Cizzler

Really only watched enough of us from early 00's to comment. But Martinez is the best keeper I've seen at Villa. I think we've had better full backs than the current incumbents. Even if just that one year of Kyle Walker on loan. Laursen would be the best CB I've watched us have - but has very different qualities to what Emery seeks in my opinion. Would he have the pace to play the high line, or the ability to pass between the lines. I'm not sure. There's definitely an argument Pau/Ezri is our strongest combination of PL post-90s CBs (I never saw McGrath play). Midfield, I would still pick Barry above them all. Even Milner I would say had a higher peak than Dougie, Kamara or McGinn. But it's close. I would put those three above/close to Petrov. Ashley Young was fantastic in his first stint imo. Still a level above Bailey/Diaby - but maybe I'm being overly sentimental. To be honest, there's an argument for Grealish being the best winger we've had in the PL era. Not that I want him back at all (was excellent business in hindsight to cash in) - but he was brilliant before he went. Striker - Ollie is definitely in the conversation now. If he gets 20 goals, will be hard to argue against him. I think Benteke was more useful in a worse team - but in this system, I wouldn't swap Watkins for anyone. Completely pointless, as the dates I started watching Villa are arbitrary for everyone else, but: -------------------Martinez---------------- Konsa----Laursen---Torres---Bouma Young-------Barry------Milner------Grealish ------------Watkins-----Benteke------------- I don't even particularly like Konsa at RB - so a bit shoe-horned.

Like Shaw isn’t a bad left back at all. Most United fans would say he’s one of their better players. Injured again this year (he is obviously injury prone) but last year he was very good in my opinion. He’s England’s best LB - so not sure why it’s a massive issue / a reflection on how bad United have been run. They’ve clearly been run horrendously - but it’s more their record signings, than being unable to get rid of Shaw/Martial. Pogba £105m, Anthony £95m, Maguire £87m, Sancho £85m, Lukaku £85m, Di Maria £75m, Casemiro £70m, Mount £65m… Of their signings £50m+, only really Bruno (and potentially Hojlund) are worth what they paid. Compare that to Man City or Liverpool’s ‘big’ signings. Where it is near 80%-90% hit rates.

This is just a mental opinion. He's having a fantastic season - but he's not better than Mbappe. Haaland is also 5 years younger than him and clearly not recovered properly from his mid-season injury. He scored 36 in 35 games last season in his first PL season as a 22 year old. The Kane slander (made by a few on here) is also really off. The only thing Ollie has over Kane is the ability to run in behind. Trying to paint the narrative that Kane is just a goal-scorer is bizarre, he's a fantastic passer of the ball. His first touch is a million times better than Watkins. He's scored a lot more (33 goals) and still assisted close (10) vs. Watkins this season, and is in the CL semi-finals. He's a phenomenal player.

Not quite sure about generational, but clearly an excellent young player. Must be quite close to starting for England this summer. I remember a few posters on here claiming he was just “penalties” and crap.

It was 100% a goal kick. It was only yesterday (and I wasn't drinking!). It was a harsh yellow - the game was tied, it was early on and I don't remember a serious previous warning. Crowd baited the ref into it big time. But it was definitely a dead ball.

I dunno. Looked like the ref spoke to Martinez for a while, immediately after he'd just shhh'd the crowd after the first pen save. The ref then walks away, but is clearly distracted by Martinez' shenanigans (not wholly Emi's fault here) and doesn't realise there's no ball in play. Martinez asks for a ball - the ref misjudges this as him winding up the crowd (again) and charges over to book him. I felt at the time that Ollie's statistically a weak penalty taker - and all this can't have helped. But he nailed then pen - so fair play to him. He's definitely mentally stronger this season.

It obviously worked, but there was a point before Watkins' penalty where I felt that the whole pantomime could have hindered us. Watkins had much longer to wait for pressure to build, because Martinez was engaging with the crowd/the ref was trying to assert control.

Spent four years at Leverkusen... and the year they sell him, they win the title. Not sure a Conference League winner's medal will mitigate that... but could soften it slightly!

Agreed that Isak is class. Tbf, VDW is not having a good game at all. I do still think he’s a good player though. He’s not “signing of the season” as the spurs fans crow - but he’s big, quick, left footed and comfortable on the ball.

Spurs play with a really high line. If you actually watch him play, can we he’s a really good defender, and decent on the ball too. Managed to keep Watkins pretty quiet.

He’s a really good defender; and both those goals were hardly his fault. Squared up last man, I’m not sure Torres stops either…. Still, great result for Villa if it stays like this.

I’ve been a big critic, but fair play - great cameo. Good to know he’s got that physicality in him. That’s how you need to be in this league. He saw that if you play with that intensity, the refs are actually a lot more lenient when you do go down under contact. Some nice touches too.

My Euro 23 man squad would be: Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, Nick Pope (if fit) Defenders: Kyle Walker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Reece James (if fit), Luke Shaw (if fit), Ben Chilwell, John Stones, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa (although would've been Ben White), Levi Colwill Midfielders: Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Jude Bellingham, James Maddison, Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon Forwards: Harry Kane, Ollie Watkins, Ivan Toney

Rogers was such a strange signing, has looked utterly appalling every time I’ve seen him. Is he really any better than Aaron Ramsey or JBP? Trampoline touch, scuffed shots, gives the ball away constantly. Had zero faith he’d fashion anything from that opening just before HT. Why is he playing.

Lenglet, Duran and Rogers would struggle to get in Luton’s team

Appreciate we have injuries, but Rogers and Duran are just miles off it. Nowhere near good enough for a team trying to challenge for CL.

Was there genuine hype? They were a decent championship team - but they didn’t manage to keep Tella (went to Leverkusen) and Maatsen (Dortmund). Harwood-Bellis also started for them all year, but they didn’t manage to get him back on loan either. Their first XI clearly went backwards year on year, so was always going to be a struggle for them. It would be like us not managing to keep Mings, El Ghazi, etc the year we went up. Sheff Utd had a similar problem, losing Ndiaye to Marseille.

Pre-facing this with the fact I've never voted Conservative in my life (and not singling you out - as the overwhelming response on the previous page was one of ridicule/ contempt for the policy - but had to quote one) but just hoping for some fair discourse on immigration, as maybe I'm missing something obvious. But, is it truly beneficial [long-term] for the U.K. to allow masses of cheap care workers and their dependents? Do other major economies allow this? (Genuine question). Is the benefit (cheap care labour) not outweighed by the cost on the public sector of the dependents? Public spending expenditure p/head in the U.K is approx ~£15k - therefore if you pay less than £15k in tax annually, presume (roughly) you cost, rather than benefit the state. Typically what tax are dependents of care workers paying (is it above or below this threshold)? I think it's easy to dub 'anti-immigration' policy as right-wing/racist/Tory scum - but with crumbling public services and an ever-increasing population, surely there is some consensus that unless migration is skilled/net benefit to the state - public services will be increasingly stretched. There is only so much more we can be taxed. Why is the correct solution not to pay care workers more, so current citizens are more willing to do it. Unless I'm missing something, importing cheap labour (and the family that comes with it) just kicks the can down the road. Years down the line, more people end up in care in this country - which means we will have to ship in more cheap labour again?

Back 4 and Kamara have been utterly awful. Kamara has some credit in the bank at least. Carlos utterly toilet. Zero composure in the final third. Snatching at chances. Bailey looks bright at least. Watkins looks up for it. An early goal and it’s game on still.

Diego Carlos is woeful

He's gone from looking electric to a competition winner. Didn't want the ball at all today. Doesn't seem up to this intensity physically.

They’ve done very good business judging from that. Isak and Gordon might not be “bargains” - but have both justified their fee. Botman and Bruno have surely increased their value. Livramento is also looking like a very shrewd signing, even at that price. Trippier and Pope are bargains at that price considering the level (until very recently) they’ve both been playing at. Only shockers on there are Wood (but not sure how much they recouped from Forest? Most of it?) and Tonali (largely out of their hands due to the unforeseeable betting scandal - and could still come good). Willock isn’t a bad player at all, and would probably be in their first XI. Maybe a slight overpay in isolation, but was instrumental in them getting CL football.

Take it you missed the Crystal Palace game.

I’ve actually got even more embarrassing comments re: McGinn in here that could have been unearthed! At least the one you quoted was before I’d seen him play… End of the Smith regime / during Gerrard’s - I was giving him pelters. Didn’t think he was good enough. Well, massive slice of humble pie for me to scoff. Been truly excellent since Emery has come in and long may it continue. (and I’ll lay off the player threads going forwards)

It looks bad zoomed in and in slow-mo, because you can't see Diego is just stepping across his man and you just see Gil's theatrics. In real time, and if he didn't react like he'd been shot, it honestly doesn't look like a foul. He steps across him and brushes his forearm against a stooping player's face. I genuinely don't think I'd feel hard-done-by if we didn't get that decision. The Konsa handball two seconds later is more questionable in my opinion - I've given up trying to understand what's handball and what's not, but clearly hits his arm. The Cash tackle on Bentancur was a bad one. I can understand why the Spurs fans are annoyed. Clearly heightened emotions because he's a key player who just got back from injury, and he's crocked him. It was correctly given as a yellow though in my opinion. It's rash, but he's not off his feet - he catches him with his shin, not his studs. I think the ref got the big decisions right. They were all over us for 30 minutes - but we still had chances (Pau from the Digne free kick, disallowed Watkins goal by milimetres). In hindsight, their only goal came from a wicked deflection and they were offside a lot. The fact the linesmen waits for the move to end (as they're instructed to do) makes it seem like we're under floods of pressure - when we aren't. The Chelsea game was similar. For Son's miss over the bar, Porro was clearly offside. I thought the second half was very even. We both hit the post. Watkins missed two headers. Martinez made a great double-save. Not much in it.