nick76

I agree about this football knowledge.  Football pundits who are ex players are always talking about knowing the game can only be achieved by playing the game at that level, it's just rubbish.  You are either good at your job or not and experience helps with that obviously but playing the game is very different from managing the game or being a business person within the game.  They are completely different skill sets.  

Most of you work in companies where generally the best individuals get promoted to managers so they get more money.  Being an expert technically doesn't make you the right fit to be a manager and I see that in business all the time.  Companies don't like losing key staff so they promote them to management so they can pay them more. These individuals don't have that skill set, they don't have a business brain and it's causes many problems. 

It's a shame that the Villa job is such a poisoned chalice these days.  We know that at some point in the next three years we will hounding this guy out the place and that's if he's lucky.  He will be slaughtered by a large amount of people, supported by a few, as that seems to be us these days (and many other fans of other clubs).  Hope I am wrong but I would love some good years (meaning not flirting with relegation), some stability and just enjoy watching the Villa again.  Come on Remi, make me believe again!!!!!

Valuations of a business isn't solely based on history which negates the first post.

We wanted to focus on our title push anyway, going further in this would've hindered that.....

and the phrase of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result comes to mind.  This kid was very highly rated in France, it's going to take time to adapt to English football but let's give him a chance as our midfield is clearly not working and hasnt done for years.  

Continuing the way we are seems to be leading to only one outcome so we brought this kid in and others to mix it up, they were highly rated so let's throw our eggs into that basket as maybe the grass isn't greener on the other side but this side the grass is fading into a dirt patch so we have nothing to lose.

Have to agree with this.  We know that if we put good balls into the box he'll score with his head.  This is probably the simplest form of football there is....no tippy tappy, no step overs.  Get the ball out to the wing and let players like Amavi cross.  Let's obviously develop Gestede over the coming seasons but let's not try and change the fundamental player and try and make him play like Messi.  If we get more crosses into the box, he will score a bag full of goals because he is that good with his head.  He could easily score 15 goals from doing that this season and we would all be delighted with a striker in his first season to do that wouldn't we? it's not as if many others will even get close to that number. 

I don't think it questions his coaching as bringing in players from abroad and from a lower division they need time to adapt to this level.  As for his management ie acquiring this player, well that really can only be judged over time not the first handful of games.  

Personally I'm not impressed with Ayew at all and Gestede for me has shown glimpses but we arent playing his style of crosses into the box.  We all laughed at Liverpool for buying Benteke considering a team that dont play to his strengths and then we go and buy a striker who thrives on crosses and we then play 4-3-2-1 formation thus lack of width.

As I say though they need time to settle, gel with each other and learn Sherwood's tactics and then I will judge later in the season about the players individually.  Anyway it's not as if we can do anything until January anyway to change it.  This is our squad and we have to live with it but I'm not going to lose faith in players after a handful of games just like I wouldnt be singing from the rooftops if we had a player who played exceptional after a few games.

I agree, he is a fabulous talent but I would put him on the bench for a few games and bring somebody else into midfield.  I think Gil is playing well and has the position for me over Jack.  I think the team can accommodate both when we are playing well but at the moment when we are struggling for confidence I think we need to lock up midfield more 

forgive me if I'm wrong but I thought the stats seem to suggest we were the better team in the first half despite the score line?

Unless he does something before the transfer deadline I think he's got some explaining to do.  The fact that selling Benteke and Delph and using that money to buy all the players we have makes it look like he has invested, whereas on the true net spend it isn't that much.  Sherwood and Fox have had to rebuild the squad and it would've really scared me if they had to do that without that incoming money, granted it would've required two less players.  While it has been a good summer rebuilding, with a bit extra investment we could've made a really good step forward.....as usual in recent times it's Lerner that lets us down.

If we are done then my opinion of Randy Lerner will drop even further.

? Why

Because it's bloody obvious where our shortcomings are and after such a great window it would be great if Lerner allowed Sherwood the opportunity to finish the job.

So far Lerner has allowed no further investment apart from that of sales......so far! We still need a couple of signing and Lerner needs to allow some investment

rip ronaldo

yesterday's man

I'm still on the fence with Lerner, the four seasons have been painful and I put most of that at his door. One really good close season where in reality he's only (so far) spent the money we have received from CB and FD is a step in the right direction but still a way to go to in my eyes. For the first time in many years I'm not unhappy with him but giving him credit is at the moment too far for me as at the end of the day he has only spent money he's recouped.

we need an Italian in the team, who was the last, Carbone?

in fact is Carbone the only italian to have played for villa?

There was the laughably poor Fabio Ferraresi...

Ricci Scimeca was half-Italian...

Tony Cascarino?

I mean, he was never Irish!

 

What I don't get is if he is that good why don't they just loan him out instead of selling him?

Agree. Chelski would send him out on season long loan. Maybe that's what this is

 

Agree but what is "that good" to us is average to them.  Remember, players they look at for each position are probably in the top 3 players for that position in the world.  He maybe be exceptional and have the potential to be world class but it still may not be enough for them, I mean even Barcelona let Yaya Toure leave them in 2010 and look how good he was then and the effect he had.  He couldnt even get a regular midfield role at that time because Busquets was playing in his position so they allowed him to move to Man City.

 

Don't see any room here with Veretout here now and Westwood about to sign a new long term deal.

 

DOubt we would go a whole season of Sanchez, Gueye, VEretout and Westwood staying fit and not suspended so it makes sense to me especially as two are only getting used to the game in England

 

and I'm assuming that at least one or two of these signings this summer will not work out based on the law of averages either through not fitting in the team or club or country, so we still need options.  Plus it's a squad game so we need options and a stronger bench.

It wasn't unfounded - he said:

 

“Having English players (in the team) is crucial because we’re playing in a British league,” he said.

“That core of players is unbelievably important.

“I would say, if anyone was to become available now, they probably would be coming from the English market.

“No-one’s given an opportunity to English players more than me.

 

Then I used some words like 'might have' and 'may have', which indicate a lack of certainty.

but Sherwood has said in the past that he learnt a lot about the European youth market when he was looking after Spurs Academy.  Those players are now early twenties and assume some of those players he watched back then are the players he has since brought

Think everybody has covered my thoughts.....great to get the 3 points

That was awful, we were awful. I know we will take time to gel but that was Lambert-esk

Yeah I'm a little surprised Merse has us relegated. Generally not surprised by others being down on us but Merse......shame!!!

Everyone from the 2014/5 squad who is still in this year's squad has retained the same number, so there are really no interesting stories based on the numbers people have been given.

 

As some others have identified, the big story here is no squad number for Tonev.

 

So what does the future hold for him?

I think this season is very exciting and nobody has any idea.  We could be incredibly bad and the new lads don't fit in and cant cope with the new league to the lads are phenomenal, hit the ground running and with the raw potential and variety in the players we have, we cause havoc and end up by the European places.  I know reality is somewhere in the middle but given how new they all are we have no idea where in that spectrum we are likely to be.  Usually we have a few changes so we know we are likely to be in roughly the same position or either a couple of places higher or lower......this though is a new world

I like that part about Tim working with the Spurs academy and knowing the young players in Europe, hopefully we are getting all these little gems

Looks like he can grow a good beard so should be good. Another one where I'll trust in Tim as I've never seen this guy play or know anything about him

We really did send all of ours scouts to France last season, didn't we?

It's either this, or the media have seen us go after a couple of Ligue 1 players and are now linking everyone on the market.

Don't think this is a bad idea though, a lot of quality players in France and also great value. Ligue 1 and Eredivise are two very strong leagues for talent outside of the big 4 of Spain, Italy, Germany and England.