Lucas Digne

[tomav84]

2 hours ago, wsag said:

Everton fan here. I have read bits of this thread and thought I would offer you my thoughts.  

I am in a minority of Everton fans who don't mind Benitez. I think he is still a really good manager.  A lot of the fans on forums will pile into any and everything if they think it puts a negative spin on the manager. My take is that the sorcerer has seen the apprentice coming from several miles off.  This is a not bad deal for Villa, but a very good one for Everton.  Let me explain the context. We. can't spend any money, owing the the previous clowns who have spent over half a billion on the worst trash you've ever seen. So if Rafa wants to do anything with our two bit squad, he has to sell to do it. And getting these millionaires to shift from the pot of gold we've stuck under them is the devil's own job.  In my view the 'row' with Digne is strictly business. Digne may detest Benitez now, but I don't think Rafa cares at all. He just had to get him out. Why? Cos doing that frees up FIFTY million quid we couldn't otherwise spend. 25 transfer fee, 25 wages. But he took a terrible gamble, he got in the replacement before he'd sold Lucas.  Maybe just to underline to him that he wasn't going to kick a ball til the World Cup. and the big problem we had is his wages. You lot (and you are now loaded in a way that Everton never were) will now be paying your chap £150,000 a week as he enters his thirtieth year, and for the next four years after that. Why? cos that is the idiotic contract we had given him last year. 

So it is in this context that I am judging the deal  By rights Digne should be on. about £75g a week cos he is a good player. The fact you're paying him double means that in the real world you've paid £40m for him if you were paying him realistic wages. In that light, I think it's too much. But he is good, just not that good.  One thing that will not happen though, he will not form a flank with Coutinho. Maybe for a handful of games, no more.  Your whole flank would be targeted systematically if that happened (like what happened with us and James). Those two are just too weak defensively.  Lucas flourished when he was in a defensive set up, and so he had lots more time to pick his passes cos he was getting major defensive support from the midfielders and wingers. If you are going to be an offensive minded team, he have a hand in some great goals (no question) but he will also be a liability defensively. For whatever reason, when he makes a mistake, it's normally costly perhaps cos he flies in trying to compensate for a basic lack of strength. And he doesn't like tracking back once he's headed upfield. He is freakish good in the air mind for such a little chap.  And a truly tremendous crosser.  If Watkins is good in the air, this could be good. But he's not the messiah.  I really do think that this time next year your fanbase could be split on which is the better left back. Cos, no. question, Rafa would prefer Targett.  He wants his winger to wing, and his defender to defend.

To finish, I think villa have been really interesting the last few months. I literally sat up when you played Chelsea, I couldn't believe how strong your team looked.  You've got some cracking players compared with when you first came up.  I do though think you are now on an absolute knife edge.  You are still playing well, but the wins are drying up.  A good side doesn't get beat these days at OT. You know it deep down.    If you get beat tomorrow. I think it could send you into a mini tail spin, and that will be SGs first real test.

, h

welcome to the forum. thanks for your inputs and thanks for confirming my opinions on everton fans.

so much about the above is factually incorrect that it's not even worth picking apart

see you next saturday

[gwi1890]

9 minutes ago, Zatman said:

I do think people are going to be disappointed. He is definitely not as fast or dynamic as some people think and his defensive ability is dodgy. 

On the ball he is an upgrade and his set pieces 

I know we’ve had some low’s over the years mate,  but it’s ok to be optimistic and excited going forward. 

[tomav84]

35 minutes ago, Steero113 said:

What is it about Everton fans and the concept of the age of 28. He is not entering into his "thirtieth year" hes entering his prime. He is less than 28 and a half. 

Its like the Everton fan who argued for 15 pages on your forum about "rounding age up" if they're over 6 months into the year. Moronic. 

In addition, you had absolutely no idea what you were paying him, or what we are now paying him for that matter. 

none of us do. i can tell you what we're not paying him though, and that's 150k a bloody week

[Zatman]

7 minutes ago, gwi1890 said:

I know we’ve had some low’s over the years mate,  but it’s ok to be optimistic and excited going forward. 

Of course and thats good but I dont want to be blinkered and can be realistic as well

[KentVillan]

The way I see it is we now have 2 specialist LBs, who are both excellent on their day, fighting for a spot. This should bring the best out of both of them (or, at least, one of them).

All the arguments about whether we've got a good deal financially or not are kind of irrelevant, since it's not an *insane* deal by any means. Maybe we've slightly overpaid, but it's not going to bankrupt us.

And 28 is an age where you should still be expecting at least 3 more good seasons out of someone, maybe 5+ if they look after themselves.

[sidcow]

32 minutes ago, Phil Silvers said:

Nothin doin, Tories have sent me skint. 

Do you own that off licence round the corner from no 10? I hear business has totally dried up the last few weeks. 

[Phil Silvers]

1 minute ago, sidcow said:

Do you own that off licence round the corner from no 10? I hear business has totally dried up the last few weeks. 

Imagine the poor juniors that had to fetch the booze then not being allowed into the party, despicable scumbags and Digne has a wonderful left peg.

[Adam2003]

3 hours ago, wsag said:

no. question, Rafa would prefer Targett.  He wants his winger to wing, and his defender to defend

That’s part of why Rafa hasn’t finished in the top half of the table since 2015.

[Jas10]

2 hours ago, Vive_La_Villa said:

He seems very confident borderline arrogant. Is it a French thing ?

YES

[Loxstock92]

1 minute ago, Jas10 said:

YES

Oui*

[lexicon]

8 minutes ago, Loxstock92 said:

Oui*

Oui -exhales cigarette smoke-*

[TRO]

23 hours ago, wsag said:

Everton fan here. I have read bits of this thread and thought I would offer you my thoughts.  

I am in a minority of Everton fans who don't mind Benitez. I think he is still a really good manager.  A lot of the fans on forums will pile into any and everything if they think it puts a negative spin on the manager. My take is that the sorcerer has seen the apprentice coming from several miles off.  This is a not bad deal for Villa, but a very good one for Everton.  Let me explain the context. We. can't spend any money, owing the the previous clowns who have spent over half a billion on the worst trash you've ever seen. So if Rafa wants to do anything with our two bit squad, he has to sell to do it. And getting these millionaires to shift from the pot of gold we've stuck under them is the devil's own job.  In my view the 'row' with Digne is strictly business. Digne may detest Benitez now, but I don't think Rafa cares at all. He just had to get him out. Why? Cos doing that frees up FIFTY million quid we couldn't otherwise spend. 25 transfer fee, 25 wages. But he took a terrible gamble, he got in the replacement before he'd sold Lucas.  Maybe just to underline to him that he wasn't going to kick a ball til the World Cup. and the big problem we had is his wages. You lot (and you are now loaded in a way that Everton never were) will now be paying your chap £150,000 a week as he enters his thirtieth year, and for the next four years after that. Why? cos that is the idiotic contract we had given him last year. 

So it is in this context that I am judging the deal  By rights Digne should be on. about £75g a week cos he is a good player. The fact you're paying him double means that in the real world you've paid £40m for him if you were paying him realistic wages. In that light, I think it's too much. But he is good, just not that good.  One thing that will not happen though, he will not form a flank with Coutinho. Maybe for a handful of games, no more.  Your whole flank would be targeted systematically if that happened (like what happened with us and James). Those two are just too weak defensively.  Lucas flourished when he was in a defensive set up, and so he had lots more time to pick his passes cos he was getting major defensive support from the midfielders and wingers. If you are going to be an offensive minded team, he have a hand in some great goals (no question) but he will also be a liability defensively. For whatever reason, when he makes a mistake, it's normally costly perhaps cos he flies in trying to compensate for a basic lack of strength. And he doesn't like tracking back once he's headed upfield. He is freakish good in the air mind for such a little chap.  And a truly tremendous crosser.  If Watkins is good in the air, this could be good. But he's not the messiah.  I really do think that this time next year your fanbase could be split on which is the better left back. Cos, no. question, Rafa would prefer Targett.  He wants his winger to wing, and his defender to defend.

To finish, I think villa have been really interesting the last few months. I literally sat up when you played Chelsea, I couldn't believe how strong your team looked.  You've got some cracking players compared with when you first came up.  I do though think you are now on an absolute knife edge.  You are still playing well, but the wins are drying up.  A good side doesn't get beat these days at OT. You know it deep down.    If you get beat tomorrow. I think it could send you into a mini tail spin, and that will be SGs first real test.

, h

I think your points are worth considering....I have long thought our defensive side is our achilles....not enough focus on it, to do a west ham..outside our centrebacks we are generally lightweight, physically.

but we will see, players act differently at different clubs and with different players around them.....but you are right, recruitment is crucial to get right....else it can put you back years.

Targett and Digne are like chalk and cheese, so we will see, if he brings anything to us.

We Villa fans are also quite divisive in our opinions of our team....I guess most clubs are.

Edited January 15, 2022 by TRO

[Lichfield Dean]

27 minutes ago, Loxstock92 said:

Oui*

Pretentious? Vous?

[Kiwivillan]

8 hours ago, StanBalaban said:

Fixed.

Lange is tall. Can he play DM?

[il_serpente]

13 minutes ago, Kiwivillan said:

Lange is tall. Can he play DM?

Most of it is hair, by the looks of it.

[AvonVillain]

7 hours ago, wsag said:

Everton fan here. I have read bits of this thread and thought I would offer you my thoughts.  

I am in a minority of Everton fans who don't mind Benitez. I think he is still a really good manager.  A lot of the fans on forums will pile into any and everything if they think it puts a negative spin on the manager. My take is that the sorcerer has seen the apprentice coming from several miles off.  This is a not bad deal for Villa, but a very good one for Everton.  Let me explain the context. We. can't spend any money, owing the the previous clowns who have spent over half a billion on the worst trash you've ever seen. So if Rafa wants to do anything with our two bit squad, he has to sell to do it. And getting these millionaires to shift from the pot of gold we've stuck under them is the devil's own job.  In my view the 'row' with Digne is strictly business. Digne may detest Benitez now, but I don't think Rafa cares at all. He just had to get him out. Why? Cos doing that frees up FIFTY million quid we couldn't otherwise spend. 25 transfer fee, 25 wages. But he took a terrible gamble, he got in the replacement before he'd sold Lucas.  Maybe just to underline to him that he wasn't going to kick a ball til the World Cup. and the big problem we had is his wages. You lot (and you are now loaded in a way that Everton never were) will now be paying your chap £150,000 a week as he enters his thirtieth year, and for the next four years after that. Why? cos that is the idiotic contract we had given him last year. 

So it is in this context that I am judging the deal  By rights Digne should be on. about £75g a week cos he is a good player. The fact you're paying him double means that in the real world you've paid £40m for him if you were paying him realistic wages. In that light, I think it's too much. But he is good, just not that good.  One thing that will not happen though, he will not form a flank with Coutinho. Maybe for a handful of games, no more.  Your whole flank would be targeted systematically if that happened (like what happened with us and James). Those two are just too weak defensively.  Lucas flourished when he was in a defensive set up, and so he had lots more time to pick his passes cos he was getting major defensive support from the midfielders and wingers. If you are going to be an offensive minded team, he have a hand in some great goals (no question) but he will also be a liability defensively. For whatever reason, when he makes a mistake, it's normally costly perhaps cos he flies in trying to compensate for a basic lack of strength. And he doesn't like tracking back once he's headed upfield. He is freakish good in the air mind for such a little chap.  And a truly tremendous crosser.  If Watkins is good in the air, this could be good. But he's not the messiah.  I really do think that this time next year your fanbase could be split on which is the better left back. Cos, no. question, Rafa would prefer Targett.  He wants his winger to wing, and his defender to defend.

To finish, I think villa have been really interesting the last few months. I literally sat up when you played Chelsea, I couldn't believe how strong your team looked.  You've got some cracking players compared with when you first came up.  I do though think you are now on an absolute knife edge.  You are still playing well, but the wins are drying up.  A good side doesn't get beat these days at OT. You know it deep down.    If you get beat tomorrow. I think it could send you into a mini tail spin, and that will be SGs first real test.

, h

What an excellent post. I do worry about wage fees for exactly this reason. We've been here before under MON; paying out big fees/wages for very little return. Spread that out in a kind of desperation over a few windows, and you end up as we did in the post-MON fallow years in a miserable position with owners unwilling to lose anymore money for zero return as Everton are finding out.

[Mic09]

10 minutes ago, AvonVillain said:

What an excellent post. I do worry about wage fees for exactly this reason. We've been here before under MON; paying out big fees/wages for very little return. Spread that out in a kind of desperation over a few windows, and you end up as we did in the post-MON fallow years in a miserable position with owners unwilling to lose anymore money for zero return as Everton are finding out.

There is a long way between Coutinho and Digne and Marlon Hardwood and Eric Djemba Djemba to be comparing MON and Gerrard's transfer policies.

 

[AvonVillain]

4 minutes ago, AvonVillain said:

What an excellent post. I do worry about wage fees for exactly this reason. We've been here before under MON; paying out big fees/wages for very little return. Spread that out in a kind of desperation over a few windows, and you end up as we did in the post-MON fallow years in a miserable position with owners unwilling to lose anymore money for zero return as Everton are finding out.

One other major concern that I'm not sure I've read too much about here is the general acceptance that Digne's main weakness is his defending. Whereas Targett's is his forward play. Is this really a good solution? What's the Holte's threshold of patience for defenders who can't defend especially well these days?

[Hank Scorpio]

37 minutes ago, Kiwivillan said:

Lange is tall. Can he play DM?

Not only tall.

Basically the ultimate male. Just look at him. The glorious beautiful bastard.

[The Moustache of Teale]

5 hours ago, tomav84 said:

welcome to the forum. thanks for your inputs and thanks for confirming my opinions on everton fans.

so much about the above is factually incorrect that it's not even worth picking apart

see you next saturday

Go easy on our Cazoo kindred spirits.