Demitri_C Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 We have been selected for SKY for Barnsley away and Forest at home. If we are going to be up for promotion we are certainly going to have to be better on SKY games. You also know they are going to show our game at the sty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted July 19, 2017 Moderator Share Posted July 19, 2017 I'm more surprised the televised Forest game is at Villa Park. Wonders never cease. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 20 minutes ago, BOF said: I'm more surprised the televised Forest game is at Villa Park. Wonders never cease. I know the amount of away games last season was absolutely ridiculous, like they wanted to see us lose Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roonst83 Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 1 hour ago, Demitri_C said: I know the amount of away games last season was absolutely ridiculous, like they wanted to see us lose Am still yet to see us win on Sky in my new house so hopefully a home game may give us a better chance. Although we couldn't beat Forest at home last year on Sky so who knows. The first vill game on Sky I watched at home last season was Brentford. I'd been away in Jersey for work and had finished around 4pm. I rushed to the airport, all the flights were delayed by a couple of hours but I sweet-talked the BA girl in the club lounge to et me on the earlier flight. Landed, rushed to get the train from Gatwick back home via the tube. Made it just in time and was absolutely buzzing. Had my dinner ready, beer on the go and the Villa boys ready tor rock on my new Samsung TV. 2-0 down by HT and I just remember sitting back on my sofa,hea din my hands feeling deflated. Typical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted July 19, 2017 Share Posted July 19, 2017 2 hours ago, Demitri_C said: I know the amount of away games last season was absolutely ridiculous, like they wanted to see us lose Can seem like that can't it It will be based on viewing figures though mate and I'd imagine we were right up there with Newcastle and Leeds last season and with Newcastle now gone they may well want to show us even more often. Away games are likely to draw higher viewing figures than the home ones as you have around 30k more Villa fans attending the homes games than go away many of whom will want to watch it on the box. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted July 20, 2017 Moderator Share Posted July 20, 2017 So we have the keeper. We have the centre back. We have the cover for / competition for Jedinak and the cover / competition for Adomah. What next? We've strikers out the wazoo. It would seem like we've Green, Barney & Jack on the left. Is that enough? Can Albert play left if Elmo is on the right? I think we need a creative midfielder. Other than Lansbury and Hourihane I don't think we've anything else in there unless you re-purpose Grealish, and that's a risk in a season where promotion is vital. Obviously it depends on who's leaving too. Maybe another LB if Amavi goes, even though De Laet can probably cover that, and assuming Bruce isn't going with a back 3. Next few moves will be interesting mainly because it's the first time I'll have no idea where we're looking. But I think the promotion charge is coming together Slowly slowly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 There will be a number of outs and I don't see too many more players coming in but I think regardless of anymore incomings we have the best squad in the division on paper. it is now down to the manager to ensure that is shown on the pitch. If we can play to our potential we'll finish top 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 we have plenty of options in midfield / forward, how they all go together is going to be interesting. Green, Gabby, Hourihane, Whelan, Jedinak, Lansbury, Adomah, Elmohamady, Grealish, with Bacuna, Gardner and Tishbola still around. Given that we are dominated by Kodja up top, we also have to fit in Hogan and possibly McCormack if he's going to be involved too. The defensive back 5 is more predictable: Johnstone; Taylor, Chester Terry, Hutton / Bree, with Baker and Samba ( assuming ) as more obvious back ups. I have no idea how we are planning on lining up. Is Grealish going to break through and young Green? If so, that leaves 2/3 ( if Kodja is alone up top ) from Hourihane, Jedinak, Lansbury, Adomah, Elmohamady, Hogan and McCormack also to fit in. If they aren't - and you assume Elmohamady and Whelan will be on that first team sheet, they who get's picked will reflect how ambitious we will be going forward. In which case I reckon Jack had better find a new club. We have squad options though that most other clubs will be envious of, so we can have no excuses, barring an unprecedented crisis event, for not having the tools on the pitch to do the job. Despite my reservoir of skepticism that has built up over the past few months I desperately hope Bruce can get it right early on as I think we simply cannot afford to have wholesale changes again. So we need to win games regularly, and that is going to require some dynamism. We can go central or wide. I think our most attacking line up that we would plausibly put out would be Johnstone; Elmo, Terry, Chester, Taylor; Adomah Lansbury Grealish Hourihane, Green / Gabby with Kodja up - dropping both Whelan and Jedinak, which is probably unlikely. Or do we go very narrow: Jedinak; Lansbury Whelan, Hourinane; Grealish Kodja, McCormack / Adomah. This is hard - we will have decent players missing out. I think Elmo is going to be playing right back, if not, and he's in midfield, then at least two of our new signings of the past year have no place in the first eleven. If Bruce goes very dour, then both Jedi and Whelan go ahead of the back line and we then have 4 spots left for Lansbury, Grealish, Green, Hourihane, Adomah, Kodja, Hogan, McCormack, Gabby. Which seems unlikely. I think Bree is going to struggle for game time, and I'm concerned about Hogan - all that investment, and is he even going to start for us? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 shit, forgot about Bjarnasson and de Laet too :/ our squad is big. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOF Posted July 20, 2017 Moderator Share Posted July 20, 2017 8 minutes ago, Rodders said: we have plenty of options in midfield / forward, how they all go together is going to be interesting. Green, Gabby, Hourihane, Whelan, Jedinak, Lansbury, Adomah, Elmohamady, Grealish, with Bacuna, Gardner and Tishbola still around. I have no idea how we are planning on lining up. Is Grealish going to break through and young Green? If so, that leaves 2/3 ( if Kodja is alone up top ) from Hourihane, Jedinak, Lansbury, Adomah, Elmohamady, Hogan and McCormack also to fit in. If they aren't - and you assume Elmohamady and Whelan will be on that first team sheet, they who get's picked will reflect how ambitious we will be going forward. In which case I reckon Jack had better find a new club. When I said I didn't think we had anything other than Lansbury or Hourihane in the middle, I meant creatively, and players who are any good (IMO). So Bacuna and Gardner don't count. Whelan and Jedinak have the defensive element sorted. Lyden too. Green, Adomah, Elmohamady, Jack & Barney are predominantly wide men and Gabby is a forward, although obviously I use that term loosely. Tshibola I don't expect will be here when all's said and done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 Oh yeah that's fine, I was just generally musing on the squad size, it wasn't a specific response to posts above really. I hadn't really reflected on how large our squad had become. I was listing all the players together because I'm still trying to work out how we incorporate the additions into an eleven that brings out the best in what we have. Agreed we're definitely looking solid defensively. In theory we do have that mix of width and central players but there's going to be plenty of good options on the bench. A good problem to have I guess. Yeah, I don't expect Tish, Bacuna or Gardner to be around come 1st September, to be fair. Is Grealish through the middle worth exploring if you have the sturdier bulk behind him? It means likely just playing one forward up top but maybe that's a way forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Vive_La_Villa Posted July 20, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted July 20, 2017 I've slapped a ton on promotion and £50 on top 2 so they better deliver!! 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jareth Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 Had the pleasure of a night out with an ex-footballer / Man Citeh fan t'other night (I say pleasure..). He thought Villa were clear favourites to go up, and I said fair enough but we've had 6 seasons of decline - I can't be optimistic. That was my heart talking, my head says we will go up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 all the bookmakers seem to think we are favourites as well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazzap24 Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 1 minute ago, Zatman said: all the bookmakers seem to think we are favourites as well So they should. We should expect to win this league. We have the best squad and an experienced manager who's proven at this level. They need to deliver. For the first time in years, everything is in place for an Aston Villa team to be the best in the league. That's a pretty big deal imo. I know it's the second tier, but we'd all love it if we won the thing and we are in prime position to do it. The 'charge' needs three main thing imo; Bruce to give the attack minded players the freedom to play, the players to puff their collective chests out and find their bollocks and a good start. We could steamroll this division. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshVilla Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 (edited) I think Middlesbrough will be our main competitors Edited July 20, 2017 by AshVilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonIsAPlaceOnEarth Posted July 20, 2017 Share Posted July 20, 2017 Very much looking forward to august. I think our biggest rivals will be Fulham (if they hold on to their talent) and Wolves. That said neither of those two has the experience or depth we possess. there really are no excuses for not going up at the very least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoelVilla Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Looking at the squad now and I think we done a good window so far. If we get it together we will be very hard to beat and that is a huge thing to turn our decline around. It would be nice with more creativity because we lack a little in the final end but we can challenge for automatic promotion as it looks right now. Look forward to it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrentVilla Posted July 21, 2017 Moderator Share Posted July 21, 2017 18 hours ago, markavfc40 said: There will be a number of outs and I don't see too many more players coming in but I think regardless of anymore incomings we have the best squad in the division on paper. it is now down to the manager to ensure that is shown on the pitch. If we can play to our potential we'll finish top 2. One more at most, as a loan unless anything really unexpected happens. I agree, there are no excuses to be had with this squad. It's all on Bruce's head now... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demitri_C Posted July 21, 2017 Share Posted July 21, 2017 Yeah I agree if we dont go up it will be all on Bruce. He has no excuses. Also there is no reason why this side cant score goals either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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