Pablo_2531

I don’t watch villa every game although I have seen a good few an not trying my to kick a lad when he’s down but digne is a different **** level to the lad you got playing left back. 

Very poor on early goal an some bad misses in a tight game..that Watkins one he has to finish when he gets to it an for me ings has to do better couple of time like one where heads it too firmly..he clean through there with more composure.

however that 3.5 minutes to look for reason to disallow the goal is a joke an just doesn’t happen at any other ground. 

however you have hammered them an don’t let emotion tell you otherwise. Replay that game an you win 8/10.

Delivery from full backs not good enough for a side who want to get in top 6. Set pieces need to improve a lot too

coutiniho an digne will make a massive difference to this side.

ps I reckon you will do them at the weekend

You have absolutely walloped these. How on earth you aren’t winning this I don’t know..well apart from being more clinical. Winning every second ball an all over them. Just need to keep heads as these are shitting themselves an providing you don’t concede on the counter you will create more 

If it’s not obvious they shouldn’t be looking for reasons to disallow goals. Watched that for a few minutes to look for a reason. 

On 08/01/2022 at 15:57, Greenfly said:

After we were linked I started watching his Barca and Bayern highlights to get a better idea of what sort of player we're getting, and even though he's no longer at the level he was at for you, he's still far better than what we currently have. Even if he takes a bit of time to get back into the groove, he will be great for us and I have little doubt about that.

Also, if you'd had to witness the level of baffling insanity we've had to put up with over the last few years, you'd be a little on the pessimistic side too. We've been burned before. We had similar conversations to these about Barkley back when he signed, and he ended up being a lazy player who clearly didn't care.

As long as Coutinho isn't like that, which by the looks of things it seems like he's the exact opposite, the Villa faithful will quickly grow to love him.

I think Barkley a different animal. Barkley had all the ability in the world but defo left Everton too early an by all accounts is out round town too much an doesn’t have the motivation he should have. 

5 minutes ago, nick76 said:

Nah Grealish tarnished his status with a lot of us, I don’t think that will be a major problem.

2 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

Cheers mate.

to be fair, after the way Grealish left i actually think Coutihno wont get much comparison to him (as a lot of Villa fans are bitter towards Grealish now), i almost think that if Coutinho puts the work in and performs, he will quickly feel the love and admiration that was reserved for Grealish.

With Grealish gone we dont really have a "talisman", as we both alluded to, if Coutinho even offers 75% of what he's capable of, he will quickly gain the talisman mantle here for sure, and the fans will no doubt adore him.

Fair enough. I can’t say I know any villa fans personally so I’m not close enough to it all.

I hope he works out for you an I believe it will. Just a shame he not playing tomorrow against the mancs…they will defo have bad memories of him ha

On 08/01/2022 at 13:32, MaVilla said:

welcome to VT friendo!, thanks for your opinion, very much appreciated.

This is clearly the biggest signing Villa have made in my lifetime, i think the consensus is, if we can get a version of Coutinho that is even 75% of what he is capable of, it will be a huge success.

Would you agree?

 

PS: re optimism, my defence for that is in the last 15 years we have gone from competing for the top 4 under MON and were genuinely one of the "big clubs" in England, to having sold all our key player assets, fallen down the league, got relegated, spent 3 years in the Championship, had a corrupt club owner (thats not a joke, he is/was actually a wanted man internationally), nearly had to sell our main asset (Grealish) for a packet of crisps to Spurs a few years back, then had him taken from us by Manchester Money, only stayed up by a point 2 years ago.......although we did have a decent season last season and now things do look on the up with our new owners, Purslow and Gerrard..........my point is, please forgive the pessimism......but i kinda think after the last 10+ years you are lucky we arent committing mass seppuku!

Hopefully the good times are coming again soon ay!

Thanks for the welcome. 
 

If you had 75% of the player who left Liverpool yeh you would still have a player but I honestly see no reason why he can’t reach the levels he showed with us. Assuming he got players running off him etc 

he is only 29 an he isn’t a sprinter over 30 metres like a Michael Owen who when the hamstrings went he was ****. He tends to show bursts over short distances as he drops the shoulder an ghosts past people with skill an then releases the ball before they have chance to come back. Think David silva like..

I think the obvious criticism would be he didn’t achieve the levels at Barca or Bayern. But they are two clubs where I always feel it’s a bit dog eat dog an if you can’t hack it your out. I’m not sure whether coutiniho has the strength of character to hack it in that environment.

at villa gerrard will put an arm around his shoulder an build around him. 

the main obstacle I see with coutiniho at villa is I imagine some of your fan base - I might be wrong with this - will constantly compare him to grealish an it is always hard to come in after a local hero.

Hello all I previously commented on gerrard. I know I know..I’m an obsessive Lfc fan.

However as a season ticket holder I feel in a decent position to comment on these two in particular..

I've been watching developments with villa with interest for obvious reasons and I think this will prove to be a very good signing.

I have to admit I haven’t watched lots of  coutiniho since he left but I can tell you about the player who was at liverpool.

Firstly, by all accounts he is a good lad, not going to upset anyone, speaks English and for us was not injured a lot from memory.

His touch is immense as is his awareness, close control and skills in tight positions. His other main strength is his shooting from distance both from dead balls an in open play.

I would say the other thing that helps with him is he can press and he does work hard. He isn’t just some number 10 who strolls round the pitch.

The general criticism of coutiniho from liverpool fans was that certainly for the first few years he was inconsistent. He could put in a 9/10 performance then 2x6/10 performances and that seemed to be the cycle. However in the last 2 years I think it was or certainly 18 months (an bear in mind he was young) it became near enough every game he was immense an for me he was probably along with hazard the best player in the league at that time.

You don’t go for 145m if you are shit an he wasn’t a flash in the pan like a dembele for instance.

yeh it worked out for liverpool as we sold him an bought Allison an van dijk who based on our American owners track record we would not have bought without the sale. 

However at 29 I see no reason why you cannot have 4/5 years of coutiniho. The fact gerrard will build around him will help too an I suspect he will be a success.

ps from reading a number of these threads over the last couple of months you aren’t the most optimistic bunch are ya? But on this one I think you might be pleasantly surprised.

Hello All,

As a Liverpool fan from Liverpool... like many others I'm intrigued to see how Gerrard gets on but before i get into that i just wanted to dispel a myth Im absolutely sick to death of hearing about. Most Liverpool fans with any sense have no interest in Steven Gerrard managing Liverpool in the foreseeable future. I'm sick - as I am sure you are - of reading and hearing about how this is lined up as his next job etc and this is an audition. Personally I'm not a big fan of club heroes going on to manage the club as 9/10 it ends in tears. Plus we have a guy who has won a European cup and league with a net spend that pales into insignificance where compared against our domestic rivals so i dont want him to go anywhere.

Do i want Gerrard to do well at Villa? Yeh of course but not because i want him at Liverpool but because he is the best footballer i have seen play for Liverpool - certainty since the 80s and arguably ever and as a fan who has benefitted from his footballing ability i wish him the best. 

ps been interesting to see how he has been perceived with you guys and how he gets on. I felt you gave us a tough game last week.. as tough a home league game as we have had apart from city who should have beat us