January 2017 transfer window

[dounavilla]

This thread has been more fun than any Villa game in the past year and a half.        Thanks Tony and bye !

[VILLAMARV]

6 hours ago, Deisler123 said:

Pointless thread now, pointless efforts throughout the Jan window

Everything seems to be pointless.

Today's match is like a face slap to all of us, and all club managing staff, and most of all, to Xia.

I am sorry. I give up.

See you next season.

Don't go Deisler, you're one of our best signings this season

Edited February 1, 2017 by VILLAMARV

[KSV]

5 hours ago, Deisler123 said:

Pointless thread now, pointless efforts throughout the Jan window

Everything seems to be pointless.

Today's match is like a face slap to all of us, and all club managing staff, and most of all, to Xia.

I am sorry. I give up.

See you next season.

I feel like this as well to be honest.. but it will pass in a few days and the 'wait we can still make play offs' kicks in...... until the next thud. 

[nnock1984]

I sum the window up like this:

Taylor + Hogan in Gestede + Ayew out

Hourihane + Bree in Westwood out 

Johnstone in Gollini out

Thor, Lansbury, Bedeau in 5.5million out

Tish, McCormack, Cissoko and Toner out on loan

7 in, 8 out, 5.5 million Net Spend.  On the face of it, we've massively improved for a very minimal outlay.  Last night aside, let's hope February is a productive month or Bruce could well be in trouble! 

 

[HolteExile]

9 hours ago, dAVe80 said:

This time last year, we signed no one. Everybody moaned. This year we signed some players. Everybody moaned.

Don't ever change good people of VT, you mental bunch of clearing in the woods!

£10-£15 million invested astutely last Jan *might* have given us a fighting chance. 

It could take us  years and countless  more millions to even get close to that sort of scenario again. 

[Jareth]

8 minutes ago, HolteExile said:

£10-£15 million invested astutely last Jan *might* have given us a fighting chance. 

It could take us  years and countless  more millions to even get close to that sort of scenario again. 

Would have just delayed the inevitable - see Sunderland. Tony's cash injection will pay dividends, once and if the manager gets any sort of cohesion in the team.

[ViewFromT2]

Aside from the obvious lack of fitness of Bjarnason and Lansbury, I don't think the new players can be judged yet. What is far more worrying is the performance of other players and, I have to say, the managers decisions.

Jordan Amavi: Been absolutely dreadful since late December. In fairness, wasn't exactly top drawer before that. He is held is such high regards by fans, but cannot defend for toffee. Look at the second goal last night, he never even attempted to stop the cross coming in. Yes the 2 CB's were marking the same bloke and never saw the runner....but look how Chester slates Amavi straight after they score...it's not even schoolboy defending!

Jonathan Kodija: I may be being harsh, but clearly this bloke is starting to believe his own press. Missed a sitter last night and was then totally uninterested for the rest of the game. He isn't a lone striker. He always looks better coming in from wide areas, pretty sure that's where he'll play now Hogan has come in. He needs a kick up the arse.

Albert Adomah: Hadn't heard of him before we signed him, which is usually a sign that they can't be all that! and sure enough, he has proved to be bang average! Yes he has pace, but christ almighty, how many times does he waste good opportunities? Andre Green has shown more in his couple of appearances.

 

Chester and Baker: As a pair they are clearly the best we have at the club....and after spending £50-60m on players, that statement is probably the reason we won't get near the play-offs come May. Neither are dominant leaders. Both have positional issues and Chester's commendable wish to play his way out of trouble lands us in deeper trouble on many occasions. Sometimes you just gotta clear your lines from back there. Baker hasn't become Bobby Moore since last season...he makes decent tackles when he has time to see them, but just look at him when faced with a one-on-one runner...third goal last night great example.

 

Steve Bruce: I still support him as the manager and think he will get it right. However, we cant keep listening to the same rhetoric after every game, it clearly isn't having any affect. Whatever system he has us playing isn't working, were not creating enough chances. Team selection etc lies with him, I get that....but Jack Grealish being on the bench is bewildering to me. 2-0 down at half time and playing woeful last night, couldn't believe he never changed anything....and worse, left it til last 15 mins to make a change when the game was already done at 3-0.

His purchase of Sam Johnstone...another nobody had heard of....has proven so far to be a poor decision. A young keeper like that could fall into a pit if his confidence gets shattered....he needs to put Bunn back in goal.

 

It's not too late yet...but christ we have to find some form quickly!

[Khizzy]

The team does need time to gel but if we're unable to win games with one of the best first XIs in this league on paper after major surgery in January then I have no idea what we can do to rectify the situation. We're probably cursed!

[Jas10]

We can't constantly keep having a go at the players really and looking for scapegoats for the performance of the whole team, it's pretty much a brand new side with some well established championship performers in it now.

During or straight after a game is probably never the right time to react or sum up any thoughts due to it being such a reactive time due to feelings of anger, frustration, disgust and embarrassment (last night) when we lose or play poorly and over excitement if we ever play well/win (when??)

I was lost for words watching that shit show and really can't figure out what it is that has been affecting our club so negatively for so long. Notions of being cursed, infected etc. somehow don't sound so far fetched & unreasonable now!

Obviously, its way too soon to judge the new players (Lansbury looked pretty decent though, I have to say) - particularly Bjarnason who has no experience of playing at this level and in this country and was probably rushed into the team along with a few others. He looked completely lost and off the pace and I wouldn't put that down to just him. Will need time to settle...

Going off of last night, the main culprit and target for blame appears to be Bruce but how many managers are we going to have who don't seem capable of getting it right and are just constantly criticised? But...he doesn't seem to act or react quickly enough in games. I don't understand why he doesn't make changes sooner when it is obvious that they are needed? Surely a guy with experience of getting teams promoted has the tactical nous and know how to change the pattern of play and the game? Even at half time, he had the opportunity to get into the players heads and change things tactically and to replace players but he didn't do it? I don't understand why...

I have to be honest and say I was absolutely appalled. For years now, we seem to have lost the basic ability to PASS the ball and keep possession for more than a few seconds!! That is the single most depressing and frustrating thing when watching Villa play...it is utterly embarrassing. Do we not have the players? Nope that can't be it, we've changed the team enough times. Do we not have the coaching methods? Again, we've changed coaching personnel so many times? I really can't put my finger on it. It was disgusting to see us just hoofing then all up to Kodjia when we now actually have midfielders who can pass, create & tackle. We need to learn to pass & move and concentrate on that!!!

Having calmed down, I can only say we have no choice other than to be patient and hope that things improve. I don't want to give up but we don't actually deserve to get into the playoffs when we are being outplayed by every other TEAM - which we are not. We have no unity, no playing style & no identity. We're not lions we're kittens and that needs addressing asap!!!

 

 

[Xela]

Fantastic window but we always ruin it by going onto the field and playing football 

[Chewie]

22 hours ago, Deisler123 said:

Pointless thread now, pointless efforts throughout the Jan window

Everything seems to be pointless.

Today's match is like a face slap to all of us, and all club managing staff, and most of all, to Xia.

I am sorry. I give up.

See you next season.

It's a good job you weren't around the past couple of years before Xia, you'd of hung yourself!

You're gonna need thicker skin than that to be a Villa fan  

[Michael118]

On 1/31/2017 at 07:28, Xela said:

If he can recapture his first season form then he's a decent lower Premier League midfielder. 

It just went to rat shit for him here 

I don't think he ever reached his full potential for us.

I can see him being at least a very good lower level Premier League midfielder with some potential to be better than that if he improves in a few areas.

[Michael118]

On 1/31/2017 at 07:50, HolteExile said:

What will he be allowed to do there that he hasn't had the chance to do in close to 150 games for Villa? 

New club, new manager, new environment. That's all it takes sometimes for a player with talent who has been underachieving to get back on track.

Edited February 4, 2017 by Michael118

[Michael118]

On 1/30/2017 at 23:00, Mjvilla said:

Can I ask from the players signed/targeted who you're not happy with and why? And also, an alternative you'd like to have seen us bring in?

Not happy with any of the signings we made or any of the players we were linked to except Max Gradel. I just don't see any of them as having a huge amount of potential.

I've been watching some Ligue 1 lately. If you are generally interested I can post a list of players I would have preferred. If you just want to criticize it I won't bother.

 

[sidcow]

20 minutes ago, Michael118 said:

Not happy with any of the signings we made or any of the players we were linked to except Max Gradel. I just don't see any of them as having a huge amount of potential.

I've been watching some Ligue 1 lately. If you are generally interested I can post a list of players I would have preferred. If you just want to criticize it I won't bother.

 

To want to sign a bunch of players from a foreign league who may or may not be good enough would be a mental strategy compared to what we have done,  which is buy players who are proved,  experienced and already performing strongly in the league we were in. 

Maybe you could change Thor for one of these amazing ligue 1 players but we have been down the road of bringing in loads of players from overseas who look good in their league. 

I am amazed that you can't be happy with any of our signings. 

I will trust the judgement of a man who has been promoted 4 times from this league thanks. 

Edited February 4, 2017 by sidcow

[Xela]

1 hour ago, Michael118 said:

Not happy with any of the signings we made or any of the players we were linked to except Max Gradel. I just don't see any of them as having a huge amount of potential.

I've been watching some Ligue 1 lately. If you are generally interested I can post a list of players I would have preferred. If you just want to criticize it I won't bother.

 

Not even Hourihane and Hogan who have been excellent this season? 

I'd be interested in seeing the list...

[Reivax_Villa]

On 2/1/2017 at 09:53, ViewFromT2 said:

 

Albert Adomah: Hadn't heard of him before we signed him, which is usually a sign that they can't be all that! and sure enough, he has proved to be bang average! Yes he has pace, but christ almighty, how many times does he waste good opportunities? Andre Green has shown more in his couple of appearances.

 

 

Because you haven't heard of him doesn't mean that he is not good enough lol.

He has been destroying defenders for the past 3/4 years at this level, furthermore he came to our club at a time where we had ZERO width, he is adds pace and another dimension to us when our players very frequently pull together..

[Mjvilla]

4 hours ago, Michael118 said:

Not happy with any of the signings we made or any of the players we were linked to except Max Gradel. I just don't see any of them as having a huge amount of potential.

I've been watching some Ligue 1 lately. If you are generally interested I can post a list of players I would have preferred. If you just want to criticize it I won't bother.

 

Go on, as I am interested. Just get this in first, our summer raid on Ligue 1 recently wasn't exactly brilliant. Newcastle have tried and failed on ligue 1. So, I'm already sceptical because of where they come from.

[lexicon]

From our Ligue 1 buys: Amavi and Gueye were successes, Ayew reasonable/OK but Veretout failed. We didn't do that badly from Ligue 1 tbf. 

[Mjvilla]

8 minutes ago, lexicon said:

From our Ligue 1 buys: Amavi and Gueye were successes, Ayew reasonable/OK but Veretout failed. We didn't do that badly from Ligue 1 tbf. 

Matter of opinion. From those, amavi is struggling big time at the moment. The other 3 aren't even here so for Aston villa, they were failed signings.