OxfordVillan

If we continue to repeat what we have done thus far then nobody should expect results to change. It really is that simple. Our midfield set up is proving to be lightweight, and our front man is as close to ineffective as you will find. We hope he can improve but it won’t be soon enough for this season. January needs to bring us a replacement front man and a good, physical CM that can hold us together in and around the centre circle. Both positions not easy to fill at any time, let alone January. We have to do whatever is required to get 3 wins from the next 3 games, because that should give us a much better position in the table and improve our chances of better January recruitment.

We’re bang in trouble. All of a sudden we’ve reached a point where I don’t envisage us being able to win ANY game. Watford aside, every other team is picking up unexpected points in the games where we have consistently got nothing. I don’t see where the goals for us are coming from on a consistent basis, and we always look like conceding, a toxic combination. We’ve repeated mistakes game after game, and we are now looking shorn of confidence. Something has to change quite quickly.

I’m afraid that you’re looking through very rose tinted spectacles. Leicester were better than us in every aspect of the game, GK aside. We were fortunate not to end with a 8 or 9-1 defeat. They were quicker, sharper, had far more intensity, more organisation. They smashed us completely on the day because we were poor and they were good.

For the love of god, just get another front man. We will get relegated if we persist with Wesley this season. He’s bringing neither goals nor assists, I think he’s slowly dragging the rest of the team down.

Batshuayi would probably be as good an option as any, realistically. I’d like to think we’d be looking to bring someone like a Batshuayi in on a loan/buy option, and also another striker prospect as well. A bit of physicality in CM wouldn’t go amiss either. We need at least 2 to come in that are capable of going straight into the starting 11. 3 would be preferable.

There seems to be an inflexible attitude to change things, we just keep banging our heads against the wall regardless of performance. A lot of our problems stem from Wesley. Teams simply don’t fear him at all and are becoming increasingly happy to move their defensive line up the pitch. He doesn’t shoot, doesnt break lines, is unable to hold the ball up. Yet he never gets subbed off. It’s embarrassing. We never look to try anything different, ever. Midfield is a shambles, seemingly weak as piss. It could be they’ve lost all faith in the front man and so aren’t quite sure what to do. Smith has to drop Wesley and try something else, anything else. ElGhazi or Trez as the front runner, just try something! Wesley is a passenger 90% of the time and if Dean is not careful he’ll get dragged down by this blind faith in a player that is contributing next to nothing. January needs to bring us a proper front man and a strong, physical CM that can play in and around the centre circle, not keep dropping so deep as to turn the back 4 into a back 5, or 6. Oh, and stop fannying around with the ball in and around our own penalty area. Lost count today of the amount of times we gave up possession in a dangerous area because players want another touch, another little turn.

We’re deteriorating rapidly. It’s becoming embarrassing for the manager to continue with Wesley when everyone can see how poor he is. Everyone. Deano needs to tread carefully, the goodwill could rapidly leave if the blind faith bullshit goes too far.

Dreadful. Confidence seems to seeping away by the minute. We could get a thrashing here. Clueless and soft.

I do wonder at what point we admit to ourselves that we’re getting it wrong in midfield on a regular basis. I do think the manager is repeating a lot of mistakes thus far, and the crazy decision not to sub Mings straight away in this match is a big mistake. For me we seem to lack in clinical decision making. Clear and authoritative decision making. We appear soft. Midfield just completely ineffective defensively. It cannot continue if we want to avoid relegation.

I think we do need to be more pragmatic in relation to our set up and personnel on a game to game basis. But we’re currently hamstrung by lack of personnel up front, and not exactly blessed with game changers in midfield. Perhaps we’ve got to give Grealish a free role in the opposition half to go where he wants to damage the opposition. But I’d be instructing him to operate in and around the opposition back 4, not coming back picking balls up in our own defensive third. If Douglas doesn’t have the engine to make tackles and break up play then we should take a look at McGinn & Nakamba as a sitting 2 in front of the back 4 at certain times, play Douglas a bit further up. McGinn has the ability to win the ball and pick a pass. I’d like to see us try a 4-2-3-1 at certain times. Line up could be; ................Heaton.............. Fred......Engels....Mings.....Targett ...........Nakamba.......McGinn.......... ElGhazi.........Grealish..........Trézéguet .....................Wesley.......................... Unfortunately the weak point is that we still don’t get enough from Wesley. I honestly don’t think the opposition see him as a serious goal threat, which really has to be a prerequisite for any front man. Perhaps we could look at someone like Trézéguet as a short term option up front? He’s sure be more mobile and quicker than the current occupant.

Goes without saying we need something a lot more dynamic up front. Unfortunately I don’t see the solution coming in January.

I think we have to pick up a minimum 10pts from our next 5 fixtures.

It’s a concern. He doesn’t seem able to utilise his physique to win many challenges, he doesn’t have any sort of power in his shooting at all, and simply doesn’t look a goal threat in any capacity. For me he drops too deep too often, and if you’re going to do that you have to win a decent percentage of balls. It just feels to me like we are playing with 10 men most of the time.

Goes without saying that some of our new players are taking time to adapt to the physical traits required in the Premier League. That’s also a factor. We’re into the hard part of the English season now when the games come thick and fast and the weather is at its most challenging, a difficult 3 months lay ahead for the likes of Wesley, Trezeguet, and Luiz.

I do think one or two of us underestimate the reach of our owners, and the understated, quiet, nature of their ambition. It’s all opinion, of course, but I’d say that if there was a player that was obtainable in January that could take us to the next Premier League level, then the owners would have no hesitation in securing that player. For me, that player is currently looking very much like Mitrovic. Ticks a lot of boxes. Good age at 25. Already settled in country having been here for 4yrs. Up to speed with English football. Strong. Scores lots of goals. Has matured from a young hot head. On an upward curve not too dissimilar to our own Jack Grealish. Yes it would take a big offer to prise him away from Fulham in January with them wanting promotion, but surely someone will try? A more effective front man could transform our performances and push us to Level2 in the Premier League, where we’re currently operating somewhere between L3/L4.

Belief. Key word. Anyone, at any level, in sport has to have belief to be successful. The strongest foundation for belief is by knowing you’re good enough to operate at that level by virtue of results. This Villa team have just done that. It’s another step in the right direction.

Big offers are coming, it’s to be expected. I think a big club will bid big in January to test the water and see if it unsettles Grealish at all. A sale in January won’t happen, but thereafter much will depend on where Villa finish, as that in turn will play a big part in dictating ambition for the following season. Unfortunately you can never say never in football, anything is possible in the modern game. I happen to think that we can finish 7-10th IF we can secure a goal scorer in January. If we did that then I’d say that would be encouragement enough for Jack to think we could start challenging with 1 or 2 quality summer signings. Lots of Ifs, buts, maybes. Jack is currently almost unique in world football with the type of talent he has, he’s different to everyone else. The greedy big clubs will want him, and you can guarantee City won’t want him going to any rivals. It’s up to us as a club to not **** this up and put ourselves in a position where the player is almost forced to look at other options!

We’re going to see Lingard & Young soon

If a mistake is going to be made, I suppose we should look at the positive side in that it leaves plenty of the game to atone for it. Sharp words required for Tyrone at halftime. The game is there to be won, we need McGinn in the game a bit more and simply get it to Grealish as often as possible in the opening 10mins of the 2nd half because he will do something.

We have to get hold of that UTD midfield 3, that for me is the weak point for UTD. We can win that midfield battle today If we’re really up for it. They have bundles of pace in Rashford & Martial, careful eyes needed at the back. Hopefully a big performance from Wesley today, we will need everyone on it to get anything today.

Tend to agree. He needs saving from himself when he try’s to do too much

Grealish needs to be instructed to stay up the pitch, the entire team seem to levitate to Grealish wherever he goes

Have to say I think the blurred vision was way of getting out. Sorry. We were right on halftime and should have finished the half with 10 men and assessed at halftime, instead we we were left with just one change possible for the rest of the game. I think Smith should have taken charge and said no to using a sub with 45mins on the clock and gone in at halftime to re-evaluate. It’s things like this incident that make me question whether are capable of finding that ruthless edge required.

Firstly we need a win, this is a must win game. It would be nice if we could put in a full 90+ minute performance where we take control in the closing stages to comfortably see the game out, but 3pts is the be all and end all. Our game management simply has to improve, and I think we can and have to make better use of our subs at the right times. Of course we are hamstrung up front with Wesley the only option, not signing another forward option is looking to be a bigger mistake with each passing game, somehow we have to find a solution to get someone in and around Wesley to both help him and bring a different threat. Maybe get ElGhazi or McGinn playing around Wesley further up the pitch, McGinn in particular has looked to do too much himself in the last couple or so games. He might be useful hassling the Newcastle back line. Whatever. Solutions have to be found because I think we’re relatively predictable at the moment.

I’m a little surprised that we’re into November and Wesley hasn’t had it drilled into him that if the whistle doesn’t blow then get up quickly and keep playing. It’s frustrating as hell to watch him with arms out trying to question the referee and the game is rolling on around him. When he chased and harried the Liverpool CBs the crowd roared him on, we need to see more of that. Maybe those roars on Saturday can act as a turning point for Wesley and he’ll learn from it. Hopefully. As witnessed in the last 2 Premier League games the best sides have talent AND work rate. I think there have been games when the gap between Wesley and the rest is too big, I don’t think we’ve helped him in that respect. We’ve dropped too deep in games and invited the ball to keep coming back, that needs to change and is a coaching issue.