og1874

Just now, CVByrne said:

I think our problems are down to our system doesn't create enough chances for them to score. I think when we played the two of them up top with Coutinho behind them it was very effective. I can't see why we would sell either of them as the market doesn't look like one we can get an improvement on them. 

Because neither of them are really what Gerrard is looking for in a striker, so far as I can tell. I can see us spending big on a forward that's more in line with what he wants, with a cheap/free older head like Suarez as backup alongside Archer. I think the management team will be aware that they need to shift at least one of those 2 to bring in a new forward, but also that bringing in a new forward and relegating whoever is left to the bench will drain any resale value over the course of the season - so it might be best to shift both in the summer window if possible (as that window will likely represent the maximum price we'll get for either).

1 minute ago, AVFCDAN said:

Spot on.

Player for player we are on a similar level to West Ham, you could argue ours are better but we don't have Declan Rice...

Sometimes you don't even need a Declan Rice, sometimes you just need a Gavin McCann tbh

Just now, CVByrne said:

Ings, Watkins and Suarez being our front 3. Archer getting another Loan. I think Suarez having a point to prove the year of a world cup would be excellent. He consistently outscores his xG even this season. While the profile of the club with Coutinho and Suarez signed on permanent deals can help get other targets.

I'll be HUGELY surprised if Ings and Watkins are both at the club when the window closes, more surprised than I'll be if neither are

9 minutes ago, CVByrne said:

Do you think the 5 subs rule changes your opinion on signing Luis Suarez for 12 months?

Suarez and Archer on the bench with a new forward starting and Ings + Watkins sold is potentially where I see us starting the season

On 01/09/2021 at 22:21, Dave-R said:

I were amazed at how he'd got these dodgy knees but never let that stop him from bossing the game.

Good defenders can run and tackle.

Great defenders don't have to.

Honestly, I'm fine with the 5 subs. Perhaps it would've been better if you could have 3 standard subs and then another 2 academy graduates that could be used (of any age, once they've been at the club from, say 16 years old) in addition to the 3 regular subs, but I'm fine with 5 subs in general, and I don't think it favours bigger clubs all that much. If anything it gives "smaller" clubs the chance to blood youngsters more than they otherwise would have

3 minutes ago, nick76 said:

OG I think you sum it up, our outfield is semi-decent….that doesn’t get you European football.

No, it for sure doesn't. Your midfield needs to be your best group to do anything in football. I don't think our midfield is hideously terrible or anything, though. In isolation we have a group of decent players there, we just don't have the right balance and there's too much use of square pegs in round holes. We're playing an 8 (Luiz) as a 6, arguably two almost-10s (McGinn and Ramsey) as 8s (and also as strange stand-in full backs at times), and we don't seem to be bothered about a 7. Too many of the same type of player being used in the wrong roles.

4 minutes ago, paul514 said:

Well I guess we will see this time next year in the accounts, but like I said it is enough to buy a better player for us.

While I agree, better probably isn't the right word here. Targett is a very good player when deployed in a specific setup. The issue is that he's a poor player when not in that setup. He felt it more than most when Grealish wasn't in the team, and I just don't think he had it in his locker to adapt - so he went to somewhere that he could be effective again. He'll be as good for Newcastle as he was for us last year (our player of the season, remember), so long as they continue to use him in a way that suits. The second they change that, he'll be back to this season's Villa Targett and they'll be looking to offload him, just like we did

I think "more system suitable" is the word to use, rather than "better"

In my opinion John McGinn, for all that's good about him, is the one player in our current starting midfield that we should be looking to make a bench player via our signings this summer above all others

2 minutes ago, Zatman said:

For 6 months. I doubt it be so high for a player we publicly showed we didnt want

Given the context, I would imagine it would be massively inflated versus any other team coming in for him on loan. From Newcastle's perspective, it also makes sense. 5m fee, if they go down they're not saddled with him, if it works and he helps them stay up, it's worth every penny versus the 100m odd they lose on relegation

1 minute ago, paul514 said:

Maybe, I don't know what they have paid us for him for the second half of this season.....

I think it is likely the reported 15m is rubbish.

Nah it sounds about right to me, 18-20m all in for the loan fee plus transfer, plus wages off the books for 6 months (probably another 1m)

1 minute ago, VillaParkAvenue said:

What you say is logical but some companies don’t seem to understand this. Spotify pay 180 million euro to rename Camp Nou, maybe the most iconic of stadium names, to Spotify Camp Nou for 12 years.

It was wrapped into a shirt sponsorship deal though, and there was probably "no negotiation" on the full package from Barca's standpoint. Pay the fee or don't get on the shirt. Being on the front of Barca's jersey means massive brand visibility. 

We're not in the same tier, so we can't really pull the same thing. We basically have to take what we can get in terms of shirt sponsorship, and we're in no position to strong arm a "package" to bump the price.

6 minutes ago, nick76 said:

So you just want to stay a midtable team? Adding just a midfielder really isn’t going to get us European place is it.

Games are won and lost on midfield balance. Our keeper is decent, advanced options are semi-decent, the midfield is the problem area - but we've got a lot of decent midfielders. The issue is that there's no balance. It could genuinely be as simple as one player to fix the balance.

11 hours ago, paul514 said:

I highly doubt we agreed an option to buy of just 15m.... 20 odd I can believe.

The loan fee was probably another 5m

11 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

i know many may be against it, but how do you all feel about Stadium naming rights?

It would always be Villa Park to me, and i see why ppl wouldnt like it, but....i also kinda think that if it would help us progress, maybe it is something we should consider?

Some reports imply that a "good" Stadium naming rights agreement, is probably the third biggest funding income stream for teams that choose to do it, so if the right deal could be found, it could help our finances a bit?

Don't think there are any companies that would be interested to be honest. When you've got a stadium as iconic as Villa Park, it's never, ever going to be referred to by any other name by supporters. The actual value of naming rights would be massively hamstrung by the legacy of the name. It's different when you have a new stadium and the naming rights are attached on launch, but even then the main value is only there for the initial sponsors. How many people still call Bolton's stadium the Reebok, for example? Arsenals will be known as the Emirates for years and years after that deal expires, as another example - same for the Etihad.

8 hours ago, tyklip said:

No, Watkin's workrate is *so* far above everyone else's and every other striker I've ever seen. It's fair to say doing that is giving 100% for the team. 

Again, you say workrate, I say running around a lot. They're not the same thing

18 hours ago, sir_gary_cahill said:

One thing that you can never fault him for is effort, he always gives 100% for the team, whoever the opposition is

Too many people confuse "running around a lot" with "giving 100% for the team"

Ollie runs around a lot

21 hours ago, John said:

Let them look with envy! He's one of our own and is young enough to become a regular England squad member with us in the fullness of time. His job during the next twelve months is to play consistently well enough for us to hold onto the first team place that he's won with us and that won't be easy with the midfield talent that we already have, and might add to in the coming transfer windows. Why would he be looking to move now, with SG at the helm and the chance to learn from him, and from playing alongside the likes of Coutinho? He would be a mug to get itchy feet.

I can't see him going anywhere for a long time to be honest

5 minutes ago, Tom13 said:

Because being disappointed that one of your players is getting international recognition is pathetic.

Getting called up has nothing to do with those players leaving. We've not been fighting for the top honours for a long time, and those players left for clubs more competitive than us. Playing for England is just a natural part of a player's progress.

The frustrating thing is often that if the players who left to challenge for silverware had stayed, we'd likely have challenged for silverware.

13 hours ago, PieFacE said:

I keep getting notifications on my phone about the Coutinho deal. They all seem to link to the Birmingham Mail which I refuse to click. I assume nothing has actually happened and it's just clickbait garbage?

They seem to be churning out article after article with the same old quotes and copy completely unrelated to the headline - so yeah, the usual rubbish

35 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

Ramsey will come onto the radar of clubs higher up the league soon enough

It's naive to think he's not already on their radars IMO

3 hours ago, VillaJ100 said:

It would be great but they'd have to lose pretty much every game from now and i can't see it sadly

Unlikely, but...

Spurs (A)
Wolves (H)
Leicester (H)
Palace (H)
Norwich (A)
Liverpool (H)
City (A)
Arsenal (H)
Burnley (A)

You COULD see them losing every one of those bar Norwich

Ahoy hoy!

Lifetime Villan here, and been lurking for a few years, but figured it’s as good a time as any to get involved!

Some pointless Villa trivia about me:

Fave Villa moment: Spanking Wimbledon 5-0 when they were on a great run

Fave Villa player: God

Last game attended: 0-2 at home against Wigan in August 09... been a long time