Pre Season Friendlies Thread | Page 32 | Vital Football

Pre Season Friendlies Thread

Really enjoyed today, support excellent as usual. Regardless of the playing staff we have a set style of play, if you blinked and did not see the changes and looked again you would think the same players were playing. I think we are on the verge of something absolutely incredible, not next season but the season after I suspect we were knocking on the door
of The top four. Get there, extend the ground and see us go. Really thankful that I will see another fantastic Villa team Before I make peace with God. Exceptionally more pleased that my children will see the giant that is Aston Villa returned to its rightful pinnacle
 
Yep, if the foundations are strong no matter what happens you can rebuild on top of it.

I know the Fulham comparisons are tired and completely off anyway, but they sacked Jokanovic in November after a bad run, and they still went down with barely a whimper. Deano went through a bit of a bad spell and followed that by a record breaking winning streak and a play-off win.

No more knee-jerk decisions.
 
mike_field said:
Even if we get relegated, stick with the crop because of the foundations.
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I'm (almost) convinced we won't get relegated. I have the feeling that we may have an awful start, but this team looks like it will grow. Regardless of what happens before Christmas, I can see this team doing enough to keep us up (at least) in the second half of the season.

It may be rabbits in the headlights until January, but I believe this team will come into its own after that.
 
Stephen Jay Hawkings said:
Yep, if the foundations are strong no matter what happens you can rebuild on top of it.

I know the Fulham comparisons are tired and completely off anyway, but they sacked Jokanovic in November after a bad run, and they still went down with barely a whimper. Deano went through a bit of a bad spell and followed that by a record breaking winning streak and a play-off win.

No more knee-jerk decisions.
Click to expand...
Yup, build, build, build and swallow the inevitable bad spells we'll have. Hate to say it but look at Spurs (given comparable spending) and the way they've used the Academy since Pochettino took charge. Still not perfect, but Christ, Mon to MacDonald to Houllier to Eck to and so on.....

For once have a 10 year plan (or was it 5?) that doesn't see our owners shit themselves after a bad 3 months.
 
Beovilla said:
I'm (almost) convinced we won't get relegated. I have the feeling that we may have an awful start, but this team looks like it will grow. Regardless of what happens before Christmas, I can see this team doing enough to keep us up (at least) in the second half of the season.

It may be rabbits in the headlights until January, but I believe this team will come into its own after that.
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I get what you're saying but I don't agree with rabbit in headlights. We'll lose games we should win as we adjust and honestly I don't see us doing a Wolves and getting 7th place or even top half.

But we'll survive, consolidate and quite comfortably.

DS has clearly got his game plan in mind and he knows it works....he'll need time to work out bits of it won't at Prem level and come up with better - especially against the top 6. But this year is about us beating the teams who finish 10-20 not the teams who finish 1-10.
 
Beovilla said:
I'm (almost) convinced we won't get relegated.
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Me too, but of course there's that nagging realism at the back your mind that knows how unpredictable football is.

At least we seem to be organised for once as far as a playing style is concerned. That was what I was most looking forward to with Deano after seeing how he spoke during his Brentford days about the clubs philosophy.

It might be rocky now and again but we have to stick with it.
 
Sorry, meant to add remember the criticism Santo took at Wolves last year as they hit their wobbly patch and Wolves had been effectively found out in style. It's a process, he got past that, they made subtle changes to their play and got back on track. We'll have the same battle for different reasons because DS is taking what he knows from the Champ into the Prem but not quite on the same basis as they did.

We'll get hammered, we'll have losing streaks....it comes down to does DS know enough to change at the right moment to get back to winning ways, without doing a Dyche (et al) and defending at all costs to secure a point.
 
Thought Kalinic played well considering he didn't have too much to do, his distribution was pretty good both with feet and hand.
Guilbert, the more I see this guy, the more I think we might have another Mark Delaney on our hands, or even a John Gidman.
Engels wasn't really troubled but, he did look composed, unhurried and hit some nice passes.
Targett had a relatively easy night, he does look good going forward.
Jota yet again was stand out of the new guys for me, he just seems so comfortable with the ball on his left peg and he does have vision.
Wesley does look a big unit but, he has a great touch. I don't mind at all that he'll come deep for the ball and lay it off, it shows he wants to be involved.
I thought Thor did well in his 20 minute cameo, kept things moving nicely.
RHM did what he does, flatters to deceive. He's listed as a forward but, I see him as a winger, as a forward he just doesn't have it. A loan out to a first div or lower champ club would do him the world of good, as it would with Davis and Green.
Suliman did well in his 20 minutes but would benefit from a loan season I think.
 
mike_field said:
We'll get hammered, we'll have losing streaks....it comes down to does DS know enough to change at the right moment to get back to winning ways, without doing a Dyche (et al) and defending at all costs to secure a point.
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I actually think thats necessary sometimes tho like we went to Brentford last year and whether by accident or not we were defending for long spells of that game. For me sometimes I think you need to just go back to basics and build again. I think its one of the few truths in football that will never change you build from the back. Obviously you dont neglect the entire team but those 4 lads are going to see a lot of the ball.

mike_field said:
For once have a 10 year plan (or was it 5?) that doesn't see our owners shit themselves after a bad 3 months.
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I think the fact they have contingency plans and gameplans incase X or Y happens is what will really tell us something. It's obvious now that they did have plan A and plan B last season and acted swiftly with little sentiment which is sad but thats the game these days.

Without doubt I think they have a plan if we go down and I would guess unless DS looked totally clueless he'll still be manager if we get relegated. We're ahead of our plan by a season and I am sure that even with bring things forward they have a backup in case we go down and a plan at January depending on the situation.
 
We look a bit short of pace for the prem but hopefully el ghazi and Trezeguet will change that.

Too lazy to scroll through the whole thread but I’m sure this will have been covered - Andre Green wasn’t good enough for the championship, shouldn’t be anywhere near a prem matchday squad.

Not convinced by target but early days. Hause could do a job at LB
 
Aston Villa’s excellent pre-season campaign continues, with last night’s annual encounter against neighbours Walsall seeing Villa emerge 5-1 winners at the Banks’s Stadium on a glorious summer evening. Having seen off Minnesota United and Shrewsbury Town in the previous matches, Villa remain unbeaten so far this summer.

But how much should we read into these games?

https://astonvilla.vitalfootball.co...g-more-reactions-to-villas-pre-season-so-far/
 
What stood out for me last night was the quality before and after our changes, SJM aside. Some of that will be addressed by the incoming Trezeguet and hopefully Luiz. Something Big Fat Sam should take into consideration before making stupid statements. Maupay would be the cherry on the cake for me, we still have Al Ghazi too plus Elmo.
 
Guilbert does remind me of Mark Delaney, even the way he runs. good going forwards but seems to struggle defensively. He'll learn fast that this is not the French league.

It will sure be interesting if Dean picks a side on the merits of the friendly games because at the moment the best showings in midfield have been Jack Barney and Lansbury, I've hardly noticed SJM and Hourihane.
Well apart from how anonymous they have been.
In fairness, SJM's game is based on 100mph hard work which he is not able to do in a kickabout and Hourihane's is dead balls and we've taken them off him with short corners and quick free-kicks instead
 
I thought Mings looked as if he was getting back to his imperious best. In the Shrewsbury game he seemed a touch off the pace without doing anything too wrong but last night he looked composed and in control.
Engels looks to be getting an understanding between Mings, Guilbert and himself. He got into some good covering positions and played the ball out of defence well. He's got a good touch.
And, (shock horror), he wears black boots. Black boots!!!!!
 
Green just doesn’t really impress me if I’m being honest. Targett seems like he’ll be an upgrade on Taylor but probably won’t be pulling up any trees with his performances, but we’ll see. At this rate I’d have Jota starting the first game against Spurs, which I never thought I’d be saying. He reads the game quite beautifully.
 
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