Match Thread: Aston Villa v West Bromwich Albion, Sat 16th Feb, 3pm | Page 15 | Vital Football

Match Thread: Aston Villa v West Bromwich Albion, Sat 16th Feb, 3pm

McParlandTheGreat said:
Basic problem is that we have a huge gap in midfield, one we can't fill at the moment. Not everybody has the instincts to pull the strings, which maybe OK if you have one or two which do, but at the moment we have nobody. Take McGinn; he provides a dynamism which we sorely needed when he arrived, but he's not a creative midfielder. Hourihane has some useful skills, but strikes me that his reactions are too slow. El Ghazi looks as though he has trickery which can get the better of defenders, but so far he hasn't shown much creativity in setting up other players. And so on.

I have hopes of Green, but he's essentially an attacker, not a creator. Maybe Albert's the best we've got but it's not enough. It'll be interesting to see how/if we improve when Jack gets back.

We are where we are. The only thing Dean can do is persevere. McGinn being out may be a blessing; he can recharge his batteries, and just maybe we will fall into another solution.
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Agree with this. The problem is in midfield. Neither Whelan, the Viking, the Aussie and the Horror have done enough. Consistently they’ve failed. The policy of rotation has not helped. This problem goes back to the dog days of the Premiership. It should be an priority of the management and scouting team to get right. McGinn is wonderful - so they are out there.
 
He certainly isn't going anywhere for the rest of this season, but I'm sure the new owners will expect a marked improvement in performance.
 
I can’t imagine that DS is anything other than fed up with what he’s having to work with. Bruce’s players were bought to play a different kind of game - which they couldn’t successfully - and it’ll take time to get the squad he believes can play the up field and high intensity game he requires.
 
Smith hasn't got the recruitment team here that he had at Brentford, so why does everyone think things are going to be ok after the summer.
We seem to say the same thing every season but it just doesn't happen.
 
Villan57 said:
Hourihane never does anything, It not some sort of new phenomena, gets away with things as he scores the old goal or free kick . He is basically very limited for a central midfielder.
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He is like Hitzlesperger,
Can spank a ball but can’t control a midfield
 
Fulford said:
No but most managers are given the players and have to work with what they've been given. The fact that he plays the same muppets in a system that doesn't work fills me with no confidence at all.
I see nothing that makes me think he's got what it takes.
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So hit me with the 'options' he has Fulford......it's all very well saying , 'it's not working, sack him'....but tell me what other options he has in terms of personnel? Who would you have picked today that would have transformed our performance.....Bjarnason? Adomah? Jedinak? Taylor? Kodjia? El Ghazi? They've been picked, had their chances....it's all very well talking about changing the system, should be able to work with what he's got etc and questions should be asked but some of these players also need to take a long hard look at themselves. All to easy to hide behind the manager.
 
While we're busy slating Dean Smith, could anyone tell me what John Terry is bringing to the party? Obviously our midfield is dire and offers no protection for the back four and keeper, but we have been conceding goals for fun all season.

And not all of them have been Ørjan Nyland's fault.
 
"Merd" said:
Do I detect a man crush 67 :love:. TBF the scallies don't deserve him. He'd look good in claret and blue. Hell yes, you've convinced me, sign him up (even though he doesn't have 4 promotions)
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To put it mildly, I don't find that even remotely amusing, ok?
 
JuanPabloAngel said:
While we're busy slating Dean Smith, could anyone tell me what John Terry is bringing to the party? Obviously our midfield is dire and offers no protection for the back four and keeper, but we have been conceding goals for fun all season.

And not all of them have been Ørjan Nyland's fault.
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As a manager I think Terry could bring a lot to the party.

The current crop certainly haven’t responded to Smith apart from his honeymoon games.

Surely Smith is to blame for our awful defence, he picks em and sets em up.
 
I think Smith knows the problems with the defence. That's why we now have Mings, who looks like a proper centre half. Hause showed signs of knowing how to defend but needs time to to bed in. He seems to be doing that fairly quickly.
That pedestrian, immobile, unagressive midfield is the biggest problem now. Opposition defences have got an easy time against us because our midfield doesn't press them and gives them time to organise.
 
JuanPabloAngel said:
While we're busy slating Dean Smith, could anyone tell me what John Terry is bringing to the party? Obviously our midfield is dire and offers no protection for the back four and keeper, but we have been conceding goals for fun all season.

And not all of them have been Ørjan Nyland's fault.
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You said it; conceding goals ALL SEASON for fun. JT only arrived when DS did.

What happened then? They shoved round pegs in round holes, where possible. Axel was played as a CB, Hutton as an RB, and Taylor as LB. Quite a significant improvement.

I can't tell you who was responsible for that, because I don't know how the roles are handed around. My guess would be that on the training pitch Kelly organises things and Terry and the new bloke (goalkeeping, but also defence) do what's required. I suspect all four of them sit down and discuss things before the actual sessions.

So Terry may not be doing just defence. But I think he will be using his experience as he did last year in the dressing room.
 
tarzansbrother said:
As a manager I think Terry could bring a lot to the party.

The current crop certainly haven’t responded to Smith apart from his honeymoon games.

Surely Smith is to blame for our awful defence, he picks em and sets em up.
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Yet pretty much accepted by everyone our best two players today were his defensive signings Mings and Hause.
And which fuckwit MIDFIELDER failed miserably to tackle before their second goal.
Ever heard the expression defend from the front. The non existent midfield we have really helps the defence in defending let alone being an option for them to pass to.

Oh and who was it that left us with one centre back and then left it for Smith to sort out playing Axel at CB. I'd argue Smith has rectified the defence to a degree.

But, Yeah yeah ....Smith out ....blah blah.
 
tarzansbrother said:
As a manager I think Terry could bring a lot to the party.

The current crop certainly haven’t responded to Smith apart from his honeymoon games.

Surely Smith is to blame for our awful defence, he picks em and sets em up.
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Why do you say the current crop haven't responded to Smith? We've had some pretty spectacular comebacks, which don't happen unless the players are fully committed to the cause!

Bruce is to blame for our awful squad (not just defence); it's not the individual players, it's that they were bought with no plan and no idea about how they would work together. Big ask for Smith to sort that lot out overnight.

But there's a good chance he will, in time. He knows what he wants and how he wants the team set up. Just needs the right players.
 
Smith is the manager it's about time he started managing. He knew what players he was getting when he took the job .Or did he tell the bosses l can,t do anythink with this lot you will have to wait till l get the players l want in . It's about time the guy grew a pair or at this rate he will be out of here befor he can say I need time to build a ew team
 
Still-Ian said:
He is like Hitzlesperger,
Can spank a ball but can’t control a midfield
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Nope he can't spank a ball mate he curls in with the inside of his left foot.
He couldn't lace Hitzlespergers boots Ian . I've only seen another left-footer who could hit a ball like Hitz and that was the legend that is Bruce Rioch .
Bruce had the hardest left foot shot I've ever seen, most goalkeepers never actually saw it!
 
Villan57 said:
Nope he can't spank a ball mate he curls in with the inside of his left foot.
He couldn't lace Hitzlespergers boots Ian . I've only seen another left-footer who could hit a ball like Hitz and that was the legend that is Bruce Rioch .
Bruce had the hardest left foot shot I've ever seen, most goalkeepers never actually saw it!
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And it was an old style ball. Not these beach balls they play with nowadays.
 
On the subject of John Terry, I think there may be some conflict between the high line that Smith wants to play and the way JT liked to play.
Chelsea, when Terry was at his peak, defended deep mainly due to Terry being slow their get out ball was 50 yards to Drogba who was simply the best at holding up and creating from that sort of ball.
We have dropped deeper and deeper since the exciting football we played when Dean took over, I think this is Terry and the players reverting to type.
It's leaving Tammy looking like every other Villa striker of the past few seasons a complete clown who loses every ball that is hoofed to him.

Terry wasn't Deans choice, he was the clubs attempt to pacify fans who wanted a "Name" He has no experience at coaching and he's learning his trade at Villa. We all know he'll be back at Chelsea given a sniff of anything there

It was a strange appointment, time will tell I suppose when dean gets the chop if Terry is being groomed to take over.
 
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