A'Villan

Emi

Cash - Konsa - Mings- Digne

Sanson - Luiz - Coutinho 

Buendia - Ramsey

Watkins

Hoping to join VT live for this one. We gave the FA cup fixture a solid shot and I honestly thought we were the better side overall. They had the lead and our impetus died heavily in the final twenty minutes, so it went. However we had over 60% possession for the 2nd half a fair way into it. Maybe on another day, as they say, and may that day be this Sunday!

Benjamin Andre for the CDM role?

Clement Grenier still available on a free. He's a great player on the ball.

Asset for Rennes and Lyon, not sure how he went at Roma. Could definitely provide solid competition but I don't think he's leaving France, and I don't think we could offer him any promise of football with Coutinho and Buendia among our ranks.

Still a great little player.

Bissouma is:

2nd in the PL for succesful tackles

9th in the PL for interceptions made 

19th in the PL for pass completion rate

21st in the PL for dribbles made 

48 minutes ago, Steero113 said:

Loved your post but this bit made me gob out my tea... 

They're an absolute shambles at the moment. 

Thanks.

If it wasn't for SAF and the success and standing he gave them, let's just say they've had a decent amount of fortune in being able to spend money and bring in talent all because what yesteryears victories offered.

Shambolic for a while now, but they've got a team of playing personnel to rival any, and they do have a knock-out fixture against Atletico in the CL next month to look forward to. I dare say they might be among it again if they have a shred of knowing how to get a team of superstars playing as a superstar team.

15 minutes ago, thunderball said:

I dont bother with that anymore after having had dogs of smart arse comments. Beleive it or not there is plenty of inside information on twitter if you care to look and filter the nonsense. I would add that it doesnt feel impossible given we seem to have ratcheted everything up by more than gear or two since Smiths departure, we definitely no longer just feeling our way through this, we are making waves and there is a lot of money behind all of this, it all feels to be part of a bigger plan all of a sudden, its like they are running t get ahead of the Newcastle oil money and the drop off in Everton's ambition/spending while they can .

Wes Eden's history running the Milwaukee Bucks franchise has some parallels which are worth noting.

They were experiencing an all time club low, rock bottom of the league. They get a player to build their future around, and in comes a coach who within two seasons has them in play-offs, which is the equivalent of a top half finish or thereabouts. 

However progress stagnates under this coach and Wes Eden's feels that he has reached his ceiling as a head coach for the club, and Wes Eden's swiftly terminates the head coachs position, bringing in someone who he felt would be able to take Milwaukee to the next level.

Fast forward a few years, Milwaukee are contenders for the title each season  and even went as far to winning their championship title, with their go to man who they built around winning MVP accolades along the way.

I miss Grealish and would love to have him back, but we could and really should build a side around Coutinho now, while we have him and he's still able to peak.

Gerrard has found himself an excellent opportunity with us, make no mistake about it we are on the rise, if Gerrard invests half the energy he did becoming the player he did, in developing himself as a head coach and manager, we may end up with a team that can go along way.

We've endured turmoil and neglect for just on a decade, however the roots of today's leadership and management  spread deep and lay a foundation for growth to take on and see the club rise to new heights. The sky is the limit I feel as the club branches out and ascends onwards and upwards.

The team behind the scenes nows we've just landed a world class player who's prime is potentially ahead of him, they know what a coup that is. They also know they have one of the best players of all time now working as a tactician and instructor, and he's already cut his teeth with a reasonable challenge in his role with Rangers.

This team is going places and I'm sure Wes Edens is more than willing to give it every chance of success by diligently seeing that the necessary pieces are brought in so that it has the best chance of glory.

If its been identified as an area of recruitment that is necessary and Bissouma fits the criteria for that, I have little doubt we will be pushing for it so that we can propel this club into contention for the highest honours.

2 hours ago, AV82 said:

Just wondered is all, since we're paying close to what we paid for a more established John McGinn.

McGinn was without doubt one of the best deals we could have asked for.

3 million and a 10-15% sell on fee, for a player who took the championship by storm, scoring goal of the season and being named player of the season by players and supporters alike, and ultimately being pivotal in the uphill fight to gain promotion, as our clubs demise nearly went fatal.

Now he's commanding performances among the best, earning interest from Liverpool who are fresh off being best team in the world, and Manchester United who aren't exactly a poor side anymore, despite them surviving tumultuous times thanks to the revenue and clout SAF brought them they are now among the best again.

52 minutes ago, TRO said:

I couldn't agree with you more.

I will go as far as to say, it is central to us moving forward to the top half.

I would suggest anyone who is in doubt, watches his Headline reels, to see what this player does.....He WINS the ball.

He doesn't wait for a mistake, a missed pass or an interception, that is passive play......He is proactive and wins it back and he does it with aplomb....He then drives on with confidence on the ball.

He is exactly what we are missing....He is the Missing Link

He does what .....Hojbjerg, Rice,Soucek, Ndidi, Phillips, Fabinho, Henderson,Rodri,Kante,Jorginho.....Do.....win the ball.

Yes, for sure.

Great players are exceptional because they rise above and have a standard beyond the average ability of those around them. They usually either command a fee and wage proportionate to their influence or opt to commit to a project that they feel holds promise. 

I got a fair amount of dismissive comments and jibes for my praise of Yaya Toure, when I said he's just as much to thank for City's success as David Silva.

He was one of the best at doing exactly what you've just pointed out. 

I was taught there are four key elements that make a professional basketballer, and its certainly one piece of insight that I took on because I think it true, and the same could and probably does apply to football. The four:

1. Physicality 

2. Tactical nous

3. Technical ability 

4. Mentality 

Mentality being by far the most important and what determines whether a player can excel at applying his development  and skills when it matters, or if he simply doesn't end up rising up to the occasion when given his chance.

It's more difficult to make the decisions necessary for ideal or optimal outcomes when you are in the middle of a contest fighting for an edge, than it is to observe from a pov that is far removed. The latter is afforded the chance to speak about the situation and suggest what mightve been rather than having to be involved, the former must act and have faith that they come off best.

Very few players can play both ends masterfully. If we get a DM who can influence attacks as well as halt them at the other end, we have the makings of a team that will challenge for silverware and European placing.

On 11/01/2022 at 22:45, Demitri_C said:

I dont know whats happening with ollies finishing but that one when he hit the bar, he needs to score that.

He misses alot of opportunities for me and its frustrating 

To even get himself the ball and in a position to score was good football.

His effort was almost equally as fine, considering he was in the heat of the contest and under pressure. Few inches south and it's one for the highlight reels.

15 hours ago, Tayls said:

I hadn’t quite realised just how humble he appears to be. It’s made me warm to him almost immediately. I think this could be a decent move for him to try and recreate what he was able to do at Liverpool and play with some freedom.

I’m thinking it was the expectation that came with playing for Barcelona that might have had an impact on his confidence. Whilst he was at Liverpool, they weren’t at the level they are at now in terms of their quality. In many ways I bet he regrets leaving as he wasn’t able to continue to grow with the team.  

I’m glad he has chosen us to try and get him back to where we all know he can be. It’s been said many many times that he is a confidence player, so I’m hopeful that the fans get right behind him and lay off the moans and groans if there is a misplaced pass or something. It’s as much as an opportunity for us, as it is for Philippe. Let’s not spoil it! 

Delighted with this. 

He was bought to replace Iniesta. That's a monumental void to fulfil, to command the presence of a player who's influence earned him a runner up and third place in the ballon d'or, among a number of other accolades of the highest esteem, along the way to winning his club silverware galore and establishing his team as one of, if not the, all time greatest dynasties.

Iniesta was so consistently genius, in a team that was just so undeniably brilliant. I think its fair to say that by the time Coutinho arrived, those days being emulated and the chances of another Barcelona ensemble to be as great as the one that had just ran rampant for as long as it did, was always going to be difficult. 

Without wanting to go on about it, in summary, I feel Coutinho was rather hard done by. He had many moments of magic for Barcelona and i think its a shame that he gets the blame for not living up to expectations. I'm not a follower or supporter of Barcelona but I can say for sure I saw him play to world class standards on enough occasions that I'm guessing he's been fairly harshly criticised because Barcelona threw the cheque book at Liverpool. 

Ramsey will have to compete to earn his place in the match day eleven. We have some very capable players and all of them are looking to establish themselves within this team and prove their worth. Some of them have played and proven their worth to a degree beyond what we've seen from Ramsey already, whether for this club or another. An academy player is nothing more than potential and an indication of how well the club develops talent as well as the work ethic and abilities of the Academy graduate.

I think its going to be tough for him to command a weekly spot in the starting eleven. This is nothing like the situation surrounding Grealishs promotion to our first team. 

On 07/01/2022 at 02:59, TRO said:

I find those comments selective.

Firstly you don't have to be a limited player, to be a DM, that in itself is a falsehood....thats if you meant it like that?

secondly, you fail to mention the limited abilities of Luiz playing in the No 6 role....and I accept that is open to Interpretation, but in my opinion, it exists.

I understand the game is all about scoring more goals than your opponent, so offensive play does secure the discerning eye that bit more.....but if you ignore the importance of how to defend, which includes playing and orgainising off the ball, trophies will be a pipe dream.

defending might be a necessary evil to some....but those that pick up the trophies, seem to have an appreciation of its virtues.

Will write you a better more engaging reply when I can later today or tomorrow, but I was definitely not insinuating that a DM be limited in any capacity. The role by virtue is predominantly about protecting the back four and nullifying opposition attacks before they get into threatening territory, as well as winning it back in areas that are ideal in transition and offer the team opportunities to threaten with their own play, ideally with opposition on the back foot.

When we are discussing deploying a DM though, the role that player assumes is relevant to the team formation and tactics. Currently we don't necessarily need a pure DM is what I'm saying. And while it is always a good thing to have great choice of options, signing a DM that we don't end up using is a waste.

On 01/01/2022 at 08:20, Rds1983 said:

What if they trained unprofessionally? 

This is a masterpiece post.

Kevin Nolan

Just airing some thoughts in response to criticism levelled at Ollie and comments saying the coaching staff need to rectify his play.

I wonder if Watkins head down and shoot at will approach is something asked of him by the coaching staff.

Watkins has quite good ability on the ball and making attacking runs carrying the ball toward goal. He's strong and not easily knocked off it, and is also fairly composed in those moments. He can shoot the thing too.

While his goals have mostly come from great runs and being well placed to finish when the ball is delivered into the box, the assets I've mentioned above make me think that he might have been encouraged to do more of it, and to take on a greater role and influence now we've lost Grealish.

If you remember last season, Ollie was often involved in passing sequences and build up play, mostly with Grealish, there was obviously a respect and chemistry there. But I thought he generally opted for an intelligent pass, to then make a threatening run for a give and go.

Obviously I don't know but what I do know is that it's certainly not always an individual decision of the player as to how he goes about his approach. 

48 minutes ago, TRO said:

so who is then?

It depends on the tactics and formation.

You could say Nakamba can fill this role adequately, and he has at times. However he is limited on the ball and that's why he is a designated DM mostly. 

Sanson, McGinn and Luiz all have ability going forward and without the ball. This allows us a freedom to assign roles in the moment as play unfolds. Each player is given license to assume a role appropriate to what is happening on the field in that moment.

Liverpool have become one of the best teams worldwide and won titles and silverware representing the pinnacle of the game. Their 4-3-3 has had a midfield three of players capable at both ends, even though either Henderson or Fabinho play a deeper role generally. The midfield three are all competent on the ball.

Same went for the Barcelona team that annihilated world football. Busquets could and would support attacks where necessary and Xavi and Iniesta were both incredibly masterful on the ball. Even Mascherano was a decent short passer.

For every moment a team holds possession, is one more moment the opposition is guaranteed not to score, and is forced to react to the tempo and tactics of the team in possession. 

"The ball doesn't have lungs" as the Brazilian adage says. 

7 minutes ago, Creeper said:

I just think the ship has sailed on that in 2019 when he rejected us to stay at Leeds. I know that we still like him, but I think if he does leave Leeds he will end up at Man City. Only way I see him leaving is if Leeds go down. 

Yeah the interview he gave on his discussion with his Grandma regards our offers when Leeds failed to get promoted doesn't fill me with hope. 

He does say he would love to play alongside Gerrard or Gascoigne in another interview though. 

As long as he's not deployed as a sole DM then he is up to the challenge in my view.

Played as a holding midfielder or even a volante he's fine, as long as he's not solely responsible for disrupting and thwarting opposition play.

While I think alongside at least one other deeper lying midfielder he's capable defensively, it would also be a waste of his ability on the ball to have him play solely as a DM.

For all you numbers and statistics heads.

Riddle me this..

Grealish scored at a significantly higher rate for Aston Villa's first team, than both Xavi and Iniesta did for Barcelona's. 

Who's better?

Sterling is a great, great player. No doubt.

There's few players who can go end to end and create an attempt either solo or close to it, like Grealish. And just as few who can draw in the number of defenders while keeping his feet and playing a well weighted pass to a team mate.

Grealish for me.

3 minutes ago, VillanousOne said:

I don't get the misery and utter negativity all the time about our players.

Traore maybe frustrating and be too random and maverick in his genius, I agree he can be poor at times genius at others.

But his goals and moments of genius last season genuinely made it a pleasure to watch Villa, it was almost like we had someone who could conjure something out of nothing who wasn't a cheeky little billy big boll*cks. 

I hoped like everyone he would push on and get more games this season as he did have a few injuries last.

But he's made one start so far due to injury, so lacking match sharpness and I doubt he's even trained that much under Gerrard and he looked incredibly rusty as you would expect.

But that seems to then trigger hundreds of posters to pile in how crap he is.

Most Villa fans are only happy if a player is scoring goals or assisting goals every week and if a player's name is El Ghazi then even that is not enough for the snark and hate, there is no nuance, just sneering, nose thumbing, impatience and weird expectations.

If you weren't a Villa fan and came to this forum cold, you'd honestly think all Villa fans thing 90% of their squad are utter sh*te.

Yes. Thank you.

It's like the constant slights on Grealish for a lack of goals or assists. The man is magic with the ball at his feet. Anyone watching the game with an appreciation for the skill and talent on display can see.

Not everything that can be counted, counts, and not everything that counts can be counted. 

8 minutes ago, MentalM said:

I think the frustration is how high the highs are, but its so inconsistent.

He is Messi and sunday league player at the same time.

If he had proper decisionmaking he would be world class in my opinion

I'm not saying a stretch of games in the starting line-up with full fitness will guarantee he shows how good a player he is, because it might not.

However I think for a player to come in and average a goal or assist in one third of the fixtures he's featured in over the entire season, then he's done well given how long he'd been away from the league, and how new the setup of the team he was joining.

I understand he underwhelmed some games, but us fans are a demanding bunch. He was one in three for either a goal or assist by seasons end remember. Imagine if he builds on that this season. 

We will have at least one player in double digits for both goals and assists. 

2 minutes ago, CarryOnVilla said:

Has a player of this kind of reputation/stature ever joined villa before? 
 

 

Ginola, maybe?

8million a year at 150k per year.

We got 100million for Grealish.

Highlights from Barcelona.

Still World Class.

Buendia and Coutinho together would be ace.

Barkley and Grealish was great but this could even take us up a notch, if it happens.