Exeter Fan Too

thanks for the enquiry, apologies for delay in replying and if this is the wrong thread. BTW the Ollie cash (Exeter get 15% of Brentford's profit) has essentially kept the club (owned by a Supporters Trust) going during the pandemic. And the 15% of add ons really help too, so we're very grateful that Villa have developed Ollie into an England international The answer is yes, but there is disappointment that Villa aren't apparently in the race to sign them (disappointment because Villa conducted the Chrisene transfer in a more respectful and professional way than other Premier League clubs) The year below Chrisene is a bumper year. Sonny Cox , striker, likes scoring four goals a game - did so as they won the national final for Cat 2+3 Academies. And scored four for Man Utd in a PL U16 match in his game on trial there. However, latest rumour is that Liverpool will pip Man Utd to this signing. 15 year old keeper Harry Lee has been training with Chelsea and Everton. On the bench often in League Two last season, Exeter are fighting to try to get him to stay. None of Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea or Everton are prepared to meet our valuations, so a Tribunal will result if either move. As for Watkins-esque signings, 21 year old winger/forward Joel Randall is being tracked by Norwich and Celtic - and a Championship club have had a bid rejected a couple of days back. Villa fans will understand why Norwich are looking to strengthen their wing/forward options! But I think that whilst a Chrisene route would be understandable for 15/16 year old Cox and Lee, 21 year old Randall would be better off following the Watkins route - he isn't (yet?) good enough for the Premiership and now needs to play regular first team football at ,say, Championship level.

of course he's going nowhere. Villa's main task is to keep Grealish. What sort of signal would it send to Grealish if the next most valuable player in the squad was sold?

First job done, something won. Tick...

there must be a joke somewhere about the appropriateness tonight of the name of that Spurs fan forum.

In fairness to Jamie redknapp on Sky he did manage to squeeze in the comment 'oh , and by the way, Villa should have had a penalty too'

Good to see Ollie back to scoring with his left foot (after controlling the ball with his head) A real strength is the range of goals with either foot or with his head - last season at Brentford his goals were 11 right foot, 8 headers, 7 left foot. And of course the 'perfect' hat trick v Liverpool. This season in the Premiership its 7 right foot, 4 left foot, 3 headers (so far!).

Last weekend's game showed how the signing of Ampadu on loan next season would provide much needed depth in a number of positions with just one (loan) signing. With Mings missing he can cover at centre half, where he has successfully played in a Champions League quarter final. With e need for a CDM (and/or midfielders out of form) he could play there as he has done in Euro/World Cup qualifiers. And has played right back for Chelsea too, so useful cover for Cash injury/suspensions. Still only 20 (and will still be 20 at the start of next season) is unlikely to get a regular first team spot at Chelsea but has enough promise/time on his side for Chelsea to prefer a loan to a sale. And Smith/Villa tried to sign him two summers ago. Makes sense to me.

apologies if this is the wrong thread, but I'v just watched BBC's Road to Wembley FACup programme. For the third round they mentioned Covid, a Villa team of youngsters ,then showed three goals with the commentary saying "liverpool score after 3 minutes 40 seconds....three goals in 4 minutes for a Liverpool team let off the leash' I could have sworn that something else happened in the game...

A travesty and a tragedy. Easy to explain why the sending off was a travesty, but it also denies Ollie the chance of completing a full season of playing every minute in the Premier League. For an outfield player that's a rarity, quite exceptional for a forward player and also for someone in their first Premier league season. All snatched away by an awful decision.

Watkins record this season - two bookings in 35 games before today, then two in one game. This referee is completely at odds with other referees assessment - he is not a diver and the referee was in no position to make the call he did. Number of bookings this season Harry Maguire 16 Ollie Watkins 4. So who is suspended as a result? Absolutely bizarre.-

the stats in the tweet from 'Tom' in this article are worth a read... https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/04/28/but-i-thought-bamford-some-aston-villa-fans-react-to-interesting-tweet-about-ollie-watkins/

Really good post by Mallett. I think the U23s should aim to get promoted when they are good enough rather than by buying players for the U23s. (merit, winning games, rather than spending money, to get promoted - an idea for the greedy six to copy, possibly). Fine if the players signed are intended for the first team, or if the general improvement of the first team squad strengthens the U23s. But otherwise , as Mallett points out, the U23s should get better as they get older. So sign players if they might make it, but not just to strengthen the U23s.

I say chaps, could we move the topic on from the painful memories of the two legged League Cup ties? Meanwhile here is a video from early 2017 that (to me) is quite entertaining. Ollie and best friend (since age 11) Matt Jay talk just as they were breaking into first team football (now Exeter's top scorer this season)Those who saw the video of Ollie's mother Ruby Washington may recall that it was MJ's dad who often did the ferrying around. Anyway see who's best at 5 a side, who understands what 'best at training' means and who was the top scorer in Ollie 's school football team....

I wonder whether this was relevant to what turned out to be his disappointing performance? Compared to his normal output, he looked a bit like a Watkins who hadn't trained for a couple of days. Meanwhile he can get the necessary breather from the gaps in Villa's fixture list. Only one game in three weeks in the rest of March. And in April its one game per week . And just one midweek fixture before the end of the season.

I actually think he is most naturally a number 10 (in say a 4-2-3-1). That was his position he was used in when he broke through into league football. Yes, I know there are quite a few options for Villa in that role (Barkley, Grealish etc). But imagine a Villa side with a different natural front man (Wesley, Abraham) with Grealish left of the three and Watkins linking the forward play as a number ten...and threatening either a central run at defenders and shot on goal ... or the late run into the box beyond the striker. (don't get me wrong - we Exeter fans are enormously grateful that Brentford played him as a striker so helping to generate the goals and transfer fee. That 15% of Brentford's profit is what is keeping the club going through Covid)

Shock! Talksport presenter talks controversial rubbish! Meanwhile breaking news. Apparently the Pope is a practising Catholic!

that interviewer asked whether Ollie had ever played in a Plymouth - Exeter game. Sacrilege! But the perfect excuse to have a look at this one, a 93rd minute derby winner in one of Ollie's first league two starts. Come to think of it, perhaps seeing this goal (and Ollie's other one in the same game, also from outside the box, but with a different foot) might have spared this thread some of the 'but he only scores tap ins' concerns.

Ollie's grandad and uncle must be a bit fed up. (Ollie was brought up as a boyhood Arsenal fan) So v Arsenal its P2 W2. Goals F4 A0 (Watkins 3)

Sadly Tier 6 currently suspended. Season may not finish...

Chrisene definitely a centre midfielder when breaking into the Exeter first team squad as a 15 year old. That's where he came on when I saw him at St Andrews (!) at the start of last season as a late sub in the League Cup (against Coventry). His later sub appearances for the first team were usually replacing strikers or a winger when we were winning and running the clock down. His five first team appearances were laying down a marker , rather than trying to win games as they only amounted to about 25 minutes in total. Interesting choice to use him at left back or, as in the Liverpool FA Cup game, as wide left in a 4-5-1. I thought of him as right, rather than left, footed - but it may be he is quite comfortable using either! Not sure whether this is a development lesson/exercise or a long term plan!

Yes, that's right (at least that's the pronunciation used by the Exeter manager when referring to him)

As an Exeter fan I have always followed the exploits of Exeter's youth products avidly from their first steps. None more so than Ollie Watkins. So this season I had become a closet Aston Villa fan....but now its time to come out openly as supporting Villa (having done the same at Brentford previously) My credentials as a Villa supporter are limited but include a) seeing all of Villa's televised live games this season (except the 7-2(Watkins 3) Liverpool game - don't ask) b!) having seen more minutes of men's football senior appearances by the Villa FACup team v Liverpool than 99% of the Villa fanbase, courtesy of Ben Chrisene's cameo debut sub appearance as a 15 year old at the start of last season in the League Cup away against Coventry(!) c) and my firm commitment to the Claret and Blue podcast. And also I'm local, living midway between Mat Kendrick's Halesowen Town and Limpid's Sunny Bewdley. I've really enjoyed the debates/info on here and in particular the spirit in which things are written and shared. I look forward to joining in.