Where Will We Finish Season 21/22

[Platypus]

Ings can play second striker and occupy the #10 space. Basically Barkley but with good work ethic off the ball. Immediate improvement

Or simply rotate with a challenge Watkins to up his game. Another immediate improvement.

The only question mark in the starting 11 for me now is who starts as our left sided forward in place of Jack. We need to bring in a right-footed player who can carry the ball in off the left, assuming Emi2 plays centrally. Correa is a (unlikely) rumour doing the rounds, but someone like that.

 

[Melon Donkey]

Well by that measure that goes for the entire squad.

Exactly . Which is and has always been my point since our return to the top flight. Top 6 in this league you overall buy quality and experience of competing at that level whether from in this league, top international side or top European league and with some rough diamonds thrown in. Which is why talking 5th is hugely ambitious with this squad and the level we are still buying at in my humble.

 

[Kiwivillan]

Or simply rotate with a challenge Watkins to up his game. Another immediate improvement.

The only question mark in the starting 11 for me now is who starts as our left sided forward in place of Jack. We need to bring in a right-footed player who can carry the ball in off the left, assuming Emi2 plays centrally. Correa is a (unlikely) rumour doing the rounds, but someone like that.

Correa is fake agent pimping rumour. AEG probably starts vs Watford because full pre season. Don't think we're making anymore attacking player signings. Bailey has played more than double games on left for Bayer than on right. Watkins could go their in a 433 with Ings middle. It's all much of a muchness with those systems. More about the role and plan than obsessing about the formation

 

[Kiwivillan]

Exactly . Which is and has always been my point since our return to the top flight. Top 6 in this league you overall buy quality and experience of competing at that level whether in this league top international side or top European league with some rough diamonds thrown in. Which is why talking 5th is hugely ambitious with this squad and the level we are still buying at in my humble.

The level we buying at? We're the envy of several clubs. See Everton signings and Leeds have only replaced Alioski and made Harrison permanent. Bailey was being mentioned as Liverpool signing a season ago. The negativity is astounding. Claret and Blue podcast a few months ago was right when one of the commentators said Brummies are an inherently negative bunch and he was a Brummie!

 

[Hifriedelity]

Buendia played 36 games in the relegation season.
Grealish played 16.

Hardly much analysis from you there .

Equally meaningless.

 

[JP Healy]

Agreed.

Yes he was/ is a great player. But the over reliance on him meant that the opposition knew how to stop us too. Target him and stop the team. We were playing with a target on his back. That has gone now and we suddenly become less predictable. So for me its onwards and upwards.

I also believe that Purslow's talk was taken wrongly. We had already signed 2 of the three players before the bid was received. So even if Ings was made from the expanded kitty, circa £70m remains. The lesson here though is to see how Spurs and Barca have wasted golden opportunities and to make sure that any additional investment is made carefully, a la Leicester. Surely we have enough scouts and data people to ensure we don't cock this up or ruin the opportunities for the kids to come through after all of the hard work done in the academy.

I know it's been done to death here but football IS a TEAM game. Saunders sold Dixie,Giddy and Andy Gray. Within a few amazing years,we were Champions of England and had beaten Bayern Munich and Barcelona in European Cup Finals. Jack is a fabulous player but we were too often Grealish Villa. Looking forward to a new season and JWP would be,maybe, the best signing of them all.

 

[Melon Donkey]

The level we buying at? We're the envy of several clubs. See Everton signings and Leeds have only replaced Alioski and made Harrison permanent. Bailey was being mentioned as Liverpool signing a season ago. The negativity is astounding. Claret and Blue podcast a few months ago was right when one of the commentators said Brummies are an inherently negative bunch and he was a Brummie!

Oh I am supposed to base my opinion on players because they are ‘mentioned’ as signing for Liverpool by no doubt some made up journo or twatter.

Sorry I’ll reserve (as I always do) judgement until I see players playing for us and not another club, you tube or because someone on here tells me. I think that’s fair enough isn’t it? .

You need to stop getting your knickers in a twist and calling people negative when they are not .I could sit here and be juvenile and call people happy clappers or fan boys because they refuse to criticise but I don’t because that’s their opinion. Do you not think I would be absolutely ecstatic if we finished 5th to 8th ffs ?. Just because I am sitting back and analysing things which may not be everything in the garden is rosy it doesnt mean I am negative , just discussing which is what this place is for.

p.s.

I‘m not a brummie .

 

[JNB90]

For anyone concerned, I would put it like this:

Zaha, is irreplaceable for Palace...But if they'd of sold him and bought Danny Ings!!, Leon Bailey and Buendia, I'd be very concerned about them and they'd be a better team overall.

 

[Melon Donkey]

For anyone concerned, I would put it like this:

Zaha, is irreplaceable for Palace...But if they'd of sold him and bought Danny Ings!!, Leon Bailey and Buendia, I'd be very concerned about them and they'd be a better team overall.

And that’s fair enough . But again. Certainty or maybe?. And that’s all a few of us are saying this morning. We maybe ok. We may not. But we ALL hope we are ok and do move up and on. Nothing is certain in some people’s opinion. Nothing wrong with that is there ?. I think blindly burying your head in the sand and pretending everything is automatically going to be ok is dangerous for your villa health and doesnt take into account our habit of being ……well being AVFC !, ( you meaning anyone).

And we should buy Zaha Btw.

 

[Kiwivillan]

For anyone concerned, I would put it like this:

Zaha, is irreplaceable for Palace...But if they'd of sold him and bought Danny Ings!!, Leon Bailey and Buendia, I'd be very concerned about them and they'd be a better team overall.

If they'd signed Demarai Gray and Andros Townsend I'd be laughing except Townsend was with them and has gone to Everton

 

[Kiwivillan]

And that’s fair enough . But again. Certainty or maybe?. And that’s all a few of us are saying this morning. We maybe ok. We may not. But we ALL hope we are ok and do move up and on. Nothing is certain in some people’s opinion. Nothing wrong with that is there ?

And we should buy Zaha Btw.

Zaha is a moody flog.

 

[Melon Donkey]

Zaha is a moody flog.

Which will very quickly be forgotten if he does the business for us obviously.

 

[Kiwivillan]

Which will very quickly be forgotten if he does the business for us obviously.

Traore had 3 more goal involvements(goals+assists) in 300 less minutes than moody flog Zaha and Traore gets nowhere near the respect he deserves from large section of Villa fans

 

[JNB90]

And that’s fair enough . But again. Certainty or maybe?. And that’s all a few of us are saying this morning. We maybe ok. We may not. But we ALL hope we are ok and do move up and on. Nothing is certain in some people’s opinion. Nothing wrong with that is there ?. I think blindly burying your head in the sand and pretending everything is automatically going to be ok is dangerous for your villa health and doesnt take into account our habit of being ……well being AVFC !, ( you meaning anyone).

And we should buy Zaha Btw.

Of course it might not work, but that's football.

We have a fantastic recruitment team, and we really do our homework - statistics, personality, style of play, formation played at previous club, so although not guaranteed, we reduce the risk massively.

 

[Gillette]

I don't think we have a "fantastic recruitment team" personally. Some positions we are recruiting players for for the third time. Leicester and Brentford have a fantastic recruitment team.

We have had poor coaching for set plays.
We use subs badly.

BUT money solves the first point, our new coach may address set pieces and our deeper squad may allow DS to make subs at better times.

So I am hugely optimistic. As there is room for so much improvement.

Abu Dhabi FC have taken what 10yrs to climb to best in league and they still haven't cracked the CL. So I expect our journey to take years. Maybe we never catch the front runners. But football doesn't have an ending.

 

[Villan57]

Of course it might not work, but that's football.

We have a fantastic recruitment team, and we really do our homework - statistics, personality, style of play, formation played at previous club, so although not guaranteed, we reduce the risk massively.

Yes I agree that's what we should be doing and it looks that in the main we are doing that both Emi's have a wife and two young children, Ollie very sensible lad, Danny very nice boy, Bailey seems to be a bit dysfunctional or his family do but in the main, we've avoided the immature night club party animals that drag the club and others into the gutter . Good point you can look through the likely starting 11 now and see all sensible hard-working professional footballers. 11 James Milner almost.
Speaking of which he'd be a good signing for a season

 

[Silhillvilla]

Buendia is a massive upgrade on Barkley defensively besides his amazing vision. I think you guys are being unnecessarily negative

Totally unproven at this level (ignoring the one relegation already). Same with Bailey, totally unproven. Is Buendia even fit for the start ? Bailey won't be. We have 3 relatively easy games to open the season, really important we get points on the board fast or the pressure is on straight away and we know some of this group can lose their heads quickly

 

[zaijianforth]

Qualifying for Europe will help us attract better quality players. Also if you can win it, you’re in the champions league

I just feel it's a season too early, unless we can carry on adding to the squad. Look at the damage the Europa League has done to English clubs in the past.

 

[Gillette]

Maybe the owners think they have built a squad that can hold mid table for next 2yrs and their focus / (Jack) money will go on improving the stadium capacity as their next move?

 

[mike_field]

They can fund stadium themselves, it's not covered by FFP.