunity would almost certainly respond in the same way.

Stop playing our number 8s as auxiliary full backs in a system that seems to suit absolutely no one and McGinn's form will improve.

For now give him a rest and either wait for Gerrard to wake up and smell the cheese or for a new man to come in who will play a player to his strengths rather than trying to make him something he is not

Very good post. I don’t rate McGinn that highly but agree that the system is a mess. Our ‘number 8’s’ are asked to play the daftest role going and it’s a thankless task. 

Like you say, Ramsey played a role much more suited to his skillset yesterday. He’s probably the best player in our squad at carrying the ball directly at the opposition goal and out on the left, he can do that. Hell, it even resulted in us scoring a goal! McGinn however, was still playing in that midfield three and struggled again.

Personally, i want John McGinn to be coming off our bench with 30 minutes to go and asked to run around like a mad thing, annoying the opposition and stealing the ball higher up the field.

Going to be some big clubs circling next Summer..

Needs to start every match. 

He has to learn from today. Nearly everybody on this messageboard has been calling for us to play a 4-3-3 or some sort of variant of that with Luiz and Kamara as the deep lying players.

Ramsey on the left makes sense but we also have Coutinho and Buendia who can perhaps play that role. 

Either way, the key is 2 centre mids sitting, and the fullbacks not playing as strikers. Make them sit back and play a genuine 4-3-3.

Learn Stevie. 

52 minutes ago, KentVillan said:

I think we should start him at LW regularly. Yes, he was picked for his defensive solidity, but I actually think with his pace he's a more useful option at LW than any of our other options at the moment.

I know, right? 

Shock horror. Man with pace, ball carrying ability and work rate plays well on left of front 3.

Honestly, I’ve been saying it for ages, he needs to play further forward. I think McGinn does too but there probably isn’t room. Where does McGinn do his best work for Scotland? 

Leave him out there, play Luiz and Kamara as the two, Bailey on the right and you have balance, pace and work ethic.

2 minutes ago, KentVillan said:

I don't know why but I always get @Rodders @rodders0223 @Delphinho123and @DCJonah confused.

And everyone who has some variation of AVFC + 1982 as their handle...

Not sure what to think of this..?!

Just now, skarroki said:

We've got a really good squad 

When played in the correct system with the right players in the starting XI, I think we’re an average PL side. Gerrard has massively mismanaged our squad since the start of pre season. 

Just now, sidcow said:

Steven Gerrard's Aston Villa.  **** off you piece of shit. 

So annoying isn’t it. Everton get the same treatment.

Really don’t get the Buendia love. He loses the ball way too often. This would be the worst game to play him in, in my opinion. If we make a change it needs to be Coutinho for me. 

A simple change in shape and having Luiz and Kamara in there has made a huge difference. Who’d have thought it eh? 

City have been poor but our intensity and willing has been great. 

Just now, Davkaus said:

The higher ups seem content to let him try though, which worries me more than how shit this clown is at his job.

The complete shift in transfer policy (Ings aside) when Gerrard came in backs this up. 

They’ve gambled and it looks to be back firing at the moment. Let’s just hope it doesn’t get quite as bad as Everton’s situation. 

The only decision he has to make is whether to sack Gerrard at Villa Park this evening or at Bodymoor Heath on Monday morning. 

The new club crest can wait.

——————-—Watkins———————
Coutinho——————————-Bailey
——Dendoncker—Kamara—Luiz——
Digne——Mings—Chambers—Cash
———————Martinez———————-

Go back to basics. Sit back, defend and try to counter and nick a goal on the break. 

If he plays the fullbacks high and plays McGinn and/or Ramsey, we’ll get ripped apart (we’ll lose regardless).

54 minutes ago, andym said:

Pretty much every goal you concede can be put down to an individual mistake somewhere, but actually having a well coached, organised team that has a setup that suits, limits the opportunities for mistakes to occur.

And funny that i cant remember him bemoaning the indivudual error of a player failing to track a run that lead to the west ham winner, but then that was his captain who apparently is infallible.

True. Nor did he call out Konsa’s attempt to stop Zaha shooting for the first Palace goal.

As somebody else said, most goals are because of an error. The fact the opposition team has the ball in the first place means you’ve given it to them at some point. 

Gerrard should focus on setting the team up so we’re not so open whenever another team attacks us. A good start would be to tell the fullbacks to stop playing as strikers and by dropping both McGinn and Ramsey for Luiz and Dendoncker. 

Go back to basics. Make us hard to beat. O’Neill wasn’t a great manager but we were f***** difficult to beat and he had a game plan. Gerrard plays as if he has the best players in the world at his disposal. 

City will put at least 4 past us today and I’m really hoping that’s the final nail in the coffin. 

Why oh why do we not sell players when they barely feature?

Honestly, I think the board thinks we’re in Europe. We don’t need to keep players that barely get a look in and I really don’t think we need quality back up’s for our first XI in every position. 

The club should start focusing on improving the starting XI. Our squad is bloated and overpaid. 

Nakamba is a top professional and probably a great guy too but he’s never gonna cut it as a regular PL player. 

Poch
Potter
Rodgers

In that order.