NeilS Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 A tough set of fixtures coming up. Leicester beat teams they shouldn't have last season to get out of trouble, and strange results do happen at this time of the season. However, the Leicester's and Wigan's who have escaped in the past had shown something during those seasons that we have not this season. Fight, hunger and desire to get themselves out of trouble! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adbo9 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 20 minutes ago, Richard said: I think we will struggle next season as well. Huge rebuilding job, we just have zero foundations to build on. Nothing says that this organisation is deserving to be competing at the higher end of that league it's not as if this organisation has any solid foundations at all. -----------------------------New goalie needed new right back needed----Okore--------New central defender--------Amavi -----------------Gana-------------------------------------New defensive midfielder New attacking midfielder-----------Veretout--------------------------New Am -----------------------New striker------------------------New striker Thats how I see it as either those not good enough may be got rid off (most of them), or those who think they are too good will arrange to leave (richards) or those who are too good will go (ayew). Thats before we even start looking for back up and its one of the reasons I'd play a lot more youth. We might stand a chance If we can use your new-fangled 12man system !! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 2 minutes ago, Adbo9 said: We might stand a chance If we can use your new-fangled 12man system !! Was trying to show how many we needed for a first team of different systems either 1 or 2 up top 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 16, 2016 Moderator Share Posted February 16, 2016 3 minutes ago, Richard said: Was trying to show how many we needed for a first team of different systems either 1 or 2 up top I still think we'd struggle, to be honest. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briny_ear Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Too many young French imports...that's not why we're going down, this is going to get pinned on amavi/veretout/gueye and garde I think the key bit of that is "too many". No problem with French imports if they're good enough (although they have never done that well for Villa) but flooding the squad with players unfamiliar with the premier league and needing time to settle in was clearly a disastrous mistake. They have floundered for the majority of the season and, as Sunday showed, can still lose their grip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted February 16, 2016 Moderator Share Posted February 16, 2016 Rightly or wrongly it will be pinned on them though. It is the season we go down. It is the season we stock up on French players, ergo the perception will be that they're the problem. It's not that simple of course. Most of us know that, but in this day and age we do like simple explanations and that's the one they'll go with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I think there's a danger of our relegation being followed by a wave of xenophobia, which will be followed by a shout for English players and English managers who know the league and we really will be at risk of championship journeymen managed by another short term fix still on the downward spiral 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted February 16, 2016 Moderator Share Posted February 16, 2016 46 minutes ago, Richard said: Thats how I see it as either those not good enough may be got rid off (most of them), or those who think they are too good will arrange to leave (richards) or those who are too good will go (ayew). Thats before we even start looking for back up and its one of the reasons I'd play a lot more youth. Unfortunately, I don't think there's anyone in our current youth set up who is pressing for inclusion. Those that have the quality are 16-17 and not physically ready. We should be going into next season looking to buy half a dozen of the best young English and European footballers outside of the major clubs, in a similar way to what we did last summer - in about three seasons, we'd end up with a full squad. Hollis says no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMcKenna Posted February 16, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted February 16, 2016 (edited) 17 minutes ago, BOF said: Rightly or wrongly it will be pinned on them though. It is the season we go down. It is the season we stock up on French players, ergo the perception will be that they're the problem. It's not that simple of course. Most of us know that, but in this day and age we do like simple explanations and that's the one they'll go with. This is so true but as we have seen with the abuse Gabby, Bacuna etc etc have got, many fans blame the players/manager because they are the easiest target and targeting the French players is just another labelling blame game . That some are French or foreigners can be a useful splash of xenophobia. The idea that there are 'too many French' for me is bollox. However if it was expressed as too many players without PL experience or too many unproven players for me that would be more accurate. It has nothing to do the various the players nationalities. We simply do not have enough good players to support the inexperienced ones. Surrounded by more quality, I think the likes of Veretout would be outstanding, whereas the English players; Gabby, Westwood, Lescott are simply no longer good enough for the PL. Edited February 16, 2016 by MikeMcKenna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Zatman Posted February 16, 2016 Popular Post Share Posted February 16, 2016 for going down it will be the experienced "Premier League" players who get blame for me Guzan, Richards, Lescott, Westwood, Richardson, Sinclair who got us in this mess 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HanoiVillan Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 35 minutes ago, villa4europe said: I think there's a danger of our relegation being followed by a wave of xenophobia, which will be followed by a shout for English players and English managers who know the league and we really will be at risk of championship journeymen managed by another short term fix still on the downward spiral This is exactly what I'm afraid of, that we'll decide to solve the 'problem' by purchasing the likes of Karl Henry, Clint Hill and Marvin Sordell, and getting 'Arry to manage them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeMcKenna Posted February 16, 2016 VT Supporter Share Posted February 16, 2016 1 minute ago, Zatman said: for going down it will be the experienced "Premier League" players who get blame for me Guzan, Richards, Lescott, Westwood, Richardson, Sinclair who got us in this mess With hindsight I should have said 'not enough 'quality' experienced PL players'. That we acquired these so called experienced PL players you mention as a result of Lerners cost cutting strategy speaks volumes. Westwood should never have been bought from the lower leagues, Lescott was struggling at West Brom. Richardson is a journeyman who has lost whatever he had. Richards was stuck out in Italy and no other PL clubs wanted him and so on..... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Rag tag and bob tail squad of players assembled under 4 managers, not to some strategy but to make do and mend. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adbo9 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 IMO its not one set of players fault over others........... its a team game, and as a team weve not been good enough............... people keep blaming the French lads, but its not their fault totally, but I do believe they have been absolutely terrible signings. Ayew has had a handful of good performances, Gestede has been found wanting, Veretout for me has been a crock of shit and always looks pissed off like his chins on the floor and I wasn't overly into the Amavi hype either as he was by far the second coming, we were bottom of the league when he was playing afterall........... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted February 16, 2016 Moderator Share Posted February 16, 2016 47 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said: We should be going into next season looking to buy half a dozen of the best young English and European footballers outside of the major clubs, in a similar way to what we did last summer - in about three seasons, we'd end up with a full squad. Hollis says no. In about 3 seasons the telly parachute money will be gone. Given that a wholesale "go with youth" approach tends to be high risk, I think that's kind of not really the right idea (for me). Maybe that's not what you're saying? But anyway, I think the club needs to do what i always want, which is to be the best it can be with the resources available. Being the best it can be, means finishing as high as it can - which means aiming to win the Endsleigh league, or whatever it's called. Which means "not going with half a dozen babbies". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted February 16, 2016 Moderator Share Posted February 16, 2016 1 minute ago, blandy said: In about 3 seasons the telly parachute money will be gone. Given that a wholesale "go with youth" approach tends to be high risk, I think that's kind of not really the right idea (for me). Maybe that's not what you're saying? I'm not saying go with youth necessarily, but we won't be able to afford or attract good quality players in their mid twenties in the Championship. If we're going to come back up, then I think we need to be looking at players that are 20-23 with a hunger to do well, either for us or for themselves - a group that would still be useful if we did come back up. I'm acutely aware that the gap between our ambitions and the reality of our situation has been harmful to the club over the last half decade, particularly this season where we've bought players that were untested and a huge risk because we believed they'd have the potential to get us into the top ten rather than go out and buy a group of journeymen in their early thirties that would have kept us up, and I know that what I'm proposing is almost an extension of that, but I'd still rather us be a club with a plan and an ambition than one that does go out and buy the Karl Henry's of the footballing world in order to remain a safe proposition. We're near enough dead in the water, I'm happy for us to take a more risky strategy in the Championship. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adbo9 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Players that are sitting in the top 6 in the Championship include in their teams lads like Zamora, Gary Hooper, Joe Bennett, Tom Huddlestone and a load of Villa cast offs we deemed surplus................ The championship has nothing to fear if we can get the right man in charge and get the right players on board, which for a club of our stature and potential resource should be able to.................. its whether they stick with the current clown and most of the dross weve got playing for us.............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanky Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Watched the Leeds Middlesbrough game last night. Both teams looked far ahead of us in terms of pace and ability on the ball. Drastic changes of player personal needed in the summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa4europe Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 SSN doing figures about whois the fittest team unsurprisingly we are bottom of the list in terms of distance covered this season, its nothing to do with fitness though, its the first finger that should be pointed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I think we need to get rid of westwood thats for sure he is crap. gana wont stay but I would keep him and veretout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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