Micah Richards - Released

[Risso]

I'm with you Dave. I believe there is a decent goal scorer in Hogan, we just need a decent game plan to utilise him.

Is he that good that we base our whole game around his perceived strengths though?

To my mind, good players adapt to the team they are playing in. With Grealish and Hourihane we have good passers of the ball and we have wide men who put in crosses, Grabban benefitted from that and Hogan should be able to do the same.

I didn't say that Chris. I just think there is a decent player there somewhere. He looked good in patches but when Grabban signed Hogan became a bit player anyway and only played sporadically. I think given a run in the team and a few goals he will regain his confidence.

Or I could be totally wrong, but he's still at Villa, so deserves a chance.

Grabban is a very good footballer though, who could do most elements of centre forward play well.  He could lead the line, play out wide, beat a man and stick it away when the chance arose.  Hogan seemingly is nothing more than a goal poacher, who you are almost forced to base the entire team around.  Sorry, but that might be OK for a small team like Brentford, but it won't work at Villa.  I don't remember seeing another player at Villa who was involved so little in general play, with the possible exception of Darren Bent.  Hogan offers nothing in running off the ball, hold up play, passing or creating space.  Pass the ball in to him in space in the area, then he has a chance, but even Fat Ross could probably manage that.

[Drummond]

Why would you need to base a whole team around a goal-poacher? Surely if the team creates enough chances and he's in the middle somewhere he'll score.

However, our lump it forward, hope for a header, approach is hardly going to do him any favours.

Hi best patch was when he was being fed by Grealish and we actually played football.

[Risso]

Why would you need to base a whole team around a goal-poacher? Surely if the team creates enough chances and he's in the middle somewhere he'll score.

However, our lump it forward, hope for a header, approach is hardly going to do him any favours.

Hi best patch was when he was being fed by Grealish and we actually played football.

His so-called best patch when he scored 5 in 5 games was when all his goal were from crosses.

Goal 1 - cross from Adomah, scored with a header against Bristol.
Goal 2 - cross from Snodgrass, scored with a header v Forest.
Goals 3 and 4 v Barnsley - both from crosses from Snodgrass, one a shot, one a header.
Goal 5 v - tap in from a cross from Adomah.

For completeness, his goal later in the season against Reading was when he pounced on the Reading keeper error.

So all his goals in that period from crosses from either Adomah or Snodgrass, which is something we did practically all season.  The only difference was that in a small number of games, Hogan actually managed to get on the end of some of the crosses.  Grealish had no direct involvement in any of them, and certainly didn't feed Hogan once.

[john e]

how do people remember all this shit

I can hardly remember what he even looks like

[john e]

65k a week?

On a free, so bigger personal package

Still, that's way too much for a player like him. Is MON back in charge of our transfer policy?

Is there anything you couldn't see the black side of?

Why do you care? Not everyone has to be positive all the time.

If Richards stays fit, he'll be a good signing, but Man City would've kept him for their homegrown quota, so does that suggest there's something bigger? My main worry is that we'll give him a 3/4/5 year deal on 65k a week and end up getting about 10 appearances in return.

looks like Bosco called it right from page 2 on here

spot on in the fella was
where did he get to ?

[Leicester_Villian]

Looks like we continue to pay The Invisable Man as he also has no squad number

[mr underhill]

Good calll by Bosko, but it didn't really need that much mystic meg prescience to realize that it was going to end in tears from the owners he's not played under, and the fans who in some small way, throw coin into his bowl every week. The only happy guy here is Mica, literally collecting money for nothing. I hope he's been taking a few astute evening classes though, for the day the gravy train keeps smoking down the tracks and doesn't stop at B6 anymore.

[eamonn]

Yep, nor McCormack. We'll struggle to give them away.

[john e]

Good calll by Bosko, but it didn't really need that much mystic meg prescience to realize that it was going to end in tears from the owners he's not played under, and the fans who in some small way, throw coin into his bowl every week. The only happy guy here is Mica, literally collecting money for nothing. I hope he's been taking a few astute evening classes though, for the day the gravy train keeps smoking down the tracks and doesn't stop at B6 anymore.

he's getting no end of stick for being so neg about Micha from the good and the great on here, so I don't think it was that obvious

[mr underhill]

everything about him had Avoid writ large

[john e]

everything about him had Avoid writ large

just read the first few pages of this thread

[eddiemunster]

Please can we have this topic locked, until the waste of space/money/etc has exited the club??

[VILLA MOLE]

I cant believe this thread has 137 pages !! went back to the first page he nearly went to sunderland dam it 

[Lastfootstamper]

everything about him had Avoid writ large

just read the first few pages of this thread

Ah, optimism! Them was the days.

My main worry is that we'll give him a 3/4/5 year deal on 65k a week and end up getting about 10 appearances in return.

Burn the witch!

The huge new TV deal says hello!

Yep, said hello, poured cinzano in the punch bowl, fucked off again.

I think the general mood was that it was a no-lose signing, in that if he rediscovered his best form, brilliant; if not, no real biggy, telly's got us covered.

[mr underhill]

and look how that played out.