AVTuco Posted December 16, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted December 16, 2013 It might be worth remembering what Lambert said when the vultures were surrounding Benteke last season with a view to leaving the club: Lambert said: "Christian is a top lad, but outside influences can be pretty dangerous for any player. He’s a 22-year-old with a man’s physique, but without yet having developed a man’s brain" His recent form could be down to the fact that he is just 22 years old - 3 years younger than Clark, Albrighton and Herd, same age as Weimann and just a year older than Gardner and Baker - in just his second season in a top league, coming back from injury, struggling to find his form again in a poor side. I think we put so much expectation on him, yet forget how young he is sometimes. It happens when you hand in a transfer request and force the team to triple your salary. Expectations are justified. Think the payrise was on the table anyway, regardless of the transfer request IIRC. He fully deserved his pay bump and arguably could've got more elsewhere. Expectations of the hopeful are not the fault of the player going through poor form though. Yes, you're correct, transfer request was not needed to hike his pay. However, triple salary - much higher expectations. That's pretty clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandaq Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Agreed. If you have the nerve to lay in a transfer request after one season in top flight, then people will have expectations as well. It`s only fair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanBalaban Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Agreed. If you have the nerve to lay in a transfer request after one season in top flight, then people will have expectations as well. It`s only fair. Yeah, fair point to you and AVTuco too. Just as a possible insight, I'm pretty good friends with Steve Stone's daughter and have chatted to Steve about football and the Villa on many occasions. One thing he's made clear is that, even in his day, a footballer puts his full trust in his agent to effectively have to avoid thinking. Pretty much every career move is agent driven, he says. Anyway, chances are that Benteke's transfer request and subsequent withdrawal were most likely agent driven with very little thought from CB himself. Doesn't strike me as someone that's ready to step into the boardroom. Nothing to do with his poor form or relating to any specific post, just thought it was an interesting slant from a former professional footballer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilchard Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 The Belgium version of James Beattie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanBalaban Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 The Belgium version of James Beattie I don't think there will be too many queuing up to lamp him outside Sobar in Chinatown though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaIRE Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Even a Benteke on top form would still have trouble scoring the goals we crave with the minuscule amount of chances that have been created over the last few many games Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandaq Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Yeah I don`t think his head is turned or anything like that, he is just out of it right now. Service deserves a mention, but he has looked off his game. Then again, we don`t really know or ever will know if his head was turned. Would say so if he was off in January, I expect him to leave in the summer. But things are not really going that way at the moment but that can change quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Factory Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 The Belgium version of James Beattie As long as Lambert doesn't come out of the showers minus towel and gives him a glaswegian kiss, then I think he will be okay. What I have heard is this is first bad injury, and he is so scared of injurying himself to be out of the world cup, he is not putting himself on the pitch like of old. If that is the case, he needs a good talking too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Even a Benteke on top form would still have trouble scoring the goals we crave with the minuscule amount of chances that have been created over the last few many games You're right and you'd have a point, if the only problem was the lack of end product, but since he has come back in to the team he's been a disgrace. He tries to control the ball and it ends up 5 meters away, he's pushed off the ball by players half his size, and he jogs around like it's a friendly on the beach. Either his head has been turned and he's off in Jan, or he thinks that he's so good he can waste away doing **** all for a year and still get his big move after the World Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StanBalaban Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Even a Benteke on top form would still have trouble scoring the goals we crave with the minuscule amount of chances that have been created over the last few many games But a Benteke on top form would only need the chances we have created in order to get the goals. The header against Fulham, the penalty at Everton, and clean through on Howard twice IIRC, Marcy Marc's through ball against the plastic Mancs yesterday.... Last season he would've buried those. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 There's just no space for him. All balls are played to him with his back to goal and we have no players capable of taking the ball past players forcing degenderd to move and create space for our strikers. Weimman was pretty good at this last year. We're expecting him to control a 60 yard ball, beat two or three players and smash it home. Its a shame and I think we'll really regret this season in a few years when he's playing for a top team. We're wasting a truly quality player and we don't see many of them in a villa shirt anymore. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foreveryoung Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 I have to admit, although I cant see his top form, it looks like every team is marking him out the game. I remember last season teams were giving him far to much space! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaIRE Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 There's just no space for him. All balls are played to him with his back to goal and we have no players capable of taking the ball past players forcing degenderd to move and create space for our strikers. Weimman was pretty good at this last year. We're expecting him to control a 60 yard ball, beat two or three players and smash it home. Its a shame and I think we'll really regret this season in a few years when he's playing for a top team. We're wasting a truly quality player and we don't see many of them in a villa shirt anymore. This is mainly how I see things too - like last season, the way we play relies on a single striker on top form, scoring from half chances and the few clear cut chances we create. The fraction of goals he scored from our total goal tally last season is testament to this. Without players around him also in good form, the tactics just do not work. Weimann, for example, has offered so little this season. The second Benteke touches the ball this season he's under huge pressure (some have taken to fouling him during matches). We can all see he's not playing close to the standard of last season, his touch has been poor I admit, but the entire team must also share some of the blame. We need a Benteke getting on the end of crosses, using his height and strength here, and it's just not happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vandaq Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Belgian guy goes away, benteke is out of form. Happened at the same time as well. Might be onto something......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tayls Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 ....can't believe we have this guy on our books for another 4.5years on the money he is on! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 tbf, his first touch has been lacking this season, and he's looked to pass the ball rather than shoot far too often....and when he's had a shot, he's missed the mark...it's not all down to poor service and being marked out of games, etc. he's struggling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeyp102 Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 Lilly savage has done a write up in him. Obviously from that word removed it isn't very good. Only interesting stat was that he is getting virtually the same amount of chances than last yr (just over 2 per game). Last season everything he hit turned to gold, this yr its just not working. He will come good again I'm sure of it. He is starting to make intelligent runs again, just needs the right pass Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSV Posted December 16, 2013 Share Posted December 16, 2013 (edited) hes young and hes still learning. Hes probably just as frustrated as his form as we are. Teams are smarter and are defending against him better and he hasnt figured out how to beat it. This along with a loss of confidence. It will come back.. he just needs a goal..scrappy or even a penalty.. once he gets that he will be back. Just have to hang in there.. dropping him didnt work.. keep him out there till he scores. Edited December 16, 2013 by KSV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwivillan Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 I blame KEA 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
privateer Posted December 17, 2013 Share Posted December 17, 2013 I blame KEA I blame MON. The word removed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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