Oaks

The first season was all about survival after some dramatic turnover of players. We did that, and improved towards the end of the season. No one predicted 6th or 7th as a lot of people were predicting relegation from the start of the season. He did ok that season. Second season was about improving on that. He didn't we went backwards, mainly due to big injury problems. But all teams suffer from these, so not one signing made a difference. Should have got the sack, because McLeish got the sack after a similar season. And any Villa manager gaining less than 40 points should. No one predicted or hoped 6th or 7th, just improvement into lower midtable. This season was a mess. After stumbling to 3 wins in the first 4 games, I remember saying its a quarter the way to safety, and boy was I correct. The worst football probably played in the top flight ensured. 25-35% possession in every game with 3-4 shots a game was horrible to witness. This brought a change in philosophy. We started to dominate possession, but still created nothing as the players were keeping the ball in the area teams let us keep it. The lack of movement became more apparent the more we kept the ball. The players we're drilled to keep their shape, this was the most important part of the team. With lack of funds, and uncertainly about the club he kept his job as a convenience as the club was up for sale. I have no idea what the contract extension was all about. No one absolutely no one expected 6th or 7th. This was shocking and a mess on and off the pitch. And Tim is currently showing what a pigs ear he made of it too.

Both Lampard and Scholes were better goal scorers (if you consider 1/4 of Gerrards goals were penalties Scholes scored 1). Both Scholes and Lampard's ball retention was better, tactically was better, first touch was better. Gerrard was more athletic, so was faster and stronger more powerful the other 2. As I've said many times, Scholes and Lampard were better footballers, but Gerrard has pace and power attributes loved too much in the English game, and things that have held us back for to long.

That's astonishing. So astonishing I'm not sure I believe it He missed the first game of the World Cup though injury.

Finished Daredevil, it really is by far the best Superhero series. Yeah there was a few weak episodes, and the ending was pretty poor...but on the whole it was superb.

I think they should wait until the end of this month.

I didn't under the 2.5 years he was in charge. Although I do expect more than 12 goals in 24 games.

I hope this is replicated with all the others I've seen.

Spies.

I can't wait until Saturday and see this thread closed...and replaced by relegation v5.0(although it should be 6.0)

Yeah that's pretty good none boombastic take on the situation. I don't know how English or Irish Jack feels, I know Irishness can go generations. Maybe he is genually split in two. Only him and his family know. I'm English, so of course I hope he picks England, but more importantly at the moment he's a Villan through and through and showing how good he is.

http://bit.ly/TT-MW37Good write up.

Yep Gerrard cost them the title last year...and I'm not talking about the slip.

Spot on.

Very negative, and very dangerous, babble ! Yeah in all seriousness that paragraph could stop him getting another job.

That Grealish quote is utter babble. If true shouldn't be anywhere near young players or any players. No wonder we were so negative with that type of nonsense.

Obviously Gerrards a better player than Milner, but I don't see Milner being wanked about for 14 years none stop by the media etc

That's because our tatically clueless international managers didn't build a team around one of the most gifted footballers ever to have graced the English game. Yes, Paul Scholes is literally 1000's of miles better than "Athlete and decent at shooting hard" Steven Gerrard. Not even on the same solar system, never mind planet. I agree with this, Scholes was the one that was moved, and the team missed his peak years. Gerrard flaws are epidemic in English football, and the reason why we go further. His first touch is shocking his ball retention is poor and his defensive awareness is shocking. Similar problems to Lampard, but Lampards retention was better. These two moved out best centre midfielder out wide. It's shocking when you think about it.

I don't really understand it though, Pulis has done a fabulous job there with the squad he inherited.

In the words of Fergie...he's a top player, just not a top top player. Wasn't really suited to centre mid, in fact was a liability at times throughout. He was better on the right of just behind the front man, where his ball retention is less important.

Gerrard having to give Loftus-Cheek a guard of honour was a personal high light yesterday.

Savage is a joke, he pretty much knows this though to be fair. I think the BBC should do better though, I don't care how many idiots like him, because they keep saying he tests really well with the general public. I think Shearer has improved a lot this season. But Danny Murphy is very good, as is Phillip Neville, it's their monotone delivery that lets them down.

I remember when he was the commentator for a London station and Tom Ross was cocommentaing with him, he went mental and tried to say Andy Townsend should have been sent off, Tom Ross mugged him off by saying he didn't need sensationalise things to make games more exciting. I quite liked Tom for a bit then, you could tell he was getting passed off.

The problem wasn't that he wasn't given a chance. He was given a chance and he wasn't very good. He played plenty of minutes under Lambert and was never anything other than average. The problem was that he, like many other players, wasn't performing under the previous manager. The credit that Sherwood deserves isn't that he's given Grealish a chance, its that he's got Grealish and the team performing so well so that when Grealish got his chance he played well enough to be kept in the team. I think the main difference is he's started him. Getting the odd 10 minutes to show what you can do is difficult. Being given the opportunity to start is a whole different level of trust placed on you.Lambert started him. He was crap. Everyone Lambert started looked crap.

Shows how are we've come, people calling that performance average.

Shows how far we've come under Sherwood that people have called that performance average/nervous lol