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What is needed for a top 10 finish next season?


VillaChris

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Are people serious with caulker? He has been average to poor all season for Cardiff and at fault for a lot of goals this season. I don't think you can blame those around him when some of the errors he make are individual. I would stay away.

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The first team needs £100m spent on it for a top half finish.

 

These sorts of comments are bizarre to me. Last year WBA finished in the top 10, this year Stoke will finish in the top 10, show me the money these have spent. Palace could still finish in the top 10 if they win their last two.

 

It's not that difficult to finish 10th or 9th. Newcastle with a probable loss at Anfield will finish on 49 points and I repeat have won 4 league games since Boxing day. 49 points is roughly a record of 13 wins, 10 draws and 15 defeats e.g. you can lose more than you win over a season and still finish top 10, it's not asking a lot, just us to win a few more home games for example.

 

Just checked and Newcastle's ratio is 12-4-18 so they've lost more than they've won. Palace have lost half of their games and are 11th. Both teams only drawn 4 each so maybe we should just stop drawing games and go all out for wins?

Whilst I agree with you about not needing too much to break top 10, you should try telling that to our management team. Hairyhands stated to me, prior to the season starting, that Lambert would take 17th if offered it before a ball was kicked!

That sums up the current attitude at the club. People are happy just to stay in the league. They have no ambition about them. Either Lambert's fault and/or the players. But, can't really blame them when the man at the helm is not seeming to give a shit.

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Are people serious with caulker? He has been average to poor all season for Cardiff and at fault for a lot of goals this season. I don't think you can blame those around him when some of the errors he make are individual. I would stay away.

 

think people are blinkered by his goals in the other box. reason Spurs sold him and still kept the useless Dawson

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Are people serious with caulker? He has been average to poor all season for Cardiff and at fault for a lot of goals this season. I don't think you can blame those around him when some of the errors he make are individual. I would stay away.

 

think people are blinkered by his goals in the other box. reason Spurs sold him and still kept the useless Dawson

 

I understand the logic, but this suggests that the selling manager always makes the correct decision. There's a reason we sold Cahill and kept Knight, doesn't mean it was right.

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Top 10?

 

Not much to be quite honest.

 

What we should be striving for, with or without a takeover, is to reach 8th in the table. Southampton have had a very good season, but they are only 8th with 55 points which is a bit strange. Looking at their squad and first XI it's pretty obvious that they are there because of a few certain individuals and that's what it takes to get to that point. They have Lallana, Shaw, Schneiderlin and a few others - but the rest is pretty dull and their squad is nothing to brag about. Players like Fonte and Lovren are quite good, but these are also players we can easily acquire in the market if the right manager gets to pick the targets.

 

Top 10 right now is Stoke and they are 9 points ahead of us. We could have been there with a fully fit Okore and Benteke playing lots more games, added with some good fortune. Not least, two good players going right into our starting team every week.

 

20-30M and some good players gives us the option to challenge Newcastle, Southampton and those teams next season, but if Lambert is the one buying players we might as well put it in the bank.

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New CB

Bertrand permanent (reasonable fee permitting)

Attacking midfielder

New Striker

New RB

 

If they can work on Bacuna defensively ( I appreciate that Villa and defending don't exactly go hand in hand) I think maybe that position can wait to be dealt with. 

 

I'd like to see one of Baker/Clark sold with another experienced CB coming in to help Vlaar and Okore.

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Some may it's a big step to go from a relegation battle to a top 10 finish, but I honestly believe with the right investment in the right areas Villa can be 10th next season. Stoke City or Crystal Palace will finish in 10th place this season, are they really that far ahead? I personally don't think so.

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Out:

 

Luna or Bennett. All of our full backs seem to have the same problem with regards to positioning, which is one of if not the most important characteristic for a full back. Luna is probably the worst of the lot, but Bennett seems to lose his head from time to time and then becomes a total liability, giving the ball away and suchlike. Manager's call.

 

Stevens

Hutton

Herd

Gardner

Tonev (maybe on loan if we don't get a reasonable fee)

Sylla (I'd keep him as a squaddie but after his recent comments that won't be enough and he's never going to be a regular)

Delfouneso

Bent (if we can, though I suspect it might be tough to shift him given his wages and recent form)

Helenius/Bowery (loan)

 

In:

 

New LB (Bertrand would be fine - circa £4-5m)

New CB (£4-5m)

New DM (£4-5m)

New AM (£8-15m. This is the position that could make all the difference to our play - especially at home)

New Winger (can be a cheaper punt in this position I feel. We have Albrighton, N'Zogbia, Gabby and - maybe - Grealish for this role already and Lambert isn't known for using wingers all the time. Obviously if Lambert isn't in charge it's a different story but then we really are blindly speculating. Circa £2-3m)

New ST (£5-10m)

 

Spend would need to be in the region of £30-40m, but that could get us challenging for the top 8 I am quite sure. Is it likely under Lerner? Doubt it - but the books must be looking a little better. Who knows what happens if we're taken over. 

 

Edit: Perhaps the main thing would be Benteke of last season returning. Undoubtedly one of the main reasons we haven't progressed this season is because he hasn't quite been the same, or been injured, for too much of the year. Better players around him would also make a big difference here, because he sees the game better than anyone else we have going forward.

Edited by PatrickCousens
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Some may it's a big step to go from a relegation battle to a top 10 finish, but I honestly believe with the right investment in the right areas Villa can be 10th next season. Stoke City or Crystal Palace will finish in 10th place this season, are they really that far ahead? I personally don't think so.

 

Both Stoke and Palace have got the double over us this season, so it seems like we're not that close. When you look at the squads you'd think we're close, but both of these teams play much more as a unit and have much more cohesion. Maybe it's the manager, not the players.

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Some may it's a big step to go from a relegation battle to a top 10 finish, but I honestly believe with the right investment in the right areas Villa can be 10th next season. Stoke City or Crystal Palace will finish in 10th place this season, are they really that far ahead? I personally don't think so.

 

Both Stoke and Palace have got the double over us this season, so it seems like we're not that close. When you look at the squads you'd think we're close, but both of these teams play much more as a unit and have much more cohesion. Maybe it's the manager, not the players.

 

 

The gap isn't insurmountable if 3 decent player's in the right areas are bought in.

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