Where you stand

[lexicon]

I feel that it's high time that we had a thread where we actually spell out exactly where we stand on certain issues/players/staff at the football club, so as to avoid confusion, misunderstanding or accusations one way or the other. There have been too many instances of people getting called a 'hater' or a 'lover' when really they just lie somewhere in the middle in terms of opinion. This could be an easy reference point if it isn't closed for whatever reason. 

To get the ball rolling, I'll start with myself with some of the areas of debate:

 

Sherwood: On the fence. I'm not entirely convinced he's the right guy for the job but I can see potential in him as a manager. I think he's got a lot to prove and I do worry about his defensive knowledge.

Gabby: Sentimentality aside, I think it's time he moved on. 

 

Westwood: Not somebody I'm sure that should be more than a squad player but definitely stepped up against United and is definitely capable of a good performance. I don't think he'll get to Petrov or Barry standard but could be useful all the same.

Richards: As most of you know, I think he shouldn't be captain or a CB. Would be happy with him at RB because he's shown some awesome athleticism and some good reactive play but I feel it's too late for him to become a CB and I'm not sure he's got the right mentality to be a captain. 

[PongRiddims]

I feel that it's high time that we had a thread where we actually spell out exactly where we stand on certain issues/players/staff at the football club, so as to avoid confusion, misunderstanding or accusations one way or the other. There have been too many instances of people getting called a 'hater' or a 'lover' when really they just lie somewhere in the middle in terms of opinion. This could be an easy reference point if it isn't closed for whatever reason.

To get the ball rolling, I'll start with myself with some of the areas of debate:

Sherwood: On the fence. I'm not entirely convinced he's the right guy for the job but I can see potential in him as a manager. I think he's got a lot to prove and I do worry about his defensive knowledge.

Gabby: Sentimentality aside, I think it's time he moved on.

Westwood: Not somebody I'm sure that should be more than a squad player but definitely stepped up against United and is definitely capable of a good performance. I don't think he'll get to Petrov or Barry standard but could be useful all the same.

Richards: As most of you know, I think he shouldn't be captain or a CB. Would be happy with him at RB because he's shown some awesome athleticism and some good reactive play but I feel it's too late for him to become a CB and I'm not sure he's got the right mentality to be a captain.

Lower Holte, back row #badumtish

[osmark86]

I'm not a fighter I'm a lover, but here goes..

Sherwood: done a lot of things right so far, kept us up, impressive summer in terms of signings, willing to give kids a shot and a refreshing amount of unfiltered honesty when he deals with the press. He has done enough for me to back him and I'm not about to slag him off until he gives me a clear cut reason to do so.

Gabby: I've put my sentimentality aside. Squad/impact player at best when opposing defences are tired.

Westy: Intelligent holding midfielder that I'm happy we signed on a new deal. I belong to the lover side of the coin, but I can see why people aren't entirely convinced. However I rarely see him making mistakes and he is capable of finding great passes and linking up with our back as support. I think he'll only improve.

Micah: Had some dodgy times against Bourne but played well against Manure. I think he'll only grow into his new position and he seems to be a commanding figure. Coupled with Clark I think we have a pretty stable center back pairing and I'm not entirely convinced that position needs strengthening. A new striker though, that's something I'd like to see.

[dounavilla]

Sherwood: Beside him

Westy : Out wide

Micha: Behind him (if a fight is about to kick off)

Gabby: On his balls.

[terrytini]

Sherwood - no problem seems fine could be really good, might not, same as any other relatively new guy.  Certainly a better idea than one of the endlessly recirculated names, who, by definition, are known quantities who will neither excel nor blow up.  Prefer to try someone new, glad we have, and will give him a season  before I judge him.

 

Players...........never seen the interest myself in saying who should stay and who should go, who should play where and why......the Managers and coaching staff have far, far more knowledge than even the most experienced player of Football Manager or whatever, they reserach, they monitor, they see them every day, they know who is up for it, they know what they are looking for in given positions and in given games, so Im happy to leave them to it.  For the first twenty years or so I watched football I dont think I ever gave, or heard, an opinion relating to whether a player should be at the Club, we just backed the guys who played and commented on particular perfromances in particular games.

 

I still prefer that.   For every fan who has a very strong opinion one way about who should do what, there is another who thinks differently.  Never seen the point of debating it myself.

[PongRiddims]

But seriously

Sherwood - an unknown quantity still for me, I didn't want him before he joined but he's impressing me as time goes on. Tactically poor sometimes, but I also feel he doesn't know his best XI yet.

Gabby - I don't dislike the way he plays but I expect a lot more goals from him. Alongside a good striker, Gabby role is pull defenders out of position to create space, and he does it well. Without a good striker, he's largely ineffective.

Westwood - Mr 6/10. Consistently average, never poor. He has good tekkers at times. Not irreplaceable.

Richards - A gamble. I think he'll end up being a greater option than Clarke (who is massively over rated IMO), but he's gonna cost us some points with these crazy bursts out of defence.

Summer Transfer Dealings - Benteke sale was excellent business, Delph I'm glad has gone, I never rated him anyway. If he's an England midfielder than this is the worst England team of my life. Only Amavi has impressed me from the signings we've made so far.

[bannedfromHandV]

The only thing more pointless than this thread is my response to it.

 

Read into that what you will.

Edited August 21, 2015 by bannedfromHandV

[KHV]

I feel that it's high time that we had a thread where we actually spell out exactly where we stand on certain issues/players/staff at the football club, so as to avoid confusion, misunderstanding or accusations one way or the other. There have been too many instances of people getting called a 'hater' or a 'lover' when really they just lie somewhere in the middle in terms of opinion. This could be an easy reference point if it isn't closed for whatever reason. 

To get the ball rolling, I'll start with myself with some of the areas of debate:

 

Sherwood: On the fence. I'm not entirely convinced he's the right guy for the job but I can see potential in him as a manager. I think he's got a lot to prove and I do worry about his defensive knowledge.

Gabby: Sentimentality aside, I think it's time he moved on. 

 

Westwood: Not somebody I'm sure that should be more than a squad player but definitely stepped up against United and is definitely capable of a good performance. I don't think he'll get to Petrov or Barry standard but could be useful all the same.

Richards: As most of you know, I think he shouldn't be captain or a CB. Would be happy with him at RB because he's shown some awesome athleticism and some good reactive play but I feel it's too late for him to become a CB and I'm not sure he's got the right mentality to be a captain. 

Sherwood : best manager we have had since MON (not saying a lot I know) seems popular with the players and the media, I like his approach to the game and the signings he has made. I'm not buying this crap that he doesn't have great defensive knowledge and he is tactically naive as he has been a pro for a long time, he has his coaching badges and has worked at Tottenham long enough to know what it's about. He just prefers to be on the front foot in games, will lose as many as we win probably but at least we wont be bored like we were under McLeish and Lambert.

 

Gabby : always a contentious subject on VT, maybe being droppped might not be a bad thing. he has had 1 good season in the last 4 which isn't good enough at all, I thought maybe Sherwood may have got more out of him as I was hoping his 2 crap seasons in a row were more to do with Lambert being crap. there is a lot of competion for his spot now but I'm not going to write him off after 2 games. thought he was okay 2nd half at Bournemouth and I wont over judge the Man Utd game as we are ALWAYS crap aginst them. some of the comments in his thread so far this season are over the top IMO however he does need to up his game to cement a regular stating spot

 

Westwood : the "marmite midfielder", either loved and capable of playing for England or shit and totally over rated and we should be getting better players in. for me I'm not fussed either way, not bothered if he plays, not bothered if he doesn't. he never let's us down but never sets the world alight either, he is a steady player and more of an asset than a hinderance. I'd like to keep him, I have seen much worse in our midfield over the years

 

Richards : has been great so far, very athletic, very strong, good in the air and good pace. all the attributes to be a centre half and a massive improvement on vlaar and okore. a good leader and the ideal person to be a captain.

[VILLAMARV]

On my feet

[BG_Villa_Fan]

Sherwood. Didn't want him. Pleasantly surprised at how competent he's been. Pleasantly surprised at his ability to assemble such a good backroom staff. Pleasantly surprised at his transfer dealings and the work he seems to put in. Very much behind him right now. 

 

Gabby. Different managers come and they all play him. I don't rate him, especially out wide, but I guess I don't know that much about football. 

 

Westwood. Don't like him as the deepest of a middle 3 because he's shown he's not good at tracking runners. Other than that I think he's good and the type of player whose performance gets better when playing with better teammates.

 

Richards. The proverbial wild card. Could be the difference between a relegation dogfight and a comfortable midtable finish. 

 

Guzan. Good enough for where we are but not a top 10 prem league keeper. 

 

Ayew. Don't rate him. Don't like him. No reason why, just don't for some reason. 

 

Amavi. 30M please, Mr. Abramovich.

[BOF]

I think with regards to the more divisive players within the squad, we've by and large deduced that it is people's discussion style rather than their opinion that has been the problem.  Some have even admitted that the content of their posts is often exaggerated because of what they perceive to be exaggeration on the part of the person they're talking to.

 

If people took more care in choosing the language and content of their posts and not having that content changed or polarised by the language of other people's posts then there would be far less confusion over where people stand.

 

Basically, by admitting that you exaggerate your position on a player you are responsible for the confusion people have over your stance on a given issue, because you're admitting that your post is not your real stance.

[VILLAMARV]

So, just to clarify, does "the seed of Satan and a granny funking piece of **** that I wouldn't **** on if they were on fire" still mean "he missed a kick at the netty thing" or not?

[AshVilla]

Sherwood: Fresh breath of air compared to previous loser

 

Gabby: Not good enough to be a starter for a midtable prem side which were aiming to be i expect him to get picked though because he is "Mr Aston Villa" has zero footballing acumen and his main attribute pace is going to dwindle the older he gets get rid tbh

 

Westwood: Calming influence in the middle of the park does his job effectively not the kind of player to get noticed and get box to box

Richards: Not a CB his raw athleticism can only get him so far and won't save him from the mistakes he will inevitably make getting caught out of position doesn't have the brain to be a top quality CB probably best RB at the club though

Edited August 21, 2015 by AshVilla

[rodders0223]

Sherwood for England.

Westwood for England.

Richards for England.

Gabby for Woking.

[kurtsimonw]

I like Sherwood. I think he gets us playing with a bit of belief and its a huge change from the previous few managers. Gabby I'd happily keep as a squad player, he's still useful at times. Westwood, again, is a good player and definitely should be featuring a decent amount still. Richards I rate as a centre back and more than happy to have him there every week

[avfc1982am]

I feel that it's high time that we had a thread where we actually spell out exactly where we stand on certain issues/players/staff at the football club, so as to avoid confusion, misunderstanding or accusations one way or the other. There have been too many instances of people getting called a 'hater' or a 'lover' when really they just lie somewhere in the middle in terms of opinion. This could be an easy reference point if it isn't closed for whatever reason. 

To get the ball rolling, I'll start with myself with some of the areas of debate:

 

Sherwood: On the fence. I'm not entirely convinced he's the right guy for the job but I can see potential in him as a manager. I think he's got a lot to prove and I do worry about his defensive knowledge.

Gabby: Sentimentality aside, I think it's time he moved on. 

 

Westwood: Not somebody I'm sure that should be more than a squad player but definitely stepped up against United and is definitely capable of a good performance. I don't think he'll get to Petrov or Barry standard but could be useful all the same.

Richards: As most of you know, I think he shouldn't be captain or a CB. Would be happy with him at RB because he's shown some awesome athleticism and some good reactive play but I feel it's too late for him to become a CB and I'm not sure he's got the right mentality to be a captain. 

 

 

On the Richards comment which I think is pretty naive personally. It isn't too late for him to learn or enhance skills in a new position as he is still only 27. If anything his awareness and positioning will only get better over the next couple of years. Imo up to now he has been pretty solid at CB since the season started so your comments on him appear baseless as you aren't backing it up with any facts or reasoning for your opinion. I would also like to ask you what you think his personality is like and why you don't think he isn't mentally capable of captaining our team but I'll save that one for the individual thread.

 

Not trying to be a smart arse either but if you are going to continue this thread you may as well close everything else down. Surely you can come up with a more individual topic than asking everyone to just lay their cards on the table about everything Aston Villa. Commenting on players/staff/issues... isn't that why there are individual threads? You can still get your views across and they will be better reference points for everyone than a generic open ended thread.  

 

I think your just attention seeking because you feel misunderstood. 

[nazvfc]

Sherwood. Didn't want him. Pleasantly surprised at how competent he's been. Pleasantly surprised at his ability to assemble such a good backroom staff. Pleasantly surprised at his transfer dealings and the work he seems to put in. Very much behind him right now. 

 

Gabby. Different managers come and they all play him. I don't rate him, especially out wide, but I guess I don't know that much about football. 

 

Westwood. Don't like him as the deepest of a middle 3 because he's shown he's not good at tracking runners. Other than that I think he's good and the type of player whose performance gets better when playing with better teammates.

 

Richards. The proverbial wild card. Could be the difference between a relegation dogfight and a comfortable midtable finish. 

 

Guzan. Good enough for where we are but not a top 10 prem league keeper. 

 

Ayew. Don't rate him. Don't like him. No reason why, just don't for some reason. 

 

Amavi. 30M please, Mr. Abramovich.

Well I'm glad you aren't the manager cos Sherwood rates Ayew (who is by no means the finished article and needs time) but looks like you have already written him off after 2 competitive games.

 

AVAMI - already have him sold - I want Villa (Sherwood,Fox,Wilkins) to build a Villa Team that players WANT to come to and want to stay and make us a success.

 

For me I don't care I back the Manager and Player while he wears the shirt and is on the pitch. Once they go I don't give a flying **** about them.

 

so:

 

1. Fan and support

2. Gabby - support whilst playing for us - not arsed if he goes or stays

3. Like him support him

4. Like him Support him

5. Like him and support him

6. Like him and support him

7. Like him and support him

[KJT123]

Currently sitting down so not sure I should comment. 

[avfc1982am]

Sherwood. Didn't want him. Pleasantly surprised at how competent he's been. Pleasantly surprised at his ability to assemble such a good backroom staff. Pleasantly surprised at his transfer dealings and the work he seems to put in. Very much behind him right now. 

 

Gabby. Different managers come and they all play him. I don't rate him, especially out wide, but I guess I don't know that much about football. 

 

Westwood. Don't like him as the deepest of a middle 3 because he's shown he's not good at tracking runners. Other than that I think he's good and the type of player whose performance gets better when playing with better teammates.

 

Richards. The proverbial wild card. Could be the difference between a relegation dogfight and a comfortable midtable finish. 

 

Guzan. Good enough for where we are but not a top 10 prem league keeper. 

 

Ayew. Don't rate him. Don't like him. No reason why, just don't for some reason. 

 

Amavi. 30M please, Mr. Abramovich.

 

BG. I don't get your some of your comments?! 

 

Firstly you talk positively about Sherwood and his competency, transfer dealing's etc, then you for whatever reason completely right off a player that Sherwood spent the most money on?   

[Duck]

Currently sitting down so not sure I should comment.

I mostly stand on my feet. Once I stood on my hands but I didn't stand on them for very long.