Aston Villa Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14

basillarkin

Good feeling about today, villa to win by 2 goals

Eathrin

Patser wrote: »

How long has it been since Villa won 3 league games in a row?

Just a hunch, which I know will get me lynched as a jinx, but I've a good feeling about Saturday. With Brady out, Hull fans expecting things of their team now, Villa's love of counter-attacking while away from home and mostly Villa's knack of always annoying Steve Bruce, I just have a feeling we could win 3 in a row.

"Aston Villa have not won three successive Premier League matches since April 2010."

3 points here would really see us push on!

COYVB

circadian wrote: »

a one man team just like Villa

Tell it to city

circadian

COYVB wrote: »

Tell it to city

Did you just quote me out of context? I said they aren't a one man team, just like Villa. If you didn't I apologise, carry on!

COYVB

I apologise, it was confusingly phrased

circadian

There must be a few fuzzy heads today, it does read funny right enough.

astonaidan

circadian wrote: »

There must be a few fuzzy heads today, it does read funny right enough.

Dont worry I read it correctly :cool:

Neil3030

Bright start. Lots of possession.

JPA

Westwood could have had a red there.

COYVB

JPA wrote: »

Westwood could have had a red there.

fixed

needs to come off at HT, just to be safe

wonderboysam

can see this ending 0-0, need you christian!!!!

Bounty Hunter

Looking at the stats would indicate Benteke is missed alright - 60% possesion, 9 shots to their 1 but only 1 shot on target for Villa

JPA

Gabby close, need to get him running through the middle more.

Eathrin

At least we're creating chances.
Great play from Bacuna.

astonaidan

This is a epically boring game, Well Bowerys on there goes my accumulator

JPA

Weimann is gone to the dogs.

Eathrin

Disappointed with that...

JPA

I suppose that's what they call turgid.

matrim

Clean sheet is about the only positive out of that

Neil3030

On another day we may have nicked that. Gabby just missed a fantastic chance after a great run up the right flank from Bacuna. Weimann also gave it away cheaply in dangerous areas a few times. There was also a few shots from distance when a pass into the box was the better option. KEA was guilty of that a few times.

That said, Hull were absolutely terrible. They gave Villa loads of time on the ball, never really pressed and and were very easy to carve open through the middle. Don't think we'll face an easier team again and not score this season.

COYVB

second away clean sheet in a row and 10 points from 7 games. reasonable enough return I suppose

astonaidan

matrim wrote: »

Clean sheet is about the only positive out of that

There would be something seriously wrong not to keep a clean sheet when the other team had only one shot on target.
Gabby and Delph the only players who tried anything

COYVB

delph was head and shoulders above everyone else again. cant help feeling if benteke was playing we win that one 3 or 4 nothing

astonaidan

COYVB wrote: »

delph was head and shoulders above everyone else again. cant help feeling if benteke was playing we win that one 3 or 4 nothing

Kozak really hasnt a patch on him, would have liked to see the big Dane get a run out at the end

circadian

Neil3030 wrote: »

I have a bad feeling today will be a really dour affair; Lambo setting us up to play on the counter, but Hull perhaps content with playing for a draw at home.

Good call.

COYVB

astonaidan wrote: »

Kozak really hasnt a patch on him, would have liked to see the big Dane get a run out at the end

He wasnt in the squad - out injured

Kozak will take a lot of bedding in I think. Ideally we need actual wingers on the pitch to make use of him

Tonev looked a lot more composed when he came on I thought, that was a good sign

Neil3030

COYVB wrote: »

He wasnt in the squad - out injured

Do you know if Lowton is also injured? Was he even on the bench today?

Kozak will take a lot of bedding in I think. Ideally we need actual wingers on the pitch to make use of him

Someone who could get more consistently further up the field, but still central, would help a lot too. I counted about 3 or 4 flicks he won today, but nobody was running onto them.

He should also take it easy with the timing of his jumps too. He has nice hang-time, but he lost out on a few occasions by going up too early. All that said, I reckon his primary purpose is to do exactly what he did to Davies' forehead.

Tonev looked a lot more composed when he came on I thought, that was a good sign

Agreed. Tonev and Luna linked up nicely towards the end. And you can be sure Big Ben would have been on the end of that low cross into the 6 yard box.

Neil3030

circadian wrote: »

Good call.

A broken clock shines on a dogs arse at least once a day... or whatever that phrase is!

COYVB

there's talk there was a bit of a barney between lambo and lowton over something or other, but im not sure whether i believe it or not. would be very strange to drop him completely when he was so good last year. bacuna deserves his place, so dropped to the bench, yeah, but not out of the squad entirely

not sure how we'll line up next year without benteke, but i think delph might be a decent shout for that advanced central role you're talking about. he can strike a ball from distance, he's got an engine and he's showing signs of turning into a bit of a jimmy

Patser

I accept almost full responsibility for jinxing any chance of us winning by predicting we would.......

AstonAidan had a share in that too

COYVB

we've not lost away to a team outside the top 4 in a year apparently

Corholio

COYVB wrote: »

there's talk there was a bit of a barney between lambo and lowton over something or other, but im not sure whether i believe it or not. would be very strange to drop him completely when he was so good last year. bacuna deserves his place, so dropped to the bench, yeah, but not out of the squad entirely

not sure how we'll line up next year without benteke, but i think delph might be a decent shout for that advanced central role you're talking about. he can strike a ball from distance, he's got an engine and he's showing signs of turning into a bit of a jimmy

Maybe Lambert has finally realised that Lowton isn't actually a very good defender, fine when he passes the halfway line but poor in defence. His forays forward masked that last year. Don't know how many times I and others commented about him during matches last year.

I don't know if Bacuna is the answer there but any change to last years defence can hardly be a negative thing.

astonaidan

COYVB wrote: »

He wasnt in the squad - out injured

Kozak will take a lot of bedding in I think. Ideally we need actual wingers on the pitch to make use of him

Tonev looked a lot more composed when he came on I thought, that was a good sign

Ah that makes sense as to why he didnt get on

COYVB

said it on vt last week, i think, that bennett and lowton could perhaps do a job as wingers. both are very good on the ball, and relatively fast. plus, they've both got enough defensive experience to be able to track back and keep their counterparts quiet, plus with luna and bacuna behind them, you'd have to think it'd be very difficult to get down our flanks

i cant really see it happening though, because you'd need to make huge, huge changes to everything. but in FM fantasyland post-Benteke, with everyone fit, i'd try

---

Guzan

---

Bacuna---Okore

---

Baker

---

Luna

---

Sylla

---

KEA

---

Lowton

---

Delph

---

Bennett
----Agbonlahor/Kozak/Weimann

---

Then again, I'm not a football manager, so what would I know

COYVB

Corholio wrote: »

I don't know if Bacuna is the answer there but any change to last years defence can hardly be a negative thing.

Bacuna is looking a really, really good addition IMO

Eathrin

COYVB wrote: »

we've not lost away to a team outside the top 4 in a year apparently

To be fair our record against top4 teams isn't too shabby either this year!

matrim

COYVB wrote: »

said it on vt last week, i think, that bennett and lowton could perhaps do a job as wingers. both are very good on the ball, and relatively fast. plus, they've both got enough defensive experience to be able to track back and keep their counterparts quiet, plus with luna and bacuna behind them, you'd have to think it'd be very difficult to get down our flanks

i cant really see it happening though, because you'd need to make huge, huge changes to everything. but in FM fantasyland post-Benteke, with everyone fit, i'd try

---

Guzan

---

Bacuna---Okore

---

Baker

---

Luna

---

Sylla

---

KEA

---

Lowton

---

Delph

---

Bennett
----Agbonlahor/Kozak/Weimann

---

Then again, I'm not a football manager, so what would I know

Way too defensive a team. 6 defenders and 3 fairly defensive midfielders.

There may be some merit to the idea in a 442, Maybe Delph and KEA in midfield and 2 strikers

COYVB

i don't think its a defensive team at all, given that lowton and bennett would be wingers, not defenders

Neil3030

I'd like to think that in post-Benteke land, there'd be a few bob spent on new players. So we should really have better options than the team proposed by Helix.

Wouldn't mind seeing Bennett and/or Lowton given a run on the wings in a cup tie, though. Perhaps one slightly benign explanation for Lowton's absence is that he's been moved to the wing in training, and once up to scratch, he'll rejoin the team in that position?

Doodee

Is Bacuna a better defender or central mid? He can play both roles I think. Anyone know how he was utilised at Groningen?

If we deploy some wing men then it would be nice to see us play 4-4-2 again with a pairing of little and large up top, Kozak/Helenus and Weimann/Gabby.

How Belhanda getting on btw? Any more reports of him doing a Gob?

Patser

I'd like to see Albrighton given a run out. He impressed against Spurs in league cup - only one to - and could offer an alternative to an out of sorts Weimann.

On another note brought Vlaar into my fantasy team but chickened out of playing him - 8 points now sitting on my bench as 1st sub:(

Edit: Just checking fantasy site there now. I'm 21st in global Villa fan league

LeBash

Just back from the holibobs and my sky box crashed. The city game never recorded. Anywhere online to get the match?

Doodee

So it looks like Clarke could be getting some game time for Ireland.
Think it will help his duties at Villa?

Patser

Depends a lot on the result. A German 8-0 win will hardly do his confidence any good but if he pulls off a Dunne-vs-Russia type heroics and becomes Ireland's newest hero then great.

Also since Okore went out Clark seems to have been preferred to Baker, so not lacking game time, and from what I've seen has managed some very important blocks especially v Norwich.

circadian

Always rated Clark, but I also thought he'd mature into a DM role as he's excellent at interceptions, perfect for a counter attack.

Neil3030

circadian wrote: »

Always rated Clark, but I also thought he'd mature into a DM role as he's excellent at interceptions, perfect for a counter attack.

No use intercepting the ball if you're only going to then larrup it into the press box.

circadian

Point made, but I'm sure he could settle into passing instead of hoofing.

You never know, it could be a bit of nerves after last years showing.

Patser

Now that the Germany match is over, just to add on the Clark talk:

Seemed to recover well from the unlucky O.G. he scored (don't think it went down as an OG but it was). He hit the crossbar from a corner and late on almost scored again from another. If he could bring that sort of threat to Villa games, something we've been poor at for a while - scoring from corners -, it'd be a great thing.

Hopefully against Kazacstan Tuesday he has a happier day out and comes back to Villa with that extra experience under his belt.

Feidhlim

Patser wrote: »

Now that the Germany match is over, just to add on the Clark talk:

Seemed to recover well from the unlucky O.G. he scored (don't think it went down as an OG but it was). He hit the crossbar from a corner and late on almost scored again from another. If he could bring that sort of threat to Villa games, something we've been poor at for a while - scoring from corners -, it'd be a great thing.

Hopefully against Kazacstan Tuesday he has a happier day out and comes back to Villa with that extra experience under his belt.

In his earlier Villa days he regularly scored.

A lot of it is down to the quality of the crosses. We have players who can head the ball but the crossing isn't good enough to get the goals we need.

astonaidan

Feidhlim wrote: »

In his earlier Villa days he regularly scored.

A lot of it is down to the quality of the crosses. We have players who can head the ball but the crossing isn't good enough to get the goals we need.

I feel you, lets try get Young back, not appreciated further north