Johnnyp

Jedinak would be a good addition. Never gets bossed in midfield. His passing comes in for criticism but ive seen worse. His positional play and anticipation of where the ball is going is also vastly underrated.

No need to over react just yet. Again, we were relegated from the premier league, one of the worst, pathetic relegations ever and we still have some of those players remaining. Every time though on these pages after every game we keep giving out about the lack of effort etc from Richards, Hutton, Bacuna but what's blatantly obvious besides that is just how poor these guys are on a technical level. They do the basics so badly. How did we let this go on for so long. 

Lot of unofficial villa twitter feeds gathering serious pace in the last hour saying Morrison medical on thursday, signing by Friday at the earliest. How credible they are, I dunno.

I'd like Morrison at villa. Yes we are potentially getting the baggage that goes with him but he has tremendous footballing ability, create something out of nothing.. Haven't had a midfielder like that in a long long while.

5 minutes ago, NurembergVillan said:

 

Jedinak committed his future to palace today. So maybe it is Morrison then.

His latest tweet says we are very close to signing another midfielder. Should be in before Saturday. Unless villa have been keeping it very quiet, it's gonna be Jedinak or Morrison.

3 minutes ago, VillaCas said:

No thats not what I said at all

Ok you said he would not look out of place. Alan Hutton makes dreadful decisions on the ball. He makes them. His passing is poor, his positional sense poor, his delivery which btw he would still be expected to do as all FB'S get forward is shocking. He won't get better. I just fail to understand how having someone "better" in front of him makes Hutton more clever upstairs. Wouldn't it be a better idea to get a more competent RB to go compliment a natural, gifted bags of potential to improve and already at a good level, Andre Green.

8 minutes ago, VillaCas said:

We can agree to disagree because I don't think we are "fine" at RM.  Green might well be good enough but he is 18 and I'd prefer to ease him into the side rather than expect him to be the main man from the off. I would like us to look for a more experienced player for the position, even if it is only a loan for this season

Whether you 'like' the term holding midfielder it is one that is used across football and it is exactly what you describe - someone who can tackle, anticipate and break up play. It is an area that we are not well served. Whether whoever we recruit for that role is also technically "very, very good" and able to get forward remains to be seen. I would be happy with someone who really controls the area in front of the back four and looks to move the ball forward when he can. Jedinak would be ideal

I understand the calmour for a replacement for Hutton but I think he would not look so out of place with someone decent in front of him

So having someone not good enough in front of him is justification for Hutton playing poorly up to now. Poor logic really. 

5 minutes ago, VillaCas said:

Yes of course we need creativity but defensive/pressing attributes are just as important. To be honest, I dont agree that have no problem getting the ball, I think we struggle both getting and then doing something with the ball. Part of the problem is that when we 'get' the ball it is not in the dangerous transition zones it is along the back four or in deep midfield. We don't win anything like enough ball in the middle of the pitch and the final third 

I'm not against Morrison per se (although clearly he would be a very high risk player coming into a very unsettled set-up) but he is not the answer to our prayers. All recruiting Morrison would do would add another option on top of Grealish, Ayew and Traore, with four players vieing for one position instead of the current three.

To reiterate my priorities are a right-sided midfielder who offers something at both ends of the pitch and a dominant holding midfielder. Are you of the opinion that Morrison would be a more essential recruit than those?

I think we are fine at RM. Andre Green will be good enough. IMO he is our most talented in that position, i include traore. We can't get bogged down by how young he is. The other crowd put demari gray in. Good enough, old enough. Green is plenty good enough. I don't like the term holding midfielder to be honest. Too vague. Someone who can tackle, anticipate and break up play, technically very very good and not just sit for the sake of it, get forward when the opportunity arises. No good just holding if you can't do all the above. Then you'd have a luxury player. If we could bring Jedinak and Morrison in I'd be happy with it and a replacement for Hutton.

1 hour ago, VillaCas said:

 

Whilst strengthening defence would be useful, for me it's not a key priority - Hutton, Richards, Elphick, Okore, Baker, Amavi, Bennett, Cissoko, Lyden, Toner, Calder, Bacuna as a group are as good/better than any team in the Championship and should really have enough to see us through the season. It's very likely that we may bring McNair in too, to add even further depth

We also have a set of forwards available as good as any championship team McCormack, Ayew, Gestede and Kozak are as good as any team has got and the addition of say Hernandez would give us real depth.

Our real problems are in midfield - on the face of it already we have sufficient numbers and despite of the many criticisms sufficient quality.  Whilst not world-beaters by any means Westwood and Gardner are easily championship-class and Veretout (if he stays), Ayew, Grealish and Traore should really look a class above   Add in Green, Bacuna, Tschibola and maybe Richards and Bennett and again we have quality and depth BUT my huge worry is that we do not have the correct mix.

Ayew, Traore and Grealish don't work enough without the ball and so for me we can only play max one of them in MF at any one time. I'm not sure that the addition of say Morrison really helps this situation - for me we are adding yet another luxury player who won't do a job without the ball.

My priorities would be

1. A right-sided midfielder who offers something at both ends of the pitch....someone like Bacuna only good (this would make Hutton look lots better)

2. A dominant holding midfielder - Jedinak would be ideal

Another forward (Hernandez) and a CB (McNair) would be nice but not essential

This would still leave us a problem on the left with Amavi and Ayew/Grealish good going forward and weak defensively. Personally if neither can be persuaded to put a shift in then I'd try Amavi in front of Cissoko/Bennett

 

 

See here is the thing. You say Morrison won't do enough without the ball. Well for 5 years now we haven't been able to do anything with the ball. We can get ball. We aren't good enough on it. 

I hope if Green starts tomorrow night and plays well that he is given a start on Saturday. Bacuna, ive seen enough. Not for me.

32 minutes ago, useless said:

As it stands he's still our best midfielder (Veretout potentially better, but looks to be moving on). And he looks a better player with better players around him, because his main asset is his passing and retaining possession, i.e he needs good players to pass to, players on his wavelength. In a team who play possession football he'd be a lot more affective.

I don't get this. Possession retention is totally subjective. If you get the ball off your defender whilst facing him, don't turn around to see what's on and play a first time ball back to said defender despite being in space yourself then yes this is retaining possession. It's stat friendly.  It's also utterly useless. It's a cop out. It's cowardly. Talented midfielders can play it simple - when needs be, if it's not on. But have the bravery to look up and make a forward pass. I wouldn't of called the Reading team that went with sidewall, Doyle, and long a possession team, still technically adept.. but they were absolutely ruthless. Hungry to win games, score goals. I'd take a bit of that right now.

Would give me great pleasure if you refreshed this quote on Saturday at around 5 but i have a feeling we are going to make the Rotherham game much tougher than it ought to be.

We need to sort out our midfield. It's blatantly obvious. We won't make a dent in this league if we stick with what we have. Jedinak and Morrison would be a statement of intent. I'm not fussed about Hernandez, that's not the problem for us. I think we are well equipped to score goals. I just think we get overrun in midfield and dominated far too easily. No intelligence on the ball.

1 hour ago, bobzy said:

Made the most tackles and had the most shots of anyone on our team - "does nothing".

Standard Westwood bashing for the hell of it.

Haters gonna hate. 

Seriously piss off. We don't bash him for the sake of it, i take no pleasure in slating anyone in a villa shirt but i     also trust what my eyes see and i see a player who is woefully out of his depth. He offers nothing. Safe    nothing stat friendly passes is. Can't tackle. Directs traffic during a game of football. We will get utterly dominated in midfield this season if we stick with this charlatan. Ashley you seem like a lovely fella, the kind of lad someone would enjoy a pint with but you ain't what we need in our team anymore.

I kid you not when i see id of kept young easah suliman at the club and started him at right full over this lad. Only 18 but more tactical and technical nous than Hutton even at RB.  Oh jeez bring in de laet even!  

Good with the ball. Quite listless without it 

My thoughts on the game, first half we weren't at it. Second was much improved. Midfield throughout was absent and it's worryingly going forward. No bravery on the ball from either Westwood or Gardner. Both full backs are weak, known this for some time. I personally don't see the need or point of buying Abel Hernandez. McCormack and Ayew will score goals, plenty of them. Centre midfield needs serious quality. I'd even toy with the idea of starting grealish there against Luton. Something different. 

15 minutes ago, ender4 said:

Love it.

Has he flown into the UK specifically for this game then?

Thats gonna be some air-miles if he's going to fly from China to the UK each time he comes to see a game (depending on how many games he comes to see)

He talked about buying a house in Birmingham once the takeover was ratified. He probably thought if witton is like the rest of Birmingham I'd sooner commute from China.

I think tomorrow is as tough an opener as we could of got. They are at home. They have only ever got better under carvahal. Lost nobody, added pudil, abdi and fletcher. I'd love us to go out there and just **** boss them, be a real statement. Wednesday could go the other way too, how many times have you seen beaten play off finalists have a hangover the following season. Also, let's not see this place descend into anarchy tomorrow evening should we be beaten. Perspective. We were relegated with a woeful showing last year. Assembling a new team. Takes time but we are doing the right things i feel. 

Let him off the leash on sunday, he'd cause Wednesday no end of problem down the right. Real end product to his game, creates chances on the ball. If he's good enough, he's old enough.

Can't knock the man. He's spending decent coin for a championship club and he's not finished yet he says, Even though most of our squad last year was crap, it's clear we do not need to sell if we do not want to. Clark and Gana he could do sweet f all about. He's clearly not a fan of clauses either judging by his tweets :-)

Morrison is some **** tease. Not only did he follow villa on Twitter a few days back he's now following Gollini :-/ we are either very close or he's just having a bit of fun with us all.