26 Dec 2021 20:12:04
Good side Chelsea no denying,but I honestly feel,we gave that away today .Our decision making all over the field today,was rubbish .Why is it that when Mings,is up against a big strong C/F,he has to try and prove he is stronger .Against somebody like Lakaku this doesn't work,you have to be as smart as him and don't give him any room .Sansom didn't look out of place,but god we missed Ginny .Don't know what's going on with Ollie, his anticipation seems to have gone out the window and his passing has got even worse .Except for the pen,Cash had a good game and Targett on the other side was just as good .
At least we have a break before Brentford and hopefully Stevie G,back at the reigns .
Onwards&Upwards Villaforever
26 Dec 2021 20:38:57
DaveD, agree with everything you say, my concern is total lack of goal threat, pretty footbal at times with no end finish. Ings and Watkins just don't work for me, i don't have a solution but i'm sure Stevie G has. I can't see what Traore provides other than constantly turn in to trouble, i appreciate we were chasing the game, however Trez would in my opinion be a better option. We obviously missed Mcginn but thought the midfield did a decent job just didn't provide any goal threat. Lukaku was the only difference between the two sides and he punished us for sloppy play, still positives and with a couple of January additions we will comfortably be top half side
26 Dec 2021 20:42:05
Dave mings showed again today why were looking for a new cb. The 2nd goal was down to him full stop. He had a yard on lukaku but didn't attack yhe cross. On his heels while lukaku was on his toes. At least he's out the next game.
26 Dec 2021 20:59:56
Agree I think mings ings and buendia shouldn’t be part of the team moving forward. Buendia gives the ball away way to much. Mings just has too many mistakes in him. Ings is past it for me should have had a couple today instead he tried to cut back and gave the defenders time to block. Watkins is the man for me! UTV
26 Dec 2021 21:04:28
Dave my son and I both said we thought Trez would of come on first,we know he hasent had much game time,but nobody works harder .
Onwards&Upwards Villaforever
27 Dec 2021 00:30:22
We played against the European champions and gave them a decent game whilst looking a bit out our depth, which is pretty much par for the course. Yes Mings could've done better for the goal but unless we're going to replace him with an elite centre back (if you can think of one we've got a realistic chance of signing then fair play) but we need to get to grips with the fact he's going to come up short against some of the top teams, like most our players.
This reactive mentality of needing someone's head every time we lose is getting really boring. We're a mid table team who are looking to progress over time.
If you think bringing on Trezeguet would've made us any better then you clearly are seeing something that neither any of Gerrard's team see or me, because he's not very good.
We're improving as a team and playing decent football, We're just not ready to compete at that level.
27 Dec 2021 10:09:33
I absolutely agree DBS we are a mid table premiership side on the up and I really don’t get why a lot of people on here seem to have a real downer on Mings he is a member of the England squad for god sake, ok he has the odd rick in him and the occasional bad game but doesn’t everyone I think we need to get off his back. Six games in I think we are getting more of an idea about how Gerrard wants to play, he wants work rate, high energy and to press the opposition higher up the pitch, that being the case I think that gives us an idea of who we might be getting rid of next month. I think the likes of El Ghazi and Traore will be shipped out as the work rate of both isn’t good enough,Hause because his contract is coming to an end and it looks like the new regime doesn’t fancy him. Wesley and Davis will be gone if the current rumours are to be believed I also think that Ings might also be on his way I can see no evidence that he and Watkins can operate together as a two and I don’t think his game is suited to running the channels and playing the lone striker role. An interesting month ahead me thinks.
27 Dec 2021 12:05:21
I think people are confusing honest observations with calling for heads. Everyone agrees its work in progress, some of us are merely pointing out weaknesses that need to be addressed so we can imorove. Stevie G will be seeing exactly what we are seeing and he will address this. Whether fans like it or not players will be moving on because they simply don't fit in and hopefully any new additions are much better than those they replace. I just hope we don't repeat purchaseses like Ings, Traore, Wesley Samatta and we get a quality striker to complement Ollie.
27 Dec 2021 13:05:42
It's not confusion Scotcaffu. There is a distinct difference in commenting on a players performance, pointing out where he could've done better etc versus phrases like "Mings showed again today why were looking for a new cb" and "I think mings ings and buendia shouldn’t be part of the team moving forward". Now it's fair enough if that's how people think, i just happen to disagree, but that is calling for players heads.
If we were competing for the title and one or two players were consistently letting us down then I could understand, but my point is that we're a mid table team (hopefully higher soon) so by definition, our results and players player performances are going to be inconsistent. Calling for players to be sold/dropped when we're playing well and only dropping points against the top 3 just seems a bit reactionary and short sighted to me.
27 Dec 2021 20:31:06
DBS to move on and improve we need consistency and mings hasn't got that. When you compare mings to konza my point I think is proven
27 Dec 2021 21:05:31
Certain people are still picking on certain players though. Like DBS has said, who better or more consistent than Mings can we realistically get?
People are always praising Cash but for me he only becomes decent if he stops throwing his legs at everything under the sun. I think Targett is the better full back of the 2 but others are saying he is the weak link.
Ings seemed an unbelievable surprise signing but doesn't fit our style of play at all. Buendia at least tries to play the right ball but isn't coming off right now and I still think El ghazi offers more in an attacking sense than people give him credit for.
27 Dec 2021 21:22:48
Whose better and available?
27 Dec 2021 22:38:13
Agree Lord. Dunk is the only one I'd consider and he would cost at least as much as Mings did without being a considerable upgrade. Until we get into the top 6 even as a one off I don't really see an outright definitive upgrade on any position that is attainable for the long term other than maybe ward prowse.
28 Dec 2021 11:02:05
Everyone slaughtering ings should maybe take into consideration if our full backs could deliver a decent cross into an area for him to attack it would be a different story.
Watkins has become very selfish too
How many times this season have we got into good positions only for cash who has allegedly been unreal this season to overhit a cross or hit the first man and same with targett.
It's all good slamming ings but he's a finished and between cash, targett and buendia they can't deliver a decent pass or create a decent opportunity.
28 Dec 2021 13:11:38
Dan I am not slaughtering Ings I think he is a really good player particularly in a side that plays to his strengths, however we don’t do that so for me if Ings is to become effective we either have to change the way we play, or ask players to play in what are not necessarily a preferred position ie Watkins playing out wide which given the fact he has got into the England squad playing through the middle I don’t think he will want to do, and I can’t see us changing how we play, therefore that being the case then I think we have to sacrifice either Watkins or Ings and buy someone more suited to the way we play and if I have to make that choice then I am afraid it’s Ings who has to make way.
29 Dec 2021 02:11:16
If we had two full backs who could deliver the ball into dangerous areas regularly then ings would score goals regularly.
Thing is you say we won't change our style to suit him but we are already playing a style to suite him, the issue is the full backs can't deliver the ball into dangerous areas regular and Buendia is struggling to make the killer passes.
As we know goals win games, winning games puts us higher and higher up the league, we have a proven goalscorer in our ranks who's legal between the penalty spot and goal line.
All we need is players who can pick dangerous areas out, not pin point cross time after time just get defenders facing their own keeper in the box.
I think we are playing a style that suits ings just what's around him is doing him no favours
29 Dec 2021 09:42:19
If we play 2 up top then I am assuming we have to sacrifice a body in midfield, we already know that we are often too soft in the middle of the park and teams can and have played through us, link that with the way Gerrard seems to want to play with 2 attacking full backs high up the pitch then I think our centre backs would be far too exposed if we adopted this approach. If we signed a top quality defensive midfielder then it might be different but at the moment I don’t see us changing.