Aston Villa Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2019/2020

Bounty Hunter

Kodjia getting his chance just as I felt like Wesley was finally getting into the game.

Corholio

Sheff Utd are a very good team together no doubt but I think they are a type of team that if quite a few of them moved to other clubs they wouldn't be as good, such is their tight, although very good, system. Not a slight on them either, a lot have been there since they were nearbottom of Championship/Division 1.

Corholio

2-0. All over. Fleck again.

LeBash

Brilliant play there by SU.

Bounty Hunter

NO confidence of getting anything at all now

Panrich

Worrying trend appearing now with goals conceded and defeats. It's been a tough run of fixtures and it seems to have knocked the teams confidence.

Corholio

They've been quicker with passing today. I think that's something Villa need to do more, there's a lot of 'thinking' about passes rather than being active and on the move.

Corholio

Penalty Villa.

basillarkin

Stonewall pen

Bounty Hunter

VAR has to give that

Corholio

Grealish misses penalty. Hits bar. Sums up the day.

LeBash

Surely that should have been Kodjia's peno. I cant remember him missing except 1 where he finished after a save

JPA

Esse85 wrote: »

It's lack of quality.
How many of that villa team would get in Sheff Uniteds?

Engels, Heaton, Grealish, McGinn

If you'd asked that question before the season started you'd have got a different answer. Sheffield United are a now a good PL team so naturally their players look good.

Panrich

Relegation form and style. Missing penalties to get back in the game is the kind of thing that relegated teams do.

CSF

LeBash wrote: »

Surely that should have been Kodjia's peno. I cant remember him missing except 1 where he finished after a save

Kodjia didn’t even take one in the playoffs shootout when I believe he was on the pitch?

Esse85

Terrible run up from Jack.
I thought he was the right man to take it but I wondered WTF he was at running up like that.

2 games in a row we look like relegation.

Esse85

JPA wrote: »

If you'd asked that question before the season started you'd have got a different answer. Sheffield United are a now a good PL team so naturally their players look good.

If the question was asked before the season started the answers would of been based on options and speculation.

When you ask the question now its based on 17 games of fact.

After 17 games the Sheff utd team have proved they are far more capable of playing in this league than Villa, they have 10 points more.

If Wesley was half as effective as McGoldrick we'd be higher up the league.

JPA

Esse85 wrote: »

If the question was asked before the season started the answers would of been based on options and speculation.

When you ask the question now its based on 17 games of fact.

After 17 games the Sheff utd team have proved they are far more capable of playing in this league than Villa, they have 10 points more.

If Wesley was half as effective as McGoldrick we'd be higher up the league.

If Chris Wilder was Villa manager the situations might be reversed, he has made his players good. Sheffield United have a championship squad playing at a PL standard.

Esse85

JPA wrote: »

If Chris Wilder was Villa manager the situations might be reversed, he has made his players good. Sheffield United have a championship squad playing at a PL standard.

So your blaming the manager Dean Smith so because you said it's not lack of quality with the players?

Corholio

Tough, tough few weeks. Need to kickstart season again over Christmas period. No obvious immediate answers, just retain the ball better and be harder to play against.

You'd have to have expected a position like this eventually before the season started but it doesn't make it any easier. Just gotta win a game to change mood a bit.

sc86

Ah now lads !
Cant turn on the manager now.
Sheff utd were better than us last year.
We tore up a team , they didnt

LeBash

Sheffield are just much further down the road of building a team than we are. Everyone knows their role and where everyone else will be. Wilder has had time and that team was built over time. Ours was basically built over 1 window. 4 of the team that finished were there last season, Kodjia and Hause barely played.

Bounty Hunter

With Villa's squad of currently available players I'm not sure how they can change things tactics wise. Maybe going to a diamond and 2 up top as below but I doubt Smith would do that

................Heaton

...........Engels.....Hause/Konsa

Guilbert........Nakamba...........Targett

..........McGinn........Luiz

................Grealish

...........Kodjia......Wesley


That said next is Liverpool in the cup. Hopefully we can get a win against their U-23s and some confidence back in the players before the run of upcoming "easier" games. That said I am expecting plenty of rotation for the cup game and the likes of Elmo, Taylor, Konsa, Trez playing for sure. Maybe McGinn having a rest given he has played ever minute in the league so far iirc

Esse85 wrote: »

If Wesley was half as effective as McGoldrick we'd be higher up the league.

1 comment from I think it was Lee Hendrie (on commentary on my stream) that stood out for me today was that he doubted when scouting Wesley during the summer had Villa watched much footage of the ball being pumped up to him to start moves as a target man. That despite being a big man that he isn't the type of player that Villa seem to be playing as if he is.

Definitely need competition for him in January and better than Trez/El Ghazi as attacking outlets too. Would allow Grealish go back central and give everyone more attacking options to try to find as well.

Patser

1st time I'm genuinely starting to worry about this season, no luck and little intent today

McGinn especially off the boil

JPA

Esse85 wrote: »

So your blaming the manager Dean Smith so because you said it's not lack of quality with the players?

Questions have to be asked, he keeps doing the same thing and expecting results.

Esse85

JPA wrote: »

Questions have to be asked, he keeps doing the same thing and expecting results.

What would you do differently?

CSF

Esse85 wrote: »

What would you do differently?

Well its not specifically a selection thing. We're playing bad football now.

Esse85

CSF wrote: »

Well its not specifically a selection thing. We're playing bad football now.

Because the players the manager signed aren't good enough.
Let's not be surprised, vast majority have no PL experience, and trying to build practically a whole new team over a summer window doesn't work the vast majority of time.

sc86

We need 2 strikers in
1 mayby older proven guy to get goals short term
1 longer term
We surely need to have option of 2 forwards up top in games

If we stick with just wesley and koj we are going down

sc86

When you think we pinned all our hopes on wesley with no back up at all its just madness

Sono

Patser wrote: »

1st time I'm genuinely starting to worry about this season, no luck and little intent today

McGinn especially off the boil

Gone to ****e, very very worrying times. Next few weeks are either make or break for us.

fullstop

Was Hourihane injured yesterday?

LeBash

Sono wrote: »

Gone to ****e, very very worrying times. Next few weeks are either make or break for us.

Sheffield United away isnt end of the world. Next week is a huge one for us though.

Esse85

LeBash wrote: »

Sheffield United away isnt end of the world. Next week is a huge one for us though.

It was more the performance yesterday than the result that was worrying.
Tired, lacked confidence, no fight and no quality. In a real rut now.

CSF

LeBash wrote: »

Sheffield United away isnt end of the world. Next week is a huge one for us though.

There’s been optimism like this all season. Long story short. 15 points from 17 games. Output this season goes on track for 33.5 points.

The need to improve is colossal.

pavb2

The common train of thought amongst Villa fans is that we have deserved more points from our performances. But I think the opposite is also true I thought we were in trouble after Wolves away as that was abysmal as was yesterday.

I agree with others Grealish needs to go back to a central position as unfortunately everything has to go through him otherwise there is no threat.

No idea what to do with Wesley stick Kodjia up there with him or play Trezeguet or El Ghazi up top ultimately something has to change

CSF

pavb2 wrote: »

The common train of thought amongst Villa fans is that we have deserved more points from our performances. But I think the opposite is also true I thought we were in trouble after Wolves away as that was abysmal as was yesterday.

I agree with others Grealish needs to go back to a central position as unfortunately everything has to go through him otherwise there is no threat.

No idea what to do with Wesley stick Kodjia up there with him or play Trezeguet or El Ghazi up top ultimately something has to change

I agree with you. Think the lads have built up a lot of good will from last year and that carries over and that accounts for a lot of the over-optimism

GHOST MGG

Next five games will define our season...Mcginn is either knackered or had his head turned im not sure which,i was on the fence about wesley until last game...he is just one big ball of frustration and not what we need to stay up.

The manager and club saying we aint going to splash much cash in january...which to me is a massive mistake as unless we turn things around we are going back down and we will stay there this time.A striker and an attacking midfielder and a defensive option is what we need at least in january.

Dean smith must take some blame for the situation we are in to be honest,he has no Plan B and does not have the players or the systems to change formation when needed,a very naive decision all around on his part.UTV!

Corholio

I think anyone having over optimism it's their own fault imo. It was always going to be a staying up battle this season. I think Villa have been unlucky in some games, been really poor in others and not been able to pull off 'surprise' results that other clubs around Villa have done to build that buffer to the bottom three.

The next few games are quite big of course, not only in terms of results but in term of attitude. Although some fans have inexplicably lost hope there's no reason the players should be.

Esse85

Who from the club said we won't be active in January?
I hope it's just fake news so clubs won't hike up their transfer fees.

JPA

Esse85 wrote: »

What would you do differently?

We could try Kodija wide left but that is risky as his tracking back is almost non existent, Grealish back in the centre. Mcginn needs a rest at least, Nakamba needs to play as a pure sitting midfielder with someone beside him, Luiz ideally but he's not really impressing.

Ultimately we need to seriously tighten up before anything else.

CucaFace

Esse85 wrote: »

Who from the club said we won't be active in January?
I hope it's just fake news so clubs won't hike up their transfer fees.

I would guess (and hope) anyone saying this is just trying to get a false message out in order to not have huge fee's placed on any targets we may have.

Because its a really simple business decision to made here by the owners of the club, don't invest in Jan and go back down and lose 100's of millions or go out and invest more badly needed money and hopefully keep us up. The cost of going down would be huge again.

This was always going to happen, the day the last window closed and we were left with the 3 strikers we have at this club. It was always gong to be a disaster waiting to happen.

LeBash

Being linked in lots of places with Vida. Wonder if someones going because we are pretty well stocked at CB

Esse85

CucaFace wrote: »

I would guess (and hope) anyone saying this is just trying to get a false message out in order to not have huge fee's placed on any targets we may have.

Because its a really simple business decision to made here by the owners of the club, don't invest in Jan and go back down and lose 100's of millions or go out and invest more badly needed money and hopefully keep us up. The cost of going down would be huge again.

This was always going to happen, the day the last window closed and we were left with the 3 strikers we have at this club. It was always gong to be a disaster waiting to happen.

Well considering the message was we were looking to have signed 2 more players in the summer and we didn't, surely that'll mean we'll reattempt that again in January, its needed more urgently now given the predicament we find ourselves in.

The striker situation I've compared to being similar to the way Bruce left us with CBs. Shocking gamble to take that's massively backfired and questioned the decision making of those in charge. Hopefully the mistakes will go unpunished and DS has learnt from them.

CSF

LeBash wrote: »

Being linked in lots of places with Vida. Wonder if someones going because we are pretty well stocked at CB

Paper doesn’t refuse ink etc

LeBash

CSF wrote: »

Paper doesn’t refuse ink etc

Still be pretty rare to have a lot of newspapers saying it if there is nothing in it. In the last year of his contract, hes the higest earner at the club and they need to offload money on the wage bill.

Didnt look great to me at the World Cup but he was starting all the way to the final. I'd be lying if I said I knew a lot more than that and he has a pony tail tbh.

Esse85

LeBash wrote: »

Being linked in lots of places with Vida. Wonder if someones going because we are pretty well stocked at CB

And a 30yr old CB is not exactly the player profile the club has said its after. I'd be surprised if this were true, CB numbers wise anyway is one place we have cover.

Anyone hear what's the latest on Hourihane, why wasn't he in the squad Saturday, I presume illness?

Esse85

Maupay with a nice finish last night, again showing why we should of signed him.

I'm a little worried about tonight, confidence is on the floor, we're expected to win so the pressure is on, but this young Liverpool team have nothing to lose, they'll fancy their chances, no pressure on them.

I expect lots of changes to the team with the likes of Taylor, Elmo, Konsa, Jota, Lansbury, Hourihane, Trezeguet and Kodjia all starting.

JPA

Esse85 wrote: »

Maupay with a nice finish last night, again showing why we should of signed him.

I'm a little worried about tonight, confidence is on the floor, we're expected to win so the pressure is on, but this young Liverpool team have nothing to lose, they'll fancy their chances, no pressure on them.

I expect lots of changes to the team with the likes of Taylor, Elmo, Konsa, Jota, Lansbury, Hourihane, Trezeguet and Kodjia all starting.

Fairly dodgy making wholesale changes against Liverpool Youths, could be embarrassing. Need to keep the core of the team.

CSF

JPA wrote: »

Fairly dodgy making wholesale changes against Liverpool Youths, could be embarrassing. Need to keep the core of the team.

I’d play plenty of the first team players, but not the ones who we’d really miss if they were injured due to lack of cover. Grealish, McGinn and Wesley should probably have a night off.

As poor as Wesley has looked at times, Kodjia up front for some relegation 6 pointers would scream impending relegation to me.