Promotion 2016/7

[KHV]

16 minutes ago, Richard said:

Too much to do, not enough time to do it, wasted opportunity to start the preparation early . No way will we be promoted next season 

That's about where I am. There is far too much to do to rebuild the team

[Demitri_C]

I think the management delay is absolutely ridiculous in my opinion. Whats so hard asking the group in takeover talks who they want? Whether its Pearson or whoever. Lets hope behind the scenes its been done and the new manager has seen who he wnats to get rid of. Dont fancy him just making his decisions based on dvds on games. He wont know what they are like in training or anything like that. That is my concern. 

[markavfc40]

28 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

11 hours ago, Kingman said:

Well if there are fans out there who don't yet think Villa fans are clearings in the woods, they will after seeing that.

I know I am biased but for me we have some of the best supporters in the country. Our away support is second to none and given the tripe served up over the last six years we have shown unbelievable patience. If other teams fans think we are clearing in the woods so be it as we know different.

As for our promotion prospects then I think I am inclined to agree with Richard. There is so much to do and we are quickly getting to the point where there will be not enough time to do it.

We had an advantage over other teams as for months we have known our fate but have done nothing to gain a head start. An absent owner that wants out, no manager, no CEO and a group of players that either want out or we want rid of. It is a shambles.

[Stevo985]

12 minutes ago, markavfc40 said:

I know I am biased but for me we have some of the best supporters in the country. Our away support is second to none and given the tripe served up over the last six years we have shown unbelievable patience. If other teams fans think we are clearing in the woods so be it as we know different.

You may have misunderstood.

I agree with you completely. 

My point was the picture Kingman posted makes us look like absolute pricks.

[Gary Thomas]

12 hours ago, Kingman said:

Awful.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

12 hours ago, Stevo985 said:

I don't think we need a huge revolution in playing staff.

Unfortunately though, that's based on some key players staying.

I think if we kept players like Gana, Ayea, gestede, Westwood, Veretout, Adama, Gil and Amavi and added 6 or 7 good Championship players (mainly a defence and keeper) then we'd be in good shape next season.

But we may lose some/all of those players.

Add in Grealish and Clark and it's a solid start. But we're talking only 8/9 players still and as you say, a couple of those will leave, others might not be fancied by a new manager for a miriad of potential reasons. Another will suffer a season ending injury, another will turn out to be a massive cockwomble. 

In effect, hopefully about 4/5 of them will turn out to be decent as billed. It's why teams have squads of 25. We need 10-15 players again, yet with 6 weeks to go until the window opens we don't have a manager. We don't have a board. We have an owner who wants out but seemingly doesn't have the capacity to get the job done. 

Honestly, I think talk of promotion at this stage is barmy. We'd need almost everything to go right between now and August for it to become even a possibility. 

It's heartbreaking, but I feel like burying our head in the sand will get us nowhere. We already tried that and look where it got us (not that I think you are doing that Stevo).

[Stevo985]

Add in youth players like Toner, Lyden, Gardner, Kinsella, Steer, Robinson, Hepburn-Murphy, Green etc who could all play a part next season and I think we have a better starting base than people realise.

 

Yes we still need to add some players. But I think this talk of 15+ players is a bit overkill. We need quality not quantity this time around.

Promotion is obviously still questionable. But we'll be closer to that than we will to relegation.

Edited May 16, 2016 by Stevo985

[dont_do_it_doug.]

31 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

You may have misunderstood.

I agree with you completely. 

My point was the picture Kingman posted makes us look like absolute pricks.

Though I also don't actually care what other fans think, I would say that this arrogance will stifle us once more if we let it. 

I feel like we're soldiers returning from the battle only to find that many think the war is won. It really isn't. We're still a **** mess. 

[dont_do_it_doug.]

1 minute ago, Stevo985 said:

Add in youth players like Toner, Lyden, Gardner, Kinsella, Steer, Robinson, Hepburn-Murphy, Green etc who could all play a part next season and I think we have a better starting base than people realise.

 

Yes we still need to add some players. But I think this talk of 15+ players is a bit overkill. We need quality not quantity this time around.

I think we need both. I can go along with the thinking that 5/6 really decent players could get us competitive but a) who at the club do we trust to sign those players and b ) any manager would need to be either extremely lucky or would need to sign at least 10 players to find those 5/6. And still need luck. 

We needed the 11 players we signed last summer it wasn't the case, IMO, that we bought too many too soon. We needed them just to field a squad and to field a competitive squad next season, we will need the same again. 

Except now we're in limbo. No board, no manager, absentee owner, a bloated wage bill, zero direction. 

We need this sale. Maybe we should have done more to force it. 

[markavfc40]

35 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Add in youth players like Toner, Lyden, Gardner, Kinsella, Steer, Robinson, Hepburn-Murphy, Green etc who could all play a part next season and I think we have a better starting base than people realise.

 

Yes we still need to add some players. But I think this talk of 15+ players is a bit overkill. We need quality not quantity this time around.

Kinsella has been released I think but regardless of that I think going into next season heavily reliant on a number of youth players, many with little first team experience, would be a huge gamble.

Of the current mob I think of those who will stay and be good enough then we will have Bunn or Steer who are good enough for back up, Clark, Baker, Hutton, Amavi, Bennett, Westwood, Grealish, Gardner, Gestede. Even adding in a handful of youngsters we are still looking at 10 players needing to come in. In fact looking at that list of players I have put who I think will be here next season hardly fills me with any confidence.

It is doable though to assemble a promotion chasing squad but the planning for that needs to start now and with no manager it simply can’t. The season starts in under 12 weeks. Pre-season starts in 5 – 6 weeks. I’d love to be optimistic and say otherwise but unless something dramatic happens over the next couple of weeks then we will have no chance of being in a position to challenge for promotion.

Edited May 16, 2016 by markavfc40

[Rob182]

Callum Robinson's contract also expires this summer. But you would expect (hope) that we'll offer him a new deal. He's an able backup option if nothing else.

[Stevo985]

28 minutes ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

 

We needed the 11 players we signed last summer it wasn't the case, IMO, that we bought too many too soon. We needed them just to field a squad and to field a competitive squad next season, we will need the same again. 

 

Disagree with that completely.

[Phumfeinz]

13 hours ago, Kingman said:

Christ that's embarrassing

[Gary Thomas]

15 minutes ago, markavfc40 said:

Kinsella has been released I think but regardless of that I think going into next season heavily reliant on a number of youth players, many with little first team experience, would be a huge gamble.

Of the current mob I think of those who will stay and be good enough then we will have Bunn or Steer who are good enough for back up, Clark, Baker, Hutton, Amavi, Bennett, Westwood, Grealish, Gardner, Gestede. Even adding in a handful of youngsters we are still looking at 10 players needing to come in. In fact looking at list of players I have put who I think will be here next season hardly fills me with any confidence.

It is doable though to assemble a promotion chasing squad but the planning for that needs to start now and with no manager it simply can’t. The season starts in under 12 weeks. Pre-season starts in 5 – 6 weeks. I’d love to be optimistic and say otherwise but unless something dramatic happens over the next couple of weeks then we will have no chance of being in a position to challenge for promotion.

This is where I am.  Unlike some, i do think promotion is 'possible' but it all depends on new owners coming in and making good appointments very quickly, followed by shrewd investments in the transfer market,  5 – 6 weeks until pre-season really is a scary thought. 

[dont_do_it_doug.]

Talking about players like Robinson being part of a promotion push is a bit much for me too, if I'm honest. He's scored 6 goals in over 30 championship appearances. 

On a positive note I think the club will be sold. But it can't happen like it did under Ellis, even a Martin O'Neill wouldn't save this current squad from slipping even further. 

I think I need a lie down... 

[Stevo985]

1 minute ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

Talking about players like Robinson being part of a promotion push is a bit much for me too, if I'm honest. He's scored 6 goals in over 30 championship appearances. 

I mentioned him as being part of the squad.

People are talking like we need to buy an entire squad. We don't.

[dont_do_it_doug.]

1 minute ago, Stevo985 said:

Disagree with that completely.

Ok. So what do we do with;

Guzan, Lescott, Richards, Okore Bacuna and Gabby along with the players we sell or the new manager doesn't want?

What happens if/when Adama, Ayew, Gana and Amavi go as well? Veretout? Gil? 

I think you're looking at a perfect scenario where all the players you want to stay do so and those that we sign all prove to be good enough. 

Bearing in mind this is the "Promotion" thread. 

[dont_do_it_doug.]

4 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

I mentioned him as being part of the squad.

People are talking like we need to buy an entire squad. We don't.

We're talking about him being good enough to be part of a promotion winning squad. 

As it stands we have 1 striker who has proven he can score goals at that level, with no wingers to service him. 

[Stevo985]

1 minute ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

Ok. So what do we do with;

Guzan, Lescott, Richards, Okore Bacuna and Gabby along with the players we sell or the new manager doesn't want?

What happens if/when Adama, Ayew, Gana and Amavi go as well? Veretout? Gil? 

I think you're looking at a perfect scenario where all the players you want to stay do so and those that we sign all prove to be good enough. 

Bearing in mind this is the "Promotion" thread. 

I think you missed the part I quoted. It wasn't about next season.

But it's Off Topic so happy to leave it.

[Stevo985]

1 minute ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

We're talking about him being good enough to be part of a promotion winning squad. 

Yeah, exactly. Just like Chris Long is part of the Championship winning squad this season.