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R1chuk

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    The next manager of Aston Villa

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    12 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

    I’m struggling to understand how it got so bad in 2021 for Smith after such a great start. It can’t all be down to Grealish surely?  Are our players just shit but over achieved for 2-3 months?

    Love the bloke but Smith got found out tactically. His plan A of high press, attacking football soon got countered and nullified. We all saw it, his in game management was poor when teams were set up right against us and he couldn’t, or wouldn’t, change it. He relied on Grealish to dig us out a hole. 
     

    What we saw then were negative, reactive tactics, an over reliance on certain players who wouldn’t get dropped despite being out of form, just to keep the atmosphere right in the dressing room when things were going wrong as he tried to find a solution.

     

    He’s gone at the right time before his legacy was soured.

    • Like 1

    John Terry

    in Other Football

    Posted

    Let's not forget that Bruce is a master of PR spin, the Terry to Sporting thing is all a smokescreen so that when he joins us, Bruce can get all the plaudits for persuading him to join Villa, gives him a few extra weeks to turn it around.

    • Like 1

    New Manager Speculation

    in Villa Talk

    Posted · Edited by R1chuk
    Spelling

    2 hours ago, jacketspuds said:

    Of course the owners weren't swayed by Bruce's mates. It was the poll in the Birmingham Mail that was the real turning point. 54 out of 71 people voted for Bruce to stay so that clinched it.

    Exactly who did they poll, Bruce's fan club members I think. There are far more people dissatisfied with Bruce than happy with him.  Too many believe the Project Fear mongers that we are doomed without him.

    • Like 3

    Tony Xia (no longer involved with AVFC)

    in Other Football

    Posted

    7 minutes ago, Rugeley Villa said:

    Online, and I think it was the star. 

    Toilet paper journalism. Did you see the way Dr Tony celebrated the play off semi final win, there was the passion of a fan! Was Lerner ever that passionate, no, fake tattoo or not. He won't sell, it would be reputationally damaging for him to be labelled a failure.

    • Like 1

    The Rebuild

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    On 01/06/2018 at 18:21, VILLAMARV said:

     

    To answer directly but in a different order just to be awkward like always :thumb:

    2. Who can we sell and who can't we sell?

    We CAN sell anyone. From a footballing perspective it would be nice to keep hold of our best 3 players, namely Jack, Chester and Kodjia imo. The only one that will be crushing if he leaves is our Jack though. And getting Green a new contract would be nice. Grealish and Green in an ideal world. If we're being all idealist about it (and money were no concern) then you could add Hourihane, Adomah, Bjarnason, Elmo and Taylor to the list of who, from a team/squad building perspective it would be nice to keep around. Steer isn't a bad option assuming he's not on a massive wage. We'll revisit all this wishy-thinking as the devil drives though I'm sure later in the post!

    4. Which youth players would get the chance?

    Green and Bree should hopefully be much more involved although hardly stepping up from the youth team they are both young. Davis, RHM and O'Hare the obvious candidates. Doyle-Hayes as a 6th choice CM maybe, Suliman and Bedeau the other obvious names - Not seen owt of Bedeau and Suliman while well hyped hasn't excelled on loan anywhere. And Sarkic as 3rd choice keeper on the basis that even if he's as bad as Bunn then at least he isn't the wrong side of 30.

    In a footballing sense you could put all of them in the not-wanting-to-actively-sell category imo. Nippers out on loan is never a bad thing if they are getting game time imo.

    3. Who would you buy and loan?

    Well there's a question and a half. Positionally at the back a GK, 2 or even 3 CB's and a LB. In midfield and enforcer DM type, a CM and a Winger and up top a nice big Centre Forward type.

    I would say we need a focal point for the attack, i.e the CF to replace Grabban, a winger to replace Snodgrass, a LB to replace Hutton, a CB to replace Terry, a CB to replace Samba and a goalie to replace SJ. They could be the 5 loans hypothetically. The midfielders and additional centre back would be dependent on thinning the herd a little.....(which leads nicely into...)

    1. Who do we realistically sacrifice?

    If that £45m figure is going to be used as any sort of reference then we need to start with the obvious cull that's halfway through already. So to leave -

    Agbonlahor, Terry, Samba, Hutton, Bunn - End of contracts

    Snodgrass, SJ, Onomah, Grabban, Tuanzebe - End of loans

    Gollini and Gil (subject to cheques clearing!) - already announced

    Whether the Amavi money is counted against this year is pretty important in this equation. As is knowing what those contracts actually were. being £5k out on any estimations adds up over a 12 month and/or 3 year period.

    Ok, after that lets start with the major 'Losses' from an FFP perspective. So obviously first up is Richards. We all know he aint going anywhere or his astronomical wage. the silver lining is that it's his last year.

    McCormack, as I put in his thread, depends massively on how much we actually paid for him. Between £8m and £12m is quite the differential. Assuming there were add ons that haven't materialised yet and going off the lower figure he is probably 'worth' around £4m I would guestimate. If he were on £40k a week say then his wages would equate to about £2m a year. Hard to see any buyers wanting to invest at those sort of prices. Another loan may minimise the loss on him a bit though and there's no reason to think he wont go if the opportunity arises.

    Tshibola. Oh my god what a mess. Another one causing a few noughts to rack up in that losses column while offering absolutely nothing to us at all. Gotta be needing around £3m + whatever a week on him. Never going to happen eh? Go on Kilmarnock, you know you want to....

    All 3 of them I would say we need to cut our losses on. If any of them left for any amount of money at all it can only be a good thing from my perspective. May not help us now, but next year! no one is talking or thinking about next year! you think missing out on promotion this year was bad? Anyway it will be a good thing in the long run even at cut-price.

    There are a whole load of players entering the last year of their contracts with us. Richards and Green I've already mentioned above. Steer is another one though. The rest are Whelan, Jedinak, Elphick, DeLaet, and Lyden.

    DeLaet looks like he's off. And for 'profit' in the FFP sense of the word. The right nominal fees for any of the above would make it profitable and I wouldn't be against all of them leaving. Jedinak, Whelan and Elphick aren't getting any younger and all must be on a decent wage I think we could replace their contributions with younger, cheaper models myself. Maybe in reality Whelan sticks around for another year? Lyden would be all profit, which leads nicely on to that group headed up by Gardner with 2 or more years left to run. Gardner would be all profit also in the FFP world due to his rise from the youth team. Whatever we hypothetically can get for him and Lyden gets added up with their wages and saves us FFP money.

    So on to Lansbury and Hogan. Are either of them going to come good? How high are their wages in relation to the rest of the squad. Is anyone interested? To be honest, Hogan is lucky not to make the big losses list at the start of this post imo. But, like McCormack what did we actually pay for him? What is his FFP 'value' to us now a year and a half into his deal? Of the two he is the most likely to see an upturn in fortunes on the pitch but only if we play to his strengths - and for me that means playing him with Jack floating about to feed him the balls he needs. I'd sell him in a heartbeat if anyone offered real money for him though. He hasn't shown enough for me.

    Lansbury I think will be gone either way. We didn't pay a lot for him, so making 'profit' is entirely feasible to me. Cardiff were rumoured to be interested before they loaned Grujic for one. I think there'll be takers if we made him available. If his rumoured £35-40k a week is around the mark I'd say we should get rid as he hasn't really done much to warrant it when he has had the chance. BB has shown more to warrant sticking around imho.

    Looking at that I think Richards, McCormack, Tshibola and Hogan are our major problems as far as transfers out go. I genuinely think we can move on Lyden, Gardner, DeLaet, Elphick and Lansbury and at a small 'profit' + wages with not much fuss. Their wages alone must be at least £100k a week combined, which is at least around £5m off that 'losses' column. Jedinak and Whelan? I dont think we'd have no takers lets put it that way. And shifting their prsumed 30-40k a week from the books is pushing £3-4m off the books in FFP land. The other 4 there probably sadly equate to £6-7m in wages to go in the losses column. That's how amazing it would be to find a buyer for them.

    So (I knew I'd get to the realistically bit eventually @omariqy!) how do we make up the shortfall AND have a few pennies to bring in some fresh faces? Well assuming the hole left to fill is around the £20m mark after the 12 players that have left the books have left the books and that we could eat into that figure by more than say another £8-10m just cutting the chaff and without the need to dream of going into the realms of needing to find buyers and profit for Richards, Tshibola and McCormack and all that. We have no idea how close to or wide of the mark any of these guesstimates are. Shifting deadwood really does add up.

    Scenario 1. Sell Jack. And what chaff we can. Grealish for upwards of £40m and keep the rest of the first team largely together under Bruce. Pay off the remaining FFP in one go. Invest the remainder in the squad. Give Green a new contract. Stuck with the deadwood and have to keep paying Richards and McCormack? can't sell Tshibola? Keep hoping Hogan will come good? no worries, we can do it all again next year. We go again. Get a load of cheap loans in and bulk out the squad with free transfers. Gamble on 3rd time lucky. Prepare for serious firesales of the rest if it goes wrong this time next year.

    Scenario 2. Same but without Bruce.

    Scenario 3. Sell Jack as well as cutting the chaff and not being too attached to the first teamers. Make serious money cashing in on our best player/s now AND shift as much deadwood as we can to afford to get rid of Bruce and find someone to properly rebuild this club. Hand them the prospect of a decent transfer kitty and yet operate within a plan for the potential drop in revenue next year if we miss out again. Wage structure at potential 2019-20 championship season levels. Be sustainable without the potential of PL millions clouding the issue. Or obviously parachute payments.

    Scenario 4. Same but give the money to Bruce

    Scenario 5. Sell anyone but Jack to make up the losses. Kodjia and Chester both have the ability to play in the PL imo. Neither is getting any younger. Both would take a more than reasonable fee to make it worth our while. Any lower end PL clubs should be enquiring about them if they have any sense imo. Hourihane has the sort of record that PL clubs will be seriously looking at. Unlike Chester and Kodjia we didn't pay a lot for him. Profit and a fairly sizeable one could be made quite easily on Hourihane imo. Green too unfortunately but that is where we are. that could be a route towards a lot of profit. A lot depends on the lad's intentions obviously but if Spurs try and turn his head again for around £8m - £10m we'd be foolish not to look at that seriously with a year left to run if he's stalling on signing. Hogan. Ok, ok I know I was getting real but we ourselves can see he'll score with the right service. His record at Brentford will interest a few parties I'm sure. Not getting Regular football and surely getting pushed down the pecking order if he stays. Again a lower end PL club could snap themselves up a bargain there. Bournemouth for instance. Elmo and BB - not that unfeasible that after the world cup someone else might fancy a bit of experience in their ranks, both signed for peanuts and easy to turn a profit on if there were interested parties imo. Steer is neither here nor there at this point - depends totally on what his wages are if he's going to play second fiddle again though. new contract now or we may as well cash in though imo. Sarkic can warm a bench. Taylor I can't see anyone wanting tbh. but lets face it better, cheaper, younger? certainly possible on paper. And that just leaves Albert. With the year he's had he wouldn't be hard to market for the right price. #keepjacknthat under Bruce.

    Scenario 6. Same but without Bruce

    Scenario 7. Sell anyone but Jack, keep the majority of the first team together and clear out the deadwood. Steer, Elphick, DeLaet, Jedinak, Whelan, Lyden, Gardner, Tshibola, Lansbury, Hogan, McCormack (Richards we have to suck up I'm afraid) all leave for cash money. Saving around £14 - 15m in wages alone. Re invest the money we make from sell to buy from there. Supplement that with one or two of the first teamers - Adomah and Hourihane lets say for argument's sake. BB, Taylor or Elmo for instance. Keep the core together. The idealists way out! The we can't really risk this plan getting anywhere near transfer deadline day way out that's for sure. And in keeping with my posts this would be under the guidance of Bruce.....

    Scenario 8. .....or not under Bruce as you like.

    5. Ultimately what would be your squad going into the season? 

    I'd like to see

    New GK - Steer - Sarkic (Out - SJ + Bunn)

    Elmohamady - Bree (Out - Hutton + DeLaet)

    New LB - Taylor

    Chester - New CB - New CB - Suliman/Bedeau (Out - Terry, Samba, Elphick, Richards, Tuanzebe)

    New DM - New DM (Out - Jedinak, Whelan, Lyden)

    Grealish - Bjarnason - New CM - Doyle-Hayes (Out - Hourihane, Lansbury, Gardner, Tshibola, Onomah

    Adomah - Green - O'Hare - New Winger type (Out - Snodgrass)

    Kodjia - New ST - Davis - RHM (Out - Agbonlahor, Grabban, Hogan, McCormack)

    Dead wood all gone. Use Hogan, Lansbury and Hourihane to free up some cash before we start selling the crown jewels just yet. New CB with some aerial prowess and a DM that has some mobility, a big man up top and a new keeper are going to be key for us whatever happens this summer. Basically a new spine to replace SJ / Terry / Jedinak / Grabban. Maybe a new striker up top pushes Kodjia wide and creates less need for new width. Replacement for Hourihane would be pretty important in this plan. The rest could be squad loans and the like tbh.

    Anyway @omariqy I hope you meant write an essay for me to read when you get home coz that's what you got!

    The not selling Jack route really isn't easy is it. So much depends on McCormack, Tshibola, Richards and Hogan imo. We will see.

    Such a long post !

    Keith Wyness

    in Other Football

    Posted

    21 hours ago, Keener window-cleaner said:

    Have we heard anything at all from Wyness? As the CEO I would expect him to communicate something with all the uncertainty the recent days.

    I wonder if Tony is considering sacking him. If Bruce was Wyness appointment, and by not winning promotion, that must be regarded as a failure that Tony wont be happy with. Wyness previously said that we had plans both for promotion and for staying in the Championship, I understood we had a plan b. NOw after what Tony said, I wonder if we really have a plan b, if we have, the CEO should communicate that. If we put all our eggs in the promotion basket and now are in trouble, I must say Wyness has failed big time. If it is so, then Wyness must surely hang loose.

    The problem is then, who would we get instead? Who would Tony turn to for advice on who to replace him?

    We haven't had a plan B all season, so what makes us believe the naive Dr or useless Wyness gave one ? Lets just make Gabby CEO.

    • Haha 1

    Steve Bruce

    in Other Football

    Posted

    4 hours ago, villan_007 said:

    Why dont you just look what he did at leeds? Didnt get them promoted. Played attacking football. 

    Next.

    Better to enjoy not getting promoted then hate finishing 13th

    Steve Bruce

    in Other Football

    Posted

    9 hours ago, Grasshopper said:

    Last chance for Bruce to convince Tony that he should be "relieved of his duties".

    No "get out of jail" card in Kodjia.

    Chance to use Hogan as he is supposed to be used, by providing him with the right service.

    Some attacking intent from Green, Adomah, Hourihane & Lansbury dominating midfield and the Brighton half.

    A stable defence in Bree, Chester, Baker, Taylor & Jedi solid doung their defensive jobs using the midfield and wings as outlets.

    Youth player in goal. With everything in front of him working a treat we wont need him often.

    But alas, I predict a mass of defenders, Hutton our outlet down the right, long balls to Hogan who gets replaced by an uninspiring Gaby on 70mins.

    An embarassing defeat, with no shots on target, a number of defensive mistakes punished by a good solid opposition of square pegs in square holes.

    An aftermatch interview stating not only the obvious, but a deja vu of the last 20+ games postmatch talks to please the british press and their little Englander bias.

    What a shit show

    Bruce out

    Here here, well said.

    • Like 1

    Steve Bruce

    in Other Football

    Posted

    1 hour ago, flashingqwerty said:

    For me the forest game shows me Bruce is even more clueless than i feared he was before he arrived.

    I'm convinced Bruce is not the man who signed the players in jan as apart from hogan none of them suit the 'tactics' (and i use that term is the broadest possible way) he employs.

    He sets us up defensively and for counterattacking and we signed a bunch of ballplayers - mind boggling.

    With Bruce in charge i only see is getting worse tbh.  His starting 11 and formation against firest was bonkers and i think the blind man down the road could see grealish should have been taken off about 20minutes before he was sent off.

    And the subs he made... i mean he makes bad subs regularly but to remove your only goal threat and your only performing centre mid is just criminal.

    The man has lost the plot and id rather we brought in someone else now than see him continue to f*** this up.

    Hes a dinosaur without any anger hunger or teeth and should be put down

    Totally agree ! Get Rowett in now to bed in for the rest of the season and then get automatic promotion next year.

    5 years from now?

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    Villa sold to Indian Millionaire after relegation to the first division following 3 years of no investment after initial spending spree by Dr Xia fails to get Villa out of the Championship and he refused to throw anymore money at Gabby.

    The 2016 Takeover Thread

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    6 hours ago, HanoiVillan said:

    I have to agree, I'm unclear why we need PL approval at all. I get that we're still technically in it, but surely a little common sense should prevail. 

    Probably need PL approval as we will be receiving parachute payments from them. They will want to know where their money is going.

    Tony Xia (no longer involved with AVFC)

    in Other Football

    Posted

    14 hours ago, sidcow said:

    There was something in the news on Friday about 16 of the teams in the PL made a profit last year. Shows again just how badly run we have been that even after several years of austerity with our superior corporate entertainment and large support we somehow managed to make a £30m loss whilst being one of the worst teams ever whilst many smaller clubs with less resources have been putting out decent competitive squads whilst turning a profit. 

    And people think Lerner lost so much money owning Vills, suspect substantial funds being siphoned off each year. Probably paid himself a massive wage, hence why wages so high.

    Roberto Di Matteo

    in Villa Talk

    Posted

    It really does suprise me how negative people have been to a manager who has a 50% win ratio in his career, who has won the Champions League,  and been promoted to the Premier League. And all for a man of 45 !

    GET REAL VILLANS, THIS IS A COUP !

    • Like 2
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