Junxs

We've been so poor for so long, even if they turn up at 40% they will beat us.

We look completely void of any attacking ideas or build up play, and reverted to pass around the back then Mings aimlessly lump it up the pitch.

Best we can hope for is 0-0 I think

6 minutes ago, lexicon said:

I honestly don't mind him shooting often - nobody else does it and we often just pass it around looking for too perfect an opportunity and the attack breaks down. 

If the shots on take it by all means.. but not when its blatantly going to get blocked and its a tight angle.

Think all defenders know exactly how to play him now, they know he isnt going to pass. I just see a slightly better version of Tonev now.

Zaha does the same at Palace, just twists and turns looking to shoot. Its why he failed at Man Utd. He's a more skillful version of El Ghazi but both very predictable. These type of players inevitably get a few goals by the sheer volume of shots they take, but they are so frustrating for team mates. 

16 blocked shots we had against Newcastle, 16! There were times when players were free 8 or 10 yards away but he just tried to piledrive it through the defender in front of him.

Nothing frustrates me more than seeing a player shoot from a tight angle with a defender in the way (who will inevitably block the shot), whilst there's a team mate screaming for the ball in a better position to shoot and is unmarked.

He does this every game. 

If he has to play then we should switch him to the right to stop him from shooting every time he gets the ball, and to get him to pass more.

1 minute ago, BOF said:

He has a double-barrelled surname.  He's Kesler-Hayden, but both seem to be regularly used in isolation creating much fun for all.

Ah ok. Thanks

1 minute ago, BOF said:

Was there an assist for the own goal?

Blonde haired chap from the left wing. Tait?

Who's Kane Hayden?

I suspect Mark Regan is getting someone else mixed up with Kane Kesler? He's said it every time he touched the ball

I said in the pre-match thread, since the Covid outbreak we have forgotten how to play football.. that our tactics are just lump it forward whether that's Martinez or Mings.

For a moment in the first 20 minutes it felt like we rediscovered something, but after that it was back to lump it forward again. We really are an eyesore right now, with or without Grealish.

Our possession might be looking ok for the last few weeks.. but in reality we either pass around the back for Martinez to launch it or pass around the back for Mings to launch it. Its not been easy on the eye for a while now. Something has changed since that break for covid, before that we were playing the best football I've seen us play for over a decade. Wish we could somehow get back to it.

On 22/02/2021 at 15:24, Mister_a said:

I wonder if he's made it home yet.

 

 

Ha! The incredible sulk!

After thinking about if for a month, I've finally decided that Barkley has a must play if fit clause

How many poor games in a row does he have to play before getting dropped?

This isnt scapegoating, as at least the others have a decent game now and again

Its a double gameweek for a couple of teams, people just want to capitalise on that. Let's not get carried away now. Plus we've not been great recently, I even considered taking him out this week

I don't think anyone is saying El Ghazi is amazing, but he scored 5 goals in 6 games and was dropped as soon as Barkley returned from injury.

That's what we are trying to argue, a man in red hot form with the team playing amazing - did absolutely nothing wrong yet found himself out the side.

Barkley has started 7 games in a row and gradually got worse in each outing, but still finds himself in the starting lineup. 

Not only El Ghazi, but Ramsey and Sanson must all be scratching their heads, this is very similar to when Drinkwater just kept starting every game. Barkley needs dropping and earning his place in the side after some good performances from the bench.

Part of me is thinking "must play when fit" clause in his contract from Chelsea

3 hours ago, MaVilla said:

I agree barkley also looks like a busted flush, just don't think aeg is the answer.

I agree, I don't think El Ghazi is great.. but he's much much better (effective) than Barkley, especially the way we play. We need willing runners not people standing around and just trying to do fancy flicks

Get him in the team, much rather spend the rest of the season developing him than playing an underperforming Chelsea player, just so they can get some money for him in the summer. 

20 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

scoring 5 goals, although lovely, doesnt take away from the fact he isnt a very good player.

Those 5 goals were like winning at the blackjack table, you dont keep betting until you lose it all.....you realise you hit jackpot and get the f*** out before it comes back and bites you.

AEG is not a very good player at all.

I would find a way to use Sanson, Ramsey, or even Nakamba before i considered AEG tbh.

Another way to look at it is, betting on 32red has brought you joy 6 turns in a row and you've suddenly switched to a different number (Barkley) which has got you nothing! 

Maybe time to switch back to the winning number?

It's clear to see we are a worse team with him in it than when he's not.

El Ghazi must be really confused why he's been dropped after scoring so many goals for someone who doesn't even run. 

3 goals in 3 games, all outside the box. 

Yet I had to debate about 10 pages back with people who were saying let him go on a free or he's only worth 1-2m 

Why do we always undervalue our players. Daniel Levy could easily get 12m for this type of player. I got pelters for suggesting it.

He's worth it for promotion chasing championship teams and bottom half premier league teams. 

Just look at some of the prices we paid for absolute rubbish when we were down there. 

Keeps this up I don't see why not. I knew he would kill it, much improved player since we were down there.

Good news, about bloody time

1 hour ago, villa89 said:

I'd be 99% certain that there is no clause in his loan that he has to play if fit. He's playing because the only alternative a lad just in the door. 

It really isn't, or have you conveniently forgotten how good we were before the covid outbreak?

Grealish had been playing in the 10 position and El Ghazi was doing well on the left, I'm not his biggest fan but he was doing well. It was appalling how a player who scored 4 in 5 was just kicked out the team to accommodate an unfit loan signing. Jacob Ramsey was also knocking on the door for a start. I don't even think Sansom is seen as a number 10 player.

I've never been a fan of loan signings, mainly because when they are out of form they never get dropped. The big clubs insist you play their players.

We looked a really good team with Jack in the middle and were destroying teams whilst Barkley was out the side with injury before covid kicked in.. since we've come back we've been awful and Ross has started every game

One thing I do find odd about Villa Park is that fans always say how shit the individual stands are, but then the same people always say its a brilliant stadium

I've read how awful the North Stand is, how ugly the Trinity is and no one has anything good to say about the Witton Lane stand. Seems the only good thing about Villa Park is the Holte End.. Yet the same people say its the best stadium there is. 

Thats not my opinion, just what I've observed.

11 minutes ago, Michelsen said:

The C-word. Although, for me, I’ve lived with the VT swear filter for so long, it has become its own phrase, independent of the beformentioned vulgarity. I’ll typically type out ‘word removed’ instead of letting the swear filter handle it, and have used the phrase in spoken English before 

Ah OK, thanks. I've never used that word in my life so I guess that why I've never figured it out!

On 01/02/2021 at 06:29, Michelsen said:

Really sorry, mate, but it was only a light hearted joke. Genuinely no offense intended at all. We all make spelling mistakes. 
 

(For the sake of clarification, the intended butt of my joke was the country of Czhechia, whose name reads like a spelling mistake, not you. I know it wasn’t the funniest joke ever, but I’m not sure it makes me a word removed.) 

I've been trying for years to find out what this "word removed" is, I know its an auto filter, but never managed to work out which word/phrase is replaced