Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Rip Van We Go Again on February 24, 2012, 04:00:07 PM
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sportinglife.com
Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish has challenged winger Charles N'Zogbia to start producing the form he showed for former club Wigan on a consistent basis ahead of Saturday's clash at the DW Stadium.
McLeish splashed out £9 million on N'Zogbia last summer and has seen only flashes of the inspirational play which helped to keep the Latics in the Barclays Premier League.
But the Villa manager insists N'Zogbia is not unique in taking time to settle at a new club.
McLeish said: "I've been up there many times playing Wigan in the past with my team before and Charles was one of the differences.
"At the end of last season for Wigan, I thought he was the guy that made the difference.
"If he can bring that form to us on a really consistent level, then Charles is going to make a name (for himself) at Aston Villa."
McLeish added: "Charles has been slow to settle but you only have to look at other examples up and down the country.
"Why has Andy Carroll been slow to settle at Liverpool. Why has Stewart Downing been slow to settle there? You are talking about two great players.
"It is just one of the mysteries of football. You tend to think when you get an English player, or a player who has been playing in England, that they will hit the ground running.
"But sometimes they need time to settle in so I don't think it is unique to Charles.
"Charles has shown us some great moments and hopefully there will be a few more from now until the end of the season."
McLeish is hoping striker Gabriel Agbonlahor will also make an impact on his return after missing the last three games with a hamstring injury.
He said: "We are no different to any other team in the country in that, if you are missing your top players, it can be a big miss.
"Gabby is one of the top players at this club and is feared throughout the Premier League.
"He is always a threat because of his pace and the way he imposes himself on a game. If he imposes himself, every player in the country would be frightened of him."
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Maybe play him instead of Heskey Alex?
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Maybe play him instead of Heskey Alex?
Ignore the heretic Alex.
Stick with your tried and tested method of avoiding defeat in a mind numbingly boring way.
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Shouldn't he demand more from our weakest link - the defence? Also, the last two games N'Zogbia started he got a goal and a assist. What the hell is McLeish smoking? Would he rather be Heskey where's putting his body about, but doing fuck all worthwhile?
No Alex, we demand more from you.
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Shouldn't he demand more from our weakest link - the defence? Also, the last two games N'Zogbia started he got a goal and a assist. What the hell is McLeish smoking? Would he rather be Heskey where's putting his body about, but doing fuck all worthwhile?
No Alex, we demand more from you.
I have not the slightest doubt that AM is responding to a question posed by a journo working the obvious angle of Zog playing against his former club. No need to get the vapours with regard to this one.
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Shouldn't he demand more from our weakest link - the defence?
Try reading his interview from earlier in the week.
Gabby's return is key but he needs to get into the box more if he's playing out wide. It's so frustrating to see him standing at the edge of the box when the ball is coming in from the other side. Great player that he is, he can still contibute more playing out wide.
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I think because N'Zogbia was his big summer signing he takes his performances a bit more personally than anyone elses. He has given him a couple of public kicks up the backside while others have not had that treatment.
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I have not the slightest doubt that AM is responding to a question posed by a journo working the obvious angle of Zog playing against his former club. No need to get the vapours with regard to this one.
Hang on, didn't Heskey used to play for Wigan? - maybe if we played him tomorrow against his old club he too will raise his game ...
Just a thought! ;)
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I have not the slightest doubt that AM is responding to a question posed by a journo working the obvious angle of Zog playing against his former club. No need to get the vapours with regard to this one.
Hang on, didn't Heskey used to play for Wigan? - maybe if we played him tomorrow against his old club he too will raise his game ...
Just a thought! ;)
Nah, he was crap for Wigan as well.
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I think NZog is quite within his rights to demand more from McLeish.
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All McLeish's utterances of late seem to be public expressions of a defence of his position with his employers. These comments about N'Zogbia are really the rebuttal of the charge "we gave you money for players and you wasted it". Similarly the hard luck theme of Dunne's injury is in reality a defence against "you were supposed to deliver a tight defence but your teams have been conceding two goals a game". The statement that the crowd were great at the City game when the place was like a morgue is an answer to the charge "the gates are in free fall". Expect statements about Hutton maturing into a top class full back and Jenas's injury being a terrible setback.
He is behaving like a manager who knows he has incurred the wrath of his employers and is attempting to shore up his position publicly.
If we lose at Wigan I would not be at all surprised to see him sacked. He is very very twitchy.
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If we lose at Wigan I would not be at all surprised to see him sacked. He is very very twitchy.
We live in hope, not to lose of course but every cloud....
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Sorry Brian, but I don't see Randy sacking McLeish in the middle of the season (nor should he). I think AM is more confident of support from his employers than from the fans and players.
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I'd be very surprised if he isn't here this time next year, and if he goes before the summer I'll eat my hat.
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All McLeish's utterances of late seem to be public expressions of a defence of his position with his employers. These comments about N'Zogbia are really the rebuttal of the charge "we gave you money for players and you wasted it". Similarly the hard luck theme of Dunne's injury is in reality a defence against "you were supposed to deliver a tight defence but your teams have been conceding two goals a game". The statement that the crowd were great at the City game when the place was like a morgue is an answer to the charge "the gates are in free fall". Expect statements about Hutton maturing into a top class full back and Jenas's injury being a terrible setback.
He is behaving like a manager who knows he has incurred the wrath of his employers and is attempting to shore up his position publicly.
If we lose at Wigan I would not be at all surprised to see him sacked. He is very very twitchy.
Spot on, I think this recent visit to the Americas and Mr Lerner was a summoning alongside other things, my bet is AM is on a game by game warning of the chop and he's gone into defensive mode, point is if we lost to Wigan how the hell could he keep his job...
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All McLeish's utterances of late seem to be public expressions of a defence of his position with his employers. These comments about N'Zogbia are really the rebuttal of the charge "we gave you money for players and you wasted it". Similarly the hard luck theme of Dunne's injury is in reality a defence against "you were supposed to deliver a tight defence but your teams have been conceding two goals a game". The statement that the crowd were great at the City game when the place was like a morgue is an answer to the charge "the gates are in free fall". Expect statements about Hutton maturing into a top class full back and Jenas's injury being a terrible setback.
He is behaving like a manager who knows he has incurred the wrath of his employers and is attempting to shore up his position publicly.
If we lose at Wigan I would not be at all surprised to see him sacked. He is very very twitchy.
This is Lerner and Faulkner we're talking about. Two of the biggest mickey mouse jokers around when it comes to football.
I wish your theory was correct but remember when Houllier was doing a terrible job as well (even having spent over 20m?) and they backed him all the way? It did pay off though at the end but they may do the same with McLeish and that's bad news when he's proven to collapse around this stage. Will the board see it? Doubt it.
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It's a gut feeling. My head says he is the owner's man doing the owner's bidding. My head says they have a perfect cop out to keep him because he bounced back with Small Heath. My head says they clung to Houllier in the hope that he would lose ten years of age and grow a new heart. My head says they have shilly shallied about everything else so why expect the board to suddenly become decisive. All that but my gut says McLeish's language and his fall back onto the bad luck rationale and his nervy and excessive desire to present himself in the best possible light are because he has had his card marked. That comment about two good wins and we will go shooting up the table is a shout out symptom of insecurity. My gut says he has been told in no uncertain terms that he is failing to do what he was employed to do.
I am a betting man and three weeks ago I would have laid 4-1 or 5-1 that he would be gone before the end of the season. Now I would put it no better than even money.
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Said after the Man Citeh game, I wouldn't be completely stunned to see a new manager (or Kevin Mac holding the fort again) by the time Martin O'Neill's Sunderland (c) come to town.
But the only way that will happen is if the players en masse lose faith in him. RL and Faulkner have already illustrated that fans feelings on this matter don't cut much ice with them.
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... and then he doesn't play him.
Amazed ? I am.
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Ridiculous and appalling management.
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Maybe play him instead of Heskey Alex?
Ignore the heretic Alex.
Stick with your tried and tested method of avoiding defeat in a mind numbingly boring way.
Mission accomplished today, to the letter.
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what a fecking cheek he has, people in glasshouses, what a shite manager he truly is, not a clue!!
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Maybe play him instead of Heskey Alex?
Ignore the heretic Alex.
Stick with your tried and tested method of avoiding defeat in a mind numbingly boring way.
Mission accomplished today, to the letter.
I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, but sadly he reverted to type.
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Today was the ideal opportunity to play N'Zogbia, I really don't know why he didn't.
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I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, but sadly he reverted to type.
And there's the crux. It looked like things were getting better, then at the first setback reverted to type.
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Play a player against his former team, no brainer...except in the wierd and mystical world of agent McLeish.
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I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, but sadly he reverted to type.
And there's the crux. It looked like things were getting better, then at the first setback reverted to type.
I just get the feeling that it's his default setting.
Game not going the way he wants in the first 20 minutes. - Shut up shop Dog Shit style.
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I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, but sadly he reverted to type.
And there's the crux. It looked like things were getting better, then at the first setback reverted to type.
When we're things getting better?
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I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, but sadly he reverted to type.
And there's the crux. It looked like things were getting better, then at the first setback reverted to type.
I just get the feeling that it's his default setting.
Game not going the way he wants in the first 20 minutes. - Shut up shop Dog Shit style.
The footballing Audley Harrison; first sign of a problem he instinctively covers up. Who was it on here that said he wants to do it differently but just can't?>
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Kevin Gage, I think.
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I was hoping it wouldn't be the case, but sadly he reverted to type.
And there's the crux. It looked like things were getting better, then at the first setback reverted to type.
When we're things getting better?
Chelsea away was the sort of victory that should've heralded a great second half of the season. We lost at home to Swansea two days later.
Even the comeback at Wolves should've been the confidence booster win, we blow a 2 nil lead at Arsenal and it's been downhill ever since.
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McL doesnt like wingers. This is obvious by the way he insists on the team playing the ball through the middle or over everyone's head. I've lost count of the times I've seen the players in posession looking at each other when there are 2 wide men pleading for the ball. The irony is that if he doesn't like wingers, why did he pay £9.5 million for one and then rarely play him? And even when he does play him, he brings him in so close he is practically falling over the forward? Every great Villa team has relied on wingers... Ray Graydon... Tony Daley... Ashley Young... It's in our blood. It's all very depressing.