Butterfingers

1 minute ago, Rds1983 said:

With the number and frequency of games in the Championship we need more than one player who can play number 10 and can rotate with Ayew.

If it's not Jack, it has to be Gil or Veretout or someone new.

With the number of positions that need sorting I'd prefer not to spend money on a 10 if we already have capable players. Of those at the club I think Jack is the best option to rotate with Ayew.

We need to see who we can keep hold of before determining where money is spent.

I'm not sure what impact the extra games will have-Its only the same as a lengthy cup run in the Prem.

Gestede is never going to be the answer if we're going with Adama.

Unless we go 4-4-2, Gestede can't start for us in any case surely?

Like you say, we need someone who is mobile and able to make those darting runs if we're going to play to Adamas strengths.

11 minutes ago, Rob182 said:

RDM talks about having an idea of where he wants to play Jack. Now, I wouldn't have thought he'd say this unless he was planning to change his position from a winger.

 

Could we finally get to see Jack in the number 10 role!?

 

Jack behind a striker, with two pacy wingers either side of him and a clever striker ahead would be bloody exciting (and yet terribly weak defensively!)

This is a tough one for me and I confess to not having a clue where Jack's best position is.

Looking at the squad currently, I would like Ayew to play as the number 10, just off the striker, leaving only a wide position for Jack.

I currently suspect that over 90% of the squad are trying to engineer moves away from the club and am not holding out much hope of keeping hold of Ayew, this would of course free Jack to throw his hat into the ring for the number 10 position.

I just feel that with Adama, you get what it says on the tin.

The need for coaching is over used. He has been coached for years at a very high level. He will have been told of the need to look up, pick out a man and track back umpteen times.

When travelling at the speed that Adama does, it is even harder to look up and judge where your team mates are and are going to be. If he gets that coached into him, he will be straight on the plane back to Barcelona. It is of course easier said than done.

Adama will get goals next season. He will create goals as well. If there is a better wide player in the championship than Adama then I'll be happy toign him and let Adama go. I personally don't think that player exists though.

His crossing isn't great but balls into the box don't always have to be high-Some of Adamas are, some of them are not. A ball into the box gives defenders something they have to deal with. 10 poor (low) balls into the box may see one land at the feet of a Villa player. A goal is a goal, it doesn't have to be text book.

47 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

Even then, if we are going to compare Ronaldinho used great skill and guile to go past people, Traore, as much as I have high hopes is far more direct, with brute strength and pace.

This 100%

Not that its a bad thing. That brute strength and pace is frightening. I think he will never e the best at actually tracking back but his pace could be developed to make up for this when we are on the back foot.

Why is Clark even starting for Ireland? I thought they had better defenders than him. Is someone injured?

I think any chance we had of getting any sort of fee for him will have gone out of the window now. With his contract, I think we'll be stuck with him next season.

59 minutes ago, 1958Villan said:

For all of the excitement, that Traore creates, I'm afraid he is one of those Raheem Sterling style players.

Flattering to deceive all of the time.

A flash Dan with no, or very little end product. And what is needed in the game is players who produce an end product on a consistent basis.

Barcelona were willing to let him go, which says to me, that they had given up on ever turning him into a team player.

The way he plays means that he will miss a lot of playing time because he will be continually injured. A shame really because the young man obviously has a great deal of natural talent but, just doesn't have the brain cells to make the most of it.

I wouldn't mind a few "Raheem Sterling type players" at the Villa.

Adama has not flattered to deceive either.

Why is he a "flash dan" is it because he takes players on? To me, this is one of the most exciting aspects of football

I'm not sure why he'll miss a lot of playing time either-He looks fit and strong enough for me.

I think you should reserve judgement like that until he's had a run in the side. Start him in the first 10 games and I think you may end up being surprised. Can you imagine the spaces he'll create in other areas as teams double up on him?

6 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Different types of players completely.

I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like him. He is unique.

I am still of the opinion that he will leave, however, this may depend on a release clause. It is possible, with everything else supposedly written into the contract, that a release clause may not have gone in as condition of some of the other concessions. If there is a release clause, his agent will be already touting him and it's probable that he'll leave.

It may be that he maintains his premiership wage but if we can keep him I think we should. Hopefully RDM will like what he's seen of him and make him one of the first, if not the first priorities to tie down next season. He has the potential to score 20+ next season and make 20+ as well. He is one of the only players on here that we all seem to agree about. We can't all be wrong. How much would a player who scores 20 and makes 20 cost?

27 minutes ago, kurtsimonw said:

I just don't see France and UEFA admitted they have done a terrible job so far and simply aren't up to it. Croatia will get a slap on the wrist. Nothing will change.

Regardless of whether they have admitted it or not, the policing and security in general has been utterly appalling. UEFA want to distance themselves from what has gone on outside of the stadiums so that is down to the French entirely. The problems inside the stadiums are also down to the French however UEFA are still accountable as there had to have been some stipulations on crowd segregation and searching fans entering stadiums. You have to hand it to the police in this country-They really do a good job controlling fans. Marseille would never have happened in this country and the first sign of flares would have ensured searches of everyone entering the ground thereafter.

17 hours ago, limpid said:

Usual rules. Played fixtures stand, remaining fixtures would be a 3-0 defeat for the defaulting team.

Another reason why a team won't ever get kicked out. There is no fair way of re-arranging the group.

If Wales were to get kicked out tomorrow and Slovakia were to beat us, we would finish 3rd behind Russia, who would have a better goal difference than ours by virtue of a result/game that wasn't even played. If Wales were to be handed a 3-0 scoreline then so should the other 2 teams in the group.

I had always thought that the games involving the kicked out team would become void but this would still impact 3rd place as YLN said.

Just now, Ginko said:

Yes, you're correct, though the point still stands as I think he'd have stayed had we offered him a reasonable contract.

And therein lies an indication as to where we are today, compared to Leicester.

18 minutes ago, Ginko said:

I agree with your sentiment on the whole and I wasn't fussed when Davis left (though I'd be ecstatic if we got him now) but I was bothered when we sold Albrighton. Not only was he a local lad and a diehard Villa fan but I thought he was brilliant at what he did, if a little one-dimensional, and he offered a different option to the team that no one else did. Imagine how many Gestede would have scored with Albrighton whipping them in.

We didn't sell Albrighton.

He went on a free because Leicester offered him more than we did.

17 minutes ago, AntrimBlack said:

This is it. He has to be played in the correct position for him.

In fairness, he has played there for us and has been a disaster.

I personally do not hate him, I actually quite like him and would never question his commitment.

I do not, however think that he's very good. Very much like Sinclair, my feeling is that at some point you must draw a line under certain players and just say "this isn't working" I am at that point with both Sanchez & Sinclair. This is not to say that they won't both go on to do well elsewhere, I just feel that their boats have sailed at Villa.

If RDM wants to keep him, that is fine by me. We are in the Championship now so that could play a part in bringing better performances from Sanchez. Ideally, I would like him replaced though.

As a group, no-The nucleous of it needs to be moved on.

If one or two of them can benefit our club then I will be prepared to move on with a clean slate. Ideally though, I'd like them all gone, based on ability (or lack of it) alone.

8 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

oh dear @Butterfingers

Oh dear what?

There was no trouble at the game. BOF refers to Wednesday when 36 people from England, Wales, Russia and Slovakia were arrested. BOF tries to make out that the 36 arrested were all English, which isn't the case.

No trouble?

I rest my case.

No doubt videos will appear showing English people tossing coins to  children and this will expose our "sinister" hooligan element.

 

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

Ok so it's good to throw money violently on the floor for 4-5 year olds to pick up off the floor? If these fans are so kind as you say why not hand the money to the kids? Why throw in the floor like they are peasants.

kindness my arse

Firstly, whilst it probably makes better reading for you to say "4-5 year olds", hey really aren't are they?

Secondly, having just watched the video again, everyone is rolling coins underarm, however 1 bloke does throw 2 coins overarm. He was aiming for distance. You've obviously focussed on that in your quest to find something bad to moan about. I'd say that if he meant an ill will, he would have hit one of the kids.

As for throwing it on the floor, I saw it as a bit of a game for the kids to chase the coins.

Try not to be so judgemental of people

Or more to the point how can he tell that they're taunting them?

If its the video that I've seen, its a few young kids begging outside a bar and the English are all rolling coins towards them to chase and see who gets there first. The end of the video sees a few happy young kids with bags full of money.

Harmless acts of kindness turned into "They're a disgrace to our nation" You couldn't make it up.

22 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

 

Forget about a ban on booze-A ban on tables and chairs is the way to do it.

28 minutes ago, Gary Thomas said:

Think this guys testimony is worth listening - first hand account

Link

 

Very enlightening:

England fans being bottled-The police stand back and watch
England fans retaliate-The police charge them & gas them
A man protecting his mother beaten to the ground and his head repeatedly stamped on
A man in a wheelchair punched as they walk past him
Police at the metro station tear gas the English because they are not getting on the train fast enough

Still there are some people who are trawling the net to point out pictures and film of a few bottles hitting police shields.

19 minutes ago, zak said:

I doubt i would get tear gassed,  if the police started marching towards me, id just leave!  (the fans would disperse, the police's aim)

I suspect there are alot of team fans that would just do that and not try stand up to the police.

Anyway our main difference is i believe the french police were doing what they thought was best to diffuse tension and you believe they had a bit of a vendetta against the english fans

You do realise that the police don't actually move before firing gas don't you? They fire it from a safe distance from a gun.

Even the "doubt I'd get tear gassed" of this world would actually (ahem) get tear gassed.

2 minutes ago, BOF said:

You do realise we're all on the same side here.  That was a nightmarish scenario for England fans.  In a city that hates you befing chased by trained criminals who want to seriously hurt you.  I can not imagine being in that scenario and I'm glad that the Russians are being cited and that most England fans got out without serious injury. Other sadly not so lucky.

I'm not convinced BOF. The English are targets wherever they go. I'm not into England at all so can't speak from experience. I know many who have followed England over the years though and I am also aware of many, many incidents where club fans have suffered similar abroad. If we ever got back into Europe, I'd probably like to go-As would many on here. Would they be as quick to blame the chanting when they got a lump of wood smashed on the skull or attacked in a side alley? It could happen to anyone, anywhere, including the patronising "I am too smart to get caught up" brigade.

The FA, the Government and many other quarters have gone to great lengths to cleanse up our reputation in recent years. People who jump on the bandwagon that slates fans for the sake of slating them are not helping the situation and are inadvertently contributing to the next attack on some innocent middle aged man.

You say without serious injury, however, I'd wager that for many, it has put an end to the holiday. Friends will also not want to continue. It will have ruined it for many people, some of whom have saved and planned it for 2 years. Looking at some of those kickings, its likely that many received broken bones, they won't be staying. The man who is serious is likely never to recover. It does tend to grate when people try to insinuate that it was provoked by a few chants or because people put their arms outstretched when singing.

1 minute ago, osmark86 said:

I'm sure sweeping statements like this do not provoke any xenophobic sentiments both ways.

It's there for all to see on the videos. Half of you lot would be in for a nasty surprise if ever you travelled to Marseille to watch the Villa.

3 minutes ago, zak said:

I dont know and i dont think England Fans deserved being attacked. I know throwing chairs and bottle at police would not help diffuse a situation though.

 

What do you think the French Police wanted to happen, how did they intend to diffuse the situation

The French hate the English. The police were clearly turning a blind eye to the attacks whilst indiscriminately gassing the English at every given opportunity. Someone who was tending the seriously injured fan had to beg a group of police for help who were just stood watching ffs.

3 minutes ago, zak said:

Irish in London when?

 

The video here (from different cameras and has a jumbled timescale) you can see at the end a chair thrown at the Police, which jumps back to the timeline prior to tear gas.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jun/10/england-fans-violence-marseille-police-european-championship

An interesting quote from that link:

"Ian King, 53, a farmer who has travelled with his son Darcy, 18, to watch the game, said they had been teargassed three times during the day. “But there was no need for it,” he said. “Yes, the fans are boisterous and singing. But the French police react by marching in and firing off teargas.”

You, iike others have omitted the minor detail that Marseille thugs had targeted the pub. Do you think that reasoning with them would have diffused the situation?