Philosopher

Not a joke 2-0 is flattering us! So is 3-0.

Never a penalty, never a red card, probably should have had a penalty, but still 2-0 is flattering!

First 60 minutes bar the Mings freak error was the best football we have played all season. What it proved was the problem this team has had, which is a lack of runners. You play 2 narrow 10's with your central midfielders covering your fullbacks, then who the f*** is going to run from deep and break the lines? So to come back from 2 down he takes off two runners (the best runners with the ball at their feet in the team) and replace them with Buendia who is constantly dropping deep, and the static Coutinho and turn to a 442, so we are now outnumbered in midfield. Gerrard is a tactical numpty!

He was the only one putting in dangerous crosses. Should have at least one assist today. Him and Ramsey are the only players that actually scare opposition defenders.

Bailey coming off was a f*** up. We look worse now.

And now our most creative player in this game has been taken off. Classic Gerrard, gets all the big calls wrong!

Martinez misjudged that one.

Our best stuff is coming down our right hand side. Which means Gerrard will take off Bailey.

Playing well. Chelsea are giving us space and we have runners. That's the difference in performance today. The Mings error was one of those things, it can happen to any player. The criticism from me is Mings isn't a good header of the ball, so shit like that is more likely.

No imagination, low risk, no cohesion, poor decision making, a captain the needs to be stripped of the captaincy and dropped. How can we play two playmaking number 10's and not get our midfielders to run beyond them. They're too narrow, so all we can do is get the fullbacks come round the outside. We are too easy to shut down.

Buendia is completely ineffective, Coutinho isn't making basic runs, McGinn is also offering little. Two of those three should come off.

Yes game was awful, the stats prove it 3 shots on target in the entire game! The manager still seems to be lacking tactical nous and playing favourites. I still want Gerrard to succeed, but still don't see any real sign he is good enough. I Villa to do well regardless of the manager. The manager is not doing a good job, and so his job is still very much in jeopardy. McGinn is in the worse from I have ever seen him in! McGinn was the main reason we gave possession away in midfield. I remember at one point Digne went to close down Walker-Peters, and Djenpo had acres of space where Mcginn was meant to be marking. Mcginn just stood there in no man's land and Mings had to close down. Any team in decent form would have punished us there. Mcginn is also still doing that stupidness of charging into tackles he isn't going to win and give the opposition a perfect opportunity to counter as a result. He makes loads of key passes and tackles. But misses loads of passes and tackles as well. I have no idea how he still starts as Luiz's form is good and Mcginns is atrocious!

Poor game. We deserved the win, but Southampton really were poor. Young and Konsa looked shakey. Konsa is a really poor distributor. Not good enough for where we are aiming. Mings easily the best defender in the team. Digne played a couple good crosses that were well defended. Kamara and Luiz were both composed and kept us ticking over. Ramsey scored the winner, otherwise didn't stand out. Mcginn was so wasteful in possession. This guy is so overrated outside of this forum. Bailey looked lively, starting to get to grips with the prem. Coutinho was a handful, faded in the second half. Watkins worked hard, but lacked that extra bit of quality.

Wow! I really don't understand how she could have touched you in such a manner. It seem weird to me. But I respect you opinion. The Queen was born into a position of being the most important person in the country, she appoints a dismisses prime ministers. Her power was real, not simply ceremonial. The Royal family voluntarily stay out of politics. If they wished they could seize full control. This disgusts me! She lived a life of luxury while we deemed her subject in law, have to live normal lives, though poverty, austerity and minorities end up dealing with worse. The reality is she is a royal because her ancestors had the biggest stick in the country. So while respect how you feel, in my eyes you're buying into the drivel the media and establishment tries to indoctrinate all of into believing. I never knew her, I have never felt any benefit from her actions, so I'm not going spout false affection. She had a fine life, has a lovely family (whom my sympathies are with). But she has nothing to do with me, and what she represents is abhorrent to me. Give me football, not fake mourning!

F the queen I want football.

My Window Roundup All in all an acceptable window of business. Cleared out much of.the deadwood. Brought in 3 quality players. Kamara - A classy DM Carlos - A powerful and composed CB. Coutinho - A quality playmaker. We brought in 3 squad fillers / decent backup players in Olsen, Augustinsen, and Bednarek. And one player that doesn't improve the overall quality, but provides qualities the squad sorely lacks in his position. Dendonker brings strength, height, aggression, deternination, tough tackling, workrate, and discipline to a midfield sorely lacking those qualities. He also provides a bit of leadership which the squad lacks. Unfortunately Carlos has suffered a potentially season ending injury, which makes what would otherwise be a solid window, a barely acceptable one. We also have a manager that is a crap coach, and has a rudimentary tactical understanding. As a result he hasn't been able to forge a cohesive unit, and isn't able to make adjustments on fly. Our biggest problem is not our squad, but our management. That's the most important signing we will make this season. Fortunately there isn't a transfer window for managers.

I'm not particularly a fan of dendonker, but his aggression, workrate, and bite in the tackle is something we lack. Him alongside either Kamara or Luiz would be complimentary. But the midfield would need a passer that's also a goalscorer. My preferred 3 would still be Kamara, Luiz, and Ramsey. However Dendonker and McGinn to come in would be decent. BBC are saying we are refusing to sell. Luiz. I bloody hope so as him and Kamara together has shown a bit of potential. Dendonker is a nasty, hard, bastard of a player, which we lack. Not disappointed by him at all. Underwhelmed for sure, not the class of player I was hoping for, but a solid combative option, which will help us. Hoping we revive the Sarr deal, Moura is too old and inconsistent.

I'm not particularly a fan of dendonker, but his aggression, workrate, and bite in the tackle.8s something we lack. Him alongside either Kamara or Luiz would be complimentary. But the midfield would need a passer that's also a goalscorer. My preferred 3 would still be Kamara, Luiz, and Ramsey. However Dendonker and McGinn to come in would be decent. BBC are saying we are refusing to sell. Luiz. I bloody hope so as him and Kamara together has shown a bit of potential. Dendonker is a nasty, hard, bastard of a player, which we lack. Not disappointed by him at all. Underwhelmed for sure, not the class of player I was hoping for, but a solid combative option, which will help us. Hoping we revive the Sarr deal, Moura is too old and inconsistent.

Nearly got bailed out by a Luiz speciality goal for the second time in 8 days. Luiz once again show he should be starting. McGinn once again looking lost. Where is the coaching? I don't see a team I just see 11 players. F*** off Gerrard! Off to the bookies to bet on Haaland getting his 3rd hattrick in 3 games!

At we have to look forward Haaland on Saturday. 3 hattricks in 3 consecutive games coming!!!!!

Balls

Gerrard got some luck there shouldn't have been a corner

They were patient with Dean because the season we got promoted, nobody felt we were good enough to get promoted. Then in our first season, they had no choice, the team that survived, had no right to stay up really, it was literally a one man team. Outside the goalie there wasn't one proven premier league player in that squad! We finsihed 11th with a points tally that would have got us 8th (I think) last season, when a poor second half of a season saw smith under scrutiny. 5 prem defeats in a row lost his job. If we lose our next 2 games that 5 prem defeats in 6 games with a squad that should be mixing it in the top half of the league. That is sackable for sure. Smith got sacked on the back of 5 defeats in a row when he should have had credit in the bank! Unfortunately the amazing start we had the previous season gave everyone a false sense of the squads capabilities. Personally I always felt Smith wasn't quite up to taking us to the next level, so i always felt an upgrade was going to be necessary. However, I also always felt, Gerrard wasn't a good choice, as he hadn't proven himself as a manager yet. Managing Rangers to a league title while Celtic were in transition was to be expected for a Rangers manager. Fergie for example won multiple trophies with Aberdeen, now that was special. Also the problem with Gerrard isn't bravery. He has been very brave, dropping Mings, and stripping him of the captiaincy. He has been very brave sticking to his tactical system. Picking Coutinho, even when Buendia is playing better. Keeping McGinn on the pitch even when he is playing poorly. He had no choice but to sub him at Palace as the guy was about to be sent off and had been run ragged by Eze and Zaha. Accepting when he is wrong seems to be his problem! Being flexible seems to be his problem! Having tactical nous seems to be his problem! Gerrard needs something from the next two games, otherwise he with have earned the sack. 2022 hasn't been anywhere near good enough so far!

Only thing i'll say Gerrard's defense, is that against a 5 at the back system, 4-4-2 is very effective, so i understand that choice. You also have to go around them (use the flanks). However you also need you strikers in the middle looking to get on the end of crosses. Too often one of the fowards are linking up with the fullback, to get the cross in! The standard of crossing has been terrible, and the numbers in the box haven't been there. We also don't have a real presence in the box either! Our strikers want to get in behind and in the channels, none of them have that elusive movement, or powerful presence to properly threaten on crosses. Ings makes some good runs but lack the raw speed. Ollie lacks clever movement. The balance of our team is off, regardless of the formation we play as the players Gerrard picks, and the roles he gives some of them aren't suitable. He doesn't seem to know what to do with what he has! McGinn's performances have been poor, he deserves to be dropped. But I'm sure captain fantastic won't be dropped! Gerrard making McGinn captain has done the lad no favours what so ever. It's only affectted his form, and made him a target. If he wants to control midfield, the Kamara and Luiz are basically undroppable. McGinn and Ramsey are interchangable! We need our fullbacks to be a little more sensible, like not both bomb forward at the same time all the f****** time. Take turns most of the time and occasionally at the same time. If he rates Bailey, he has to give the guy a run of games. This is what Bailey needs to show what he is capable of. If he wants Coutinho and Buendia to thrive, he needs to give them a consistent runners from midfield. If you play both Coutinho and Buendia then you need the two central midfielders running beyond them through the middle, when they are wide, and the fullbcks running beyond when they are narrow. Not the fullbacks always running beyond and the central midfielders trying to fill the holes they leave. As a result the middle of the pitch is too static, and the attack down the flanks predictable and so easy to defend. If we can't do this properly, then compromise play a more defensively minded midfielder to support the DM, and give the other CM the freedom to get in the box at will. Play your fullbacks a little more conservatively, and look to control games. Maybe won't win as many, but we certainly won't lose as many!

Despite the length of time Bailey has been at Villa, people forget he hasn't had a run of games. He's plays a game, gets takenout the team for two or 3 games, gets injured. Then comes back plays a couple game as player not sharp or acclimatised and gets dropped again. It's been very tough for him to be fair. To add to that he is coming into a team that is playing poorly, and he has McGinn inside him. Despite all that he still looks very hungry to get on the ball, and make things happen. He just keeps plugging away. He deserves a run of games. If he isn't given that, he should leave, because Butler is right about one thing, his career is being harmed by his Villa move so far. It would be best for him and the club. No point keeping a quality player around if we don't play him. Cash in while he still has value. Me personally i'd start him 5 games in a row and give him a proper oppourtunity to prove his worth. this constant chopping and changing isn't helping.