striker

Just now, TheStagMan said:

Stoive McLarun?

I've no post option to like that TheStagMan which is a pity. 

Holloway to see if he can improve on his prediction of 16th or Steve McClaren to hear his brummie accent.  

1 hour ago, Richard said:

This is not about promotion. We are not going to make the top six no chance. This is about rebuilding the club so we can achieve the two year goal of promotion. Stick with this useless twunt and yo an write off next year as well unless it's promotion from league one you want

I feel that with maybe a better manager there is still much hope for the Villa to be promoted but Xia must act now before it's too late. For instance I don't think Bruce would play with a two in midfield and be top heavy with forward players. A system in place to suit what Villa have will improve results until the January window opens and then Villa can sign the players needed to push on into the top six.

Best player the Villa have had in a very long time. Bigger version of Andy Gray perhaps?

Glad to see him knocking them in for fun again with the right service.

After today, eleven games into the season, the Villa manager should, by now, be getting to the stage whereby he will know his best team and system. We should also start to see signs of the team coming together as a unit with results improving.

That has to happen on the pitch and translate to points on the league table rather than just words to the press.

Seen some criticism of the forwards not being clinical enough. Well that should also apply to the manager in his team selections in getting the right balance between attack and defence in the first half of games and tactically when trying to close those games out.

13 hours ago, markavfc40 said:

He has stated we will finish in the top 6. 

 

 

Aston Villa will finish in Championship top six, insists manager

Not sure this will be seen as a confidence booster for the players or the owner after the expenditure? 

A manager given that type of money to spend in the Championship would, or certainly should expect to achieve automatic promotion when the standard of that league is so poor.

It sounds to me that Di Matteo is creating a buffer for himself should Villa continue to struggle and that hopefully won't wash for too much longer with the owner?

3 hours ago, Czechlad said:

How do you fix this club? We are doing well defensively but cannot finish our chances. We are creating scoring opportunities, but our strikers just don't finish consistently. He has tried Gestede, Kodjia, McCormack and Ayew up top, but it's all the same. None are on great goal scoring form. 

Should have purchased Rhodes who is the clinical striker Villa needed.

Robinson or Johnson to score against the Villa to force another draw?

2 hours ago, Paul33 said:

Xia should come out and guarantee RDM will be here for the next two seasons no matter what happens. That will kill off all this damaging speculation and leave manager, coaches, players and fans to knuckle down and make this work.

The club has a new owner, new board, new manager, new assistant manager, new coach, new captain, nine new players and it is going to take time. I said in the Summer that it will take until Christmas for us to start moving through the gears. Until then, mistakes will be made and learning from those mistakes will happen.

The last thing this club needs is the turmoil arising from yet another new manager and coaching team !

But he still hasn't learnt from previous mistakes. He keeps repeating them.

I don't think there are too many owners who will 'guarantee RDM will be here for the next two seasons no matter what happens.' Certainly not a manager who has currently one win in ten after being handed over 50m to spend. What if Villa are relegated again for instance, perish the thought?

Not sure this is correct but is it 4 wins in the last 50 league games for the Villa after spending close to 100m? If so that's a 8% win ratio.

Please don't think I'm having a dig here because I'm not. Love the Villa but if true that is a horrible statistic for any fan to put up with.

When the new owner wanted to bring 'leaders' to the club he didn't apply that to the manager.

Going for an uncomfortable win for the Villa to finally kick start the season.

14 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

Personally I'd like to see:

-------------------Gollini------------------

Bacuna----Chester---Elphick----Amavi

----Jedinak---Tshibola---Westwood----

Ayew----------------------------Grealish

------------------Kodjia------------------

subs: Bunn, Baker, Gardner (or Lyden), Hutton, McCormack, Gestede, Adomah

But the key is those three in the middle - start with two and we're gambling.

 

 

Pretty much as above with the exception of Baker in for Elphick and Lyden for Westwood.

Going on what I've seen Ayew has been Villa's best player by some distance. Just needs to be a little less greedy in possession and be more aware of the players around him. If he continues to put in performances I'd be more than a little worried about interest in January and not all from Premiership teams. Rafa must have been impressed on Saturday.

McCormack hasn't looked 100% fit to me.

Speaking of lessons learnt. Noted the lack of closing down the shooter particularly in the first half. Newcastle were given far too much time to get their shots off. If I had been Gollini I'd have been ripping the defence to pieces for that. Not nearly enough pressure on the player with the ball all over the pitch from the Villa in the first half and that needs to improve if Villa are to start a winning streak.

One other point I wish to make is that Rafa evidently told Gayle to pair up with Elphick. Rafa identified Elphick as a weakness and now other Championship managers will do the same. Elphick was terribly exposed yesterday and that will happen more often now.

Four at the back with Chester and the impressive Baker at it's centre will benefit the Villa more.

Ayew was magic second half and the Villa played some great football after Tish coming on. Newcastle should have been out of sight first half though after disastrous tactics by the manager. 

Yes.

Ffs post again.

Di Matteo has got his tactics badly wrong. Must change it. Elphick is a walking disaster waiting to happen. Awful signing.

Think the Villa will concede one or two so Villa must put away their chances this time. Going for an entertaining 2-2.

12 hours ago, KHV said:

We can't play with just two midfielders. We are too weak, one of the attackers will have to miss out

Or one of the forwards dropping into midfield when Newcastle have the ball?

5 hours ago, hippo said:

When your managers are Sherwood, Garde, and now Di Matteo  - its not difficult to see where we are going wrong.

I think CL win blinded Xia with RDM - if looked more closley he would see numerous sackings, and no previous record of building a team from the ground upwards. Indded what is RDM'S longest managest stint ...1 season 10 games with WBA ?

Wasn't there a rumour that some of the players (John Terry) were running the team rather than Di Matteo?

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

i think the biggest cock up this summer was not signing diame instead of tshibola to play alongside jedinak 

Both are injury prone but a fit Diame has everything Villa are currently missing. Good player.

15 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

I do agree with your point regarding midfield, it's the one area I feel we didn't significantly improve in. I would have got rid of Gardner or Westwood and got one more cm in.

but the McCormack point I completely disagree. He looks like the one player that can make something happen from nothing. He creates and scores when was last time we had that? His goal against forest was such clever movement, we haven't had that since bent

Ok maybe i'm being more than a little harsh on McCormack? I so want him to be the success to get Villa going but i'm not sure he has done that. Would Gil have shown less so far which was my point? Maybe it's a fitness issue more than anything else? I'm also not sure that Jedi or Tish have been great signings either hence my original post concerning the Villa midfield. Much time to improve though but i'm not sure Di Matteo will be given that time if Villa don't start winning games soon on a consistent basis?