Premier League 2019-2020 Thread

[Tomaszk]

10 minutes ago, Keyblade said:

Hmm, not sure about Rodriguez. He hasn't exactly been banging in the goals for Burnley. Also did not fit our model for better or worse. If we replaced Tammy Abraham with a crock like Jay Rodriguez, there would have been uproar. Of course Wesley hasn't exactly worked out, but we've looked relatively good while he was in the team. 

Cheap signings from inferior foreign leagues is exactly why we've struggled. It's easy to say Kostic might have been better than Trez, but who knows how he would've acclimated to the PL. The nature of our budget was such that we'd be taking gambles regardless of what we did. And to be honest, thank **** we had that budget. Could you imagine us not spending that 130m? We'd be worse than the season we went down.

We'll never know how things could have been, but I look around every year and you can see teams that make good and bad signings. We needed the vast majority to be good to have any chance of survival. They weren't.

My major problem is that I'm not sure half of them are good enough for promotion in the Championship. Wes, Trez, Engels, Guilbert, Marv, Konsa, Targett, Luiz, Hause. How many of them get into the Leeds/WBA/Brentford sides? Not many.

The uproar you mention would have settled after a game or two when he held the ball up like an actual footballer unlike Wes.

Yeah, never know if Kostic would have settled but he can run and cross and shoot and control and kick the ball so I think he'd have been a big jump up from Trez.

We're incredibly unlikely to get another chance to overhaul the squad to that extent for another 20 years. I can't think of another time in my lifetime it's happened.

[Enda]

1 hour ago, WakefieldVillan said:

Skybet relegation odds are currently;

Norwich 1/100

Bournemouth 1/6

Us 1/4

Watford 2/1

West Ham 11/2

Brighton 25/1

Doesn't look great, but it's not over yet, can all change with one result. 

Madness that we’re 1/4 and West Ham are 11/2. Does anyone really think we’re twenty times more likely to go down than them? Difference between £3 and £60. If we beat them it’s even on points. Mad odds.

[Keyblade]

Just now, Tomaszk said:

We'll never know how things could have been, but I look around every year and you can see teams that make good and bad signings. We needed the vast majority to be good to have any chance of survival. They weren't.

My major problem is that I'm not sure half of them are good enough for promotion in the Championship. Wes, Trez, Engels, Guilbert, Marv, Konsa, Targett, Luiz, Hause. How many of them get into the Leeds/WBA/Brentford sides? Not many.

The uproar you mention would have settled after a game or two when he held the ball up like an actual footballer unlike Wes.

Yeah, never know if Kostic would have settled but he can run and cross and shoot and control and kick the ball so I think he'd have been a big jump up from Trez.

We're incredibly unlikely to get another chance to overhaul the squad to that extent for another 20 years. I can't think of another time in my lifetime it's happened.

I think even if we lose Jack and Tyrone next season, we smash the Championship. This is a very good Championship side at least. Leeds' team is trash, they just have an exceptional coach that makes them punch above their weight. Target, Luiz, Guilbert etc all get in that. Even Wes is better than that chancer Bamford.

I think if we stay up the likes of Konsa, Luiz, Guilbert and even Marvelous would look much better with a year of PL experience under their belt and some hopefully better players around them to take the heat off them. The problem is we've brought in so many inexperienced players, even our best players coming up from the Championship with us were inexperienced. Literally everyone, including the coaches were learning on the job and it's been a baptism of fire to be honest. We could've had like 10 more points if not for naivete and general unpreparedness for the rigors of this league. I'd still take it any day of the over what could have been had we not gotten our new owners.

[SuffolkVillan]

2 hours ago, villa4europe said:

Why? 

Mine would be beat Palace, beat arsenal, draw vs west ham so 7 more points 

If West ham can beat Watford and pull clear and then go play on a beach then that helps us, I'd still take needing a win vs them to stay up last game 

My thinking also. To the wire

[Adam2003]

1 hour ago, Enda said:

Madness that we’re 1/4 and West Ham are 11/2. Does anyone really think we’re twenty times more likely to go down than them? Difference between £3 and £60. If we beat them it’s even on points. Mad odds.

This screams to me to put money on Watford and West Ham dropping. I won’t because I don’t want to jinx Villa. But I agree entirely.

[Zatman]

4 hours ago, ciggiesnbeer said:

Sheffield United seem to have done ok spending a lot less money than us in the transfer window and with a far cheaper squad than ours in the first place.

We had the resources and the opportunity, we just blew it.

 

The fans are actually unhappy with the big money signings as none of them have made an impact even Robinson gone on loan aready

[Villan_of_oz]

5 hours ago, Enda said:

Madness that we’re 1/4 and West Ham are 11/2. Does anyone really think we’re twenty times more likely to go down than them? Difference between £3 and £60. If we beat them it’s even on points. Mad odds.

As a gambling person I would say those odds are pretty right. Remember they're the bookies making an absolute fortune and we are the passionate fans who (some of us, not me) believe we can stay up. By the time we play them I'd be very surprised if the gap was still 3 points.

 

 

[OxfordVillan]

A season changing win for West Ham. They should be able to take the confidence from that and, under less pressure now, get another win or two from their next four favourable fixtures. We’ve got to find new levels over the next two games, right now I’d be happy if our GD didn’t get any worse than a further -4. We’ve got to get to the Palace game with hope and confidence not seriously dented. Let’s hope that with the 7-8 days between the Wolves and Liverpool games we have found bucket full of energy, and one or two of the players can find that little bit extra to put in a performance reminiscent of Antonio for West Ham last night. We need a monster performance from someone.

[MrBlack]

On 30/06/2020 at 22:33, WakefieldVillan said:

You're probably right mate. I think I automatically fear the worst when our rivals play (I'm sure others do too). So far they've all been pretty pathetic and aside from Brighton's last gasp winner against the gunners it's gone pretty well for us...

.. oh and apart from our results!

 

F*%$ing tempted fate there didn't I. West Ham 

[villa89]

8 hours ago, Enda said:

Madness that we’re 1/4 and West Ham are 11/2. Does anyone really think we’re twenty times more likely to go down than them? Difference between £3 and £60. If we beat them it’s even on points. Mad odds.

I think it. West ham have a decent team and since the return have looked miles better than us in the games I have seen them play. With their fixture list they were likely  to get out of trouble and adding the unexpected win against chelsea last night they are as good as safe. 

[Amsterdam_Neil_D]

3 hours ago, Villan_of_oz said:

As a gambling person I would say those odds are pretty right. Remember they're the bookies making an absolute fortune and we are the passionate fans who (some of us, not me) believe we can stay up. By the time we play them I'd be very surprised if the gap was still 3 points.

 

 

Agreed,  we don't look like we have a win in us at the moment.  The Villa seem to be able to find a way to not win games quite easily and I can't see it changing anytime soon.

Watching us and trying to be neutral,  we just look flat with no spark or inspiration and we just can't to hurt teams tactically and we dance to their(opponents) tune.

We don't have the ball much either,  can a team do a "Great escape" that only has possession of the ball for 20-25 minutes a game,  with the ball in the opponents penalty area down to a few minutes at most,  shots on target per game,  I don't know this but I doubt it's good,

Gutted to have this conclusion. but we are miles away from what is required.  Bigger and better teams up next as well.

[Mjvilla]

Predictably ridiculous reaction in here last night I see. I actually saw it as a half decent night. Bournemouth and Watford were our more realistic rivals. I think west ham will finish above Brighton yet. Brighton were terrible against Man Utd (didn't press, close or lay a finger on man utd really) and are not out of it yet in my opinion. 

I saw it as a half decent night because probably our closest rivals got an absolute tanking at home. Bournemouth are in a worse position than us imo. That's Norwich and Bournemouth who I think will go. Then between us, Watford and Brighton. I think we will go down but it isn't lost at all. 

Chelsea were chalk and cheese from their performance against us. Their passing was so crisp, they pressed us and looked a very good side against us. Last night was completely different, apart from Pulisic. They were horrible, but it might spark a reaction against Watford. Might actually be a good thing. It's the way it works. It's football.

To suggest were down after last night's result is absolutely bizarre. Nothing changed last night to me. Talking like Watford will 100% win at Norwich. They've just lost at Burnley and at home to Southampton without a shot on target. I think norwich-watford will end in a draw. Watford finish is then tougher and they will need to get some really good results. As will we. Still in the balance.

West ham still to play Watford haven't they? I think what last night's west ham win has done has given us someone to cheer in that game. We can now all hope west ham beat Watford. 

 

[Mjvilla]

7 minutes ago, Amsterdam_Neil_D said:

Agreed,  we don't look like we have a win in us at the moment.  The Villa seem to be able to find a way to not win games quite easily and I can't see it changing anytime soon.

Watching us and trying to be neutral,  we just look flat with no spark or inspiration and we just can't to hurt teams tactically and we dance to their(opponents) tune.

We don't have the ball much either,  can a team do a "Great escape" that only has possession of the ball for 20-25 minutes a game,  with the ball in the opponents penalty area down to a few minutes at most,  shots on target per game,  I don't know this but I doubt it's good,

Gutted to have this conclusion. but we are miles away from what is required.  Bigger and better teams up next as well.

Do Watford and Bournemouth?

[Mantis]

Even Brighton, who were indeed awful yesterday, managed to get 3 points off Arsenal.

[VillaJ100]

We look just short on quality. We rarely look like we'll be destroyed like Bournemouth were yday, but we just don't look like scoring through open play. I think 12/36 goals have come from set pieces 

[Follyfoot]

13 hours ago, Follyfoot said:

We are staying up I said we are staying up

This post has aged well

[Rolta]

58 minutes ago, Mjvilla said:

Predictably ridiculous reaction in here last night I see. I actually saw it as a half decent night. Bournemouth and Watford were our more realistic rivals. I think west ham will finish above Brighton yet. Brighton were terrible against Man Utd (didn't press, close or lay a finger on man utd really) and are not out of it yet in my opinion. 

I saw it as a half decent night because probably our closest rivals got an absolute tanking at home. Bournemouth are in a worse position than us imo. That's Norwich and Bournemouth who I think will go. Then between us, Watford and Brighton. I think we will go down but it isn't lost at all. 

Chelsea were chalk and cheese from their performance against us. Their passing was so crisp, they pressed us and looked a very good side against us. Last night was completely different, apart from Pulisic. They were horrible, but it might spark a reaction against Watford. Might actually be a good thing. It's the way it works. It's football.

To suggest were down after last night's result is absolutely bizarre. Nothing changed last night to me. Talking like Watford will 100% win at Norwich. They've just lost at Burnley and at home to Southampton without a shot on target. I think norwich-watford will end in a draw. Watford finish is then tougher and they will need to get some really good results. As will we. Still in the balance.

West ham still to play Watford haven't they? I think what last night's west ham win has done has given us someone to cheer in that game. We can now all hope west ham beat Watford. 

 

Inspiring. OK Come on Norwich (vs. Watford). And then West Ham vs. Watford. And then everyone else vs. Watford.

[WakefieldVillan]

58 minutes ago, Mjvilla said:

Predictably ridiculous reaction in here last night I see. I actually saw it as a half decent night. Bournemouth and Watford were our more realistic rivals. I think west ham will finish above Brighton yet. Brighton were terrible against Man Utd (didn't press, close or lay a finger on man utd really) and are not out of it yet in my opinion. 

I saw it as a half decent night because probably our closest rivals got an absolute tanking at home. Bournemouth are in a worse position than us imo. That's Norwich and Bournemouth who I think will go. Then between us, Watford and Brighton. I think we will go down but it isn't lost at all. 

Chelsea were chalk and cheese from their performance against us. Their passing was so crisp, they pressed us and looked a very good side against us. Last night was completely different, apart from Pulisic. They were horrible, but it might spark a reaction against Watford. Might actually be a good thing. It's the way it works. It's football.

To suggest were down after last night's result is absolutely bizarre. Nothing changed last night to me. Talking like Watford will 100% win at Norwich. They've just lost at Burnley and at home to Southampton without a shot on target. I think norwich-watford will end in a draw. Watford finish is then tougher and they will need to get some really good results. As will we. Still in the balance.

West ham still to play Watford haven't they? I think what last night's west ham win has done has given us someone to cheer in that game. We can now all hope west ham beat Watford. 

 

Agree with most of what you say and your positivity  

It was a 50/50 kinda night and I would've chosen Bournemouth to win over West Ham given their "run-ins", but we can't IMO dress the West Ham result as being good, it's just hammered (excuse the pun) home our plight.

The part I would love to agree with is that Brighton are still involved in this but unfortunately I just can't see it. Of their 6 games to play, if we write off Liverpool and Man City (Which for one we shouldn't do, but for arguments sake we will) they then have four games against Norwich, Southampton, Newcastle and Burnley with a 6 point lead over us (& Bournemouth) but a 14+ better GD which ultimately is an extra point. If we were to get 10 points (for instance 3 wins against Palace, Everton and West Ham and a draw against Arsenal) - A tough ask in itself, Brighton would only need to pick up 4 points from their 4 "easier" matches. I think that (unfortunately) this whole scenario is too unlikely to happen. That's precisely why they are 25/1. I do think West Ham will finish above them though. It goes back to what I have said before though and that is Norwich are going to play a big part in our survival hopes, if they were to somehow manage to get some wins in their next three it would do us the world of good, starting with Brighton on Saturday afternoon.

 

[Mjvilla]

West ham's starting XI cost £110m last night. That doesn't include Haller, Felipe Anderson, masuaku, Snodgrass who cost very nearly £100m: not involved. (Probably more players that I can't be arsed to research) Plus, £25m worth of talent that came off the bench.

Shows how much our £140m of talent to build a whole squad can actually get you. 

[messi11]

If Watford dont beat Norwich & Newcastle I really think they are down. On current form I just cant see them winning any of them games.

Its up to us now to pull out a win from the hat