Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Rip Van We Go Again on February 04, 2011, 09:33:32 AM
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Starting to pay off now?
Can't remember the last time they looked so fit and full of running to the final whistle, not to mention the better passing game.
Bodes well for next season when he get's stuck into everybody for the full pre-season set up.
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I've often thought this and I was a great believer in sticking with him.
By the start of next season, it should be completly "his" team and that can only bode well.
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The squad rotation obviously helps and the good football is at least partly down to the way our kids have been coached. Still, there are one or two improvements with the senior players, most notably NRC.
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I think they must all be hooked up to computer terminals by teams of white-coated lab technicians, like Draco in Rocky IV. I don't fancy being Sidwell this weekend.
'If he dies...he dies'
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GH's work has started to pay off this last month or so, long may it continue. He's a clever bloke, although at times he doesn't appear it, he know's what he's doing, and Randy Lerner certainly has faith in him to take the club as a whole forward.
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by all accounts Houllier is a football nerd/geek, he eats and sleeps the game,
i am asuming his work in training and on the opposition is very thorough,
he's a strange man in many ways,
but i like him, even when he was getting pelters i still found him dificult to dislike,
i'm sure he can be difficult for certain types to get on with, he seems to have a track record of upsetting players when he first comes in, doesnt seem to suffer fools or lazy gits, but again i dont mind that as long as there is a plan.
i have been pleasantly supprised at some of the positive attacking teams he has put out, ie Man City when we started with Young,Downing,Gabby,Bent,Albrighton which i found incredible after what we'd been told by Liverpool fans about his negativity.
the football is based far more on possession and passing to feet, which in my view is the way to go, and will only get better as his methods are ingrained further
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Yes , things are taking shape and the future looks very bright indeed- many years since I've felt so positive about the future, and what's more things will only get better and better- enjoy the ride!
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What a difference a month makes, ay?
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Confidence is certainly building up. I loved this quote from GH after the Blackburn game, as it sums up what confidence can bring to a team:
Nigel Reo-Coker, 26, was inspired by what was happening around him.
“There is a good combination of youth and experience in this club,” Gerard Houllier, the Villa manager, said. “At times Nigel thought he was Johan Cruyff. He stunned everybody, maybe even himself!”
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I must admit i am really looking forward too the future under GH it seems his ideas are starting to take shape i can't wait untill he has implemented all his idea's on the team i think the future is bright no doubt let's get through this season and watch us go next season.
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Who's this Bodes? A young German left back per chance?
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Petrov said "GH has changed his training somewhat and now all players are happy".
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Petrov, change your attitude when subbed then even more people will be happy.
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I like the fact he trusts the young players to play in their natural position and those they are not used to ie Clark and Baker he is also prepared to make changes if things are not going right on the pitch.To take off players who are struggling to last the full 90 minutes. i know some fans will never take to him but his methods are begining to take shape. He has removed most of the ones on big money who were never really first 11 standard Osbourne Sidwell, Davies Carew and Ireland and has also sent the kids out on loan Weiman has already started scoring for Watford.
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Petrov, change your attitude when subbed then even more people will be happy.
Yes didnt see all of the match but Petrov was shaking his head when subbed, the coaching staff could see he was knackered as we do every week around the 70 minute mark.
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Well it takes time for these things...Speaking back in december on training and players adapting....
"I know it is different to what it was before but it is not true (player dissent) and the players will adapt gradually.
"We do a lot of work with the ball, we play a lot of games, we do some tactics as well.
"Do people have to adapt to a new manager and methods? In a way, yes. You adapt or you die. We are changing a lot of things and that upsets the comfort of some players.
"I am not going to talk about the players who are dissenting and not happy. Any manager who runs a team knows the players who are playing are happy, and the players who are not playing are not happy.
"They think the methods are not good and they think the manager is not the right person but we have to live with that.
"We know that we are changing things, we know that sometimes people are whingeing and moaning but they have a fantastic job.
"They are paid high wages to play and enjoy football. This is a fantastic job and sometimes you forget that."
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Petrov, change your attitude when subbed then even more people will be happy.
Yes didnt see all of the match but Petrov was shaking his head when subbed, the coaching staff could see he was knackered as we do every week around the 70 minute mark.
Can't see the big deal about this myself. Maybe the bench could see Petrov was knackered but Petrov himself (rightly or wrongly) wanted to play on. I'd prefer to see players shaking their head and reluctant to leave as opposed to doing a Carew and showing more interest when leaving the pitch than they had all game up to that point.
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Great stuff and like someone said what a difference a month and Darren Bent makes, looking forward to the second half of the season now!
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this is what he said of warnock and beye and i doubt alot of the squad and fair play to him
They're here, they're Aston Villa players, they are training with the reserves. If needed, they will fill in. If not, they won't.
"It's not only a matter of being good enough, it's also a matter of being committed enough
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Darren Bent gives the entire team confidence that they can actually create opportunties and there's someone up front that we likely stick it away. Add to that the team is fitter, hungrier, and the players that have been purchased are actually ones the players think, "yeh, I'd like to play alongside him".
GH is slowly but surely changing the mindset of the club. I get the impression he's a pretty ruthless bastard, and he wants those types of people at the club. You don't win anything being soft, and for a long time, I've thought that was one of the biggest mental obstacles that was stopping us getting to the next level.
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Darren Bent gives the entire team confidence that they can actually create opportunties and there's someone up front that we likely stick it away. Add to that the team is fitter, hungrier, and the players that have been purchased are actually ones the players think, "yeh, I'd like to play alongside him".
GH is slowly but surely changing the mindset of the club. I get the impression he's a pretty ruthless bastard, and he wants those types of people at the club. You don't win anything being soft, and for a long time, I've thought that was one of the biggest mental obstacles that was stopping us getting to the next level.
I agree. Darren Bent's signing is far more then just goals (although this helps!) He gave the whole team and the whole club a lift when he joined. I'm like a kid again on a Friday waiting for the game on a Saturday just to see how many he will score.
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The thing is with Bent is that now I expect us to score every game. It doesn't neccessarily need to be him scoring, but you know given the chance he will. Either that or his movement will open it up for someone else. I still worry about us defensively, but that's a summer project for GH. Right now, the forward line, and midfield especially as been greatly enhanced.
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The recent quotes from Gabby were what did teh trick in my mind. They talked about the fact some players were pulling a face for a while about not being played or played out of position, whereas now they were all pulling in the same direction.
I have been thinking for a while now that things are just coming together in respect of Houllier showing to the players who is the boss of this club. I get the impression that we had a few MONettes in the squad who got a wee bit big for their boots when Houllier was first brought in.
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The puzzling thing for me though is that you'd expect some of the fringe players to get stuck in seeing that rotation would see them getting more playing time. Instead it had the opposite effect on some of them. Those players simply got used to getting paid for doing fuck all, and when the new bloke called them out they got pissed off. I'll take hungry, ambitious kids any day over overpaid, lazy older players that have simply given up because they've got it so good.
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Indeed.
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Well it's just us finally arriving in the modern world. I find it hard to believe that, given the brilliant facilities we all know we have at BH, MON (or rather Walford and Robertson) by all accounts did little more than 5-a-sides and jogging. Reading a really interesting article in the Guardian recently by the unnamed player, the game at the top these days is all in the preparation - prepared moves, defensive positions, knowing who you're up against and what to do when he does a specific movement or something and all that rather over-wraught sounding stuff is all crucial these days. GH has just brought us kicking and screaming into the 21st century.
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Houllier obviously thinks football is a simple game,
A)Get fit so you can get the ball
B)Play it to someone in the same colour shirt
C)Get the Defenders to pass it short, again to one of our players
D)If you look like you're going to lose it going forward, go backwards, retain posession
E)This means you don't get tired chasing after it all game and you can last 90 mins
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E)This means you don't get tired chasing after it all game and you can last 90 mins
Absolutely. Something I was calling for last season. I still want us to be the hardest working team in the league but that energy needed to be used effectively.
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For all the screams from our players and management, John Terry said what we had been saying on here for months last season. You wait for Villa to tire and hit them after 60 minutes.
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Petrov, change your attitude when subbed then even more people will be happy.
Yes didnt see all of the match but Petrov was shaking his head when subbed, the coaching staff could see he was knackered as we do every week around the 70 minute mark.
I thought he looked nackered in the first half v Manure. His legs are shot.
I think he is only capable of coming on for the last 20 minutes .
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Petrov said "GH has changed his training somewhat and now all players are happy".
So we've gone back to MON's methods and are reaping the benefits?
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Petrov said "GH has changed his training somewhat and now all players are happy".
So we've gone back to MON's methods and are reaping the benefits?
How do you translate that as it's MON's ideas on training that's made the difference, tenuous or what!
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Petrov was subbed after losing posession twice in a couple of minutes,as Houllier said it's about the team not the individual.
I really believe this time round if we rapidly improve our position Randy will lay out big money a la Bent to bring top players to the club and Houllier has the rep to get them.
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[ I'll take hungry, ambitious kids any day over overpaid, lazy older players that have simply given up because they've got it so good.
Agree 100%
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I hope Petrov is dropped tomorrow!
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Petrov said "GH has changed his training somewhat and now all players are happy".
So we've gone back to MON's methods and are reaping the benefits?
How do you translate that as it's MON's ideas on training that's made the difference, tenuous or what!
I was just wondering if that's what Villadawg thinks given his scepticism over GHou and his admiration for O'Neill.
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I can see Petrov is given a free transfer at end of season.
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I can see Petrov is given a free transfer at end of season.
Why would we do that?
We'd have to pay up two whole years of his contract. Why not either keep him and use him (however sparingly) or sell him and get money for him rather than wasting several million pounds?
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I think Petrov would be a great player to play the odd game, or bring on with 15 minutes to go if we're winning and calm things down. He's at a stage in his career where he should no longer be the main man, at least if he wants to continue playing at this level. It must be difficult for players to accept that after a career where they have had a higher profile. If he can accept that mentally, he'd be a tremendous asset to have.
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Petrov said "GH has changed his training somewhat and now all players are happy".
So we've gone back to MON's methods and are reaping the benefits?
How do you translate that as it's MON's ideas on training that's made the difference, tenuous or what!
I was just wondering if that's what Villadawg thinks given his scepticism over GHou and his admiration for O'Neill.
I have a great deal of admiration for the results and effectiveness of our 1st team last season. I am sceptical of the view that O'Neill is entirely responsible for our decline this season and think Gerard has to take a great deal of that responsibility.
I don't know what changes Gerard has implemented in his training regime, only that Petrov said he had made changes and now the players are happy.