Aston Villa (A) | PL | Post Match Thread

[Tricky_Trev]

I tell you what, we’re fucking lucky we beat Forest. If we lost to them we’d be TEN points behind them now and out of the top 4 race already.

 

[BlueMonkey79]

Keep blaming the injuries all you want (and it is an issue) but the bigger issue is the players that ARE available

Gundo and Lewis - neither are good enough -Gundo once was but he is FINISHED - done ...his career anywhere near the top is over. Lewis will never be good enough....said it last year - he aint a fullback and he aint a midfielder....not good enough in either position - Id drive both of them out the exit door gladly

Grealish - said when we bought him he is overrated....people reckoned he could be the next KDB - HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!! This team have carried him every year he has been here bar one....he is one of the symptoms of our demise - over paying for average English talent - (Phillips anyone!!!) - I would sell him in a heartbeat even for 15m or less

Stones - couldnt last more than half a game again - needs to be sold - along with AKE - both good servents but they are now the past. ...but realistically no one is going to buy them with their injury records and wages so we are going to have to let them go on free's

Walker - like Gundo - finished!! - not his fault but time to say good bye - his career is done at the top level...let him go to sheffield utd or somewhere on the continent

Bernardo - overplayed

KDB - cant play enough and when he does he is so slow, dispossessed easily and nowhere near the force he once was...and never will be again - there will be the odd spark from him once in a while but that is it...hopefulyl gone in the summer so we can rebuild - let him go to Saudi or the States.....do NOT give him a new contract or give him another season - biggest mistake we could make

And there are people in here actually blaming Haaland - have you not wathced him for the past few seasons - he is never a player who can run around, drop deep and get invovled in play - he is the best goal scorer in the world but he needs service....he is getting nothing from the midfield. - there is no point in him running around like a headless chicken - it achieves nothing.

Nothing changes this season - and PLEASE dont say Bruno G from Newcastle will solve it.....he is Newcastle level at BEST

Get used to this till next season - this season is all about survival

Pretty much nailed it there mate.

Its baffling how we can all see it and yet all those coaches, a million times more qualified than most of us and the people upstairs can't!!!

 

[bert38]

I tell you what, we’re fucking lucky we beat Forest. If we lost to them we’d be TEN points behind them now and out of the top 4 race already.

And they had numerous chances in that game too….

 

[Eric Hitchmough]

Respect to all constructive criticism of the squad, I’d also include peps tactics. This inverted vanity project of Rico moving inside from the full back position is killing us, I’ve never seen a player so out of position as Rico. I really think it’s flawed, stepping stones in 2 seasons ago worked most of the time. Rodri had to adjust. However we’re crowding our own space and teams won’t be sucked in, they’ve got their shape and system and stick to their game plan.
We have almost zero penetration and create very few opportunities to score from early crosses.
When do we see our fullbacks go beyond our wingers and cross the ball. Something has to change unfortunately I think pep is to stubborn.
Recruitment and selling of Alvarez and Cole palmer have turned out absolutely horrendous decisions, putting everything into Haaland who has desires to play in Spain has been shortsighted. Today was probably as bad a team as I’ve seen for 12 years or more.Bernardo continues to disappoint we show no pace in attack, slow build up play . Teams get back into shape and we offer zero pressure on the opponents goal, no wonder Tixi is leaving. What a rebuild is required..

Great post

 

[SWPISHOME]

People can go on all they like about the players we've sold, At the time of these transfers it PROVED that the club made the right choices by moving them on as we've been hugely successful winning trophies.

Obviously now the topic of players sold is coming to the surface as we are declining, What we don't know is how we would have faired out even with the players we've sold, Plus they weren't going to be hanging around for 2/3 years waiting for an opportunity.

No point banging the drum of ifs, buts and maybes...

This squad is coming or has come to the end of it's cycle and in major need of a rebuild. Stop pissing and moaning about opposition fans gloating and the media having a field day about our decline, We've been hugely successful and a decline was always going to happen at some point so take it on the chin.

We'll be back, We aren't going away. Let's just see this season through and make sure we get back on track.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Ahhh bless you snowflake , turned the television off because your teams not winning.
The kind of supporter that successful clubs are built around.
Liverpool are on tomorrow maybe watch that & ask Santa for a 1/2 & 1/2 scarf .

Too many people like you on here trying to prove what "big Blues" you are by accepting, and making excuses for, substandard performances.

I've seen 63+ years of City, and I can honestly say, I've never been more disappointed with any group of City players than our current squad.

I've watched generations of typical City...average squads being average, good squads being good, shit squads being shit and, more recently, great squads being great... Our current highly paid, very expensively built squad is falling a long way behind abilities and expectations, and it doesn't look like it's getting any better.

Blame lies with Pep, his coaching staff (the silent men) and Txiki Begiristain.

The squad is largely made up of players who are; past their best, made of glass, out of their depth, or simply badly used. Succession planning has been unbelievably poor.

Major reconstruction is needed for 25/26 season.

Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.

 

[Tuearts right boot]

Keep blaming the injuries all you want (and it is an issue) but the bigger issue is the players that ARE available

Gundo and Lewis - neither are good enough -Gundo once was but he is FINISHED - done ...his career anywhere near the top is over. Lewis will never be good enough....said it last year - he aint a fullback and he aint a midfielder....not good enough in either position - Id drive both of them out the exit door gladly

Grealish - said when we bought him he is overrated....people reckoned he could be the next KDB - HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!! This team have carried him every year he has been here bar one....he is one of the symptoms of our demise - over paying for average English talent - (Phillips anyone!!!) - I would sell him in a heartbeat even for 15m or less

Stones - couldnt last more than half a game again - needs to be sold - along with AKE - both good servents but they are now the past. ...but realistically no one is going to buy them with their injury records and wages so we are going to have to let them go on free's

Walker - like Gundo - finished!! - not his fault but time to say good bye - his career is done at the top level...let him go to sheffield utd or somewhere on the continent

Bernardo - overplayed

KDB - cant play enough and when he does he is so slow, dispossessed easily and nowhere near the force he once was...and never will be again - there will be the odd spark from him once in a while but that is it...hopefulyl gone in the summer so we can rebuild - let him go to Saudi or the States.....do NOT give him a new contract or give him another season - biggest mistake we could make

And there are people in here actually blaming Haaland - have you not wathced him for the past few seasons - he is never a player who can run around, drop deep and get invovled in play - he is the best goal scorer in the world but he needs service....he is getting nothing from the midfield. - there is no point in him running around like a headless chicken - it achieves nothing.

Nothing changes this season - and PLEASE dont say Bruno G from Newcastle will solve it.....he is Newcastle level at BEST

Get used to this till next season - this season is all about survival

Unfortunately I can't argue with any of that.

 

[Tier2Blue]

Txiki not getting enough stick. Much of this is on him. Had a horrendous few years and whilst clearly still in credit his legacy is being reduced on a weekly basis.

 

[simon23]

Pretty much nailed it there mate.

Its baffling how we can all see it and yet all those coaches, a million times more qualified than most of us and the people upstairs can't!!!

I think they can...if you look and listen to Pep he knows he cant change this this season....he knows those players are finished.....did you notice the veiled comment when asked about KDB a couple of weeks ago - said he would love to have a 25 year old KDB or something like that (think he was being asked about managing KDB's minutes). He is also taking the heat off the players by blaming himself......this is classic diversion tactics.....

The biggest issue is the SIZE of the rebuild needed.

 

[Blue Mist]

I agree completely mate, but the decline has been far too quick for my liking.

We were - very clearly - the best team in the world until the FA Cup final in May. We were a shadow of our best in that game, and performances have been largely below our expected standards ever since then.

Injuries or not, there's absolutely no excuse for a club of this size, wealth, and experience allowing a squad to drift 'past it's best'.

Succession planning has been non-existent.

The Monday night before the cup final started it.
The club allowed the players to get pissed, (until 4am) and that gave them permission to lose the final. It was now acceptable, who could better the treble and then 4 in a row ? The final was just the first 'it's ok to lose match

I know why it was done, it took huge mental strength to win 4 in a row but professional athletes should not have gone on the piss until after the final. . They switched off and have not got the mental strength to switch back on again as the more we lose the less painful and more acceptable it is.

 

[chaddblue]

They clearly weren't shite - stupid comment.

Shite maybe a bit harsh but they were very very ordinary and our team, before they became unrecognisable, would have wiped the floor with them today

 

[Roachy]

Keep blaming the injuries all you want (and it is an issue) but the bigger issue is the players that ARE available

Gundo and Lewis - neither are good enough -Gundo once was but he is FINISHED - done ...his career anywhere near the top is over. Lewis will never be good enough....said it last year - he aint a fullback and he aint a midfielder....not good enough in either position - Id drive both of them out the exit door gladly

Grealish - said when we bought him he is overrated....people reckoned he could be the next KDB - HAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!!!!!!! This team have carried him every year he has been here bar one....he is one of the symptoms of our demise - over paying for average English talent - (Phillips anyone!!!) - I would sell him in a heartbeat even for 15m or less

Stones - couldnt last more than half a game again - needs to be sold - along with AKE - both good servents but they are now the past. ...but realistically no one is going to buy them with their injury records and wages so we are going to have to let them go on free's

Walker - like Gundo - finished!! - not his fault but time to say good bye - his career is done at the top level...let him go to sheffield utd or somewhere on the continent

Bernardo - overplayed

KDB - cant play enough and when he does he is so slow, dispossessed easily and nowhere near the force he once was...and never will be again - there will be the odd spark from him once in a while but that is it...hopefulyl gone in the summer so we can rebuild - let him go to Saudi or the States.....do NOT give him a new contract or give him another season - biggest mistake we could make

And there are people in here actually blaming Haaland - have you not wathced him for the past few seasons - he is never a player who can run around, drop deep and get invovled in play - he is the best goal scorer in the world but he needs service....he is getting nothing from the midfield. - there is no point in him running around like a headless chicken - it achieves nothing.

Nothing changes this season - and PLEASE dont say Bruno G from Newcastle will solve it.....he is Newcastle level at BEST

Get used to this till next season - this season is all about survival

An honest appraisal of the situation we have in relation to some of our squad.

 

[SWPISHOME]

Txiki not getting enough stick. Much of this is on him. Had a horrendous few years and whilst clearly still in credit his legacy is being reduced on a weekly basis.

Absolute bollocks.

This club has achievements that other clubs in English Football could only ever dream of doing since Txiki has been at the club.

We've had a tough two or three months and his "legacy is being reduced on a weekly basis" hahahaha really? So I guess the same applies to Pep?

We could get relegated this season and he will still have an ever lasting legacy of success at this club.

Yes he's made a few wrongs moves in the transfer market in the last couple of windows, But we can certainly say he's got alot more right than he has wrong in his time.

People need to stop going on like spoiled brats and take it on the chin that we aren't what we once were for many reasons, The levels we've been playing it isn't sustainable for such a long period of time, We've been lucky that the players have sustained the level that they have for so long.

Maybe you'll tell yourself that the players are also losing credibility in a weekly basis too...Grow a pair fella.

 

[MMA]

The Monday night before the cup final started it.
The club allowed the players to get pissed, (until 4am) and that gave them permission to lose the final. It was now acceptable, who could better the treble and then 4 in a row ? The final was just the first 'it's ok to lose match

I know why it was done, it took huge mental strength to win 4 in a row but professional athletes should not have gone on the piss until after the final. . They switched off and have not got the mental strength to switch back on again as the more we lose the less painful and more acceptable it is.

Yep.
Spot on mate.

It's why it's so incredible how long Messi went on from such a young age always no matter what wanting to be the best for such a long long time really...

"You can go out and have a drink" .. but should you..

How much do you want to win and for how long as an individual and as a team..

Our players mentally checked out that cup final...

 

[AndyP68]

After a defeat I cycle out into the hills and mull it over. At least I’m getting fitter… various things I’ve wondered:

Is this just a hangover from 4 in a row.

Pep is a serial winner and hates losing. Maybe the players are less so?

The players are still largely decent. But after 4 in a row the desire and hunger must dip.

Maybe the players feel they have nothing to prove.

Far too much football played by our lads. All over the world. The spurs league cup tie was only 51 days ago. How many matches since then?

Off field issues seem to be a possible problem. Parenthood brings challenges for young guys.

Can players raise themselves now when they know realistically that title is gone this year.

Teams now fancy their chances and have worked out how to beat us. Easier to do when then players aren’t giving it all.

The absence of a physical presence on the pitch and dressing room can’t help.

The 115 have diverted Management attention. Rightly they have been focussed on that. They can’t do that and pay same attention to recruitment.

Clearly lots of factors at play.

Absence of Rodri and KdB cannot be underestimated though.

 

[Xhavenjoe]

Txiki not getting enough stick. Much of this is on him. Had a horrendous few years and whilst clearly still in credit his legacy is being reduced on a weekly basis.

He may have some input but he's not picking the team or letting players leave without Peps approval.
Do you think he put Alvarez up for sale or bought Kalvin Philipps off his own back.

 

[blue whippet]

I think they can...if you look and listen to Pep he knows he cant change this this season....he knows those players are finished.....did you notice the veiled comment when asked about KDB a couple of weeks ago - said he would love to have a 25 year old KDB or something like that (think he was being asked about managing KDB's minutes). He is also taking the heat off the players by blaming himself......this is classic diversion tactics.....

The biggest issue is the SIZE of the rebuild needed.

The size of the rebuild concerns me. I think it will need at least three summer transfer windows, maybe longer if we don't get any European football. There are just too many players that need replacing and that is just the first team, let alone squad depth.

 

[kaz7]

dog shit end of

Well thank you for that insightful post , the door is over there >

 

[Norman kneejerk]

Trying to nake sense of it probably comes down to do we believe Pep can employ the right tactics going forward and can he recruit the right players for whatever system he wants to implement from transfers or youth.

Think we are entitled to ask these questions without deriding his past achievements

 

[MMA]

Well thank you for that insightful post , the door is over there >

He's right though Kaz..