Andy_10

You called him a world class number 9. Look, the discussion isn't about Ronaldo, I just used him as a point to back up something I was saying. Swap him with Shearer after his knee injury if you don't like Ronaldo. If you agree with the point after that, then great, if not, then thats fine too. I am confident with my view on the matter.

Im sure that there are many team who would love a world class number 9 who scores loads & does pretty much nothing else. Don't get me wrong, Im not saying that I love the player, because I don't, & I do understand & mentioned that his overall game isn't as it was when he was younger, but I recognise that he adapted his game along with his physical limitations, partially due to his age, to become a successful player when he was older. More successful than quite a few in the world, even when he was at that ripe old age. And then he went off to retire in a Scrooge McDuck swimming pool of golden coins with his own face on them in Saudi Arabia.

We disagree.

Nope. I used to long distance run when I was younger & it is not comparable at all. And the biggest difference is the stop start motion when breaking into full sprints multiple times per match, coupled with the twists & turns involved when running away from, or after, other players on the pitch. And then there is the physical contact of other players while you are in the motions I mentioned. Its obviously a lot more complicated than that & there will probably be a few crossovers, & I am not saying which is actually the more stressful on the body overall in the long term, but I do not think that it is apples for apples & the only sport where players can be compared as "precedents" are within the same sports. Football/football. Running/running. Swimming/swimming. Etc. And even then, we have to accept that some peoples bodies are just more fragile than others, even when they are built in a similar way. Keinan Davis vs Romelu Lukaku, as an example. In my humble opinion.

At the age of 38. Has he been as good as he was when he was running down the wing at speed, etc for the past 7 or 8 years? No, of course not. Was he still a top player in the world at the age of 36-ish? Probably. And that was down to how he adapted to losing his speed. Obviously he has been on a downward spiral for a few years, but he is nearly 40 years old.

I think every individual is different though, as are their tolerances for longer term use & impact on joints & muscles. Different sports have different ways of affecting the body, so its not apples for apples when comparing long distance runners to footballers, for example, even though they both run a lot. One thing that goes in Tielemans favour though is that it's usually players who never had any pace to begin with who can play well into their 30's, even if they started very young. Don't get me wrong, I agree that mentality is a key element though. Keeping up the elite fitness, the desire to keep pushing even though you know your body doesn't want to, etc. Someone like Ronaldo has dedicated his body & mind to adaptability & even though he is slower than he once was, he has changed his game to adapt to that. But then there are players like Agbonlahor who once he lost his pace, he became just another very average player.

Oh, Im not talking about his "legs being gone". Thats more of a fitness & burn-out issue than just pure lack of speed. Some players are blessed with speed, & others aren't. I was blessed with plenty of speed when I was younger, but I lacked any other skill (other than energy), so while I could run around a lot at a pretty pacy speed, that was the limit of my footballing abilities. Obviously Tielemans has not been blessed with speed, but he has been blessed with many other skills that make him a top quality international footballer. Just the lottery of life. And tbh, I only really mentioned it originally with Tielemans because I don't want to be one of those fans who only pop their hand up when they feel like they are correct about something.

"So just enjoy it because we are experts at talking up the way that we are continuously kicking this can down the road..."

Me too. Once you get out of that snowy area where everybody, & I mean everybody, draws a penis in the snow, the game opens up to be just one of the best games ever. I do understand that sometimes games can be too big for some though. Me personally, I hated massive open world games & only ever played football & football manager games until I picked up Skyrim. After that I was hooked & my favourite games now are all massive open world, fantasy or historical games where chasing down squirrels until 4am & the like just keep me coming back for more.

While I was taking an extended break from VillaTalk at that point , I will come & admit that I was in this camp probably right up until the end of last season. His lack of pace & mobility still concerns me a little, I will admit, however, & its a big however, so far this season he is proving to be more than positive in every area that I have concerns about. Even the lack of pace & mobility. If he keeps up his form on a consistent basis over the season, & not just individual poor performances, then those concerns will disappear completely. But so far, & as always when I make a point that proves to be incorrect, nobody could be happier than I am that a positive for Villa is making me look like a chump.

I think it all depends on how Emery sees his character when he speaks to him. We could give him a short term contract to test the waters. But I would rather a kid like this rather than an old chap like Matip.

And imagine being forced to drop to Andy Dalton, lol.

I agree that he is probably a longer term project. And I think he will improve over the next six months. His control & passing abilities are already strong. Its just the high line & getting in front of crosses that he is having the issue with currently. But its all a learning curve for him.

At the time, I thought that was probably about right, if not a little on the steeper side. I knew he had potential, but his loans had not been successful & he was more of a cup success for Boro after they picked him up for £1M. How wrong I was. And never have I been so happy to be wrong.