KMitch

Just want to point out that he was outstanding again today. Been playing at another level since Emery came into the club and is starting to look like a CB that could play for a top 4 club.

Guessing because Emery knows him very well and we're most likely looking for a player much better (eg Thuram, Sissoko, etc.).

Fair enough. I must have missed that.

So... No time added for the 9 minute drone break???? What a joke...

This... Some of the most organized I've ever seen a Villa team be in defense and we've been very slick with the one touch passing in attack. We're really unlucky to not be ahead right now. This is a new Villa, a patient Villa... You really get the sense that once we get the right players in this summer we're going to be very dangerous going forward.

THIS... I used to love posting on VillaTalk, Vital, & TBAR, but I don't even care anymore... Everyone is so negative lately. It may be the last decade of being let down over and over and over again, but we should be the most optimistic we've ever been right now. Minted owners, a genuine world class manager, and the makings of some good football on the pitch already. I'm imagining a huge rebuild this summer. Lots of players being shipped out and very big surprising names coming in to play for Emery. January was never the time to do a big squad shuffle and unless you don't care at all about the money you're spending, like Chelsea right now, you're going to overpay every time.

So, you're off the Lyric hype train now?

Me too... Newcastle were apparently close to signing him, then Chelsea, then Arsenal, now... No real rumors from the past couple of days, just regurgitating Chelsea ones.

Huh??? They play completely different positions...

The overreactions here are peak VillaTalk... Nobody would have put Ings in a starting 11 prediction for an Emery team unless Watkins was out injured. Now that we sold him, all of a sudden Ings is a 20+ goal a season striker again and nobody can believe we've let him go... My guess is that we're close to signing another striker with pace who better fits Emery's system,.

Let's face it, he doesn't fit Emery's system very well. Not quick enough and doesn't offer enough creativity for those around him. He's now 30 and past his sell by date. 10-15 million pounds is good money for him, but we need another striker to replace him because relying on a 19 year old MLS striker to replace his goals in the second half of the season is a scary thought.

https://www.avfc.co.uk/video/0_fdq6pz56 New interview with JJ on the club's website... Sounds like Emery's staff is keeping the team grounded after a good start under the new boss and are focused on overtaking teams in the table. Side note: JJ has to be the least photogenic person I've ever seen. That blank, expressionless stare and open mouth make him look as dumb as Gabby Agbonlahor sounds.

I think the main problem is that there hasn't been a steady philosophy of growth year over year and building on something at the club. The Lerner years were about getting in the Champions League by any means necessary under Martin O'Neill and we overpaid on players who weren't good enough for a team at the top of the table (Reo Coker, Habib Beye, Nickey Shorey, Stephen Warnock, Zat Knight, Richard Dunne, James Collins, etc.). Eventually Lerner's pocketbook ran out, Martin O'Neill threw a temper tantrum, left the club, and Gerard Houllier was brought in to "modernize" the club, bring through talented youth players, sell the cloggers, and look for value abroad instead of settling for shopping exclusively in England. Unfortunately, Houllier's heart attack seemed to signal Lerner's complete withdrawal from even bothering with Aston Villa and the Eck/Lambert years seemed to just be about treading water while reducing costs in an era where the mega money entered English football. Sherwood's one summer window showed a complete lack of cohesion between the manager and scouting/football director with a clear mixture of Sherwood's players and moneyball French players who weren't integrated into the team properly. Xia's era was marked by huge money signings in terms of managerial appointments in Di Matteo and Bruce, along with absolutely ridiculous deals for McCormack, Kodja, Hogan, etc. with the goal of immediately bouncing back into the Premier League. Unfortunately Dr. Tony was proven to be a fraud and the financial house of cards came crashing down after our disappointing playoff final loss at Wembley. The only point in time where we seemed to have a clear philosophy of smart signings and steady growth was during Smith's time at the club. Both Purslow and Smith talked about finding players who we could increase their value by good coaching and by making steady progress up the table and overall, the players we signed fit this mold. That seemed to be thrown completely out the window when Gerrard came on board and we focused on the here and now to get in to Europe asap. I don't know what Emery's timeline looks like or if he's truly here for the long haul, but his first two signings and our form under him so far suggest that we're closer to Europe than we though under Gerrard, but we also need to think about the future as well. 15 million pounds on a 19 year old MLS striker is a ridiculous amount of money, but he could turn out to be amazing in a few seasons with Emery's guidance. The main difference between Villa and clubs like Brentford, Bournemouth, Brighton, and previously Southampton, is that those clubs are run like a business with a cohesive culture and philosophy which lasts beyond the manager in the dugout at any point in time. We've never had that and I think are still trying to define what Aston Villa is.

I remember quite a few on here after that game calling him "the new Heskey" because he didn't convert an easy chance in addition to that lob, but it's to be expected on VillaTalk.

If Emery wants Deulofeu, I back him to be a huge success here. He offers us something we don't have in the squad and has pace/quick feet, which we need in this system.

Hopefully one for the future as he does not look ready for the Premier League yet, IMO.

Marcus Thuram still hasn't signed for a club yet... Rumors flying two weeks ago he was close to a Newcastle deal, this week it's Chelsea, but who knows anymore with their scattergun approach to signings... Might be possible he's our #1 target and we're dealing with other clubs also trying to negotiate for him.

Not really... The players they'll want to offload won't be good enough for a team pushing for Europe or will be on the wrong side of their prime on huge wages. They won't part with their young core.

Goes back and forth between being prime Ashley Young and dogshit N'Zogbia with every touch of the ball. His one footedness is really being exposed right now, but luckily Leeds' mid-table Championship defense kept letting him cut inside onto his left over and over again tonight. Even with his limitations, if he can just pick his head up every once in a while and pass to a teammate before dribbling down blind alleys, he'll still be a threat in the Premier League from the bench/rotation. Just can't be expected to lead the line week in and week out or we'll continue to have problems creating goals.

I still love Buendia... Never stops running and gives his all every game. 2 goals in the last 3 Premier League games isn't a fluke. I think he's a good fit for this system, but we need another willing runner opposite him on the other flank. "BuT hE gIvEs ThE bAlL aWaY!1!11!!!" lol... Give it up already...

With 13 points from 18 Emery is off to the best league start since Gregory in '98... Posts like this above really show why... There is a new "Special One" in the Premier League and he manages the Villa!

Would be very very happy with this after Gerrard's horrific start to the season. Puts us into the shop window for good summer recruits to see our potential and ambition.

No, he was a standout at Arsenal under Emery. Signed at 18 and impressed so well during preseason that he started in midfield for them. Had an epic fall out with Arteta after an altercation with Neil Maupay and was bombed/loaned out of the team for "attitude reasons".

I don't see us shelling out 40 million for him to displace Dougie in the center of the pitch... You'd think that would be one of the last positions to upgrade after his performances under Emery so far... No, I think he's going to take the McGinn/JJ spot out wide in defense, and pushing central in possession.

I honestly can see him playing in place of JJ out wide. He's played as more of an attacking midfielder for Marseilles this season. Martinez Young - Konsa - Mings - Moreno Guendouzi - Kamara - Luiz - Buendia New/Bailey - Watkins/New