VillanousOne

25 minutes ago, It's Your Round said:

Sad news for JJ and for us. The positive is that we’ve done pretty well without him already, so let’s hope that continues. We are light though and really could have done with him back fit. Let’s hope it’s not too long.

few kebabs, sorted

25 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

so whats with him this time?

didnt he come back and go off again before?, so he has been injured, come back for 1-2 games, off again, back again, then off again?

he's got Men's Rea
 

5 minutes ago, Tom13 said:

I just searched his name on Twitter. There are currently two tweets saying he's out tomorrow. No idea how credible:

 

its on the official site that he's out injured

Ramsey is out also, Traore has zero match fitness so be odd for him to start.

16 minutes ago, Robbie09 said:

From what Unai has just been saying it’s not likely both Moussa or Kamara will be fit to play against the dog heads.

it's looking 50/50 but there is only a 30% chance of that

28 minutes ago, MrBlack said:

Assuming the sales figures are bad, the club can use the poor shirt sales figures for a number of things. And financially, it won't impact them at all as we have a fixed income from Fanatics for our shirt sales.

They can blame castore for producing a below par kit, and escape the contract with them.

They can use it to justify a revision of the badge and the brand.

They can use it in negotiations with our next shirt manufacturer to say " look,  if we get it right, and have a new badge, there's thousands more fans than normal waiting to buy a shirt because they'll want the first outing of our "forever" badge, on a shirt that isn't shit"

Yes, these were all f%#k ups to begin with, but they can spin it fairly positively from here. 

It can def be rectified, just trying to answer why the commercial benefit was obviously ballsed up.

18 minutes ago, villanmac said:

Additionally, the Club has not seen the anticipated commercial impact of the new crest design, and therefore is taking the opportunity to gather further feedback from fans in the form of a survey that will be issued today.

What do they expect? Its a badge on a shirt lads. 

I think telling your fans the new badge isn't going to stay before the new shirt has even gone on sale is a pretty dumb move.

Not to mention that a lot of fans don't like the shirt designs at all, add in sweatgate as another bullet in castore's direction (all be it not affecting replica shirts).

and it's an absolute balls up all round

I can't remember a signing especially from a overseas league who has come in and had such a huge impact so quickly and I agree he has another level in him.

6 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

McGinn on BBC, on Ollie:

On Ollie Watkins' performance: "I'm delighted for him. The England manager was there, so that will cheer him up. He works really hard for the team which sometimes goes unnoticed. Today was the complete performance."

 

Gaweth was prob there to see Brighton players...I did love one of the commentators stating that he was 'back at Villa Park where the fans love him there'....

But yeah hopefully this shuts up the endless moaning that Watkins isn't good enough, until he stops scoring and the same people crawl out of the woodwork gnashing their teeth

stupid defending with that goal

Just now, It's Your Round said:

See I think Zaniolo has provided a lot of threat down the left. He had a rough first 15 mins but has been a good outlet with his size. I think he just needs a goal and he can really push on. 

he is so physical, like a machine, just needs a bit of luck and composure

Tim and JR in the training photos, wonder if they will be on the bench?

Couldn't see Donk

On 28/09/2023 at 00:29, useless said:

All academy players this season with a few exceptions, Triston Rowe, Broggio, Omari Kellyman and Fortes, have been playing within their age group, even the ones that were playing an group or two up last season, so it's not just Wilson, I think it's just a policy to start the season that way and as we go on and get closer to Christmas we will probably start seeing the likes of Wilson, Lynch, Jimoh, and so on move up to the 21s, and likes of Haywood, Lynskey and Burgess and other U16s go back up to the 18s, as season goes on will probably even see some U15s playing for the U18s as some of them already have been doing in behind closed door games, I think playing players an age up if good enough is still very much a policy.

Worth remembering that Wilson has actually played quite a bit of U21 football for his age and has done well too, four goals and an assist in seven appearances last season when he was still only seventeen and a first year scholar, so it's not as if he hasn't been given a chance at that level or that he hasn't done well at that level, the club knows he's capable, and most of our better players are with the 18s at the moment, so it's not as if he's playing in a poor team.

On his playing style, he's not going to dribble the ball past a load of players but he's technically very good, more than just a goal poacher, scores all types of goals and is dangerous anywhere in and around the penalty box, he's also pretty good at holding the ball up as well, rarely loses it despite him being quite frail, him being relatively frail might be another reason why we're managing his game time between the 18s and 21s.

frail?

11 minutes ago, duke313 said:

The team basically picks itself with the injuries we have at the minute.

Martinez
Cash Konsa Pau Digne
McGinn Luiz Kamara Zaniolo
Diaby Watkins

The options off the bench now are pretty dire

6 minutes ago, TRO said:

We have one of the best managers....I'm being told we have a strong squad.....we need to go out and show we believe it.

De Zerbi finished last season, one point above us and having conceded more goals.... we never got going until Unai arrived, after 14 games, but De Zerbi became the darling of the press, fine.

We should take solace from that, and go out and B e l i e v e a bit more.....They should be the nervy ones, not us.....but only WE can change that.

Best manager  - check
Good starting eleven - check
Good squad - not even close - 50% of our fringe players have tanked and 50% are injured

Chambers, Lenglet, Olsen, Tielemans, Dendoncker (but mainly ring rust/lack of fitness), are dreadful stand ins.

Bailey, Torres & Duran need the A Team round them to help them look decent.

Missing Moreno, Mings, Carlos, J Ramsey, Buendia is really hurting us.

Not sure we need Phil, but letting A Ramsey go was dumb and possibly Archer also.

The other issue is Emery for all his genius does not know how to get the best out of the squad presently, although it is more that they are letting him down and him showing too much faith.

2 hours ago, Zhan_Zhuang said:

In their build-up Sky mentioned Villa having a mixed start to the PL season and in contrast Brighton having an EXCEPTIONAL start...

It's a little weird considering only three points separate the teams.

Still find it really weird how Villa are represented in the media; almost downtrodden, unfashionable...I think sixth in the PL is pretty good considering those injuries.

It's aggravating as hell, even with a class manager and European qualification we are still treated as 'the other club who unfortunately turned up on match day' in 80% of all coverage home and abroad.

I don't fancy us against Brighton at all, we have to come out of the blocks firing.

Buendia, Moreno and Ramsey missing does take away a lot of team intensity, need captain ass to step up.

6 minutes ago, Mic09 said:

First of all, I want to keep Watkins. I think he does the job very well.

But I don't agree with "who could we sign that will be better" part.

I don't know what the answer is. But the answer is there. I'm sure there is a player in top 5 leagues that would fit the system and possibly improve us. Just like with Diaby, there are players out there who are very successful and reachable.

And even if not, we just signed a 19 year old Columbian player who seems to be getting there is terms of quality.

I don't know who will eventually replace Watkins. But I am sure our scouting team do. 

replace is one thing, in the future

but the insatiable expectation that there is an attainable player just lurking in the shadows, ready, wating to come in and be better than Ollie now.

Not saying there aren't players out there, it just seems to be the hardest position to recruit. Probably why a lot of teams are moving away from traditional strikers and to hybrid attacking players, like we have with Zaniolo and Diaby.

2 minutes ago, HKP90 said:

Ollie has always been a bit 'streaky'. Hopefully that's the start of a purple patch.

Any striker that isn't streaky aside from Haaaaaaland (and even he had some patches without goals last season), Son maybe?

Just not sure who we think we could sign to replace Ollie who would be better? What 'consistent' strikers there are that would sign for us.

Would love a list of all that current league strikers who score weekly and their attainability

 

Quality performance showing what we know he is capable of

definitely the best midfielder we have ever had and better than Doug? ZING! (kidding)

10 minutes ago, DJBOB said:

For me - Unai needs to ask himself a very difficult question on how he wants to play when it's not his starting XI.

The very basics is that the 3-2 block of Chambers, Konsa, Lenglet, Tielemans, and Kamara are glacially slow except for Konsa. All managers are stubborn but expecting to roll out that back 5 rest defense and then being upset that they're overran is not smart.

I feel it was just two many wrong decisions combined with players playing poorly

Swap Lenget for Pau and Kamara for Dendoncker and maybe we'd have had a better balance. Chambers rarely ever does well at right back, in midfield he is passable.


 

he can't play the role of defensive sweeper/play maker at all

1 minute ago, Dodgyknees said:

Said this in the match thread. 

thank you for agreeing with me

4 minutes ago, DJBOB said:

Tonight reminded me a lot of watching United yesterday. A midfield overrun and lacking pace+athleticism and a defense too easily undone in transition.

Cascading weak links causing multiple transition issues.

Tactically:

• Kamara/Tielemans were either too high when we lost the ball with no one screening the back 3 with absolutely shocking effort to get back after they were through
• When Kamara/Tielemans were in the correct position, Warsaw played the ball over the top and out wide - taking advantage of Digne pushed up and Chambers being awful
• Building out of the back - Warsaw pushed the ball to Chambers side and jumped on him like a pack of wolves, killing most of our progression when the game was even

Personnel:

• Chambers and Lenglet are not good 1v1 defenders in transition. This is well known. Tonight reminded me a lot of the Brentford game last year with the change that Chambers and Lenglet are major downgrades in space. Yes - there's an element of luck in 2/3 goals but they targeted Villa's weakness well and exploited it ruthlessly
• Tielemans - the complaint about him was that he wasn't physical and didn't run. Complete lack of winning duels - slow to press - slow to recover. A combination of a lack of pace/strength/desire
• McGinn - has avoided the flack but a really underwhelming game from him as well and has been rightly substituted the last few matches. Cannot get turned forward and unable to drag the team up the pitch

It reminds me of where we were 2nd season with Deano, either an attacking force or utterly all at sea and nothing in between.

I crave the occasional draw, I don't want a season of playing like Barcelona one week and a pub team the next.

wondering if the rumours about Liverpool trying to sign him were true and he's now sulking as he wanted that move.

never seen a player look so slow and disinterested