Aston Villa Banter Archive February 01 2023 to March 03 2023

02 Mar 2023 21:42:25
What a great attitude from Emi Martinez. He recognises that going to a 'top' club to win trophies is easy. Winning something with us is a real challenge and makes it all the more worthwhile. Pity the mainstream media have pretty much ignored it because it doesn't fit the narrative for Man Utd. Shame Jack didn't have that same recognition.

03 Mar 2023 09:42:49
I get what you are saying 56 but it’s easier Emi to say that with FA, Copa America, and World Cup winners medals in his trophy cabinet Let’s be honest Jack was never going to get anything like that with us, and let’s see what the summer brings if someone like Bayern Munich comes along with a bid will he want to stay then?

03 Mar 2023 14:06:16
Maybe Emi could be used by Emery getting a deal that significantly benefits us by letting Emi go. If there is a deal that suits all parties he will go in the Summer, if not he may stay with us for the foreseeable, providing we show signs of significant improvement that matches his ambitions.

03 Mar 2023 18:14:25
I think he will do at least one more year. Of course if we don't get near to the top four spots I would expect his agent to start making noises, and I wouldn't blame him moving on.

03 Mar 2023 18:34:31
Ian Ladyman from the Dmail reckons that Emi is at best the 6th in the premiership.
He puts Ederson, Allison, De Gea, Pickford as the top 4.
What planet are these reporters living on?
Do you rate any of these above Emi?

03 Mar 2023 20:48:57
Well I think you have answered your own question TOV. The guys from the Daily Fail, if he told me Tuesday followed. Monday I wouldn’t believe him until I checked the calendar?.

03 Mar 2023 21:43:01
i rate all 4 emi better than pickford thou

04 Mar 2023 00:43:25
Can't see Emi leaving, I just don't know where he goes - Linked with Spurs tonight, can't see him pushing for that move or them stumping up with Villa would demand. I think it would take a 60M bid for Villa to even consider selling him and I don't know where a bid like that will come from in the summer. Chelsea potentially if they sell Kepa, but beyond that where does he go?

04 Mar 2023 08:30:19
The only English club who I could see bidding for Martinez is Utd, but that all depends on De Gea’s future, I know his contract expires at the end of the season and he is on something like £375k a week, if you could sign Emi on £200k a week say over 4- 5 years the transfer fee virtually pays for itself, and Martinez is a better keeper in my opinion. If he does go I think it will be abroad rather than to a club in this country.

02 Mar 2023 07:39:24
{Ed's Note - Macclesfield White has posted a new article entitled, Leeds United Players Review V Fulham

01 Mar 2023 07:39:25
{Ed's Note - oscarAY has posted a new article entitled, My Reasons To Let Graham Potter Stay at Chelsea

28 Feb 2023 07:39:22
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 27th February 2023

27 Feb 2023 19:31:21
RIP Jim Lewis HEITS

27 Feb 2023 20:47:51
Watched Best Mate win 3 Gold Cups and Jim proudly wearing claret and blue in the winning enclosure. RIP Jim.

27 Feb 2023 07:39:22
{Ed's Note - Alonso1786 has posted a new article entitled, God bless anyone that can still be positive regarding the Liverpool FC team

26 Feb 2023 18:52:54
Brilliant win by the women today,went to West Ham and won 7-6 on pens . Daley scored our goal, then we held them out until the 92m .
Locking at the stats we had most the play and twice as many shots . The Hammers are a fancied team, so to go there and win was brilliant. Let's hope they get a good draw in the quarters .

26 Feb 2023 07:39:21
{Ed's Note - Thefutureisoldgold has posted a new article entitled, Wolverhampton Wanderers v Fulham Player Ratings and Review

25 Feb 2023 18:44:03
good win for the villa hope watkins keeps this form up UTV

25 Feb 2023 23:43:29
Professional performance by Villa today - Everton never really laid a glove on us bar the Onana chance and that melee in the box when he ball bounced off Konsa IMO, we always looked relatively comfortable and had that extra quality to bring off the bench. On to Palace :-)

26 Feb 2023 02:11:34
Agree BK, it’s the premier league, every team will have a couple of chances in every game. 1 thing I would like to see is a better press when playing the lower half teams, we afford them to much space in their own half, the same space is not afforded to us.
Confidence seems to be growing among the players in the play out from the back, they don’t seem to care how tight it is they continue to pass it around, the argument can be made that it’s dangerous but I’m sure Emery will point out that it’s them in the relegation zone playing their style and we’re quiet comfortable in terms of league position playing his style, he’s going to persist with it so we got to accept it, you would imagine we have to get better at it the longer we play it, fair play to the Everton fans that was a truly hostile atmosphere in the first half, that’s what we need to create at VP, congrats to Ollie on his continued goal streak and what a goal by Emi, 3 Everton players ushering him into a tight angle and he comes up with quiet the finish, he must love playing Everton

25 Feb 2023 17:13:24
No doubt the Anti-Ollie brigade will have noted that he's the only Villa player ever to score in 5 consecutive PL games ? Oh and I see that rubbish Danny Ings who some couldn't wait to get rid of scored two in 3 minutes for the hammers ?

26 Feb 2023 08:59:46
Menace, surely that comment wasn’t meant for me?. I always said I liked Ollie for his workrate and how he runs the channels my only concern is he isn’t clinical enough, if under Emery he addresses that no one will be happier than me. In terms of Ings I think most on here recognised he is an out and out goalscorer however the way he liked to play on the shoulder of the last man is not how Emery sets his teams up to play hence selling him was inevitable really.

24 Feb 2023 07:39:24
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 23rd February 2023

23 Feb 2023 17:58:11
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new podcast entitled, New Ed1 Podcast on Youtube

23 Feb 2023 07:39:13
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 21st February 2023

21 Feb 2023 07:39:13
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 19th February 2023

20 Feb 2023 07:39:26
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 19th February 2023

19 Feb 2023 21:34:21
After watching MOTD last night, other than the fact we where playing Arsenal, we wasn't really mentioned. Then the Man U v Leicester game today, every replay was of ManU . The bias to looked upon as the big teams is getting ridiculous. The refs are at it, var is at it, some of the decisions going the way of these bigger teams is embarrassing.

20 Feb 2023 10:02:41
You want to look at the Bias Sports app then Dave 1 st 10 stories are all about Man U

19 Feb 2023 17:00:56
Saw the Arsenal game yesterday and we really have the makings of decent team cut out the silly mistakes (Ming's header for first goal) and 2-3 big money signings in summer with new north stand making villa park even more impressive next season we will really push on!

19 Feb 2023 20:08:41
Hopefully we can drown out the away fans then cause it’s pretty poor lately, Leicester fans gave mings an awful time last week and yesterday apart from the 2 times we scored and and few mins that followed it was the arsenal boys making all the noise, we need to make villa park a hostile environment for away teams cause at the moment it’s to easy to come here and play us

19 Feb 2023 22:35:33
Whack not many times I don’t come home without a sore throat HaHa

19 Feb 2023 13:56:20
Morning guys,
Lots of points being made about Emery's rigid style which does not suit the current players.
The defence is worse than it has been for some time and 12 goals given away in the last 3 games stinks of relegation.
Occasionally we look excellent but when we concede we go to pieces and the door opens.
The front line are scoring goals but this is no good if the opposition score more.
Emery may well be a top manager with above average players but with average to below average players he must adapt to what he has got.
Old adage, You can't make a silk purse out of a pigs ear. Lots of players making a pigs ear on the pitch and the man who is picking the team is doing the same.
If the foundations are weak the team is in danger of falling down.
Must we wait for Carlos to come back?
Poor bloke will wonder what he is in for.
Lots of teams below us but some are improving while we are slipping away.

19 Feb 2023 16:30:38
It's his rigid style and philosophy that has made him one of the best managers in Europe OV - It's not Emery that needs to change, it's the players, his squad at Villareal on paper was on par with this Villa side (possibly more balanced) and he brought them to a CL semi final. We weren't a position to realistically attract Emery but we did it, let's allow him some time (certainly more than 4 months!) to access the squad before we call for him to change his incredibly successful managerial approach.

19 Feb 2023 16:36:07
About sums it up TOV, most can see it,some just won't accept it.

19 Feb 2023 17:03:48
We haven't got below average players though

19 Feb 2023 17:30:26
Old adage, if it ain't broke and working don't fix it, what about if its not working,then adapt, modify, change until it works otherwise it stops broke.

A quality coach adapts to what he has to work with until he can get the quality to impose his style and philosophy, we can't change the players until next season, so there is absolutely no point being stubborn, work with what you have until such time you can deliver exactly what you did in the past.

19 Feb 2023 17:34:54
BK, respect your opinion but it doesn't change the fact that at present his rigid style is not working.

If you want to paint the wall blue but you only have green then you have to do something different. Common sense.

Our defence has more holes in it than my leaking hose pipe.
Emery has to use what he has got and that ain't much.
If playing out from the back is not proving to work then an alternative must be found, no choice.

Play out when it’s the best option, but if you are being over run what is the point of fiddling about?

Seem to remember that recently Mings hammered a long ball and we scored from it. Everybody enjoyed it.

More of this and less farting around. Defenders must own the ball, don't let it go past you for the next man, he may well be in a different colour shirt.

19 Feb 2023 20:15:39
I actually thought we were much better at it yesterday and their goals didn’t come from it but ours did, emi kicked ball after ball in the second half but we weren’t winning them his distribution was poor but I thought we mixed it up quiet well in terms of kicking and playing out, how many times did emi time waste in the second half, quiet a bit and each of those times it was him kicking it so I’m not sure we can blame Emery’s style on yesterday’s results, poor bench cost us imo plus some silly mistakes

19 Feb 2023 20:42:53
Pretty, sexy, football playing from the back is definitely the way to play, we saw it yesterday from Arsenal, we saw it from Man City. You only get in the side at these clubs if you are totally comfortable on the ball,apart from Kamara we haven't got a single player that would be in the squad let alone a starter in either side. So the points TOV raises are common sense. We may have a top quality coach who has a proven track record and when he has the players to prove this fine, however at this point in time he has to set up the team to get points on the board with the quality (or lack of) at his disposal.

19 Feb 2023 23:05:53
He has got points on the board though scotty. Don't know why we're all moaning. We've lost to man city and arsenal. Let's see what happens in the next few games before we hang them all out.

19 Feb 2023 23:13:29
I don't buy that only City or Arsenal or the elite sides can play out from the back Lads - I think it's much easier if you have an elite squad but Villa aren't a Sunday League side who sank 9 pints the previous night, we have a squad predominantly made up of international quality players who can adapt to new playing styles. While they adapt there will be inconsistent performances and errors but the time will come when Villa are very adept at playing out of defence. Emery will not adapt a winning philosophy, we (the fans) need to accept this and get behind the team.

19 Feb 2023 23:18:37
How many clear cut chances did arsenal have by playing pretty sexy football from the back Scot? They scored from a corner, a stupid clearance played straight into the danger area onto the boot of saka, which would of come to nothing if mings had of left it to emi or put it out for a corner, and 3rd was a pot shot from 25 yards cause they weren’t breaking us down and they were desperate in 94th min, I’m not saying it’s not the best way to play but it was us who carved them open for our 2 goals, our defence could of defended better for the first 2 goals but they were exposed when our midfielders clicked and I think had the midfield being better when in possession we could of scored a few more, I think it’s a bit unfair that everyone is blaming the defenders for the inability to play out from the back I think our midfield players need to be stronger on the ball, show for it more and give the defenders more options to pass, improve first touch and get up the field faster when we have possession, I only see us getting 1 new defender I think midfield and attacking midfielders/forwards is where we will strengthen most.

20 Feb 2023 11:24:14
Whack, what arsenal did almost on every occasion, when we pinned them in, almost on the goal line, which we to be fair we did well,they simply and comfortably passed their way out and were ready to attack, beating the press. They did this because of quality players with the ability to do this, we do not have the quality to do this. That's what a mean by sexy football, they make it look easy. I don't know which game some were watching, they were so comfortable on the ball and but from poor finishing they should have scored more in a second half.

20 Feb 2023 12:57:33
Your missing my point Scot,

19 Feb 2023 08:04:35
I do find it interesting how the Premiership treat coaches and in particular how we have treated our managers in the very recent past. Take Steven Gerrard for example an allegedly up and coming English coach, after an initial up turn in results, performances dipped, results were poor Gerrard refused to alter his method of play was deemed to be stubborn, the fans turned and he was sacked. Incomes Emery a more established manager with a proven track record who similarly after an initial honeymoon period has seen results dip he too remains stubbornly insistent on playing a style which doesn't suit the players at his disposal and yet not a murmur from the fans. Now to be absolutely clear I am not for one moment suggesting we should sack Emery far from it I think he is a world class coach,but it is a shame to think we will give the established candidate time to get things right but not the up and coming new kid on the block? It's hardly surprising we have had no successful English coaches during the lifetime of the Premiership we don't give them a chance to establish themselves.

19 Feb 2023 10:00:58
To be fair Gerrard had the start of the following season too. Who's to say that Emery won't get sacked if we stumble and just stay up this season and then he starts off poorly next season. Plus think the owners gave Purslow the benefit of the doubt over Gerrard but maybe weren't totally convinced by the appointment.

19 Feb 2023 10:09:33
Good comments LOTM. I think the difference is SG was always up against it with the fact he was following Deano. I also think and have read, he upset too many of the players especially Marmite Mings who seems to be a massive presence in the team. Yes we got Kamara, which I’m sure was down to SG (not to mention the alleged £175k per week). But, he was stubborn and insisted on his favourites, even when they weren’t performing. With Emery, the supporters can see he is trying out the majority of the squad and not afraid to chop and change. Plus, there now seem a positivity in the squad. UTV

19 Feb 2023 10:16:53
That is way too vague a statement, there are very clear reasons why.
Gerrard sat in an office all week and picked 11 players on a matchday.
Gerrard had a formation, not a system, at best he was trying to be prime Barcelona or current City with slow possession which we 100% did not have the players for.
Gerrards 'upturn' was against teams in a mid season malaise like Brighton and Palace who didn't have all that much to play for.
Emery is constantly working with the players, trying to work on a lot of intricate details. It's a complete 180 from where we were and we're clearly playing better football and working better as a team outside of the mistakes.
Emery has managed wins over Spurs and United, Gerrard got nothing against any top teams.
Emery wants better control 9f possession but wants it with intensity. I don't agree with him that we shouldn't play long balls, I actually liked us mixing it up at times yesterday although maybe he was referring to later in the game where we kept taking long goal kicks.

19 Feb 2023 10:34:25
And you know Gerrard sat in the office all week how rk? I take it you were present during training? Far to specific a comment I think!

19 Feb 2023 12:05:01
I read Villa news and interviews throughout the week. It was stated multiple times by him and the coaching staff that he let the coaches take training and tended to spend his time in the office watching it either over CCTV or recordings.
Why do I need to be there if it comes from the horses mouth?

19 Feb 2023 12:33:11
So you believe everything that comes from the press? Wouldn’t be that the press even Villa’s might have an agenda? tut tut such naivety. I am assuming when you refer to the horses mouth that horse would be Stevie G himself would it?

The point that I was making in my earlier post was that not all coaches are afforded either the time or the space to deliver the results we as fans demand, and that English coaches trying to establish themselves are finding themselves at a particular disadvantage when you look at the history of the premiership. I don’t understand what is too vague about that observation.

19 Feb 2023 14:15:19
Lots, Gerrard got the sack because he couldn't get results with our players. Even Emi came out in an interview and said he'd never known the assistant manager (BEALE) do all of the team talks and training sessions. Gerrard seemed to be just a big name that Purslow wanted. Style over content.

19 Feb 2023 16:15:18
Bucktooth rarely do modern day managers do the coaching sessions a lot of clubs have specific attack, defence even set piece coaches so that of itself isn’t all that unusual. Whether or not he is responsible for the training is neither here or there, he is accountable for the results on the pitch and consequently paid the ultimate price. In fairness though he was neither given the time or the money needed to turn things round, he was promised significant funds to spend but only spent £52 million net over 2 transfer windows hardly big money. I’m not a Gerrard fan but I do believe in fairness in that anyone hired to do a job should be given the time and support needed to complete the task and I don’t think he really got either.

19 Feb 2023 16:43:25
Interviews with a manager and his coaching staff as well as players is not random press musings.
I get that some things can get cut out to focus on one side but nothing else they might have said can change the narrative of those points. Gerrard, Beale and others have all said Gerrard let the coaching staff do the work on the training pitch and he rarely got involved, the press can't pull those comments out of thin air otherwise they'd have been struck down with libel cases and we'd have seen retractions.
I don't think English coaches are necessarily afforded less time, it probably seems like it because more of them take on difficult roles.
A lot are at clubs trying to avoid relegation or expecting play offs/promotion without a good enough team to do it.
Which foreign managers do you think got way more time than would have been afforded anyone else other than maybe Arteta?

19 Feb 2023 17:23:06
Hassenhutl at Southampton for one, lost 9 -0 kept his job, Nathan Jones got about 9 weeks and that might be overstating how long he got! Also Solskjaer got longer at United than any English coach would have got.

I agree with the point that a lot of English coaches take a punt on clubs at the wrong end of the table but in some ways that’s because it’s likely that that’s the only premiership job they are likely to get offered. I think such jobs have been the death of a number of talented young coaches Paul Lambert with us being just one example.

It will be really interesting to see how Potter gets on at Chelsea I really hope they persevere with him because he is a good coach who I genuinely believe if he is given time he will get it right. Also Dyche at Everton his achievements at Burnley were outstanding given the constraints he was working with now he is with a club who should be able to provide him with some money to spend it will be really interesting to see firstly whether he will change the style of football his teams play and secondly what success can he achieve at a club whose expectations are much higher than Burnley’s

19 Feb 2023 18:28:52
I had a feeling you'd mention Hassenhutl. Until this season he had them at an expected level, not comfortably safe but also not really in any serious danger.
Nobody likes a drubbing but he kept managing to pick them back up to go on a run leaving those results as fairly isolated incidents.
Jones was on a long run of defeats and may have had a bit longer if he didn't go clinically insane and start ranting about being the best in the world at everything.
Solksjaer probably had the benefit of being a fan favourite and maybe the board were finally starting to realise that some of the squad were the problem. Despite having time it's not like they backed him much with signings though.

19 Feb 2023 19:39:28
Jones had a long run of defeats? he hadn’t been in the job long enough to have a long run of defeats! And didn’t his team beat Man City in the quarter finals of what was the old league cup?

19 Feb 2023 20:07:46
They lost 6 out of 7 of his league matches and by all accounts were getting worse, not better.
Under normal circumstances I would agree that they were already not great so he needed a chance to fix things but like I said previously he probably nailed his own coffin with his crazy interviews.

19 Feb 2023 21:01:38
Mings. He lost 8 of his 9 league games! Smith lost 5 games in a row and got sacked with us. If that was Emery you'd be calling for him to be sacked, especially if we'd fallen to the bottom of the league.

19 Feb 2023 23:15:49
Bucky I would not be calling for any managers head who hasn’t been given the opportunity to put things right it’s pure insanity. I would rather he take us down and be given the chance to bring us back up simply pulling the trigger every time a manager goes on a bad run is crazy in my view. If anything particularly in the cases of Southampton and Leeds then it’s the board who should look themselves in the mirror but of course they never do.

18 Feb 2023 19:58:59
In terms of incomings for next season I would like to see a mixture of premiership experience plus players who fit the Emery style of play. It looks to me like a number of the current starting XI don't fit the bill so indulging in a bit of fantasy football the types of player we should be looking at in my opinion are the likes of Wan Bissaka, Tierney and Pau Torres at the back. In the middle of the park given his obvious liking for the player Guendouzi, out wide Armine Gouiri from Rennes and either Schick or Toney upfront. That lot would cost the thick end of £300 million, but to be honest I can't see us spending anywhere near that kind of money sadly.

18 Feb 2023 20:55:32
Wan Bissaka is only playing at the moment because of injury, he definitely isn't the quality we need.

18 Feb 2023 21:10:00
I think you’ll find over the last few games he has been one of Utd best performers, he was first class at Palace and just because he hasn’t had the best of times at Utd that doesn’t make you a bad player you only have look at the change is Rashford this year to see what can be achieved playing for a good coach who gives you a chance and the stage to perform on.

18 Feb 2023 21:32:59
I think in the summer we will get a max of 3 new outfield first team players, I can see Martinez going and getting someone like Henderson or Pickford, I see mings still starting beside Carlos and a RB coming in to challenge cash, other positions I see a CM and a winger, maybe guendozi and Williams or Henrique, any other players incoming in I think will be young with potential and for the bench, gnonto would be another winger I wouldn’t mind if Leeds go down. I can’t I’m a million years see 5 or 6 top class players coming in. I think .
GK
Cash Carlos mings Moreno
Kamara guendozhi
Bailey Buendia new winger
Watkins
Subs: konsa, young, maginn, Doug, Ramsey archer Duran

Digne, couthinho and any others I haven’t mentioned will be out the door

18 Feb 2023 22:44:27
I have to say Whack initially I was of the same view as you, only my positions to fill were centre back centre midfield striker and winger, but over the last few games it’s become clear that it’s not only here where we have problems, Emery isn’t convinced by Cash Young isn’t a long term solution so envisage a right back being on the cards. Martinez in all probability will be gone apart, from wanting to play in the Champions League his relationship with Emery seems strained at best, so regrettably it’s probably best he goes while we can get top dollar for him. Most recognise the need for a winger striker and central midfielder that takes our business up to 6 players if you include a centre back in the mix but like you I don’t think that’s what we will get but if we want to play the Emery way then the last few performances have changed my initial view on the business that needs to be done. If however we do get the players in that Emery wants then I think the outlay will require the club to generate part of it through player sales I don’t think we can expect NSWE to fund it all.

18 Feb 2023 23:52:00
I think it will be a busy summer but I think the average fans obsession with expenditure will need to be checked. Read between the lines of Purslow's comments, the more reliable sources and factor in the often spoken about context of sustainability and I think it's fair to assume that Villa will box clever in the market, making the most of players on expired or expiring contracts and probably bringing in a combination of bargain signings (eg Kamara) and 2/3 marquee signings to show intent.
The process of thinning the squad has already begun, so expect a handful more to go and maybe add in 5/6 players who are genuine quality/upgrades and we'll be on a par with most outside the top 4/5. From there it will all be down to building momentum and our coaching team to push for a top 8 finish.
Fully expect one of those marquee signings to happen nice and early in the summer to set the tone and put a marker down as we compete for other players.
Today was a great example of how we have the ability to compete to a point on our day, but the quality isn't quite there.
On separate note, as much as I love Villa and want them to do well, if I were looking at the game today objectively I'd say it was karma when the ball went in off Martinez off the bar after the embarrassing time wasting, even in the first half. Not that it was just him, but the game was there and as soon as we went a goal up it was like a light switch was flicked and we collectively just thought 'we're lucky to be a goal up, let's immediately try to time waste, defend our box and hope Arsenal don't score.' Just shows a week mentality and encourages opposition. Frustrating on that hand but on the other it was encouraging to see that when we wanted to, we could play some decent stuff and score some good goals.
Would've also been karma for Nketieh to injure himself diving mind!
I get it, we're a mid table squad and so should expect inconsistency, but today's game was just as much about mentality and tactical approach as it was about the quality of our players.
And I've got to say it, Duran looks like he could be a big player for us. Love the attitude and clearly has ability. Has the potential to do very well.
Next 6 games will determine our season as either a write off or a final push.

18 Feb 2023 18:41:42
Had time to reflect on the game. We definitely need a new Central defence partnership. Konsa and Mings were a liability. Trying to play out from the back with these two is a problem.
At least one CH in the summer.
Midfield wasn't too bad. For 20 minutes in the 2nd half we actually held our own and created one or two decent opportunities.
Duran has a lot of potential. Bailey offered us a good option on the wing too. Watkins was lively.
The manager can't take the blame for 3 of Arsenal's goals. One lucky rebound, and the 4th was just ridiculous.
If game had finished 2-2 not even Gooners could have moaned.
The biggest issue is we lose games against Leicester and that's what costs us a decent finish.
This was a free hit but Leicester was bad.
Everton away is now a big game, and more difficult than it could have been.
As I said last week, just wan't to guarantee safety this year.

UTV!

18 Feb 2023 19:11:57
AV let's be honest, we are 1 win short of where most of us fans expected 3 weeks ago.As you say, Arsenal was a free hit, as was City, and 2we lost unexpectedly to Leicester but we've also picked up wins against Spurs and United since Emery joined so I'd say we are still ahead when you look at the fixtures. I also don't think the performances have been bad, we were an inch away from winning today and absolutely handed Leicester the win on a plate. The reality is that we'll be inconsistent between now and the end of the summer but Emery will be backed and we'll be much stronger next season. This is a time for patience from us Villa fans, we have a world class manager and be needs some time but we are going in the right direction.

18 Feb 2023 18:26:45
I have to admit I wasn't in favour of a massive overhaul of personnel in the summer but I must admit to having a bit of a re think over what I have seen over the last few games.

Given how the manager wants us to play I think we are going to need a centre back, 2 full backs, a centre midfielder a winger and a striker. I think we may also need a goalkeeper or two as Olsen quite frankly isn't good enough, Martinez wants to be competing for the Champions League and to be honest for whatever reason Emery doesn't fancy him and I don't think he was particularly impressed that he went up for the corner at the end.

In terms of outgoings I think it will be a massive clear out I can see Martinez, Cash, Digne, Konsa, Hause, Chambers, Sanson, Dendoncker, Nakamba, McGinn, Davis, Archer all being shipped out to create space and finance for "Emery type" players.

18 Feb 2023 18:50:57
LOTM, is becoming more obvious that many are now thinking the same as you,a few of us have been saying it for a long while, as i said previously Three Managers same players same results, if we accept that Emery is the one to take us forward, its a major clear out the current starting eleven.

18 Feb 2023 15:01:57
I normally don't respond immediately at the end of a game as I like to digest what I have seen but today has left me really annoyed.Any good work we do offensively is being undone by our ridiculous insistence on playing out from the back when none of the current back four are capable of doing it. When other teams like Arsenal play out, they move the ball quickly which gives the opposition less time to close the receiver down we dwell on the ball and are all to often either caught in possession as Konsa was or we play aimless balls and turn possession over in our half immediately putting us under pressure. If we continue to play this way as Emery wants to, then we will need to score at least 2 goals to win a game.

In terms of today i know it is early days but I am not convinced by Moreno whilst he looks decent going forward his primary purpose is to defend and when I see the opposition winger in possession I expect to see my left back in the same shot, too often Saka was given the run of Villa Park and consequently caused us problems all day long. We had a couple of warnings from corners re Arsenal midfielders being given space around the edge of the box, didn't heed the warnings and consequently paid the penalty. McGinn isn't suited to the position he is being asked to play I think it's something like 44 games since he last scored and I can't say I am surprised. His influence on games has significantly reduced this season. The other thing is some our players first touch are shocking for professional footballers, all to often it bounced a couple of feet away and resulted in us turning possession over yet again. A lot of work is required to improve the squad and new faces are definitely required if we are to even challenge for the top 10 let alone the top 6.

Rant over.

The one positive thing I saw today was Christian Purslow interview in which he said the plans for the summer were developed and we would have a busy summer.

18 Feb 2023 15:28:52
I hope Purslow didn’t just mean that we’d have a busy summer rebuilding the North Stand ? ?. Just saw the 30 second post match interview with Emery where pretty much his only point regarding mistakes made (to paraphrase) was ‘I’ve never told my goalkeeper to go up and score a goal the 92nd minute because you might score one in a hundred’.

18 Feb 2023 15:49:16
1 thing that disappointed me was the crowd and being able to hear the arsenal fans for the most part, I thought we were better today playing out from the back than other games, set pieces remain a problem and allowing to much space around the edge of the box.

Mixed bag from mings, super clearance off the line then nods it straight into the danger area and saka buries it, mings usually good at the organising end of things but someone needs to step up and boss the defence for corners.

We played some lovely stuff, some silly mistakes, I’m not even thinking about the 4th goal it never happens if the third one didn’t happen, pure luck on arsenals behalf but I can’t see them winning the league they can’t keep getting lucky wins at the death

{Ed014's Note - lucky wins ???

18 Feb 2023 15:55:47
The playing out drives everybody mad,the main one is Martinez. His kicking today was rubbish, didn’t like him trying to blame everyone else . Also there is a time and a place for his time wasting,not every time he gets the ball .Honestly believe the World Cup has gone to his head,he’s become to arrogant . Can’t agree with Lord on McGinn, I thought he had a good game, the amount of ball he wins,passes he cuts out is brilliant.
Overall I thought it was a great game, we just ran out of luck .Bailey hits the underside of the goal, comes out,they hit underside of bar goes in . If that one of Baileys had gone in,I think we would of held out .
Moreneo far better than Digna, not just going forward,but defending as well .Cash was playing for his place today, if only he could cross the ball, he would be much better .
Next 3/4 games will be the teller, we need those wins . Onwards&Upwards Villaforever

18 Feb 2023 16:05:08
Whack we did play some nice stuff but your having a laugh if you think the win was lucky they looked dangerous whenever they attacked us we gave Saka too much space and weren’t switched on at set pieces particularly corners, and whilst we could have scored another with Bailey at the end, by then Arsenal should have had at least two more goals with the one Odegaard put wide and Nketiah’s scoop over the bar. I agree with you that they won’t win the title but we could certainly learn a lot from how they play in terms of how they close opponents down, the speed with which they move the ball and if you are going to play out from the back how to do it.

18 Feb 2023 16:18:40
If we don't play out then we don't get our second goal. Konsa needs to find a way to get his brain working quicker as that Odegaard chance was unnecessary. Other than that I didn't see a problem with what we were doing.
In regards to Moreno it only looked like that it the second half once Ramsey replaced Coutinho. JJ never pushed above a light jog and unlike Coutinho was always out of position and didn't even try to get the ball off an opponent.
Maybe if Bailey or Duran had come on for Coutinho instead we might not have had that lull where we barely competed and they played through our left at will.

18 Feb 2023 16:48:58
Think Konsa will be the one to drop out if Carlos regains his form.

18 Feb 2023 16:57:05
If we continue to play out from the back with our current back four we will concede far more than they help create.

18 Feb 2023 18:03:15
Lord we were playing the team that’s sitting at the top of the league of coarse they are going to have chances, first goal mings put it on a plate for saka, yeh they were coming into the game but they didn’t score cause they carved us open it was an individual error, second goal no organisation for the set piece and we went asleep, again it wasnt cause they carved us open, 3rd goal pure fluke it might happen once in 100 times a ball hits the bar, they missed easier chances than the ones they scored so yes I think luck was on their side, do I think we need work?

Coarse I do but I thought it was our best performance in quiet a few games, second half press was non existent and we need to root out those errors. agree on Martinez about kicking, ego and time wasting it’s getting annoying. saka is 1 of the best forwards in the league I thought Moreno done well on him it was a very good battle, I like mings but he frustrates me he does great things and stupid things I think he loses concentration to easily, Ramsey not at the races, all our subs weakened us and changing shape didn’t help it just invited pressure,

18 Feb 2023 18:57:06
Lads we were a inch away from winning the game today, we conceded 2 goals after the 94th minute and lost the game but I seriously can't believe there are people genuinely criticizing that performance or worse, Emery!

We are a work in progress but it's obvious that Emery has had a positive impact, we'll win plenty of games between now and the end of the season and come August will be in a much better position to push towards those European places. Please be patient and trust the process, we are in good hands!

18 Feb 2023 14:35:38
i thought mcgginn n coutinho had good games today we have missed mcgginn in my opinion

18 Feb 2023 14:04:23
Come on villa park find your voice

18 Feb 2023 07:39:17
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 17th February 2023

17 Feb 2023 12:42:48
Looking at the messages coming out of Villa Park and the fact that Emery is going to persist with playing out from the back then I think rather than my initial view that we needed 4 quality signings I now think we probably need 6 or 7 which includes a complexly new back four! Whilst at face value this sound fine it does present some problems in my view, so if we want quality we will be paying £30 to £35 million per player and I don't think it reasonable to expect NSWE to fund that level of spending, which means that we will probably need to fund some of the purchases via sales and in all probability means sacrificing some players that ideally you wouldn't want to lose but securing those funds would enable the club to strengthen the squad overall eg the person that springs to mind is Martinez. The other thing is if we are looking to sign that number we need to get our business done early as trying to integrate that number of new players into the team presents other problems, you only have to look at Forest, and in the recent past Fulham to see the issues that can present a team. All in all it's a big summer for us I think

17 Feb 2023 13:42:30
LOTM, I see you have finally got to my figures, which hasn't changed since Gerrard and to many is now obvious. I really don't think money will be an issue, just look what the likes of Chelsea, West Ham, Spurs have spent. Ffp seems easily navigated, despite the so called experts telling us otherwise.
I have just read the really positive news that Mings has signed a new contract, Sunday showed how badly we needed him. It doesn't mean we won't buy a couple of quality defenders, just means we will have depth in this position.
Arsenal will be a difficult challenge tomorrow, they will be out to recover from recent dropped points. Our attacking threat looks quite blunt so we are going to have to be tight at the back, if we concede two goals we will almost certainly lose. I just wonder if he might start with most of the players that finished the game on Sunday. If Emery continues to play Bailey as a starter, i will personally start to question his judgment,because most fans, I accept not all, realise he is a liability in possession and because these are usually in advanced areas, leaves us so often vulnerable to the counter.Apart from that he just isn't good enough at this level.

17 Feb 2023 16:15:30
Scotty I haven’t come round to your way of thinking as I didn’t think and still don’t that we need a massive overhaul, but it seems Emery does and he’s the guy in charge and therefore the one that counts. I hope your right re the financial aspects of signing 6 to 7 quality players because if I remember rightly Gerrard was promised significant sums to re shape the squad but only had a net spend of circa £52 million which is nothing compared to what the likes of Utd,City,Arsenal, Liverpool et al are spending what I don’t know is whether that spend was based on that was all Gerrard wanted (unlikely) or because the funds weren’t available if it’s the latter then that potentially becomes a problem unless as I say we generate those funds through sales.

Just to clarify I thought you weren’t Mings biggest fan if I recall you always thought he had a rick in him. Have you had a ‘road to Damascus’ conversion?.

17 Feb 2023 17:13:09
If you read my comments, i think he will be good back up if we get quality centre backs, after last Sundays performance he will be welcomed back, yes he is prone but if you read my previous posts i have said he does far more positives things that outweighs any of his shortcomings.

17 Feb 2023 20:32:24
Who could we get that's better than Mings?

17 Feb 2023 22:06:25
If we are looking for someone who is left footed and comfortable on the ball then I think Pau Torres is the player, personally I quite like Fikayo Tomori he has developed very nicely since leaving Chelsea. One who definitely isn’t the answer is Harry Maguire.

17 Feb 2023 22:52:01
theres loads of cbs better than mings
pau torres,stefan drfij from inter,tomori,mark guehi from palace,andersen from fulham,muikelle from monaco,jonathan tah leverkaisen could go on

17 Feb 2023 07:39:25
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 17th February 2023

16 Feb 2023 07:39:24
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 15th February 2023

15 Feb 2023 21:48:54
Two goals for Cameron for Boro tonight. Surely he deserves a chance on the first team ?

15 Feb 2023 21:33:03
Do u think Emery made a mistake not trusting Archer

16 Feb 2023 08:24:43
No, he's getting plenty of game time at a side chasing automatic promotion.

15 Feb 2023 07:39:13
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 13th February 2023

14 Feb 2023 07:39:12
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 13th February 2023

13 Feb 2023 10:18:42
At least yesterday, Jack saved his most embarrassing penalty dive for us .we know Jack won't be embarrassed by it,but everybody appears to think he should be .

13 Feb 2023 12:26:20
Dave, there were two camps with Jack and i was in the "give him a chance" camp he only wanted to better himself, after yesterday i think there can only be one, diving, cheating **** bag and he has brought everything on himself, his legacy wiped out in thirty seconds.

13 Feb 2023 13:15:37
Dave as I said,the kid just hasn’t got any shame,I bet he couldn’t spell it HaHa .

13 Feb 2023 14:08:29
Seemed to be plenty away fans in the stadium that felt the same and let him know when he was subbed.

13 Feb 2023 14:34:07
I think like yourself a lot of Villa supporters,where prepared to still back him . But I think with that dramatic dive,he burnt his bridge with most .

13 Feb 2023 16:01:21
One word sums it up Dave ‘CHEAT’.
I was glad he left and have also been against having him back.

14 Feb 2023 22:07:38
Come on guys, you know what he’s like. Won us countless free kicks over the years for falling over.
It was wrong but what do you expect, in the heat of the moment, he goes down.
Don’t like it but there it is.

12 Feb 2023 22:38:42
1 last point i'm not likeing 442 set up,we haven't got to good wingers to play 442 plus it needs 2 good strikers with one being a targetman.

13 Feb 2023 10:51:44
I think Duran and Watkins to the end of the season will trouble most defenses, Watkins has been supurb since Emery joined and Duran looks like he is ready to start. Bailey may be more effective off the bench against tiring defenses. My team for Arsenal would be.


Martinez

Cash, Konsa, Mings, Moreno

McGinn, Kamara, Luiz, Coutinho

Duran, Watkins

13 Feb 2023 13:12:18
Bk one thing we can agree on is Bailey on the bench, i would leave him there,permanently.

13 Feb 2023 14:05:27
Interesting Scotty, the 2 players Pep was ‘worried’ about in our ranks was the movement of Watkins and the pace of Bailey!

13 Feb 2023 15:45:12
we have to have bailey,and watkins because we have no other quick players,im surprised kessler hasn't had a start yet he's got rapid pace,and is good aswell .

13 Feb 2023 19:14:36
Lotm, Pep needn't have worried about Bailey, he is a passenger for most of his time on the field.

14 Feb 2023 15:27:15
Bailey is our best player

12 Feb 2023 21:31:32
Watched the Villa Women today,now that was a good game, 6-2 and some good goals as well . They have moved up to fifth, the new signing they've made, have certainly made a difference .

12 Feb 2023 20:49:07
Not very often i get posters agreeing with me however todays performance (or lack of) highlighted shortcomings that even the most loyal have to agree with,because it so obvious. I wonder if there any others like me that will agree that the first results they look at are Bournemouth, Southampton, Leeds, Forest, Everton, Leicester, West Ham hoping that none of them get to 40 points. Because everyone that does threatens us becoming involved in the fight,especially if we have a run of loses, which could well happen over the coming weeks,especially the way we are playing.

12 Feb 2023 21:41:13
I hope having maginn back will improve performances cause I think we have missed him and the bad performances started around him getting injured, I know we have said before he wasn’t at his best but I do think he does a lot of work that go’s unnoticed, Ramsey has being poor for a while now, the only thing of note he done today was give away a peno, shame on grealish I don’t think he dived but he totally cut across him so he’d make contact, anyone who thinks he gives 2 hoots about us anymore needs to think again cause he cares only for himself.
1 thing I really liked from todays game came from the ref and handing out the yellow card when they tried to surround him I think it needs to be the way forward and might just have players treat refs with a bit more respect like the rugby refs.

12 Feb 2023 21:47:37
Can’t blame grealish for that mate it’s really clever play. Just wish baliey had done it when kdb slide in on him in the box

12 Feb 2023 22:50:56
Everyone on here was dead happy every time Jack went down in exactly the same way playing for us, which was many times so, sadly, no one should be surprised or disappointed that we were on the end of it this time

12 Feb 2023 18:37:43
Obviously Emery can only work with what he has however, Chambers, Digne, Ramsey, Bailey should not be anywhere near the starting eleven any time soon. Bailey is a passenger who either miss controls or gives the ball away. Managed to claw a bit of credibility back after the changes, Mcginn and Coutinho definitely added something. Arsenal will do the same to us unless Emery changes things next week. Bring on the six new players needed for next season, they can't come quick enough for me.

12 Feb 2023 19:40:11
Dave agree, Bailey is a show pony, that doesn’t show to much, his ball control and holding the ball up is crap. As you say big difference when the subs came on, I thought McGinn made a big difference. Ollie took his goal well, Duran nearly had a cracker, the way he controlled that ball turned and volleyed was top class.

He’s still raw at the moment, but I reckon we could have a good one there. Digne seems to be completely lacking in any confidence at all . We certainly missed Mings today, if only for his height and organisation.
Reorganise for Arsenal and hope we have a full squad to choose from. UTV.

12 Feb 2023 20:18:08
and for me aswell we need proper class players scotty

12 Feb 2023 20:27:36
ramsey, digne bailey are squad players for me, ramsey is young and will be a good player, scotty.

12 Feb 2023 20:35:37
Jonny, agreed, Ramsey is for future, his confidence is shot, as for the other three, squad at best.

12 Feb 2023 18:30:23
credible scoreline in the end

12 Feb 2023 18:23:30
Much better second half, subs made a huge difference - McGinn and Duran need to start against Arsenal, Coutinho with an excellent cameo as well! Food for thought for Emery!

12 Feb 2023 21:44:54
Would you start couthinho v arsenal?
I’m not a lover of him but he did get involved when he came on and I thought he done the same last week to be fair. I’d definitely start maginn he’s the only midfielder we have with steel in his backbone, kamara has had a couple of poor games lately.

12 Feb 2023 21:49:16
I would Whack, he's been very good the past 2 games off the bench - McGinn, Coutinho, Duran and Moreno in from the start against Arsenal and hopefully Mings back. Easy to play when 3 - 0 down I guess but we looked way better when those lads came on!

12 Feb 2023 17:29:13
Anyone see any difference to the last three visits to the Etihad.

12 Feb 2023 17:48:56
Two more games and we will be ahead of you.
Free João Gomes.

12 Feb 2023 17:49:23
Nope but we are playing possibly the best team in Europe. Chambers is piss poor. Bailey is so weak it’s unreal. Digne is another passenger.

12 Feb 2023 18:02:56
The one time we put pressure on the ball we scored, just letting them walk it out it’s a joke, get a free on the half way line we pass it back to Martinez and straight away put under pressure and we hoof it and lose possession it’s absolutely dire, embarrassing to watch

12 Feb 2023 17:25:17
My Mrs would hang on to the ball better than Bailey.

12 Feb 2023 17:47:02
Dave i honestly can't see why so many on here back him, he is absolutely woeful.

12 Feb 2023 17:17:36
Not a single positive in 45minutes.

12 Feb 2023 16:43:11
Chambers has no clue where his man is one of the worse defenders I have ever seen

12 Feb 2023 15:37:39
Wow, serious squad we have available today

12 Feb 2023 16:21:34
its lacking abit

12 Feb 2023 17:23:03
Now Emery can see what he has, zero passion on show, what’s our record loss? We won’t be far off it today.

12 Feb 2023 14:08:19
Well I suppose nothing shocks you in football Nathan Jones sacked after just 3 months in charge. The board will have been responsible for giving him the job but aren't held in any way accountable for what's gone on and they just sack him. Southampton were a poor side before he took over, as a club they made a decision to invest in youth reduce reliance on established pros like Vestergaard and that has come back to bite them in the ass big style. I am not saying Nathan Jones was necessarily the right man for the job but having hired him surely you have to give him some time to turn things around and that isn't 3 months. If not for any other reason I hope Southampton go down and the fans vent there spleen on the real villains of the piece the board.

12 Feb 2023 14:22:06
He was so far out of his depth he had The Kracken for a neighbour!

12 Feb 2023 17:30:34
Chambers must be renting a room from him

12 Feb 2023 00:12:34
Im sure many like me many will have watched match of the day tonight and of course they are highlights, but i am envious of some of the fast attacking performances, not from the top four teams but from Leicester, Brentford Fulham. I haven't seen a performance that's excited me recently, we are far too slow and deliberate in our build up. I know i harp on about our performances, but i just watch many other teams that are far more creative than us. I just get so frustrated with we what serve up.

12 Feb 2023 10:17:27
That's because they have 2 quick wide players and a good target man to play off. They also don't play out from the back all of the time and are more direct with their passing. Emery doesn't play that way at the moment because we don't have the players for that style.

12 Feb 2023 11:36:20
Makes sense Bucky, however football is an entertainment industry and we all like to see exciting football. Of course its a project and this takes time, however shouldn't stop any of us wishing for a bit more excitement occasionally.

12 Feb 2023 12:35:41
Agree Scotty. Can't see him changing style anytime soon though. A couple more players in the summer will help. I think Bert will help too. Listened to my old man said podcast the other day and according to them he's in our top 3 for goal involvements per minute played.

12 Feb 2023 14:34:43
Bert on his day definitely brings something different and maybe Emery will get more out of him than previous managers. He is too similar to Bailey for me, gives the ball away far too often,however new manager different attitude who knows. Look what Howe as done with a lot of the player's that were relegation fodder under Bruce.

11 Feb 2023 15:49:35
There are actually quite a few bargains frees to really consider in the summer window. we have shown we can pick up some good bargains by doing our home work before the rest of the league and here a few frees that we can consider (well the ones of some quality anyway)

CB - Evan Ndicka (Frankfurt)
CB - Harwood-Bellis (Man City/Burnley)
CM - Konrad Laimer (RB Leipzig)
CM/AM - Houssem Aaouer (Lyon)
LW - Jonathan Bamba (Lille)
CF - Marcus Thuram
CF - Moussa Dembele

I would take the majority of these in an ideal scenario.

11 Feb 2023 16:59:37
I would love Thuram but I think he is destined to go to one of the big clubs in Italy or Spain, Ndicka is on Arsenal’s radar, and Laimer has been destined for Munich for quite some time, I think Dembele is a realistic option as is Aouer but he looks physically a bit fragile to me Arsenal had a heavy interest in the recent past but decided against a move and I wonder if that was the reason why but if he is available for free it probably is worth a punt. Can’t say I know too much about the other two though.

11 Feb 2023 07:39:11
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 9th February 2023

10 Feb 2023 08:25:03
Interesting article on Birmingham Live in which it suggests Emery wants to build his team around 5 players, Martinez, Kamara, Luiz, Buendia and Watkins and that as many as 7 new players could be coming in. If that's right then it looks to me that the centre of midfield is pretty much nailed down with Kamara, Luiz and Buendia as regular starters and with Ireobugnam apparently impressing on loan and Ramsey as cover I would suggest that Coutinho and McGinn are likely to be on there way. If as we suspect a big name striker is on the agenda with Watkins and Duran already on the books then I think that sadly Archer will be allowed to leave without ever being given a real chance to show what he could do at premiership level which if that happens will be a real shame because based on what I've seen the kids got real talent. As I say if the Birmingham live article is right then I assume our business will be focussed on a centre back or two a winger or two and a centre forward and maybe a right back.

I don't know what Emery's track record is with playing youngsters but if Archer does go that will be the second talented youngster we will have let go in a couple of seasons without them ever really been given a chance to establish themselves in the first XI. It's alright investing heavily at academy level but it has to start showing results soon, over the last few seasons we have allegedly recruited some of the best talent not only in the UK but Europe also and whilst I don't expect to see 4 or 5 in the first XI surely it's not too much to expect to see the odd one breakthrough?

10 Feb 2023 09:59:29
BL do more guessing than we do ?? I also read that we may or may not win at the weekend, the article also went on to say it could even be a draw??

10 Feb 2023 10:59:52
Bl Talks more stuff than comes out my behind if we beleive what they say we might aswell beleive in toothe fairys,we know we need 5/6 players in summer its needed

10 Feb 2023 11:41:59
Guys, we don't need BL to tell most of us the glaringly obvious. Many of us have been saying at least six quality as a minimum are required in order for us to push on. The core mentioned are obvious to any of us. I have been saying it for the last three years we have been carrying average, championship players at best, our league positions clearly show this. We won't know until this time next year if our progression is working. At least the article stimulates healthy debate.

10 Feb 2023 12:09:27
Come on Scot that’s a bit of an exaggeration, we do need 4-6 first team players in the door if we are to push on, but to call them average championship players due to our league position is totally unfair, average PL players maybe given our league position, I would be quiet happy if we strengthened our first 11 and managed to keep what we have as squad players, what team other than the big 6 would have a better bench?

10 Feb 2023 13:03:00
ncastle,wham got strong benches whack

10 Feb 2023 13:50:13
Scotty, if memory serves me right you have been calling Luiz rubbish on here for as long as I can remember.

10 Feb 2023 14:30:04
Lotm, I did and that remains my view, i said the core and whilst i don't agree on Dougie, Emery and most think i'm wrong, i will always give my honest views and will always question Luiz concentration and passing. Just remember both Deano and Gerrard also had reservations. Whack don't you think average premier standard is pretty similar to some championship players, my point is, and most agree we are not stong enough and of course its work in progress. Just remember how the thread started with seven incoming required, i merely concur with this.

10 Feb 2023 15:52:39
If we accept that 6 to 7 players are required and they need to be better than what we have that’s a going to take a hell of a lot of cash and I’m not sure how we are going to do this and stay within the confines of ffp.

10 Feb 2023 17:20:33
LOTM,
Your observations are as far as with my little knowledge of Emery, near enough on the ball.
I have bee been bleating about our appalling defence for several seasons.
Cash spends more time in the attacking half, he was a winger,
buy forgets to track back when the ball goes past him.
Konsa and Mings both go to sleep and the opposition know to hit the ball past thme.
Digne is another who gets forward but not back in time. When he stays back he looks good.
So a clearout of the back line seems likely.
However, depending on Carlos and whoever else comes in Mings and Konsa may be retained.
Young should be kept as he is willing and able to stand in at the back, the middle and the front. Poss the most versatile player on the books.
Sadly it looks like Emery is uninterested in our youth players so we may get a few quid for them from championship sides and live to regret it forever.

10 Feb 2023 20:55:57
Scot if we had a bench of mings, konsa, cash, digne, Ramsey, Tim, Bailey, Duran and possibly Watkins depending on if we bring in a striker, you’d have to admit we would have a very strong squad as I’d imagine the players we bring in during the summer would be improvements on them. I can’t see anymore than 4 coming in if we are going for quality they will cost 100 - 150 million

10 Feb 2023 22:43:02
I can’t see many of those you name as being happy to be benchwarmers, so I think some of the spend will come from sales McGinn, and Coutinho will in all probability be sold as will one of either Mings or Konsa I think Cash and Digne may also be sacrificed as well as the likes of Davies,Hause Sanson, and sadly Archer, that lot would net us somewhere in the region of £100million I would have thought and that combined with what the owners are prepared to invest will increase our budget quite significantly

11 Feb 2023 13:29:31
If we sell those mentioned it leaves us with no bench and no better off, it’s a hard one to call, I do agree about couthinho I think he’ll be first out the door, I think we should be trying to keep the others though even for 1 more season so we can establish ourselves in the top half, that’s why I wanted us to strengthen in January and push for europa league where we have extra games and players will get game time in rotation.

09 Feb 2023 16:39:22
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new podcast entitled, New Ed1 Podcast on Youtube

09 Feb 2023 08:44:02
Should we Sign Tammy back in the Summer

09 Feb 2023 10:51:12
yes he's a quality striker raj

09 Feb 2023 13:02:08
He would cost a lot and isn't really any better than Watkins while being too similar in style.
We could do better for that sort of money where the English Tax doesn't come into play.

09 Feb 2023 13:58:17
hes a lot better than watkins rk

09 Feb 2023 15:09:17
I really don't agree. His attributes are very similar and like Watkins he needs multiple chances to score.
With Chelsea and Roma he has played with 2 clubs who have a lot of the ball and get a lot more opportunities than the majority of opposition.

09 Feb 2023 16:14:45
he didn't really get a lot of game time at chelsea mate but if you look at goals to game ratio tammys is better

09 Feb 2023 16:55:12
I like Tammy he is more of a presence in the 18 yard box than Watkins and also better in the air, but I have sympathy with rk’s view around him needing multiple chances to score. For the money Roma would be asking circa £50-60 million we should be aiming higher in my opinion.

09 Feb 2023 17:15:19
Jonny, you can't compare goals per game when he has reached that through playing for a top 6 side in a league where the bottom sides are less competitive than our bottom sides.
His form this season has dipped just like Ollies has.

09 Feb 2023 17:25:45
doesnt watkins need loads of chances aswell lord watkins rarely scores by his first chance and doesn't score a lot of 1on1s i like watkins decent squad member tammy would be an upgrade in my opinion and i'd pay 50/60 mill easy,plus tammy knows the league who in the summer can we get that's better?

09 Feb 2023 18:13:46
I think there are a few who I would rather target Schick at Leverkusen would be my preference over the past 3 seasons I think he has something like 35 goals in 69 games in a decent league. I mentioned the other day 2 guys from Rennes in Ligue 1 Martin Terrier or Amine Ghouiri they can play any of the forward positions but in fairness aren’t out and out centre forwards like Schick but I would take any of those guys in preference to Tammy.

09 Feb 2023 18:17:02
The other one I might take a punt on is the Iranian guy at Porto Taremi

09 Feb 2023 19:18:46
i like schick aswell better than tammy aswell quality striker would he come to vpark thou i'd be dancing if we got him,taremi is also good rate both would take us to another level upfront mate ??

09 Feb 2023 19:21:42
icardi is another aswell lord banged in goals for inter but can't get game time at psg he's another in my opinion that's an top upgrade

09 Feb 2023 20:11:07
Icardi is shocking! No work rate whatsoever. He's playing in Turkey now.

09 Feb 2023 22:31:11
played 13 games for galatasary
9goals that's really shocking buck

09 Feb 2023 22:33:14
hes a goal scorer buck and that's what we need u don't play for inter and psg if your shocking

10 Feb 2023 10:01:07
That is true Jonny but when your career go’s down the toilet you go to turkey to play.

10 Feb 2023 11:01:45
could be a confidence thing thou whack,might needed to play more

10 Feb 2023 19:18:38
Nope he has no work rate and goal hangs. Doesn't fit our system at all. If you want Icardi who do you want in midfield? Dele Ali and Mezhut Ozil and keep hold of Coutinho?

08 Feb 2023 21:39:38
Citizens will push their fullbacks up the pitch against us u best bet is to high press the centre backs and counter attack behind the fullbacks with space take a leaf out of Everton away performance

08 Feb 2023 12:00:13
Mcginn, or Bailey on Sunday? It seems strongly rumoured and highly likely it will only be one if them starting,everyone will know my choice. We can't afford for Bailey to keep giving the ball away in advanced positions against a team like city who break down the wings quickly.

08 Feb 2023 12:27:23
It will be interesting to see who Emery picks, McGinn and Bailey are very very different players, if you want to sit back and try to keep City out you pick McGinn however the way City play allows space in behind the back four if you want to exploit that space then it has to be Bailey with his pace and directness that you would opt for. I don’t think Emery is the type to get his team to sit back in the hope of getting a 0-0 so I think he may opt for Bailey.

08 Feb 2023 12:43:08
Think it'll be McGinn for Ramsey and Oli and Bailey upfront

08 Feb 2023 13:18:19
I think if ash is injured, obviously cash will start and Mcginn will play on the right both pushing forward and covering Cash when he attacks, also supporting his defensive limitations, so Bailey probably wouldn't start if this the case

08 Feb 2023 19:29:19
You may be right Scotty but if we do play with Cash at full back and McGinn playing right which is not his best position I fear we won’t be doing much attacking

08 Feb 2023 21:35:55
I don't think whoever we play on Sunday we will be doing a lot of attacking mate.

08 Feb 2023 21:50:32
We normally play 4 2 2 2 so it will be
Emi
Cash Konsa Mings Moreno
Luiz Kamara
McGinn Buendia
Bailey Watkins

Don't get why you think it's McGinn over Bailey when that hasn't been the case all season. We need Bailey's pace.

08 Feb 2023 22:09:58
Bailey has to play imo, he may lose possession regularly (like all wingers) but he’s consistently our most dangerous player and we are going to be playing more counter attacking against city, I’d go 442 wit Bailey and Ollie pace up front, I’d start digne at LB and Moreno on the left of midfield 4 wit Doug, kamara and maginn. if it’s not working for us swap Bailey for Buendia and go 4411.

08 Feb 2023 22:42:44
Bucky, no point having pace only to give the ball away constantly,he offers very little threat. Against Leicester he was extremely disappointing and offered very little and not for the first time.

08 Feb 2023 23:36:32
Think this will be the 11 on Sunday as well Buck!

09 Feb 2023 17:21:06
If we're playing quick counter of course we need pace. Bailey will come good.

07 Feb 2023 17:19:18
Over the last couple of years I have watched quite a bit of Ligue 1 and Bundesliga and a number of players have caught my eye the likes of Martin Terrier and Armine Ghouiri both of whom play for Rennes, both can play anywhere across the forward positions although Terrier prefers coming in from the left both are fairly quick have good feet and know where the back of the net is. The other is Jonathan Burkhardt who plays for Mainz more of an attacking midfielder his numbers aren't great but whenever I've seen him he always seems involved and he makes things happen not necessarily in terms of goal scoring but makes space and creating opportunities for others. All these players are in early/mid twenties and are the types of players we should be looking at both in term of adding some much needed goalscoring ability but also as a re saleable asset for the club. Terrier I think is interesting some of the Premiership big boys, but I am not aware of that level of interest in Ghouiri or Burkhardt they are certainly the type of player we should be looking at at the very least in my view.

08 Feb 2023 02:38:19
Always nice to get some insight into the other leagues lord, I have to admit I only see teams in champions league or europa, I don’t get much time to watch much else ?

08 Feb 2023 08:06:56
2players that think that would be good aswell yousev fofoana boxtobox
midfielder plays for monaco watched him a lot got a good pass very stron and tough in tackles scores a few aswell only 24 aswell
2nd player is a winger florian wirtz
19yrs old has pace,good crossing,scores goals,likes to do tricks aswell might cost a lot thou lever rate him highly would be perfect for villa like foaforana aswell
3rd player is moukouko from dortmund in the last year of his contract for a player that's 19 in my opinion this lad has is real deal big n strong got rapid pace scores goals,hes got a lot of clubs after him aswell lpool,manu,atheletic madrid ,hed be perfect for villa but would cost 30/50 mil maybe.
last player now is ricky jade jones 19 plays for peterbourer i see a lot of them go dwn an watch with my mates
they harp on about him he's a quality player way too good for league 1 he's also very pacey,hes a 6footer good in air and a very good finisher he reminds me of toney for brentford but a younger quicker version that's needs abit of work,id sign him strait the way won't be long b4 some1 snaps him up cheap would be good for villa like others i mentioned mite be a gamble but it would pay off

08 Feb 2023 08:11:01
florian wirts plays for bayernleverkaisen forgot to put that

08 Feb 2023 10:26:37
I agree Wirtz is a very good player as is Moussa Diaby but in both cases these players are destined for bigger clubs in Wirtz case Bayern Munich and in Diaby’s case he looks to be heading for Spain or Italy if the rumours are to be believed.

07 Feb 2023 07:39:15
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 6th February 2023

06 Feb 2023 17:36:47
Having reflected over the weekend loss and having watched the match back things aren't as bad as some on here have been saying, ok we lost but we played some decent stuff and the football was a lot better than when Gerrard was in charge.

I think it's now becoming clearer about how Emery is going to play and therefore the positions he is likely to target in terms of incomings. Emery come hell or high water is going to persist with playing out from the back, working on the assumption that Carlos will fill one of the centre back roles then we are looking for at least one ball playing centre half as certainly based on what I have seen to date certainly Konsa and to a lesser extent Mings aren't up to the job. It also appears to me that for whatever reason Emery doesn't fancy Matty Cash so it's possible we will be looking for a right back as well as I can't see him relying on Young as his first choice right back for a full premiership season and to be fair I can't see Cash as a full international settling for a place as a benchwarmer. I think when we signed Moreno the writing was on the wall for Digne, that was confirmed for me when he was hauled off at half time on Saturday. In terms of midfield I think it's fairly clear we are looking for a partner for Kamara, Buendia seems to be cementing his place as the playmaker and Emery seems to like Bailey so I think we will look for another winger to play on the opposite flank, and an out and out front man to replace Ings is a must so as a minimum we are looking at 4 additions at least. The interesting thing will be who the manager ships out, so for me from the current first team squad I can definitely see the likes of Digne, Konsa, Coutinho, Dendonker being moved on Cash also may have to find himself a new club if he wants to be a regular starter the interesting thing for me is what Emery decides to do with the likes of Luiz and McGinn, similar to the situation with Matty Cash I can't see either being happy being regularly on the bench so a big big summer ahead for us and Emery.

06 Feb 2023 19:02:01
Lotm, i named six plyers who before Emerys first games probably wouldn't feature in future plans and many you included commented on how extreme and silly this was, its now interesting that you expect, Cash, Konsa, Luiz, Mcginn, Digne, Coutinho possibly won't be in Emerys plans, the same players i identified after Gerrards sacking. I can't believe you think Bailey will feature, he was poor again on Saturday, his ball retention is one of the poorest in the premier league. Ill go even further with this debate, whilst the aforementioned list continue to feature,we will see similar performances to those against Southampton, Leeds, Leicester, Stevenage.

06 Feb 2023 20:01:08
Scotty, I said this looked like Emery’s direction of travel I didn’t say I agreed with it. If I recall the previous conversation correctly you described the players you listed as rubbish, I merely opined that whilst they may not be suited to how the manager wants to play international players are not rubbish particularly those who play for Brazil! Interesting your view on Bailey, one of the websites I can’t remember which has picked a Midlands team of the season to date and Bailey is in it, and given Emery keeps picking him he can’t be that bad can he?

06 Feb 2023 23:44:38
Lotm,like me you have probably watched every minute of Bailey since Emery took charge can you honestly tell me what he has done to earn the accolade. Interestingly have you seen the list of players on the Midland list, none of them have set the premier league alight and none other than emi are in the top half of the premier league fantasy league.

07 Feb 2023 08:46:09
It’s all about opinions and whatever we think it’s Emery’s that counts and as he has shown himself willing to drop established players like Cash and Digne he obviously sees something he likes. I accept Bailey is incredibly frustrating but in fairness a lot of wide players are however this season to date he has the same number of goals as Mahrez, Sterling, Son, and Bowen

07 Feb 2023 13:19:41
Just to add, if Emery doesn't pick Bailey who else is there? We need his pace any opposition cannot risk leaving him one on one because he'll out run them. Yes he's a touch inconsistent but at least he always wants the ball.

07 Feb 2023 21:21:21
One thing guys Traore can come on when Bailey is inevitably subbed, not sure we will be able to tell the difference, both, frustratingly give the ball away far too often to be effective.

06 Feb 2023 15:55:11
Nothing to do with us but Jesse Marche been sacked.
Cant think of a more miserable person to coach a football team.
Blamed other teams tactics for the abysmal performances of the players.

06 Feb 2023 21:48:02
Delighted for him he’s an idiot and couldn’t accept responsibility for his own shortcomings

06 Feb 2023 07:39:24
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 6th February 2023

05 Feb 2023 11:13:20
Here we go again, we have been on a great run,rode our luck at times,but have still won .Rodger's is no mug,you have to give it him,he did a job on us yesterday .Players who we've been praising over the last few weeks,had a stinker . Kamara who is a class player,was at fault for two of the goals,Mareneo who had a brilliant debut,was perhaps at fault for another . Martinez can also take some of the blame,every man and his dog could see,to play that ball to Kamara was stupid .Once again this,playing it out from the back causes us problems .
So give your heads a wobble and look at it as being one of those days and give Rodger's a bit of credit . Sadly we have two bad ones coming next, so Emery will have a lot of thinking to do .

05 Feb 2023 13:59:57
I suppose Dave the "Claret tinted glasses brigade" as someone calls us are all wrong and I'd say the 10 percent think they are right.Evryone knows football is about opinions but some keep harping on about absolute tosh on here. We had some great posters on here ie Chris Flackie and so on but all left because of the constant whining from a few. Well guess what heres a tip for nothing for the I told you so Brigade perhaps before engaging your fingers to the keyboard you put plasters on as we are going to suffer more defeats this year but I will still back my team my "Claret tinted glasses" posters on here no matter what!

05 Feb 2023 14:10:17
100% correct lads, we made 3 mistakes yesterday and were pushed for each one - On another day we'd have won that game comfortably, it was one of those days and I'm really excited to see us against Arsenal and City next.

05 Feb 2023 14:29:54
well they shouldn't have been babies and left should they,so many people on here cry about other peoples opinions then if they don't agree try and get personal,if you don't like what people are saying on don't read them,just because people don't agree with what another person has said doesn't mean your right,this site is good but to many cry babys on here that throw there dummys out the pram because they don't like what people have put

05 Feb 2023 14:48:00
There's having a debate Villa4eva and there's having a debate.People named by my good self was all great posters but a certain few kept on and on and on about the same thing that's why they left not because of having a opinion!

05 Feb 2023 14:51:01
I think BK UE will have them in for training today after yesterday's terrible defending I know I would but I can take great faith in knowing he will have them ready for Arsenal and Man C

05 Feb 2023 15:09:36
im not villa4eva

05 Feb 2023 07:39:13
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 2nd February 2023

04 Feb 2023 18:01:03
Sack the board sack the manager and turn the lights out on our Football Club please Tea Lady on your way out as some who claim to be fans can't wait for us too fail!

04 Feb 2023 20:51:45
Others can’t bare to be wrong.
No need to be so dramatic cause people have an opinion that doesn’t align with yours?‍♂️

04 Feb 2023 21:14:07
At last your admitting it Whack!

04 Feb 2023 21:16:25
We'll inevitably go into administration once we get relegated Daz :-) We had a bad day at the office which translates to an automatic relegation battle apparently, some of our fans man, crazy LOL!

04 Feb 2023 22:51:20
Not sure what I’m admitting to daz?
Having the opinion that we were wrong to not strengthen enough in January?

04 Feb 2023 17:14:57
18 shots only 4 on target, who needs attacking reinforcements with quality like that in the team.
63% possession and over 200 more passes than them and as usual in those type of games we struggle to create clear cut chances. kamara had a stinker today at fault for 2 of the goals, thought couthinho wasn't as bad as normal but he's so weak on the ball it's frustrating how much time he spends on his backside.
Moreno looked great going forward but his defending is suspect at times and the 4th goal was a terrible mistake when we had them under so much pressure.
Only positive today was the teams ahead of us not winning

04 Feb 2023 19:15:10
Agree Whack. I don’t understand why we’ve let certain players leave when we haven’t got a replacement lined up?
Naive?

04 Feb 2023 22:10:20
It happens some days. Look how many shots Liverpool had today and didn't score from.

04 Feb 2023 16:44:18
worst performance under unai this is,on too nxt game now no point dwelling about this game its done

04 Feb 2023 16:50:37
We do need to move on but we must also reflect on the performance and also the transfer window.
Never mind not signing players, although questions need to be asked, why have we let players leave without replacements?
Disgruntled? You’re damn right.
Worst performance by far.
People say judge Emery when he’s made some signings, we’ll he’s had one window already.

04 Feb 2023 17:04:45
I disagree. Defensively there are definitely questions to be answered but I think Emery has now realised Digne is not it.
We had plenty of chances and unfortunately Kamara had a really bad day.
Every team has a bad day, don't forget we were the best team in the league bar Arsenal since Emery joined.

04 Feb 2023 17:17:29
Watched Everton and Leicester win today with new signings making a huge difference, mediocre season in store for us, I predict we finish a handful of points ahead of the relegation zone

04 Feb 2023 17:46:21
disagree whack we will be nowhere near a relegation fight bad results happen we have been on a good run,just got go on another run again,enai will no who he wants and who needs replacing,personally i think we miss mgginn aswell

04 Feb 2023 19:05:26
That the same Everton that made 0 January signings?

05 Feb 2023 00:39:08
Sorry Dan your 100% right I’m not sure where I pulled that from, maybe thinking about new manager coming in and lewin coming back after injury.

04 Feb 2023 14:39:25
What a difference a Dyche makes ?. Great performance from Everton. Could be a 'bounce' but they could have had 3 in the first half. Time will tell ?

04 Feb 2023 15:02:17
thought everton were very good md could be a tough game when we play them

03 Feb 2023 22:04:08
Watching Chelsea tonight, for the money spent this year they are atrocious, all the money spent on midfielders why didn't they buy a decent striker, potter will be lucky to keep his job, Brighton are showing that he was maybe getting credit when it was more to do with the team he had playing for him. by the looks of that Chelsea side it's going to take quiet a while to get them to gel, if indeed they do at all. I would of liked to see us buy a striker but what they have done is the other side of things.
Great chance for us to move up the table with a win tomorrow.

03 Feb 2023 22:43:46
You would have thought a £billion side would, even with new incomers, have seen off Fulham. I see Aubameyang has been totally left out of their Champions League squad - I bet he’s delighted ? All the new boys are in of course - I’m guessing that is in their contracts. Good luck Mr Potter ?

04 Feb 2023 00:18:41
Guys, a quality striker is worth far, far more than the silly money that's been paid for midfield players. Potter has been given a poison chalice and it will do for him.
I listened with interest to todays presser with Emery, he obviously was disappointed he didn't get a striker however he seemed quite upbeat to work with what he has, let's hope his optomism is reflected in our results.

03 Feb 2023 07:39:24
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 2nd February 2023

02 Feb 2023 07:39:12
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 31st January 2023

01 Feb 2023 11:51:49
Hi Guys,
January gone and the window is closed till the summer.
Regardless of who was bought, do you think that we had a satisfactory window.
Players in or out, no names.
From 1 to 10 how do you see the window, 1 being awful 10 being excellent?

TOV

01 Feb 2023 13:35:48
It’s difficult to gauge TOV, if we get the players Emery wants in the summer then I would gauge the window as a success in that we have started the process offloading players who we clearly no longer want, however if we don't then who knows! So I will edge my bets and give it a 5. But the summer will be big for the club and I think if Emery’s ambition is to be matched we are probably going to have to smash our existing transfer record two or three times to get the players he wants into the club

01 Feb 2023 13:46:15
id say 5 aswell,still not happy that ings and archer both gone but atleast we got 15 mill for ings.

01 Feb 2023 13:52:16
Im giving it 3. our bench is 2 weak, for the past few seasons we have being saying “oh this is a season for building” truth is no manager is getting the chance to build anything cause they will be sacked when still in the early stages of each managers build/plan for the future.
We needed a striker and a winger and we got an untested kid and an average at best injured player who didn’t do much last time out. time will tell I guess.

01 Feb 2023 20:44:36
TOV I'd give it a 7. We could do with a couple for sure but at least we didn't throw good money after bad. Ue has shown he can get results with what he's got and with Carlos, mcginn and traore coming back along with Duran I think we'll be ok for top 12. He's shipped out some deadwood although I'd rather have kept sanson than coutinio. Summer is when a real rebuild can start

01 Feb 2023 22:11:03
Personally, I think that this transfer window was a good 7. Dead wood gone. Ings wanted to go, no point in keeping an unhappy player. No panic buys and paying over the odds. There’s a pretty good squad there and if needed, let’s see how good these kids (not on loan) are - you never know a real gem could be there. Let’s face it, look at the wasted millions spent in previous windows. I think this could be a refreshing change with big spends in the summer. Not expecting a European place this year, but not expecting a relegation battle either which is a change. UTV

03 Feb 2023 19:21:50
I'm pleased that Hause and Traoré have come back to Villa as I still rate them and I think that they should play more games when they're fit. I'm also happy that Aston Villa signed Moreno and Durán and sold Ings. I'd say 5/10.

01 Feb 2023 07:39:24
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 31st January 2023