May-Z

McPhee must have some intel on the hierarchy or something. I genuinely see nothing that he's added to our play in the last two years. Cash's long throws and letting Dougie try and score. Bravo.

Red card has just be rescinded. Available for Brentford. Another VAR masterpiece

Garbage. Was excited by this signing. Guy can't even control a football.

Shithouse ref couldn't wait to get a red card out either. Nothing more than a chest bump where one person is taller than the other. Oh, that was actually instigated by the player who feigned injury too. Gash.

Takes too many touches and looks like he is off-balance all the time. Not great early signs.

He's toast.

Isn't it four at the back with Bednarek in for heading at CB against Mitro and Konsa out to RB for Cash?

Seems that he had a decent cameo in tonight's game.

The one touch passing and layoffs around the box are great in that video. Feels like a long time since anything as dynamic and purposeful as that has been part of our play.

I don't know why we do it to players. There's been so many that have been mismanaged to an extent where we almost have to pay others to take them off us.

He's a £15m asset. We should be trying out hardest to get value out of him. (Or at least not wipe it off completely) I think he's shown enough to be one of our five substitutes each match.

The AV version is great. Really like that. I just can't get away from the idea of Villa being represented without a lion. Maybe it could be an alternative badge used on a third kit or something.

Used in the wrong position. Shock. As a second DCM he may have worth. As a wide CM in a three, use Sanson. As a game-changing attacking sub, use literally anyone else on the bench.

Furious? Really? We sign a striker with a 1 in 2 rate over the previous two seasons for £20m when we only had Watkins and Davis and you were furious? Odd. What should we have done?

Playing well. Does exactly what is needed in the role and has the ability to competently carry it out. His lack of left foot causes issues sometimes but he's doing well.

Gerrard's tactics worked really well first half, and in a lot of replays of that half would have us a couple of goals up. Second half, though, it showed what he lacks tactically. No adaptation or flexibility, random substitutions, and lack of understanding from the players regarding what the changes are supposed to achieve. If this was within the first 10 games or so of when he took over, he could have some leeway. However, it's a year down the line with a pre-season and thirty games later.

What Ings offers is getting shots on target at the goal. The play when Kepa pulled out three good saves was because Ings created movement and got a left foot shot away from a tight angle...whereas Watkins would still be trying to control the ball.

Chillwell's foul today was not very nice at all. I don't know what more it would've had to have been a red...not to have a pitch side check doesn't seem right. As a side note, imo the ref should be making all decisions...not being advised. VAR should just say...'go check the monitor' and leave the decision making with one person.

I am with you on the fact that the starting team is a mish mash and would benefit from being more balanced. But in relation to the Sanson and Dendonker comment, it's not Purslow who is deciding to keep them benched. Sanson was highly rated in a position we needed, and someone was needed as a quick replacement for Kamara's injury. I know we're not going to agree here, but I think at the time of each signings, they fitted the spec of what we needed. Hindsight says some haven't turned out as expected, rather than it being obvious when we brought them in. I think we've missed out on signing a 'big' attacking player for the left, but changing to Gerrard meant we went for Coutinho instead of a wide player. Haphazard and shambolic describes how the players are being used, not the thought process when signing them.

I'm not sure it is. (Plus it's spoken about all the time) Key areas to strengthen in the summer...CB and CDM. Kamara and Carlos come in. (Not to mention attempts for Bissouma and Bentancur which shows we know the quality that is needed) Back up GK and LBs...Olsen and Augustinsson. All of those were done right at the start of the window to allow as much time in pre-season as possible. Previous year, Grealish goes and we get Buendia and Bailey in for creativity, Ings for an extra striker as we only had Davis and Samatta. They all made sense at the time. The biggest problem circles back to the point that the players we have brought in aren't being used in a system that fits their qualities/cancels out weaknesses. I've said this in a couple of posts...the only big mistake Purslow will make is if he sticks with Gerrard much longer.

Because, for a whole season, he genuinely was.

If a free kick beats a wall, fair enough. Trust it and stand on the other side ready to catch or parry. Not sure what made him so unsure.

No one has claimed he's top 10 CB. That would mean he's likely starting for one of the top 5 teams in the league. What people have said is that he gets dug out more than others. Today, rightly so....but not after each match.

For someone who is in the team for his added physicality, he gets bullied too often and doesn't often outpace people. He just needs to be on the end of balls into the box or running through when a defence is turned. This slow build up play, coupled with hopeful crosses just keep highlighting his weaknesses. He can get goals at this level but is being used incorrectly as per most of the players.

**** Southgate. I suspect part of the reason Mings may be struggling mentally is getting dumped from the England team with very little reason.