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GrassyNoel

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Posts posted by GrassyNoel

  1. 2 minutes ago, hippo said:

    What ? - but thats precisely what you have done ? - I agree others may have done it before - but thats not really the issue. You've credited Stevie G with implementing 'Modern Fresh training methods'  and yet can offer no evidence to support this. Don't make stuff up if you don't want to be taken to task over it. 

    You've lost me, but duly noted. I hope you're prepared to live by it also.

     

  2. 1 minute ago, hippo said:

    Well if you say the players are benefiting from a fresh modern training approach - surely its a reasonable question to ask what the approach is ?  

    I've noticed people make all sorts of assertions on here to back up a point without any first hand evidence whatsoever. I didn't realise it was a prerequisite. 

  3. 6 minutes ago, kidlewis said:

    Confidence comes from winning not playing well and losing. Maybe individually you can but as a team collective losing valiantly 1-0 or 2-1 is pants

    Confidence would drain eventually of course if it went on too long, but over the shorter term, if the nature of the losses is marginal and players can see and feel an overarching improvement in play combined with an exciting, fresh, modern training approach they believe in led by a young, ambitious manager at a highly ambitious club looking to progress, I think the players can stay upbeat and motivated. The results will then inevitably follow. UTV.

  4. 34 minutes ago, romavillan said:

    Harsh, Smith had us playing some of the best football I've ever seen us play at times. This season he never got to play his first XI for more than one or two games on the bounce and by the end I'll agree the players didn't really seem on board any more. I'd say O'Kelly's departure was a much bigger thing than it's been made out to be.

    Gerrard's team, with Beale have had an immediate impact. The 4-3-2-1 looks good and will suit Coutinho too, we looked much better off the ball immediatly but there's been some brain farts and bad mistakes of late that undermines that a bit.

    We had put a good squad together, instilled a decent football philosophy all before Gerrard got he, he said as much himself saying Smith had done a brilliant job before him etc. 

    Smith was amazing for us, Gerrard has started well so let's hope he can continue the upwards arc since NSWE took over. 

    An episode of Generals on YouTube alluded to ROK saying the players had stopped listening to him, and that quickly led to his decision to leave. There's bound to be a tonne more to that whole drama than we'll likely ever get to hear, but that bit alone for me was very telling. There may well have been issues behind the scenes that no amount of coaching skill was ever going to fix, from ROK, Smith or Shakespeare. Maybe some bad apples in the seemingly decent bunch we have there? If so, I cannot see the current regime tolerating it for long.

    • Like 1
  5. 19 minutes ago, Zatman said:

    While i agree we have to move on I still sometimes fail to see the excitement.

    The defence has improved but the football so far has been mainly dull, last night was one of the better games so far but except the 2 disallowed goals I cant remember De Gea being badly troubled

    Obviously Gerrard deserves time to improve this and he will get this pending a dissaster run but so far its a bit meh

    Spare a thought for those of us who have felt like this for the past five years - that's largely how I felt about Bruce when he first came in, and also Smith but with defence and attack reversed.

    SG and his team though, very excited.

    Funny old game.

    • Like 1
  6. 19 minutes ago, hippo said:

    Whole year down the pan then.

    This isn't a bad squad of players by any stretch. We have 2 England CFs - and England CB and the best goalkeeper I have seen in 50 years of watching the club.

    I don't think Europe is on the cards anytime soon.but a few clean sheets and goals shouldn't be beyond the current crop of players.

    I don't think it's a complete waste, but we have not made anywhere near as much progress as we should have done. Newcastle's "imminent" resurgence has I think triggered an urgency.

    While they are technically England players, none are first choice - I wouldn't want Watkins or Mings starting in a World Cup final - but certainly this indicates they have something.

    Agree about the keeper. Until recently he's the player I feared losing the most in the summer. My favourite in my 50 years also, and that's high praise as we've had some belters.

    And no, a few goals and clean sheets should never be, or have been, beyond this group. I'm confident the new regime can find the soft underbelly we have had for way too long and gut it, simply because SG has been in teams and environments that are *truly* geared towards winning and a winner's mindset. He will know, intimately, what it takes.

  7. 2 minutes ago, MrBlack said:

    I assume that's why he wants Digne to replace Targett. Cash could be a wing back, but still needs a fair bit of coaching to get there. 

    Ings and Watkins both playing is partly being forced by injuries, but will be resolved with the arrival of Coutinho.

    Looks to me like the signings we're making are directly targeted at those weaknesses you identified.

     

    I've no doubt Gerrard picked this up within 10 minutes of watching us. Not much could be done until now, and the wheels are in motion. Summer will be the main event.

    • Like 1
  8. Barring injuries, last night was the last time SG could only field Smith / Bruce recruits. It'll be this time next year before we can really start making assessments. And we have miles to go. Some of these players may just not be up for what the new regime demands, physically or mentally.

    • Like 1
  9. 11 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

    A brilliant signing and hopefully a player that's going to be brilliant for us too!

    I think you can almost take those two things as separate pieces of good news.

    Firstly, the player; playing for a manager he knows well and has a really good relationship with, at a club where hopefully he'll settle and feel appreciated, in front of 50,000 fans that will adore him, I'm really hopeful we might see him have a wonderful few years here where he's close to the heights of his very best. If he hits those peaks, he can pull the club up the league into the kind of places we'd consider a success. He can play in Europe for Villa. I think there's also the great option for him of three or four years at Villa Park and a couple in Las Vegas to round off his career, it might sound flippant, but we're building a structure that can offer a bit more to players than we've offered in the past. I think he fits perfectly into our system and offers a natural foil for Buendia - he'll be excellent at making holes for Ramsey and McGinn to run into and in helping us ping about those little triangles in midfield that are going to open teams up - he's got goals in him, he sees movement on the pitch and he takes a mean free kick - he's going to add a whole lot to our attacking play. I can't wait to see him in the shirt.

    Secondly, this signing and just what it says about us is a great bit of news. The cart is on its side and there are apples everywhere. Right now in Spain there are loads of football fans googling our squad, our ground, our league position - trying to figure out who we are - perhaps becoming aware of the 'project'. An awful lot of people in South America are learning the words Edens and Sawiris. They'll have broken out the bubbly at Cazoo HQ and will be doing a little dance, emergency meetings will be taking place at Sky as they try to figure out what went wrong, it's a transfer that whispers the words 'Aston Vila' into half a billion ears and it has the potential to be transformative for the club. Other clubs in the Premier league, players around Europe, agents everywhere will be wondering if they need to reassess how they feel about us, about this curious mid-to-lower-half of the table also ran with the wealthy owners. This transfer, and maybe others, followed in the near future by the reveal of the the stadium expansion, and the announcement of the Las Vegas franchise, and whatever else this wonderful ownership group has lined up has us ready to change the way football thinks about Aston Villa.

    Big steps.

    Welcome Phil, you have chosen wisely!

     

    And I thought I was buzzing *before* reading this post! Nailed it. Lock the thread.

    • Like 1
  10. 20 minutes ago, hippo said:

    Thats very true of course. But there must some cost/benefit analysis - if we are to be a well run club. Even if the benefits are direct in terms of league placing/Europe qualification of course.

    We're about to get laid by Beyonce - let's worry about everything else after.

  11. 2 minutes ago, JPJCB said:

    I’m ridiculously excited about this signing.

    All I’d say to those who are (in some respects understandably) sceptical is that we’ve seen first hand with grealish at city how a player who is world class can fade when moving to a new club. I’ve no idea why coutinho was out of favour at Barca and injuries haven’t helped him, but we’re talking about a player who was genuinely the best player in the league 4 years ago. If he’s even a quarter of that player this deal will be worth it 

    He’s also coming to a club that will be deeply appreciative of him coming. At Barca, they’ve been spoilt! So many superb players over the years, maybe it’s easy for fans and staff to become slightly indifferent? He’ll feel the love here, bit like Martinez perhaps, fall in love a bit and find his mojo. 

    • Like 2
  12. 7 minutes ago, TRO said:

    I am not opposed to any creative player coming in to our football club, and the excitement is understandable.....and welcome.

    but if we can't stop goals at the other end, it is pointless.

    We have scored in nearly every game we have played, so the thing that is stopping us picking up maximum points .....is conceding.

    Our priority should be signings players, who can help us with , keeping clean sheets.

    I hear ya TRO, and the Pollyanna in me sees it as a jigsaw: if we get someone of PC’s calibre then maybe that enables us, along with Gerrard’s pull also, to land an even better CDM than we might have. I seriously doubt a former world class midfielder can’t see what we all can. Everything crossed anyway. Who knows, maybe KP isn’t so far fetched anymore.

    OK, Rubik’s Cube is more accurate!

    • Like 1
  13. If it's right that Barca are insisting on a compulsory buy clause, then we're in the throws of making our first summer signing with a four month settling in period. I'm guessing this is what's keeping the suits busy right now, as there will have to be discussion about signing fees and realistic post-loan wages. It's that last part that exposes us to the likes of Newcastle no matter how much PC might want to come here initially - long term all parties will have to be feel it's viable.

  14. 2 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

    I've started to realise that, some peoples " Happy Place " is being unhappy about everything the club does, or potentially does. That's more bizarre to me.

    Obviously not aimed at everyone, because some people have genuine concerns and express and explain them in a good way.

    But I've started to notice a pattern with some to the point where it becomes hard to take them seriously as posters anymore.

    Surely there is a name or term for this Fetish? Being happy about being unhappy?

    Yep, Morrissey.

    • Haha 2
  15. 7 minutes ago, villanmac said:

    Everyone of them to a man would be buzzing at the thought of playing alongside Phillipe Coutinho every day in training.

    100% - and the ones that weren't I'd have to question.

    • Like 3
  16. 1 minute ago, Phil Silvers said:

    Don't want to add to the excitement and I honestly think it's a bit of a stretch but we are mathematically still in the title race.

    Some much needed positivity - that's the spirit!

    • Like 2
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