Okay, so I have to be careful what I say here.
It’s just too easy to have an over-emotional reaction to a loss like this, after all.
But, I can’t get away from the fact that we were horrendously bad today.
So bad that I can’t point the finger at any one player, because as a side, we were just so,so poor.
I’ve seen fans calling McGinn and Watkins, as per usual, but I have to ask what they did that was so wrong?
The worst single player, if I really have to pick one was Digne. He honestly looked like he was on drugs or something today and it was like he didn’t know what planet he was on, let alone which part of the pitch.
Yet, in fairness, he’s been okay before today and I find myself wondering how he suddenly has looked so poor today.
But the same applies to many other players too. McGinn looks a shadow of his former self.
Ramsey is just none-existent and shouldn’t even be starting, in my opinion.
But apart from Buendia in the first half, the whole midfield lookes so, so lightweight, so it’s not just one player.
And because the midfield is so lightweight, it seems to have fed through to the defence too.
We look like we’ve never played together at the back and I’m perplexed how we have managed to go from looking extremely organised to just well, words fail me.
Again, I have to be careful I don’t say something I regret.
But, I said from the off that Gerrard was not the right choice for Aston Villa.
Am I calling for his head?
No, not yet.
Because I believe if he does go, it will be weeks away.
Purslow will support him as long as he possibly can, which is probably a good idea, because if Gerrard does get sacked, Purslow will “resign”, in my opinion.
We are not getting a point from our next three games, so it’s just a matter of things taking their natural course.
But there is no doubt that the total dissarray that we saw today cannot continue.
Sorry to say, but the story I always saw panning out is happening right now.
I’m absolutely bewildered, a winger and we all know it’s a defender and midfielder needed. is Gerrard in charge or what because we see the need, and now its proof how deluded he is, we play with wing backs one being Cash who got caught out with Zaha for a goal the other wrongly given a penalty against, Yet we buy a winger help! why why do we have youngsters keeping the bench warm week after week and never given the chance to show how stupid Gerrard is. I’m bewildered honestly.. who would be a Villa fan in today’s world..
Bill – in answer to your question – a lot of bewildered and befuddled football fans 🙂
Project Bin Dipper has run it’s course.
🚖 + P45 for SG.
Sarr is a decent player, but he’s too similar to Traore (who Gerrard has deemed to be not good enough), in my opinion.
He is also a player who disappears from games for long periods and we already have more than our share of that type of player.
I think we’ve mostly got our signings more right than wrong, but I have serious doubts about this one and am also becoming very concerned about our transfer strategy.
It’s beginning to look like we’re signing players more by a “try it and see” approach, as opposed to part of a structured plan.
Very much like the way we play, actually.
Wtf is that all about?
Last season was all about Smith’s players not fitting into the SG system
( whatever the f&&£ that is)
We played narrow, no width, no room at the inn for wingers.
Now we paying £25m for a winger?
Clueless, absolutely and utterly.
Strangely enough a winger might be what we need. At present we ask our fullbacks to play as wing backs. That works if you have 3 central defenders, the outer ones having to cover the hole behind the wing backs when they turn the ball over upfield. Crossing the ball from wide is a high risk option with around 4 in 10 chance of the keeper or defenders intercepting and starting an attack, using the space behind the wing back. Villa have not played with 3 CDs so we are leaky behind both fullbacks.
If we play with 2 wingers the full backs can concentrate mainly on defence. Its a matter of opinion whether Cash and Digne are good enough defensively. Obviously we must take a player out to put Sarr in and that would have to be Mcginn or Bailey since neither is getting through enough work this season. In the MOTD clip last night Bailey was named once and McGinn never.
Interesting point of view OLL.
Has Gerrard eventually accepted that playing narrow and pushing up the full backs isn’t working? It’s clear we need to improve the service to Watkins / Ings
Having said that we still need a quality number 8 in midfield and an upgrade at CB – even if it’s a season long loan.
Still not convinced about Gerrard’s decision making though!
I suspect NSWE’s cheque books will be red hot over the next few days – although a number of outgoings will be pushed through at the same time.
What is unequivocal is that failure by Gerrard to sort this out in the short term will result in him being shown the door – and I suspect NSWE won’t wait until Christmas to wield the axe!
Dear Mr Edens and Mr Sawiris
Regarding Mr Gerrard signing any more players for Aston Villa FC, may I suggest that every pound you allow him to spend from hereonin moves your long term plan for the club further and further away. The squad, although not complete, has talent. Rather than add players who are not superior to those already on the payrole, perhaps a change of manager would be more prudent? Mr Pochettino would likely fully exploit the talent available and could advise you more accurately of what areas of the squad need strengthening so you can realise your long term vision for the club.
Sincerely
Big Fat Ron
Sometimes it’s not always about the fancy name on the shirt. Nakamba and Iroegbunam both do the DM role well. A hell of a lot better than, Kamara, Luiz or Mcginn. One of them should be in the first 11 every week until we can find better… Kamara not a DM no better than Luiz IMO who also isn’t a DM and Mcginn should be behind the strikers doing the closing down and making late runs in to the box. Scotland know how to use him properly! Our team is unbalanced week in week out, wrong players, wrong positions. I don’t see how Sarr will help but it’s a good price for him and a potential profit maker.
Gerrard could try — Ings
Sarr Mcginn
Buendia Kamara
Iroegbunam
Digne Mings Chambers Cash
Martinez
Something to try, If Sarr doesnt come then swap him with Buendia and play Luiz next to Kamara. If we setup the same week in week out performances and results will not change.
We need to do something because, Palace, Brighton, Leeds, Newcastle, Southampton, Brentford have all improved on shoestring budgets (except Newcastle on a big budget) and we seem to be going backwards. It’s worrying because the way we finished last season and started this one, we look like relegation fodder. We surely have enough talent in this team to make it work but Gerrard cant see it or isn’t willing to change/try which will end up being his downfall and at Villas expense sadly.
Sarr deal dead in the water.
And when did the news break on this Sarr deal (non event)?
Saturday evening just after Palace fiasco?
Call me an old cynic but how very convenient.
Yep Sarr deal dead and apparently SG looking at other positions. If true, this really does demsontrate the scrambled thinking going on at Villa Park. Apparently Archer was going to go in the other direction on loan. A player he talked about being in the squad pushing for playing time a couple of weeks ago.
I started the season with so much optimism. Yet this has come crashing down. SG was meant to have known the style, set up of the team and who played in what position. It is very evident he does not.
Nearing the end of SGs 2nd transfer window his key purchases:
Coutinho badly out of form – a worrying trend for this player over the last 3 years
Digne very suspect at defending, made worse by tactic of pushing full backs forward
Carlos – very unlucky with potentially season ending injury.
Kamara need time to adjust to the Premier league.
All others are for position cover. I see no improvement!
By the international break on September 24th:
West Han (H)
Arsenal (A)
Man City (H)
Leics (A)
Southampton (H)
I anticipate we will have obtained 1 more point and will be in the bottom 2.
Gerrard has to go, otherwise by the World Cup break we will be odds on for relegation.
West Han (H)
Arsenal (A)
Man City (H)
Leics (A)
What price we lose all ?
Worth a little flutter 🤔
Gerrard only wanted to sign Sarr to switch the focus to that rather than him. Lange realised, and has no cancelled the Sarr deal and is telling Gerrard he has to work with what he has, and is only allowed to sign a CB on loan, due to the squad being sufficient enough.
If that were the case we would never had entered negotiations in the first place.
Bet Gerrard only wanted it to save his own back though.
Not sure on that, as it was Gerrard who turned Sarr away apparently. To me it sounds more like the club hierarchy have tried to make this signing above Gerrard’s head, then Gerrard has spoken to Sarr and must not have liked what he heard so he told the club to leave it. Fair play to him, if Sarr didn’t impress during the interview. We probably dont need him anyway, there are more important areas to sort out.
Gerrard is losing fan support at a rate that makes inflation look under control.
Our owners are supposed to be shrewd business men with a wealth of experience in sports ownership / management.
Now’s the time to show it and act decisively before it’s too late.
It seems problems with the Sarr deal arose over ‘the structure of the deal’ (if Watford wanted Archer to go on loan the other way I don’t believe that would be acceptable to Villa) and Sarr’s personal terms.
Trarore has gone on loan to Basaksehir in Turkey (never heard of them 🙂 ) but Hause is still expected to go on loan to Watford leaving us with just three experienced CB’s.
Now if that’s to clear the way to buy another decent (upgrade) CB then it’s a sensible move in all the circumstances. But we need to get a replacement in first.
And we still need a serious upgrade in midfield and to ship out Sanson and AEG.
Prediction: The Spammers are due a win and will get it at VP this weekend. The atmosphere will turn toxic against Gerrard.
I hope the board are prepared for this and have a replacement for Gerrard lined up for this time next week…
Top 3 candidates that should be approached this week:
1. Pochettino
2. Potter
3. Steve Cooper – what he’s done at Forest is outstanding. Read about how he galvanised the whole club and fans, not just the team. If we’re to go for another ‘up and comer’ rather than Poch, definitely worth a look.
Up and coming or unproven in the PL has got us nowhere, so no thanks to Cooper.
Can’t see Potter leaving Brighton just yet for what essentially is a bit of a poisoned chalice at VP, so highly unlikely.
Has to be Pochettino. Did wonders at Southampton and Spurs.
Many fans may want him gone but I have a sneaky suspicion the hierarchy won’t do anything until it’s too late.
If they move now they’re admitting they got it badly wrong.
Feel really sorry for Smith – we’d be in no worse position if he’d stayed.
Nothing I could prove but his (Smith’s) demise appeared just a little orchestrated- all the backroom staff left during the summer – Richard O’Kelly stepped down on the eve of the season & John Terry decided to leave the club during the summer.
Why?
What went on behind the scenes? Was there an explanation given for their departure?
As they say “no man is an island” something Smithy found out to his cost.
I’m inclined to agree Hitch, i can’t see them acting until it’s too late.
For what it’s worth i don’t actually blame Gerrard as he just trying to do his job, albeit not particularly well.
I blame Purslow, the upper management need to shoulder the blame as they are the ones making the bigger decisions, we have great owners and actually really good players, it’s the middle men that are the issue, the CEO and manager need to go.
Hause now loaned to Watford – that’s logical! We now have only three experienced CB’s and, it seems, no obvious upgrade replacement identified.
We are quickly becoming a laughing stock – again.
NSWE / Purslow / Gerrard – get a grip. This is our club and we care about it in a way you can never understand.
I have a sneaky feeling that it wasn’t Sarr that led to us not signing him.
I very much suspect that it’s Gerrard who has been blocked from signing the player and we could be seeing Gerrard’s demise unwinding already.
Think about it. We normally seriously overpay, not underpay.
Hause going out is madness. As bad as letting Targett go like that. Has he really gone? I don’t get it.
We’ll be signing Ronaldo as back up to Martinez next.
🙂
Might lose today actually, then an extremely hard next 4 fixtures looms.
I know. We could really be in the do-do if we lose against Wet Spam. We have to beat the teams on or below our perceived level. If not that’s relegation stuff.
I can’t see our owners being patient if we have 3 points after 7 games. I’d be sounding out Poch now before it’s too late.
I think we will win today, comfortably. We will play with Nakamba or Iroegbunam as the proper DM, everything will look rosy. Archer will score 2, we will all be saying he needs to be in the first 11, then he will go out on loan to QPR for the season and score for fun, whilst our first choice strikers cant hit a barn door and Gerrard reverts to standard tactics of playing the wrong players in the wrong positions.