The Rémi Garde thread

[DCJonah]

Lots of positives from today. Lots of improvements in the last 135 mins of football. But again i'm a little disappointed we seem to eventually whimper to a point. 

One attacking sub forced on him and one with 7 minutes left. 

Newcastle, Southampton and today were scenarios were 3 points were there for the taking. We didn't do that once. 

Part of me thinks Garde has accepted relegation and is just trying to make things respectable. 

[OutByEaster?]

We're looking more organised - the players are starting to look a little more comfortable and we're slightly less shambolic at the back. I think that's a good sign in terms of the ability of the manager. It's not enough to get us out of this hole, but it's enough to suggest that we've stopped digging.

 

[Butterfingers]

Can't believe someone has actually criticised him because of his tactics?

[NurembergVillan]

35 minutes ago, Blasterpocket68 said:

This is the English premiership we were a top English club . Not garlic not Citroen not France . Happy new year batman

[markavfc40]

I'm just back from VP and I thought we played well today. My overriding feeling of Garde so far though is that he isn't brave enough. That isn't necessarily a criticism and I wouldn't even be saying it if we were a mid table club but in our position I think we have needed to go for it way more. Draws aren't enough and haven't been for some time but we haven't set up in games to go for wins. Certainly not starting them anyway. Today we started with Gana, Westwood and Sanchez. It is too defensive minded especially in a must win game and the only reason it changed so early was due to the Sanchez injury. I also thought today that Traore should have been given longer than 8 minutes. As soon as we scored that should have been the time to bring him on with 25 minutes to go and really pin West Ham on the back foot. As it was by the time he came on we'd lost the initiative and were no longer on the front foot. It is in forward thinking decisions like that where I think Remi may be slightly lacking.

He inherited a terrible position and as had some tough games but in the games against Watford, Newcastle and West Ham I'd have hoped for at least 5 points and we have taken just 2 from them and I do think that is partly down to not being brave enough. West Ham were there for the taking today, likewise Newcastle last week. He inherited a side 4 points from safety and 7 games later that is now 9 points and despite some half decent performances the return in points is nowhere near enough if we are to have any hope of surviving.

Long term who knows if Remi can be a good manager for us. We'd all be guessing as it is too early to tell. For what it's worth I think he could be but to be worthy of that chance I think he will need to show a little more than he has shown so far and certainly need to be looking to win half a dozen games between now at the end of the season.

[VillaChris]

6 minutes ago, Butterfingers said:

Can't believe someone has actually criticised him because of his tactics?

He's a bit slow with the subs for me. 70 minutes on I'd have got Grealish and Adama on at that point as we had the momentum and it just fizzled out apart from that Hutton header.

[Butterfingers]

Mark-We all know draws aren't good enough. I suspect that Garde does as well. He has come out with a target of 10 wins.

Going gung ho with the worst team in the league is not the makings of a tactical genius. Do we see Allerdyce going for broke at Sunderland?

I personally believe that Garde isn't doing a lot wrong-Especially given the options that he has on the bench.

Perhaps he is trying to limp through to January and then go for it with a few reinforcements?

10 wins will still require us to pick up a couple of draws along the way as well. Todays result could mean the difference between needing a point at the end of the season or not.

[YLN]

I'm looking forward to seeing Remi in the transfer market. The guy has been thinking like a manager since he was 30, compared to a man who has been thinking like a cockney geezer since he was able to climb the apple and pears.

[Bunnski]

Let the game fizzle out again, we should of been the ones taking the game to the opposition at the end but it was the other way round just like last week.

Are you saying that Garde told the players to ease up?

Save themselves for Tuesday?

Villa Talks saving grace AKA Traore was on the pitch-Surely that tells you that the manager was not trying to let the game fizzle out?

No I'm not for a second trying to make like it has anything to do with the manager, it's not like he's the boss or anything is it?

[VillaChris]

6 minutes ago, markavfc40 said:

I'm just back from VP and I thought we played well today. My overriding feeling of Garde so far though is that he isn't brave enough. That isn't necessarily a criticism and I wouldn't even be saying it if we were a mid table club but in our position I think we have needed to go for it way more. Draws aren't enough and haven't been for some time but we haven't set up in games to go for wins. Certainly not starting them anyway. Today we started with Gana, Westwood and Sanchez. It is too defensive minded especially in a must win game and the only reason it changed so early was due to the Sanchez injury. I also thought today that Traore should have been given longer than 8 minutes. As soon as we scored that should have been the time to bring him on with 25 minutes to go and really pin West Ham on the back foot. As it was by the time he came on we'd lost the initiative and were no longer on the front foot. It is in forward thinking decisions like that where I think Remi may be slightly lacking.

He inherited a terrible position and as had some tough games but in the games against Watford, Newcastle and West Ham I'd have hoped for at least 5 points and we have taken just 2 from them and I do think that is partly down to not being brave enough. West Ham were there for the taking today, likewise Newcastle last week. He inherited a side 4 points from safety and 7 games later that is now 9 points and despite some half decent performances the return in points is nowhere near enough if we are to have any hope of surviving.

Long term who knows if Remi can be a good manager for us. We'd all be guessing as it is too early to tell. For what it's worth I think he could be but to be worthy of that chance I think he will need to show a little more than he has shown so far and certainly need to be looking to win half a dozen games between now at the end of the season.

That's a really good point Mark. Remi's the sort of manager we needed if say we'd be in a similar position to when we potted Lambert e.g; a point or two off escaping the bottom 3. As you saw with McLeish you can stay up drawing a shed load of games and winning the odd one.

We are just so far adrift though, eventually he'll have to do something random like go 4-4-2 or start 4 attacking players or something, we have to win some games soon. I have no problem with the effort the team are showing under him but sadly the quality Ayew and maybe now Veretout aside, simply isn't there.

[Butterfingers]

1 minute ago, VillaChris said:

He's a bit slow with the subs for me. 70 minutes on I'd have got Grealish and Adama on at that point as we had the momentum and it just fizzled out apart from that Hutton header.

Grealish has done absolutely nothing to suggest he's better than those already playing. We probably couldn't afford to put them both on, especially as Gil was already on as well.

I would like to see a bit more of Adama though-I do agree that these fleeting appearances are not enough.

It doesn't make Garde a bad manager though-Remember Sherwood was the same. They must see something in the week when training with him.

[Mark Albrighton]

Echoing similar views on here. In isolation, a point against West Ham is a reasonable point and were we to get six points from Norwich & Sunderland there's a slim chance we can get out of this. We would have had a fantastic Christmas period (by our incredibly low standards).

Problem is we've been getting these draws that "stop the rot" without then proceeding to build on them, results wise. 

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that having secured two points (in a row!!!!) which by most accounts were well deserved, it's a more solid foundation to go from, confidence wise.

[Jareth]

Happy with Garde. We were in intensive care when he came, now we are stabilized. He now has the January window to boost the squad. I can't imagine us staying up but I get the feeling we will keep improving. 

[Vive_La_Villa]

Can see how he likes to get full backs to the bi-line to get crosses in. Which is a great approach if you have full backs that can cross a ball and when a cross is finally half decent Gestede can put it away. Carry on doing this the goals will come. Get to Jan and get a LB in and put Bacuna on the right then even better. Losing Amavi was such a big blow. He would have loved this setup. 

[Butterfingers]

5 minutes ago, Bunnski said:

No I'm not for a second trying to make like it has anything to do with the manager, it's not like he's the boss or anything is it?

So how exactly did he let the game fizzle out?

What do you think his instructions were to his players?

Do you think he should shout and bawl at every kick of the ball?

I'm not entirely convinced that the game fizzled out anyway. I thought we were still going for the win. Yes, the game ended with a free kick & corner to them but that's harly fizzling out in any case.

[StefanAVFC]

Never understood people nailing their colours to the mast so early. 

Saying 'look at me, I'm so good I'm right' and acting smug and happy is detrimental to the villa, because it means we're not doing well. 

Being right is more important to some than the villa doing well it seems. 

Odd. 

[Bunnski]

No I'm not for a second trying to make like it has anything to do with the manager, it's not like he's the boss or anything is it?

So how exactly did he let the game fizzle out?

What do you think his instructions were to his players?

Do you think he should shout and bawl at every kick of the ball?

I'm not entirely convinced that the game fizzled out anyway. I thought we were still going for the win. Yes, the game ended with a free kick & corner to them but that's harly fizzling out in any case.

He still had a sub to make and he had 2 to make last week, imo he should of went all out for the win by taking off a defender and bringing on another attacker, I think he is too conservative which would be fine if we weren't in the position were in. We need wins so I'd like him to just go all out, we ran out of steam again today, near the end we had good situations in the box but didn't have enough players in there for it to matter as they were shattered.

[VillaChris]

5 minutes ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

Can see how he likes to get full backs to the bi-line to get crosses in. Which is a great approach if you have full backs that can cross a ball and when a cross is finally half decent Gestede can put it away. Carry on doing this the goals will come. Get to Jan and get a LB in and put Bacuna on the right then even better. Losing Amavi was such a big blow. He would have loved this setup. 

Amavi would've been excellent in this system imo, you saw at times today the space Bacuna had to run into but no left foot.

Only consolation of Amavi's injury is we should keep him until January and he will rip up the championship with his pace imo.....if it's still there.

[Vive_La_Villa]

8 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Never understood people nailing their colours to the mast so early. 

Saying 'look at me, I'm so good I'm right' and acting smug and happy is detrimental to the villa, because it means we're not doing well. 

Being right is more important to some than the villa doing well it seems. 

Odd. 

Odd post. 

[Vive_La_Villa]

6 minutes ago, VillaChris said:

Amavi would've been excellent in this system imo, you saw at times today the space Bacuna had to run into but no left foot.

Only consolation of Amavi's injury is we should keep him until January and he will rip up the championship with his pace imo.....if it's still there.

I still think there is a slight hope. As long as Newcastle don't win nothing has changed.