Bazmonkey

Everyone is to blame for the situation for the place we find ourselves in the league we find.

Suso, Pitarch and Smith should all be made accountable for what has been a very poor.

From when we went up in May last year the planning was already going on behind the scenes....trust me...i do some work for team in league 2 and already they are looking at players for the next season to get in and the season after..players with one year deals that need scouting for example.  Villa would have known on the unbeaten run in Feb last year that we were in a chance of going up and that they should plan now....not in the summer.

The recruitment process has been poor....i'm all for players with potential but you cannot have a whole team in the prem or championship to that matter that is effectively learning its trade still.  Yes we lost a lot of players last summer but did we really need to replace each one....at some point the board should have realised that yes we needed quantity but there needed to be an element of quality in there too and that simply wasn't addressed.

Buying championship players...reserves in struggling terms only gives you one thing...a championship team which is where we find ourselves heading.  This doesn't mean that I expected the season to be a easy ride...far from it...However, I keep reading about who's fault it is...smith....the board etc etc.

That brings me on to Smith...are they his players...some say yes...some say no...the fact is come August 2029 the squad was what it was.

And this is the main issue with all of it.  Regardless of the quality..good or bad....the numbers....Smith throughout this season has not addressed the things that been showing in all 30 games....basics....WE WERE NOT GOING TO SET THE LEAGUE ALIGHT WITH 'BARCA' type football....so what do you do...you make us had to beat....not addressed....we work had on the press....not addressed.....we look after the ball better....not addressed......recognising when to make changes during the game...definitely not addresses...recognising mistakes..players out of position...the persistent three in  midfield...not addressed.

Had some of these been looked at im sure we would have had a few more points in the bag...not much more...but enough not to be concerned with relegation.  I'm sorry to say this wont change next season if we go down....when we were in championship it got papered over because we were winning games...but lets look at these games......bit like this year.....low possession...allowing teams to play...the difference...the quality of opposition in the championship and the we had an inform Grealish...McGinn...Mings...Abraham to cover it up.

I said last time we went down it would be 5 years before we came up...ok....we there for three...with that run..but then we had the players...we wont this time...Grealish is off.....and the potential of Mings...McGinn too.....that leaves us with a very poor squad and I don't trust the board to replace them sufficiently and Smith to get a tune out them to come back anytime soon.  I do fear it will be 5 years this time round as we go through the same process of buying poor...sacking the manager...waste another season...start again.

Its a big summer for the club...if anyone in club has any doubts it says it all about Smith and that he needs to be replaced.  With who.....that's the question...and a big one at that????????????

Along with some of the youth players we might as well give them a go.

Its not like the current players are doing any better, who knows, it might work, i can see playing hi and some of the juniors being more successful than some of the current first team, we know what we going to get from most and that's nothing.

Give the lad a game

Probably highlights he was off before this game

3 minutes ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

The worst one was liking that utd fan tweet of “this but in red” of the picture of him sliding on his knees after scoring at OT. Dont buy it being a slip of the thumb

He liked a tweet from Harry Maguire last night on Utd making the semi final.

I'd say he's Utd bound. Shame as I would love to say...can I blame for leaving...no...does he deserve better...probably...but at least do it with a bit of dignity mate...liking tweets of other teams when we are fighting for our own survival.....not very captain like...you might be off be we will still be here when you've gone.

Looks like he is going for the 5 5 formation.

Interesting 

6 hours ago, Rolta said:

This isn't a sign of bad positioning. If he was marking the winger all game it would be. The defence moves left or right depending where the play is and they try to minimise space between them. It's a fundamental of football. The alternative is to leave enormous gaps between your back four for players to run into and exploit.

I'm genuinely confused by this comment.

With my coaching hat of 20 years.

Yes the defence does move across depending on where the ball is. Usually when the ball is on the right or left wings

However Targett gets done for space when the ball is in the middle of the park, hence the put of the position and space the winger gets every game.

play him at centre half....spends most of his time there.

Positional sense is shocking.....id love to play right wing against him.

I was hoping when he signed he would do well but like most of the signings....rare moments of goodness.

Did I expect this season to be easy - No

Did I expect us to be near the bottom of the table - Yes.

However, what I didn't expect to see week in week out is the fundamental 'basic' football errors we spend 90 mins doing every game.

The hit and hoof to nowhere, the long ball to Samatta, Wes, with three round him, the constant retreating, having 8 or 9 players in the box and still scoring, the basic formation....what is it, non of which have been addressed since game 1....its the players...its the management...both are simply not good enough for this level and most the championship.

We can never string two passes together, we get the ball and the nearest player is in the car park, the opposition just walk to the edge of the box with ease, we have defenders behind the goal keeper when a cross comes in, we have midfielders on the 6 yard box, we press in one's, easy to play round, the lack of composure on the ball, playing 3 in the middle against 5 every week, the persistent selection of wingers who don't get on the ball and when they do are crap, village standard at best.

Simply not good enough regardless or what other teams have and haven't done.  We need to focus on ourselves and not use others as an excuse, we are where we are because other teams, players, managers are better.

I admire your optimism Steveo, but with my coaching hat on and claret glasses off, i cant see it, too many holes to fill both on and off the pitch.

Head is definitely else where.

Before the lockdown he had a move and international place up for grabs.

He's got one, the move, but obviously the England cant happen due to being moved but he will be looking at it, another year 'if' in the prem with this lot aint going to help him.

As much has he is Villa through and through but once reality sets in, its hard to get out of it, he's carried the team too much and knows the writing is on the walls.

Its a shame because we wont see another player like him for years and without him, we have no chance of coming straight back up.

The recruitment for years has been poor.  Apart from a few loan signing the rest has been average at best and ultimately set the club back years.

We have spent far too much money on far to many 'one for the future' players.

I all for going down the leagues and finding a player which this applies for but you cannot do it for a whole team, especially in the premiership, its crazy.  Who are these players to learn from, where is the experience.

Then theres the 'experience players' the Elmo's...the Targett' of the world.  Both of these players have come from teams that have been either lower premiership or fighting relegation for most of their careers.  Its habitual, its muscle memory, how are these players all of sudden for years scrapping, booting the ball, defending poorly suddenly expected to move to us and change that philosophy, answer, it doesn't.

Most of the squad is championship at best and not the top half.  Its hard to comment of Wes and Samatta because lets face it the service and support from the rest of the team has been shocking, Harry Kane would struggle to get more than two goals in this team.

The recruitment this summer was always going to hard but the board, manager, scouts have truly messed it up.  we went down last time when a new tv deal kicked in a missed out, now that FFP is going to cancelled, ok, we didn't know that at the start but that's another one we will miss out on.

The Jots, hause's did we we really need them, could we not have used that money on a Cahill, or an experience premiership player not playing as much, be stronger, i think we could have.

It was a massive gamble with the players brought in to one play in the prem and two, stay in it.  In addition, knowing that Grealish, our top asset was likely to go if we went down, they would have known that, and whey didn't factor that in.

I keep reading we have a good side if we go down, sorry, we don't, we have a good manager, sorry, I like him, but as a manager, out of his depth, we didn't set the championship on fire last time round, yes we won 10 on the bounce, but did we dominate, run over teams, or was like yesterday a bit, only difference the quality wasn't their to finish us off in most games.

When we go down i just cant see us coming back for two maybe three years min due to the recruitment process and those in charge, plus add to that Grealish and the better players Mings and McGinn may leave too if an offer comes in.

Connor showing good composure there.

When someone gets the ball.

11 hours ago, nick76 said:

Davis played well but still doesnt look like scoring.  I'm happy to play him but we need Samatta on as well because we need a scoring threat.  Dont get me wrong Davis was superb but for me never really looked like socring, even his really good effort was at Keeper's height and ready for him to push away.  Play Davis and Samatta and drop El Ghazi, then let Jack play the free role.  The rest, Dean got spot on tonight for me.

Before the lockdown, if we had played this game when it should have we would have all taken a point.  So its better than a loss.

However, yet again a missed opportunity to get the win, yes we rode our luck with the GK error but we didn’t capitalise on it.

This is my problem with Smith, he’s lack of ability to see what's happening and make a change.

I only watched the first and last 10 mins as I was out but from the radio and on here it looks like Davis was causing problems from the start.

Like Nick76 says, maybe not with Samatta, because he was on the bench for most of game, but why did he not instruct others on the pitch to get closer to Davis, you cant have a hold up player do both holding up and being on the end of things at the same time, he needed help.  Last 10 mins, he should have thrown the two of them on.

As a coach myself, if I saw this this I’d get Grealish in off the left to get round him, and have Mcginn and El Ghazi just flanking them both, not as wingers, but on either side.  If not him just someone who can receive it back.

The persistence of playing wingers and wide men does just not work, we don’t have a gigs or beckham getting crosses in to the box all game so why play them.  It’s a waste of a player, plus every winger we have is not good enough.

As someone said early, we need to play a tighter midfield and move across the pitch.

As Grealish is effective on the left but he is easily to crowd out outhere, where can he go, play him the middle, more space, more influential, he’s our best player, don’t alienate him, get him round Davis, let him bring in others round the box and final third.

It’s the story of our season, we huff and puff and get nothing, how many times do we say if only we did this better, tried this, games are running out for us, yes we got a point but we need wins.

Throw ins…don’t get me started

Had a few games like this now....ever since Feb we the paper talk was he has agreed to join Utd.

Looks to me like his head is somewhere else...on top of playing out of the left...which we know he prefers the middle.

Even Thomo on WM said he has it on good authority he is off regardless of what happens this season.

Im no Rachel riley....but their 5 to our 3 in midfield.

Cant see us having much of the ball or time.

4-3-3.  I suppose its got to work at some point this season 

on the bench

starting 11 by the looks of it

                           nyland

Guilbert   Engles     Mings    Targett

                   luiz         nakamba

el ghazi             grealish           McGinn

                          samatta

By all account this is the starting 11...not sure on the shape

1 hour ago, Blasterpocket68 said:

If we maintain the current system deployed by Smith  we will be relegated very quickly. Open attacking football from a team that cant defend  has been our problem all season. If he dosnt adapt were relegated

I agree, he needs to adapt the system and do it quickly.  However, there's no point changing the system until he changes the fundamental mistakes we have been making all year....basics....we could have the right system, but until ball retention, movement, even passing a ball, basic defending have been addressed we will go down regardless of what system we play.

Its concerning that non of these 'basics' have been addressed in the 28 games we have played to date.

I've read all year about this 'open attacking football' we play, i wouldn't say we play attacking football......open yes...but not attacking....stats prove that,....goals...goals created...chances....possession....worse stats for any defensive part of the game.....not very attacking when you look in to it.

Time for system changes, formations etc has passed to some extent.....we have 10 games left and its s$%T or bust.....we need to be defensively solid....a couple of wins and draws should see through...however...carry on like before and we might as well start planning for trips to the shower down the road.

Looking at the Hearts situation, they had played 30 games like most of the league so I can see how PPG fits in.  The other two on 29 it didn't really effect them at they were midtable.

We have a game in hand i think this will be a major issue for using PPG when deciding who get relegated if they go down this route...would a win keep us up on PPG????

1 hour ago, Mjvilla said:

For me, this really doesn't matter in the slightest. Who cares?? I haven't missed football in the slightest. It barely even takes thought in my head. FOOTBALL DOESNT MATTER right now. 

I barely come in on topic, I haven't been on the sky sports app in a couple of months. It's **** brilliant. You should try it. I love football, I love avfc. But right now, it doesn't matter.

Im the same.  I used to be really in to my football, watching it all the time but then the money came in a slowly the interest went.  It was when my lad got in to it I got back to watching it but then it still the same as when i kind of gave up on it.

Bored of hearing about City...if not them...Utd...if not Utd...Liverpool....etc etc..the so called big 6...what is the big 6...what makes you qualify.....I cancelled Sky due to the w&%k fest over these teams.....Sky ports Retro...great..lets see some old games...no....Utd....arsenal...Liverpool....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..breaking news.....OGS seen buying a pint of milk....really. 

All this as shown is that money rules, like most of the governing  bodies they all had a chance to store some faith back in to football...yes i get its all about money but there are more than 6 teams in this country and each association should try to remember that but they haven't....no care about safety of others...players....staff....potential lives at risk...the fact even 7 weeks after this started they still don't know their arse from their elbow.

They should either null and void it or wait till it is safe to return to where it left i.e...fans...players...same grounds, as that's what every team signed up to...if it take months....fine...its the only fair way and then we will have to deal with next season.....maybe cancel meaning less international fixtures to squeeze in games...cup replays till later rounds.

I've been a fan for over 30 years, my dad is, my grandad is and my lad is.....we all love Villa...love football...but hate the game it is today.  UTV

22 minutes ago, John said:

I hope so and I don't see any reason to doubt, that if we do stay up and need to spend that sort of money on one player, that our owners would find the funds to make it happen. I agree that bigger clubs will be in for him, should he become available and that's why I doubt we will sign him. If Leeds stay up he's likely to stay with them, as Jack did with us. If a currently bigger club comes in for him, he's also likely to choose them over us at the moment. 

For us to move forward in the future, in my opinion we need to be targeting 3 or 4 new players that will hit the ground running, at a cost of £20m-30m, rather than more at say £10m, who just might come off. There will be top players who will be available to us during the next window, who will join us, if we're prepared to pay the fee and wages, that would be necessary to make it happen. There will also be the odd diamond like John McGinn, who will cost less and can prove to be just as important a signing, if our set up is good enough to spot him.

Totally agree with this.

Last summers window was all about getting bodies in due to the amount that left.  We gambled on 5 mil...10 mil...and a couple of 20 mils and to date...we are still in with a chance of survival if the season starts up again soon. However I do think we didn't spend that wisely and could have done better...did we really need two wingers Trez and El ghazi...did we really need Hause...could we not have got Cahill in for that money...Konsa…..could we not have used some of the money spent on some of these players combining it to get a better quality of player....using a team of potential players is risky and explains why and where we are in the table and to some extent, the football we play.

Again, like most summers, this will be another big one, if we stay up and grealish stays then the board have to change its transfer policy and gamble a bit more on more expensive players...they are out there.....I hate to say it....but Wolves managed to convince the Jota's...Neves..to join in the championship....this are type of players we need to look at...fringe players from bigger clubs. 

I've seen Lallana....Dier...mentioned...yes...not the best...but would they make us better..I think they would...Its off the pitch where they would add...a winning mentality.....training with better coach's....better players...international experience....this will help our 'potential' players because at the moment...who are learning from to get better...each other...which wont cut it in the prem.

I think we are only 4 - 5 players off from being a good team who could easily finish midtable without any struggles......I think the back four and goalie are good enough...midfield is the key......we need to be tighter...more mobile and more diverse...we have too many im a winger so i play wing type of players.....up front...i like samatta...he looks lively and with good service who knows.

Having said all that...the big concern is who is buying these players...and are we just another moneyball experiment...only time will tell 

Definitely going.  You can see in his body language.  Ever since the winter break with all the press coverage day after day.

Plus the utd tweet and the tweet above. Though it's not on his page so maybe he has taken it down.

Theres no smoke without fire.  I dont blame him.  Keep him and we might be ok in the championship...without him...it will be years before we are back.

You buy championship players

You employ a championship manager

You deploy championship like tactics 

Guess...what you get.....

1 hour ago, villalad21 said:

I just thought they were braver on the ball than us.

Quality aside yes of course. But we really just kicked the ball away whenever we won it.

That's my criticism of that final. I've said it before and i accept that people will disagree with me but i thought we were cowardly on the day. To me it looked like damage limitation tactics rather than going for it.

I agree. I thought the same. The times we took it to city we actually looked quite good and caused them problems.

The same could be said all season. We just seem to.panic when we dont have the ball and retreat to the 18 yard line and hope. Causes us no end of problems...too many players not knowing who is doing what...no outlet when we do get the ball and constant pressure.

This has been my main issue with smith all year...yes at times get men behind the ball but dont get all 10 sitting next to each other and giving the opposition a free ride for 80 yards of the pitch.

Every game I hope it will change but cant see it...it will be the same tonight...10.players to their 4 in box...free headers...them picking up the second ball...back 4 on 6 yard line...midfield on penalty spot.

With a coaching hat on...Mings is the main culprit...when a ball comes in to the box you watch him...rather going to attack it he treats back...Bournemouth away and city are just two examples.