QldVilla

After Mings played his first couple of games I said he reminded me of Laursen in his demeanour, courage and style of play, and nothing has happened to change my mind. We have had loan players before, but it looks like he really enjoys being at Villa, you rarely get that from loan players. I'm not sure of the loan deal with Bournemouth, maybe there's an option to buy, but to me he feels like a long term Villa player.

Agree, the good thing is Smith brought in the right defenders, hopefully we have clauses to buy at the end of the season. Consistency is also required, but what also has to be acknowledged is the best 3 teams don't always go up, sometimes 1 team just has the momentum at the right time, maybe that can be Villa. I don't think where ready to go up, but the consequences if we don't, possibly losing Jack, and losing Abraham, who I think we could sign if we were promoted. Anyway, lots of ifs and buts, but will make an interesting end to the season.

All the minority that are bagging Smith aren't basing their opinion on facts just emotion. This we are Villa, we should be in the premier league mentality paints over the weaknesses through several years of mismanagement. If you look at the current Championship table, it reveals why we are in the position we are in and something many supporters identified before the start of the season, the Defence. We have drawn far too many games this season, mainly due to leaking goals and not having the appropriate cover in defence. The previous manager did an appalling job with our defence and left us short and due to injuries we have had to piece meal our defence most of the season. Smith isn't the messiah, but he is a good manager and taking the club in the right direction. I still believe we can make the play offs, and taking a quote from MartinO'Neill, the way Villa played against Forest, we should be in the Top 2. It shows we may just give the play offs a shake should we make them.

14 weeks and £350 in fines, really? I couldn't imagine 14 weeks in jail, but it's not a deterrant for the next person, that should be the minimum for just invading the pitch. It was assault which could of led to serious injury or death as Jack had his back turned and couldn't defend himself. These magistrates should start thinking of the worst outcome possible from the incident when attributing a decision, rather than the outcome of the incident, then it may just deter the next person.

It has been said numerous times what a class act Jack was with the incident, and then not dignifying it after the game. Some have raised it could have been more serious if the coward in question had a weapon and I agree totally. In Australia we have one punch (coward punch) laws due to people being killed by one punch. Most are alcohol fuelled, but these type of crimes are treated more seriously. Everyone understands the seriousness of the incident, but even one punch can kill if hit in the wrong place and Jack his family and us as supporters can breathe a sigh of relief that it wasn't any worse than a mosquito bite. Well done Jack, you make us proud to be Villa fans.

Great to see Grealish back. The one thing he brings to the side is time, time for players to get into better positions, and time for players to make better decisions. Becuase of this he puts pressure on opposition players and gets them to make poor decisions they wouldn't normally make in a game. These type of players also make the players around them more confident and makes them better players. Will be an interesting run into the end of the season.

I'm not convinced it's the coaching. Smith deserves to have the chance of an off season and a rebuild of the squad. We need to start again from the bottom up, and we need to show some patience and come out the other side a better team.

I've remained optimistic that things will eventually turn and we will go on a run, but after the last two games, I just can't see that happening. Maybe if and when Grealish is back things might change, but it shouldn't be about one player.

In your opinion.

Some seem to have short memories. Jedinak has been a good player for a long time, and some are mixing their opinions with his displays at CB. There was a time last season and the season before when he did a good job for the club, and he was missed when not available. His job has always been to put players on their backsides and make attackers think twice, he did that once early tonight and received a yellow card, pity the poor referee didn't shell out the same for similar incidents by SU players early on... Saying all that, it was his first starting game Since early in the season and he needs to get some games under his belt, but the game has also passed him by in the past 12 months, he knows that, that's why he retired from international football. If we had a 25 yr old Jedinak he would be the right player, but we don't, let's leave these decisions to the manager, rather than the cheap shots...

Besides one of the worst refereeing displays I've seen, I didn't think we we're that bad, we just weren't moving the ball quick enough to create chances. It was too slow similar to when the previous manager was in charge. When we had nothing to lose, we came forward a lot quicker, there was far more movement and the ball was moving quickly, 3 goals. Another 5 minutes we probably win. Some will say SU switched off, that's just simplistic. Smith can't continue to start Kodija, he doesn't have the speed and doesn't give us any width, he's far too direct.

Mings was a beast tonight, haven't seen a CB move around for Villa like that since Laursen. The time, the composure, and also the way he imposed himself on attackers. He also made himself a leader today, something we've been lacking on field. Great display.

Excellent, I've achieved my goal....

People seem to forget that it's the January transfer market and you rarely get what you need, unless you pay well over market value. Carroll may not be the ideal signing, but Smith wouldn't of signed him if he didn't think he could do a job, and that's why he needs to be given a chance.

I'm sure that achievement sits proudly in your CV when you go for job interviews...

I don't believe I was saying you can't debate the issues with the club, but I haven't read anything with a methodology that supports their views. What's the saying, opinions are like @($-?@!$/ everyone has got one....social media just allows everyone to express it. That some are going after a Manager who has been there for 16 weeks is just wrong and have no validity to their argument. Rather than getting up their post numbers, try putting together a logical point of view.

It's just been great to read the opinions of all those coaching experts on the "problems" with Villa, surely you can give up some of your time away from your FIFA coaching badges to assist Dean Smith and his team? Smith has had about 16 weeks in the job, the systemic issues with the club and the squad haven't gone away and the team still lacks a heart. Our best player has been out for a month and it is no coincidence that the downturn in performance coincided with his injury. We are threadbare with defenders and our best DM has been on the injury list since the start of the season. DS has been able to paper over most of these issues but he isn't a miracle worker. Too many supporters are focussed on the outcome, but have no idea of the processes that all need to be working in the right direction to achieve the desired result. Most of these at the club have been broken for years, but the new owners, coaches etc are now rebuilding these but it will take time. We will have some good times and bad, but ultimately the club will return to its glory, but patience is needed. With a little luck and the right players brought in, I still believe we will finish in the Top 6 and have a run at promotion like last season, but like last season, we still may be found out to be short.

Personally thought there was no advantage for Tammy or Chelsea loaning him to Wolves for six months and he was better off staying where he is and continue banging them in. If he does, his value will increase and be worth more to Chelsea, and other clubs will be chasing him for next season including Villa if promoted. Great news and well done Tammy.

I don't see it that way, there's many reasons why the form is the way it is at the moment, tired squad, best player on sidelines etc.. but what you say is valid, Villa doesn't have that team look about it, yet...

TA is by no means the finished article and he still missus the odd sitter, he had a slow start with Villa this season and wasn't until Smith became manager that he flourished. Although I would preferred he stayed and helped us get promoted, too many players these days are looking short term, rather than what is in their best interests long term. If he stayed with Villa and we were promoted, Is there the opportunity that we would sign him? I would have thought yes. On the other side of the coin, Wolves are so sure of him, they are only signing on loan for 6 months?. He probably feels that he is ready, and he probably is for the challenge, but if he keeps banging them in then there will be a handful of clubs wanting to sign him at the end of the season and he might be worth more to Chelsea. Six more months in the Championship will only make things better for him and Chelsea, and hopefully Chelsea will see this.

I think some supporters are trying to turn wine into water.. In the past 2 months we have had 5 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss against teams in predominantly the top half of the Championship. Our best player has been out for the past 4 games, who probably if available turns 2 of those draws into wins, and we were robbed against WBA. We are down to the bare bones as a squad, players are playing tired due to injuries and the inability to rotate. Even with Smith inheriting an unbalanced squad with only 2 CD, and some players not suiting his style of play, he and the coaching staff have done a phenomenal job. The club will get in 3-4 players more suited to his style and we will get players back and go on a long run. I expect us to be in the play offs and with a little luck will go up this season.

How many clubs in the Championship could rightly lay claim to going through the same period of games starting with Derby and ending with Leeds and say they would do better than Villa for points in the same period of games? The squad has looked tired the last two games and due to key injuries we haven't been able to rotate some players to keep them fresh. I know a lot of people don't like Jedinak, but we are missing a no nonsense DM who makes opposition players look for fear of being put on their backsides, we needed this against Leeds yesterday and a couple of other games in past weeks. The same frailties are still there that were there at the start of the season, but with a couple of CD's a ball playing CM and cover for Grealish, this Villa team is still good enough to go up, but we need a little luck like every club needs to get promoted.

I thought the manager said it was a stress fracture of a metatarsal in his foot, should only be 5-8 weeks depending on where in the foot.

I think the run of games over the last 6 weeks has caught up with the team. We looked tired as a squad last game and looked it again today. We also aren't the same team without Grealish, having someone to hold up the ball and allow the attacking players to get into position. Now that we are getting injuries, it's showing we don't have the quality of depth we thought we had. Will be interesting to see who is brought in in January, we not only need the well publicised defenders but another ball playing central midfielder, someone who sits a little deeper, urgently to go on with it.

Thought we were a bit flat today, but the brilliance of one player nearly got us the win.