25 Apr 2022 21:03:06
Reading some of the comments here about Gérard some I agree with some I don't.
I do think he hasn't improved us at all if anything we have gone backwards, we have beaten teams that we should have beaten, we have lost every game to the teams above us, with Smith we got the odd surprise win take Liverpool spurs arsenal last season united this season.
We can say that he needs the windows to build his own team but this squad was built to have wingers that's why we have so many of them so why are we trying the fit square pegs in round holes
When SG was appointed we had a rangers fan here telling what to expect from him as in he is stubborn in his formation and doesn't change it even if its not working.
Getting in couthinio was a master stroke but clearly on Saturday and maybe the last 2 games he has been non existent we have no width on pitch and middle of the pitch is too crowed for him to find space
It's just gone so hard to watch now, the back line look so nervous midfield can't string 2 passes forward and this is area where I taught he would improve us most.
My agreement is look a spurs they changed manager not to many new players in, results have improved, Leeds the same I don't think they brought in any new players at all in January and they have improved, I personally think we play the formation that our squad has been build for and change it in the summer when we get in the players to suit the new formation.
I'm not calling for his head don't get me wrong but we are gone very hard to watch its very like the season we went down if we hadn't got the results we did when he first came in (the new manager bounce) we would be in serious trouble.
The club need to decide what style of football we want to play and stick to it and buy the players to suit this style and get the mangers in that play that type of football not every time we change the manger we won't have to rebuild a full squad.
26 Apr 2022 00:15:20
When you say he hasn't improved us IrishVillian what are you comparing? In 2021, Villa under Smith were appalling, relegation form, we pulled off some sexy wins but in the main the final 12 months of Smith's reign were poor.
What Gerrard has done in the short term (less than 6 months let's not forget) is get us over the line while assessing the squad in preparation for the summer window - I'd love us to be challenging for Europe but the reality is we have a mid table squad and will inevitably finish somewhere mid table. I don't really understand what people expected to happen between November and now, you reference Spurs as an example but Antonio Conte is one of the best managers in the world and he inherited a team with Kane, Son, Romero, Højbjerg etc, a squad with much greater balance than Villa. Until that is addressed it doesn't really matter what formation Gerrard plays, it'll predominantly be square pegs in round holes given what he has at his disposal.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not blindly pro Gerrard, he has a lot of work to do in my eyes, but he needs to be given time - I don't think the narrative that he hasn't improved us is relevant in such a short period of time, I don't think there are many managers that would instantly improve Aston Villa and sadly those managers wouldn't take the role, hence the need for patience.
26 Apr 2022 00:31:30
Interesting view points IV, much of what you say has a lot of merit and i agree something is drastically not right. When he came in things looked promising and then we went down hill rapidly, my take and i have raised this in previous posts he is hoping to influence the board in to major investment because the current squad isn't good enough. We were completely clear of any risk in mid table, and now we are in a bottom six fight, the manager and the team switched off and confidence disappeared and hence we are in our current plight.He will get some investment, whether we can get the quality needed to meet both the managers and owners expectations is questionable. I don't think we will get the quality to get us in to the European elite, certainly not next season. Obviously time will tell and of course we all hope the future is bright and i will be there every week as a season ticket holder of 50 years plus,but i am a realist and my expectations are what they are because of years of average players and managers, but Villa are in my blood and always will be no matter what.
26 Apr 2022 08:22:15
Caffu, mate to be fair only Everton, Leicester and Chelsea (I believe) have played as few games as us - We are 6 points off 9th currently with 2 games in hand, I think our league position is false currently just like it was false a few weeks ago when we were in 9th with a relatively small gap to 8th and beyond.
I get why people are concerned,our current league position is unpleasant and some of our summer signings have not worked out yet (Bailey the biggest disappointment for me) but the reality is we have to give players and the manager time. How many times have we seen a foriegn player flop in the short term only to flourish once they adapt to the league / squad / management style?
Villa aren't in a position to source players (and managers) that will guarantee immediate success so we need to roll the dice on the Gerrards and Bailey's of the world and be patient with them - Let's not forget every Villa fan was raving about Baily after he dismantled Everton earlier in the season, he's been hammered with injuries for 9 months now, likewise there were some fans questioning if Coutinho was the greatest player to ever where the shirt a few months back (which astounded me) and now most are questioning if we should sign him permanently. We need to give the manager and players time, that's the only way we will improve as a club on the pitch, patience is needed.
26 Apr 2022 11:38:56
Bk as usual a fair appraisal, but my frustration is pretty deep and i see far more wrong than right, which concerns me. Gerrard definitely needs time and rightfully so, but when things obviously aren't working i expect any quality coaching team to change things and this patently isn't happening.
26 Apr 2022 11:56:32
Caffu, I fully agree with you that something is definitely off, we are incredibly inconsistent (even for a mid table side) and that needs to be addressed - We are linked with some very good players already and if the club can deliver this calibre of player then I'm fully convinced Gerrard can take us forward! The biggest issue for me is our scattergun approach to signings last summer, all good players but left the squad massively unbalanced, if we can punch smarter, address the imbalance, integrate some youngsters and continue to add quality to the squad we will be a different team next season.Not a lot to ask for then LOL :-)
26 Apr 2022 12:58:29
Bk, unbalanced sums it up for me both in terms of past purchases and current style and selection, let's get this season over as disappointing as it is, and hope for better things all round next season. Let's just hope Deano doesn't come back to haunt us on Saturday.
26 Apr 2022 17:23:07
I think we are all agreed that we are unbalanced and I think we all recognise some of the areas that need to be addressed for example centre back, a defensive midfielder maybe two, and a centre forward to provide Watkins with competition. Where I think some difficult decisions need to be made is the rest of the midfield, so if Gerrard wants to play his preferred 4 3 3 formation then if we sign Coutinho then we have 3 players who like to play the attacking midfielder role in Buendia, Coutinho, and McGinn three into one doesn’t go, so do we buy Coutinho? or do we play Buendia or McGinn in that role and invest in two quality wide players to support the forward positions like Saint Maximin and Ghouiri? I am not sure.
Just a thought if Everton get relegated how about trying to sign Anthony Gordon? a versatile player can cover in a number of positions and whenever I see him play he’s a minimum 7/10 every week and always puts in a shift.
26 Apr 2022 23:33:19
Couldn’t see Gordon leaving them if they go down he’s a local lad and young, they won’t want to sell either as he won’t be on big money, if they go down it will be the high earners that they will want to shift. I’d like st maxim but he’s pretty injury prone, magical when on form but he’s another player I can’t see leaving his current club, I’d look at Dennis from Watford and sarr, I can see us going foreign for signings this year tbh