MrDuck

He'll be better than Gerrard. One, he works harder, two, he's not a scouser.

Good game I thought, we did ok but didn't take our chances. Gabby & Carew should both have scored... Torres did, and that's the difference - they have a world class striker, we don't. Not the end of the world, we'll be back.

Tuncay was the sharpest player on the pitch. I so wished MON had bought him in in the summer. Gabby playing off Tuncay would have been ace and would have given us a real option to what we currently have. He is the sort of link player that we need but there aren't many around like him.

Yeah, he looked good. Worked his arse off too.

I saw a couple of players on bikes on the roads the other day, that was a very tuff call when driving past.

And the lack of press reports about injured sha players suggests you made the wrong call.

we're like the special olympics, we're all winners!

not sure that's the best comparison but there you go.

Wow, another great win.. they're sitting 6th! Horrifying to see them doing so well, but hilarious to see them above Liverpool.

credit where its due - theyre getting results

level on points with liverpool who are 7th!

the way things are going if we don't finish top 4 we'll be below them!

I don't think anyone has been that bad really... Ash & Carew have been below par, Sidwell has been Sidwell, Beye has done ok when called upon.

Petrov and Cuellar have both been excellent for the most part.

Awesome.

It's clearly Petrov and 4-4-2 at fault. None of the other players are too blame at all. If we just dropped Stan and played 4-5-1 we'd undoubtably win the league and FA cup, and probably the Champions League too, even though we're not in it - which is also Stan's fault. I heard that us playing 4-4-2 was also the real cause of the global financial crisis.

Actually I'm in a big fan of Petrov in a 4-5-1. Not saying it's Stan's fault at all, he's a good player but not in the way we are currently using him and I don't think away from home in teams who get into our faces, he's really the man for job because the game becomes a battle, Stan isn't a player for this type of game,

Perhaps you should read posts before making assumptions on who I like and don't like as a player?

it's the managers fault for not seeing the faults, the fact we get over-run in midfield everyaway game and the fact we are poor everyaway game and yet then people now on this thread are telling me that's good?

Pathetic post really, Something is currently wrong with what were doing away from home, I'm questioning this, is this wrong? if O'Neill plays Milner at right back, Heskey at right midfield, are we not allowed to question this like he did vs Boro last season?

What's wrong with questioning decisions that don't work?

Easy tiger. I wasn't particularly directing my sarcasm at you, it was a general remark. Every day I drop in here and every day see the same posts about 4-4-2/4-5-1/Petrov and it does my head in.

I don't always agree with MON's decisions, and there is nothing wrong with questioning them, but he does far more right than wrong and knows a millions times more about football and our players than anyone on this forum. We are not poor every away game and we don't get overrun in midfield in every away game like you say... the fact of the matter is we're right up in the mix for a top 4 spot and in a semi-final. As a Villa fan I'm chuffed to bits with this, and I'm realistic enough to know we can't expect a lot more. Hope for more, yes, but not expect it. There are a small selection of posters like yourself that give the impression that anything less than being top of the league is unacceptable, and that top is exactly where we'd be if MON wasn't such an inept manager.

That bit in bold is rubbish, utter rubbish, look at the results for the last ten games with Laursen in the side then the first ten games with him missing. I know you'll find that the games before and after are all fairly comparable in terms of opposition / competition its just that .........we were statistically (and oh how we all seem to love them) a better side in terms of results without him, we also conceded less goals in those ten games. (marginally) But you can carry on making things up to suit your argument if you want. It doesn't actually make them true

And Everton playing 4-5-1 and finishing fourth is somehow relevant? Did they have our squad?

Hogwash, Laursen would have got us more wins in the slump period when we played 4-4-2, and you know that. I made a little mistake saying "Only worked" ofcourse that's impossible. I think my Everton comparison is valid, people like to draw comparisons to SAF's early Manchester United team when we're struggling, only fair if I can too. My point is Everton kept the system consistent, and in the end they qualified for the Champions League. And they had to deal with problems also, but they got the job done.

how can FACT be hogwash, go do the analysis, Laursen's last ten games and the first ten after he was injured, I've already done it, I know I'm right. Losing Laursen did nothing in terms of results, we were perfectly able to cope without him. Guess what though, ten games later the slump started, which iirc coincides with Curtis Davies first occurence of his shoulder injury and then we were down to the bare bones, we were playing a man at 75% and we suffered for it thereafter. Davies shoulder wasnt the only factor but it was certainly a major one but in reality it has little to do with formation and was more to do with the fact we had so few capable players left in the squad

What's this years excuse BTW? like the 5 games we've been shit in and not won?

It's clearly Petrov and 4-4-2 at fault. None of the other players are too blame at all. If we just dropped Stan and played 4-5-1 we'd undoubtably win the league and FA cup, and probably the Champions League too, even though we're not in it - which is also Stan's fault. I heard that us playing 4-4-2 was also the real cause of the global financial crisis.

Petrov is the best midfielder we have by a mile. For me, his name should go on the team sheet for every game, whatever the formation, as long as he is fit.

Indeed.

Already outperformed Spurs in 2 out of the 4 competitions!

Yet they're above us in the league and looked much better than us on the weekend.

This thread makes Villa fans look like complete idiots for the most part.

Woodgate and King are shit lol.

does make me laugh the whole 'if' they were fit,look their **** renowned crocks pull the other one.

ps. 'if' Laurson didnt retire.

Woodgate and King are excellent defenders... I'd take Dunne/Collins/Cuellar every time though, as they are just as good plus can play more than 2 games in a row without needing surgery.

I can't see Jose at Liverpool. United, yes. Just not Liverpool, no way.

Yeah, I reckon Jose will be holding out until Alex retires.

granted Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Inter Milan, AC Milan all have sites equally as crap if not worse than ours.

Yes but we invented the internet in this country

I thought Al Gore invented the Internet

:shock:

Shit. I thought it was Doug Ellis.

I hope he's not sacked, they might get someone in who knows what they're doing.

gets a resounding meh...

Would love to see O'Neill sell Milner

Yeah great idea.

We should get rid off crap like Collins & Warnock while we're at it.

I agree with the above. Isn't a straight Yes or No for me. Goal line techonlogy I am for I think, some sort of sensor or something but I think anything else will just disrupt the game IMO.

I can't see replays disrupting the game anymore than some idiot rolling around in mock-agony after a defender breathes on him, which seems to be the main reason games are disrupted these days.

They claim how they want diving and cheating kicked out the game....

Empty talk, just saying what they know they have to say. Actions speak louder than words... and FIFA's actions make it very clear where their interests lie - and it ain't in fair play!

FIFA say it's never going to happen because it ruins the 'spirit' of the sport but yet video technology would cut out all the cheating that goes on in today's game so FIFA are just contridicting themselves.

If they used video replays then France would not be at the world cup, which wouldn't suit FIFA at all.

There is no spirit of the sport anymore, money talks and money is FIFA's main interest.

if Davies plays like he can at full potential for the last 3 months of the season provided he's in the team then he could take up the 3rd choice CB place which is up for grabs.

I think he'll struggle to get back into the Villa team, England is a million miles away for him.

Disagree all he needs is that consistency.

If Ferdinand continues his shitty form theres no reason why Davies cannot become the next big name English defender.

There's Jagielka to contend with though. Astounding how nobody's talked about him. Everton right now missing him big time.

I really can't see Davies ousting either Dunne, Collins or Cuellar from our defense - unless injuries play a part, which is quite possible.

And to be honest I'd rather any of those three in our defense than Davies. Look how much we've improved at the back this season without him.