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1 minute ago, sidcow said:

Oh I don't know

Oh jeez!!!......another childhood infatuation ruined forever!! haha!

2 minutes ago, Mazrim said:

We had exactly what we needed in Watkins and Ings. Unfortunately in two players, not one.

If we could have mashed them together to make one player - perhaps a la Weird Science using Watkins and Ings action figures, some random electrical components and a Commodore 64 - we could have Watkings, superstriker. Knowing our luck he'd have Ings' pace and mobility and Watkins' finishing.

..and definitely wouldn't look like Kelly leBrock unfortunately 

It be will be a winger/striker type forward…..don’t see us buying a specialist striker until the Summer. 

5 hours ago, flamingsombrero said:

Wish him all the best and hopefully he gets to enjoy the Championship next year.

Hopefully NOT - £3M to us if Wham stay up. 

5 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

I think any winger will need to be able to play as forward - that's the only real opportunity, one of the two forwards gets wide at any time, Bailey is doing that really well at the moment.

The midfield is a square, we don't have wide midfielders.

Agree with the current logic but UE has constantly talked about different profiles to what we have. A classic winger (although that’s what I would class Bailey as) would give us more options and with our squad being so imbalanced in regards to width and pace. Reckon UE would feel he could use a winger in the Bailey role but I agree that there would have to be some decent finishing ability present. 

Definitely the type of player we need

Only probably see a winger come in now - can’t see a CM as well; prob wait until the Summer for Guendouzi or the like. 

7 hours ago, paul514 said:

I feel like Danjuma would be Bailey's role in this setup not the striker.

I'd hate a deal where we are obligated to buy him rather than an option.

One has to wonder though...... why would they want to loan him out.

I think competition for Bailey is exactly what UE is targeting this month. The striker signing will not happen until the Summer imo. Watkins, Ings, Bailey and New Winger/Wide Forward will get us through to the Summer. 

5 minutes ago, Nigel said:

Dan Bardell seems pretty sure we will get him, if thats worth anything.

I think we would have done this one by now if UE genuinely wanted him. I reckon  he’s off to Bournemouth. 

Agree mate. He clearly knows what he wants to do but his body does not facilitate it anymore. Need to quickly move him on and try to free up some wages if we can so as not to encroach too much on FFP with new signings.

Just not up to the physicallity or pace of the league anymore. His legs have gone and we are not good enough to carry any pasengers. That adrenaline-driven, new club bounce spell was clealry the exception. Never looks like beating a man, scoring or opening up a low block defence. Great player back in the day but sadly not what we need now. A very expensive mistake that I am sure we will cut our losses on in the Summer whilst supplementing his salary for the rest of his contract.

2 minutes ago, Zatman said:

He brings energy and a bit of a goal threat from midfield which we dont have outside Ramsey.

Would he be suited to one of the wide 8 roles though?...and if so I'm not sure he is the upgrade we really need.

4 minutes ago, gwi1890 said:

 Mckennie is a good ball carrier but he isn’t a significant upgrade on Mcginn.

I really don't see what McKennie would bring - he just seems bang average at most things but good at none......happy to be proven wrong.

He’d have ambitions of getting back into French team so could defo see him looking to move on. 

Agree. However, I just can’t see Digne willing to sit in bench for a prolonged period at his stage of his career - and Moreno would prob be more ofa starter as he will be UE’s man. It would be great to have that depth at LB but I could see Digne moving on in summer so we can recoup a decent fee and a younger LB coming in. 

I’m not sure tbh. UE likes pace out wide and Digne just does not have enough pace to regularly beat his man. Hence the reason he is looking to bring in Moreno who is much quicker. Digne’s attacking strength is crossing but I think UE wants a pacy full back who can drive forward into opposition box more and cut back for the strikers as opposed to just crossing it in. 

16 hours ago, TRO said:

I get the positives.....and essentially, we played some good football.....but they could have scored a hatful on another day too.

but the same old errors, keep haunting us and the same old reponses get tedious....Some of the faults get reported by fans, only to be shutdown, by those that don't want to hear it.....Listen to Pete on the holy trinity show.

Some People can see, what we need to improve us.....Unai has to address it, I am hoping he can....I was honestly surprised SG didn't.

Look, I get it takes time....but I want to see credible action, in eradicating the same old reponses after a defeat, like this.....sure the missed chances, could have bailed us out....but that is it again, masking over inherent weaknesses.

Lets be fair here, we was just as open in the cup at Old trafford.....and the long ball undone us again....this is not something new, and we know what is said when we do the same things over and over....yes,Insanity.

We cannot play the highline, with the players we have, it takes us all our time, to play with a low block......its suicide.....but that aside, 9 players was in the box, when Van Dijk scored, most of them ball watching.

I don't want my team to be know as Valiant losers, bridesmaids or a good footballing side with a soft underbelly....I want us to be winners, more often than not.

It is doable, but we have to have the right team to do it with.....We have the right manager in Unai, but he can't do it without the right character/ talent/IQ of players.

 

It’s a real dilemma, I imagine, for UE. However, I’m not sure his default defensive tactic is a high line. Definitely didn’t play with one vs Brighton….in fact quite the opposite. I see an experienced coach who has the ability to tweak the system depending on the opponent. Going back to my earlier post, he is still in the early stages of assessing what the players can and can’t do….so he has to utilise the tactical approach he wants for each game and then hope that the players can adapt to it. So, vs Pool he will have seen that we struggled with a high line…..does he now completely abandon that option until he has had the opportunity to remodel the defence? Or does he persist with intense coaching of the tactic confident that he will be able to improve them at least a certain amount? That’s his dilemma. 
 

I wouldn’t be surprised if NSWE have given him the rest of this season to improve the current squad as much as he can prior to significant changes in the Summer if required. Not to say it’s a free hit…..more a patient process to clarify and confirm what we need to do to progress in 23/24. 

On 28/12/2022 at 14:25, TRO said:

I agree, with that and it puts things in perspective.

However, can we remind ourselves, coaching is not the elixir to all ills.......There is a reason why most teams in the Prem, have big units at Centre Back and Goal keeper.......and its also hard to coach, lack of pace.

Teams have to have attributes, weapons to hurt teams with......we currently have a very similar bunch.

I accept UE will in time make a difference, how much, without additions weapons to come in, I am unsure.

For me, right now.....We need a centre forward, with height, to help win aerial balls, we need a centre back with height and muscle to accompany his defending talent, and we need a winger, with pace, who can beat a full back.

Agree with you here. Physicality especially in the spine of the side is essential. We’ve rightly had this chat many times re the centre mid and although that ‘unit’ never really arrived, having a specialised CDM has obviously improved us - I’d still love a CM of a good size however with Dendoncker and hopefully Tim we are in a good place. 
A more physical CB is desired although we also need better ball players there - hopefully Carlos can be both. 

A powerful CF who can finish would significantly improve us and we are desperate for more pace throughout the side - it’s fine pressing quite high but we must have the pace to exploit the turnover when it happens. 
 

Maybe it’s wishful thinking that UEs coaching can improve the group enough despite  these uncoachable attributes being absent but I think his hand will be slightly forced with limited scope to recruit in Jan and the need to shift a number out - both of which will be easier in the Summer. I’m not expecting full transformation from coaching alone but maybe, just maybe, he improves a couple of the current crop that will pleasantly surprise us. Here’s hoping

16 hours ago, TRO said:

 

If the system of play was working and effective? what constituted us losing?....are you suggesting there is more to it, than just systems?

Unai intimated, the game plan was deviated from, why was that, do you think?

Mings intimated, it was just poor defending?

I seem to think, it’s all too familiar to me.....maybe we will do better at Spurs.

Yep, he made this pretty clear. Referenced the point that the players played as individuals in the first half. So this is due to one of 2 reasons. Either the players still need more time to fully understand the tactics and need more time playing within those tactical systems OR they do not have the tactical awareness/capability and skill to implement those tactics. 
Now, after having watched this group (mainly) of players for 3 years the natural assumption is the latter and that the majority of them will not be able to progress and develop. However, there is a part of me that feels UE will use the remainder of the season to see if he can coach them successfully to improve their level. 
 

IMO, UE is the best tactician we have had in my 40+ years of following the Villa. I think he will give this current squad time to try and develop, adapt and improve until the Summer. Maximum of 2 additions in this window as we cannot keep buying players when it is so difficult for us to move any on. Then, come the Summer, UE will make the big decisions around who needs replacing. We may be surprised at those that improve accordingly or our initial thoughts on those individuals who lack quality will be confirmed. Let’s let UE coach first and foremost - after all that’s what he does….and does it very well indeed. 

34 minutes ago, av1 said:

100%. There was a lot to like about yesterday’s performance, which was on the back of our first win against UTD in 27yrs and a really good performance away at the in form Brighton. 
 

What I liked most about yesterday was I could see a plan, a way of playing. I’m not going to use this thread to criticise others managers but it’s been a very long time since I could explain “our identity” yesterday it was clear. 
 

Emery is right to stick with that even if we currently have 1/2/3 players that don’t suit it because it needs to be embedded in the mindset. I just hope fans can see the long term, I’ve saw some criticism of the high line yesterday, ok maybe it was dangerous with the players we have, but he’s working to something. Liverpool maintain a style of play that got them spanked 7-2 at VP a few years ago. 
 

I’ve said before and I’ll say again, I think this is the most significant signing with have made in decades, he’s going to transform us. 
 

I 

100% this

1 hour ago, Aston_Villan4 said:

Wait, he’ll have to leave and re-enter? I hope that’s not the case as that would be a ridiculous waste of time.

Can be very good for prolonging duration so I’ve heard lads (cough cough)……UE playing the long game .  Respect. 

Having read/watched all of the articles/vids about UEs set up, it is obvious that he favours both 4231 and 442 with the latter used most recently at Villarreal. Now, that could be because he felt it suited the squad more as opposed to adapting the squad to that formation. 
 

It will be very interesting to see how he sets us up….with the CMs we have I have a feeling he may initially use a 4231 as it will give us defensive stability in his early few games…..and then he can review during WC and switch to a 442 if he believes it will get the best out of the players (and any new recruits in Jan). 
 

I don’t think we will be seeing overtly high pressing, attacking football as he is clearly a pragmatic coach first and foremost. Probably a more counter attacking style. This is in no way a criticism as the results/trophies he has achieved speaks volumes for his footballing philosophy. Let’s trust the guy and his process. There will be ups and downs obviously as players adapt to his tactics. For the first time in years we have a genuine tactically astute head coach who gets the best out of the players he has. Bring it on Unai. 

19 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

Think he was much better to be fair to him. Still not probably up to the standard we need and was completely shown up by Luiz when he came on, but better.

…and there is the most obvious Gerrard selection farce we get week after week.