GeneralJazzman

33 minutes ago, tismyk said:

Wonder why its taking so long, we all know about the RB problem, so it seems our top targets have not materialised due to the length

of time its taking to sign one, it should have been a priority unless they see Bacunna (shudder) as the long term

Doubt they would see Bacuna as long term, maybe make do until January if the wanted targets are not available. 

I do think we could cope until then but rather we got one in now, someone with more intelligence, can defend and can deliver a good ball.

I am coming round to the Knockeart idea some posters have mentioned before. He may not have the pace but he does seem a smart player. 

2 minutes ago, snowychap said:

A shame as he should have been able to do a real job for us this season.

The backlash against him seems a little excessive.

I think it was a poor decision on our part to sign him and a poor decision for him to accept. Not a correct fit really. 

Who will pay £7m plus and £60k a week for a player who couldn't get into a relegated team?

42 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

Too true. 

In all fairness it took me a loooong time to come around to Benteke. I'm still a bit cold to him now, even though I appreciate his ability as much as the next Villa fan. 

I don't think Ayew will be that good. But I'm seeing more from him as time goes by. In fairness to yourself he was a lot better against both Rotherham and Huddersfield as opposed to Wednesday. 

Well that's promising. 

I wanted Benteke straight into the team and didn't warm to Bent beyond the opening goal against City. Our gut feelings / intuition can really have an effect on how we see these players. 

Maybe I expect more from Ayew and am disappointed. I don't know, eitherway if he can set up them up and score + ensure his other responsibilities are covered then he's alright by me. 

2 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

I think Ayew deserves as much of a 'fresh start' as anyone else. To that end I think he has been excellent this season so far and I think he has grown as a player. 

Fair play. I am putting him into the boat as McCormack, once it all starts gelling then I think I will be onboard more. 

Its weird the players you warm to and ones you don't. 

23 minutes ago, bobzy said:

Just out of curiosity, would you have Cristiano Ronaldo as one of the best players in the World?

I ask because he doesn't put a shift in defensively (in terms of tracking back) and has appalling body language when things aren't going his way, but he does attempt to win the ball high up the pitch and is attacking and direct when he has the ball.

Ayew plays in a similar manner to me - although does far much more work than C Ron.  He also looks to do far more with the ball than anyone else in our team currently (McCormack looks like he'll be on a similar level).

Good question, was debating Ronaldo versus Messi with friends the other day and I chose Ronaldo. He is a maverick who can score, setup, lead and is a petulant sod but I chose him. He is a known quantity who can still perform the unpredictable - I used to hate him but he has grown on me.

I think Real set their team up to allow free reign to their front 3, not quite what we do and he plays upfront for Portugal. So the characteristics are similar but how they fit into the teams are different. Maybe in time we will set our team up to suit Ayew more.

My opinion of Ayew will hopefully change as he shows what he is capable of, but as of yet has not done enough to convince me that he is dominant in this division or the Prem. Time will tell I guess as to what he does.

7 minutes ago, kurtsimonw said:

Every game he doesn't score, it seems like a stick to beat him with. But he's a right midfielder in a 4-4-2, while it would be nice for him to score that's more of a job for the strikers. He puts a shift in off the ball and oozes class on it. Having only seen him in a very poor side, I didn't quite realise just how dominant a player he could be at this level.

Do you think he will finish with more assists or goals this season? 

1 minute ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

Sorry I missed the fact you said against Wednesday. 

So you didn't see yesterday's game? How about Rotherham?

Sadly just highlights, hence why I am not convinced yet. His interplay yesterday looked better by a long way but just not convinced. 

I think my opinion is still forged from last season and wasn't convinced then either. Hopefully he will grow as a player, I wish no ill will on him but found it interesting the criticism of the article and I feel he could have duped a few people by being the diamond in the rough. 

1 minute ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

Grealish played on the left in front of Cissokho. Your confusion maybe comes from the fact that Ayew was constantly belting it across the pitch to assist them both.

I watched that game, Ayew was covering the left for the majority of the first half. They may have swapped sides a bit but he was there most for sure in the first half. Think the Sky commentators even said Cissokho should been asking Ayew for more cover. Didn't think Grealish played the Wednesday game... Maybe a sub appearance?

Just now, StefanAVFC said:

Nope. 

Defended solidly, crosses have been improved, one assist already and think he has grown amongst this team. Shown more of the player he used to be. Dont think he will be on my list through the whole season but considering the previous season he has had a good start. 

48 minutes ago, kurtsimonw said:

I don't really get it. He tracks his man. He's constantly pressing players. Makes an outstanding amount of tackles for someone who is a forward. If anything, his issue is that he's not more selfish. He needs to shoot when he gets in to good positions more IMO.

He definitely presses in the final third but not sure he has got used to the wide position and his own positioning when defending. He's good at trying to nick it in the final third / half way. 

He left Cissokho so much to do against Wednesday, our toughest test thus far imho. Like I said above just not convinced yet but could grow into that role more - against a more attacking opposition think he could be a weak link in that position. 

49 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

So... I can't tell if you are agreeing or disagreeing with the article?

He missed chances against Huddersfield, his finishing generally is hit and miss and I'd like to see it improve. I think the goals will come regardless. Aside from which he ran his bollocks off, created chances for both himself and others and got bums off seats. 

I'm not really sure what I'm missing with Ayew, I'm not seeing the majority of these negatives. I see a talented footballer who has been our best player so far this season, short as it is, who works hard and hasn't even started to eat into the goodwill he earned last season. Only add to it. 

I just don't know what people want from a player these days. I'm baffled. 

I don't know what to make of him, that's my bottom line. 

There seems to be some who see him as this star and our best player, others feel he isn't committed, others who are not sure/yet to be convinced and many more. Think I fall in the not convinced group.

Thinking about why I am not convinced could bedue to his body language, when tracking back he doesn't get fully goal side (looks to steal it quick and not fully cover full back), head drops when it isn't going his way, when frustrated doesn't link well with others. Hopefully training will adjust that and I will be more convinced. 

For me talent and hard work are not as effective as well applied effort and team ethic - but that's my perspective. You can work hard at ineffective things and expel energy getting nowhere. 

I would have Cissokho or Elphick as our best players so far. 

5 minutes ago, Michael118 said:

Honestly Richard, I can say the same for 90% of the posts I read on Villa Talk. I read nearly every post on this board and 'other football' and agree in full with only a tiny percentage. I am trying to limit my posting because I haven't got the time to reply to 10 rebuttals for every post I make especially if I'm repeating the same points I've already made previously. Saying that though I have a huge amount of confidence in what I am putting forward. My opinions are not just plucked from mid air. I've watched and played different codes of football my whole life and have a strong interest in psychology and spirituality. You might not think that matters but it runs through everything including football. I try and combine all 3 aspects when I am forming an opinion. There is so much going on under the surface of everything that most people are not aware of. I like to think I can tap into some of that and put forward some opinions that may seem off centre at the time but have a good chance of being accurate as time goes by. People will then come to their own conclusions for "why" that happened. If people want to write my opinions off or take them on board that's entirely up to them. 

It's interesting as I doubt many people really agree or share the same opinion, even if they may seem like they do. What position a player should play, their strengths, mentality, how the players should shape up etc. 

Having posts that are bold and go against some perceived norms will help everyone check their own thinking and spark some interesting discussion. So I think it's a good thing. 

8 minutes ago, alreadyexists said:

You can probably wangle an invite to the directors box of you lay it on thick.

Or at least a free shirt. 

http://7500toholte.sbnation.com/2016/8/17/12514762/jordan-ayew-let-aston-villa-down-against-huddersfield

Quote

Jordan Ayew is a fantastic player. There's no doubt about it. He had a stellar game against Sheffield Wednesday, a good game against Luton and a decent match when we played Rotherham. However, when Villa faced Huddersfield at home last night, Jordan Ayew dropped the ball.

I am getting the feeling he may have duped us a bit last season, our best player in a bad bunch and now doesn't seem to play well with others of a similar "ability level". 

If someone came in with a high bid I think we could replace him, but think he can be moulded to be a better team player, finisher and more effective use of his energy. 

7 minutes ago, El-Reacho said:

Don't forget Bardsley and Agathe.

Agathe was an outright signing wasn't he??

but Bardsley is bad enough to cancel out the others

It could be Titi from Real Murcia FC

3 minutes ago, osmark86 said:

well since we're playing Ayew, Gestede and McCormack from the start we really need to thicken up our offensive options on the bench imo. also to add some redundancy if one of those should (inshallah) get injured during the season.

An impact striker, poacher something like that. Think Ayew and McCormack can play different roles but if we setup like we have then we need more than Wingers on the bench. 

A striker on the bench would be good - new No.9

2 minutes ago, sne said:

Would N'Doye get a work permit?

30 y.o with only 9 caps for Senegal. (Behind Gana in the pecking order at midfield.) 

If selected, off to the African Cup of Nations in January...

 

He's played a lot in France so he might have dual nationality by now. 

F***! What a shame, RIP Dalian. 

9 hours ago, dounavilla said:

Agent Dave -what a legend. We would never have known about this signing without his inside info.

I'm off to twitter to follow like and love him now.

I know, it's like he has a crystal ball or something. 

Agent Dave = NewsNow

1 minute ago, VillaChris said:

Big thing for me was RDM saying we were in for him...managers don't usually say stuff like that unless negotiations are a fair way down the line...Pat Murphy said we were in for him...Richard did...his conduct at the end of the Palace game yesterday was apparently of a farewell nature.

Think that's enough there to say it's more than a tentative link and will be done soon enough.

Don't forget Agent Dave, love that guy...