WallisFrizz

This summer’s ESR/JWP? I’d be over the moon if it happened (although that is huge money) but can’t see it myself. 
 

11 minutes ago, M_Afro said:

I would also sell him for £30m if we can get a better replacement. I think we may struggle to sell him though. Will he want to leave? Who would be prepared to pay £30m and match his wages?

I can’t see anybody above us signing him. Who below us needs him or could afford him? Maybe Newcastle but I suspect they will be looking for better. Leeds if they stay up? Maybe. I think we are probably stuck with him to be honest.

I think off loading Ings may be easier, although his wages will also be prohibitive to potential purchasers. 
 

Brighton need a goal scorer, Everton if they sell DCL. Think you’re right tho, his stock will have plummeted after this season. 

3 hours ago, KentVillan said:

I think we lack physicality in the middle and we lack pace (ok maybe Bailey off the bench, but jury’s out). We have some really great creative players, but there isn’t enough happening around them to utilise that creativity.

So yes Gerrard has a strong squad, but it has some key imbalances that cause him headaches.

And FWIW, Arteta had similar problems for ages with Arsenal. Managers do need time to get a team firing.

Totally agree with your post particularly with the last part. 
I think it’s a failure of several transfer windows that we haven’t addressed our midfield weakness as it’s been glaringly obvious since we were promoted. Actually surprised that it took Gerrard so long to mention the physicality aspect as we’ve been banging on about that for ages too. 

9 hours ago, useless said:

I didn't see today's game except for the end, maybe he was poor, but in previous games when people have said he hasn't been good, that's not been the case, the opposite in fact, he's been playing well.I said that as soon as he went on a run of games where he wasn't scoring people would start underrating him again, I think it goes back to the old adage that a lot of people don't know what they're talking about when it comes to midfielders, with Ramsey it seems people think he needs to scoring and assisting all the time to be playing well, but that's not the kind of midielder he is, he has that side to his game, but essentially he's a box to box midielder with a lot more responsibilities than just the attacking side.

 

He scored last week, still had a poor game today. I don’t think anybody underrates him (perhaps the opposite) but performance levels have dropped a bit. He’s the least of our worries.

33 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

I think the  problem is we over estimate a lot of our players.

I think we have 4 or 6 players capable of top 8, the rest are bang mid table or lower half PL quality.

Martinez, Cash and Digne possibly. Coutinho obvs but not good to see him so easily edged out of games. Ramsey has great potential but would not be so heavily relied upon as a starter at better sides. I know Mings gets loads of stick from opposition fans but I think he’d get games in the sides at 5-8 and not look out of place. Buendia hard to say. 

The rest, totally mid table or less. 
 

However, there are teams out there that overperform collectively the individual ability of their players because they have a good system where people know their roles inside out, work hard, are coached well, have self belief and determination, grit and a little bit of luck. West Ham and Wolves aren’t filled with an array of outstanding talent. A few exceptional players and the rest is what I outlined above.

1 hour ago, Keener window-cleaner said:

I'm actually quite baffled about the decison to play 4-3-2-1 and not changing it until it was too late. Everyone knows that Arsenals main threat is their wide forwards/wingers in Saka and ESR with their fullbacks overlapping. To set up with just our full backs covering the wings was clearly not going to work.

To cover the wings we needed McGinn and Ramsey to sit back and help out wide, that meant they couldn't contribute in attack as we would get too exposed on the counter. The other unimpressive decision was to play two no 10's and with one out of form. Both Coutinho and Buendia dropped back and wanted to play short passes in the middle of the pitch, that left Watkins completely isolated up front. No wonder we didn't have a shot on goal during the whole first half.

Wasn't the management team meant to be smart? Beale the super coach? McAllister I have  alot of respect for, but this is not impressive at all. Moreover, at half time, they must have realized, but didn't do anything until the 70th minute or something like that, far too late.

Gerrard implying that the players are not good enough (the talk about the gap) is simply not true. Player for player we match them. But the system and tactics let us down. This would have been the perfect game to play 4-2-3-1, like we ended the game.

Martinez on par or better than Leno

Cash on par or better than Soares

Konsa/Mings not a huge difference to White/Gabriel

Tierny much better than Young

McGinn/Luiz not that much worse than the idiot Xhaka and Partey

Coutinho better than Odegaard

Buendia/Bailey as much of a threat as Saka/ESR

Watkins or Ings better than Lacazette

Being at home and fired up we should at least be able to compete with them. But we didn't, the 4-3-2-1 hampered us, made us static, exposed and gave us no attacking threat.

I agree with your point but you are overestimating a number of our squad there, from midfield to the forwards. Partey and Xhaka are streets ahead of McGinn and Luiz. Even Coutinho, who has more skills in his locker but can disappear out of games and is easily bullied off the ball. 

But yes, frustrating to watch us set up so badly against them and changes not made earlier. With all the hype that came with Beale, I had hoped we’d see us demonstrate some tactical nous more often.
Again it makes me question the decision to send out Targett on loan.

2 minutes ago, M_Afro said:

I have. That was the stimulus for my post. You don’t agree with my observation?

I’m a Gerrard fan but I thought his attitude in that interview was borne more out of a dislike for the interviewer than it was anything else. Maybe the questions were crap but BT sport are going to keep employing Des whatever his name is whilst he keeps getting reactions like that out of managers. 

41 minutes ago, VillanousOne said:

Giving a different angle, if you look at Arteta, last season Arsenal were awful at times, players looked lost, tactics questioned and they weren't getting the results expected. It has taken him a long time to remould the team the way he wants and replace the players he didn't like. Now they look organised, their youth players are repaying his faith and some of his signings are proving really astute.

It's going to take time for Gerrard to really impose himself and put together the team he wants to take us forward.

I’ve been thinking this too. It has been a really rocky road for Arsenal to get to where they are now and plenty wanted Arteta gone and questioned every signing he made and every popular player he got rid of.

They are now reaping the benefits of their patience. Now, there’s no guarantee it will be the same for us but I do think he’s worth sticking with.

11 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

I'm glad he's pissed off in the interview.

Sounds better than the tired and disinterested slumping in the dugout. Again.

Seems to have no fight in him at all when things aren't going our way.

Don’t think he would have reacted like that to most other interviewers though. I’m sure that was the guy that fell out with Klopp and all the Liverpool fans hate.

2 minutes ago, AVTuco said:

What's with Phil? He's been terrible.

Maybe he doesn’t want us to execute the buy option.

Twice Traore has ignored Cash in space to pass to a Villa player surrounded by yellow shirts.

Has there been a game this season where we’ve taken more points than we deserve? Would like to see us rob a point.

Think the Austin McPhee thread might be lively after these dreadful set pieces.

Watkins was better than this last season though surely.

1 minute ago, BleedClaretAndBlue said:

I bet that was our good half

God I hope not but this is reminding me a lot of the last time we played them.

We’re playing like a team with nothing to play for.

The next few weeks will be a test of a different kind for Gerrard. It probably doesn’t take much to motivate a team fighting for survival or pushing for  trophy or CL place.

We’re doing nothing this season. So he needs to fire them up on a match by match basis to give their all to finish top half. It might not matter to the players but it definitely does to the fans so I hope he gets the message across.

Looks like we’re doing well defensively, only the top teams have conceded less shots than us over the last 10 match weeks.

No idea how reliable this is by the way.

Can’t argue with that squad too much. If I’m honest, I don’t think Ramsey is quite there yet, so not bothered if he knocks about the u21s for a bit longer. If he ups his form a notch and does well for the u21s I think he’ll get a call up. 
 

4 hours ago, bannedfromHandV said:

Worked for us against Southampton 

Southampton rotated heavily midweek (the game they won) and then played their rested normal 11 against us.

1 hour ago, VillaChris said:

Gerrard needs to come up with a plan so we don't get exposed down the flanks.

Cash had his worst game of the season by a mile down there as he was exposed against Smith Rowe all night and Young v Saka is a massive issue aswell.

Think it's a cert Buendia will come back in just so he or Ramsey can get across to help out the FBs when out of possession.

Don't think it's a game to start two strikers tbh. Would go 4-4-1-1 and try to get Coutinho around Xhaka as he'll be a liability if he gets an early yellow.

Cash vs Martinelli could be a painful watch.

He’s got two daughters?!?!

We’re so used to footballers putting everything on social media that came as a shock.

11 hours ago, Aston_Villan4 said:

I thought their article on Mings and Gerrard  was decent. Granted it was mostly Mings quotes but it didn’t seem to have an undercurrent of smugness or distaste.

What article was this?

19 hours ago, messi11 said:

Might be a unpopular opinion on here but what a pointless signing!, IF we don't sign him in the summer. IF we don't sign him in the summer this move was only good for Coutinho and NOT Aston Villa. I mean we cant get in Europe now, even a 8th place position is looking impossible with that massive gap. Coutinho gain out of this is a guaranteed football week in week out to get in the Brazil World Cup squad, even if he's off form or half dead he starting for Villa! 

IF we don't sign him in the summer this has affected Buendia, Bailey, Traore, Sanson and Chukwuemeka playing time. Maybe even could make them become unhappy and some seek moves other clubs, also we could use these last 15 PL games as a trial for next season, give the names I mentioned above playing time to settle in to the starting 11 and kick on for next season. but NO, because Coutinho is taking a place up (Only for him to potentially not be here next season) 

We cant get Europe, our season is dead. 
Whats Villa gains in this? Please tell me. 

Given that we earn a couple of million more per finishing place in the table, he will earn us some serious money if he pushes us from a hypothetical 13th to a hypothetical 9th. Add to that he has increased our profile globally and if he does leave with a revived career it can only do our reputation good amongst other internationals, it won’t have been bad business.

I do see your point though (even without the bolds).