Stratvillan

2 minutes ago, rubberman said:

If we stay down, all in your first para is true, but relative to the rest of the clubs in the division we will still be one of the bigger clubs. Yes - not as big as we were, with less clout, but still a bigger draw then many we will be competing with.

And when I say in the mix or competing with, I don't we necessarily will be up top (see last year for details) but we have the capacity to be up there.  As in the PL, there are say 10 teams in the championship who would never expect to be troubling the play off places. We won't be in that group.  Whether we use this advantage is up to Steve Bruce currently (and Tony & the board).

Totally spot on.

3 minutes ago, Keener window-cleaner said:

...is still here...

For a moment, you had me hoping.........

Wiltshire linked to sha.

I'd love a big centre forward. Davis can't play every game. Who knows when kodjia is going to be back to full fitness?

Just now, Demitri_C said:

5 signings? No chance only hours to go and not a peep from villa park 

10 hours. 

9 minutes ago, sne said:

Bruce doesn't seem to rate him and has already brought in 2 players who can play in his position.

He would also probably bring in a bit of money and doesn't strike me as the type who'd be happy just to sit on the bench collecting money.

Think he was one of our best players last season. Could see adomah playing through the middle at some point. 

Why would we get rid of adomah?

Bruce has to change or we change him. He had a chance to shape the squad and playing style, he hasn't. Yesterday looked like one of our relegation performances. We fell behind early on last season and never made the gap up. I'd go for smith, purely because he can change a team mid game. This suggests that he realises football can be played in multiple ways. Unlike Bruce. 

1 hour ago, sidcow said:

Someone who doesn't pull every player back into the box for a corner! 

Of all the things that villa do that annoy me. Inability to take throw ins, passing sideways etc. this is the one which really sets the tone of sitting deeper, game after game. You leave 2 up, they leave 3 back simple. 

16 minutes ago, hippo said:

So would we !

Surely its down to hogan to get on the end of crosses though - like gabby did.

I think what people are saying if we play a killer pass - which slices through defence Hogan will run onto it and score. In the real world we may fall short of that - he might have to out tussle a defender,  or shoot whilst under pressure from a defender.

I don't see how you can say he is very good player - his touch and close control are pretty shocking to be honest. Now in running onto through balls that might not matter much - but his lack of much ability on the ball is what is hampering him at the moment. 

Watch Gabbys goal, who has the awareness to dummy it? If they play a similar number of games Hogan will outscore Gabby. He is never going to be the target man that will win, shield long balls up field. If we play like that to him he will be poor. In the first half on Saturday when we played football he looked impressive, in the second half half when when we didn't play football he looked terrible.

Jesus, I think I've just joined the Bruce out group. I'm going for a lie down. 

10 minutes ago, hippo said:

You mean like the cross Gabby scored from - or the through ball that put Gabby 1-1 with the keeper 

Yes, but to Hogan. When we realise the passes he needs are forward and positive, he'll score loads. Kodjia can provide the spark, hogan is a finisher he needs chances to finish. If he finished every chance he gets he'd be in the premier league. 

Very good player IMO.

Anyone not included in this is out the door. I expect to see Richards (sigh) and not to see elphick (blues), or McCormack (dog and duck).

is it too early for Adomah?

Thought he was really good in 1st half, when the whole team were closing, he could have had a couple. I don't mind him not scoring at least he and the ball were in the same area. This with a totally imbalanced team line up. 

Bacauna was poor as usual. 

I actually think he's got a lot of promise. I think he'll play a lot next season and score a few. I hope he comes back , the only thing bad about the whole thing was the fee and that's not his fault.

4 minutes ago, Zatman said:

poor player and not what we need. I remember the game at KC under Lambert and he must have hit Luna about 20 times with his crosses

Putting 20 crosses in, in one game. Well worth £1m.

243 pages on a really average player - how bored are we all? 

27 minutes ago, TRO said:

Watching the final play off between Reading & Huddersfield......I seen nothing to fear.

albeit obviously,we won't be playing Huddersfield next season.

The play was combatitive and workmanlike, they were committed but the play lacked guile and inventiveness......nothing to write home about.

There is only one thing stopping us next season....us.

If we get it together we will be fine.

Come on now, there's no room for optimism in this thread.  It either has to be hate or love.

4 minutes ago, sir_gary_cahill said:

Andre Green?

Yeah, would like to see Kodjia behind hogan (assuming we don't buy a target man, with Adomah and green either side. Was watching sky archive this morning Two forwards with an attacking midfield ( no defensive midfielder) supplying them. 

Really like him, would really be effective if we moved the ball quickly to leave him 1 on 1 Instead of taking 10 passes to reach him when the whole opposition has shuffled sideways and doubled up on him. If we had another wide player on the other side (who?) and moved the ball quicker it'd be interesting. 

Thought it was interesting when he talked about a huge clear out to continue this summer. I think we will see a lot leave and 4-5 come in. We are still woefully imbalanced.

1 minute ago, TrentVilla said:

I'm openly critical of Amavi but OBE is entirely right here.

If we accept that Amavi is not going be a full back for us at this level, and I've not seen anything to suggest he is, why play him? 

we can't go up and I genuinely can't see how playing Bree or a youngster from the u23 can be worse and will result in them getting time on the pitch. Gerard made his first few appearances for liverpool at left back.

Interesting how we all watch the same, but see things differently. 

12 hours ago, theboyangel said:

There wasn't too many options ahead of amavi to replace the injured Taylor.

as for Grealish. He hasn't shown what we believe he can deliver much this season and I don't hold out much hope he will either.

hogan could do with more time on the pitch next to kodjia though 

I don't disagree, but, we were really poor, and Bruce didn't change it. id play Bree ahead of Amavi as a defender.

If you look at every good team in the playoffs they have someone who "bosses" the midfield, not in terms of physicality but in terms of technique. The 12 year old in readings midfield, dare I say Bannan. Our boss "Lansbury" plays so deep he can't boss the game, the only player we have that I think could do this is Grealish in a central role where he is continually involved. I'm slightly critical of a manager who picks a team with a midfield of Jedi, Lansbury, Bacuna, ( I wouldn't include hourihan in this ) which really lacks any semblance of creativity. 

Thought performance, team selection etc was really poor. I'm not for sacking him, but you have to question selecting amavi in defence and not bringing Grealish  and hogan on earlier

Personally disappointed in Lansbury. Don't feel he does much. Whether this is tactics or him I'm not sure. I still maintain that him and Jedi in the same team is too defensive, especially at home.