Villarocker

The shot took a deflection and put off Martinez so not totally at fault there. However, let's talk about the non effort of Ramsey to track the run of Martinelli into the box and instead trotted wide to do nothing. Going back slightly further, the ball broke to McGinn on the edge of the box and instead of passing the ball wide left to our player he blasted it straight against the Arsenal player in front of him. Terrible decision making. We are running like we've got lead boots on. We have zero width and just simply playing defence v attack. This is absolutely turgid stuff.

Nope. He's got the "Poch is coming in after we lose the next two games so Purslow and Lange asked him who he wanted and they're getting them in ready for him to take over" screaming all over him

My thoughts about today are that we will wait until we have been stuffed 3-0 by Arsenal tonight before announcing two or three signings of which one will be a loaned centre back.

From what I heard today, there is at least one current Villa player on the gas cannisters. I thought (hoped) that crap stopped when Grealish left.

do any bookies offer odds on Villa not to sign anyone today?

I hear what you're saying TRO. Maybe chopping managers all the time isn't the right way? I think that with Gerrard people will become less patient for multiple reasons: 1) Not a very likeable person - miserable git! 2) Liverpool connection 3) Way he used to play against us when a Liverpool player 4) Unknown qty other than winning a two horse race in Scotland 5) His treatment of certain players 6) He came in after Smith so someone without a connection to the club after someone who was Villa through and through etc. However, I believe that most, if not all, of those could be forgiven if we the fans could see some sort of identity in the way we are trying to play. Right now, we look completely out of ideas as a team. I watch us and have no idea what we are trying to do and it just seems like he himself has no ideas. I'd love him to tell us what exactly it is he is trying to get the players to do because I have no clue. I had the feeling last season that we were playing like a team that was trying to get the manager sacked. I think I even stated so on here in the Gerrard thread at one point. If that is the case, there's no better time to do that than at the start of the season when there's plenty of time to turn things around under a new manager. I just get the feeling he's pissed too many of them off with the way he is and the way he has gone about things. Now, maybe he is right. Maybe he sees weak players and wants to toughen them up for a fight for success and some aren't up to it. But, unless the club throw plenty of money at him I doubt he will be able to get rid of them and get players in that he does want. I get the feeling the money has dried up to an extent in order to pay for the rebuild. With that in mind, surely we would be looking for a replacement with an eye on that and would want someone to get the best out of what we already have? I think that man right now would probably be Graham Potter. He is supposedly a Villa fan so they might wish to explore that route again whilst we get through the transitional period of rebuilding the stadium. To be honest, I think all any real fan wants is to get some entertainment for their money. Right now, we certainly aren't getting value for money from our team in terms of what they putting on show.

I agree that we need to get more creative going forward but, currently, we have a plethora of attacking players and only 2 fit centre backs who are now our back-up centre backs.

We will never know, will we?

We need a new CB ASAP. Our two best CB's are on the sidelines.

We will be in a relation battle if we stick with this clueless fraud of a manager for more than 6 games

There was a time in that game that reminded me of the shambles season when we got relegated. It was when Digne - who is a waste of money by the way - had a free kick near the halfway line and he played it into the box. They headed it out and suddenly they are running at Cash (I think) 2 v 1 and he thankfully managed to hold them up long enough for Digne to get back and make a block. That lack of organisation and frantic defending just seemed so reminiscent of times past when we've lacked any cohesion and ideas. He will have us in a relegation battle if we don't get rid of Gerrard soon. He will keep picking Coutinho and Digne who offer us nothing going forward. We need to revert to the formation we played under Smith 4-3-3 with a front three of Buendia-Watkins/Ings-Bailey The midfield three then needs to be Kamara and Luiz with maybe Ramsey playing furthest forward. Lots needs to change.

We're in a precarious situation right now. I don't think anybody will deny that we need more players. And, Gerrard has said the board are backing him to get players in. So, what happens if we lose tomorrow? I think even the most ardent supporter would expect us to lose the next two league games after West Ham, if we lose tomorrow. Say we lost the next three by 1-0, 2-1 and 3-0 we would be sat with 3 points and a - 8 goal difference after 6 games. That would probably see us close to the bottom of the table also. On top of that, the transfer window will be closed. We would be in a poor place because the fans will have well and truly turned against him by then. If we lose tomorrow, does anyone think that Purslow and the owners may decide to sack him to give his successor the remainder of the window to do business?

How do you get a ball to swerve so much and up and down over a keeper, attackers and defenders from that angle yet be so bad at trying the same thing when stood the same distance out from centre of goal?

You're not wrong with your analysis of the goals. We were definitely second best in the first half but, we also showed an increased tempo second half and that's what turned the game our way. We should be playing like that all the time though, not just away second half at league one opposition. The main positives in that game were Luiz and Young. Archer looked decent when he came on too.

I agree with you on this. He's never looked comfortable playing in a deeper role. He's always been at his best further forward on the pitch.

He's a busted flush who will probably see out his career here on huge money donated to him by his old mucker. Looks clueless and has done for a while now.

We need to make this happen!

I love how he bursts into life whenever the ball goes anywhere near him and as soon as he gets hold of it he's off towards goal. I'd love to see him get 30+ mi utes off the bench against tiring defenders.

I have to agree with this. McGinn just needs to be taken out for a while now and maybe used as a sub with 20-30 minutes left to add his energy to a tiring midfield. However, I'm not sure Kamara is the defensive midfielder we are hoping for. Tonight, he made several fouls and was lucky not to be carded. I'd personally like to see us be brave enough to throw Tim Iroegbunam in alongside Kamara and play Dougie ahead of them.

Digne and Coutinho are probably our highest earners yet they've been terrible. Both have given the ball away far too much.

He has no back up to his system because that relies on wings backs getting forward and he's loaned out our back up right wing back.

He needs a result, that's the only reason for playing a lineup as strong as that against a league one side who have nobody of any real quality. Villa, with the money spent by these owners over the last few years and, with the strength of our academy, should be able to go to Bolton in our first cup game of the season and be able to bench at least 6 or 7 of our best 11.it shows his desperation. It will certainly come back to bite him on the arse if any of Kamara, Martinez, Digne, Mings, Watkins, Ings get injured. Does the fact Cash isn't playing mean that he knows he has to keep him fit because of lack of depth? If so, why loan out Kesler-Hayden? That starting lineup tonight should have been something like: Olsen, Young, Feeney, Chambers, Augustinsson, Iroegbunam, Luiz, Sanson, Coutinho, Archer, Ings.

That video in Australia made me wonder what the players thoughts are of him; when they did a final lap of the pitch and as they came off he said something like "you hate me now". I think that trying to come across as the big "I am" may not go down too well with grown men. I think his fall-out with Mings stretches back to last season when Mings gave interviews saying that he didn't think they'd ever run so far in their lives. Maybe Gerrard didn't like the things being said back then and has held that against him since? Who knows but, there will only be one winner there, unless Mings gets a transfer.

I thought he had a decent game for us on Saturday. He was certainly no worse than most of the other Villa players on the pitch.

Everton fans laughed when we signed him. They were right! The only upgrade on Targett is his delivery into the box. Other than that, we've wasted our money.