Paulie

Chukwuemeka is something else

The links are too constant - he’ll be leaving Norwich.  Imagine they will want to get it done early in the window so they have time to reinvest the funds.

Would be a big statement of intent to beat out Arsenal, et al for his signature.  Would give us statistically one of the most threatening attacks in the prem.

1 hour ago, paul514 said:

Don’t get carried away until he’s starting games fairly regularly, we already knew he was a top of the tree prospect.

As a note of caution if we buy too many players in the positions of the youngster who we think will make it there won’t be room for them to play.

The best clubs in the league have the squad depth to rotate.  If we are to ever make Europe consistently we really need two full XI of top flight quality players.  It’s good that we have a wave of talented youth coming in, it should speed up that process.

No surprise he’s also a top shelf defensive option in the RB slot.  A nightmare for attackers to try to dribble around.

Jack’s movement at the 10 compared to what we’ve had the last months, it’s like watching an entirely different sport.  Takes all the pressure off our backline/McGinn/Nakamba due to his first touch.  They can pass the ball to him in positions that we just couldn’t do with Barkley/Ramsey.  It opens up everything and gives McGinn space to distribute via the long ball or dribble into space.

2 hours ago, thunderball said:

Contracts have no bearing on loyalty - he had an offer of doubling his money, a signing on fee and 5 years security, he'd be a fool not to? If he wants to leave whilst the club would try and persuade him otherwise the club would let him go, he owes us very little in fairness.

I say this without any embarrassment: he is one of the best players in the world at the moment, he deserves to play at the highest level in all competitions and he turns 26 this year, he is at prime value for selling himself, if we cant deliver what he craves, then this summer or next summer is when you move. His agent will be in his ear constantly and coupled with his desire to fulfil himself professionally he would be forgiven looking for a move to one of the biggest clubs.

I desperately want him to stay, its crucial to our fast tracking to champions league and beyond.

Maybe, just maybe, Jack’s ambitions are different than what the public tries to claim they are or claim they should be?

Maybe making Europe with Villa, finishing top 4, winning silverware just once as captain here means more to him than playing champions league in another kit ever would?

Turned his back away from the block that should have prevented the second goal.  Let us down today.

7 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

Abraham not even on the bench today for Chelski.

Is he injured or just out of favour??

Out of favor... I just have a gut feeling he’s coming.

4 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

Next season we need to be challenging for the European spots.

Not saying i expect us to finish in the top 6 but we should be challenging.

Yep.  Assuming investment and we stay relatively healthy, I’d think we’d all be happy with 55-60 points.  Anything above that is a legitimate challenger for top 4, anything below that is a similar season to this.  
 

bringing in another creative distributor to take that pressure off jack is so important.

He’d be an incredible super sub option.  Needs to be rotated, he may have the endurance to go a full 90 but he isn’t in good enough shape to do it at this level, he loses the extra gear around the 65 minute mark.  Hat tip to him he keeps huffing and puffing around and that’s enough in the championship, but against top half sides he drops off the pace.  Would be good for him to get with whoever is training Targett. Maybe lay off the cheps.

It’s hard to not get excited about what Dean could do with our lineup if we brought in a CDM like Bissouma, a creative RW/10 like Buendia, and another finisher like Tammy.

Tons of interesting 4-3-3 or 4-2-2-2 configurations that we could roll out.  Imagine what Tammy/Ollie could do with Jack and Buendia serving up chances on a platter.  

Jim Beglin called him Ollie The Worker during the broadcast, and there really isn’t a better way to describe him.  Could make a great song out of that nickname 

Ironic that even in the midst of this rough run of form without our 100m pound forward and captain, Smith still has us set up in a way where we are performing in a style producing mid table expected points.

6 minutes ago, thabucks said:

I’m not sure why some cannot accept that others may have doubts & questions regarding Smith’s position? Let’s not fracture the fans again. I have my views on Smith . I accept that others hold views differently to mine. I don’t feel the need to call others out for this . 

I don’t think asking posters to justify a negative stance is calling people out.  
 

All I see in this thread from negative posters is a disassociation from reality.

Just now, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

Mate, surely we don't need to go into the many reasons why Klopp has a few billion credit in the bank at Liverpool?

If Klopp went to Liverpool when they were mid table in the championship, brought them back up to the premier league in half a season, then kept them up the next, and then had them mid table the year after without Salah for a quarter of the season would they be calling for his head?

Just now, AndyM3000 said:

Same people that probably defended Bruce right until the death when he was shite for the best part of a year. They want 4-4-2, back the 1990s when that formation was last used. Hoof it to the big man, none of this passing lark.

Not sure what people expect here, we were in the Championship 2 seasons ago and people are calling for him to be sacked because our European charge has ended without our best player available. Insane.

Pretty much nailed on

VillaTalk has lost the plot.

anyone complaining about our performance this match... tactics were spot on.  

The amount of panic and hyperbole in this thread is disgraceful

2 minutes ago, The Fun Factory said:

Even Fergie has spoken against it and he is Mr Manchester United. Is this a bluff?

I don’t think the Glazers give a single shit about what Fergie thinks 

1 minute ago, MaVilla said:

if we buy Barkley i would lose faith in our recruitment team and anyone who decided it would be a good idea.....

 

No data driven org, which we are now, would ever purchase this version of Ross Barkley 

I think our priority should be strengthening our depth in the defensive area of the park.  LB, RB, one CB.  Replacing Taylor elmo and Engels.

I think we are fine in the middle of the park with Luiz, McGinn, Samson, Nakamba, Ramsey all offering something different, and Jack can cover there as well... plus with carney on the way. 
 

I think we splurge again up top, and based on how Dean has us set up I see it being a hybrid forward type, similar to Ollie and Bert... one that can interchange between the front three positions.

1 progressive pass out of 48 passes from your #10 absolutely kills you.

18 minutes ago, Farlz said:

 

I'd say it's extremely unlikely that he's dropped against Leeds.

This comes off as Dean being sensitive to his players psyche more than anything else.