EssexVilla

citrus polo's.

Well we're not even close to being in Uniteds league. Relatively he could be our scholes.

While we never really had a realistic chance today I'm disappointed in Mcleish. There was no shape to the play and I have no idea what formation we were trying to play. We left the game far too open and were punished for it. Petrov was overrun in the midfield. Heskey was absolutely terrible. I think today Mcleish was trying to play entertaining football when in reality it was the right time for a backs to the wall grind it out attempt. He should have done today what the majority of fans have been moaning at him not to do.

Not really, he left to go to a team on the verge of a lot of trophies.

^^^^ I bought Emre Can for Villa as well for a similar price. I couldn't sell Heskey either but have ended up using him quite a bit. In fairness he does alright and is useful if you want to press for a goal at the end and you need someone to hoof it up to. I think long ball football can be more easily replicated on the game from what I have seen but have tried to get the lads playing good football to mixed results. Arsenal seem to be ridiculously good and I'd expect them to be significantly worse by the time the 1st patch comes out but doubt they will be changed by the time the actual game comes out. It seems by earlier fears about Gabby were misplaced but I still think he could be improved a bit technically but due to how the match engine works it might be difficult to do while maintaining his level of ability. Bent seems a bit inconsistent in that he can score a couple one game but do absolutely nothing in the next 2. In real life i think he's the opposite in that if he gets on form he'll score goals over a run of games but will also go through dry spells.

not really, he hasn't been amazing by any stretch but people need to accept that the players don't perform, top level players, terry, cole, Rooney, Barry, Walcott all at top 4 teams all play CL all **** up, then add milner and hart vs the Swiss What do you expect from him? You can only lead a horse to water... How many managers need to be "shit" before the opinion swings to "maybe it's the players" While I agree too much is expected of the England team for their level of ability Capello doesn't help matters much. Why did he take off Young who scored 1 and set up another? Why did he take off Bent who had scored? Why does he pick Walcott when he is shit? Why is Jones at right back when he clearly wasn't comfortable there when there are 2 in form natural right backs in the squad? Capello just doesn't get the best out of the players and seems to have as much skill with substitutions as O'Neill.

So far seems pretty good. Headed goals in open play seem more common but have only played 2 games. Not too sure I like the profile bit when you click on a player. Am enjoying the tone system and the quick feedback from the players in teamtalks and player chats. Had a bit of a problem with contract offer with Arne Friedrich-offered him a contract which he accepted but failed a medical. Went to offer another one and his demands for wages have doubled and his loyalty bonus has quadrupled. Tried to negotiate him down to what he was on before and then the agent says 'we have already agreed terms so why are you trying to change them?' or something along those lines and then walks out. Was quite annoying as I've already sold Collins and now looking at using Devine as fourth choice. Annoyingly the Tottenham researcher still seems to be in charge as spurs players attributes all seem pretty similar to last years. Moving onto villa ratings I think there pretty good. Ones I'd complain about are Bent's composure (zigic has composure 16 so can't see how Bent has worse composure than zigic) and Clark I think could be improved a little. The big one I'd say is Gabby. His technical game has come on leaps and bounds over the last year or so but that doesn't seem to be represented in the game (again to use zigic as a comparison his technique is 14, dribbling is better as well). I'd also say Gabby[s work rate should also be improved.

Think we could do alright if we sit back an look to play on the counter. Hopefully Gabby will be fit and no injuries from internationals. If all are fit I'd go with: Given Cuellar Collins Dunne Warnock Jenas Petrov Bannan N'zogbia Agbonlahor Bent

Unsighted? He had a clear view of it from the moment it left Walker's boot.

Thought he did well in that 20 minute spell we had at the start of the second half. Seemed to be playing in a similar role to the one he used to at Leeds where he could run beyond the striker. I dont think he can play the holding role though.

Andy, do you know whether or not it is true that the spurs researcher has been fired?

Him and Clark could be a good pairing as future CBs...Baker looks too tall to be a full back.... but IIRC they're both left footed. Why is two left footers playing worse than 2 right footers which is what we have at the moment? I fact its probably better as most strikers they come up against will be right footed.

His bowling has been much improved this year and I'd say it is around Collingwood's level if not a bit better. He's definitely a bit quicker than Collingwood but probably less variations. Bowled reasonably well towards the end of Ireland's innings today.

My opinion on Bopara is that he needs to feel wanted to do well. If he had an extended run in the side then he would start to do well but as it is he heaps pressure on himself by thinking he has to score runs in this innings or he won't get another chance. The problem with that is he doesn't react well to that self-applied pressure. My opinion (as a biased essex fan) is that he should be in the test squad instead of Morgan and that he provides a natural replacement for Collingwood.

The Jack Reacher ones by Lee Child? If so they're pretty good and probably worth reading if you like that sort of book.

someone said this before, maybe even you. explain how he isn't in their 'mold' he can pass he can shoot he has pace he can cross he can spot a pass ? He doesn't fit in with Arsenals style. Downing is an out an out winger who will get to the byline and whip it in. How many of those types of players make it at Arsenal?

Which players do you think need an increase? I bet if you played the game many times over Villa would finish mid way up in most of the games. Definitely Downing and Bent though I know sunderland researcher did Bent. It seems to me that you don't like giving out the higher end statistics like 17+. When our players have good attributes they are given 14/15/16 but with other teams they get 17+.

Andy, could you please boost villa a bit this season? I think you rate them fairly but other researchers don't which means that Villa are much worse than where they should be. eg in my current bristol city file they got relegated in the first season. Now I understand this is on the third patch and at the time this was released we were near the relegation zone but we ended up 9th so should be boosted. Can you also tell the birmingham researcher to move his players down considering how crap they are? He can **** off with ferguson having passing 17. I think the only villa attributes above 16 are the physical ones.

I wonder about this a lot, more than I should really. Yeah me too although I think most people do see the colour as the same or very similar as you can describe it using words like light and dark which have fairly basic meanings. The other thing I think about is how to describe a colour. It's impossible.

Of course the board manage what happens on the pitch. When your manager and top players sign contracts on the proviso that they'll soon be joined by more world class players, how can they be expected to stay motivated when it transpires they were lied to? There reached a point when Liverpool stopped being run by football people and started being run by financiers with the remit to reduce debt whilst making the club as attractive as possible to potential investors/buyers. For the whole of 2010, nobody was interested in what was happening on the pitch. The bank wanted their money back, the owners wanted their profit, the supporters wanted the owners gone and the players wanted to leave. And in the middle of it all was Rafa. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure he made mistakes at Liverpool. But there is a mountain of mitigation. So if the board weren't interested in what was happening on the pitch then how were they affecting it apart from the contract stuff? And I'd say a pretty key part of management is motivation. To expect an easy run with players in a little dreamland where nothing harms their confidence is naive. Its down to the manager to limit the affecting factors and when thewy inevitably happen lift them out of the dip by offering a little encouragement. Gerrard himself said he would have liked Rafa to at least say well done to him when he played well. And how long can a manager be expected to stem the tide? The shit didn't hit the fan overnight - the cracks started to appear in May '07. In May '09, we were narrowly beaten to the title despite the fractured boardroom, undermined management and protesting support. But it was never going to last. Sorry mate , I know I'm being a bit annoying but what did the board do wrong apart from the contract stuff you mentioned? I don't know too much about it except for you fans hate them and love rafa in spite of the poor job he did post May '07? My general point on Rafa is that I feel he could've done a better job at maintaining Liverpool's level after the champions league. Apart from that he turned Liverpool into a bit of a laughing stock with some of his antics (helped largely by the board) which I wouldn't like to happen here. My view on him wasn't improved by what happened at Inter. Add into that he seems fat too stubborn to adapt which I feel is crucial in the modern game and filled your youth system with foreign players who don't seem much better than the British ones who were coming through at the time.

Of course the board manage what happens on the pitch. When your manager and top players sign contracts on the proviso that they'll soon be joined by more world class players, how can they be expected to stay motivated when it transpires they were lied to? There reached a point when Liverpool stopped being run by football people and started being run by financiers with the remit to reduce debt whilst making the club as attractive as possible to potential investors/buyers. For the whole of 2010, nobody was interested in what was happening on the pitch. The bank wanted their money back, the owners wanted their profit, the supporters wanted the owners gone and the players wanted to leave. And in the middle of it all was Rafa. Don't get me wrong - I'm sure he made mistakes at Liverpool. But there is a mountain of mitigation. So if the board weren't interested in what was happening on the pitch then how were they affecting it apart from the contract stuff? And I'd say a pretty key part of management is motivation. To expect an easy run with players in a little dreamland where nothing harms their confidence is naive. Its down to the manager to limit the affecting factors and when thewy inevitably happen lift them out of the dip by offering a little encouragement. Gerrard himself said he would have liked Rafa to at least say well done to him when he played well.

But Rafa didn't compete really did he? I mean he was up there in a few seasons but he took a side which won the champions league and took it to 5th in 5 years. And in that time he added a world class striker to the side. liverpool fans bleat on about the board but they don't manage what happens on the pitch. That squad should have easily been able to get champions league. So if he can't get champions league with a side like that how's he going to get it with our's? And then you add into that the fiasco at Inter. He took another champions league winning side and took them to 6th in a sub-standard serie A.

Or he's already made a decision. If GH is fit enough to stay he'll stay and that's what Randy wants, no matter what you might think of that decision. . OK fair enough. Thats probably the long short of it. IMO thats the wrong move - we could be manager hunting in Jan - where as if we do the deed now there are some very good managers available - I doub't Randy will get such a wide choice ever again. If this goes wrong next season Randy and his board have to take the blame. Randy has to take the blame no matter which thing he does..If he shows Houllier the door then gets Ancelotti on 3m a year and it all goes tits up(basically because Ancelotti has never developed or re-build a squad)then you will have all those that back this current system getting on Lerners back..."Why did you change a formula that was moving forward etc"... I understand why Lermner is taking the stance he is..Houllier has come into a job where we had NOTHING..No scouts, no coaching staff(or very little),no fitness training, the players were suffering fatigue and injury, the players were spoilt,angry at MON departing or K'Mac not getting the job..Blimey this guy had it all to do and it takes time..Yet we have coaching staff now, we have scouts, we have fitness training..We have developement and players targeted to come in,players targeted to be removed etc.. Some of sit around thinking changing a manger is like changing a pair of socks.. What do you mean exactly when you say he had nothing ? When most manager leave - what is it you expect them to leave behind ? - Given that most manager like to bring there own backroom staff - the fact that MON took Steve Walford, and John Robertson shouldn't really have created a big hole. There seems to be a myth that a whole army of staff left last august - - which I don't beleive it true. A whole army of staff didn't leave last August but that was mainly down to MON not having an army of staff. The guy who you quoted had it spot on IMO.

I can see them both winning. Stoke have a load of injuries and nothing to play for and Blackpool will be playing Man Utd reserves, with their first team rested for the CL final. I can see them all losing but in a shock twist blackpool lose by 1 less goal and stay up on goals scored.

Moyes Coyle Jol Lambert Hughes Would be more than happy with all 5 of them but with happiness decreasing slightly as you get further down the list. Jol has the plus of being out of contract whereas the others aren't so we wouldn't have to pay compensation for him. This money would then be able to spend on players which would be much needed.