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Is our team really that bad?


PeteWilson

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First choice 11 - No, midtable. Squad - yes way too weak.

 

I totally agree and said as much for the whole of last season. Keep our first 11 fit, free from suspension and dips in form then I'd expect mid table. Football sadly doesn't work like that though and as we have seen 2 or 3 injuries/suspensions and dips in form and we struggle.

 

I don't buy that we suffered any more than most with injuries last season. Benteke missed 12 league games but Kozak was available for half of those. Okore missed pretty much the whole season which was unfortunate but bottom line with him is that he is 21 years old, had 70 senior games under his belt in a far inferior league and would almost certainly of taken time to adjust to the Prem which is why he rightly started the season on the bench.

 

Apart from Benteke, Kozak and Okore, NZogbia was clearly part of the bomb squad before getting injured and would have found himself in the same boat as Ireland, Hutton, Bent and Given. We then had short term injuries with the likes of Vlaar and Gabby missing a handful of games.

 

The squad as a whole is the weakest I can remember since we were last relegated in 1987 which is reflected in us having just had our worst season since then.

Edited by markavfc40
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First choice 11 - No, midtable. Squad - yes way too weak.

 

I totally agree and said as much for the whole of last season. Keep our first 11 fit, free from suspension and dips in form then I'd expect mid table. Football sadly doesn't work like that though and as we have seen 2 or 3 injuries/suspensions and dips in form and we struggle.

 

I don't buy that we suffered any more than most with injuries last season. Benteke missed 12 league games but Kozak was available for half of those. Okore missed pretty much the whole season which was unfortunate but bottom line with him is that he is 21 years old, had 70 senior games under his belt in a far inferior league and would almost certainly of taken time to adjust to the Prem which is why he rightly started the season on the bench.

 

Apart from Benteke, Kozak and Okore, NZogbia was clearly part of the bomb squad before getting injured and would have found himself in the same boat as Ireland, Hutton, Bent and Given. We then had short term injuries with the likes of Vlaar and Gabby missing a handful of games.

 

The squad as a whole is the weakest I can remember since we were relegated which is reflected in us having just had our worst season since then.

 

Not necessarily. Whether or not last season was the "worst" is pretty subjective but it's hard to argue that our squad in 12/13 was better than last season's. Personally I think injuries were the biggest factor. Would we have finished where we did in 12/13 if we only had a fit Benteke for about 4 months (which is what happened this season)? Not a chance.

Edited by Mantis
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The core of the squad is OK. We need 3-4 quality signings who have experience to give us more of a cutting edge. Funnily enough I think throwing the Bomb Squad into the mix will help too.

 

Having said that I'm with BJ10 in that I doubt Lambert is the man to take that squad any farther forward.

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Its one thing having a decent squad and another having someone on the bench who can make an impact. The Latter is really the biggest problem. The bench is just for fresh legs there is no one who could ever change the game.

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Very poor: Baker, Bennett, Hutton, Luna

Poor: Bowery, Gabby, Bent, Weimann, Lowton

Ok: N'Zogbia, Clark(e), Tonev, KEA, Westwood, Bacuna, Kozak

Good: Vlaar, Delph, Guzan, (Okore)

Excellent: Benteke

Not able to judge: Helenius, Donacien, Grealish, Robinson, Johnson.

We obviously need a new LB, 2 CMs, an AM and a Striker.

Maybe even e winger and a backup GK seeing as I don't trust Steer and Marc is on his way out...

To answer your question: Yes, our squad is really that bad, but i see some potential to build around (Okore, Delph, Benteke).

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I think it is around the 12th to 18th best team in the Country. 

 

As does the Table.

 

For the best part of my life following Villa we have been around 8th to 12 th best, so, relatively, it is a little bit worse.

 

 

I was reading a Spurs forum the other day and they were all saying virtually word for word what has been said on this one.

 

In recent times I recall Carson, Bardsley, Gardner, Ridgewell, Hughes, Davies, Wittingham, Maloney, and Gawd knows how many others being largely derided as not good enough, all ply their trade in Premiership sides or have done, since then.

 

We are an injury or two or a poor run of form from being bottom three, and the same from being 10th.

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In response to the OP, yes it really is and you haven't exactly done yourself any favours including tripe like Weimann as a No. 10 in your team.

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We've seen this team preform well this season. 

 

The problem is the team is inconsistent. 

 

Somehow we pulled off miracles against the top 4 and those kept us up. I think it's more a matter of the minds of the players than the ability.

 

They probably have a different attitude against the top 4 than the rest of the teams and they need to keep that attitude up all the time. 

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The final league table and the number of points we gathered towards the end of the season shows we were some way off being anything other than bad. Nothing positive has happened as yet to change that.  

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We've seen this team preform well this season. 

 

The problem is the team is inconsistent. 

 

Somehow we pulled off miracles against the top 4 and those kept us up. I think it's more a matter of the minds of the players than the ability.

 

They probably have a different attitude against the top 4 than the rest of the teams and they need to keep that attitude up all the time.

I agree with everything you say.

Unfortunately those are the trademarks of a poor team. Inconsistency, and exceeding expectations against better teams. Coupled with losses to the worst teams. No identity, no gameplan that works for us...

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First choice 11 - No, midtable. Squad - yes way too weak.

I think this sums it up, an injury or 2 to some of our better players and the team struggles against championship teams. We haven't signed a premier league player under Lambert...I hope this changes.

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even our first choice team can be beaten handsomely by almost any opposition.

 

Nzogbia and Okore might improve our first eleven if played. But Okore is still unproven and Zog is unpredictable at best and we have no idea if Lambert will play him regularly. Grealish might make an impact at some point.

 

Vlaar, Delph, Guzan, Benteke would maybe get in other Prem squads,

 

But the rest are so woefully bad or inconsistent, maybe in some cases mismanaged that our team just can't build any momentum in any game.

 

the lack of decent full backs or a convincing midfield really kills us.

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even our first choice team can be beaten handsomely by almost any opposition.

Nzogbia and Okore might improve our first eleven if played. But Okore is still unproven and Zog is unpredictable at best and we have no idea if Lambert will play him regularly. Grealish might make an impact at some point.

Vlaar, Delph, Guzan, Benteke would maybe get in other Prem squads,

But the rest are so woefully bad or inconsistent, maybe in some cases mismanaged that our team just can't build any momentum in any game.

the lack of decent full backs or a convincing midfield really kills us.

This.

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What bugs me the most is I can probably name more than 5 players that were deemed not good enough and sold who would walk straight in to that team or at the very least challenge for a place. So frustrating.

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What bugs me the most is I can probably name more than 5 players that were deemed not good enough and sold who would walk straight in to that team or at the very least challenge for a place. So frustrating.

 

I'm struggling to name one. Our squad as a whole may not be great but let's not pretend that most of the players we sole weren't shit either.

Edited by Mantis
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What bugs me the most is I can probably name more than 5 players that were deemed not good enough and sold who would walk straight in to that team or at the very least challenge for a place. So frustrating.

 

I'm struggling to name one.

Curtis Davies

Wayne Routledge

Steven Davis

Gary Cahill

Steve Sidwell

James Collins

Ok no world beaters apart from Cahill who would have eventually left anyway but I'd say a few of those could still get in our team. Not because they are good players but more due to how much we have declined since each of them left.

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Davies, Routledge, Collins and Sidwell wouldn't get into the team. Sure they'd be useful if we had injuries but none of them would make it into our best 11. Davis maybe and I think many here were sad to see Cahill go.

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Davies, Routledge, Collins and Sidwell wouldn't get into the team. Sure they'd be useful if we had injuries but none of them would make it into our best 11. Davis maybe and I think many here were sad to see Cahill go.

I disagree. Matter of opinion I guess.

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