Mantis Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 He's better than average though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Czechlad Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 He just plays with shite defenders here. I would like to see him next to Okore or hell maybe even Senderos and see how he does. But we also need proper fullbacks. Bacuna is great for a few games then awful for the next few. Lowton is unreliable. Luna and Bennett...well you know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
decavfc Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Really hope Vlaar doesn't go, as I can't see us signing an adequate replacement. Losing our captain and best defender to a newly promoted team wouldn't look too good to any potential new signings either.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Agbonla-score Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I'm repeating myself from earlier in the thread, but get a grip guys........average defender has a good 60 minutes in a World Cup group game and now he's Franco Baresi and just waiting for the offers to flood in......I fear not. Yup. Anyone remember Alpay? Had a belting World Cup. Named in the team of the tournament. Came back thinking he was billy big bollocks. Gregory put him in his place and he just fizzled out after that. No big money moves to anywhere. There are a lot of players playing well over in Brazil. David Platt on the other hand... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Cropley Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 He's better than average though. He isn't....honestly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshVilla Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 (edited) So would people prefer Senderos Okore or Vlaar Okore I know what i'd pick and i know what any other villa fan would pick Selling him is simply not an option Unless by some miracle we can bring in another prem defender with international experience for the peanuts we would get for him because of his contract situation Lugano anyone? #Shudder Edited June 24, 2014 by AshVilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 (edited) He's better than average though. He isn't....honestly. How exactly is he just average? I'm struggling to think of many PL defenders outside of the top 7 that are better than him, and I can think of quite a few in the top 7 that he's better than too. Edited June 24, 2014 by Mantis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Cropley Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 He's better than average though. He isn't....honestly. How exactly is he just average? I'm struggling to think of many PL defenders outside of the top 7 that are better than him, and I can think of quite a few in the top 7 that he's better than too. Well obviously it's all opinions isn't it, but off the top of my head, defenders who I think are better than Vlaar.... Caulker Shawcross Huth Lovren Colloccini (spelling?) All from outside top 7.....I can think of any number of top 7 defenders better than Vlaar.....but like I say, opinions obviously. I missed out Curtis Davies because most Villa fans I know don't rate him - fair play, but I think he was one we let go in error. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Lovren I'll give you but the rest? Don't think any of them are actually better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillanousOne Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 Wow the one player we have who has experience and actually plays well fairly consistently in a dreadful defence and to many here he's barely above average. We used to revere Mellberg as a defender and yet he made more mistakes than Vlaar ever has, especially without the beard. Even Laursen despite giving 100% was awful at rushing into tackles not making them and leaving us exposed, but he scored a few headers so to some here he is God. Not saying Vlaar is the same level but he's not far off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCJonah Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 I don't think vlaar is close to the levels mellberg and laursen performed at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillanousOne Posted June 24, 2014 Share Posted June 24, 2014 (edited) I don't think vlaar is close to the levels mellberg and laursen performed at. Laursen was awesome, when fit. Mellberg on a number of occasions lost the flight of the ball and let it bounce over him. I stand by the fact Vlaar has not made the amount of mistakes Mellberg did. That's my opinion and i'm sticking to it. and i like Mellberg, just trying to provide perspective as it's amazing how we look at the past with claret and blue tinted specs. Edited June 24, 2014 by VillanousOne 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) He's better than average though. He isn't....honestly. How exactly is he just average? I'm struggling to think of many PL defenders outside of the top 7 that are better than him, and I can think of quite a few in the top 7 that he's better than too. Well obviously it's all opinions isn't it, but off the top of my head, defenders who I think are better than Vlaar.... Caulker Shawcross Huth Lovren Colloccini (spelling?) All from outside top 7.....I can think of any number of top 7 defenders better than Vlaar.....but like I say, opinions obviously. I missed out Curtis Davies because most Villa fans I know don't rate him - fair play, but I think he was one we let go in error. I disagree with you, but at the end of the day, it doesn't matter anyway. Reality - we score far fewer points, and concede far more goals, when he's out of the team. Reality - World Cup's put players in the shop window, and he's a starting CB at one of the tournament's better sides. Whether or not you think he's 'average' or 'good' or 'bad' or whatever, losing him is hardly going to improve the team - in fact, it will catastrophically weaken it. After all, you're surely hardly claiming that anyone currently at the club is as good? Edited June 25, 2014 by HanoiVillan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GENTLEMAN Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I still cannot fathom how Vlaar played and performed in the Sunderland away win when he was clearly injured. Truly inspirational. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThunderPower_14 Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I'm repeating myself from earlier in the thread, but get a grip guys........average defender has a good 60 minutes in a World Cup group game and now he's Franco Baresi and just waiting for the offers to flood in......I fear not. I don't think anybody is saying he's Franco Baresi, but given our other centre half options, and the fact that a quality replacement isn't coming if we lose him, he may as well be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post briny_ear Posted June 25, 2014 Popular Post Share Posted June 25, 2014 (edited) It really is quite irrelevant whether he is better than Mellberg or Laursen. The only thing that matters is that he is our best current defender - absolutely critical in shoring up our wobbly defence - and we apparently haven't offered him a new deal beyond his final year while he us currently on show in the biggest footballing shop window in the world, playing in a very successful team. Nervous? Yes, I am! Edited June 25, 2014 by briny_ear 12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NIVillan Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 I think it was Graham Taylor that welcomed Alpay back from the World Cup and not Gregory. Wasnt Alpay still with us when O'Leary took over and started him instead of Melburg in the first game against Portsmouth which we then lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El-Reacho Posted June 25, 2014 Share Posted June 25, 2014 Gary Breen was linked with Barcelona after the 2002 WC! I think the days of signing players based on three or four games for their international side in the World Cup or Euros are over. Scouts have huge dossiers on players now - teams want to know how a player will do on a Monday night in January when their team is in the relegation zone, not how they fare on the world's biggest stage when the adrenaline is flowing and they are playing the biggest few games of their life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted June 25, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted June 25, 2014 I'm repeating myself from earlier in the thread, but get a grip guys........average defender has a good 60 minutes in a World Cup group game and now he's Franco Baresi and just waiting for the offers to flood in......I fear not. Yeah you are repeating yourself, and it's still nonsense. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flashingqwerty Posted June 25, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted June 25, 2014 comparing Vlaar who plays for villa with a number of exceptionally poor defenders around him to Laursen and Mellberg who played in teams with very good, experienced players around them is like comparing a goalkeeper to a striker - there is no comparison to be made because the circumstances are completely different. Put Vlaar into an experienced team with decent players and he would look a top tier defender. Put even Franco Baresi into our team alongside bennet baker and bacuna and he would look distictly average too. One man cannot compensate for the poor defenders we currently have. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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