The Matt Targett Thread | Page 17 | Vital Football

The Matt Targett Thread

Really didn't think after last season I'd be genuinely believing he should be getting an England call up but it's a sign of how much better he's become. Say what you will about the coaching staff but most players at club are significantly better than they were the day they or Smith signed for Villa.
 
david-avfc said:
He’s developed into a really consistent full back - not sure many of us would have expected that so soon from him but he’s doing a great job and possibly not far off the England squad
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Deano did say last season there was an England fullback in there somewhere, oh how we laughed. I don't think many are laughing now?
 
There were always signs but I think it was first Fulham game this season where defensively he won everything including every header that went near him and he's not really had a bad game since.
 
Delighted about this, and as Fear says just shows what can happen when a player is given a bit of time.

Becoming my favourite LB since Steve Staunton
 
My honest thoughts are that it’s great to see a player at a key time in his career step on and improve. We’ve had far too many players plateau, go backwards or have to move to improve.

I thought his athleticism was a bit of a hindrance to his fitness levels, and also his commitment in tackling which left him injured at times. But he’s certainly worked on his fitness and his positioning, as well as enjoying the style of football we play out from the back. His touch and control is exceptional, very underrated footballer in the literal sense. It’s also very underrated the moves and runs he makes off Jack in possession to be an option to move into the space Jack creates. I’d like to see Matty get further upfield actually in some games.

Great to see.
 
Targett has been excellent since the start of this season. Probably our most consistent player. Not a world-beater but very good at both ends of the pitch. Links up very well on the left with Grealish and others and chips in with some nice solo play as well. Well-deserved new contract in my opinion.
I do have one thing nagging away at me, not limited to Targett per se, but a few others, and not just at Villa.... the performance levels having improved significantly since they started playing in empty stadiums. It cannot be overstated that the pressure of 40,000 people watching up-close is a massive factor for many players. Some thrive off it, some aren't affected by it, but many can really be affected negatively. The reason this comes up for me with Targett is that in his earlier Villa career he was accused of bottling it a few times, coming off injured when he didn't appear hurt (and then playing in the next match without mention of an injury). Wolves away springs immediately to mind.....
Anyway, I genuinely hope I'm wrong, and take nothing away from just how good he's been for the best part of twelve months.
 
Come on in leaps and bounds over the past couple of seasons. Think he seems to be very much a confidence player and that was lacking in his early days at B6 which made many, including myself question his mentality at times. Always felt he had ability though and he’s been first class this season and fully deserves his new deal. Mind you, after reading a few earlier pages in the thread...my God one or two could indeed learn to give players, coaches, chief execs...a bit more time before writing them off. He gets absolutely slaughtered in some posts but not much sign of humble pie being eaten in recent pages from those who were for example accusing him among other things of being an ‘horrendous signing’, a ‘fraud‘, an ‘absolute disgrace who should be put down like a race horse and sold for dog meat’ ( certainly different! ) but best of all ‘clearly no better’ than the one and only Neil Taylor....! :lol:
 
Not saying our fans are fickle but what percentage would have been happy to bin him last year, 80%?

Well done Matt, thoroughly deserved.

Maybe one or two of our other wastes of space may come good - given just a bit of time.
 
The stick he was getting last season was deserved he was awful. This season he's been better. Still need competition at LB though
 
The Fear said:
a good lesson for us, in not writing a player off isn't it?
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A good point raised.

I'm really pleased for him that he's got and fairly won a new contract.

He has improved a lot into a player who now reminds me of a good old-fashioned full-back who gets stuck in and reminds a winger he is in for a tough game today.

Credit should also go to the coaching staff who have encouraged him and helped to bring the best out of him.
 
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Silhillvilla said:
The stick he was getting last season was deserved he was awful. This season he's been better. Still need competition at LB though
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He wasn't awful, but he was poor. As I say Silhil, on last year's showing how many would have been happy to bin him? As with all other elements of our club, we are in a period of transition and everything isn't going to come right immediately.

We will have slip ups, players out of form, mistakes by the Manager but we are work in progress and I very much see 4 steps forward 1 step back. Matt target is yet another piece of that jigsaw and this season he has been slotted into place.
 
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We'll never know but did the lack of critical fans play a part in his improvement. Hope the return of fans doesn't lead to a decline in performance as he has been one of our better players this season.
 
Silhillvilla said:
The stick he was getting last season was deserved he was awful. This season he's been better. Still need competition at LB though
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Yeah I thought we definitely needed a new lb to replace him as the best I could have said about him last season is that he was half decent going forward and was better than Taylor all round which is not exactly great praise.

He's genuinely shocked me how good he's been this year. Didn't think he had it in him.
 
Gordonsleftboot said:
We'll never know but did the lack of critical fans play a part in his improvement. Hope the return of fans doesn't lead to a decline in performance as he has been one of our better players this season.
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We'll find out next season when fans return I guess. Confidence is such a big thing in life and football is no different.
 
Gordonsleftboot said:
We'll never know but did the lack of critical fans play a part in his improvement. Hope the return of fans doesn't lead to a decline in performance as he has been one of our better players this season.
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It's not as though he received abuse last season. He's benefiting from playing in a better team this season plus he has clearly put a lot of work in with respect to his strength and conditioning.
 
Agree with most of the above. He looked weak last season and seemed to bottle it on a couple of occasions. Huge improvement this season, always had decent technical ability but just seems fitter and stronger. Probably been our 3rd most consistent player this season for me
 
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