VillaParkAvenue

Bailey and Watkins have to track back and help out wide. If they don’t we’ll be destroyed.

After a couple of games on the bench I’m sure McGinn will be pretty damn eager for revenge. He got caught up in the whole Gerrard shit without asking for it. Used right, I bet he’ll be great later on.

Bailey tracking back is key in this system (Watkins too of course) Selection feels reasonable on the whole. I was fearing Danks making some statement by starting Sanson, Nakamba and Guilbert.

The difference between VT and Danks is if it all goes to shit, Danks can’t just log out and pretend it never happened.

Watkins will play wide, Ings lone striker I guess. Which isn’t great as Ings can’t really play without a partner.

I still believe Eddie Howe could turn him into a top midfielder, but he’s a more than decent nr9 too.

Ramsey on the bench for a game or two could be a good re-set. Don’t think he’s being dropped indefinitely, that would be insane.

He’s actually made 4 appearances after the Man U bottles. Wolves away in April was his latest.

Appointing managers isn’t all he does. The main owners have trusted him to run the club which includes strategy, recruitment, everything.

Will Coutinho-Buendia-Bailey suddenly be great together because it’s a 4231? Hope so because we need points.

The project is our owners having money and being willing to spend, as long as it lasts.

He also took them up. No, I don’t want him either.

Players salaries are always a bit of a mystery. When Digne was signed there were reports of him getting 150k. Capology and Spotrac both have him as our highest paid player at £160k and £163k per week respectively (just checked).

Maybe. My guess is every player will be keen to impress after the Gerrard experiment. Don’t believe there are many Gerrard loyalists in the squad.

Digne was an awful signing considering his wages and age. Low possibility of him sprinting up and down the pitch towards the end of his contract, when he’s 34 and still on 150k per week. But he’s still a pretty good player who will be useful for another couple of years.

McGinn and Ramsey are already dropped says Percy so no need to include them. I would have liked a setup with Ramsey in a more attacking role, but that won’t be today.

A new system would be good but Danks has had what, 24 hours? Making huge changes doesn’t sound wise. On the plus side, the fans should be supportive today.

No, that would be our strikers.

I worry about Danks maybe being a bit too eager to please the fans. If he goes with a completely new setup, new formation and starts a number of players who haven’t played for months, some will see it as a middle finger to SG. But it also sounds like a recipe for losing, and we really could use a win today.

Leeds away fans turned under their last game, started chanting about Bielsa and wanting Marsch out. Anything other than a win for them today and Marsch is gone.

One thing that stands out compared to other grounds is that impatience, people moaning whenever players pass backwards. Not exactly encouraging to try and maintain possession. Apart from that, much like fans of every other club.

When he was at Liverpool a lot of people were saying harsh things about CP, like ”he only wants to play Football Manager IRL”. Meeting NSWE and coming to Villa was perfect for him, here he could have it all. Money to burn and no-one to hold him back. Managers are one thing but the most telling for me is the fact he appointed two different sporting directors, who turned out to be mostly useless and invisible. My guess is that’s because Purslow preferred it that way - if Villa had a powerful director of football, would CP have been invited to travel with Gerrard to Marseille or Rome to look at players? No, he would have been stuck at the office like the banker he is. Suso and Lange were powerless and therefore perfect.

I’m all for Bo, wish he was mentioned more often.

Amorim and Emery / live together in perfect harmony / Side by side on my piano keyboard, oh Lord, why don't we?