srsmithusa

8.25 per season is pretty woeful by any standards. One trick pony. Been rumbled by other clubs years ago, thats why his goal ratio gets worse each season.Couldn't give a toss if he is a Villa fan. I'd take a bloody Martian if he scores more than Gabby. Nothing to do with the chairman selling all our good players then? Once upon a time he was playing with John Carew, Ashley Young, Gareth Barry and James Milner. And they all got great offers from other teams that wanted to pay well for their services.... But Gabby, they didn't come in and offer that great money. Reason?

Maybe it's just me, but the fact that a really good post that says Ron Saunders would be different if he were managing today, is undoubtedly accurate, but just shows just how absurd some discussions on here can be. If anybody is wondering, if I lived a hundred years ago, I would probably have cut my hair differently.

It's rare that I agree with electric, but mata was running into a crowd, Rooney was drifting into space, I think the choice was pretty clear where the most danger lie. Clark made the wrong choice.

Overall, we didn't play horribly. Two important things changed this game. 1) we gave Rooney (and Mata and Hernandez and januzaj) acres of space in dangerous positions and they punished us, as should any-even amateur footballer. Clark's fault on two of those, at least. Many here have said they were "clinical." I understand the point, but I think the fault lies with us, for giving them chances that didn't even really require clinical, just basic concentration. 2) on three occasions, our play created an equivalent "acres of space" for Benteke, he missed the ball, much less the goal. Bring baker back, start Lowton with Bacuna in front of him. Start tonev in place of gabby, but tell him, if you shoot from outside the 18, you'll sub out at the next stoppage, and keep gabby and bennet both warming up all game long, cause one of them will have to go on for Tonev. He can't stop shooting...... Too high.

Young is not the problem. Professional maturity is the problem. Yes they are often related, but they are also often independent as well. Take me for example. I'm 56 years old and have 22 year old students that are much more mature than I. I've also looked at the ages of some of the VT posters of the most immature tantrums. Age is often independent of professional maturity. (You know who you are )

I think Bacuna was especially prone to the post-chelsea ego error. He played very well against chelsea (hurrah) but then went into Stoke over confident and not thinking like a defender first. But he was playing the position that must think defender first. Like the whole team, falsely encouraged by Benteke's early goal, they all just got careless and lackluster. He'll either learn from that ridiculous, foolish, mistake, or he'll never become a good RB. I have always liked the theory of Lowton at RB and Bacuna at RM, but in the very brief times I've seen it, it really didn't look as productive and dynamic as I thought it might. It still might come good, I do like it in theory, but it would take some time and some blunders to learn to cooperate well.

Funnily enough, I've never spent any time wondering how I would proceed if I were a genocidal dictator. 2-1 us

Thanks, I added the essential word. Clearly his distribution is much better than mine.

Apparently you didn't see the article that claims he's got the best distribution in the league.

is this thread about Delph, or have I lost the plot?

Maybe... But I'm not sure. Another possibility is that Lambert's task (thus far at least) has been to cut the waste while keeping us up, and he's just putting the affordable talent to the best possible use. I think I'm reading Delph's actions as a player well, but guessing at someone's motives is much less certain.

Not looking to be petty, but if this is in response to my post that he doesn't fit a traditional positional role, I think you agreed with me. "The left side of a three man midfield". How often does hodgeson play a 3 man midfield? Especially one where the left sided is "the most advanced of the 3 without really being an am". Playing someone in that role would disrupt the whole set up. That's my point. Again, I like Delph, think he's excellent, he just doesn't fit any traditional role which makes it hard on a manager.

Dance, you are right. I abbreviated your post to make this shorter to read, not because it had a weakness..... In my post I said that Maurinho wanted to be dismissed. And I think you explained why. That match was lost, he was thinking ahead to the future, and setting the table for favorable calls in the future.

Delph is a strange one... he dribbles and attacks the defender like he could play the wing, but his crosses aren't that great. He has the ability to possess the ball in traffic so he could play an AM, but his vision and pass selection aren't that great. He can finish, but he's prone to hitting them wide to be a pure striker. He can tackle and break up play, but he's too prone to the rash yellow to play DM (for long) He's fun to watch, I'm glad he's in our team, but he's not really ideally suited to any of the standard roles you expect in a team. I think that's what will keep him home from Brazil. Just not certain which stereotypical role he really fits. So anywhere you play him, changes the team dynamic considerably.

So, resurrecting this thread to mention about Foy and Chelsea. First card - on Baker. could have possibly gone as a firm admonition, but a caution was very reasonable. second card - on Willian. correct and necessary to be consistent with the tone set on the first card. third card - on Bennet. correct and necessary. Could have been viewed as denying an obvious goal scoring opportunity. (DOGSO) but did not really fit it, by a couple details. (The angle, and Vlaar) fourth card - willian. Defensible as it was clearly a deliberate and tactical contact from behind to stop an attack (Look at how far Willian sprinted to be able to do it.... clearly tactical, possibly retaliatory intent) Non mandatory, could have gotten away with an admonition. fifth card - benteke. Honestly, don't remember it. But I remember thinking it wa sixth card - Vlaar. Good caution. Red not necessary as the attempt was for the ball. Matic just got to it with his head first. Seventh card - Ramirez. Mandatory straight red. Sending off - Maurino. He wanted it. You don't stroll on to the pitch to discuss a call with the referee. Better to give it to him than to force him to escalate in order to get it. Disallowed goal - really good call, made by AR (he clearly communicated he had a problem with the goal - he did not move up the line as per mechanics if there is a good goal. I think chelsea has a right to feel aggrieved on the second caution to Willian, but little else. (from Foy) I thought the AR's gave us the benefit on a couple close offside calls. I personally think it's refreshing to see a referee that does not transparently give the benefit to a "big club." The no call when Terry clearly handled the ball out of the penalty area in the opposite fixture being an obvious example.

The tactical key I have not heard was Lambert assigning gabby and weimann to mark Ramirez or Matic whenever the went forward. They were unable to move into supportive attacking roles because of this.

baseless crystal ball moment. Chelsea will recall him. We won't get him. Chelsea will sell him to someone else.

speaking with a mind toward the clubs loss this past year (see other threads) you'll likely be harassed horribly, unless you buy a villa shirt, hat, coat, tie, shoes, gloves, warm up, car air freshener, lion coin bank, pajamas, season tickets, match sponsorship, and tip well at the refreshment stands. Trust me, I'm american.

I'm an Alabamian, but I was born a Texan, and raised both Floridan and Hoosier. In case anybody is wondering. Oh, and I'm Villan, which is really the point on a forum like this one.

interesting question, but can't be asked in a vacuum. It depends upon the players you are working with. Their abilities, limitations, and intelligence will impact the pace of change. Cliffy, I think we were writing basically the same thought at the same time. Very bad sign for your intelligence mate, sorry.

After seeing the pictures of Baker, and the solid game he had, I would like to change my MOTM vote. Now THATS "a proper man!"

Good to see Benteke with fire and finishing. Before then, it seemed that he checked back into the midfield much more than he had.... He played with his feet and then made runs at the defenders. Clearly his first goal was not a run at the defender, but I wonder if checking back more, and making runs more didnt make him harder to mark / double team and get his head into it a bit. Not too upset that we let off the gas a bit in second half. Don't want them too angry to sell hoolahan to us, at a good price, when they go down.

Damn

Sylla? For Westwood? Unless Westwood has a knock, males no sense to me.

I'm seeing the same dirty shots from remy and Tiote y'all are, but mr Atkinson's body language seems like he's oblivious to it.