Scott Hogan

[skarroki]

Can't be bothered to list them but if people are going to keep bleating on about how Hogan doesn't suit Steve Bruce and his style of play, they should really look at who have been the top goalscorers in his sides and the type of striker he signs. 

You may not like how we resorted to playing last season, I sure know I didn't. But that doesn't mean I think Bruce is stupid or a football dinosaur. 

Hogan is a strong lad and has a lot of pace. It would benefit him no end to learn how to trap a ball and hold up play, but i think he could be very effective in a pacey attacking line, similar to the top 6 pacey front line we had. With McCormack in the middle as the fulcrom. 

[Villan_of_oz]

36 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

My only concern with Kodjia, McCormack and Hogan as a three is the real lack of width. 

So are you suggesting we sign Ross's gates, cos if you are that's a bloody brilliant idea. You could get them to play deeper later in the game and really help protect our goal. 

[Nigel]

4 hours ago, hippo said:

You want a player who scored 19 goals to alter his game to accommodate a guy who hardly scored any goals - good luck with that one.

 

No you want a player who scored 19 goals to alter his game to make the team a better attacking unit to score many more!

[TRO]

2 hours ago, TrentVilla said:

We've signed players that should play to Hogan's strengths but we don't play to them largely as they are too deep.

That is down to tactics and the manager not players.

Sorry Trent, despite my agreeing with you most of the time.....not on this one.

I have already given my view on why we are/was too deep.....I do not subscribe to the theory that the manager just likes playing that way. I think that is a myth.He plays to his players strengths ( I will admit if they are his players its his fault for choosing them)The players win ground, the manager wants them to win ground, but sometimes they get out muscled/ played/out fought and retreat.....it is not always the way it is planned its the way the game is panning out.

I am happy to be in the minority on this, but its my belief......are you suggesting that if SB was manager of Chelsea/Arsenal/ManU/C/Liverpool, he would play the same way as we played last season.....never in a million years.

ps I also believe JT will have a positive effect on us playing too deep.

 

 

Edited July 14, 2017 by TRO

[TRO]

29 minutes ago, Nigel said:

No you want a player who scored 19 goals to alter his game to make the team a better attacking unit to score many more!

you only have to score 46 to get maximum points?

138

perish the thought.

[TrentVilla]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Sorry Trent, despite my agreeing with you most of the time.....not on this one.

I have already given my view on why we are/was too deep.....I do not subscribe to the theory that the manager just likes playing that way. I think that is a myth.He plays to his players strengths ( I will admit if they are his players its his fault for choosing them)The players win ground, the manager wants them to win ground, but sometimes they get out muscled/ played/out fought and retreat.....it is not always the way it is planned its the way the game is panning out.

I am happy to be in the minority on this, but its my belief......are you suggesting that if SB was manager of Chelsea/Arsenal/ManU/C/Liverpool, he would play the same way as we played last season.....never in a million years.

ps I also believe JT will have a positive effect on us playing too deep.

Don't worry you are bound to be wrong now and then  (joke, joke)

I don't think Bruce did play to his players strengths last season, oddly especially those he signed like Hogan, Conor and Lansbury. I struggle to see why he would do so this season more effectively given that a lot of games last season were without pressure once the Play Offs were gone.

I don't really see the point in what if hypertheticals, I'm interested in what has and will happen at Villa. I would be delighted to be wrong but I don't think Bruce will get the best of Hogan.

In regards Terry, I agree he will push the team forward but he has always preferred to take quite a deep defensive line.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, TrentVilla said:

Don't worry you are bound to be wrong now and then  (joke, joke)

I don't think Bruce did play to his players strengths last season, oddly especially those he signed like Hogan, Conor and Lansbury. I struggle to see why he would do so this season more effectively given that a lot of games last season were without pressure once the Play Offs were gone.

I don't really see the point in what if hypertheticals, I'm interested in what has and will happen at Villa. I would be delighted to be wrong but I don't think Bruce will get the best of Hogan.

In regards Terry, I agree he will push the team forward but he has always preferred to take quite a deep defensive line.

I was only ever wrong once.....and then found out I was right anyway.

Its interesting how we see things differently......your comments are certainly not without logic and not to be dismissed.

Those 3 players were certainly better at their previous clubs, but I put that down to a number of factors....not necessarily the manager IMO.

I still think we need a Gareth Barry type character to spark it all off......I think the forwards are good enough, but were cut loose last season and isolated.

I will be much happier, when I see our ball winning much higher up the pitch and subsequently the forwards have a shorter distance to wreak havoc.

[Villa Stu]

20 minutes ago, TRO said:

I was only ever wrong once.....and then found out I was right anyway.

Its interesting how we see things differently......your comments are certainly not without logic and not to be dismissed.

Those 3 players were certainly better at their previous clubs, but I put that down to a number of factors....not necessarily the manager IMO.

I still think we need a Gareth Barry type character to spark it all off......I think the forwards are good enough, but were cut loose last season and isolated.

I will be much happier, when I see our ball winning much higher up the pitch and subsequently the forwards have a shorter distance to wreak havoc.

I am hoping we keep veretout mate, I think he could possibly play that Barry role well. 

In all honesty it was always going to be difficult for Hogan here last season, after all we had set up with pretty much just Kodjia up too quite a lot and he was never going to be displaced. With Hourihane and Lansbury coming in you would have hoped that we could play 2 up top but it didn't work, we just got overran. 

Hopefully this season we can find a system and players to suit playing 2 up top and with Kodjia not 100% McCormack and Hogan have a chance to make their mark at Villa.

[Reivax_Villa]

Well.. 

 

At least he's good at interviews ay? 

[rodders0223]

It's the fact he doesn't even try to get in the game that irks me. He is all to happy to drift out of it. Just drop in a bit and get your foot on the ball once in a while kid.

[AshVilla]

I thought he was expecting 20 goals this season.

I think he needs to touch the ball to score goals

[Demitri_C]

I don't want to write him off but it seems we massively over spent on him. Doesn't do enough for me, chasing balls down or as a attacking threat. 

[TrentVilla]

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

I don't want to write him off but it seems we massively over spent on him. Doesn't do enough for me, chasing balls down or as a attacking threat. 

We signed him to score goals and create no chances for him, he isn't the issue.

[DCJonah]

9 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

We signed him to score goals and crest no chances for him, he isn't the issue.

I think he is. We can't accommodate a player who can only run down the middle and needs perfect through balls. 

He has to get into games more. He has to make it difficult for defenders. The money spent on him is looking like a terrible decision. 

[TrentVilla]

19 minutes ago, DCJonah said:

I think he is. We can't accommodate a player who can only run down the middle and needs perfect through balls. 

He has to get into games more. He has to make it difficult for defenders. The money spent on him is looking like a terrible decision. 

I don't agree, obviously.

If we scouted him we knew what we were getting and have failed to date to play to his strength. That isn't his fault that is the managers.

I'm so sick and tired of successive Villa managers year after year, decade after decade buying players who have scored a lot of goals only to then seem to be completely ignorant about how they scored those goals in the first place.

 

[DCJonah]

8 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

I don't agree, obviously.

If we scouted him we knew what we were getting and have failed to date to play to his strength. That isn't his fault that is the managers.

I'm so sick and tired of successive Villa managers year after year, decade after decade buying players who have scored a lot of goals only to then seem to be completely ignorant about how they scored those goals in the first place.

 

I don't think tactics or Bruce are blameless but I just can't completely excuse him. 

 

[Dr_Pangloss]

29 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

I don't agree, obviously.

If we scouted him we knew what we were getting and have failed to date to play to his strength. That isn't his fault that is the managers.

I'm so sick and tired of successive Villa managers year after year, decade after decade buying players who have scored a lot of goals only to then seem to be completely ignorant about how they scored those goals in the first place.

 

Yes, he's not the Kodjia type who is going to create things on his own. Bruce's sole tactic last season was to sit ridiculously deep and just lump it down to Kodjia to 'do something'. Not surprising at all that Hogan, a forward who thrives off service and loves to play off the last man (which ideally requires good through balls played from midfield), is doing so badly here.

Edited July 15, 2017 by Dr_Pangloss

[TrentVilla]

1 minute ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

Yes, he's not the Kodjia type who is going to create things on his own. Bruce's sole tactic last season was to sit ridiculously deep and just lump it down to Kodjia to 'do something'. Not surprising at all that Hogan, a forward who thrives off service and loves to play off the last man (which ideally requires good through balls played from midfield), is doing so badly here.

Agreed. It was obvious in his first few games and it's not improved at all since.

My view on this isn't really influenced by today, I was saying the same in this thread yesterday.

[DCJonah]

1 minute ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

Yes, he's not the Kodjia type who is going to create things on his own. Bruce's sole tactic last season was to sit ridiculously deep and just lump it down to Kodjia to 'do something'. Not surprising at all that Hogan, a forward who thrives off service and loves to play off the last man (which ideally requires good through balls played from midfield), is doing so badly here.

He's a £14 million striker, who had premier league clubs interested. Surely he's got to offer more than just waiting for that perfect through ball. 

Gabby would cause problems even if the ball wasn't perfect. Lots of average players would just based on work rate and desire, 2 things he's barely shown in a villa shirt so far. 

[Dr_Pangloss]

Just now, DCJonah said:

He's a £14 million striker, who had premier league clubs interested. Surely he's got to offer more than just waiting for that perfect through ball. 

Gabby would cause problems even if the ball wasn't perfect. Lots of average players would just based on work rate and desire, 2 things he's barely shown in a villa shirt so far. 

Firstly I agree he was a massive overspend, but that's not really his fault. If you just watch the goals he scored at his previous club, the vast majority were either from service into the box, or because he was played in from midfield. Surely Bruce would have understood the sort of player he is when he signed him. 

Again, a bit of service would go a long way with this player, unfortunately Bruce's tactics are an absolute joke.