Mjvilla

2 minutes ago, OxfordVillan said:

I think there will be significant money available in January if the right player is obtainable. I don’t, however, envisage the type of quality we’d want being available this particular January window. 
We’re still at least 2-3 players short in areas that need improvement. We’ve no serious depth at CF, someone to challenge Watkins and push him to greater heights. LB remains debatable for me, I still don’t think we’ve enough athleticism there. And then there’s the RW/RF position that needs improvement, I’ve not seen too much from Traore that makes me think he’s the long term solution. So for me it’s CF, RW/RF, and LB  that are required, priority in that order. 
 

I'd agree with most of that. I would put in there though that a central midfielder would be useful. I actually agree with @TRO that we need a tough tackling, high energy DM. I think to have the option to play a different way would be ideal. Also, if Doug gets injured, I don't think and more importantly I don't think Dean thinks that nakamba is up to it. I think LB would ok till next summer in all honesty. Targett isn't a world beater but he is ok. I think DM and probably a back up CB would be of more importance.

a decent backup CB might give Mings incentive. It's perhaps abit too comfortable for him right now. 

Also, a attack minded player that could play in a number of positions. A utility attacker if you like. I don't like el ghazi at all.

1 minute ago, KenjiOgiwara said:

Definitely. But we are a work in progress. On our day we can beat anyone, but we are such a raw side. We make mistakes, we aren't switched on, we struggle on basic defending, we aren't clinical enough, and much more. But we also have a stupidly high level when we get it right. Finding that consistency needs to be a point of focus going forward.

But in terms of teams inviting us to attack, i.e. they sit deep etc. I think that more easily shows the inexperience, or maybe even naivety, in our team. 

We play exciting football and I love watching the Villa now, and it's a long time since I felt that.

This is spot on for me too. Even after losing to west ham and Brighton, it still felt ok because we played well and there's a sense of the results will come with those performances. It's better than losing and not trying to win.

On 01/12/2020 at 15:21, AVFCDAN said:

To be honest its criminal that we have spent 200 million over the last 2 seasons and we are still resorting to Hourihane in important games. He tries and does have some qualities but it just shows you how much has been wasted in assembling this team.

Or, it shows how expensive it is to assemble a squad at this level and how well Smith has done to keep us afloat and progress the manner he has.

£140m of talent started at West ham, a game in which we dominated and should've won. £20m came off the bench. £30m worth of talent injured. The rest on the bench. I'd say that this shows that recruitment has been ok. Not perfect, but better than most other teams in the last 2 years.

Some players haven't developed to where we would like. Name a side where this doesn't happen.

Any excuse to dig at the manager/recruitment when in reality, when you break it down. What you've said is incorrect.

18 hours ago, TRO said:

its like pushing water up a hill....I don't think we should bother.

This is how I feel when I question you comparing us to pre lockdown level of performance and you don't respond. I feel extremely strongly about this. I feel you are so wrong you are doing it to intimidate....

10 hours ago, striker said:

Need Trez and Gaz replaced with better quality.

Been trying to work out who gaz is?? Really struggling 

14 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

We have conceded 11 goals the last 5 games buddy. 2.2 goals goals conceded on average per game

There are valid reasons to feel concerned.

Don't worry, just ignore my whole post and quote our defensive record in 50% of our games this season. That's fine.

3 minutes ago, TRO said:

• So, are you happy with the recent results 4 defeats in the last 5 games?
• what do you think has been the turn around from such a positive start....we are now 15th in form league in the last 6 games?
• Why do you think we were so comprehensively beaten by Leeds on the back of such a fine start.?
• What do you think will change to get us back to winning ways?

Dean Smith is the only person to trust, he is the only one to get us back to winning ways.....we are just giving our opinions as spectators.....why don't you tell us yours?

 

No, but I can see a better level of performance against last season. I can see the improvements against the games we lost last season. Last season we lost and it was inevitable. Can you honestly say, when watching the west ham and Brighton game, it was inevitable we were going to lose? Right up to the end, we deserved and I thought we would get something from the game.

I think we had a poor game against Leeds, we struggled against the work rate. But still missed chances to go ahead which would've resulted in something very different. And this was the beginning of the turnaround in form. But, not performance level in my opinion.

We've had some bad luck, some wonder goals against, and some lapses in concentration defensively 100%. But to compare it to pre-lockdown is verging on the insane to me. 

Honestly, cut out the defensive lapses and we will win games. You talk of losing the midfield battle and the like... We won the midfield battle comfortably against West ham. We dominated the ball, created chances, fought hard and battled well. We still lost. 

I honestly believe a couple of defeats and a defeat when playing well will be a positive in the long run.... Someone like Mings.. I think our good run and playing for England has made him think he is better than he is. Hopefully, he will go back to basics and doing the defending right. Might just kick them up the arse a bit.

Look, my only issue with your argument at this moment and Ive had to come and post especially about this, is the comparisons to pre-lockdown. It's nothing like that. It really isn't. That's hyperbole at is most dramatic level.

12 minutes ago, TRO said:

what you do in both boxes is a part of the game.....you can't just isolate the work in the boxes and say we played well......Its like a boxer winning the rounds on points and then getting knocked down a few times, losing on a knock out and saying but I boxed well.

Its all part of the game.

We were 4 goals to the worst against Southampton, with Romeu and Ward Prowse dominating the centre of the pitch.....We conceded 2 sloppy free kicks due to our failure to cut out work from the opposition......then we failed to close down Ings, so he could score a training ground style strike......Watch to game.....you cannot stand off these players to the degree we do and expect to get anything from the game.

I agree with your reference to Leeds.....but that game has damaged our belief, we was playing with a swagger, before that.....West Ham admitted they played badly, what does that tell you.

Jack is playing like a one man team at present and the others need to step their game up.....we have too many players looking for others to bail them out.

Some teams, don't play well outfield, but just score in the box and defend well at the other end and win games.......to be a good team, you have to do it all.....to be a good team you also need variation in your players to avoid predictability.......we have just gone from the sublime to the ridiculous in the matter of weeks.....it has to stop.

None of this explains how we are insipid and back to pre-lockdown levels of performance.

That level of performance is so far removed from what is actually on the pitch then I have to question it.

31 minutes ago, villalad21 said:

We really do though.

Post lockdown we were incredibly hard to break down and massively improved on defensive set pieces.

Now every attack against us seem to go in the back of the net. We again look frail on defensive set pieces.

Instructing McGinn to mark big and powerful centre backs i understand very little of.

We are getting more points this season because we've purchased better players, but i am starting to see a lot of the issues from last season creeping back in tbh.

We won't go down this season. We have too good of a team. But i can't see us ever surpassing mid table if these issues don't get adressed.

So, you're quite happy to say we are the same as pre-lockdown and that bad. And then say this final paragraph? Pre-lockdown, we were going down. Without any question. What do you think? Smith to take a team going down to a team who's top half in 1 transfer window. This after promotion against odds, building a squad entirely, cup finals. He's achieved a hell of a lot since he came here. It's you who keeps pushing that bar higher everytime he gets there. 

'we won't go up' - go up

'we won't survive' - we survive 

'We won't get past midtable' - why don't we wait and see huh.

You've been wrong enough to know I should trust Smith above your opinion.

On 01/12/2020 at 13:40, TRO said:

They have dragged us in to relegation form 4 defeats in 5......all the good early season work has been washed away like the sands on a beach......shocking.

The only redeeming grace was the arsenal game, another team with a soft underbelly......The results are piss poor in anyones language, we have slipped back to that insipid play of pre lockdown last season.

It will all be blamed on Ross Barkley, like some kind of convenient cop out for what is truthfully many poor displays from too many of our players.....we have lost that zest to win, midtable spells comfortable.

many will point to the misses, the injustice from the officials, the stats that would hoodwink any discerning fan, that didn't see the game......The truth is the Defending illustrated the mentality running right through the team benevolent, gift worthy, lacking conviction.

some will point to the recovery after coming back from another school boy gift in the box.....yes, yet another header, like men v boys......you see them goals ,watching young kids play, when the bigger ones just out muscle the slower growers, its quite pathetic at this level and so regular in its happening in our box.....we simply can't defend aerial balls in to the box.....I read an article the other day citing corners as not so easy to score these days, saying one in 20 is likely......damn me, they are like penalties for us to defend.

That result warrants careful examination by the coaches and to quit wallowing and dining out in the YES good football we was presiding over in the early season exchanges.

This is tosh guys..... I think we would have been disappointed with a draw.

I am absolutely fuming with those goals conceded.....I wish Dean was,

 

 

That's just simply not true, is it?

Pre lockdown we were awful, never looked like getting a result. There was no work rate, no desire, we wre going down. 100% going down.

We've lost 4 out of 5 yes, we are all very frustrated. But 3 out of those 4 we could've comfortably got a result. Leeds was poor. Certainly the last 2 games could/should have resulted in 4 points minimum. We couldn't say that pre lockdown. 

If you think we are at pre lockdown level of performance right now, even with the defeats, then I'm lost as to your take on football. I can't agree with it at all.

Bright Osayi-Samuel? 

@Villan4Life what's your verdict? Seen him a couple of times, looks strong, powerful and quick with a final pass. I like the look of him.

I find it absolute lunacy that Dean Smith gets far more stick and criticism than Bruce did towards the end of his tenure from a certain few.

How is it even possible to think this way? 

Not looking good for Indiana. It's another pointer towards not throwing youngsters in that aren't ready. So often we read on this site 'isnt there someone coming through that could do better' or 'just try so and so instead'. Indiana fits into this category and yet here we are, 12 months later and he can't get a game in league 1.

Leicester -

£30m Ayoze Perez (very average player, none of the fans want him playing)

£13m Filip Benkovic (who?)

£12m rachid ghezzal (who?)

£22.5m Adrien (did he even play?)

£13.5 Vicente Iborra (who?)

£25m iheanacho - Is he a success? I wouldn't? When Vardy goes, they are still going to need to spend big on a striker.

£28m Slimani - terrible signing

£17.5m Ahmed Musa - terrible signing.

£160m in 4 years on players that have barely played, have left, not good enough. But yeah, Leicester have fantastic recruitment. 

Any other clubs other than Southampton or Leicester have such fantastic recruitment that they can spunk over £100m on players that barely play?

If we had spent this kind of money on players that completely fail last summer... We certainly wouldn't have been able to stay up. I'd say, given what we've done, that recruitment in the last couple of years has been amongst the best in the prem.

On 24/11/2020 at 18:21, villalad21 said:

The Brazil set up is perfect for Dougie.

They have Casemiro behind him to do all the dirty work which is allowing Luiz to show his flair and all his technical attributes.

We are crying out for a physically dominant midfielder. We really are.

Except the worst Brazil defensive performance in the last 3 games (only 1 of which casemiro has played), was in the game casemiro played.

Small sample size I know but dougie hasn't played many games for Brazil! 

1 hour ago, VillaChris said:

Southampton had a bad period after Koeman went. Carrillo as you mentioned. Also signed Elynoussi, Wesley Hoedt and Lemina for about 50m combined and all 3 are getting loaned out until contracts end. Also signed Angus Gunn for 15m and he's now at Stoke.

Sofiane boufal £17m - released to angers on a free a couple of years later.

Manolo gabbiadini £16m - terrible signing.

But apart from those 7 players for over £100m, fantastic recruitment.

4 minutes ago, LondonLax said:

It really depends on what your budget is. 

Yes, of course. Added to original post.

Wondering if there's anyone here who knows a bit about bikes? 

We have a really good cycle to work scheme with my work and I'm considering doing it. 

I have no idea what I need to be looking at buying though. I want a bike that I can use on the road but also take off for picnics with the kids and stuff. I've looked at hybrids but just wondering what everyone's opinions on hybrids were? They sound ideal for what I need. 

Somewhere between £700 and £1000 is what I'd be looking to spend.

I wonder if Southampton fans have  spent the last evening bickering amongst themselves as to why they've given up the most amount of points from winning positions for the last couple of years considering their league position against where it was last year. Or if they just appreciate the journey they are on under the manager.

And, also, when you consider that stat. And the fact we almost pegged them back and only started playing when they allowed us too (apparently) , wether there is something a bit deeper there in the mentality. Are they calling all this into question and questioning the manager (they're not, for clarification). 

Hassenhuttl deserves some credit and some slack, as does Smith. Hassenhuttl and saints have been praised to high heaven on here... Smith is picked apart every time we don't win. We are 3 points behind them with a game in hand.

45 minutes ago, paul514 said:

Oh come on you must have seen the same calls I did in the summer it was a never ending precession of strikers we needed.. You are being way too harsh on him.

Really? We were linked to many strikers, not all were wanted and there certainly wasn't calls to sign them all. That's just hyperbole. You can't blame the medias links on the club or fans?

The only time there were calls to sign an extra one, I guess, would be rashica. To add strength to the attack line. I'd still argue to high heaven we need that now. I would also agree that depth is needed in the back line to faze out hause and Taylor for starters. But, we are a work in progress clearly. 

It's not really any of this that is the issue, it's the comment about wanting 10 Grealishs when if anyone makes a similar comment toward the other way. It's jumped on. 

Burnley taking a lead against palace with some amateurish defending. These players should surely know better, hundreds of premier league appearances between them!

On 21/11/2020 at 23:23, WooJung said:

Let's be fair though, Konsa deserves as much stick for the first goal. What in earth was he doing there, so far up the pitch and so far to the left? 

Why do we have three players within 2 square meters all going for the ball? 

Shambolic defending, absolutely disgusting. Mings deserves his portion of blame, but he surely isn't alone. 

Looks to me like Konsa has maupay who is laying the ball back. He can't leave maupay to go into that area and have Mings up against both strikers. He has to follow. Welbeck, who scores the goal, is Mings man clearly behind him there. Mings should sense the danger and drop in deeper 5 yards to cover any run his man makes. If he had done that, it's not an option to play the through ball. And there would be no danger.

43 minutes ago, TRO said:

they lost 19 games  and gained 41 points the year before they won the league 2015/16.....I think thats a fair illustration of a huge turn around.

I accept these things take time and depending on the skill and nous of the recruitment, dictates primarily how quick you can do it......but when we play games like Brighton with school boy errors, we drift in to topics like, how far we have come and how quick we have done it.

for me the things are entirely different.....IMO those players should know better....even now.

8 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

Leicester was a once in a lifetime occurrence. Hardly a yardstick.

Not just that @Keyblade, but Leicester didn't have to come up and buy a whole new squad because of so much previous Mis management. We had 2/3 players worthy of a shirt in a premier league side. 

Leicester, the season they came up, added 3/4 players to the already decent squad they had. Then added a couple more. Recruitment was obviously very good. Mahrez, Kante stand out.

Our recruitment, now the players have had time to settle and develop, looks ok. One or two excellent signings with players still developing and increasing in value too.

The variables are so different between us and what Leicester did, that it's impossible to compare the 2 instances. I'm not surprised by it though, Dean can't do right for some. He has the wolves waiting after every single defeat. Did Bruce have the same? I think I've proved the answer to that before.

3 hours ago, TRO said:

I have a worry Paul that we as a collective force only have eyes for offensive players.

I get the notion, it takes time to build a squad, but I don't get the feeling enough acknowledgement is there, for us to defend better or more consistently..... we would have 10 Jack Grealishs, if it was left to some.

This is the exact kind of thing you jump on other people for. No one has said they want 10 jack Grealishs. Most have said they appreciate the importance of hard work and defending right. So, why this comment?

How would you react if I said 'we would have 10 Roy keanes if it was left to some'? It's not fair on other people who have differing views to criticise their opinion in this backhanded, sly way.

4 minutes ago, Rino8 said:

I'm not.

So the preferred outcome for you is Alioski doesn't roll about and Pepe doesn't get sent off? Those are the two realistic options.

 

Alioski going down draws attention to what should be a red card. He's not changing the outcome he's ensuring the correct punishment is given 

Keep up, I've even said in a post no more than an hour ago it was a sending off. 

I suppose though, 

Bamford continued: “It’s like when you try to murder someone and don’t kill them, you still get done.”

“Yeah, but you get done for attempted murder," explained Ayling.