ChesterDad

7 hours ago, MaVilla said:

i remember when Davis broke in to the first team, he really looked special, i also remember after some of his performances he was attracting the attention of Manure.

Whether he would have developed better and achieved a higher level if we had managed his development better, who knows, but we really did him dirty with the terrible way we managed his development.

Obviously, his injuries didnt help over time, but we defo did him dirty in terms of his development.

such a pity, but glad to see we are doing better now with developing our youth players.

Did we really do the dirty on him?

Unfortunately  he has been injured so much of the time in the past two years.

if he had been fit and bursting at the seams for a starting place, I would be more inclined to agree.

I personally don’t think he will make a regular starter in the prem and I think that he should thank the club for giving him a life, that he probably only dreamed of a few years back.

I have no ill will whatsoever towards him, I hope he absolutely smashes it at Watford and no doubt he will receive a very warm welcome if/when he makes a return to VP

On 02/08/2022 at 13:20, Hev said:

Yes awful. Anything but that. I always thought the intro to Assassing by Marillion might be good to come out to 

Oh no surely not - He knows you know would be a far better choice

2 hours ago, theboyangel said:

Souness clutching at straws trying to remain relevant in the football world so resorts to digging out players for no good reason other than his bigoted, outdated and unwanted beliefs (sadly these will be lapped up by the white van, talksport worshippers!) 

The man is a dinosaur and needs putting out to pasture

I can’t disagree with a word you say here - I just find it very sad that a player who in todays market at his prime would be a £100 million man, drops to these levels, he should be held in the highest esteem, unfortunately he will go down as a bitter and miserable ex - pro 

19 minutes ago, a m ole said:

A what?

To be honest as much as I admire Souness as a player - this is now getting embarrassing for a man of his age and stature.

20 minutes ago, Shirtman said:

What a bitter and twisted old man.

Such a shame really - he was an unbelievable baller and a man’s man.

I don’t get the need to behave how he does ? 

5 hours ago, lexicon said:

Didn't he score the 7th most goals for a striker last year? 

With all due respect, ChesterDad, you need to stop living in the past. Attacking play these days is far more free form than it used to be - just look at the top 10 highest goalscorers in the league last season - only 2 out and out and strikers there in Kane and Vardy. 

If you don't see the value in what Ollie did yesterday, i.e. having a big hand in both goals, then I don't really know what to tell you. It's not 4-4-fakhin-2 and smoking a fag at half time anymore. 

I do hear what you say and I acknowledge that maybe I am looking too the past.

But ultimately strikers will be judged on goals scored not how many assists they are credited with - this is just football.

As I said Ollie has some good qualities - but personally I don’t feel that he is able to take the club forwards to where we all would really like to be.

His touch and technique in my humble opinion are not good enough.

This said, I would be delighted to be proved wrong

14 hours ago, Chicken Field said:

Fair enough

 

I just feel like we (me included) as a fan base go waaaay over the top with criticism of individuals when we don't like, or rate, them (like probably every fan base does). But we have to be able to recognize when they occasionally do well and I feel like when you have assisted 2 goals in one game, it's unfair to be going in on him for missing that one chance (which admittedly he should have scored). There are reasons to be critical of Watkins, today is just not one of those days, of course just my opinion.   

I’m not sure I can agree with this summary - strikers live or die by goals this is how it’s always been.

there was a time when strikers got paid for every goal they scored.

Assists are all well and good - but actually this is quite a recent concept bought into the game by sky.

Yes of course they are important but years ago no one ever commented on strikers getting an assist - it was goals or nothing.

despite having some good attributes I feel Ollie is consistently proving himself to be an average striker imo 

19 hours ago, Keyblade said:

I was talking about Coutinho mate.

My apologies - my bad

4 hours ago, Keyblade said:

It isn't just based on Saturday, but he's been off the boil for about 10 games. Even on Saturday certain players like Bailey and Kamara looked good despite the poor team performance. The team could be playing bad but that shouldn't affect your first touch, especially when that first touch is one of the most crucial parts of his game at the moment.

I feel you are being very harsh - It’s not easy when your playing and in the back of your mind, you know you are getting benched and most likely left out for the next game, and added to the fact he knows that unless he is motm he is getting dropped.

2 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

This is surely too reasoned and logical to be true?

The problem here JV is that there is a rizla paper between them and it’s always Emi who takes the hit regardless of how he plays and as a natural consequence fans will naturally assume that SG does not like him ?

On 08/08/2022 at 13:57, PussEKatt said:

It honestly amazes me that he has not asked for a transfer yet.Tell you what.If I was Emi,I would be asking for a transfer because it is obuious that while Coutinho is there Emi will only play a bit part......Irrespective of results.

Agreed - here is the player who I believe will ultimately cost Gerrard his job. Without barely kicking  a ball 

10 minutes ago, Jas10 said:

I don’t give a shit, he’s class

Gonna miss this silky trickster…
our squad/bench will only be weaker without him, a good option to have. Would have liked to see how BT could do being free from injuries and getting into form again… will always have fond memories of him from the lockdown season…

Underrated and over criticised. Way too good for the Turkish league. 

Oh and F off Gerrard. Nothing he is doing is encouraging me. I am very concerned. Every decision is questionable if not ridiculous.

Me too - absolutely loved watching him play - I have been watching Villa for many, many years and I can’t recall a more mercurial player. When at it and I’ll be the first to admit his inconsistency, he is just a pleasure to watch. That goal at the baggies was something else.

I’d pay to watch him training !

56 minutes ago, rodders0223 said:

He's been for 90% of his time here invisible.

You'd watch games last season and with Emi on the bench and he would do nothing. Over the course of the game he would be nowhere and have no impact.

You'd come home and you'd see 'he's a joy to watch' based on one flick or turn.

The hype at signing him. I feel like I'm going going crazy. He's over the hill and done nothing in 3 years and he's 30 and he's shot to bits.

I dont feel he is shot to bits to be truthful - however absolutely no way should he be a nailed on starter over Emi every week.

That said - I doubt very much SG will see it this way and will play Couts regardless.

3 minutes ago, Adam2003 said:

Did Big Ron have an affiliation (genuine question - I’m not aware of one but don’t know his playing career at all)? Pre Smith I’d say he, MON and Little are the most popular I remember - Gregory to an extent - so a mix between people who had the affinity or built it.

I’m pretty sure Big Ron was with us as a youngster - although I am happy to stand corrected on this.

these things are very difficult to evidence, however as a villan of over 45 years - I do believe this to be the case

1 minute ago, Davkaus said:

I don't think that's particularly true if the manager is one we think can do a good enough job. Look at the hero worship of O'Neill when he first arrived

Look it’s one of those that I can’t quantify in any way - but neither can it be denied.

it’s something that having followed us since 1976 I have always felt

11 minutes ago, Villa87 said:

There is such a huge disconnect between Gerrard and the fans. He just doesn’t get what we see. This won’t work out and I strongly suspect he will be out of a job soon. Yet another wasted season. 

The issue is that he has absolutely no connection to the club whatsoever. Whether we admit it or not - we are a club that likes our managers to have some affinity to Aston Villa - that’s just how it is.

1 hour ago, calcifer said:

He is shite? He walks into this midfield! McGinn is gargabe! 

I agree - I find it very strange that he cannot make our bench ? There must be more to this surely, because he can play - if he were given a run of 6/7 games I am pretty confident you would not dislodge him. But it’s not going to happen here I’m afraid 

7 hours ago, TRO said:

I think he needs to "Feel" the crowd behind him and if he misses, we must convert that emotion in to defiant support for him...as opposed to moans and groans.

His form will return.

Isn’t this the crux of the matter ? Is his best form good enough? I personally don’t feel that he is a striker who can propel us to where we want to go?

I don’t believe he is technically good enough and I take no pleasure to say this, but I do believe that we need a more accomplished striker to go forward - sure Ollie will maintain the status quo, but as Villa fans we are expecting more 

25 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Probably. But you don’t convince a player like Coutinho to join permanently if you don’t play him.  He did try them both in certain games but it didn’t work great. He rotated them at times. 
 

I like Emi and I know he will play a lot this season. Most fans that have turned him in to Messi are just looking for any excuse they can to have a dig a Gerrard.

Would you say it’s a dig or frustration because clearly there were times, when he should have started but didn’t ?

27 minutes ago, sir_gary_cahill said:

I don’t think he should be written off just yet, he hasn’t had the opportunity to show what he can do in the Premier League. When he has actually played, anyone could see that he has ability on the ball

Totally agree - I think there is a player in there, he did well against Man Utd and arguably our best player at wolves. 
with 5 subs this season there is absolutely no way he should be going anywhere imo 

2 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

He started 6 games for Smith in 10. Didn’t finish a single one. 

For Gerrard I believe he started 17 out of 28. Came on for pretty much every game he didn’t start.  

Hardly sounds like the manager doesn’t fancy him.  Also seems to indicate he can’t see out 90 minutes. 

I think there were several games when a lot of us were expecting him to start and he didn’t - do this probably clouds peoples perception a little?

He has to start for me - I think he is our best and most creative player, he provides us with a drive and thrust and passes the ball so easily through the lines.

Ever since I was a young boy many years ago, living in the Black Country and surrounded by dingles and yam yams - I knew I wanted to follow something different - fortunately I had a wise old uncle who stole me away from the misery and took me to the light side - Thanks uncle Jack