The Rémi Garde thread

[Keyblade]

11 minutes ago, Richard said:

you get what you pay for. I think those owning and running the club wanted someone to buy into their philosophy , not to have one himself. Someone to agree with them and so that's what we have.

i think he is weak , timid and basically a yes man. 

Those running our club are wrong, they have been wrong for year. Their culture is wrong, their philosophy is wrong. What we (the fans and the players really) needed was a manager to come in and shake it up, to have their own mind and know their own mind and basically stand up to those running the club. I don't think he is that man. Those running the club don't want that obviously

as a result we have this weak timid man , I think the players see him as that and basically have no respect for him and that translates to the performances.

the club is an utter shambles and I suspect we will struggle next season too.

I think it's odd that you say this club has been wrong for a year. I think it's closer to 5 tbh. It's funny because the man you're describing in your post sounds an awful lot like one Paul Lambert whom if I recall you had no problem with. You are being extremely unfair on a man who's been in the job for a couple of months who's had to undo the work of the worst manager in our history.

[Richard]

Typing got the better of me and I missed an s I mean years not year

Edited December 30, 2015 by Richard

[TRO]

18 hours ago, DCJonah said:

I think it's daft to suggest Richardson is the sole reason we lost. But we didn't score. And how are you meant to win a game if you don't create chances and take them?

Even if our defence hadn't made an error I don't see us winning the game. 

The decision to start Sinclair and Richardson isn't the reason we lost, but its part of the reason we had no chance of winning. 

.....but there are simply too many richardsons in our lot.

every team as some sub standard players........we just have too many.

[markavfc40]

18 minutes ago, TRO said:

every team as some sub standard players........we just have too many.

It is a poor squad but I don’t think either manager has got the best out of it this season. I said yesterday there is no way this squad should only have 8 points from 19 games and is not 21 points worse than Watfords, 15 worse than West Broms and 12 worse than Norwich and Bournemouth.

I know of course there are some mitigating circumstances for Remi as these aren't his players. That is what happens though when a new manager comes into a club mid season. They have to work with the squad they inherit. It is not a unique situation. Sherwood inherited Lamberts squad. It is the manager’s job to get the best out of that squad and the very least you’d expect is that he would get them to fight and give their all in every game.

I think two things happened on Monday which make me strongly question if Remi was the right choice for the position we are in. One he picked a far too negative team and that team then let him down badly. There was a clear lack of desire and willingness to fight and, has confirmed by our own captain, Norwich wanted it more. If Garde can’t at least get the players to give their all then we have no hope.

I don’t know what happens now going forward under him. I have zero belief that he will pick a team and send them out with the right attacking intent to beat Sunderland. Law of averages says we will win a game eventually under him but if it doesn't come against the team 19^th in the league, and didn't come against the team 18^th in the league, I don’t have a clue when one will come.

It is all so disappointing as I really hoped Remi would have a positive impact but it simply hasn't happened. No win in 8 isn't good enough and to have gone from 4 points from safety when Sherwood was sacked to now being 11 points away can’t be what any of us envisaged when Garde was appointed. If this is the best he can do with this squad then what was the point. Long term Remi could be a good manager for us. For him to get that chance though he needs to be doing better than he is now.

[danceoftheshamen]

The biggest problems i can see are that we cannot seem to find a way to gel the defence, whenever Richards plays we concede more goals for whatever reason. It's like he brings a determination but we are more porous. I would love to see him at RB with Okore and A N other in the centre.

The biggest failure though is in attack surely, i still see Ayew as basically Weimann MK 11 though he is at least starting to score 1 or two now. As for Benteke he was simply not replaced. Lets dwell on that one for just a moment....Benteke, the guy who was scoring 20 - 30 or effectively 90% of the goals which kept us up the last few seasons was sold & not replaced!!! That right there is the reason we are where we are for me. I know we bought Gestede but i mean seriously he has effectively just taken Kozacks place in the squad and is about as effective as him too (in other words doesn't contribute many goals) So Well done Villa for selling a 30 goal hitman and not replacing him with anybody at all thus leaving a gaping hole in a team which only just scraped survival the last few years with him in the team!! Incompetence of the highest order!

I know he wasn't playing but Bent departed too... Notably he is now a key part of a table topping Derby team along with Weimann.. so it looks like our cast offs will be helping teams overtake us again.

 

[GENTLEMAN]

17 minutes ago, danceoftheshamen said:

The biggest problems i can see are that we cannot seem to find a way to gel the defence, whenever Richards plays we concede more goals for whatever reason. It's like he brings a determination but we are more porous. I would love to see him at RB with Okore and A N other in the centre.

The biggest failure though is in attack surely, i still see Ayew as basically Weimann MK 11 though he is at least starting to score 1 or two now. As for Benteke he was simply not replaced. Lets dwell on that one for just a moment....Benteke, the guy who was scoring 20 - 30 or effectively 90% of the goals which kept us up the last few seasons was sold & not replaced!!! That right there is the reason we are where we are for me. I know we bought Gestede but i mean seriously he has effectively just taken Kozacks place in the squad and is about as effective as him too (in other words doesn't contribute many goals) So Well done Villa for selling a 30 goal hitman and not replacing him with anybody at all thus leaving a gaping hole in a team which only just scraped survival the last few years with him in the team!! Incompetence of the highest order!

I know he wasn't playing but Bent departed too... Notably he is now a key part of a table topping Derby team along with Weimann.. so it looks like our cast offs will be helping teams overtake us again.

 

I stopped reading after that

[markavfc40]

26 minutes ago, danceoftheshamen said:

So Well done Villa for selling a 30 goal hitman and not replacing him with anybody at all thus leaving a gaping hole in a team which only just scraped survival the last few years with him in the team!! Incompetence of the highest order!

 

There was little chance of us ever being able to replace him with the funds we had to spend.

Benteke was sold for 30 mill. We didn’t get more than his worth. That is what proven Premeir League goalscorers cost you. Lukaku cost Everton a similar amount. Bony cost Man City the same. For me unless you are going to get that once in a blue moon signing as we did with Benteke then we needed to pay big money to replace his goals.

Trouble was we also had to replace Delph who we got 8 mill for but was worth twice that. Then we had to replace Cleverly who whilst never our player was one of our best players in the second half of last season and we had to replace Vlaar. Oh and also had to try to improve a squad that even with those players had finished 17^th on 38 points. To do all that we armed our transfer committee with 50 mill and got them to reduce the wage bill at the same time. It was always going to be a big ask to put a squad together that could stay up.

Having said that though I still maintain we should have been competitive enough to at least be in the mix for survival and no way is it a squad that should be so far from safety and so far behind the three promoted clubs. The fault for that clearly lies at the managers door for failing to get the best out of what they have at their disposal.

[sne]

We really need to go for the win now (as we should have done in previous games to) as a draw is just 2 point lost.

Obviously we can't go full retard as we did in the FA cup-final or away to Southampton last season, but neither can we set up like we did last game against Norwich.

A team with 4 defense oriented central midfielder (ok Veretout does have some qualities going forward) along with Sinclair and Richardson is never going to create more than 1 or 2 half chances during 90 minutes.

Hoping that Veretout hits a good freekick or that Hutton accidentally gets a cross right is just not enough.

Garde needs to play 1 or preferably 2 or 3 of Adama, Gil and Grealish and just see what they can do.

Yeah we might lose a few more games (if that's even possible) but we just might also win a few.

Getting the balance right is obviously an issue, but he is being paid to do the best he can to help the team win games, and being overly cautious won't win us any games in our position.

[Ingram85]

I'll judge him come the end of the season after he has given it a go with a few of his own players thrown into the mix.

I'm not optimistic though, through no fault of his own I genuinely don't think he knows what to do with an inherited squad so inept and devoid of skill and application. He looks clueless but that's only because anyone would with our lot. The best managers in the world would struggle at this club at the moment imo.

He isn't helping himself at times to be honest but it would be very harsh to blame him above Lerner, Sherwood, Fox and the useless players come our inevitable relegation at the end of the season. 

[Richard]

3 hours ago, Keyblade said:

I think it's odd that you say this club has been wrong for a year. I think it's closer to 5 tbh. It's funny because the man you're describing in your post sounds an awful lot like one Paul Lambert whom if I recall you had no problem with. You are being extremely unfair on a man who's been in the job for a couple of months who's had to undo the work of the worst manager in our history.

This again.  A few things really with this, quite apart from the fact you say its been going on for 5 years and then blame it on one manager who wasnt here for 5 years. Presumably you mean Sherwood when you say worst manager in our history as in terms of team management it's his work really.

Anyway on the other bits, implied and explicit.

Had no problem with Paul Lambert - I criticised him loads for team selection and tactics so I did have problems with him. In general, however,  I happen to think he did a decent job in retaining pur premier league status given all the circumstances.  When he came to the club he was very much his own man but after 18 months or so when promises made didnt happen , or should I say expectations didnt materialise, he was in a no win situation and had to try and make the best of what he had. By the end he was broken and really we should all look on that with concern that our club and the way it was being run broke him. I know I do.  Does that mean he should still be manager? No.  It was the right decision at the time to replace him absolutely.  Does that mean I cannot criticise the current manager or hold an opinion? No and your inference is bollox. Paul Lambert was two managers ago! I think the fact that he has not gone to the press, or worse got his mates to spread stories for him, is very honourable and to be honest not sure if I would have done the same.

But he was two managers ago as I have said.

The issues of this football club are deeper than any manager and, although I think Garde is wrong for the club (I'll explain why for you shortly), people still focussing on one manager and not the real issue or thinking just replacing that one manager will solve anything , well they are utterly misguided. Now I see some people welcoming relegation as if it gives us the pheonix rising from the ashes moment. Like that is guaranteed.  How on earth are we expected to come back up and suddenly be competitive while we have this culture at the club.  We are performing below that standard now!  There are teams in that league who have been there for a while,  there are teams hoping to get out of it and there are teams hoping to stay in it.  We will struggle to compete with them.  There are not many who would not have won more than one game in the premier league this season. Sure we might come out of it but we will be going the wrong way ,  down not up.

On me being unfair on Garde. Really? I am giving my opinion on him.  I have said elsewhere I have no doubt he is a decent honourable and charming man. However,  and this is where we come to the real issue of problems with our club,  he is a man for those running the club he is not a man for the fans.  There is and has been for a while, a major disconnect with the hopes, ambitions, wants and goals of those running the club and those who despite it all continue to support it.  I'd suggest that it is poles apart at the minute. They want a man to come in and work to their philosophy which has failed and will fail.  We need a man to come in and make us a football club again,  one who knows what it is about being a football club and will compete. Axs long as this disconnect continues we will only be going one way as a team and as a club.  Changing the manager is no good as those who remain will continue to appoint in their image. Going down will not change it as those that remain will continue to run the club as they see fit, admitting no failure.  Especially as some fans carry on focussing on the manager.

Not much we can do about it I'm afraid as fans and that is the real big problem for us. In the days of Ellis we could campaign and campaign with the hope we could remove him as he was not the only shareholder. With this one its his toy ,  a toy that owes him a lot of money and which he would like to get back,  no matter how those that do not want to accept it try and qwrap up the fact he has loaned the club money,  he will want the majority of it back and thats why we are in debt. And thats why he is worse than Ellis.

So yes I supported Lambert,  not totally, and yes I thought it right for him to go when he did. That does not mean I cannot criticise Garde!

 

[DCJonah]

21 minutes ago, Ingram85 said:

I'll judge him come the end of the season after he has given it a go with a few of his own players thrown into the mix.

I'm not optimistic though, through no fault of his own I genuinely don't think he knows what to do with an inherited squad so inept and devoid of skill and application. He looks clueless but that's only because anyone would with our lot. The best managers in the world would struggle at this club at the moment imo.

He isn't helping himself at times to be honest but it would be very harsh to blame him above Lerner, Sherwood, Fox and the useless players come our inevitable relegation at the end of the season. 

I agree with the final part, Garde can't be blamed for us being relegated, however he can take some blame for us not even giving it a go. That could change though. 

 

[mwj]

Just watched the Sunderland press conference and have to say, he impresses me more and more every time I hear him speak.

[Kingman]

20 minutes ago, mwj said:

Just watched the Sunderland press conference and have to say, he impresses me more and more every time I hear him speak.

Don't tell us Remi… **** show us!

[Grasshopper]

45 minutes ago, Richard said:

This again.  A few things really with this, quite apart from the fact you say its been going on for 5 years and then blame it on one manager who wasnt here for 5 years. Presumably you mean Sherwood when you say worst manager in our history as in terms of team management it's his work really.

Anyway on the other bits, implied and explicit.

Had no problem with Paul Lambert - I criticised him loads for team selection and tactics so I did have problems with him. In general, however,  I happen to think he did a decent job in retaining pur premier league status given all the circumstances.  When he came to the club he was very much his own man but after 18 months or so when promises made didnt happen , or should I say expectations didnt materialise, he was in a no win situation and had to try and make the best of what he had. By the end he was broken and really we should all look on that with concern that our club and the way it was being run broke him. I know I do.  Does that mean he should still be manager? No.  It was the right decision at the time to replace him absolutely.  Does that mean I cannot criticise the current manager or hold an opinion? No and your inference is bollox. Paul Lambert was two managers ago! I think the fact that he has not gone to the press, or worse got his mates to spread stories for him, is very honourable and to be honest not sure if I would have done the same.

But he was two managers ago as I have said.

The issues of this football club are deeper than any manager and, although I think Garde is wrong for the club (I'll explain why for you shortly), people still focussing on one manager and not the real issue or thinking just replacing that one manager will solve anything , well they are utterly misguided. Now I see some people welcoming relegation as if it gives us the pheonix rising from the ashes moment. Like that is guaranteed.  How on earth are we expected to come back up and suddenly be competitive while we have this culture at the club.  We are performing below that standard now!  There are teams in that league who have been there for a while,  there are teams hoping to get out of it and there are teams hoping to stay in it.  We will struggle to compete with them.  There are not many who would not have won more than one game in the premier league this season. Sure we might come out of it but we will be going the wrong way ,  down not up.

On me being unfair on Garde. Really? I am giving my opinion on him.  I have said elsewhere I have no doubt he is a decent honourable and charming man. However,  and this is where we come to the real issue of problems with our club,  he is a man for those running the club he is not a man for the fans.  There is and has been for a while, a major disconnect with the hopes, ambitions, wants and goals of those running the club and those who despite it all continue to support it.  I'd suggest that it is poles apart at the minute. They want a man to come in and work to their philosophy which has failed and will fail.  We need a man to come in and make us a football club again,  one who knows what it is about being a football club and will compete. Axs long as this disconnect continues we will only be going one way as a team and as a club.  Changing the manager is no good as those who remain will continue to appoint in their image. Going down will not change it as those that remain will continue to run the club as they see fit, admitting no failure.  Especially as some fans carry on focussing on the manager.

Not much we can do about it I'm afraid as fans and that is the real big problem for us. In the days of Ellis we could campaign and campaign with the hope we could remove him as he was not the only shareholder. With this one its his toy ,  a toy that owes him a lot of money and which he would like to get back,  no matter how those that do not want to accept it try and qwrap up the fact he has loaned the club money,  he will want the majority of it back and thats why we are in debt. And thats why he is worse than Ellis.

So yes I supported Lambert,  not totally, and yes I thought it right for him to go when he did. That does not mean I cannot criticise Garde!

 

Spot on

[rubberman]

I like Remi and I liked the way the team was slowly improving up to West Ham when I thought we looked pretty good.  Norwich was a real step back though and shows how little depth we have.  I'd prefer to have seen some of the kids coming through than have proven failures starting / on the bench - at least they'd be hungry.  

I think we'll see Remi being ruthless again with Richardson, Sinclair etc as he has been with Zog and Gabby especially if we can get 2-3 people in through Jan.

I was in the optimistic camp coming into these last few games, but Norwich has killed that.  I'd just like to see continued progress and get past Derby's points.  Maybe sneak into 19th so it's not so desperate.  Christ - aspiring to 19th - what has this club done to me.

[rodders0223]

Playing for draws and thinks we are in with a shout of signing Remy.

Now I know why he took the job, nobody has told him we are bottom of the league.
 

[sharkyvilla]

8 minutes ago, rubberman said:

I like Remi and I liked the way the team was slowly improving up to West Ham when I thought we looked pretty good.  Norwich was a real step back though and shows how little depth we have.  I'd prefer to have seen some of the kids coming through than have proven failures starting / on the bench - at least they'd be hungry.  

I think we'll see Remi being ruthless again with Richardson, Sinclair etc as he has been with Zog and Gabby especially if we can get 2-3 people in through Jan.

I was in the optimistic camp coming into these last few games, but Norwich has killed that.  I'd just like to see continued progress and get past Derby's points.  Maybe sneak into 19th so it's not so desperate.  Christ - aspiring to 19th - what has this club done to me.

Indeed, the Norwich selection pissed me off, as much as I think Remi is a good bloke and a decent manager for the long term, even if it's ultimately with a different club to ours.  With the second game in quick succession it was a chance just to freshen things up and finally give Traore a start and bring Gil or Grealish in at the tip of the diamond.  If Adama was ready for the last 30 minutes, then IMO it would be worth giving him the first 60 to give him a proper chance.  Still, I'm intrigued to see what Garde can do in the window and what he can achieve if he brings in some players that he feels he can work with to get us some wins.

[Dr_Pangloss]

His impact has not been good enough, any praise is really clutching at straws. 

[briny_ear]

Just watched the Sunderland press conference and have to say, he impresses me more and more every time I hear him speak.

Maybe he has a great future as a public speaker?

[ozvillafan]

10 minutes ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

His impact has not been good enough, any praise is really clutching at straws. 

I can see some improvement, but like his predecessors, he is NOT getting the best out of them (yet). Also seems unwilling to go for it, being overly cautious when we need wins.