A'Villan

Totally agree. The beauty of team football however is it doesn't matter who takes the glory as often it's the open man in the opportune moment. The scary thing is though, it looks like Hourihane will be the only player to emulate last seasons efforts on goal.

Hogan scored in 100% of his League Cup matches last season, albeit 3 matches. He also scored 6 goals from 37 Championship matches, but what that stat excludes is that only 19 of those appearances saw him in the starting XI, with 18 as a sub. Whether it is 1 every game from the cup, 1 in 6 from the Championship, or 1 in 4 as an overall average. While hardly prolific, he is hardly as poor as people make out. This was all under Bruce as well, which no striker flourished under except perhaps Grabban, who scored 1 in 2. It's so premature to judge what Hogan can do with Smith.

I'll say it again, this guy played over half the fixtures in a season where we finished 4th. As our 4th option in the striking department, it really goes to show that we have men able to step up if Abraham leaves.

Have been saying since Bruce was at the helm that I want to see Lansbury included in an attacking setup. That said, I only really see a place for him with a midfield 3.

Fuchs on loan would cost us 1.5million pounds if reports of 60k pw are to be believed. Part of a Premier League winning side 3-4years ago. No John Terry, but could be a marked improvement on Hutton and Taylor

I haven't read the thread, nor did I watch the game. My guess is, he is replacing Nyland, and being an international GK from the WC runner-up, people want him to be good enough.

Great to read that he has impressed again. I'd expect him to challenge the starting XI is DS is willing to sacrifice Whelan when we play a midfield 3. Have to agree with the sentiment here. 3xMcGinn in midfield would have us winning so many contests.

A loan move to Wolves? That would suggest Chelsea view him not only as a financial asset but a playing one. They want to see how well he performs at Premier League level. I'm a bit surprised that he can be recalled so easily, just to move to another club.

Kobe Bryant's 'Detail'.

LBJ came out and declared he is the GOAT. His reasoning is flawed and by his own logic, would have Kyrie Irving as his equal as GOAT. I love LBJ on and off the court. Seriously though dude, there's a reason you wear the number 23. Remember why. Be humble or be humbled. Personally I think LBJ doesn't have as much determination or aggression as either Jordan or Kobe. Jordan never left the Bulls. Kobe was also essentially a one club man. Having never played a game for the team that drafted him. Neither were 1st picks. Yet both earned their teams a place in the discussion for GOAT. What LBJ team is even in that discussion? None. It's all about HIS legacy. But it was the untouchaBULLS dynasty. There's no 'I' in 'TEAM'. There is however a 'ME', which is nothing without knowing where it's 'AT', is. Where it's at is in the combined 'TEAM'.

Possibly. I'm a bit confused as to what you mean by the easy default is to say what I did. But then the ignorant wouldn't be so if they were aware. And I'm afraid I'm not aware in this instance. Perhaps not only in regard to your view but my own regarding the differences. I am certain that both Guardiola and Klopp were more serious and animated in their delivery. But it's not really an important discussion in the Dean Smith thread. There was so much quality in the game between City and Liverpool. It all kicked off when Liverpool first hit the crossbar, I forget who was involved as I've just got back from a 5 hour training session without a break and am a bit tired, but the incisiveness and precision of pass was just sublime. Cut straight through City. Better than the move that led to Sane's goal without doubt. I thought Liverpool probably deserved a draw. But yes, if we match the work rate of two of the worlds best teams then we will go on to be more than okay. Finesse and technical ability come from a certain type of fitness too.

I fail to see what's so bad about it, if you actually can break down what that means and how you go about it, I don't see why it can't be an effective strategy. Wolves have basically just done that. Team for promotion, tick. Additions to survive the Premier League, tick. Might find themselves ticking the third box within the second phase of their plan. Europe's not out of their reach this season. They are 2 points from 7th.

A lot to like about this post. Offers perspective concisely and with intellect. Not much I can add to our discussion from here. I will say that it's my belief that Smith's ability to identify the problems is the reason, or an indication at very least, that he is going to be able to address them. Critical thinking and problem solving start with identifying what it is that needs changing. He's ticked that box. With a combination of rationale, evidence and math you can go some way to identifying what happened in a game, how each team went about it, and why the result ended the way it did. As far as I can see, it is more speculative to suggest that Smith is not addressing the issues in some way, shape or form. To me, it shows that you are frustrated and growing a bit impatient and that's a bit premature for me.

Guess it's a good thing we have the rules we do regarding head contact. To be fair to @OutByEaster? he could be right about it being the slightest of clips. However at the pace that they met that would be enough to do damage. If it was an outfield player they would have come off straight away at the first sign of blood and done the assessment on the side of the pitch. Because it was a goalkeeper, him going off even temporarily while play continued would have meant an outfield player going in goal for the time being for QPR. A significant disadvantage for QPR. Whilst all the delays were very frustrating and poor sportsmanship from QPR I think it's safe to say in hindsight this incident was probably well dealt with.

Goats>All. Let me explain. When someone is trying to one-up me in a way that serves no one but themselves, they can f*** right off. I've got little time for anyone having a dig or taking a swing. Same goes for dogs. If one is trying to misbehave just to push my boundaries or threaten me then I have patience but no tolerance. Goats, even when they headbutt you it's endearing and are the only being in this universe to transform a Taylor Swift song from mediocrity into entertainment. Fact. Not to mention they can clear an acre or two of dense blackberry bush for breakfast! Other species will either try and eat you, take a bite and leave the rest like you're a sample platter, suck your blood, or the rudest of them all (humans and dogs I'm looking at you) will eat off my plate when they've already had their fill. The goat is benevolent.

I saw what you are talking about. But Guardiola was doing it too. It was an intense match. The gestures of Klopp and Guardiola today were far more intent and purposeful than Sherwood's. The quote that 93% of communication is non-verbal and only 7% verbal is misused and misconstrued, while remaining true to what the research found. And that is exactly why Sherwood's flailing arms were so comical and hilarious in comparison. You can see how deliberate and confident Klopp and Guardiola were in their delivery. As you so rightly put it, Sherwood knew what he was on about but no one else did, and he knew it too. That remains one of the funniest things I've seen in football.

Absolutely agree. It's a win-win-win-lose situation. By that I mean that Tammy, Villa, Chelsea all benefit from him continuing on at Villa, Wolves are the ones who would lose out. Though I don't see this one going through, we have to remember that professional football is also big business. The team at Chelsea will be looking at this from two angles. Do we believe he has a future with us at Chelsea as a playing or financial asset and can we get more than what he is worth for him in selling to another club? If Chelsea believe he has punched above his weight, which may surprise some people but it happens all the time, then Wolves have a chance if the offer is right.

Is that a reference to the great (disappointment) that was Dr. Xia? Are you implying that I'm just another bat-shit crazy foreigner affiliated with the club? I suppose you wouldn't be too far off the mark if that is the case. Apologies if I've missed the mark, it's just that was an almost perfect paraphrase of something Xia had said.

Now that was written with a lot more clarity and insight than what you had posted earlier (apart from the clown calling). I don't expect everyone to agree with you but would be surprised if anyone were overly critical of what you've just written. I've posted more than a handful of times on why we can be optimistic about the brand of football being implemented by Smith getting us the results we need in order to be in the promotion contest at seasons end. You speak of hot air, well, don't take this the wrong way, you venting frustration due to results not being adequate, without investigating the process that led to it, doesn't make for a true account of what has transpired or what we can expect, and could just as easily be construed as hot air as what Smith is saying.

Why I chose Aston Villa. Never have, never will. It's been like starting off on a blind date and it blossoming into a marriage. People I meet more often than not think it's strange that I watch and follow a team playing in the English 2nd division when I have no affiliation to Birmingham or Aston Villa outside of a simple decision to say, "I choose you" at a time when I was introducing myself to the game. I feel like saying to them I think it's strange that Joachim Low stuck his hands down his pants, had a fiddle and immediately proceeded to place fingers under his nose for a cheeky sniff of the scent of his balls whilst on the touchline for a game being shown worldwide, but that's all just part of the world of football. Don't question it too much.

I don't think it is fair to ever say Cristiano Ronaldo was not a star player for any team he's ever represented. I was more bringing it up because I have Greek in my blood

Sympathies. I can't stand watching cricket and therefore I can't fathom it for you either. Seriously though, enjoy! At least you won't be following Australian cricket!

I think it noteworthy that Ronaldo has produced it in a variety of leagues and teams. But when you cut to the chase, I agree with you, Messi has more going for him. Just to clarify on the point of international performances, Messi is a WC runner-up is he not? When did Ronaldo achieve this? And this one's just for a bit of nostalgia for our good friend @Demitri_C Messi never lost to Greece in a Euro final on his home soil! Remember that when you talk of international success!

Looking forward to this mornings game. Will be the first time I'm going to watch a full game of football outside of Villa for an era. I think the last time was the Champions League final Liverpool lost to Madrid. Salah goes off injured and Ramos comes out and says he could've continued. I just couldn't believe I was seeing the same Jordan Henderson from Sunderland days captaining a Liverpool side in the CL final.

Ever thought of a Malamute? The ones I've come across are larger than a huskies. Met one the other day which had the calmest temperament and graceful nature. On the other hand I have witnessed a Malamute kill another small dog as they passed each other on the street. And a different Malamute nearly killed one of my pet goats way back when I lived on a mountain. So maybe stick with a husky on 2nd thought.