Current projected points total= 17. We don't have time to hope he stumbles across the right players in the right formation, get rid before the situation is irreversible.

A shilling a pint eh Mike? 

Wouldn't surprise me if the ones moaning are the same ones with holiday villas in Spain, going there to eat fried breakfasts and ordering beers in English.

djdabush agrees wholeheartedly with this.

Anyone posted this article yet? Funny how Gregg Evans has been writing up several pro Sherwood articles recently and is all of a sudden knowledge about the way in which we conducted our summer transfers.

Link

Aston Villa analysis: A detailed study of what is going wrong for Tim Sherwood behind the scenes

 

Aston Villa are struggling to win football matches. The problems, however, lie much deeper.

Divides have grown between the club’s talent spotters and boss Tim Sherwood who privately remains angry at failing to land a number of his top targets.

Director of recruitment Paddy Riley and sporting director Hendrik Almstadt had a major say on who arrived at Villa Park this summer.

It was their detailed input that persuaded owner Randy Lerner to invest in young foreign recruits rather than the tried and trusted Premier League performers that Sherwood so desperately craved.

In the end the manager agreed on every arrival but it was a reluctant approval rather than a glowing ‘yes’.

After a chaotic summer we look back on how the decisions were made in Sherwood’s first active transfer window.

 

 

How did Villa select their summer signings?

Sherwood identified the areas that needed strengthening and then discussed the best way forward with the recruitment team. He pointed out a number of individuals who he specifically wanted - Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott and Rudy Gestede to name a few. But there were plenty he missed out on. Aaron Lennon and Andros Townsend were both discussed but Adama Traore was seen as the best way forward. Sherwood also preferred Tom Cleverley and Estaban Cambiasso but the club felt that Jordan Veretout and Idrissa Gana represented better value for money.

Villa looked long and hard at their options. When Sherwood suggested Gestede for example, he was shown a list of alternatives in his specific position based on statistical findings. Every player on the list was watched live by at least one of Riley’s scouts and the feedback was outlined in detail. Data was then used to help find the most suitable player for the best value for money. The final decisions were not solely based on watching video footage and crunching the numbers, however for Sherwood, he only set eyes on some of the players for the first time in the flesh when they arrived in the Midlands.

 

 

 

How much of a say did Sherwood have in the squad changes?

Not quite as much as he would have liked. Not only did he lose his two key players, he failed to land a number of top targets. As hard as he tried to convince Christian Benteke to stay at the club, he knew he was always fighting a losing battle. Fabian Delph’s situation was different. The captain wanted assurances that Villa were moving in the right direction and signing players to take the club forward. He was constantly communicating with Riley and Sherwood before his exit to establish which players were coming in. That he wasn’t filled with hope is one of the reasons for his departure.

After those two exits the manager knew it would be tough which is why he wanted more experience. Asmir Begovic was offered big bucks to sign but he eventually decided on Chelsea. Emmanuel Adebayor was as good as done until he decided that he wasn’t ready for the move. Gayle and Victor Moses were looked at but considered not good value for money. Transfers are evolving and becoming more detailed these days. Those who choose to ignore stats-based findings are slipping behind. But those who place too much importance on them are taking big risks.

 

 

What was the message to the manager when the transfer window shut?

Sherwood was not set unrealistic targets. The message from Lerner and chief executive Tom Fox was simple: Keep Villa in the Premier League. Finishing 17th again would be seen as another disappointing campaign but dropping out of the top-flight now would have massive financial implications on the club. When Fox arrived he said that Villa should be looking to finish in the top-half, at least, every season.

The long-term aim is that Villa can get back to that position but they must overcome what already looks like another battle against relegation. Sherwood hasn’t quite got the team that he hoped for at Villa but he should be doing better with this group of players. They are simply under-performing. If he’s given the time to get to know some of Villa’s young stars as well as the teenagers he nurtured at Tottenham, the Bodymoor Heath Academy could once again flourish. The pressure is on him to find his best first-team, though, as it will only be the senior results that save him.

 

But is the squad good enough?

Looking in from the outside it was hard to predict Villa’s outcome when the transfer window had closed. One national newspaper were very bold with their claims that Villa could be the surprise package of the season. If every player lived up to their potential then, yes, Villa might have took the league by storm but clearly this was always going to be a season of transition.

The bookies had the claret and blues among their relegation favourites at the start of the campaign and not much has changed since. Sherwood told those close to him that he was worried when the transfer window closed. He felt that he was having to work with a weaker squad than when he first arrived - and that was a side in the bottom three. The energy of Delph and Cleverley is sorely missed. We all knew that Benteke would be hard to replace but his true worth is now starting to show. Without the Belgian, Villa could easily have been relegated in each of their last three seasons.

So if it does go wrong, who is to blame?

It’s Sherwood’s name all over the back pages this week as pressure mounts on the boss but the responsibility should be collective. Riley, Almstadt and the network of scouts sourced a large chunk of the players and both Fox and Lerner decided that Sherwood was the best man to take the club forward. The players, some of whom have relegation release clauses in their contracts, also need to shoulder some of the blame.

If Villa are to move forward the recruitment and managerial team need to work in tandem. Managers and coaches have long been led to believe that the only way to truly understand the game is to have played it. But just because you haven’t, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be effective. When asked about the set-up earlier this season, Sherwood wrapped it up nicely by saying: “As long as everyone sticks to their expertise then there is no problem.” It’s as simple as that.

 

 

He's a friend of a friend so I know where he finishes but I won't spoil it. #ApprenticeITK

Does Hurt Until They're Warmed Up

Here under the third question

Apologies if this has already been discussed but I've just read Sherwood's quotes regarding the summer transfers

"The club decided we were taking the club a certain route (this season) and that we would look at young players.

"Some of these guys I've only seen them play six or seven times and in a few friendlies and I'm trying to get the best out of them."

Seems to contradict everything he has previously said (what a shock) about how he'd been following all our signings for a long time and that he had the final say on all transfers. 

The depressing thing is that even if we did get 14 points in our next 10 games we'd be on 18 points from 18 games and looking at potentially getting 38 points if we mirrored our points tally in the second half on the season. Maybe if I thought it was realistic I might not be so depressed about it but I don't think there's any chance of him getting anywhere near total.

Our current projected total amount of points is 19. That's after a relatively easy run of games. He is hopelessly out of his depth, get rid before it's too late.

If he gets the same time Lambert got we will undoubtedly be a championship team by the time he goes IMO.

Injured. No doubt he would have started if fit.

The bookies go on how much money is placed on each team. It's pretty well known that betting against Liverpool is always worth a look at as a lot of money gets placed on them in Asia (and no doubt London too). Regardless the reason why no one will put money on Villa is because we've been so abysmal this season. 

To give some perspective at how bad the start to the season has been, if we carry on with this points per game ratio we are on for 22 points for the end of the season.

I'm not sure if you watched the game, but he absolutely cost us points today with his tactics. Liverpool's defence was shocking, looked at sixes and sevens whenever we attacked but our tactics seemed to be to attack and test their defence as little as possible.

Yes and he was very lucky he inherited a player of Benteke's quality. Not only did he keep us up almost single handedly he also generated an awful lot of money for Sherwood to invest in the squad. Sadly it does not seem that Sherwood trusts half of his signings and seems to have a knack of dropping the players who seem to be performing well. Tactically he is absolutely shocking. Liverpool were absolutely there for the taking today, their defence is diabolical and yet he seemed to looking for damage reduction. What happened to 'having a real good go at it'?

So predictable. Absolutely clueless.

Don't worry everyone, it's all part of Tim's masterplan. We lull them into a false sense of security, stretch the game out then strike after the break. Sherwood's the master of the long con.

My cat just farted in my wife's face. It's the little things in life.

Happens to every Villa manager, the curse of being a manager with Randy Lerner as your owner.

What a masterplan by Tim. So clever, he even fooled all of us. Genius.