Lochheads twin Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 We are currently have some of the best players we have had for many a year. I occasionally think, "He is the best since ............" Here are a selection of pairings of a current player with a star from yesteryear. Who would you pick? Dougie or Gareth Barry (2000's) - making the game look effortless John McGinn or Dennis Mortimer (80's) - captains leading by example Moreno (2023) or John Gidman (70's) - rampaging fullbacks Ollie or Dwight Yorke - (2000's) - silky but deadly Leon Bailey or Ashley Young Mk1 - what are you going to get today? Emi Martinez - peerless. If you are lucky enough to be younger than me, make up your own pairing. Who matches with Mings or Konsa, lots of great centre backs over the years. There are no wrong answers. Onwards & Upwards! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonIsAPlaceOnEarth Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 I think I’d swap Gidman and Ashley Young (just) over the current selections above. But I genuinely think this is the best squad of players we have ever had at the moment. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JAMAICAN-VILLAN Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 No 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zhan_Zhuang Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 Gidman and Mortimer just a tad before my time... But No I wouldn't swap at all....players are fitter, stronger, quicker than ever before. Skill and technique will get you so far but the game is so different now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one_ian_taylor Posted April 24 VT Supporter Share Posted April 24 This is for off topic isn't it? Oh, hang on, I see what it's about now... The other teams were tactically quite different. While I think you could probably put Watkins and Yorke more or less on a level (if Watkins keeps going, he may surpass Yorke for me), I don't think Yorke would work as a line forward in the same way. Likewise, Bailey gives us what we need now, Young have us exactly what we needed then. I don't think Young would work as well in this team, and I'm not sure Bailey would have been as effective in Young's team Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarryOnVilla Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 where’s my option for Matty Cash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jas10 Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one_ian_taylor Posted April 24 VT Supporter Share Posted April 24 4 minutes ago, CarryOnVilla said: where’s my option for Matty Cash? Catty Mash or Alan Hutton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarryOnVilla Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 Just now, one_ian_taylor said: Catty Mash or Alan Hutton Alan… too easy 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
one_ian_taylor Posted April 24 VT Supporter Share Posted April 24 4 minutes ago, CarryOnVilla said: Alan… too easy Deserves a biopic really doesn't he? Quite the story of redemption 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted April 24 VT Supporter Share Posted April 24 Barry, just a great all rounder, Mortimer, simple. Not sure tbh? Ollie, he's the best striker I have seen us with, just got everything in his game, Yorke......nah. (benteke was better than yorke) Bailey, he's growing into a very special player, his passes on Sunday, wow. Martinez, best keeper in the world and he's ours.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKP90 Posted April 24 VT Supporter Share Posted April 24 Up until this year I would have swapped Yorke and Ollie, purely based on talent, no off the field stuff, but this year Ollie has gone stratospheric, and I don't think I would now. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomav84 Posted April 24 VT Supporter Share Posted April 24 1 hour ago, Lochheads twin said: We are currently have some of the best players we have had for many a year. I occasionally think, "He is the best since ............" Here are a selection of pairings of a current player with a star from yesteryear. Who would you pick? Dougie or Gareth Barry (2000's) - making the game look effortless John McGinn or Dennis Mortimer (80's) - captains leading by example Moreno (2023) or John Gidman (70's) - rampaging fullbacks Ollie or Dwight Yorke - (2000's) - silky but deadly Leon Bailey or Ashley Young Mk1 - what are you going to get today? Emi Martinez - peerless. If you are lucky enough to be younger than me, make up your own pairing. Who matches with Mings or Konsa, lots of great centre backs over the years. There are no wrong answers. Onwards & Upwards! god how good would peak gareth barry be under unai? dougie for him is the only one from the above (gidman and mortimer are before my time) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Townsend Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 (edited) The past 18 months has seen me re-evaluate my all-time Villa XI. A few 90s players have dropped out but I still really adore the 90s era teams. I think Steve Staunton actually would be a player from the past who would be effective in this team, McGrath obviously also. In a way the midfield we have now surpasses the likes of Barry for me. If anything, An Andy Townsend in the engine role might enable our current midfielders to flourish even more. Ian Taylor too bursting forward from midfield would be a fine squad option today. But we have no real weakness today so I wouldn't really swap anybody out. Edited April 24 by Captain_Townsend 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lochheads twin Posted April 24 Author Share Posted April 24 7 minutes ago, Captain_Townsend said: The past 18 months has seen me re-evalate my all-time Villa XI. A few 90s players have dropped out but I still really adore the 90s era teams. I think Steve Staunton actually would be a player from the past who would be effective in this team, McGrath obviously also. In a way the midfield we have now surpasses the likes of Barry for me. If anything, An Andy Townsend in the engine role might enable our current midfielders to flourish even more. Ian Taylor too bursting forward from midfield would be a fine squad option today. But we have no real weakness today so I wouldn't really swap anybody out. I can't argue with that Captain! fundamentally nobody weakens the squad either way. I should have added McGrath in the Emi category as someone without a peer. The only no brainer for me, was John Gidman. He was so different to other full backs of his day. He was one of the earliest true wingbacks. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HKP90 Posted April 24 VT Supporter Share Posted April 24 19 minutes ago, Captain_Townsend said: The past 18 months has seen me re-evalate my all-time Villa XI. A few 90s players have dropped out but I still really adore the 90s era teams. I think Steve Staunton actually would be a player from the past who would be effective in this team, McGrath obviously also. In a way the midfield we have now surpasses the likes of Barry for me. If anything, An Andy Townsend in the engine role might enable our current midfielders to flourish even more. Ian Taylor too bursting forward from midfield would be a fine squad option today. But we have no real weakness today so I wouldn't really swap anybody out. See I loved Staunton, but I don't think he'd make it now as a fullback. Current fullbacks can't really survive without pace these days. If we could convert him into a 6, and play him in a double pivot with a ball winner laying it off to him to distribute with his monstrously good left foot, then I think he'd be great today. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom13 Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 Barry and Yorke were different class...that's all I'll say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Segundo Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 I'm probably in a minority of one here but I never really took to Ashly Young MkI. I thought he was over rated, dived too much, and a bit of a nob as a person. Much rather have this Emery version of Bailey, he looks like he'll make something happen every time he has the ball. Peak Barry would be brilliant in this team and might have the edge over Dougie. Yorke was world class, or near as dammit, by the time we sold him, at which point he turned into a full on nob with the volume turned up to 11. So Ollie for me, if nothing else then just for not being a dick. Loved John Gidman when I was a lad and watched him from the youth team all the way through. McGinn > Mortimer for me, better technique. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain_Townsend Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 On Yorke's Instagram its all Man U and no villa. Also, he was the main man here for 3 seasons and a squad option before that. Watkins has been our main man now for four seasons and for me has the edge now over Yorke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cizzler Posted April 24 Share Posted April 24 Really only watched enough of us from early 00's to comment. But Martinez is the best keeper I've seen at Villa. I think we've had better full backs than the current incumbents. Even if just that one year of Kyle Walker on loan. Laursen would be the best CB I've watched us have - but has very different qualities to what Emery seeks in my opinion. Would he have the pace to play the high line, or the ability to pass between the lines. I'm not sure. There's definitely an argument Pau/Ezri is our strongest combination of PL post-90s CBs (I never saw McGrath play). Midfield, I would still pick Barry above them all. Even Milner I would say had a higher peak than Dougie, Kamara or McGinn. But it's close. I would put those three above/close to Petrov. Ashley Young was fantastic in his first stint imo. Still a level above Bailey/Diaby - but maybe I'm being overly sentimental. To be honest, there's an argument for Grealish being the best winger we've had in the PL era. Not that I want him back at all (was excellent business in hindsight to cash in) - but he was brilliant before he went. Striker - Ollie is definitely in the conversation now. If he gets 20 goals, will be hard to argue against him. I think Benteke was more useful in a worse team - but in this system, I wouldn't swap Watkins for anyone. Completely pointless, as the dates I started watching Villa are arbitrary for everyone else, but: -------------------Martinez---------------- Konsa----Laursen---Torres---Bouma Young-------Barry------Milner------Grealish ------------Watkins-----Benteke------------- I don't even particularly like Konsa at RB - so a bit shoe-horned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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