Michael118

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/624006/Chelsea-Adama-Traore-Middlesbrough-Antonio-Conte-Eden-Hazard-Costa-rumours-gossip-news

Can you 'cherry pick' similar facts and statistics for Illori, Steer, Crespo and an overweight Gabby?

Actually, 'team A' has 30 goals between them and if you exclude Terry, 'team B' has 21 goals. Kozak's Premier League scoring record is 0.34 goals per game, which is more than double that of any player from 'team B'.

Have Illori, Steer, Crespo or Gabby been named man of the match for Middlesbrough in 4 of their last 7 appearances? Did any of them debut for Barcelona as a 17 year old or were they wanted by Chelsea for £20m last season? Do any of them have a scoring record of 0.48 goals per game in the Premier League, Serie A & Europa League combined? Have any of them just been named French internationals? Did any of them finish 3rd in the Premier League for average assists per game in 2014/15? Did any of them turn down Chelsea to sign for us in 2013? Were any of them leading La Liga for average assists per game half way through last season?

How is it a 'litany of excuses'? Whichever way you look at it, those 6 players played a combined total of 6217 mins, which on average is 11.5 games each. Take 6 of the best 11 out of any team for 70% of a season and see where they end up.

Yeah, well Kozak got injured in the West Brom game and we managed only 1 win from the next 15 and it was 1 win from the first 20 before he was introduced.

Our biggest issue was scoring and creating. The only 3 games with Kozak and Gil involved and 7/11 of 'team A', resulted in a win against Crystal Palace, a draw against Leicester (which would have been a win if Kozak was awarded a penalty which he deserved) and a draw against West Brom. 1 win, 2 draws, 0 losses.

6 of Team A's starting 11 in 2015/16... Libor Kozak - 1W 2D 1L (The loss came against Sunderland when he came on after 76 mins with us down 2-1). Jores Okore - 2W 5D 5L (3 of those losses were against Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham). Carles Gil - Played 90 mins in just 6 games for a record of 2W 1D 3L (2 of those losses were against Chelsea away & Liverpool away). Leandro Bacuna - One of only 3 players who featured for 90 mins in all our wins, the others being Gueye and Westwood. His record that season was 3W 5D 14L but 5 of those losses were against Manchester United x2, Arsenal x2 and Tottenham away. Jordan Amavi - Played only 10 games for 1W 2D 7L but 4 of those losses were against Man City, Man Utd, Chesea & Liverpool. Adama Traore - Played only 184 mins, the equivalent of 2 games. The Managers... Sam Allardyce - Took over at Sunderland when they were without a win in their first 8 games and kept them up with a record of 9W (30%) 9D (30%) 12L (40%). The following season they were relegated under Moyes with a record of 6W (15%) 6D (15%) 26L (68%) and are currently in the Championshp relegation zone. Tony Pulis - His record at West Brom from 2015/16 to when he was sacked is 25W (27%) 30D (32%) 37L (40%). Since he left it's 2W (13%) 7D (43%) 7L (43%). Steve Bruce - Hasn't managed in the Premier League since relegating Hull City in 2014/15.

https://www.tipsbladet.dk/nyhed/superliga/okore-droemmer-om-retur-til-england

Okore suffered an injury in August which kept him out of AaB's squad for 2 games and on the bench for 2 of the first 3 games when he returned. If you exclude those matches and his first match for them where he played 75 mins, he's played every minute of every game for AaB this season, incuding captaining them for 3 games during October after he returned.

That 3 man midfield all have experience as central defensive midfielders, one of which is currently one of the best CDM's in the Premier League. Traore and Gil can play at RW & LW if necessary. It's about recognizing players with quality, playing them in a role which they are most suited to and employing a decent manager who will keep them on their toes. The basics which we were never even got half right in 2015/16.

Yeah, well that was my argument from the beginning. No way we would we have come close to getting relegated if we started and stuck with 'Team A' from the beginning of 2015/16.

I disagree that he looked terrible. The whole team went 'off the boil'... If he regressed at all from the previous season, I don't think it was anything he couldn't have bounced back from. Our record with him playing that season is actually fairly decent - 2 wins, 5 draws & 5 losses. Over a whole season that's 35 points, more than twice what we ended up with.

I've slightly miscalculated... Their record is 5W (29%) 4D (23%) 8L (47%), which on average is 42 points per season. Without them, our record is 18W (18%) 20D (21%) 59L (60%), which on average is 29 points per season. If you include FA Cup games, their record goes up to 8W (38%) 5D (23%) 8L (38%). Below are the games which they were paired up together in... Premier League (2014/15) Aston Villa 1 - 1 Southampton Burnley 1 - 1 Aston Villa Crystal Palace 0 - 1 Aston Villa Aston Villa 2 - 1 Leicester West Brom 1 - 0 Aston Villa (Richardson sent off after 22 mins) Aston Villa 1 - 1 Manchester United Aston Villa 0 - 0 Crystal Palace Leicester 1 - 0 Aston Villa Aston Villa 2 - 1 Bournemouth Arsenal 5 - 0 Aston Villa Aston Villa 1 - 2 Chelsea Hull 2 - 0 Aston Villa Newcastle 1 - 0 Aston Villa Aston Villa 2 - 1 West Brom Sunderland 0 - 4 Aston Villa Aston Villa 0 - 1 Swansea Manchester United 3 - 1 Aston Villa FA Cup (2014/15) Aston Villa 1 - 0 Blackpool Aston Villa 2 - 1 Bournemouth Aston Villa 2 - 0 West Brom FA Cup (2015/16) Wycombe 1 - 1 Aston Villa

Aston Villa with Clark and Okore at CB (2013-16) 6W (31%), 4D (21%), 9L (47%) Average points per season: 44 Aston Villa without Clark and Okore at CB (2013-16) 17W (17%), 20D (21%), 58L (61%) Average points per season: 26

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/libor-kozak-remi-garde-explains-10543969

He scored twice for us in pre season in 2015/16, then spent the first 20 games of the regular season with the U21's, while we sat glued to the bottom of the table, desperate for goals and and headed for relegation. He was barely given a look in by RDM and never even made the bench under Steve Bruce despite being fit to play until mid February last season. https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/aston-villa-transfer-update-striker-12262239 Bruce says he only just got himself fit, but he scored a hat trick for the U23's on Aug 29 (a month and a half before Bruce was appointed). He featured for the U23's again on Sep 19 for 87 mins and on Nov 21 & 26 for 90 & 82 mins.

Guzan was fine for us in goal until he started losing confidence, then Sherwood replaced him with Given which completely destroyed him. Clark & Okore proved to be more than solid enough when they were partnered together. On the other hand, Terry is on his last legs and Chester is average at best at Premier League level. The point is, everyone keeps saying how poor these players are yet under the right manager they were more than capable of at least Premier League survival. Sam Allardyce and Tony Pulis were both managers I wanted us to appoint when we went for Tim Sherwood & Remi Garde and both were realistic targets. The second team is our current team and basically the players we replaced them with. While they're doing decently at the moment, the common perception is that the squad is better off which I don't go along with at all.

THIS TOPIC HAS BEEN CREATED FROM A SERIES OF POSTS IN THE LIBOR KOZAK THREAD - NV One thing I can say with near certainty is over a full season in the Premier League, Team A survives (as a minimum) and wipes the floor with Team B which more than likely gets relegated. (a) Guzan Hutton Okore Clark Amavi/Cissokho Bacuna Gueye Westwood Traore Gil Kozak Manager: Sam Allardyce or Tony Pulis (b) Johnstone Elmo Chester Terry Taylor Bjarnason Hourihane Snodgrass Grealish Adomah Hogan Manager: Steve Bruce

With a record of 0.47 goals per game in the Premier League, Serie A, Serie B & Europa League combined why wasn't he given more of an opportunity?

Scored the winner for FC Bari against top of the table Frosinone in Serie B. It was his first match for them where he's played close to 90 mins and the win puts them back in the mix for a chance of promotion to Serie A. http://www.ilikepuglia.it/notizie/sport/bari/10/02/2018/bari-frosinone-1-0-i-biancorossi-battono-la-capolista-con-un-colpo-di-testa-di-kozak.html

He gets in my team easily. I think needs a top manager who can get him firing consistently, a bit like what's happening with Traore now under Pulis.

He's been rated a 7/10 for his season so far which was the 2nd highest rating given out to any of their players. He also won their player of the month for October and has been in the running for it a few other months IIRC. https://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/reading-fc-player-ratings-first-14076100

@Stevo985 An article from earlier in the season... Definitely sounds like a player who is "absolutely toilet". http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/11/01/reading-fans-react-to-leandro-bacunas-latest-display-aston-villa/