Stratvillan

Thought Grealish was outstanding. Snoddy played for a whole game. Thought Hourihane was everywhere. Jedi proved why we don't need Whelan. A very happy journey back to sunny Stratford. 

If he reverts to type and starts whelan and Jedi it's a loss. I'd like to see RHM just for the pace. We can't afford to lose this. 

Don't want to turn this into a Bruce / poor investment thread. But now the transfer window is open do we have anyone that anyone else would genuinely want to sign?(not loan players). 

Premiership - can't think of anyone who might move up - grealish?

championship - Hutton perhaps - though teams will wait for summer. Bree / de Laet , Thor, Gardner, Hogan (cut price). 

It really does make you think about what we spend our money on - and this isn't a manager thing - it's a 5/6 year club failing. 

To get promoted you need goals from all over, probably 2 players approaching 20. Think Albert is our second player, to really push on we need that first choice centre forward. It's not Davis,  hogan or McCormack or this season kodjia. Doesn't make him a bad player just not the main centre forward we need. 

Think Johnstone is solid, no more, may well develop his aerial ability as de gea did.

More annoyed as I bought my 9 year old a goalie top 3 weeks ago with Johnstone on the back. Goes well with his brothers Tishbola one !

4 hours ago, Mat Kendrick's Dentist said:

I disagree with every point you've made there. I'm not a huge Taylor fan, but Hutton lumped away every ball he got today. It was as if he was trying not to find a Villa shirt. Can't even overlap on the left, so Adomah was left isolated. Awful player imo.

To me you've just described Taylor not Hutton. 

Lets face it. Whatever team he picks hes wrong. Taylor offers nothing going forward and is suspect in the air correct call. Whelan is terrible - correct call. Davis doesn't look like scoring ( I may have picked him for his height). Onomahsbest games are when he pushes on and closes down. 

Not the worst team. 

Picking managers can't be an exact science, so I can't really appreciate the stick that dr T gets. Man Utd had a succession of managers who failed to win the top div. (one of which did well for us) had fergie followed by  2 managers who failed. Bruce was a reasonable choice, what's happened since doesn't change that. My criticism would be sticking with him for so long, but even given that , this notion of anyone But Bruce is ludicrous. Dr T can't sack him without a better candidate lined up.we are not getting a top 10 championship manager at this stage if the season. If he went for Terry, why not Giggs, or Mellberg - he'ed get crucified. May not like it, his hands may be tied. 

I'd like to apologise. I backed Bruce I thought he'd steady the ship and get us in the playoffs. I never thought straight up. The style of football is light years behind where we need to be to be promoted but worryingly, it's light years behind where weed need to be if we got promoted.

I was wrong, he's a dinosaur, he's signed dinosaurs. He needs to go. 

5 hours ago, Eastie said:

If it’s going to depend on transfer dealings then surely the change needs to be made ASAP before the window opens - let a new man bring  in a couple of his choice 

Agreed. I'd appoint smith now, but back him with his style of players. No one imo would get us higher than the playoffs with the players currently available. 

Johnson is not leaving to come to villa. Why would he?

Smith would but as someone else posted do we have the players to play his style mid season?

Bilic doesnt do anything for me.

I'd go for smith personally because he is a good long term appointment, but getting in the playoffs this season will be decided by our transfer dealings in Jan, not who we have in charge. (IMO)

Can't believe some of the votes for motm. 

28 minutes ago, TRO said:

Thats what motivates me to defend him.......and yes i agree.

However, i am not intransigent enough to ignore his short comings.

Agree. Agree. Agree. 

If we passed to him he'd be better. Twice in the first 15 min against mil wall, he was free at the back post, Davies and adomah totally ignored him. It was him going mental at everyone standing still instead of moving. Think he's on a different wavelength to those around him. 

7 hours ago, vreitti said:

Will the current incumbent get us anywhere!?

Therein lies your answer.

Why can't we just get the right man in? It's not rocket science. Everyone and his mother knew what we'd get with Bruce.

Not necessarily disagreeing with you, but who is the right man? 

Someone actually suggested pulis last night! Wether people like it or not, we could have been like Sunderland, we are not. We are in the play offs, which is probably our true position. Yesterday's result was down to a lack of choices because of injuries and poor decision making by players, and Bruce , IMO starting Lansbury ahead of grealish was strange. 

 I understood the Hutton swap, he was trying to get the ball to the forwards. Elmo can cross Hutton can't. 

Everyones entitled to their views, I just don't think it has to be totally one side of the other.

im now going to build a snow man, he'll have the movement of samba, the crossing ability of Hutton, and the awareness of kodjia. 

12 minutes ago, Rugeley Villa said:

How were the Millwall fans today? I've seen the video they made on the holte steps about 11 this morning, but did they behave themselves?

Throwing coins at snodgrass in 1st half. 

I'd love to know how often he's been given a run in the team. I believe he's incredibly talented but needs to be given a starting place on a regular basis to develop. He's only played 60 odd games for us, very difficult for him when he plays 3 or 4 then is sub for a couple etc. 

Sent off tonight. Wrong side of the forward. Who'd have thought that could happen. 

Think Coleman is massively overrated. Seems a nice guy , did well with Wales, but this is wales with bale, Ramsey and Allen.

But footballers being the men they are, wouldn't be surprised to see them come out fighting on Tuesday. Could be a toughie -first goal please. 

Is there a footballers who have retired thread?

Thought baker was our best defender last season. Richards elphick etc are useless. 

11 hours ago, PatrickCousens said:

I  thought he was pretty poor on Saturday apart from the first 20 mins. However he put a shift in so no complaints from me, we know he has talent. 

Wouldn't disagree, what I really liked was him constantly dragging the others forward. He pretty much coached onomah  in the first half. That's the experience from a seasoned pro, and why we should never play the seasoned leeches (Richards etc) again. 

Grealish did a good cross field pass for the second.

2 hours ago, TrentVilla said:

We were getting caught on their left, but not so much that it was a concern. 

When he introduced De Laet we effectively ended up with 5 at the back with Elmo almost a third CB. I’m not sure if that was the intention but it’s what happened and as a result we invited them onto us and had absolutely no outlet.

Kodjia absolutely needed to come off, he was done it was more the players he introduced and how they were used that I wasn’t keen on.

We won so it worked but It could have been very different and I think it was overly negative .

Sorry, our right, their left. At the age of 45 you'd have thought I'd have worked out out left from right!

3 hours ago, Tayls said:

I’m sorry, but - a Bannan style play maker? You want us to have a man focusing solely on marking Bannan? 

Yes. I see a lot of teams whose style of play is centred around 1 player collecting the ball and distributing the ball. If you stop this, you stop them playing. Having a DM having to deal with the threat 30 yards closer to your own goal when the attackers have momentum,is IMO outdated. if you look at yesterday's game we set up with a play to disrupt their style of play.