TRO Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 (edited) 19 hours ago, avfc1982am said: Mark I like your confidence but I don't share it. I think your banking on us holding on to players we won't hold on to. Heaton will only stay due to the injury and his rehab which will leave him out for a good portion at the start of the season. As with Wes maybe?? Although I'm not sure of the time frames with their injuries so unsure on those tbf?? Luiz will be gone though I promise you. He won't be stuck in the championship. Then your hoping that PL or newly promoted clubs don't think about punting on one or two others like Ghazi, Targett potentially. Then you could factor in that Lansbury will be done. Elmo will follow, as with Taylor, Chester etc. As they should be if we dropped back down imo. There would be no point in persisting with players that weren't good enough initially. We may then have to replace potentially between 5-10 players including our best in a team not good enough to cut it at the top level as it is. I'm not saying either for one minute that it's impossible as that would be stupid. What I'm saying is I think things won't be as cut and dried with the loss in quality we will have to endure. I'm not sure all the players left over will have the fight for a 46 game season getting volleyed everywhere by other players in the championship. Plus your then banking on us bringing in high quality on low fees because we wont be spending 10-15m on players if we go back down like the last time. We'll still have a forward line and midfield to rebuild at a minimum, and not for the Championship but to take us up and keep us there. I do agree that we will be in a more stable situation than the last time due to sales and the wage structure but I'm under no illusions that the changes to the squad will still need to be significant in the right way to bring us back up. That's not a cert in anyway. I don't fear us going down in anyway either. I'm lucky enough to have seen the best years this club has produced so am blessed I suppose. I just don't ever see going down as a great indicator the team are good enough to bounce straight back. In any clubs case. I will drink to that....I guess, I never realised, just quite what we had at the time. I still think the administration at the time was debateable/questionable .....Doug ran a tight ship, Bendall was rarely there. It was Ron, Tony and Roy, who did us proud....what a backroom team. Edited January 7, 2020 by TRO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TRO Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 23 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said: It’s that second year wage bill that nearly destroyed the club. Hindsight is an exact science....How many thought Xia was the business ?.........Perhaps the gods was with us, ultimately. It smoked out a bad administration in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted January 7, 2020 Share Posted January 7, 2020 3 hours ago, zab6359 said: Stan needs to keep his gob shut! He is a rocket polisher that thinks he is important. Criticise him and its because you havent played the game 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-R Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Hope we are not back to a 4-3-3 as this site suggests. Predicting 5 changes, I don't care so long as we field our best squad. This Semi final should be treated exactly as it should be which is a semi final, were so close we need to give it out all. Please let's go try win this cup this season, it would be amazing to see something in the cabinet. https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/aston-villa/carabao-cup-predicted-xi-leicester Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Condimentalist Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Good first half so far. We look so much more solid with this formation switch - despite the erratic players in the side. Well done Deano. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheepyvillian Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 On 07/01/2020 at 14:33, Zatman said: He is a rocket polisher that thinks he is important. Criticise him and its because you havent played the game Too depressed to play football, but always up for a bit of dogging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vive_La_Villa Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 It’s taken half a season but smith has finally accepted we can’t compete with these teams. Player for player they are just much better than us. Have to stifle them and take your chances. It ain’t pretty but it can be effective. Good first half, hopefully can do the same second. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laughable Chimp Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 I was happy. I thought defensively we looked really good and Leicester actually struggled to break us down which is my main gripe with Smith. Than Luiz goes off and costs us the win so that put a real damper on things. But I got no real complaints about Smith this game. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holteend1982 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Can't fault him for anything again today. Let down by certain individuals again. Hopefully he can get a few players in the next week or so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharkyvilla Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 I think he learnt a lot from the way Sheff Utd played against us. Credit to Dean, the squad is stretched to its limit so to get a draw tonight is a decent effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villalad21 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Smith's half time team talks strikes again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferguson1 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 System worked a treat. Only let down by our lack of quality on the ball and sloppy mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enda Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Just now, villalad21 said: Smith's half time team talks strikes again. I can’t believe that’s your takeaway from a well-earned draw at a top side. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HalfTimePost Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 (edited) 2 minutes ago, villalad21 said: Smith's half time team talks strikes again. Getting a draw away at one of the best clubs in the league in a Semi Final? Putting us 90 minutes away from Wembley for a second visit in less than 1.5 years in the job? Yes it struck again. Well done Dean. Edited January 8, 2020 by HalfTimePost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 1 minute ago, villalad21 said: Smith's half time team talks strikes again. Wasn't the sub by Leicester at all... That was coming, was the best we could hope for, if we stretch the game them vardy would have killed us A non Dean Smith mistake stopped us from winning vs 2nd in the league in an away cup semi final 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Posted January 8, 2020 VT Supporter Share Posted January 8, 2020 Credit to deano tonight, his plan and formation were perfect. People are quick enough to criticise him, its only fair that when he does well its noted too! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
praisedmambo Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 4 minutes ago, villalad21 said: Smith's half time team talks strikes again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave-R Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Not impressed, another lead thrown away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rightdm00 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Guys just block him. Your life will be better for it. The next step in the 3-4-3 is to figure out how to counter attack out of the low block. I know he doesn't have much of a choice but bringing on hourihane away from home in this formation just doesn't work. We need a pacey option that will threaten the back line of the opposition. Hopefully they address that this month. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest av1 Posted January 8, 2020 Share Posted January 8, 2020 Don't feed the trolls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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