16 Apr 2022 21:24:14
Obviously no game for us for a couple of weeks, next up Leicester, if we should lose this i can't see us finishing outside the bottom six. So the reason we are in the wrong end of the table, worst record of any team over the last four games, zero points, only three other teams have lost more games than us this entire season. Our wage bill is top six and our position is bottom six. What on earth is happening. Two managers, two coaching teams same abject failure. So it's obvious we haven't got the quality of players, so have we got average players with fight to make up for the lack of quality? if we have i'm not seeing it. Over the last few years we must have wasted nearly 200 mill on dross this can't continue, the loyal faithful won't stand it. So what needs to change, stop buying average players for top money, ie Bailey, Ings. Get a players buyer selection team made up of a panel that know what they are doing and employ a ruthless appointment with football nouse overseeing the owners interests and stop the endless purchases of championship quality players. This is turning out to be a disappointing season, this should be the last based on what we have spent. hence my proposals for a significant change in player recruitment.
17 Apr 2022 09:07:54
I agree that our performances aren’t good enough scottcafu but I don’t agree the solution so what makes you think a buyer selection team is going to be anymore successful than the current approach? In fact too many people being involved in the decision making process in any organisation is more likely to lead to disaster rather than anything else. Also your assertion that Ings and Bailey are dross is unfair, you only have to look at there records at other clubs to see that’s not the case, Bailey as a winger is inconsistent but his record at Leverkusen was good it’s just injuries have impacted his time with us, with Ings he just doesn’t suit the way we play that’s not his fault and doesn’t make him a bad player I think his purchase was made to deflect the fans attention from the sale of Grealish. I think the solution is to allow the manager time to instill his ideas on his team as yet this isn’t his team he has started the transition by bringing in Coutinho and Digne but we all know we need strengthening in a number of positions notably a defensive midfielder and a quality striker once we have done that then it will be more like Gerrard’s team and at that time we can judge him more accurately but he has been in post for less than 6 months we need to give the man a fair crack of the whip for Christ’s sake.
17 Apr 2022 13:04:04
Think the problem is we signed players at the beginning of the season to play in a Smiths 433, we were playing well enough but not getting the points we perhaps should have, hit a blip, Gerrard comes in, starts well then changes the system to what he wants, all of a sudden we're not playing with wide attackers (which we have loads of) it makes the squad look unbalanced and now we hit the skids. It's exactly the same pattern as the beginning of the season. Question is should Gerrard get the sack if we lose 5 in a row like Smith did?
17 Apr 2022 16:29:55
Absolutely not we pressed the exit button to soon on Smith in my opinion, we don’t want to compound that error again. I think Gerrard has quite rightly got the full backing from the top and even if we finish fourth from bottom will not be sacked, when oh when will our fan base hold there nerve and show some patience Gerrard has to be given time to bring in his players instil his ideas and only then can he be properly held to account for results.
17 Apr 2022 16:51:38
Anything less than 3 points against Norwich and we lose the first of 2 against Burnley he can't be given that chance as we actually are then in danger from out of nowhere.
A good manager needs to make use of what he has until he can make those changes. It's all well and good saying you don't have the players for your system but the argument is that you need to temporarily change or whose bright idea was it bringing you in in the first place?
It's starting to feel like when Palace tried to change everything under de boer. We weren't a tiki taka team and we played wide rather than narrow so it was naive to try flick a switch mid season unless January was going to be more productive.
17 Apr 2022 18:46:09
RK, the reality is we don't know if Gerrard is a good manager (at Villa) or not. You can say "a good manager would do X,Y,Z" but what does that actually mean? Surely its all relative? Yes, you could put Pep or Kloop (world class managers) in charge of this Villa squad and they would most likely have us further up the table but not dramatically, not until they have time to put their stamp on the team. I don't really understand what you (and some Villa fans want) in the short term, do you want him to scrap his football philosophy and adopt his playing style? If so,to what end? Gerrard, temporarily change your style to get a tune out of some players that won't be with Villa long term and who 90% of Villa fans bemoun on a weekly basis, just so the fans are slightly happier and we have a few extra points on the board? I'd much prefer he sticks to his approach and weeds out the players that simply aren't good enough for him and Villa long term - He has to be given time, to judge a manager after 5 months is ridiculous, let's have this conversation in 12 months when we have some perspective.
17 Apr 2022 18:48:58
I will bet you anything you like irrespective of what happens between now and the end of the season Gerrard will remain in charge. We have already seen the type of player he can attract that’s one of the reasons he got the job the board are not going to cut him loose anytime soon
17 Apr 2022 19:16:03
It's a results business at the end of the day and while it's unlikely there is still an outside chance of being dragged into a relegation battle especially with our form.
I wasn't suddenly expecting us to challenge for Europe but the drop off has been alarming. When you still need points to guarantee being in the league your manager absolutely should be setting up in a way that gets those points with the players at his disposal.
Do we really want to be in a position where we need points from our last 3 games? That's asking for trouble.
Most high end managers either make gradual changes if going to a team that played differently or clubs sign managers that closely fit their current philosophy. Gerrard could easily have seen in training whether the players had the skill sets to adapt to what he needed before making the change in the summer.
17 Apr 2022 19:51:12
Spot on BK Gerrard as with all managers needs to be given time and the tools to mould the squad into how he wants them to play, he has started the transition but it is going to take one maybe two transfer windows for the full transition to take place, if you look at teams like Watford and to a certain extent Everton who have changed managers fairly regularly what have they achieved? And how successful are they? The indications in terms of the players we can attract is good we just need to show some patience which is not something Villa fans are known for regrettably.
17 Apr 2022 19:52:55
RK, I'm sure you've played club football in the past (as most of us have), game day is an entirely different beast to training, it's not simply about being able to adapt to a formation or style of play, the players also need to have a certain mentality and that is only evident during a match. I think we need to get through this season, revitalise the squad in the summer, address the gaping imbalance and then see what Gerrard is made of. As I said, let's reconnect in 12 months, for what it's worth I'm not 100% convinced of Gerrard either but he deserves a pre-season and summer window before he should be judged, as Ings said above he will attract a different calibre of player to Villa now and if the club can deliver these players there will be no excuses next season.
17 Apr 2022 21:15:01
I get where you're coming from BK but skills and mentality are very different things.
The squad is made up primarily of players whose strengths are being direct and physical. Digne, Doug, Coutinho and Buendia are the only ones who are genuinely technical. Gerrard is essentially trying to make a racehorse compete in dressage, the players aren't exacting enough with their passes to keep the ball in long intricate sequences.
I'm all for evolving the team but until the right mix of players are available or the current ones can carry out the plan effectively then it should have been a case of carrying out drills that build the skillsets while setting up on matchday to focus on the strengths available at the time.
17 Apr 2022 23:02:52
I think if we had genuinely been in a relagation scrap RK Gerrard would have had to adapt his approach and get the best from what he has but my guess is his remit this season was "tell us who you want to keep and who you want to sell"! I'm not saying I agree with that but my gut is telling me Gerrard doesn't care if he can't get the best from this current squad and wants to build his own long term. If the rumours are true that 7 or 8 of the first team squad could be sold in the summer then we could have a very different starting 11 in August, it's a huge risk (even this season, as you say we aren't 100% safe) as there are no guarantees but Gerrard will be judged on next season. I just hope we can resolve the imbalance in the squad and bring in some genuine quality, I'm convinced we are on the verge of having a very good squad and it'll be on Gerrard to deliver next season.
18 Apr 2022 00:19:03
The last time we made wholesale changes to the squad in the summer Tim Sherwood was in charge. Look what happened then! We can't keep changing 8 players every season. We'll see what the Leicester game brings, I'd like Ramsey to be given a rest with Sansom coming in for him.
18 Apr 2022 07:21:23
The last time would have been the first season back, no? Only just survived but not sure keeping the promotion squad together (including loans) would have made any difference.
Hopefully Leicester will be saving players for Roma 5 days later and we can put this behind us immediately and start focusing on preparation for next season.
If we secure it against Leicester or Norwich I'd like Gerrard to try experiment with a completely different setup for a few games just so he can have a trusted plan B later. He should then also start a couple of the youngsters like Tim and Ben (possibly Chucky depending on how much we want to keep him). Maybe not every game because we need to hold the value of whoever is heading out of the door but cleverly in every other game so it looks like rest and rotation during the busy last few weeks.
18 Apr 2022 09:26:25
I don’t understand all the negativity around where we are currentlly. If you look at the squad now compared to the squad we had the first season after promotion it’s like comparing chalk and cheese we have better quality players a number of whom are attracting the interest of clubs like Arsenal, Roma, Dortmund, Athletico Madrid and Juventus all for bigger fees than we paid for them so I am not sure why some seem to think our recruitment has been dross, the likes of AEG, Trez et al helped stabilise the club when we were initially promoted but were never going to be the ones to take us to the next level and it’s time to thank them for there efforts and move on. In terms of the manager time will tell but I think he has a winners mentality and expects the same from his players, he has already determined what needs to be done and who will be staying and who will be going in my opinion, and he will undoubtedly bring a better quality of player to the club we have seen that already we just need to give him time I think we have more reasons to be confident than not we are in a much better place than a lot of our competitors
18 Apr 2022 13:12:51
Loti, if"we have far better players" why don't the results, performances and league position reflect this. Of course the manager needs time and i think you are confusing negatively with frustration.Most of us expected more, hence the air of disappointment.Im sure we are safe barring a miracle when one of the bottom four win nearly every game and we flop. Of course we judge the manager when he has got the players he wants and next season will be judgement time, it still doesn't take away the poor and disappointing end to our season.
18 Apr 2022 15:55:22
There are a number of reasons why results aren’t better, firstly we lost our best player and have had to change the way we play, secondly we changed manager mid stream and he wants to play a different way to the previous encumbent thirdly we are not always playing players in there best positions for example playing McGinn to deep and Buendia wide and finally I don’t think the manager knows his best formation or XI with the players at his disposal and consequently our results reflect this.
18 Apr 2022 17:53:27
I think some of our players just can’t handle the pressure, some of them excelled last year in empty stadiums like konsa for instance, great last year but rubbish this year, not fond of his attitude either for me he sulks to much, can’t carry himself and has an air of impetulance about him, mings has his mistakes which we point out whenever he makes them but there’s a reason why he’s in the international setup he’s a better defender over the coarse of the season, I would like to see a European or South American defender playing alongside him, but for the next few games I want to see chambers get a chance instead of konsa.
someone referred to Doug as technical but I can’t see it, he doesn’t have a good dead ball delivery but he seems to take most of them, don’t set up many chances and I know guys will say he plays to deep but he gets lots of chances to get forward when we are on top in a game, personally I can’t wait till he’s gone he’s far to arrogant and thinks he’s much better than he actually is, maginn is twice the player on his worst day.
guys mentioned that our squad is much better than it was but I don’t see it, it’s marginally better and with the games we have left we look like finishing 16th or 17th, so is it really better than last year I can’t see it, it’s a bit better than our first year back in the PL and that first year back we said players would improve with PL experience but they haven’t really apart from a few of them. we are dreaming if we think 7 or 8 new players will push us on to Europe cause they will take time to settle in and that’ll be the excuse for the first half of next season, I’m still undecided about gerrard he’s had most of the season and hasn’t improved us, what I do like is his honesty and unlike smith he’s not making the same excuses every week, smith couldn’t accept responsibility for anything he brought on his sacking if you ask me.
18 Apr 2022 18:00:14
From what I can see everywhere I look our wage bill isn’t even top 10. So most of the post is hard to agree with already.
I’m fairly sure when SG was offered the job there were no expectations this season expect don’t go down - which I’m pretty confident isn’t going to happen. Everything else would’ve been left upto him to sue out his best team, best players and weed out those who are just happy taking a wage.
Most of the people who were happy to see DS leave were constantly moaning about his reliance on certain players, his “favourites” and that overall he was everyone’s mate and not ruthless enough. It looks pretty clear to me that is exactly what is happening now.
To compare a 5 game losing streak between the two managers is also totally unfair. DS has the time and money to build the team HE wanted and for a while it worked. It’s unfair to judge someone else on a team they inherited. Especially when bar a few the majority are more than happy with how his first window went! We tried to sign a DM but couldn’t get who we wanted.
It just feels like some prefer to be negative than they do positive. That a run of losses gives them far more to talk or moan about than a string of wins gives them to celebrate.
18 Apr 2022 19:51:19
Let's see how the summer goes lads, I think we will stumble across the finish line this season and there will be wholesale changes in the summer (whether we agree with this or not) - I wouldn't be surprised to see 6 new players in the starting 11 come August, Gerrard will rip this squad apart, for me the only players safe are:
Martinez
Cash, XXXXX, XXXX, Digne
XXXX, XXXX, McGinn
XXXX, XXXX, Coutinho
Post August this whole conversation will shift, Gerrard will have had 2 windows to build a team in his image and the results will have to improve.
18 Apr 2022 20:25:31
Wouldn't it be nice to celebrate!
19 Apr 2022 15:27:54
There are plenty of things if you look at the bigger picture.
We’ve got not only very wealthy owners but they’re INTERESTED! After years of being fobbed off by cronies after Lerner’s millions ran out and then the charlatan that was Tony Xia and compared with some of the other clubs and their ownership - we are now in a very privileged position. We’re always certain of long term sustainability, the stadium is being expanded, the training facilities are top draw and finally that “bright future” slogan seems like a possibility and not just a ploy.
We’ve got a fantastic youth set up and the potential to bring through and integrate some really top players of our own over the next few years and youngsters are actively leaving other clubs to join ours!
Obviously there are things that need addressing and it’s not going the way that we want it right now on the pitch, but you’ve got to look at the acquisition of Coutinho alone, it gave the club a huge lift and put us “back on the map” so to speak before he even kicked a ball. Look at how bitterly jealous some of the other teams are when you read the newspaper articles written about us or the sudden leap in calibre of playing now being linked with us, it’s all stepping stones but in exactly the right direction.
We might not have too much to celebrate about the current results, but there should be about the entire project so far.
From where we were (not all that long ago)to where we are now? I’m very happy with that progress as a whole.
19 Apr 2022 18:30:42
Absolutely right some on here seem to have very short memories and over inflated expectations.We have come a very long way in a relatively short period of time and the positives vastly outweigh the negatives. As with a number of posters on here I am not wholly convinced by Gerrard but he is still learning his trade and as such will make mistakes along the way but he will attract players to the club other managers would not and his assessment of our performances reflects where we are as a side and where we are lacking I reiterate he must be given sufficient time to accurately judge whether or not he is the right man to push us to that next level repeatedly changing managers will not lead us to success.