A'Villan

2 hours ago, MentalM said:

I agree with Sanson showing quality.

Also think its difficult for Gerrard to pick out a midfield 3.

We got Mcginn, Luiz, Sanson, Ramsey (can also say Chuk?).

Only Luiz suits the DM style (even though he isnt perfect for it).

By playing Sanson we hamper the development of Ramsey/Chuk. I feel Sanson is fighting with Mcginn for a spot.

I'm not as excited for JJ and Chuk to be on field as much as others on here.

My care factor for them being academy graduates is fairly minimal as even junior club sport is cut throat in terms of recruitment and poaching talent. I want to see as many academy graduates as possible but because Villa have that model down well as opposed to seeing a few players make it every few years or so.

That said, Ramsey has earned his spot and until his form dithers he should retain his place. If that does happen though even slightly, I think Sanson should come in if he is up to standard in training, just to be given a chance at holding it down.

Ramsey has so long left to develop and then mould himself into the finished article. McGinn is at his peak and is in no way deserving to have that sidelined.

Dougie needs the games right now to go from the potential he has to becoming a more experienced and competent midfield general that he can be at his best. Otherwise he's just going to stunt his progress as his role has been a difficult one to really define and therefore own.

Sanson has shown such clear ability in France and I think given half a dozen games in a system that allows him to express that as well as adhering to his roles duties and we could have another class player that adds immense value both on the market and the field.

2 hours ago, villalad21 said:

Have you watched him play post Liverpool? 

He's not been the same player. 

I think its unfair to have unrealistic expectations from him. 

He used to dance out of tight spaces and take players on but he just isn't that player anymore. And you would know that had you actually watched him in recent years. 

He can still shoot, pass and arrive in the box but Liverpool levels just ain't happening. 

Well I disagree. I think we both can be headstrong and at times that's an invaluable quality and at times it hurts one's ability to realise an error or potential for other possibilities. 

I see what you are saying, and its got more merit than I thought when I opened my mouth. 

However I have seen him play post Liverpool, and there's still much magic in him. You are right, it will be difficult to rise to the levels of yesteryear, especially given that he's already done it. There will always be that presence in his mind that he has nothing to prove.

Listen to his interview alongside JJ and you can see an honest man, honest with himself first and foremost. That indicates to me he acknowledges what his situation is and the work ahead of him.

Also, I was basing my opinion as much on my 20 odd years being involved as a player for professional basketball clubs and what I've seen along that path.

It's relevant to Coutinho because there are so many variables that determine what happens and why, and getting to know the story is equally if not more important than being there to observe the performances of a player. Because behind the display is a person and a driving cause for why they do what they do. 

He's no longer at Barca, and I've already posted on what happened there and I'm sure you can look into it yourself if you are willing to see beyond calling him a passed it has been when it comes to world class.

2 hours ago, ciggiesnbeer said:

Nah stick around! I appreciate your posts! We are all fans here. Who cares about math. None of us are doing this signing nor pro scouts. Its all about the feels and the vibes. If you are excited by him thats good enough to have an opinion! 

Less than 12 months ago I was making thunderous pronouncements that Jack Grealish was one of the 5 best players in the world. Nowadays I think he is Man City's 13th best player  I regret nothing and neither should you!

Thanks, always good to be made welcome.

It's not that I lament being caught off point or that I fear that my views don't qualify as worthy. It's just that I don't think I've come across as I wanted to, and consequently I'm writing for no purpose as my posts are written as much for others as they are myself. I don't need to be paid to do what I enjoy and which adds value for me. Hell I'll say for certain I don't need to be recognised as professional either, as i have a tendency to write my own script. However being thorough, self resourceful and applying critical thinking to a pastime I love to engage is time well spent in my book. And I simply didn't have the time or energy to do that well enough to be understood. Not even conceptually it seems. But if I carry on anymore I might as well have written a book about it.

I wasn't actually suggesting he is exciting or that I want him at our club, my intention was just to say I've seen enough to understand why he's rated. I actually air some unfounded doubts about how his game will transfer to a more demanding league and that he is nowhere near Bissouma imo at this stage.

The stats for me just indicates he is a standout player at times and in some areas in France currently. I think I go on to say that the numbers mean little to me.

All in all I don't know much about him and its quite early to say much else. 

My apologies. It makes sense to me.

I'm going to withdraw from the conversation as I don't feel I'm adding to it currently and can't contribute much further for the time being anyway. 

3 minutes ago, Kiwivillan said:

You butchered stats to make a point. I don't know how else to put it. You can't grab 3 random unrelated stats then say he's in top 100 then make the top 100 the top 5 teams player pools when that doesn't necessarily correlate to the original unrelated stats. 100th in PL any of those stats individually would be rubbish. Pick a stat, find his placing and go from there. 

Now I'm confused. Maybe we should go drinking together, this is making no sense.

Defensively he is top 100 in both categories that are of utmost importance to a good defender.

He also makes a good statement as a key passer with numbers placed in the top 100. Given his pass completion stats and placement, impressive. 

15 hours ago, VillaJay said:

I'd imagine any chance of this deal happening is heavily reliant on his afcon involvement and may go to the wire, It's probably fair to believe he's our number 1 target in this area.

That wouldn't surprise at all, the man is on fire, and our owners have an exceptional talent for finding success and recruiting so that the whole squad has something great to offer and complements the whole too.

On 23/01/2022 at 01:44, villalad21 said:

It isn't just fitness imo.

Not at the level he was in 2017.

He is still good at striking the ball and his passing is slick but we shouldn't have unrealistic expectations.

He isn't going to rip up the league. He is an improvement on Traore, and I'll take that for now.

What are you basing this on and more importantly why are you basing your presumption so strongly on it?

We are discussing something that has yet to come to pass and from where I sit the possibility of him being a league leader by seasons end is more probable than it is just a potentiality. 

It's still all speculation and hearsay. To suggest any different says something in itself. 

1 hour ago, Kiwivillan said:

I don't understand this either. The first 2 are defensive stats and key passing is attacking and you can't just lump them in together. Should have individual stat ranking per minutes in relevant league. Top 100 isn't amazing. Mcginn is =6th in PL for tackles per game this season for example

That's not how it works at all lol

I butchered the post completely, that's what I get for rushing through it

If someone is in the best rankings for key components that make a good display, and they are also ranked similarly in other key areas that indicate good play, then while it's not a given, it's fair to use that as an indication of the players influence and where he may stand across a comparison of his peers.

As for the being good enough for a top 5 club, and you saying it doesn't work like that, in reality you're right and it never directly translates that way, nor should it. 

If you can use some imagination for a moment or thirty to see what I may have tried to illustrate with that comment I think you should be able to connect the dots fairly well.

The top five clubs don't consist of the top 100 players, but by him being top 100 in numerous key areas of play, you could say he is good enough for that level of standing. 

I want to see Sanson get a decent run in the starting xi. I think he's got the quality to earn it and keep the likes of mcginn and dougie fighting each and every session to say otherwise. 

McGinn has graft and ambition, Dougie has potential and an understated skill set. I see Sanson as having a more refined and adequate array of skill on and off the ball to play either as a deeper lying or central midfielder at this level, from what I've seen of him outside of Villa showings.

Shame he made that blunder pass and had to come off for Coutinho. I know Gerrard said he didn't want to take off goal potential, but Sanson can offer that indirectly through winning the ball and his delivery with it, potentially more potent for goal threat than what ings and Watkins offer as is.

Many variables in finding your feet and role in a club whereby its all new and you've got to prove yourself among more established and entitled players, but I see him as having the football capability and nous.

3 minutes ago, Vancvillan said:

Am I misunderstanding the stat because that doesn't sound impressive at all?

It's yours to interpret my friend.

I'm just posting what I found in terms of the stat's people were talking about. 

It's by no means an indication of being a world beater, but in my view, it's enough to show the guy has influence.

Think about it like this, every club in England's top five boasts roughly twenty players, so roughly 100. He's good enough for Frances top five squads. Not bad.

I think we must remind ourselves that there is no substitute for the best playing abilities on offer. It's what transpires on the field that determines who wins and who is crowned come seasons end.

For that reason I think it would be a monumental credit to our club if we have identified and pursued this guy. If he is as good as what I'm reading then the likes of City and other clubs already established in the race for silverware and offering the height of remuneration were always going to be in the hunt for him also.

If he didn't buy into our vision so be it.

Top 100 in France for tackles, interceptions and key passes per game.

Top 25 for pass completion rate.

I'm more interested in watching him though and I found the twenty minutes of highlights I've seen to be clear indication the kid has ability and vision but no where near Bissoumas level, and I'd also wonder if he is prone to a few Dougie Luiz type errors in judgement while he beds in.

Just my thoughts.

1 minute ago, trekka said:

The bloke you refer to sounds like a nightmare! My old man, for all of his flaws in managing the "troublesome" few, made up to it in other ways - giving out stuff when people genuinely needed it and making time for the oldies by making them cups of tea etc whilst they had a sit down.

Ah that's lovely and a little cheek here and there towards people who aren't exactly respectful of the business is harmless.

This front of shop bloke doesn't own the business, he's just frustrated and thinks his own disillusionment with life qualifies him to take it out on others. It happens but he's not the most personable.

1 minute ago, mjmooney said:

Until, finally... 

That looks like the average career of us Greek folk before retirement. 

1 day, 9 hour shift. Duty served.

1 minute ago, trekka said:

My old man many, many years ago used to own a small second hand shop.  He was respected by most of the community but he got used to the same people coming in every day basically winding him up, asking for "best price" on everything etc.  He got so fed up that when a few of the same people came back asking for "best price for me, you know me" (they didn't want to buy anything, they would just waste hours of his time) he would visibly take off the price tag, cross out the number and add an extra £5 to it.  He also had a big stereo system in there - when the shop was full of those people he would turn up the volume and pretend he couldn't hear them .  

Yeah, there's an element of that in this fella. He sells illegally imported cigarettes as well as selling them as single cigarettes. He sells all sorts of flavoured vapes. Shisha pipes. As I said it's just below the high rise flats and people often try to haggle him. He doesn't prejudice though, I've seen innocent yuppy kids just making your average inquiry about a product they are obviously not entirely familiar with, and this guy will give them misleading and even incorrect information before his impatience becomes so apparent and he pressures them into purchasing something quickly.

He just likes being difficult. 

Yesterday I went in and he says to me, "after" and points for me to leave. 

I said what does that even mean?

"It means exactly what just came out of my mouth, after"

I say, can you give me a time frame for when I should come back please?

"After"

8 hours ago, mjmooney said:

It always amazes me when people like that work in public-facing jobs. 

We once got thrown out of a cafe for sitting down at a table without permission. Couple of years later the woman turned up on a reality TV show about trying to turn round failing businesses. Apparently she was infamous for being rude to customers. 

I always thought Gordon Ramsey was a c*** but I didn't know he had one.

We had a similar experience at a restaurant when we were guided to our table by the owner, and mum asked a waitress a minute later if we could change to another table, and waitress says absolutely go ahead.

"I TOLD YOU THAT THIS WAS YOUR TABLE!" "WHATS WRONG WITH THE ONE I GAVE YOU?"

Needless to say once he'd made a scene and left the waitress was kindly apologetic.

6 hours ago, MotoMkali said:

He played LW for the Liverpool though for the most part. And a little bit of CAM when Mane joined. But mostly LW. 

You're right. As a general rule for his time with Liverpool, however in his final 6 months with Liverpool he had more appearances playing in central midfield in Klopps 4-3-3 than he did anywhere else.

I even checked because you're not the first to mention Coutinho not being a CM on VT in reply to my comments.

I'm glad I did because it has just cemented that what I have posted in regards to Phil's career adds up and carries weight to it. I mean I spent enough time watching him and reading about why it didn't work at Barca to have some insight. 

The bloke who works front of shop at my local tobacconist.

He goes out of his way to be rude and get a reaction out of his customers, just so he can then make it clear that he's without doubt, being that rude. He feeds off the surprise people get and equally the reactions. 

For a seemingly harmless young Indian man, he certainly likes to see how far until the customer realises its a lost cause to try and elicit any form of manners from him, and this is a shop at the foot of the high rise commission flats, he gets some hard knocks in store.

To be honest I find him rather amusing because we've spoken about what's bothering him and he opened up once enough for me to get some clue. There's some qualities I find endearing there.

It pisses me off though because he's just so difficult if there's anyone ahead of you in queue you have to wait for the ordeal that he creates with so many of his customers to end before you get served.

Do you know what makes McGinn such a standout performer @MotoMkali?

in my opinion, its that his ambition far exceeds his talent. He wants to make it happen. 

I don't agree with your assessment of McGinn, however I sincerely appreciate you posting it. Made for a good read and was food for thought. 

cardiac arrest:

noun

Aston Villa not only will BEAT Everton this weekend, it will be a proper THUMPING that will send SHOCKWAVES through the PL.

Wouldn't be my first choice but as it's not been mentioned.

A 19 year old Grealish playing Liverpool off the park, influential in both goals with a stellar performance, as we went on to victory and progressed to our first FA cup final in fifteen years.

9 minutes ago, MotoMkali said:

Yeah and how well did that work? 

They never ended up giving him that role as they had discussed in the talks that took him to the Nou Camp. He was mostly played on the wing in a 4-4-2 or 4-3-3. 

I suppose to answer your question though, it worked well for Liverpool, hence Barcelona paying what they did.

He made more than one stellar save, made a few, that kept United out.

Unfortunate that we conceded in that way but he went on to play so well.