Delphinho123

Our weaknesses have been obvious from day one. Wide midfielder and support striker. Get them right and we’ll fly.

I don’t like Bailey. Don’t rate him at all. But can I say in his defence that he never shys away from receiving the ball and trying. He was poor today, probably as bad as Traore (just) but he was trying to make things happen at least.

Get him back on! Mind you, Bailey is just as bad.

Sarcasm. I’m at the game. Dreadful performance

Get traore off asap. Dreadful footballer. Bring on Coutinho or Dendoncker or Kamara asap. McGinn very good. Buendia started poorly but think if we score it’s going to come through him, nobody else creating anything. Annoying to be losing to such a soft goal.

Lol

Traore is playing well then

Exactly. Also, is there really that much of a pull playing in the CL for a team in Italy? Would you not rather play against the ‘big 6’ in this country 12 times a year? Those 12 fixtures dwarf, in terms of audience and exposure, playing a few fixtures in the CL against some duff outfit from Greece and Turkey and occasionally Madrid. Im not saying players will join us over CL teams. I just don’t think the CL is the pull it was 10 years ago, given the rise and exposure of the PL. I think more and more players will value playing in a mid table side in the PL on the same money as a side in the CL. I spend a lot of time in India and China with work, and when I’m not educating the locals about how poor Buendia has been, I’m usually in bars and the PL is always on. It has an audience of billions. I doubt anybody watches Hoffenheim against Shalke outside of Germany.

I can’t see us signing Vlahovic and keeping Watkins…

Think he was too slow really to be a PL centre half. Still rather have him in goal than Olsen.

The ball went straight out of play in that one though!

I’m still convinced he’ll get sent off for us before he scores for us.

It was 10 minutes of him knocking it past everybody.

Let’s see.

I think that’s going to change. The money will remain but the prestige is going to grow. The PL is an unstoppable force globally and will become THE league to play in. Like the NFL. As more and more money comes in, the less likely it is for top teams from other counties to compete. I think the pull of going to a Spanish or an Italian team in the CL will be no greater than joining a mid table PL team on the same money.

I find it interesting just how many times I hear players like Vlahovic and Torres wouldn’t sign for Villa because they want CL football. Now, granted, that might well be the case but we’re fast moving toward an era whereby the Premier League is effectively the Champions League / Super League, whatever you want to call it. Outside of England, you’ve got a few top clubs, Bayern, Barca, Napoli, Real etc. but how much exposure do Real get when they play any team but Barcelona? None. Who watches Bayern when they’re playing any team other than Dortmund? Who’s watching Roma Udinese outside of Italy? Go to India and see how many people are watching Brentford against West Ham. The PL is everywhere and it’s being turned into a franchise sport. Each league is becoming a feeder league to the PL. Portugal being the best example. The CL. How good is it playing for a team that might get to play Real or Man City and lose? You play what, 10-12 games against good sides if you do reasonably well? Now compare that to playing for Villa. 40k+ every week. Games being streamed all around the world. You play 6 of the best clubs in the world twice and you can be paid pretty much just as much as you can playing for somebody like a Milan or a Juve. If the PL continues on its current trajectory, you’ll see more and more top players joining teams like Villa who perhaps would have only joined clubs in the CL in years gone by. That’s my opinion anyway.

Eco Warrior.

I felt dirty, no denying.

I’ve praised Buendia a few times in the last couple of months. He’s put in a few decent performances.

Fixed.

Has a touch of the Messi's about him.

Evanilson?

Apparently we had scouts at a Porto game? Anyone spring to mind. Diogo Costa as a replacement for Martinez?

It will do if you steal my memes again this window.

I think we're forgetting a certain somebody.