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Booooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

Good Move for him, opportunity to play in some big games up there and Martindale is a good well respected manager so he will learn plenty

2 hours ago, Rolta said:

The alternative way of looking at this is we look much more dangerous when he's on the pitch because of the good work he does, and when he goes off, there's a player in his place who loses the ball just as much but has nowhere near the same level of incision. He is a bit frustrating, but hopefully he continues in the direction he's going and that should get less and less of a problem.

I agree, I like him, i actually think he just lacks a bit of composure in those simple moments and he just rushes it 

1 minute 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.

 

Exactly, the system he has broadly works but he needs better personal. We are dominating the ball better and look a lot more of a team and a unit playing some great football in places.

Next season will be the onne for us now with rest of this season and pre season building up to it

Fuming with VAR for goal and Konsa incident BUT im even more frustrated with our inability to turn all of that ball into chances and goals

Just not convinced by him and i dont think Gerrard is easier hence Kesler Hayden coming back in, i wouldnt be suprised to see digne and hayden as the full backs in the future as both give more going forward

17 minutes ago, Nicho said:

Hes improving every game, I like his risk taking and ability but I find him very frustrating. 

The moments he loses the ball seem to be in horredous areas. He seems to be also playing a game on his own sometimes, not sure hes on the same wavelength as others, whether thats for him to change or the players to change to him I dont know. But that is improving aswell. 

I think he will benefit from Coutinho and Digne.

Theres something there isnt there, loos so good at times but then kills us misplacing a simple pass! I think him and coutiniho linking behind the striker and then the other striker being able to come on fresh will be exciting as well genuine left and right FB options that we can use

9 minutes ago, Risso said:

If people can't get excited about a signing like this, you'd have to question why they follow football in the first place. Of course it may all go tits up, but for now we've signed a player from Barcelona who's still in his 20s, and who has won numerous trophies with some of the biggest teams in Europe. As I said earlier, two years ago to the day we were signing washed up, unpleasant, violent, nightclub-loving complete arsehole Danny Drinkwater, who couldn't even get a game for Burnley.

Enjoy these moments for what they are, they don't happen very often.

Exactly this, lets dream of what this might be the start of - This is a huge statement by the club & the money/wages etc can be worried about by those that need to

Potentially the biggest signing the club has ever made

Just now, jacketspuds said:

Kaveh Solhekol just reiterated that there are 2 clubs in for Coutinho. He turned to Dharmesh Sheth and said something like "we all know who the clubs are".

Sheth looked like he had no clue whatsoever, which I guess is his resting face.

Biggest pair of chancers of the lot

So many absolute chancers on twitter, one minutes its on, then its off then there is a problem - They delete the other tweets as it progresses !

5 minutes ago, Zatman said:

Gregg is definitely not informed. He was saying for 3 years Grealish was gone. Guy is a chancer

To be fair to him its pretty clear that Grealish could have gone the last 3 summers so he wasnt far off the mark however much we like to think he stayed loyal - The deal just didnt quite come like this summer

2 minutes ago, cheltenham_villa said:

If this game goes ahead (which is looking likely) then I'm very confused about why Burnley was called off. We're lead to believe we had a number of late positive cases, how are those people now available?

Because the 4 out for Norwich have come back in the meantime would be my guess plus maybe a couple of injuries cleared up ?

3 hours ago, Rolta said:

To jump into this discussion, isn't what you say a bit 'confirmation biasy'?

There's nothing wrong with questioning whether Gerrard was the right choice. And there was nothing wrong with questioning his experience. And if people didn't appreciate that his job at Rangers was madly impressive and the sign of a true managerial master, then that's not a massive surprise either. Just because it looks good now doesn't mean anyone was mad to wonder if it would be the right appointment.

You can pick out a few examples of where it went right, but there are plenty of examples the other way too. For me, I was really skeptical, but I've been really impressed. Now with hindsight, it all seems so obvious. But yeah, maybe some people have a better appreciation of his success in Scotland.

No issue questioning Gerrards experience but surely it has to be balanced and you cant totally dismiss his playing career like it never happened or just trot out the SPL is a pub league as Rangers are a massive club with a pressure & expectation to win every week

How is it way off the mark? Your talking like we have pulled a manager from the Birmingham & District leagues to manage us 

I just cant buy into the ''he hasn't managed in the prem'' - He played in it for 20 years as well as in international club and country comps learning from the very best, hes admitted that especially in the later part of his career that he really did become a student of the game in terms of learning from them. Then add to this he has been in European competition for Rangers progressing each year to decent stages playing teams of Prem or better than prem teams level and having success.

The likes of Fonseca & the gang - Haven't managed in the ''prem'' - Even Ten Hag - Hasn't managed in the prem and the Dutch league is not far off as one sided as the SPL!!

This prem experience/hasn't managed in the league is Paul Merson standard analysis 

Summarising some of what's bene said above, im not sure that you realise the pressure goldfish bowl environment of being Rangers manager and in particular after the mess he took over the achievement in stopping ten in a row - In short its a huge pressure cooker with the focus constantly on.

Add to that the success in Europe, his Liverpool playing career and I think the myth of no top experience/my nan could manage in Scotland attitude is blown apart

Gerrard is the real deal as are the team around him

Lets just hope this is not another Burnley away from last season....

Dirk Kuyt kind of shout.....Trez at Left Back, defensively very good, great engine/work rate and provides a genuine attacking threat as part of Gerrards 4-3-3 formation/style

We will do them, got Steven Gerrard glory day written all over it - Hopefully get 10k tickets as well

Whoever we get I hope we take it really seriously this year, was gutted with what happened last year as i love the FA Cup

1 hour ago, Davkaus said:

There's nothing I find as baffling as cup draw threads in which people try to predict a lottery  

Me neither its really bizarre, you are basically picking a 1 in 61 why would anyone even waste their time going through the teams and picking something

.......................Home to Mansfield Town

1 hour ago, jacketspuds said:

Gerrard seems to be one of those managers that commands respect. A bit like a Klopp, Tuchel or Guardiola as opposed to a Solskjaer, 

He seems to be in complete control and the players know that he is the man in charge.

As much as I loved Smith as manager I didn't get the same feeling.

When he was talking about players who are currently in his good books but need to perform to stay there I thought that really showed the authority he has already

Im really looking forward to this game now, feels a bit of a free hit but also one where im intrigued to again see Gerrard pit his wits against a top manager & club - Add the emotional links and i think its a fascinating game.

Full week on the training field and finger crossed no one else out apart from the longer terms and a Danny Ings fit and I think it could be closer than some think

As I said on the 9th November when he was being linked......

Are the doubters having him yet??

Quote

 

I might be completely wrong on this view, time will tell but I think Steven Gerrard is exactly what Villa need at the moment

''Its a farmers league'' He's done well across Europe as well as domestically and if you pull apart most of the others mentioned you could find arguments against the leagues they have managed

''No PL experience'' Seriously ? He's worked under top managers playing at the top end of PL football for years as well as internationally 

''Its only Rangers'' Lets not beat around things here, Rangers are a huge club supported across the world with huge pressures to perform domestically, get back above Celtic and perform in Europe and in the main he has taken all of that onboard in his first job

''Lets get manager x/y/z from the latest hipster team'' It may work of course but its a huge risk on the run that we are on at this stage of the season, Gerrard with Mcallister will know what they are coming into

''He will go and take the Liverpool job'' Only if hes successful and if he does? That's life, lets worry about that when it comes

Gerrard will give this everything, this will be a massive move for him and perfect job for his profile - If you can manage the expectations at Villa then you have done better than most

 

10 hours ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

I just hope there is more evidence that Gerrard, Gary Mac, Beale and the other 42 can devise and get those players to execute another gameplan that sees us be competitive. Irrespective of the result, if we can frustrate them whilst looking organised out of possession then ill be happy. If its a hammering with us just chasing shadows for 90 mins then it could be damaging to the players belief again and the momentum we’re building with the new manager boince could easily just evaporate.

Acid test now for Gerrard but I have faith in him, really impressed with how he’s carried himself since his appointment.

1-1 Ramsey.

This is my thoughts, its a big test so would be good to see how Gerrard and team set up for it, I think Gerrard will relish it though so really looking forward t it.

As for Grealish...if he plays then I will clap him before/after the game, people move on and what ever you think its a job/career, he had some brilliant times for us and made us 100m along the way