Stratvillan

5 minutes ago, trekka said:

Game over this season. It's all about getting it right for next season now.  

Agree that's why if the right players aren't available we wait. We have to build a team, that's what every other side we face have that we don't.

The teams so lacking in balance it's almost impossible to judge the forwards. I don't know if mc. Is the answer, but id love to know what the question is if gabby  is the  answer. 

Just voted Hutton motm. That is a measure of how bad we are. Too many square pegs in round holes. Not Bruce's fault.......yet

The manager of villa when I was in my late teens. Saved us after relegation. The first villa team that I knew more about than my brothers. Really sad.

GT RIP

44 minutes ago, dn1982 said:

It's baffling because we are active. Lansbury by the sound of it is is done pending the approval of the Forest owner/new owner. I explained that signings tend to have knock on affects. Things are imminent. I don't think it's anything to do with the money. It's harder to buy in Jan because it's all condensed into a short period and teams don't want to weaken themselves if they can avoid it. I'd rather us get the right option rather than the easy option. If we chose the easy one and dont go up we will be in trouble later on. 

Definitely the right option, not just the available option. That's why we're in this situation. If we see a right back better than Hutton, but can't see a better forward, we should sign the right back. otherwise we will be in championship for ever.

11 minutes ago, Godders said:

Is all the club should really focus on. Nothing personal, just business.

3goals in over 100 appearances. He would improve the midfield. I could pick 30 other players who haven't showed such disrespect to the club that would improve the midfield more. 

Overrated. 

Overrated at villa -look at his stats

overrated by man city - he doesn't now get a game

overrated by england -was rubbish and dropped

would he improve the midfield -yes

should we be signing players who have such little respect for us - no

Not meaning to be contentious but I hate him more than most of last seasons tossers, because of his duplicity. 

Dropped from squad - won't sign contract.

44 minutes ago, rjw63 said:

I'd take Dave Norton, Ray Walker and Paul Kerr!

Paul Kerr, a poor mans paul birch. 

Can't judge him until he's had at least one transfer window. He has inherited a championship fantasy / nightmare league squad. Jedi is ill, he can play 2 ineffective midfielders with experience or a youngster and a winger!  You can't blame him for picking the former. If he does it again it's an issue. 

As someone else said Luton sounded the end for Richards etc. this will do the same for Westwood. 

We can't blame Bruce..... Yet!!!!

Some stats lie - these don't.

We sign 2 midfielders we will get close to the playoffs.

As I've said before you can't judge the defence or forwards with a midfield as clueless as ours.

50 minutes ago, VillaCas said:

I've never thought that SB was the right manager for us but so far it's hard to argue with the progress made. 1.8 points a game to date from his 14 games, which would give 45 points  if he had been here since the start of the season and put us firmly in the play-off slots and within striking distance of automatic promotion. Given he took over an unbalanced squad, with rock bottom confidence he's done all that could be asked so far - we were always going to get disappointing results like todays

January will be massive - it's vital that he brings in the right three or four players and crucial that we don't now fall away from the 1.8-2 points a game form that we have established to date. We need to target 75 points and hope that it's good enough to get in the playoffs

Agree totally.

As well as the snake, he should look at Crowley ( I think) who left us as a youth player to go to Arsenal, repeatedly out on loan in the lower leagues. Never a chance of making the first team. 

Having said that, if we are never going to start him, or at least use him as sub, perhaps he should go. 

I'd love to have Green, RHM on the bench each week, and if we ever are 2 goals up, give them a run out. Or start them (like Gabby) for 60 min against teams you'd hope to beat.

1 hour ago, GingerCollins29 said:

Can tell you now that xia will throw as much money as necessary to ensure promotion this year. His plan all along is to get us up, make us a force again and then sell us on. It is not within his biz plan to spend a 2nd yr in the championship. We will be sold if we don't go up this yr

I thought he laid out his 10 year plan and the first 2 years were to secure promotion. I think he'll want to go up this year, but he knows the mess we were in. If we can ship out 2 or 3 I think we might see some real quality come in. 

Derby in for Lansbury 2.5m. 

Definitely worth a bid.

9 hours ago, One For The Road said:

Hutton was decent tonight. He also can't be blamed for our midfield problem. 

2 separate points. He was decent tonight -apart from the goal (again). The number of times he doesn't pick up his man is really poor. 

on a separate point, in open play our defence is actually quite good considering the lack of any midfield. If I had the choice of signing one player, it would be a central mid before a right back.

2 nd game in a row hut tons cost us, by being unable to defend crosses.

we need a midfield. 

1 hour ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

For who?

That's the problem. We can make changes up front, and central defence. We can't make changes to our full backs or midfield. Dr t and brucie need to get the players in from jan1st. 

On a positive, we are climbing the table with the worst midfield in the division -imagine the difference a right back and 2 midfielders would make!

No midfield. No midfield. No midfield. No midfield etc

have to play a more balanced line up on Thursday. We went ahead today by playing 4  -1-5.

Jedi was awful. GG was non existent.

happy with the points though!

I hope so, last year the top 6 all scored 63+ goals. At the moment we're on target for mid to high 40s. I don't think GG is brilliant, but assuming Jedi is playing, he is the midfielder with the most attacking threat. 

18 minutes ago, sir_gary_cahill said:

7 goals in the league, 12 in all competitions in 09/10, he was brilliant that season and then we sold him for profit

I think GG could match that tally in the championship. Our problem is that no one other than forwards (well Kodjia) scores.  This is going to cost us a playoff place. 

When was our last goal scoring midfielder? Platt? 

Ive just checked Dephs stats ( on wiki admittedly) he must have scored more than 3 league goals?

I'm not going to defend Westwood because he's awfull and has had his chances, but Gardner needs a run in the team so we can make a decision on him. He has played less than 10 games this season (total minutes). Grealish is a case in point, too much expected too soon, but is benefitting from much more game time. 

Jesus that's a shocker of a team. The type of team to get you relegated in fact!

I know it's sad but I remember the west ham game when he was sent off. We were on top, he lashes out, and another step towards relegation. In terms of ability, there is a footballer there but no end product. 

Sell.

2 hours ago, HanoiVillan said:

 

I don't think he's an improvement on Hutton tbh. 

How bad is he?