KB_Villan

Just watched some highlights, there's definitely a 'decisive' element about him when it comes to finishing or his final ball. Something I think was lacking at times for us last season. 

Could see him crushing a lot of opposition fans hearts in tight games coming on for the last 20 and banging in a few goals or laying on assists after beating a few players.

Get him in!

West Ham knew exactly what to do, sit back first half, conserve their energy after playing Thursday keep it nil nil. Then step up 2nd half and dominate. Chances will come when we try to push. Could see it coming a mile off.

Even if I don't agree with changes / line ups they should at least be for a reason. I just don't see what our plan is to beat anyone.

Really wanted this to work but time is up I'm afraid. 

This sums it up for me perfectly, Someone may be able to, but I can't think of any other time a manager has done this for another club's media channel.

Gutted, not that I don't think he didn't have his faults, but pre season really screwed Dean over, Jack leaving, COVID issues, friendlies being cancelled, how many players missed out on proper pre season and are only now just starting to look fit. Bailey/Buendia still haven't completed 90 mins.

Midfield also needed a revamp in the summer. That can't just be on Smith. 

We would have been desperate to be where we are right now when Bruce was in charge.

Good luck Dean, you lived the dream. thanks for everything!

1 hour ago, DevonIsAPlaceOnEarth said:

I’m at the stage where this feels very much like the start of the Moneyball story.

yes losing our superstar is painful, but the possibilities that presents are exciting. Are we a better side with Jack Grealish, or better with all the signings we’ve made plus potentially JWP, Abraham and another left field signing?

Unemotionally, selling Grealish could be the best thing we ever do.

This. Hopefully the club can turn the situation into Man City giving us £100 million being the worst thing they could do. We take the hit, but smile and keep coming for them.

Really really hope when the photoshoot happens, there's a few shots of Buendia fist bumping/high fiving Martinez. Just to rub a little more salt in the wound for Arsenal fans. 

Wow, honestly didn't see this coming off. Still need to see him holding the shirt but well done!!

19 minutes ago, GingerCollins29 said:

Fernandinho been released. One year deal?

Absolutely, the kind of character I think we need to start challenging at the next level.

2 hours ago, TRO said:

we have to pay though the nose, there.

How much do we think Henry would be? Right age, worked with Smith twice, links up well with Watkins judging from the clips, competition for Targett. Seems like a very good fit.

We look tired. 

Our deliveries are terrible or non existent due to dithering outside the box. So frustrating. Feel bad for Watkins, he ends up going looking for the ball instead. 

9 hours ago, MaVilla said:

 

Unnerved on the ball, carries it so well. Rarely gives away possession, draws fouls. All of this we've known for ages. Crazy to think he wasn't even at his best and still got motm.

Jack is exactly what England needed in that semi final vs Croatia, and what they'll need facing the better teams. 

Hope Southgate can bury whatever the problem is, and really start to integrate Jack into the first 11.

42 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

 

I'm not suggesting we will by any means but just imagine if we went and broke our transfer record again now before the end of the window on one of Sarr/Edouard/Benrahma/Rachica....

I think we'd go into absolute meltdown.

Even if we don't add another player though what a summer it has been considering all the added issues in the game/world at the moment.

- We've improved in terms of recruitment staff

- Added Craig Shakespear to the coaching team

- Signed countless young players for the academy and recruited a number of additional staff for it 

- Improved all the key areas of our squad (other than LB)

- Signed Jack and Mings to new long term deals

- We even got a new website! 

I mean, it doesn't get a lot better than that does it? In just about every aspect of the club we've improved despite the considerable challenges of these times.

Meanwhile our owners are paying for it and seeking no limelight.

No guarantees of anything of course but nobody can say the club isn't really genuinely trying to drive forward.

Very much this.  The amount of good work going into the club has been amazing. 

It's also why many of us get so annoyed with lazy pundits/journalists. Obviously there is a lot to prove on the pitch, but the owners/management team should be getting a lot more outside recognition for what is happening at Villa. Especially when you see what's going on at West Ham/Fulham etc.

5 minutes ago, Greenfly said:

Along with Arsenal fans crying over Martinez, Forest fans losing their minds over Cash and Brentford fans missing Watkins, I'd say we've had a successful window.

Welcome Ross,

Great window, great signing, this is the one that will make people sit up and take notice of what's been happening here. 

Improving our weak areas with quality players both in terms of stats and personality.

Villa are coming!

Wonder how much getting an England call up this week has an influence on what he wants to do?  If he still can't get in and someone like Foden gets in ahead of him, does that make Jack think again?

12 minutes ago, It's Your Round said:

Michael Emanalo would be a real coup, he transformed Chelsea’s strategy and developed their youth academy. He’s appeared in a few articles recently discussing discrimination in football. I’m sure I recall Purslow talking about the lack of BAME representation at board level in the sport, or have I imagined that? Wonder if Emanalo was already on his mind at that point?

The interview is up on the Guardian. Very good read. I think getting him in could be the last piece of the puzzle in us taking major steps forward.

Is it possible this could all already be done? There's been a few youth development hires recently as well.

Lets try to get the players out who don't contribute anything first like Lansbury and Hogan. That must be about 60-70k a week in wages right there. 

Use that money for talented young players that can phase the rest (Taylor, Nyland, Jota etc) out over the next few windows.

Going to much more of a squad game now, can't see anyone that signed last year leaving unless a good offer comes in.

Obviously easier said than done, but I want to see players coming in that can consistently perform week in, week out. I know there's been a break but I can't remember the last time El Ghazi actually did something meaningful given how excited we were to get him signed at the start of the season. I think with someone like Deulofeu we'd be getting the same thing, one decent performance every 4 weeks.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jul/19/michael-emenalo-the-narrative-that-white-is-good-has-to-change

Quote

The former Nigeria international helped steer Chelsea to great success but despite his pioneering efforts there remains a glaring absence of black directors of football in the Premier League

Michael Emenalo - a big part of the successful players that have come through at Chelsea. Ready to get back into football. Seems like a no brainer to replace Suso if he's willing to potentially work in the championship for a while.

1 minute ago, sne said:

Fix the supply chain and even the attackers we have might score some goals.

This. As poor as Davis and Samatta have been. The service they get has been awful. We look clueless when we get Into final 1/3 of the pitch.

 Some players that can cross the ball well on a consistent basis would be a great start.

7 minutes ago, MadridVilla said:

Yep, this is about as neat a summary of this season as possible.

I see it as a collection of major issues which contributed to the almost-certain relegation this season:

1. The squad was at the end of its cycle and needed a large overhaul

Whether we had been promoted or not I think the squad would have seen a pretty large change anyway - players like Whelan, Adomah, Abraham, Tuanzebe and so many others who were released or not loaned back would have needed to be replaced anyway. I think the squad management had been poor under Xia and Bruce which had left us in the position where we needed to replace much of the squad in one summer - it just happened that we needed even more to replace those only at a Championship level - we had to sign new players for virtually every position. Coming off a short offseason as well it left us with the most to do in the shortest time, which left us at a disadvantage. However, I don't think we can just accept it was the wrong time to come up.

2. The recruitment, board and management were at loggerheads due to FFP pressure

It's fairly well publicised that Smith wanted players like Maupay, Phillips and Benrahma and I'm sure there were other players on the shortlist who weren't signed against the wishes of Smith. I think partly the number of signings needed meant that with FFP pressure we couldn't spend 20m on every single player under their strategy of getting numbers through the door. Perhaps in hindsight we could have signed less players but of better quality, but also some of the money we have spent has been a massive waste. 15m on Targett, 22m on Wesley and 9m on Trezeguet stand out as particularly wasteful spends, compared to more shrews spends on players like Heaton and Guilbert who have represented good performances for their value.

Definitely think the influence 1 & 2 have had on this season is underestimated. Can't recall any other squad needing such major surgery. Combine that with FFP and we were at a major disadvantage before we'd even started. 

Being hopeful, I'd like to think the club is in a better state wherever we end up. Most of the high wages are gone, any player that leaves we'll actually get some money for (12 players going out the door for pittance didn't help much with no.2).

Much better platform to build on next season. We just need the right people to do it.

Awful from top to bottom, so many questions need to be asked. I feel sorry for Smith as it seems between Suso getting in players he didn't want and Terry waiting for him to fail, he's managing with a hand tied behind his back.  The problem is he's not helping himself as we don't seem to have improved anywhere across the pitch. 

Where are the ideas? the creativity? a plan to deal with whoever is in front of us? And if we don't have those where is the fight? We're staring relegation in the face, but we have a very good chance of getting out of it, yet no one seems bothered. So so frustrating, that surely lies with Smith.

Ultimately, FFP and the decisions/signings made the last few seasons have screwed us over. We'll have a better foundation to work from next season whichever league we're in. The way this run in is going, I'm not sure if Smith is right person to take us forward. 

Whatever happens, (hopefully a win) let's hope we get through the game without any injuries. We have another 11 finals after this one.

UTV!

2 hours ago, MikeMcKenna said:

Be very happy when this chancer disappears from the Villa scene and this thread is OT

This, though I think he did a few things well. It's time the club moved on from this now so we can concentrate fully on the league. Hopefully all the companies house activity means NSWE are preparing to buy out the last of what Xia owns.

Think De Laet would have been decent for us had he stayed fit, we then went on to sign 20 other right backs. Hopefully we can get a fee for Bree. 

Can't complain at the rest and wish them the best as they all played a part (bar Richards) in getting us back. 

Very refreshing to see us getting this all done quickly as well.