4 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

His track record would suggest he is the real deal. 

Speaking to Atleti fans they are not that fussed by him. His record was pretty mixed in general. Hit and miss.

Anyone know if he can play v Leicester?

His delivery looks exceptional - really nice variation as well. For me, he is a definite starter against Spurs.

Holds onto the ball too long and you never know what you are going to get from him. A fans favourite but must be difficult to play alongside. 

I would be trying to offload him.

1 hour ago, hippo said:

sure you were at the right place ?

I was going f n mental !!!

Haha I was definitely in the right place yesterday. I'm still randomly punching the air in delight now.

I ran out of Wembley Stadium like a loon. To be honest, I was suprised at how subdued the atmosphere was - I think everyone was kind of exhausted by the end.

21 hours ago, Czechlad said:

f*ck it. I am inquiring. Already spent way too much to get to London so I need some tickets. 

Czechlad you've convinced me. I've booked a flight over from Madrid without a ticket so **** it, I'll see you in the posh seats hopefully  

10 minutes ago, Mark_1989 said:

I’d actually question his pace. The ball was played over the top yesterday and he was in chase with defender. Looked average to me. Was slightly dissapointed that he couldn’t get clear.

Yeah normally he looks quick to me though... maybe his shoulder injury hampered him slightly? Showed nice tenacity though to keep the ball.

I really like Andre Green. Always have. He is pacy, takes players on and has a nice drop of the shoulder. Decent aerial ability and can shoot. I think he is underrated. 

6 hours ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

Meanwhile, John Terry has been delivering leadership speeches to the England Rugby team!

Whilst doing this and lording around down with Chelsea, surely he should be focusing more doing the things at the club he is employed by?

I thought the same. It was a bad look for him - and the fact he was watching some Chelsea youth (?) game last night (having watched them in the FA Cup on Monday). My perception is that we do not seem to be his first priority. Certainly wouldn't surprise me if something was afoot.

1 minute ago, LakotaDakota said:

If Smith were to do the same it woud definitely earn him some breathing room but does anyone honestly think we will even win 3 or 4 of the remaining 13 games, let alone 7 or 8?

1

Yes, I do. 

I think as an away manager you know that if you keep the crowd quiet for the first 20 minutes or so then there will be a change in atmosphere... not that that's too different to anywhere else.

But is the lack of energy felt more at a big stadium like Villa Park than elsewhere?

Alternatively the reverse can also be true - I wasn't there so can't say for certain but the atmosphere for the last few minutes of the Sheffield United game sounded amazing. That can't help but propel the players.

There's no doubting our passion - but could it be channelled better by the club as well as the players? 

22 minutes ago, TRO said:

do you not think that is maybe what the fans want to see?

I see at times a bunch who are full of melancholy and self pity( not all our players of course).....it doesn't resonate well with passionate fans...week in week out.

I think Villa fans like any other club have their element where tolerance is not their top subject.....but overall they are magnificent.

 

1

Yes I do think it is what the fans want to see. With Atleti you know that they may not be the best side in the league but they will run through walls for their team, for their manager. 

If you see that kind of 'balls out' energy and commitment, how can you not be inspired as a fan? It forms a very special bond. 

Somehow we need to put a seed of this in Villa Park. 

For me, this is where the club also needs to step up - in terms of the messaging put out, I don't think it resonates particularly well. 

12 hours ago, Rugeley Villa said:

I never got the “ Give me summat to cheer and sing about”. Your team is your team whether you’re shit, average or good. It’s counter productive to go to a game and moan, boo, and just get on the players backs. Better off not going. 

Agree with this. It's not like you can change your team is it? The way I see it is you are in this until you get out of this world so you might as well enjoy it.  I watched a documentary on Atletico Madrid the other day and the incredible bond between the fans which then transmits to the players as well. It's an incredible unity of passion.

At the heart of it is defiance - something that is embodied by Diego Simeone - that if you fall, you get back up again. Together. 

I'm not sure it's a lack of effort with Hourihane. He just looks shot confidence wise. And he has never really been able to tackle - far too quick to slide. 

7 minutes ago, screwdriver said:

 

West Brom is MUST WIN

 

Thing is it really isn't. We are not getting out of this league this season in my opinion, and think we have enough to stay up. So...

12 minutes ago, QldVilla said:

I'm not convinced it's the coaching. Smith deserves to have the chance of an off season and a rebuild of the squad.

We need to start again from the bottom up, and we need to show some patience and come out the other side a better team.

I know it is frustrating but it is going to take time. Even if Smith isn't the final piece in the puzzle and can only get us so far I am still convinced he will leave us in a better position than where he found us. 

We need to lower the average age of the squad and start building something sustainable. 

1 hour ago, Stockport_Villain said:

He was off balance after the initial challenge therefore less in control of where his first two steps were going after that. No way was this intentional.

This was the determining factor for me. The way that Oliveira falls into Mings and knocks him slightly makes it more difficult for him to control his foot placement.

It is very different to the Zlatan incident in my opinion.

He is a unit isn't he Mings? Was very good at Ipswich apparently. Also runs his own interior design company I believe.

3 minutes ago, ferguson1 said:

manyana 

Who does he play for? 

No surprise all three goals were on his side. Wigan were targeting him from the kick off. 

Has Warren Aspinall been mentioned yet?

I'm still amazed by the way he shields the ball with his arse. I've never seen a player whose bum plays such a big role in their performance. 

OK this is ultra-ambitious. Ridiculously so.

BUT

What about Leonardo Jardim? Could we tempt him with a vision and a plan? 

Much like Rodgers, I think he has taken Monaco as far as he can... and is fed up constantly selling his best players.

So he was there when Brendan Rodgers was manager at Liverpool?