Humanoid

Hopefully it will force a buy for a left sided midfielder who can create play on the left wing, because nearly every RB who plays against villa is having an easy time.  Can't rely on Digne alone, all he ever does is pass backwards.

Luiz poor without out best midfielder playing alongside him.  

Ramsey makes us look like we're playing with 10 men

Watkins giving the ball away persistantly for the 3rd or 4th game in a row.

Laboured build up play yet again, inviting pressure.

All on Emery this one.  His away record is still mediocre.  Why he didnt change things earlier when everyone but him could see it going wrong is bizarre.

68mins still playing like we are in 2016, and no changes! utter garbage 

Can't rely on officials giving much.  Need to rely on creating chances, which we did little of.  Too laboured in going forward for most of the game.  Just as we had stepped a gear in the 2nd half, the 2 most attacking players were taken off.  Bizarre sub decisions.  

He reminds of the bumbling Captain Ashwood on "It Aint Half Hot Mom".  Especially in his latest press conference lacking an answer as to why Henderson was included.

10 hours ago, Ginko said:

All evidence suggests Chris Heck was brought in to spearhead a rebrand that will make us unique and instantly recognisable. A lion rampant is far from that.

I think a lot of fans who want to keep our traditional imagery are going to be very disappointed by the time this project is completed.

I agree.  I was thinking it over about why he doesn't like the new badge.  He created a roundel badge for the 76ers, so it's not the shape itself (plus 8 other NBA teams use a roundel).  I think he doesn't believe a lion rampant works well in a circle, but works well on a shield.  However, from what he says in the youtube video, he would be keen to base a new badge on the one used for the European Cup win because of heritage and happier days etc.  Therefore, if he went with the roundel, the lion would have to change to fit well in a circle, which could be  the use of the lion rampant's head only, facing left as an example.  This would imo, be more simplistic and effective as an immediately recognisable image.  I'm usually conservative about these things, but I do think the use of a heraldic full lion rampant has had its day.

Otherwise, if the Lerner shield is kept, change the lion to claret as it just doesn't stand out well as yellow against light blue background.

The badge will end up as plastic as Arsenal's at this rate.  The Randy Lerner badge; gold lion on light blue doesn't work.  The Ellis shield was ok, the stripes kind of spoiled it, and from what I can remember it was only done because clubs couldn't TM (or whatever the term is) their old badge for the start of the Premier League. 

I do find it bizarre that so many supporters have very little care for the roundel badge we won the league and European Cup with.  I thought the new design was good, keeping the gold to a minimum.  And to make it different from the old roundel, using a lion faced right which was used from 1878-1882 (so not wrong at all).

So the new CEO is clearly determined start on the wrong foot with supporters.  How many more gaffs is he going to make?  A pitty he isn't so keen to get that Doug Ellis name removed off the Witton Lane Stand

I know the appointment smacks of desperation, but I have to say with the ageism that's beloved so much on this forum;  How's the other "old dinosaur" doing at Crystal Palace?  A big change from the fetal Vieraball  

Is there something like a football creche we can place him into, where someone can teach him the basics?

3 hours ago, Lomaski said:

I'm afraid he looks to me like the new Wesley, sorry, just saying!

Careless memories 

15 minutes ago, villa4europe said:

Maddison wasn't fit but was only  picked due to his form being so good the media wouldn't let him get away with not picking him

Henderson was OK, more than anything it shows the lack of depth in central midfield, something which is fixable in the euros cycle with Ramsey or elliot

My biggest concern with the midfield is this revelation that bellingham is quality... He's been quality for a long time, should have been building the midfield round him since the euros yet I'm convinced if phillips was fit he wouldn't have even played, Southgate got lucky 

I didn't know Maddison wasn't fit.  He chose Bellingham over Mount.  If Bellingham is such a good all-rounder as it's claimed (and I've no doubts to the contrary), I'd say he would be a good replacement for Henderson and let Mount play behind the striker, or even as some pundits suggested, allow Foden to play there.  I just dont understand the persistence with Henderson.  

3 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

But thats my point mate there isnt a large selection of excellent english managers worthyof the england job. So carraghers point is nonsense.

If there was a massive pool of good english managers then you can argue his point but his points ridiculous. The best person is the best person for the job no matterw where they are from. If this was in any other sector we would be say this racist or victimising

There never is a large selection of excellent English managers, but to be fair there isn't a large selection of excellent foreign ones who are open minded enough to want to take the job either.  And it will remain that way for as long as Premier League clubs employ more foreign managers than English, and that's just the way it is.   

As for managers qualifying for the national job in the same way players do, I would imagine it would be up to Fifa to bring in the rule after a vote by all the national FA's.  I don't think big footballing nations would be against it, but smaller ones could well be as they try to get the best they can from wherever.

As for Southgate, it's not as if he has proved himself in the Premier League.  No PL club would have taken him on before his appointment, imo.  He's basically an in-house English FA manager, a guaranteed yes-man.  And I think the FA will be very happy with the way it's turned out.  A top drawer manager would get more out of the squad available, imo.  I think in the past we've tended to over rate the England squad and make the manager the whipping boy to a certain degree (this isn't to excuse the managers).  I think this time there's no doubt as to how good the squad is, and some are wondering if Southgate holds the players back.

12 minutes ago, Tayls said:

Just the fact he picks his team based on the club the players play for makes me dislike his management style. It’s a pathetic way of going about things. Can’t believe Maddison didn’t even get a single minute on the pitch, and he is probably the most in form midfielder. 
The defence was awful. Playing Henderson and Rice was awful. Playing 3-sub-appearances-for-city Phillips at any point was also awful. 

You've hit two nails on the head there imo.  Maddison not getting game time when we need a decent attacking creative center mid who can score freekicks, and persisting with Henderson, are two of a number problems I have with his decision making.  

3 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

I disagree. Its wrong in my opinion. So if you have 100 shit england managers but numerous excellent foreign managers who would be interested we shouldnt consider them because they are not british? Thats discrimination.  If you did that in the work place in the uk for example you would get the pants sued off you.

Why would the england job be any different? 

I think the best person should get the job no matter where they are from personally

 I think it's far more sensible that if good English managers are available they should be considered first.  If a foreign manager is considered far the best choice above available English managers, then it makes sense to go for the foreign manager.  It shouldn't be a hard and fast rule, but certainly one that should influence choice by virtue of the side being national.  I think that's the current position of the FA anyway.

I think the only manager in my lifetime not to be a failure, whether English or not, was Bobby Robson, after getting England to a WC semi-final and taking an outstanding West German team to a penalty shoot out.  And getting to a WC quarter-final in 1986 with Peter Reid in midfield is an achievement in itself.

Venables may well have been good long term but for his resignation over allegations of dodgy deals.  Hoddle was hounded out, so we'll never know.  But all the others were poor.

Southgate has been handed a golden opportunity with so many good players at his disposal, and I think thats what's keeping him in his job.  He's likeable manager and I think the players respond to that, but not really a winner imo.  Has tendancy to give too much leeway to his "faves".  Could England do worse?  Yes.  Could they do better?  Yes, although choices are limited as always. 

One thing wont change though, and that's the FA.  They'll always want a yes man, if they can get one.  And that's why we never got Clough.

28 minutes ago, VillaParkAvenue said:

I can think of one example: last time we played Wolves and Smith subbed Nakamba on for Luiz at 60 minutes and 2-0 up…

And the week previous, Luiz played the whole game in a 3-1 loss to Arsenal, and that midfield was a shambles the entire game.

5 minutes ago, Kiwivillan said:

Probably referring to Watford, West Ham, Southampton

Those games were 5-3-2 under Smith, when most games were bad whether Luiz was playing or not.  There doesn`t seem to me to be any conclusive evidence about the midfield turning into shambles when Luiz isn`t playing as the Palace and Brighton games show.  If Gerrard can upgrade on him, then all well and good.  If he can`t, then stick with him over Nakamba.

3 hours ago, Keyblade said:

McGinn and Ramsey have both been rotated out (through choice, or enforced because of suspension/injury) and the midfield didn't skip a beat. Remember when Luiz was out? We were a shambles in the middle. I'd say he's our most important midfielder for now, at least until we get another player like him (looks like we're busy on that front fortunately).

Was that the 2-1 win against Crystal Palace and the 2-0 win against Brighton?

21 minutes ago, fruitvilla said:

Well if we are going to misspell, we might as well co the whole hog.

What you do with a hog is none of my business 

On 15/10/2021 at 13:22, ferguson1 said:

 
 

 

A new north stand like that would be cool, a bit more art deco rather than Victorian wharehouse style though. 

56 minutes ago, limpid said:

Bricks are bad environmentally. We have to move away from building with brick. Using them for decoration is less of a problem, but is likely to make building look outdated rapidly as we stop building other things with brick.

Does the Holte End brick work look outdated to you as it is now?  It used to look outdated to me as a youngster.  Im still not that big a fan of it but it makes Villa Park unique.  I certainly wouldn`t want to swap that unique character for a soulless Emirates or King Power stadium all steel and glass monstrosity.  It was disappointing that the Emirates stadium didnt include an art deco design to at least one side of the stadium in the style of Highbury.   If a new Villa stadium was built, those bricks in the Holte end could be reused in some way,  perhaps in a slightly different design but reminiscent of how it is now.

3 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

He's not like. He's got it all. He's got the technique the engine the passing range the touch the cuteness.

We've seen him having absolute stormers against better opposition

...but again he does have this casualness where he drifts through games.

The world is his oyster but he's got to sort out his mentality to me. He's not ruthless. 

His below average performances far outweigh his "stormers".  Over rated imo.

On 31/12/2021 at 22:15, villabromsgrove said:

Trezeguet was instrumental in getting us out of the Championship and into the PL. He was also instrumental in keeping us there. 

I think you're getting him confused with El Ghazi.  Easily done though, as they're both subpar wingers

19 minutes ago, Czarnikjak said:

I agree that switch to 4-3-3 is needed. I'm just worried that our LW options are not good enough if Bailey is still not fit to start. It would mean El Ghazi starting, I am not a big fan of that.

I'm not a fan of AEG either.  But I don't know if it's just me not being knowledgeable of the modern game, but it boggles my mind that we have a decent left footed player in Traore who either can't play or wont play on the left wing. 

I also would have thought Buendia would have enough fitness now to start games.  If he doesn't start, he's not going to get up to full match fitness.  We could theoretically be playing Buendia and Traore as wingers.

The 3-5-2 formation change surprises me a bit, although I can't complain if it bring in results like at man u.  I can't see it being used long term though.  Would Bailey be good enough as a wing back?

Still not convinced about the middle 3 (mcginn, luiz & ramsey) unless there is more creativity from the wings.