AvfcTheObsession

12 hours ago, VillaChris said:

48k is still 4 thousand empty seats isn't it....

So equivilant of us getting 35k which we more or less got v Rotherham and Huddersfield....

Only equivalent because we've closed a stand  Us getting 35k is actually 7.5k empty seats if we are being honest. Still a very good number for the Championship mind.

I always thought he was more of a 'glamour' appointment. Won the CL, speaks well and several different languages, wears a smart suit. Whereas I felt we needed more of a rough and ready type who could rebuild and get us back to basics at the same time. We haven't done the basics for years, and we still aren't doing them. I'd like to give RDM a bit more time (the 5 games in October), but if Preston is a disaster on Saturday I may wish to revise that.

That's great. Just sent the payment over via Paypal now.

Looking forward to milking the offers ahead of the Ryder Cup/Football this weekend.

Looking to get back in to this and tempted by the better value yearly membership over monthly.

Can Joe/Ben advise if there is any discount for Villa Talk members?

Thanks

29 minutes ago, Nigel said:

 

Is 11 games enough time to change an entire squad? The results are moot if we are really giving him time!

 

 

It's not the entire squad though, our starting XI regularly contains Cissokho/Amavi, Bacuna, Westwood, Ayew and sometimes Gestede. 4-5 players from last season or before that.

30 minutes ago, hippo said:

Think youre over cooking that TBH.We went gung ho for 30 minutes and scored from a corner. There was little pattern of play or suggestion that we have hit a winning formula.

The formula (as in the system) changed when Tshibola came on and we dropped the stupid 5 at the back experiment. Later on Gestede caused a bit of mayhem in the box. Start with something similar tonight system wise and we should look much better than we did first half v Newcastle, although I'd still leave Gestede as an impact sub.

4 minutes ago, briny_ear said:

I agree they started fighting back for the last half hour or so but the first hour was abject and we survived a heavy first-half deficit only thanks to Newcastle's complacency and/or cluelessness in front of goal. There is simply no way you can describe our first half performance as "fighting throughout".

First half was shocking, we were very lucky Gayle missed an absolute sitter, and then Diame right at the start of the second half.

Rather than the players I blame the first half on the manager sending them out playing in a stupid, negative system which didn't suit us or the game considering we had quality midfielders such as Diame, Ritchie and Shelvey to contend with.

14 minutes ago, bannedfromHandV said:

What's the score with getting an away ticket for this, is it too late now?

No, I read earlier they are on sale tonight, cash turnstiles £32.50

7 minutes ago, KHV said:

We have great attacking options, sadly playing all of them at the same time doesn't work. I agree the left backs are okay and the right backs although deLaet was a crap signing. Still trying to work out why we spent money on a right back when we alreday had 3 but we did.

I'm not convinced by Chester or Elphick either, especially Chester. This squad has far too many flaws in to be any good, the other problem with the attackers is that Ayew, McCormack and Grealish are number 10 type strikers and Kodjia should be played through the middle and not wide. God knows what we are planning on doing with Adomah either and how he fits in and who misses out. I don't think RDM knows either, he is guessing

He does need to stop shoehorning them all into the starting XI, it's good to have options to change it off the bench anyway.

I've been disappointed with Elphick and Jedinak so far, but I think you are a bit quick to write signings off as crap, I mean Jedinak has started what 2 games for us? He can't be over the hill yet, he's played 90mins in the Prem for palace this year. I also thought DeLaet could have a good season, as he's 27 and was good at this level a couple of years back according to Leicester's fans, obviously we won't see him this season now to find out.

35 minutes ago, mykeyb said:

Maybe thats the line the management team gave him......................

In lots of ways they did, if they didn't fight we wouldn't have got back into the game second half.

37 minutes ago, KHV said:

He doesn't have a good squad of players to work with and he appears to be making guesses about tactics and formations on the off chance of stumbling on something that works. Sadly for RDM when you have 1 promising midfilelder (Tshibola) and 3 shit ones (Jedinak,Gardner,Westwood) the chances of finding a winning formula are slim. Playing Kodjia out wide is also a mistake IMO.

I don't think RDM has much of a clue and his summer spending lacked any real thought. He is now paying the price for it.

CM is weak and it is an important position. I don't agree he doesn't have a good squad though, our attacking options (Kodjia, Ayew, McCormack, Grealish) are some of the best in the league. Defensively I would say we have 2 good LBs at this level, and 2-3 good CBs, then De Laet and Bacuna are both decent options at RB.

I think setting us up 4-3-3 in some games and 4-4-2 in others (providing Tshibola is one of the 2) should be enough to beat a lot of teams in this league.

14 minutes ago, KHV said:

I think tonight will be a defeat, 3-1 Barnsley

Di Matteo out if this happens.

All's well that ends well! Div. 1 safety assured (finishing 6th) and a trophy in the bank! Happy days.

1 hour ago, blandy said:

Amen, brother. It is utterly, utterly ridiculous. Prices in the Prem are a disgrace, and there seems little change at a lot of clubs (including Villa for some games) in the EFL.

Hopefully the fact we will get better crowds for games against the less 'glamorous sides' (without wishing to offend them) like Rotherham and Huddersfield, when it's £20-28 for tickets than we do against the likes of Newcastle and Wolves at Category A prices, may make them re-consider their pricing later in the season, or for next season.

Someone call the club, tell them we've been relegated and they've forgotten to update the prices.

This 'Category A' rubbish in the Championship really is a joke, especially when it's live on TV.

No adult ticket should be more than £25.

I think the quality of the league now compared to last time RDM managed in it has caught him by surprise. He has said himself how the league has improved and is much more competitive, the question is whether he has improved during the same time.

Newcastle talk about attendances (again) since we've been relegated 'Villa have had to close stands', 'their notoriously fickle fans have deserted them after relegation', ignoring the fact that they had 10k empty seats the first season after they got relegated. Maybe they should have closed a stand off themselves, would have saved them a few quid

1 hour ago, Gary Thomas said:

The Newcastle game is a massive opportunity to kick-start our season.  Crowd looking decent and hopefully everyone is fired up.  Last time we played them at VP the place was absolutely rocking and that was a 0-0 with sod all to play for.  This game matters.  Hoping every Villa fan in the ground gets behind the boys from start to finish.  Let's make VP loud and hostile, take 3pts off the barcodes and start climbing this f**king table.   

Looking on the OS I don't think the attendance will be great for this, baring in mind capacity is down to 37k this season, there's still quite a bit of availability. I think it could only be a thousand or two more than the Forest game.

1 hour ago, markavfc40 said:

That is the crux of it at present for me. There is no evidence, at present, that he was drunk etc or did anything wrong and this was at a time when he would have had a day off the next day.

If as part of the clubs investigation they turn up any wrong doing by Jack, other than having been at a party that got a little out of hand, then they should come down on him heavily. Let’s wait and see though as despite his previous then for now I am happy to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I also agree with others that both Collymore and Xia sticking their beaks in publically as kept a non story going way longer than it deserved. Xia especially should have waited to see what his own clubs investigation found before commenting.

Exactly. The same Xia who is quick to rubbish the media on occasions, e.g Holloway or people questioning his wealth/legitimacy, takes them at their word here.

4 minutes ago, Gary Thomas said:

RDM talking to media for 7-8mins. Worth a listen.

https://audioboom.com/boos/5079625-villa-boss-roberto-di-matteo-on-the-game-v-newcastle-and-jack-grealish

 

Can't listen at the moment, what's he say about Grealish? Any hint as to whether he's likely to start this weekend?

12 hours ago, Davkaus said:

I don't really care for this trend of a minute's applause for some random dead fan I've never heard of before, even when it's a Villa fan. We'll get nothing else done if we start it for every bloody Villa fan that dies.

I'm even less inclined when it comes to some random fan that supported another club. It seems bizarre to me.

 

Your post is very cold and callous in this case, when we are talking about a 7-year-old boy who died of leukaemia.

He was clearly a big Villa fan even at such a young age No formal dress is required with his family instead asking people to wear either Aston Villa tops or something bright.

So maybe don't think about him as 'some random fan', and instead the sad loss of life of a little boy, where doing something like this would bring a smile and a tear to the eye of his family and loved ones, god forbid any of them should see your post by the way.

1 hour ago, AndyGray1985 said:

Well that's convenient. How do you know my views on Moyes?

The Samuelson topic now locked for debate - I hope you get more from the two than we did, as I genuinely care about Villa. But I know a lot more about the ongoings at EFC than you and the average fan - notwithstanding the evident flaws in your argument.

I didn't mean you specifically, but the fans who are slagging Wyness off that also slagged Moyes off after what he did there makes me discount what they are saying somewhat.

Samuelson has thankfully left the club as he was just involved in the initial takeover and transition.

Enlighten me as to the 'evident flaws' in my argument?

Let's post 250+ now and put the pressure on them chasing over 300 in the last innings. Loser of this game looks likely to go down as Hants are bossing it v Durham.

I'm not going to read too much into Everton fans' comments on Wyness after leaving them, as most of them have been very uncomplimentary about Moyes since he left, whereas any neutral could see with the budget he had his record there was very good, excluding the Cups (bar one year where he got to the FA Cup Final).

36 minutes ago, Michael118 said:

Basically and the loss of Lescott who would have have been a decent back up and Donacien who had potential.

 

I haven't seen enough of Kodjia and McCormack seems to be playing more of a creative role.

I like Kozak and Agbonlahor (when fit) as strikers. I can see them combining well together.

 

 

 

The 'loss' of Lescott, and this the same Donacien who has so much potential, the best offer he got was from League 2?

McCormack will do a good job this season playing just off the main man, be that Kodjia or Gestede on occasions.