The push for the Play offs ?

[meme]

1 hour ago, AshVilla said:

If we could clone Tshibola

I'd focus my attention on cloning the world class players: give them amnesia and then tell them they play for Aston Villa FC

[screwdriver]

because there isn't a transfer window Bruce will have to get him magic wand out and create the midfield destroyer out of the crud we already have in the parts bin. AKA scrapheap challenge.

I've already gone on record to say Jedinak might be better off pushed into centre of defence and maybe Mich Richards could be the makelele with legs in the middle.

All the great managers take a player and remould him to the job that the gaffer needs doing. Ron Saunders took Alan Evans a striker and made him a centre half.

Big Ron put earl barrett at full back. Graham Taylor had the vision to put Gareth Barry in midfield.

 

[sne]

The midfield is a mess, only Tish has so far looked like a player, and he's been injured most of the time. We lack graft, technique, creativity, pace, strength, drive passing, shooting, positioning, intelligence, teamwork and any other thing a midfield might possibly need.

Now this will be somewhat corrected as soon as we play a different formation, but until we can get new players in January we will struggle. 

The likely option would probably be to play Bacuna as CM in a 3 and bite the bullet with Hutton at RB. 

We should be able to build a somewhat passable midfield 3 with Tish and some combination from Jedi, Westy, Bacuna, Lyden and Grealish

A 2 man midfield is just not an option with the squad we have, also Adomah is really our only real winger so 4-4-2 isn't ideal.

Bruce used a 5-3-2/3-5-2 at Hull, so either that or hopefully a 4-3-3 is the way to go.

Either way, Bruce has his hands tied until January so keeping us in reach of the play off spots is all I hope for til the window closes.

And then there is the African cup of Nations...

[wazzap24]

1 hour ago, screwdriver said:

because there isn't a transfer window Bruce will have to get him magic wand out and create the midfield destroyer out of the crud we already have in the parts bin. AKA scrapheap challenge.

I've already gone on record to say Jedinak might be better off pushed into centre of defence and maybe Mich Richards could be the makelele with legs in the middle.

All the great managers take a player and remould him to the job that the gaffer needs doing. Ron Saunders took Alan Evans a striker and made him a centre half.

Big Ron put earl barrett at full back. Graham Taylor had the vision to put Gareth Barry in midfield.

 

I can kinda, sort of, maybe, see where you are coming from. 

But this is Micah Richards, he's got about as much positional nous as a virgin. That role requires discipline, pretty much on a par with centre half. 

5 mins in, he would go off chasing a back pass or sommat and take 10 mins getting his arse back, while we get cut open. 

You would have to hammer a post in the centre circle, tie a rope round it and the other end around him, to have any chance of keeping him in position.

The Jedi will come good in that role, he has been written off too early. The force is strong with that one. 

[AvfcRigo82]

I fancy us to be in the mix come May.

[Deisler123]

Realistically, if we can keep within a 9-point-gap from the 2nd place by the time of Christmas, Stephen is doing a great job. Then the push for the play-off.

[dn1982]

I know we havent the best in midfield but if Bruce can get us scoring that'll help them out no end. We haven't been overrun that much in there and if it wasn't for the last 5 min of games we'd be flying so until Jan let's attack for every minute of every game. if we are only one ahead make substitutions to help out. Something RDM was awful at. 3 winnable games next week. They'll shape our season.  

[Gary Thomas]

1 hour ago, Deisler123 said:

Realistically, if we can keep within a 9-point-gap from the 2nd place by the time of Christmas, Stephen is doing a great job. Then the push for the play-off.

Problem is when we want to push some of our best players will be playing in the AFCON.  We won't get automatic promotion now IMO, getting into the play-offs will be an incredible achievement - need about 19 wins, 7 draws (win just over half games) and we scrape in.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Gary Thomas

[Gary Thomas]

15 hours ago, screwdriver said:

because there isn't a transfer window Bruce will have to get him magic wand out and create the midfield destroyer out of the crud we already have in the parts bin. AKA scrapheap challenge.

I've already gone on record to say Jedinak might be better off pushed into centre of defence and maybe Mich Richards could be the makelele with legs in the middle.

All the great managers take a player and remould him to the job that the gaffer needs doing. Ron Saunders took Alan Evans a striker and made him a centre half.

Big Ron put earl barrett at full back. Graham Taylor had the vision to put Gareth Barry in midfield.

 

People will jump on this, but I have often wondered if Richards might be worth a try in the midfield - maybe right side - think he would do no worse than some.

[Wezbid]

10 points at this stage of the season is nothing. Teams go on little runs and suddenly find themselves in there. 2 wins on the trot and the whole feeling can switch just like that. 

[Wezbid]

14 minutes ago, Gary Thomas said:

Problem is when we want to push some of our best players will be in Russia playing in the AFCON.  

I know the Russians need some diversity awareness treatments but having the African Cup of Nations in Russia is a recipe for disaster!

 

I don't even want to imagine it! 

Edited October 14, 2016 by Wezbid

[Gary Thomas]

7 minutes ago, Wezbid said:

I know the Russians need some diversity awareness treatments but having the African Cup of Nations in Russia is a recipe for disaster!

I don't even want to imagine it! 

LOL - my mistake - Gabon.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Gary Thomas

[mikeyp102]

10 hours ago, Deisler123 said:

Realistically, if we can keep within a 9-point-gap from the 2nd place by the time of Christmas, Stephen is doing a great job. Then the push for the play-off.

Is that the terms of his contract then Doc? 

[Deisler123]

12 minutes ago, mikeyp102 said:

Is that the terms of his contract then Doc? 

[John]

29 points from our next 13 games would put us in the promotion picture at the start of 2017. Make it so Brucie! 

[NoelVilla]

Jean Tiganas Fulham reached 101 points in the Championship. A great team yes but it just shows that we can get a lot more points.

[markavfc40]

I said yesterday that we should aim to over the next 10 games cut the gap on the play off places to 7 points. We could actually cut the gap to 7 points with a win tomorrow.

I think if we could quickly string 3 or 4 wins together the table would look completely different. Whilst that seems a big ask given our current form I look at our squad and I think it is more than capable.

A good start under Bruce is vital though.

[TRO]

On 13/10/2016 at 17:27, screwdriver said:

because there isn't a transfer window Bruce will have to get him magic wand out and create the midfield destroyer out of the crud we already have in the parts bin. AKA scrapheap challenge.

I've already gone on record to say Jedinak might be better off pushed into centre of defence and maybe Mich Richards could be the makelele with legs in the middle.

All the great managers take a player and remould him to the job that the gaffer needs doing. Ron Saunders took Alan Evans a striker and made him a centre half.

Big Ron put earl barrett at full back. Graham Taylor had the vision to put Gareth Barry in midfield.

 

I had that same thought about Richards.

[Zatman]

we could be in relegation zone by kick-off tomorrow

 

if 2 of Derby beat Leeds, Wigan beat Burton or Blackburn beat Ipswich

[StefanAVFC]

Richards failed as a rb because of a lack of positional sense.

same for cb.

he won't simply come good as a midfielder all of a sudden.