Tony Xia (no longer involved with AVFC)

[terrytini]

46 minutes ago, lexicon said:

I think some are underestimating how big the task of rebuilding is. 

Interestingly I don't.

I think those who are more favourably disposed to what the new regime have done so far recognise the enormity of the task and it forms part of their reasoning to be less critical.

And I think those less favourably disposed recognise the enormity of the task and it forms part of their reasoning to be more concerned.

And both persuasions have a perfectly valid viewpoint.

Its like the old ( politically incorrect I know, but hopefully not really offensive ) joke about the guy in Ireland who asks for directions to a Town, "Well I wouldn't be starting from here ".

The truth is that regardless of India, Technical Directors, Tweets, Release Clauses, and the rest, we are totally in the hands of RDM and his Team.  If they can produce the goods, we have a chance, with whoever we have.  If they don't, we are probably sunk.

[terrytini]

23 minutes ago, TheStagMan said:

The problem is that there is not a big queue of player wanting to come to Villa. Even clubs like Burnley are more attractive than us now. We have to get the decent players when they become available and when they are willing to come to us. There is not some magic wand that RDM and Dr X can waive and 20 top players will magically arrive. I swear some forumites think it is just like popping to tesco, sticking a few players in a trolley and heading for the checkout. 

Whilst I agree it is never easy getting players, I think from all we have been told it is reasonable for fans to assume we do have such a Magic Wand, in the Form of Tonys money to pay the best wages in the Championship.  Whilst it isn't everything, we have all seen countless examples of where money talks.

[westholmevillan]

17 hours ago, mwj said:

Actually, to be FAIR, there is no excuse for being a prick. If you told someone to **** off in the street you'd end up with a smack in the mouth most likely.

 

17 hours ago, sexbelowsound said:

So lets swear at him? That'll make the signings happen. Damn, I bet tomorrow we'll have 3 new players in because someone told him to do so on Twitter.

So what as that got to do with my comment?  Where do I say that I condone his tweet?   Suggest you try reading my post again!  Do you make alot of things up in your head? Are you a secret 'red top' journalist?

[Duck]

5 hours ago, Tommo_b said:

But Bacuna is champions league quality!

Jokes aside, these players obviously have something about them, Hutton is an international and played for Tottenham, Cissokho was deemed good enough for Liverpool at one point, even Gabby got into the England squad at one point, so our squad collectively might be shit at the moment, but maybe RDM has a point, good players, poor management, obviously their attitudes are appalling and that would be reason enough to get rid of them, however, if RDM thinks with a clean slate they can challenge for promotion, then they all have my support and I can forgive the shambles of last season. 

New start, new season, new era. 

I take it you haven't seen any of the preseason games?

[briny_ear]

I see Dr Tony is quoting Kafka at us on Twitter now.

[TrentVilla]

4 hours ago, Richard said:

Thought the point of the site was to debate all views about Villa ,  which is of course what was meant by my post .

Well it read like another attempt to claim opposing views aren't allowed on here as the post you responded to simply suggested that as fans we needed to calm down. People being calm hardly removes the need for the site does it.

[blandy]

1 hour ago, terrytini said:

I think those who are more favourably disposed to what the new regime have done so far recognise the enormity of the task and it forms part of their reasoning to be less critical.

And I think those less favourably disposed recognise the enormity of the task and it forms part of their reasoning to be more concerned.

That seems fair. Personally I'm neither favourably, nor unfavourably disposed to the new people. I wish them well, but there's not enough information to make any kind of judgement yet, really (IMO). To me, going into panic mode or full on optimist mode seems a bit bonkers.

The squad is in need of serious cleaning out and rebuilding, and that's probably going to take 3 windows, never mind the 4 weeks or so we've had of transfer window being properly open to us.

Realistically, getting promoted next season is very unlikely - there's too much changing round to be done. Just stopping the fall we've been in is the first task. 3 teams from 24 will go up, obviously - a 1 in 8 chance, and there are other clubs and squads in much better shape than Villa, so going up would mean that pretty much every transfer buy comes off, and that there are about 3 or 4 in, in the next 4 weeks, and that we are able to somehow offload the disgraces that are on big money. Almost certainly too much to expect RDM and TX to do in such a short time.

So looking at what's happened so far, it's been maybe a bit underwhelming for people who want what seems to me like a semi-miracle.

[Vive_La_Villa]

Xia is crazy for tweeting so much with fans directly. He clearly hasn't been advised of what happened with the general! 

[thunderball]

1 hour ago, terrytini said:

Whilst I agree it is never easy getting players, I think from all we have been told it is reasonable for fans to assume we do have such a Magic Wand, in the Form of Tonys money to pay the best wages in the Championship.  Whilst it isn't everything, we have all seen countless examples of where money talks.

But also lets not forget the example of QPR.

It's a fine balance, there are no short cuts, our advantage is our history, we have competed and won at the highest level, but sadly only a few will recall this and never in the life time of all current players.

[foreveryoung]

People are talking like we are looking for top 6 in the Premier league, wages, top players won't come to us etc. We are in the Championship, it shouldn't be to hard to get some quality in. We have a billionaire owner. Lets start as we mean to go on, players will come to us. If we need to pay wages, why not, players will hardly be expecting 100k a week to play in this league.

There's a huge shock coming to Xia if we don't get the personnal in before the window closes.

 

[HanoiVillan]

5 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

People are talking like we are looking for top 6 in the Premier league, wages, top players won't come to us etc. We are in the Championship, it shouldn't be to hard to get some quality in. We have a billionaire owner. Lets start as we mean to go on, players will come to us. If we need to pay wages, why not, players will hardly be expecting 100k a week to play in this league.

There's a huge shock coming to Xia if we don't get the personnal in before the window closes.

 

Yeah, I reckon we might need to pay wages 

[foreveryoung]

1 minute ago, HanoiVillan said:

Yeah, I reckon we might need to pay wages 

You know what I mean.

Its not like we can't afford it. Or are we to become the new venky's

[sne]

At the current state I would guess the squad is mid table -  upper mid table, but with the potential to totally collapse when faced with a few bad results as it is for the most parts the same squad as last season.

Yesterday thou only a friendly, was scary to see how we lost all shape and started panicking as soon as (a very mediocre Middlesbrough) side scored.

It was exactly like last season. The team seems very fragile, and if we use the tactic we used yesterday every team in the league will know how to stop our attacks and punish us on the counter.

Really hope the "football people" advising Xia saw the game and told him just how much has to be done.

[terrytini]

46 minutes ago, sne said:

At the current state I would guess the squad is mid table -  upper mid table, but with the potential to totally collapse when faced with a few bad results as it is for the most parts the same squad as last season.

Yesterday thou only a friendly, was scary to see how we lost all shape and started panicking as soon as (a very mediocre Middlesbrough) side scored.

It was exactly like last season. The team seems very fragile, and if we use the tactic we used yesterday every team in the league will know how to stop our attacks and punish us on the counter.

Really hope the "football people" advising Xia saw the game and told him just how much has to be done.

Yes, the awful thing about yesterday was the mental disintegration.  It was clear to see.  And it followed an hour of reasonable football, good support, and was against a strolling team, in a friendly.

Tactics, shape, even players, are one thing, but the incredibly fragile mental state, after a summer with a new Manager, with some new blood, really was scary stuff.  Added to that the crowd, who had even been ok with Bacuna, turned very quickly (because, IMO, they were seeing a re-run of last year).

More than ability, we need some real character, that's why they must get players now, and not next season.  With the current mental fragility there is still a possibility we struggle as badly as last year.  Of course, some thumping wins aided by a new striker could change that fragility, but in the main the scarred guys need to go, even the ones who aren't so bad.

[terrytini]

1 hour ago, thunderball said:

But also lets not forget the example of QPR.

It's a fine balance, there are no short cuts, our advantage is our history, we have competed and won at the highest level, but sadly only a few will recall this and never in the life time of all current players.

I think we need to take that risk. 

[terrytini]

1 hour ago, blandy said:

That seems fair. Personally I'm neither favourably, nor unfavourably disposed to the new people. I wish them well, but there's not enough information to make any kind of judgement yet, really (IMO). To me, going into panic mode or full on optimist mode seems a bit bonkers.

The squad is in need of serious cleaning out and rebuilding, and that's probably going to take 3 windows, never mind the 4 weeks or so we've had of transfer window being properly open to us.

Realistically, getting promoted next season is very unlikely - there's too much changing round to be done. Just stopping the fall we've been in is the first task. 3 teams from 24 will go up, obviously - a 1 in 8 chance, and there are other clubs and squads in much better shape than Villa, so going up would mean that pretty much every transfer buy comes off, and that there are about 3 or 4 in, in the next 4 weeks, and that we are able to somehow offload the disgraces that are on big money. Almost certainly too much to expect RDM and TX to do in such a short time.

So looking at what's happened so far, it's been maybe a bit underwhelming for people who want what seems to me like a semi-miracle.

I agree, but what, other than say Top 8, would constitute stopping the fall ? Win 28% of our games (13 or so) and we will be battling relegation, Win 17 or so, (36 %) and its an outside chance of promotion.  Win 50 % and we are probably up.  So to my mind we need to win a minimum of 15, 16 games to even begin to say the fall is arrested.  And if we can win that many we can win enough to challenge.

I think I'm trying to say the only clear sign that we have stopped falling will be if we are challenging.  If we are not challenging it will mean we are looking over our shoulders.

[TRO]

5 hours ago, mattyvilla said:

What?  Not anything?   Not a Champions League winning manager with a highly rated coaching team?  Not 3 new players?  Not the beginning of last season's dross leaving the building?  Not a CEO with a proven track record in football?  Not a new academy in one of the most rapidly emerging economies in the world?

I think if we want to look for negatives we'll find them, and Villa fans are really good at finding them.  The amount of bed-wetting about the Wolves takeover has been incredible.  At this moment in time I wouldn't swap with them for all the tea in China.

 

Villa fans are really good at finding negatives......are you having a laugh.....they are amongst the most patient laid back bunch in existence. i would like to think the majority of us ,know when we are being pissed about.

If Man U fans had experienced what we have in the last 6 years there would be a public enquiry.

You clearly have not been around as a villa fan when standards were achieved that was commensurate with the status of the club.....Sorry, but while we have no given right to success.....we have a right to acceptable standards of effort towards scheivement.

Edited July 31, 2016 by TRO

[mattyvilla]

Just now, TRO said:

Villa fans are really good at finding negatives......are you having a laugh.....they are amongst the most patient laid back bunch in existence. i would like to think the majority of know when we are being pissed about.

If Man U fans had experienced what we have in the last 6 years there would be a public enquiry.

You clearly have not been around as a villa fan when standards were achieved that was commensurate with the status of the club.....Sorry, but while we have no given right to success.....we have a right to acceptable standards of effort towards scheivement.

this was not mine , was quoting someone else and my bits got edited out somehow , for what its worth i agree with everything you say :-)

 

[TRO]

Just now, mattyvilla said:

this was not mine , was quoting someone else and my bits got edited out somehow , for what its worth i agree with everything you say :-)

 

Thank you.

[TRO]

my advice to Tony would be don't put up with the highly rated arrogance from football managers....unless they earn it with us.

If RDM does not get results in the short term......check on the progress and question the processes to achieve success......question the reasons why.

we all know it takes time.....but time can be abused by managers who are on the road to failure.....we have had our fair share of them.

Alex Ferguson too had a fair amount of time, but Martin Edwards knew intimately what he was doing and stood by him in the face of unrest.....we need that too.

 

Edited July 31, 2016 by TRO