Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: eric woolban woolban on May 11, 2014, 05:03:06 PM
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Every bit as bad as TOSM season.
Biggest summer ever coming up.
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I think we're going to get expelled at the end of next term.
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Everything was shite.
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Utterly shambolic and a pitiful effort. Delph played well for some of the season, as did Guzan but that's about it. We need to get rid of so many of the squad and bring in a new structure, squad and mentality. An awful lot of work to do.
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The school burnt down.
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Way too many negatives. Way too many problems to address for any Manager. I hope it won't be Paul Lambert doing the addressing. Shocking season. 38 points. Only, maybe 4 players good enough to start the next season and many of us can't even agree on that! Glad it's over.
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Shows promise, give him until Christmas
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Funny as there were some memorable wins, certainly more than the previous two seasons put together. Arsenal opening day, Man. City even if it was a fluke, beating Southampton from touching the ball 5 times was good aswell and WBA 4-3 was a spectacular game. And arguably our best performance of the season was at Anfield which was nearly as good as a win given how many teams have been stuffed up there.
But even in some of those wins we saw why we've generally been poor again this season and really you can't say it's been any more than dismal when the end result is year again finishing in the bottom quarter of the league scoring barely more than a goal a game and conceding 60 goals.
I keep on saying it but it's amazing looking back at the last three seasons and all the hopless results and records we've broken and yet somehow we've still not been relegated.
If things stay as they are we will go down. We just need some fresh hope and ideas from above.
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Epic fail
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Absolute gash. Relieved it is over. Painful to watch.
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The whole 'Grant Holt will add experience to the dressing room which will help us' turned out to be pretty wrong.
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E-. Excluded permanently.
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Absolute tosh. Poor from top to bottom. An awful squad too. Very little quality.
We need a clean sweep. New owner, management, and pretty much a whole new starting 11 (bar about 3 players who are actually worthwhile).
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Ofsted report recommends Special Measures.
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Disappointingly no improvement .....again.
Need to spend lots of cash for higher education , but realistically that won't happen and we'll remain one of the class dunces
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Has no grade point average. All courses incomplete.
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Ofsted report recommends Special Measures.
Serious Weaknesses.
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Ofsted report recommends Special Measures.
Serious Weaknesses.
Hmmmmm! ;-)
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Thank fuck for that.
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A season that promised much turned into a season of failure.
I still can't believe we were safe after 29 games. The bottom 6 or 7 clubs really are shite. One plus point is we won't have to listen to those Bitter twats knowing what they are all summer.
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Could do better. Should do better. Must do better.
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The Cooler. For everyone. For ever.
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They should all be thrashed to within an inch of their lives.
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They should all be thrashed to within an inch of their lives.
They HAVE been thrashed regularly in the last 9 weeks.
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A very poor year, but I think when the new Board of Governors appoint a new headmaster we'll see a lot of the current 5th form leaving the school to take up jobs as shelf stackers, and the few remaining pupils moving to the Lower Sixth will be supplemented by brighter students from other local schools. This should move us out of Special Measures in time for the start of the new school term.
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They should all be thrashed to within an inch of their lives.
Can I do it? Oooh Matron...
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The Cooler. For everyone. For ever.
Bit harsh. I'd say tventy days.
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as abject as any season i've witnessed and i've been going since '76. I never thought we'd have a more clueless manager than Billy McNeil but I was wrong. Here's a list of players I've seen over the years that would walk into the current team which just about says it all -
Norton
Lillis
Sims
Aspinall
Penrice
Hunt, D
Mortimer, P
Agathe
glad it's over, hopefully we've hit our rock bottom
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When's the last time we were as consistently bad over a number of seasons like this - the late 60s?
We've frequently been bad during my time as a fan, but usually you'd have a good season or a mediocre season mixed in with the bad ones.
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First time since Dol's final season that I am totally convinced that we will be relegated next term unless something major happens during the summer, as thankfully happened that year.
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Average-to-poor manager given extremely difficult job to do. Fails miserably.
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If Villa were a winery this year's output would be barely be fit for your fish and chips.
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The Biggest pile of SHIT that the West Midlands has produced in many a year....Most of them are Useless, Clueless, & Worthless.
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as abject as any season i've witnessed and i've been going since '76. I never thought we'd have a more clueless manager than Billy McNeil but I was wrong. Here's a list of players I've seen over the years that would walk into the current team which just about says it all -
Norton
Lillis
Sims
Aspinall
Penrice
Hunt, D
Mortimer, P
Agathe
glad it's over, hopefully we've hit our rock bottom
Didier Agathe is the worst player I have ever seen play for us.
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Especially on Saturday night.
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When's the last time we were as consistently bad over a number of seasons like this - the late 60s?
We've frequently been bad during my time as a fan, but usually you'd have a good season or a mediocre season mixed in with the bad ones.
Even in the 60s from 66 (after Tony Hateley moved on) to when Doug/Pat/The Doc took over we were not as bad as what we have seen this season. Depressing isnt an adequate word to describe it.
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Average-to-poor manager given extremely difficult job to do. Fails miserably.
This is correct. He knew when he came in that he had a tough job, but lets be honest it is fecking useless. Have watched the team since 1970 and the lack of passion is a disgrace. Delph apart, they were a fucking disgrace today
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I can maybe accept that 79 points from 76 games is due to difficult circumstances and a few shining nuggets in a pile of demolished landscape is something we should hang on to but I can't accept the broken records this season and the horrific home form. On top of that cup defeats against Bradford, Millwall and Sheffield Utd and especially his words before the 3rd round match this season has done it for me.
He has regressed from last season despite signing more players of his choice and his chosen players from last season having gaining more experience. The fiasco involving his two subordinates is something he should have dealt with much better without letting it impact on team results. He should clear his desk as soon as he can tomorrow morning.
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Paul is a lovely boy and has tried his best this year which makes his results all the more disappointing.
He's a very shy lad and only has few close friends (Ian and Gary) who have helped him along the year again. Unfortunately in recent weeks the boys have had a fall out and Paul was left by himself. Headmaster Lerner instructed two senior prefects to keep an eye on Paul and give him any help he needs until the end of term.
It is with regret that I have to confirm to you that Paul will not be joining his classmates next year in S14/15. As the term progressed, it became obvious Paul is still struggling with the 3 'R's. Despite showing promise at his infant and junior schools, he doesn't seem able to adapt to the larger environment of senior school, still struggles with the basics and appears to have a learning difficulty whereby he repeats the same errors.
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Feel like I've been taken to the front of the class, had my pants pulled down and had my arse smacked with a slipper on a continual loop since August.
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I cant accept him saying after a game ages ago that we would not need 40 points to stay up. He should have been sacked there and then
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I cant accept him saying after a game ages ago that we would not need 40 points to stay up. He should have been sacked there and then
To be honest I'm rapidly losing any goodwill toward the man with almost every interview. His final post match int really just hammers it home. I appreciate he's got to lay on the spiel, and try and give a positive stamp to go on his CV, but to even try and suggest that he's "done well" to keep us up, as a total and utter disgrace. To me it's all but sticking two fingers up at us and saying we don't deserve better.
The sooner he's booted the better.
To look as totally clueless as we have done for 90% of his tenure, no matter his budget, is inexcusable. Disorganised, ill-prepared, clueless and disjointed. Players unable to string 5 passes, or take a good set piece, or a throw-in. Poor tactical decisions, poor team selections, poor substitutions. Consistently dour football. Players like Tonev, KEA, Helenius etc, might not be great and are cheap, but they're internationals playing for decent nations. They're bad but they're not as bad as Lambert makes them look. He's sending out our side, week in, week out, looking utterly lost and seemingly without knowing what they're supposed to be doing.
It's not purely down to his budget, or injuries. Other clubs have made do with less money. Other clubs have had injuries to key players. Look at Palace. A much worse squad than ours, but they're miles ahead of us.
Lambert gets the bird from me, and nowt else. Good fucking riddance.
Good job my arse!
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The one thing I don't want to see is 'repeat year again'. My nervous system & office stature couldn't cope.
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I just read an article about Groningen being due another 200k from us as part of the Bacuna deal - the extra payment being based on us staying up.
It's great to know that those in power at the club have such lofty achievements to measure their team by.
What a shambles.
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Just glad we didn't have to play small Heath while lambert was here. They'd definitely have stuffed us.
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Final stats are hideous - 38 points, 39 goals scored, 61 goals conceded.
Our worst season since 1986/87. The board, management and players should truly be ashamed.
Not that this season should be this much of a surprise, we have had three seasons of shite. Benteke's injury probably the main reason why the goals scored count is lower. Awful seasons from Gabby and Weimann not helping either. eight goals better at the back. Vlaar was better this term and Bertrand at left back was better than the other clowns that played there. But conceding 61 goals in still dire in the extreme.
12/13 - 41 points, 47 goals scored, 69 goals conceded
11/12 - 38 points, 37 goals scored, 53 goals conceded
10/11 - 48 points, 48 goals scored, 59 goals conceded
the last DOL season where we seemed certain to be relegated the year after if things remained the same that summer
05/06 - 42 points, 42 goals scored, 55 goals conceded
In a league where average reigns supreme, we sum up the mediocrity of the EPL to a tee. Big club going absolutely nowhere and still somehow with our worst season in 17 years we finish 5 points clear of the drop.
Obviously need to get the goal threat up next season. Gabby is gone for me, 6 months good form in four seasons isnt good enough so time to go. Weimann, only with Benteke's injury gets a stay of execution. Even then, Ive always had doubt about his lack of technical ability but last term his fantastic workrate got him chances out of nothing. This term with a fresh contract in the bag, he has forgotten all about the hard work that got him to that level. Huge summer for him, either he knuckles down in pre-season or he heads down the Luke Moore route. Kozak pre broken leg lacked the necessary mobility but deserves a chance next term. Ditto Nzogbia and Grealish will be in the squad next term. Tonev has had a nightmare first term but I wouldnt be against giving him another chance. Our main man Benteke had a poor season before his injury, again fitness and attitude were poor. Our shite football didnt help but he wasnt the same player anyway. Dont want to rush him back into the team next term so that makes signing new forwards a necessity. Bent is finished, will be another loan for him or move to a semi retirement league.
In - 2 new wide forwards capable of scoring
Stay - Benteke, Kozak, Grealish
Maybe - Weimann (2.5m), Nzogbia (2.5m)
Out - Gabby (4m), Tonev (500k), Helenius (500k), Bent (500k), Fonz free, Bowery (250k)
Midfield was another black hole. Westwood was more solid than spectacular but was still decent enough. Delph it goes without saying was our best player. Those two chipped in with 6 of the 39 goals. Bacuna had a mixed season but still without his five league goals we would have been in big trouble. Albrighton seems to arrested his career decline but not enough for me. Aside from those our roster of Kea, Herd, Gardner, Sylla would be weak in the championship but not mind the top division. Youngsters Carruthers and Johnson havent made enough of an impression on loan to be kept on our first team squad. Our midfield roster needs to be gutted.
Stay - Delph, Westwood, Bacuna
Maybe
Go - Kea (1.5m), Herd (free), Gardner (free), Sylla (500k), Albrighton (free), Carruthers (free), Johnson (free),
At the back, its bad, its very bad. Got unlucky with Okore's injury early on but despite playing 5 or 4 at the back, we looked shite as to be expected from a side that conceded 61 league goals. Luna's bright start was later eclipsed by his farcical attempts in our club shirt thereafter. Bennett and Stevens arent up to this level. Nor is Matt Lowton who had the second season from hell. To be honest, his awful defending last term was erased somewhat by some cracking goals and attacking play. He just isnt good enough for this level and doesnt appear to have the attitude to make up for his shortcomings either. If we sell this summer we should get a few quid for him. Baker and Clark continued to give their all but like a few others it is now abundantly clear that they arent good enough for this level. They arent promising young defenders any more, they just dont have it and we should cash in now on them. Vlaar did improve but it was from a very low base last season. An awful captain and his efforts to stop one of the Spurs goals today sum him up for me. A charlatan and am hoping he isnt exposed ala Euro 2012 this summer so we can get rid of him in the summer. Hutton, ah yes Hutton.
Stay - Okore
Maybe - Donacien
Go - Lowton (1.5m), Baker (1.5m), Clark (2m), Vlaar (5m), Bennett (500k), Stevens (free), Hutton (100k),
Keeper - Guzan still decent in goal. Given did well at Boro and if we cant find a club to take over his wages then he should be the one on the bench and Steer going off on loan. The one position where we are probably ok.
The board and management all seem to be set for change this summer. A lot of our first team squad are leaving on frees and I would prefer gutting the squad this summer almost in its entirety. We need to bring in real leaders into this club to replace the likes of Vlaar, Kea and Gabby. If mediocrity is to end at Villa Park this summer then our squad next season should look an awful lot different.
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I'd agree largely with those stays and gos.
I wouldn't expect us to get anywhere near 5 million for Vlaar either, given his age and injury record, and general averageness.
I would also say that whilst I'd keep Westwood and Bacuna, I'd still be replacing them in the first 11. They'd be squad players. Westwood on the bench, Bacuna to be honest, probably lucky to get in the 18. In part because it's difficult to sense his best position. His pace and running is good at fullback, but he can't defend. In attack he's often awkward with the ball at his feet, and can't pass, and his decision making is poor, making it hard for him to stand out in midfield or on the wing.
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I'd agree largely with those stays and gos.
I wouldn't expect us to get anywhere near 5 million for Vlaar either, given his age and injury record, and general averageness.
I would also say that whilst I'd keep Westwood and Bacuna, I'd still be replacing them in the first 11. They'd be squad players. Westwood on the bench, Bacuna to be honest, probably lucky to get in the 18. In part because it's difficult to sense his best position. His pace and running is good at fullback, but he can't defend. In attack he's often awkward with the ball at his feet, and can't pass, and his decision making is poor, making it hard for him to stand out in midfield or on the wing.
I think with good coaching Bacuna can be a lot better. Has a lot going for him as his goal at Everton proved. Maybe our new Ian Taylor. Great athlete and two good feet. Westwood shouldn't be starting but a decent player when given time and space in midfield. Both with better coaching should be able for 25 or so appearances next season. If we brought in a top midfield general, the trio of Delph, Bacuna and Westwood can all improve. A top holding midfielder/captain should be our number one priority in the summer.
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I'd agree largely with those stays and gos.
I wouldn't expect us to get anywhere near 5 million for Vlaar either, given his age and injury record, and general averageness.
I would also say that whilst I'd keep Westwood and Bacuna, I'd still be replacing them in the first 11. They'd be squad players. Westwood on the bench, Bacuna to be honest, probably lucky to get in the 18. In part because it's difficult to sense his best position. His pace and running is good at fullback, but he can't defend. In attack he's often awkward with the ball at his feet, and can't pass, and his decision making is poor, making it hard for him to stand out in midfield or on the wing.
Whereas I probably agree that those listed need to go, the reality is that it would leave us with far too many players to buy in one window. I personally think that two full-backs, someone to challenge Vlaar and Okore (at this point I don't want to see Baker or Clark play CB for us again), a strong defensive midfielder, a midfielder with similar attributes to Delph and a playmaker who can play as an attacking midfielder and out wide are the key positions in the summer. We probably have just about enough striking options, particularly if whoever is in charge can get something out of Darren Bent.
Just looking at that, it's going to be a massive rebuilding job.
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I'd agree largely with those stays and gos.
I wouldn't expect us to get anywhere near 5 million for Vlaar either, given his age and injury record, and general averageness.
I would also say that whilst I'd keep Westwood and Bacuna, I'd still be replacing them in the first 11. They'd be squad players. Westwood on the bench, Bacuna to be honest, probably lucky to get in the 18. In part because it's difficult to sense his best position. His pace and running is good at fullback, but he can't defend. In attack he's often awkward with the ball at his feet, and can't pass, and his decision making is poor, making it hard for him to stand out in midfield or on the wing.
Whereas I probably agree that those listed need to go, the reality is that it would leave us with far too many players to buy in one window. I personally think that two full-backs, someone to challenge Vlaar and Okore (at this point I don't want to see Baker or Clark play CB for us again), a strong defensive midfielder, a midfielder with similar attributes to Delph and a playmaker who can play as an attacking midfielder and out wide are the key positions in the summer. We probably have just about enough striking options, particularly if whoever is in charge can get something out of Darren Bent.
Just looking at that, it's going to be a massive rebuilding job.
Oh it would have to be done over 2-3 windows for certain.
In some cases, such as Luna, JB, Sylla, Tonev, KEA, Bennett, Helenius, Baker and Lowton, it wouldn't effect our side one iota if they never played again. Only 3 of those really play with any sort of regularity right now anyway.
Bring in 4-5 good players this summer to start the ball rolling. Mix it up with our youngsters. Bring Zogbia back into the fold, and Given. Bent might be worth keeping on until January.
Of course we need to hope we've got money to spend. It wouldn't have to be crazy money. Even 30 mill spent wisely would improve us.
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Sad face.
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As posted on the post match thread, I see stuff like this, and I just think, there's such a disconnect between what the club thinks is acceptable and what the fans think is, it's truly horrific.
(http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnY4MzpIMAEn51e.jpg)
Honestly, did none of them have the brains to think "hang on, we should at least pretend to be less than happy, even if we're really not"?
I have to say, Weimann in terms of attitude has gone right down in my estimation this season.
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As posted on the post match thread, I see stuff like this, and I just think, there's such a disconnect between what the club thinks is acceptable and what the fans think is, it's truly horrific.
(http://pbs.twimg.com/media/BnY4MzpIMAEn51e.jpg)
Honestly, did none of them have the brains to think "hang on, we should at least pretend to be less than happy, even if we're really not"?
I have to say, Weimann in terms of attitude has gone right down in my estimation this season.
I bet they didn't invite Gabby over, imagine the convo or the lack of it.
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error
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I'm torn on that pic. Yes they look twunts doing that, but at the same time they are young lads on their last trip together for a few months so I can sort of understand them having a drink. For all we know they may have been miserable as sin most of the trip and smiled for that pic. Unlikely I know but you never know based on one pic.
I do agree with Paulie regarding Weimann's attitude though, he has really disappointed me this season.
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Weimann gives the impression that he thinks he is an important Premier League player.
He is a very misguided young man.
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They are all misguided if they think that picture is going to impress!
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Weimann gives the impression that he thinks he is an important Premier League player.
He is a very misguided young man.
Part of me wonders whether he really did know what he was doing with that pic. Whether he's just having a bit of dig back at the fans. I would hope he's just being naïve.
Everyone in that pic, bar Delph, has no place being a Premiership footballer though. That part has been evident all season.
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Sickening though that pic is it's no shock. As fans we need to accept that there is a complete and utter disconnect between us and the players, they genuinely could not give a flying fig for how we perceive them otherwise they wouldn't post a pic like that as they share the motorway back to Bham with thousands who've paid hundreds to go and watch them surrender down in London on our behalf. They make me sick.