Pimlico_Villa

Typical VT response. Condescending, intolerant, arrogant and dismissive.

Players being as fit as is possible should be an absolute minimum.

But, we don’t have a single striker. How can you be so confident when that is the case?

I think that is true, especially on the physical side of things. I can’t picture Targett doing anything above the minimum - just look at how overweight and out of shape he is. So slow as well. CH is another one. No physicality

Another dud signing from Suso. Should be used to it by now.

Overweight. Needs to be addressed.

Not sure if this is the right thread, but who is responsible for the strength and conditioning work for the players? So many of the players we brought in lack physicality and that desperately needs to be improved. Targett, for example, is overweight. We only have Mings and Grealish with PL level physiques.

Don’t like watching this as he is a Villa lad. If it was someone without an affiliation or connection to the club then that would be different, but not nice seeing this happen to ‘one of our own’, so to speak. It is the same dross every week with no signs of improvement. This is why Purslow likely won’t have patience. He can’t improve these players through either coaching or motivation. Would rather see him walk than suffer this sort of indignity.

I had full faith in Smith, but watching this is just painful. So, so far out of his depth it’s actually starting to look cruel on him

So, so unfair on the lad making him play with this dross and under a clueless Manager.

I wouldn’t mind seeing Engels play in MF. He adds size and power and on occasion has looked composed on the ball. Current MF is so light on physicality and ball playing capability.

No one has said that we should sell him because it’s in his better interest. Rather, it’s been said that at some point it will start breeding resentment and that is not good for either the club nor the player. Plus, if the club aren’t even prepared to meet him halfway and being in some proper players, then that resentment is just going to get accelerated.

Unless we can support his development by bringing proper players in to play with him, it’s just going to breed resentment on his part. To be as good as he is, for him to be playing with the likes of Taylor, Elmohamady, Targett, Trezeguet and Wes is inevitably going to start impeding his development soon. At his stage, he simply needs to be around proper players. Playing for England is only going to fuel that sentiment. I don’t see how anyone could begrudge him a move and think it entirely sensible to take a good fee for him now if one is available. Even if we stayed up - which, in my view is not possible with how chronic recruitment has been in January - we’re at best several years off being able to recruit the calibre of player needed for him to reach anywhere near his full potential.

So many people seem to be getting excited before even seeing him play. Gosh, we’re desperate.

Now knowing that we can’t stay up, I’d take £40M for him now. Playing him for rest of season just means we run the risk of him picking up an injury and not being sold in the summer.

Which photos?

I think what we’re seeing is a good talent spotter. The issue is our predicament, though. We are in crisis and desperately need instant impact players, not ones that need long term nurturing to reach potential. Its a different test and much more difficult operating conditions. Come through this, though, and deliver and he’ll be much the better for it.

Seems a bit too relaxed. I know that might be because he is so composed, but would prefer to see some urgency from him and a bit more alertness.

Outside of that core of Heaton, Mings, Grealish and McG (and maybe Guilbert) none of those other players are PL standard. We even have players, such as Neil Taylor, that are arguably League One standard. I get what you’re saying, but I just don’t know who could get more from those players.

Not to bang on about this, but these players are just not good enough. That is our predicament, not Smith.

I agree with that. Thought our MF was completely porous.

What we need - a LB, two wingers and two strikers - is just not feasible in January .

We play 5 at the back (it isn’t a wing back system) and 2 holding midfielders. That’s effectively 7 at the back, so O think the defence does get protection from the midfield.

Probably trying to distance himself from the decisions, in case they transpire to be crap.

Not on current or historic performance.