srsmithusa

I thought Sherwood taught us to quit trying to play with Round pegs.

I remember a few years back when Kieren cut intside from the left and waltzed through our midfield and created dangerous attacks (at least one goal if I recall correctly). What happened to him other than age and haircut? He hasn't shown anything like that playing for us.

The question about why and how he keeps finding acres of space is what I was trying to ask several pages back. If anyone has a moderately intelligent reply I would like to see it.

actually, IMO the best action for Gestede would have been to stand on one leg like a stork and throw it. City gets a throw in deep in their own end. Seen it done several times and it seems very intelligent to me. You're giving them possession, but not a great advantage

real idiots play with concussion

What's not true about Sherwood started Richardson ahead of Amavi?

Actually, John is right. He was absolutely pulled back by his right arm to permit the cover to arrive first.

one complaint and one question. Hutton must stop letting runners come around him and especially inside (goalside) when he's on the weak side. Most obvious example, Sterling's open header. This time Brad positioned himself well and got lucky, but far too many times Hutton is letting the weakside support go right past him and it has cost us more than once. He MUST stop this! Or he needs to be benched. (sorry) At the other end, I can't ever remember a full back from any Premier League team being consistently that wide open on the flank in the attacking half. It seems Alan spends an inordinate amount of time with acres of space on the wing. I'm trying to figure out why. It almost seems like teams are packing our left side and middle and leaving him with 1/4 of the field to himself. Do they trust they can close him down quickly enough? It seems to be working. He either takes it deep and puts in a poor cross or passes it backward to a midfielder most of the time. A few seasons ago, several times he shifted the ball to his left and made a direct inside run straight to the penalty area and put a driving shot into the keeper. Scored at least one if I recall correctly. It's in his wheelhouse, he needs to do that more. He needs to make them pay for conceding that much space on the flank. They would be forced to spread the back line and mid-field more. It will open up the field for our attack.

All of you who can see both sides need to turn in your VT pass right now. That kind of reasonable and balanced thinking is not allowed.

Amavi is, IMO one of our best. He really does look to get forward and looks dangerous there. Against Man City I really wanted him to put some crosses in. Not just lofted balls but targeted to a runner. But I suspect that as suggested above, the plan was to keep possession rather than put speculative balls in. I hoped Remi would start with defense and possession and move to building an offense during this break. I think Remi did that and Amavi (and others) followed the plan well. I'm happy with the huge step forward. On the other end of the pitch, Jordan has a tendency to be a bit too hopeful into the tackle high and wide on the pitch. Too many premier league players (Navas and Sagna for example) skip over that and it leaves the flank exposed. Right now, that's especially bad because we haven't made enough progress in defensive organization for the rest of the team to rotate the marking and we leave a big gap somewhere (like maybe debruyne unmarked). Until the rest of the defense is better organized, Jordan needs to focus more on staying on his feet and containing the wings. Just my opinion. But don't read a suggestion for improvement as disappointment. could not be happier that Amavi is in the line-up ahead of any other option we have, and was beyond pleased with the result. Best Sunday I've had in a long time.

Confidence was shot (I blame Sherwood). Not Brad's best day. But he was in good positions, got some great luck several times, and sometimes that's what a player needs to get some confidence back. Read this thread back a few years, all agreed he was brilliant. But he played too many games for a "manager" who had no clue and his confidence is shot. Remi to the rescue here, and Guzan will be back to the shot stopping, cross grabbing beast he was before.

I will not have a meltdown no matter what the line-up is. RG will need to see some things for himself. And while a line up is, in some sense 11 decisions. It's not really either. If Richardson is at left back for example. (which I would not do) It depends on who is in front of him, beside him, and what role he is being asked to play. Remi may have an idea for one cog in a large moving structure. I'm willing to let him try and experiment. Especially against ManShitty from whom we were never likely to get anything. I do want to see traces of a plan, and at least one area of incremental improvement.

To severely over-interpret a few pictures from the training ground. The players behind Remi's back are consistently forwards. He must be focusing on the defense and midfield first.... and rightly so IMO.

Free game for Remi. Like to see traces of an organized plan and an increased work rate. I will be a little disappointed if Rudy starts, but I'll give Remi the benefit of needing to try something for himself. I would prefer to see Gil, Amavi, Cana, All start but again, I'll give Remi the benefit of trying some things for himself.

THAT makes you cry with laughter? Easy to please eh You seriously can't see that you stepped in your own pile of it? He has been crap this season though, can you honestly not see the difference between what I posted accepting that he's been shit this season but there are a variety of potential reasons why and a couple of months out of the team to get his fitness and sharpness up would be a good route to go and most others on here calling him a disgrace, stealing a living or just saying **** off you waste of space etc? Some are overly harsh, which is undeserved, that was the point I was making and followed by stating my reasons why, perhaps I should have just said "he's a waste of space who's only interest is bleeding us dry, no better than my Sunday league team, needs to be sacked with immediate effect, the fact he's our record ever goalscorer is a disgrace and an insult to the club. Oh and he's fat as well, probably got about 10% body fat, disgrace", pretty sure that would have garnered less criticism that my actual post I'll say it one more time. You said he doesn't deserve half the harshness he's getting. Then you said "he's shit." That's it. If you're too tightly wound to see the humor in that and laugh at yourself, then I'll just leave you to it.

THAT makes you cry with laughter? Easy to please eh You seriously can't see that you stepped in your own pile of it?

I think Woody is right. Rather than banning French, he should require that every player speak in the language of the person to whom they are directing the comment. So, one should speak French when speaking to Idrissa, Spanish when speaking to Carlos, and Mumble when speaking to Gabby. It would be a wonderful exercise language development and cultural awareness for everyone on the team, instead of placing the unfair language burden on the newcomers. Oh, even better, we can change our team name to AVFLC (Aston Villa Foreign Language Club). Now, can we find a video of the old coke commercial where everybody is singing about spreading peace and love?

I can say that in the US, a referee would fail the match assessment for failure to stop the match for a potential head injury. FIFA medical committee recommended a minimum 3 minute stoppage in play if a concussion was suspected, and player can only continue if approved to do so by the team doctor.

The secret code is that they call Villa Talk VT shhh

i like this, except for the "likely Permanent" part. Possibly permanent, yes, but a waste of considerable talent if it is. And I think Sherwood is to blame for it.

It's strange how so many see him so differently. Does anyone have his passing stats from last night? percent complete?

momo, what's bothersome is that the team selection was so incredibly bizarre, that conspiracy theories begin to make more sense that anyone who knows football being that blind or inept. It's not possible to know his motives, but either they were nefarious and he should be removed, or he has no football sense whatsoever and he should be removed. I keep hearing of all the "great work" he has done with the team, but I'm not so sure. Where is the long list of world beaters that came through us and are tearing up the league as starters. Or that have been sold for great profit to other teams where they are now tearing up the league. And for everyone you can point to, how many didn't make it? And how many made it due largely to the direct influence of KMac rather than despite him? And how do you know that?

loan him out to a championship side for a few months. It will either piss him off and he'll excel, coming back with confidence and a point to prove. Or (I fear more likely) piss him off and he'll have 8 touches a half in that league. In which case, they'll bench him. Either way, he'll realize he needs to play with some intelligence, effort, and result, or end his career. He needs to do one or the other.

I think there is a great benefit to the clean slate of a new captain. The problem is, it needs to be someone that will start nearly every match. I can't think of anyone who would fit the bill other than Richards. Gil, or Sinclair maybe? Hard to make someone who has played so little, and been considered "fringe" the captain.