Pimlico_Villa

It is not possible to be worse than Taylor.

A LB! Even one on loan, as it is an emergency situation and we’ve known that since August. I know January market is difficult, and our main targets were not available, but surely - given that we have a Director solely focused on bringing players in - we could have at least got one in on loan? Would have taken a PL U23s LB and been happy over the other dross we’ve brought in.

I don’t share the optimism here, simply because the calibre of player that has come in is so poor. Take Carrol for example, he can’t even get into a team that aren’t challenging for POs and has a terrible physique for a player reported to be playing in a defensive capacity. Equally, Hause is not fit and GK has looked suspect. January strategy has to be to sign players that can make an instant impact or can be given the rest of the season to bed in for next; none of these players coming in fit that bill. They are either rubbish, or will be going back to their loanee clubs, so would love to hear the happy clappers on here explain that logic. Do you honestly think we couldn’t get a single LB, even in on loan? Our LB situation is an emergency and this is the incompetency that I reference. The issue didn’t come up in Dec., it’s been apparent since August, so given we have people that are paid just to source players, not to even get in a loan is a shambolic disgrace. Really don’t know where the happy Clappers draw their blind optimism from.

Basic competence.

It’d be more apt and likely an improvement on the “let’s just get behind the lads, no questions allowed or you don’t know anything about football” brigade.

I can see the coping mechanism I’ve eluded to in other threads playing a prominent role in this thread. We have so many sycophant happy clapper fans that would be happy whoever we signed. Must be nice to live in that bubble.

If he is meant to be a defensive midfielder, then we are in trouble. He has the physique of an attacking midfielder, and proper players will bull him.

I'm talking about in the present, not at the beginning of the season. This window shows pure capitulation and same old Villa

Tell me one thing the club has done what would imply they are aiming for POs this season. Apart from signing a load of injured players on loan, of course.

But all that is completely offset by how he lets players just walk past him and score time and time again. Hourihane is utter dross. He should play as a Punter in the NFL as that’s all he can do.

On the contrary, I know exactly where we are and have accepted that we are stuck down here with the dross for a long, long time. If you think that we are aiming for POs then you are completely and utterly deluded. No chance whatsoever with the playing squad we have. We have 2 good players - Tammy and McGinn - and beyond that the rest are bottom half of Championship / League 1 standard that are lazy, unfit and physically pathetic. I really do wonder whether we should just accept that we are complete garbage and never going up. Takes the pressure off and we can actually enjoy going to games.

Not bringing Fer in is the difference between me thinking we have an outside chance of creeping into POs and thinking that we won't even finish top half. Fer is a proper player and exactly what we needed - big, strong, fit and authoritative. He is 5x the player Hourihane and Whelan are. Another regime, another appalling display of incompetence in the window.

How can you say with a straight face that we are still aiming for POs? Particularly after that window? POs went after Smith played for the draw against Stoke at Home. Can’t even see us finishing top half with the attitude the club has. Its us that should be receiving a fee for the business we’ve done in this window as all we are doing is leasing out our physio room.

How can this be preparing for next season when the majority have been structured as loans without a contractual right to buy?

Actually quite annoyed with this window. I know January is difficult, but we needed to bring in players that are going to be relevant next season - i.e. use rest of this season to gel and hit the ground running next. I can stomach the capitulation of this season if it was clear we were building for next, but the players we’ve brought in - and, more importantly the fact that these are structured as loans without immediate right to buy - is ludicrous. Just looks like we are paying other teams to rehabilitate/improve their injured players with no obvious tangible value to us. As it stands, we’re staring at another Summer rebuild. Carroll looks small and lightweight, when we need a big, strong authoritarian midfielder who can own a game and dictate play. Feels like more stupidity from yet another regime. What did we ever do wrong to deserve this!

I know I’ve been guilty of calling certain decisions by Smith into question and probably came across as overly critical, but the way I’m shaking out is as follows: Given how culturally poisonous we have been as a Club for so long, we are fortunate to have a Manager with such an affiliation to the Club. This might go underappreciated, but having that affinity between the Club and the Fans, if capitalised upon properly, could be extremely beneficial. In saying that, to get the best out of Smith the Plan has to be to shed expensive, established players that probably don’t want to listen to Smith and are unwilling to evolve and fill ranks with younger players that have it all to prove, are incentivised and aren’t already sitting on $Ms. I’m not saying throw the U23s in as half of them look so psychologically vulnerable, but bring in players that are under 25 and willing to run, learn and develop. Build a team with 11 players that have this mentality, coupled with Smith’s modern style and approach, and I think that is our route out of this hole. Trying to cobble together a dream team of individuals that look great on paper but can’t collectively pull together as a team is not the way to get out of this League and makes it so difficult to progress from one season to the next. You don’t need great players to go up in this league, you absolutely do need a cohesive, physically fit team that can follow tactics. Cardiff shithoused their way to promotion on a budget multiples below ours. Smith needs players who are hungry, willing to learn and bust a lung to do it. He is the long term answer, we just need the recruitment to suit him.

I’ve called certain decisions by Smith into question recently, but yesterday confirmed to me that too many of these players just do not put in the required effort. You could have Pep in charge and I don’t think he could motivate Hourihane to run or make a forward pass.

The ‘doing their own thing’ is a hangover from Bruce, where there were no general tactics. Almost as if he said “you’re a good player, go out there and play” - and for that he was paid millions. I think the players still doing this now is a mix between confidence for some - where players have a safety first, sideways/backwards inclination - and for others just outright filthy laziness and poor fitness. To play in a joined up way requires movement, which in turn requires fitness, which in turn requires players to actually want to run. Hourihane plays in a position that can completely dictate the tempo of the game, but he is physically pathetic and appallingly lazy. He gets paid exactly the same whether he runs or not. We should structure contracts so that players need to cover at least a certain distance in a forward direction in a match before being paid.

I think part of the problem is that VP is an intimidating place for players who are not used to playing in front of +35K fans. I don't think it is possible to prepare a player for this, you just have to get them in there and allow them to acclimatise. The weaker ones will falter, but proper players will embrace it and thrive. Against Hull, the obvious would be to bring in O'Harew. I know that is an easy thing to say and the discussion been more than covered on here, but I wouldn't begrudge Grealish a move to the PL next season and he is the closest like for like. He also has obvious ability and can actually run, which so many other players find it difficult to do. I'd also recall Oscar Bog at LB, send Bolasie back and recall Green. None of these players will get us up this season, but we'll need them next season and should take advantage or our mid table mediocrity to get them up to speed. On the second point, I'm not just talking about pressing; I agree that that can be done efficiently without having to bust a lung. I'm actually talking more generally, including making the necessary runs that force Whelan and Hourihane to pass the ball forward into space instead of backwards or behind the player.

I think they'd all be better suited to his high tempo, high intensity style as well. Smith needs younger, fitter players with it all to prove. Asking the likes of Hourihane and Whelan to run and pass the ball forwards is just too difficult a task. They just will not do it. Alternative would be to acknowledge the fact that these players are too old to change and start playing more to their strengths. We all want to see attacking football, but if we have players that just outright refuse to run or play high intensity, then he needs to show pragmatism and tweak things tactically to appeal to player's strengths. Personally, I would write this season off (yes, I know we're only 5 points of POs, but in 12th place there are too many teams above us we'd need to dislodge) and blood the youth. In the long run, we need players willing to run and run and run. Give them the rest of this season and they'll be ready for next. I'm also sick of the youth being wrapped in cotton wool - if they are so mentally fragile at 21 then they are a waste of a squad position and shouldn't be at Villa.

Yep, not a single shot on target yesterday. Absolutely ridiculous when you look at the calibre of our attacking players

Actually think Smith stands a better chance of getting a tune out of younger, lesser known players rather than big name, expensive players. Younger players are much more coachable and would be more receptive to Smith’s modern day tactics. Also think this is why established players like Hourihane, Whelan, Chester, Taylor, etc. are struggling.

Completely endemic with us.

Absolutely. Even the players are too big for him.

I bet that has been written on here for every Manager we’ve had. You can’t give him funding and two windows if he can’t even get the absolute basics right and is showing such utter incompetence. That would be madness. Giving crap Managers time and funding is exactly what has set us back for so long as it takes years to resolve the mistakes they make.