Tomaszk

Mad that. Certainly doesn't feel like that to me. We've got absolutely no bonus points we didn't have to work our nuts off for. From the next three games...you have to say 4 points isn't enough. It's 5 absolutely minimum if you promise me we're getting a striker January 1st. 6 is probably the real minimum, we need wins.

Yes to all of those Davis will help when he's back. We need to get Wes out the team. Honestly I think the crowd will get a huge lift if he doesn't start the next game.

I think he's an idealist. It works sometimes so that drives him on to chase perfection but we need to learn to walk, we're trying to sprint all the time. When we're bad, we're very bad. We have some players that are soft as puppy poo who don't help the boss at all. El Ghazi, Lansbury, Targett, Hourihane, Luiz all have ability. They shrivel up constantly, you can see it coming, almost by just reading the fixture on a bit of paper. I think these are talented footballers so Smith gives them chance after chance, and you just know the games they'll disappoint in.

It's going to be a renaissance the likes of which hasn't been seen since...Taylor was dropped. It'll be like we've dropped an anchor when he's dropped if we can get an average striker in position.

As I said in Wes thread... I thought we might be good enough to just about stay up despite Wes based on early promise. Incorrect. Other teams are picking up bonus points every week. If we don't replace him we're down. Not being able to name a striker that can contribute at all is a mess when we've got players that cost £8-12m playing 0 mins every week IMO. It's poor planning. Hope we pick up some wins regardless in the next three. Four points isn't enough, it's got to be six or more. Ah, yes I think you're right on Maupay thinking about it. Dean was wrong sadly, he is worth it, he's also about 5x the footballer of our current #9.

Smith has to talk him up. What's he meant to do when asked about him? "Yes, we've seen him up close and he can't play football. I don't know how we've ended up with him." He should drop him yes, but he can't do anything other than talk him up when asked.

Southampton are awful.

Smith, Suso and Purslow really need to examine the mess we've left ourselves in. Purslow most of all, he's the big dog in charge. The priorities in the summer were wrong. Luckily, I'm confident he will be looking at it with ruthless efficiency. I like Konsa, good buy. I like Engels, good buy. We needed another striker and ended up with two +£8m centre backs, and no plan of ever playing three at the back. If we ran out of money, and it seems like we did because Smith mentioned Maupay being too expensive, there was the problem. Wes being trash is a different issue to him being left as the only striker we have.

It's taken years but someone has come for Bosko Balaban's crown and absolutely booted him off the throne. £22m. Incredible. Can't play football. Fat bloke from the office who comes to 5-a-side, stinks the place out and people wish wouldn't come anymore because no one wants to be on his team. I thought we might be good enough to just about stay up despite him based on early promise. Incorrect. Other teams are picking up bonus points every week. If we don't replace him we're down. What was that story about the agent? Needs looking into. People have made money here, and Villa have been taken to the cleaners.

McGinn also starts.

Wes, Hause, Lansbury, Guilbert, Nakamba all start. Hourihane injured I'm guessing, out of squad.

Very concerning if this just came from an agent.

Linked with Liverpool for £7.5m

Extremes viewpoints have been taken sure. Possibly too much so, but it's coming from a place of passion and frustration. We're close to being a good side! I do disagree with this point specifically though. I always judge players against themselves. Grealish is likely to put in a decent performance almost all the time, but I'll be disappointed if I think it's below his level due to lack of effort or something. McGinn is suffering more than is probably fair at the moment because he was preposterous for much of last season and now he's finding it tough. As such, the good news for Wes is that he doesn't have to do too much from where he currently is to play "well". Baby steps Wesley, we all want you to succeed.

We should be signing him in January and leaving him there for the season.

Heaton Fred G Engels Hause Targett Doug Nakamba Trez Grealish Hourihane El Ghazi For me

Newcastle tried to do that job to us and we bent them over a barrel. Does that mean we're actually good?

Interesting, might give it a go. Didn't love the film though, and I'm a bit tired of comic book stuff. Chernobyl was so brilliant, the tension man!

Chance of some minutes coming up.

Out until new year, which I think is Burnley. Could definitely do with him there. Big blow to miss him for these upcoming games. Heaton needs to command that backline. Expect Hause to push Konsa if he continues to struggle to hang on to his man.

That game is 19 December. Fourth round pencilled in for 18 January but presumably that might move. Be good to play city as I might be able to go. As you'd expect their facilities are a joke. They've got a mini-stadium better than Bournemouth's actual ground for their kids and women's team.

Don't believe that's the rules any more. He cannot serve a ban in the cup for cards accumulated in the league. The cards "fall off" after 18 games. So he's got to get through Sheff Utd and Southampton and he'll be OK. Makes the booking at the end of Leicester really annoying, was silly. Plus obviously the yellow given at Palace which also cost us a point ffs.

Ndidi was the first player I've seen stick him on his arse more than once. Read him and overpowered him. I'd like to rest John at Sheff U, just because I want him in the team and firing v Saints. Three points v Southampton will do us more good than 3 at Bramall Lane. I think everyone will see how much we miss him if he doesn't start. His level seems lower than it really is because this is John McGinn, not some waster. Being dropped might stick a rocket up him as well, something needs to spark.

Yep.

That's definitely what they should be trying to do. Ashley, fella at arsenal. They are literally never going to sell these clubs while they continue to be profitable, which they will while they're in the PL.