17 Jul 2020 00:07:38
1st time posting, long time reading. We've been down since lock down. I'm forever the optimist but failing to win tonight was probably the straw that broke the camels back. Grealish holds onto the ball too long, McGinn lacks match fitness, El Gahzi lacks testicular fortitude and the defence lacks awareness. If somehow we could've scrambled to safety we may have been able to add quality in the transfer window. All the clamour for Louie Barry to start or even feature is ridiculous. Now's the time to hope for the best but accept that we are sadly lacking the nous to survive. Sell Mings, McGinn, Grealish and reluctantly Luiz, reinvest in the squad and maybe we'll have enough to bounce back.
17 Jul 2020 09:08:17
Agree mate, I hope we have plans in place for the transfer window so we can act fast - We need to target players who will eventually be premiership standard, who maybe just need another season in the championship. Also, we need a new manager.
17 Jul 2020 10:55:51
You're right about El Karzi - he has the heart of a sparrow, people say there was no point sacking Smith and bringing in a new manager because he wouldn't get a reaction, I disagree, like Villa4eva and others like me have said before, someone like Neil Warnock would have given us a massive chance of pulling off survival, if proof be needed, he's walked into the goal-shy poor defence ridden Middlesborough team and got them winning within 2 games, because even though he may not play 'sexy' football, he knows how to put a team together with what he's got, AND HE MAKES IT WORK AGAIN AND AGAIN, if he was available this summer I'd at least interview him, but of course we're far too big a club to even contemplate that-but you never know, his great 'I'm not changing my systemness' may do a Houdini, it's all on the Arsenal game now, nothing to worry about then!
17 Jul 2020 10:37:48
Bucktoothwonder, welcome aboard mate.
I agree with all you have said, up to the point about Barry.
Why do you think giving Barry a run out is ridiculous, all is lost, and I have no doubt that if he was asked he would love the chance.
Other teams blood very young players, and get credited for unearthing a gem, we leave them to rot, and then let them go for nothing.
We then read further down the line, how well they are doing, and they are being watched by several top clubs.
That to me is ludicrous, and its about time it stopped, we never learn.
17 Jul 2020 11:52:57
Bucktoothwonder I wish I had come up with testicular fortitude as a quote I think I might use it myself unless you’ve patented it 😂😂.
17 Jul 2020 12:31:36
How many players from our youth team have not had a chance at villa and gone on to bigger and better things Dave?
17 Jul 2020 15:01:35
Chris how about Daniel Sturridge, Gary Cahill and if you go back a it further Brian McClair.
17 Jul 2020 15:41:57
As John has pointed out above, plus
Barry Bannan, Scotland International.
Steve Davis, Capain Northern Ire.
Marc Albrighton,
Peter whitingham, a legend at Cardiff.
All became better players when they left Villa, the point I am trying to make is that we don`t give them much time to establish themselves in the first team, and its a shame.
17 Jul 2020 15:45:56
Just remembered Alan Clarke of Leeds, told he was too small.
17 Jul 2020 16:28:24
The question was players who didn’t have a chance at villa who went on to bigger and better things, so far you haven’t named any from the last 10 years.
Barry Bannan 64 appearances for Villa (more than just a chance) has one decent season, deemed not good enough, moved on to play majority in the championship where he has been for the last 5 years, think that’s what they call “finding your levelâ€. Lovely lad, has nothing but praise for Villa, but ultimately not good enough for what we need, correct decision to let go.
Steven Davis 94 appearances at Villa, good player, unfortunately for him he wasn’t better than what we had at the time but still got more than his fair share of game time. Best part of his career was in the Scottish league, came back to England with Southampton and helped them get back up, unfortunately found game time very hard to come by once they established themselves in the prem. once again proved that he wasn’t ready to be a premier league regular at the time and hasn’t proved that since, correct decision from Villa.
Marc Albrighton 86 appearances for Villa, a regular at one point and fan favourite. Unfortunately one mans arrogance led to him leaving, Lambert treated Albrighton like dirt, wanted him gone and what were the club to do, step in and start telling the manager who to play? They do that down the road, don’t think it works to well. Never the right decision and I’m glad it hasn’t stopped Albrighton still coming to watch us, but that wasn’t down to club, that was manager at the time.
Cahill was here when we had two of our best centre backs in the last 20 years, but the decision to sell him was another crap one like Albrighton, but at the time what MON asked for is what MON got.
This clamour for holding on to players who we are told are the next big thing but achieve next to nothing in the youth team or reserve leagues is mental. If they was good enough they would be playing. O’Hare is 22 and has probably been here training with the first team under 4 managers, not one has played him regular, does that not tell you something? The same with Hepburn-Murphy.
We have to look at where we realistically want to be, mid table prem minimum. We haven’t sold a player who has came through our youth team who hasn’t been given a chance here, who has gone on to do that in the last 10 years, that’s not opinion, that’s fact.
The last group to achieve something serious for our youth teams was the next gen champions league winners, Grealish, Burke, Callum Robinson etc. Grealish is the only one still here, and going on the rest of their careers, for good reason. This obsession with the youth team players playing even if they haven’t showed anything to prove they are good enough, has to stop.
17 Jul 2020 16:33:21
Since the restart neither Samatta or Davis has managed a goal between them, so let’s face it Barry couldn’t of done any worse!
So explain to me please why it’s ridiculous to consider him for a place in let’s face it is a very average team.
17 Jul 2020 16:58:05
I am just trying to make a point that players at VP, are restricted.
Its a point of view chris.
I am not going to try and justify it, that is how I see it.
I have named a few players who in my opinion would of improved Villa somewhat, they all settled and improved their game on leaving VP.
17 Jul 2020 16:59:58
Spot on Mark, what is the problem with all of this, all we want to see is Barry in anger. ?
17 Jul 2020 17:14:48
I'll jump in on this one gents and say that I'm hoping the " next generation " will be allowed to go out on loan at 16-17 years old and experience mens football then if after 1 or 2 seasons show promise brought back into the fold, unless fast tracked to the 1st team. Villa can still monitor their progress wherever they are and it'll be a step up from playing u23 teams. Furthermore this nonsense about being allowed to train with the 1st team is ridiculous, they should all train in the same group and be well versed in whatever style Villa decide on. Hopefully the sweeping changes Purslow spoke about will bear fruit and we can produce our own stars of the future instead of raiding foreign leagues for players that struggle to adapt.
17 Jul 2020 17:43:31
I’m just pointing out Dave, that even if they did improve themselves as players, did they improve to the level we need them to be? And on literally 99% of occasions, they haven’t, it’s a shame, but that is fact, the proof is there in their individual careers.
Your very level headed and 9/ 10 I can’t argue with you because you make sense, but on this one, I can’t get my head round it, and your not alone in your view point at all. I just can’t work it out. We’ll put this in with the benteke one😂 although after the other night, Benteke still has something but my god he’s turned into an ahole.
17 Jul 2020 17:54:09
I think you’re right Moose and we kind of touched on this before when it was mentioned that we have a good relationship with Walsall. Maybe that would be a good starting point for any of our promising youngsters and with them being just up the road, it would be easy for our club’s management / owners to monitor their progress.
17 Jul 2020 18:17:18
Walsall would be perfect Mark we both agreed on that point. We have to start thinking long term.
A point that kind of brought the situation home was last night. Everton brought on the young centre half Branthwaite, I know technically they had nothing riding on the game but we did and he performed exceptionally well, so when you see situations like that it raises questions as to why we can't do similar.
If we're relegated and the expected exodus happens, with 1 eye on FFP ( nobody really knows how we stand despite comments from the powers that be plus the EFL probably waiting for their chance) it would be a refreshing change to have at least 1 or 2 of "our own " prove their worth.
17 Jul 2020 18:48:25
Walsall would have to agree to it if course, playing 4 or 5 16 / 17 year old players on a regular basis might be a big ask, but it would have to be part of the agreement that they get regular game time, otherwise there would be little point.
In order to allay fears of falling foul of FFP we have to be more self sufficient and simply have to find the solution.
We have to make it an attractive proposition for talented youngsters to come to this club, they must be able to see a structured route to first team football.
Do we have that at the moment, I would suggest that we don’t and the most recent example of that is the release of Callum O’hare.
Young players will surely reflect on that, the most promising player of his generation got a handful of opportunities and in the end was just discarded.
17 Jul 2020 18:49:19
Thank you for that chris, the feeling is mutual mate, even though it might not seem that way.
I agree, we will put it in the Benteke locker 😂😂
Like your post though chris, very in depth mate.