Tomaszk

Yessss. Eff off Suso.

I'll be devastated if we only get £50m. Anywhere. Disagree. He's top. Opens teams up for fun as soon as he has any movement ahead of him. He will be flavour of the month as soon as he moves. "Oh wow, Grealish has improved". Nope, he's always been this good.

Klopp didn't sign them. The analysts who sign all their players did.

MAKE VILLA GREAT AGAIN

What does that make Wes.

Nah.

He takes plenty of criticism from me certainly. I've been disappointed with his lack of tactical flexibility, something that had niggled me since the Championship. I'm disappointed with his team selections. Many times he's started Hourihane in games you knew he'd get flattened etc. His subs on 60 mins of Trez/El Ghazi for either El Ghazi or Trez have started to grate. However! I don't know what he's meant to do with the players he has. They're pony. Different formations is the obvious one, and he hasn't tried that bar a 343 be didn't like himself that left us so light in midfield teams walked through us at will. If Suso couldn't find a left back better than Targett for 14m rising to 17m that should be him out the door right away. Same for Trez, same for Marv. If Suso couldn't find a striker better than Wes for £20m, he's in the wrong job and should go and be a farmer or something.

You start well here but I think you're talking yourself into doubting these methods because you want to. Cloughy would no doubt hate these methods because he wanted to go out, see the players himself and bring them in. But how could he possibly watch the French second division and the polish premier league enough to judge if he liked players? It's not possible, there's not enough hours in the day. Where the hell would be we if Martin O'Neill had let a team like Liverpool's bring in his signings in 2007/8/9? I can assure you we'd have had at least two seasons in the Champions League to enjoy. When all the club's have a department like Liverpool, yes, their influence will waver. We're a long long way from than. Six months ago City were rushing out a job ad for a physicist to try and start a team. That's City. Unlimited resources, reigning champs and (distant) closest challengers. I really really hope our US owners have a decent starting point to work from with this. Departments like this are far more common and accepted in American sports.

Has villa21 got a new account here?

At least they don't need a point or something for the league.

Willing to have him fresh for games it's possible to sneak points in. No point flogging him, he was shagged v Wolves from minute 1. If he picks up a hamstring or something, that's it. We're down.

Recommended reading sir Mundane, oh my no, it's not 1982 I'm afraid. The reason Salah, Mane and Klopp are at Liverpool is all the work of the analysis team. Makes sense, why would you have a manager who spends all his time coaching to find players in his spare time?

If we stay up he'd dive at the chance. Absolutely dive at it. To be honest, I think he'd be interested even if we went down. He's on an astronomical wage at Burnley, something like £4.5m a year, if we said yeah we'll match it I think he'd either ask Burnley to let him go or at least use it to get a new deal off them.

I voted for Wenger because it was so funny.

I'd leave him at home for Liverpool. We need him fit, and that's a match we're more likely to get 0 in than any other.

Foreign signings were all fine under Sherwood. Better than fine in fact, good. Sherwood's experienced selections of Richards and Lescott relegated us. Plus obviously the disastrous management of Tim and others. I've changed my tune with football recently, it's so easy. The key to success is honestly two steps. Maybe three. 1) Don't but shit players 2) Do buy good players 3) Get a good manager, though this will happen on it's own soon enough as you progress due to having good players and not shit ones

It's not that "they aren't his players", it's that they're crap, and cost twice their value. If Suso stays at Aston Villa past July I'll be very sad because we're totally ****. Don't want to think about the damage he'll do wasting the Grealish money. He's already lumbered us with plenty we can't sell for what we paid despite that being number 1 on the brief of his signings. I don't know what Smith is meant to do given a choice of six players and they're all shit? We needed an entire squad. We had to sign minimum 10 players. He couldn't say no to everyone. He plucked Engels who he remembered from Brentford scouting the options for centre half were so bad! Smith could easily get sacked, and yes, you can certainly argue he deserves it. He's been poor this season. It's likely he's not here when we start next season IMO. Suso however should be thrown out the back door into the bins and told never to darken our doorway again.

Everyone keep you eyes on Forest next season as I think Mendes has a tie in there. If he decides to give them some good players, they'll be another team ahead of us inside two years.

@TRO you'll be at Dyche's throat after six months in the job. We'll be losing games in the Championship and doing nothing but kick it long and in the air. Actually...you liked that before Smith arrived I seem to recall Also, there's a team of about 10 analysts who at Liverpool who buy the players, Klopp doesn't do it. He may have a choice between two they give him, but he doesn't identify any players himself.

Uh oh.

Nice giving it a go with quazillionaire Jim Ratcliffe sticking dosh in. Made four or five outstanding young signings. Wouldn't be surprised at all the see Mounir Chouiar who we've been linked with go there for next season.

Fair. A man in Benteke who could score PL goals on his own is very rare though. If we'd had any old average striker like Jay Rodriguez or Samatta all season we'd have picked up 9 or 10 points more before Christmas IMO.

The whole debate with Smith comes down to if you think this squad is good enough to stay up. I don't. I think the summer was a missed opportunity to set us up as a premier league club again. Suso **** it. I'd replace Smith if we perform a miracle and stay up and keep him if we go down.

Wenger

Only people ever moaning were Scottish press and Celtic. Obvious move to make for Rodgers. Great appointment by Leicester, an obvious step up for them. Biggest "get" in recent years has to be Leeds getting Bielsa in Championship.