barry'sboots Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Whilst I think he is a great little player, I think you need to set your team up right for him. It either needs to be a really open game OR he needs to play in a three with an enforcer alongside and a box to box ACM. In many ways he is not dissimilar to Steven Davis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 10, 2011 Moderator Share Posted February 10, 2011 I was thinking about that while watching him last night. I think with Bannan you nearly need to give him a free roaming role in the middle. Give him no positional responsibility and let him use his creativity and vision to open up the opposition. Let him pop up wherever he chooses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeilS Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I was thinking about that while watching him last night. I think with Bannan you nearly need to give him a free roaming role in the middle. Give him no positional responsibility and let him use his creativity and vision to open up the opposition. Let him pop up wherever he chooses. So he would be best playing in the hole behind the striker, a ready made replacement for Ashley Young next season. Hopefully he'll be up to the job after a solid season this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 10, 2011 Moderator Share Posted February 10, 2011 That would be my thinking yes. I think he's that creative and could be super-dangerous if let loose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I was thinking about that while watching him last night. I think with Bannan you nearly need to give him a free roaming role in the middle. Give him no positional responsibility and let him use his creativity and vision to open up the opposition. Let him pop up wherever he chooses. So he would be best playing in the hole behind the striker, a ready made replacement for Ashley Young next season. Hopefully he'll be up to the job after a solid season this year. Agree that he needs the license to float around as he likes, but dont think he should be playing this far forward. I think he likes to see the game infront of him and dictate the play, like he did against Blackburn in the FA Cup. Play him in the hole and he'd struggle to get on the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Not sure he'd be great in the hole yet until the whole team learn to be more comfortable with the ball, something possiby to try in pre-season though. We did do it against Blackburn I believe but he barely got involved (league cup)...now we have Makoun though, we do have that guy to basically move the ball quicker. Potentially it could work but for right now, he's better deeper where it's easier to get on the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theunderstudy Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Yeah i want to see Wee Baz there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_D Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 Did not realise that he wasn't training with the 1st team until I read an article in the Express & Star earlier. Seems to be that he has only just, this week or next, joined in the training and was previously with the reserves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shoody Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 very very strange if thats true, should always be with the first team if he's going to be expected to make any difference Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whatsthismalarky Posted February 10, 2011 Share Posted February 10, 2011 I think you've misread that. The quote is: “Barry and the others will be training with the first team, which was not the case before this season.’’ He just means Bannan was with the reserves last season. Almost certainly Kmac who brought him through to the first squad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarethRDR Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Nice little article on Bannan in the Talent Scout section of this month's World Soccer. Doesn't tell us anything we don't already know ourselves, but it's complimentary plus it's always nice to see one of our own in there (think Siegrist made the section too a few months back). Little Scottish midfielder with a big future At the start of the season, Aston Villa's youth academy graduate looked set for another season in the shadows. Despite gaining first-team experience in the Championship during loan spells with Derby County and Blackpool - where he was an occasional contributor to their promotion-winning campaign - he looked unlikely to progress beyond Villa's reserves. Half a season later, Bannan is a Premier League regular, has signed a new four-year deal and made his international debut with manager Craig Levein hailing him as "a future star of Scottish football". The catalyst for this transformation in fortunes was Martin O'Neill's post-haste resignation as Villa manager in August. Despite some stunning displays for the club's second string, Bannan was consistently overlooked by O'Neill, who tends to like his players big and burly. "Martin had a problem with my height," admits Bannan, who is 5ft 6in and sleight of frame. "I knew I was not going to get a chance under him no matter how well I did in training". His break came when reserve-team manager Kevin McDonald was put in temporary charge. Subsequently, under the new management team of Gerard Houllier and Gary McAllister, a regular starting place has yielded a string of influential displays, most notably in November's 2-2 draw with Manchester United, after which United's Darren Fletcher compared him favourably to fellow diminutive playmakers Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Paul Scholes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_D Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I think you've misread that. The quote is: “Barry and the others will be training with the first team, which was not the case before this season.’’ He just means Bannan was with the reserves last season. Almost certainly Kmac who brought him through to the first squad. Here is the whole article Gerard Houllier today insisted none of Villa’s young midfield stars will be allowed to leave the club on loan. Villa bolstered their options in January with the signing of Jean Makoun from Lyon and the arrival of Michael Bradley on loan from Borussia Moenchengladbach. And the return to fitness of Nigel Reo-Coker and Stiliyan Petrov has meant that chances for Fabian Delph, Barry Bannan and Chris Herd have been few and far between recently. The Villa boss has allowed American defender Eric Lichaj to join Leeds United on loan for a month, but he will not listen to temporary offers for the midfield youngsters. “There is no chance because they’ve got four months to learn,” said Houllier. “Barry will be training with the first-team which was not the case before, so in terms of intensity in terms of pace of the game he’s got to for the four months coming up. “It will be part of a learning process and learn about the game and of course they’ll play some games. “You can’t put the horse before the cart, you’ve got to work and then you’ll play games. “He, Chris and Nathan Baker won’t leave — it’s as simple as that. “Fabian has been injured for a long time so he needs these four months obviously to build up. I’ve spoken to them and told them this.” Does not mention anything about the previous season but the fact it says that they have 4 months to get up to pace etc indicates that this will be something new for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whatsthismalarky Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Here is the whole article Gerard Houllier today insisted none of Villa’s young midfield stars will be allowed to leave the club on loan. Villa bolstered their options in January with the signing of Jean Makoun from Lyon and the arrival of Michael Bradley on loan from Borussia Moenchengladbach. And the return to fitness of Nigel Reo-Coker and Stiliyan Petrov has meant that chances for Fabian Delph, Barry Bannan and Chris Herd have been few and far between recently. The Villa boss has allowed American defender Eric Lichaj to join Leeds United on loan for a month, but he will not listen to temporary offers for the midfield youngsters. “There is no chance because they’ve got four months to learn,” said Houllier. “Barry will be training with the first-team which was not the case before, so in terms of intensity in terms of pace of the game he’s got to for the four months coming up. “It will be part of a learning process and learn about the game and of course they’ll play some games. “You can’t put the horse before the cart, you’ve got to work and then you’ll play games. “He, Chris and Nathan Baker won’t leave — it’s as simple as that. “Fabian has been injured for a long time so he needs these four months obviously to build up. I’ve spoken to them and told them this.” Does not mention anything about the previous season but the fact it says that they have 4 months to get up to pace etc indicates that this will be something new for him. The quote i had was from the Birmingham Mail, very slightly different. http://tinyurl.com/6hygnbe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisNichollsToe Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Wait until next season, when this kid kicks on. I think Houllier has big plans for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_D Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Wait until next season, when this kid kicks on. I think Houllier has big plans for him. Ditto with Delph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 11, 2011 Moderator Share Posted February 11, 2011 And Gardner, not to mention Bradley is only 23 if he turns out to be good. And Albrighton. Our midfield is far and away the healthiest part of our squad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 I also get the impression that Houllier sees Bannan as a long term project of his. I would actually wager that Houllier probably holds him in higher regard than he does Albrighton, but he's being carefull to give him the best footballing education possible, as opposed to Albrighton who he will play where and when for the benefit of the team. I think Houllier wants to see that Bannan is taking on his advice and improving, before re-introducing him to the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 And Gardner, not to mention Bradley is only 23 if he turns out to be good. And Albrighton. Our midfield is far and away the healthiest part of our squad. Don't forget Osbourne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liono Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Salifou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted February 11, 2011 Share Posted February 11, 2011 Bannan reminds me of Danny Murphy a player Houllier picked up at Liverpool and groomed into an underrated and very good playmaker. Not he biggest, fastest or strongest player in the world but can dictate play very well with a good brain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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