Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Hookeysmith on March 06, 2013, 12:18:41 PM
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Have they finally been found out? Not been in the bench / squad for a few games now
Not bothered at all as i know we are short but they offer nothing to the team now or in the future
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Me and a mate were discussing this after the game on Monday. They're not injured so they must be out of favour (unless there's something gone on that we don't know know about) because you would have thought they would at least make the bench. I can't say i'm too fussed about Ireland after his stroll around the pitch during the Bradford semi final, but i'd like to see Bannan back in the 16.
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Both don't work hard enough for me, I'm sure that's why they're now 'not required' by Paul Lambert.
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I personally think you will be proved wrong with Bannan. I agree he has struggled this season but he has too much talent to discard at a whim.
He could probably do with a loan spell away from a struggling club to a Championship side that is doing moderately well. I do know that Barry asked for a temporary move away in January but PL wouldnt sanction it,
As for Ireland ,,,get rid....do anything pay his contract up, do whatever is necessary.
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... but i'd like to see Bannan back in the 16.
It's 18 now and he still can't get in.
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He could probably do with a loan spell away from a struggling club to a Championship side that is doing moderately well.
Might as well stay with us then. ;)
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I expect Bannan to be joining Celtic in the summer, probably for £1m.
Ireland we'll probably have to raffle. What a waste of talent.
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He could probably do with a loan spell away from a struggling club to a Championship side that is doing moderately well.
Quality....there is so much wit on this site!!!
Might as well stay with us then. ;)
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He could probably do with a loan spell away from a struggling club to a Championship side that is doing moderately well. I do know that Barry asked for a temporary move away in January but PL wouldnt sanction it,
He certainly didn't look happy the last few times he played. His demeanor suggested it was all getting to him a little bit.
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I reckon Ireland is coming to the end of his time as a professional footballer. Once Villa let him go he'll have to take a cut in pay and go down at least a division (from the premier) to get a game and I don't see him having the sufficient motivation to do that.
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I can see Ireland going to somewhere like Celtic eventually for a season or two, then he'll probably get an offer to go and play in the MLS where he can sunbathe in the afternoon.
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I would like to see Barry back. He actually creates goals rather than "have a good game" but create nothing as our midfield do now.
Ireland should be jettisoned ASAP
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Ireland can do one for me, Bannan I thought needed a break from the first 11 but I'm surprised he's not even been on the bench, especially when you consider we have been without the likes of Herd, Albrighton, Gardner, Bent, Dunne and Vlaar so God knows how far down PL's pecking order he is now. It's a shame really because Bannan and Ireland have more talent than KEA/Sylla/Holman/Bowery/Dawkins etc.
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Haven't wrote this for a w while but Steven Ireland can just fuck right off
Bannan may still be a player in there somewhere.
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I can see Ireland going to somewhere like Celtic eventually for a season or two, then he'll probably get an offer to go and play in the MLS where he can sunbathe in the afternoon.
Can't see his missus putting up with the rain in Glasgow and Celtic would have to bust their wage-structure to accommodate him. He'll join Emule out in the Outback or Juampi Angel in New York and retire on the eve of his 30th birthday.
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I do know that Barry asked for a temporary move away in January but PL wouldnt sanction it,
That seems odd considering he was getting a regular start during January.
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Both don't work hard enough for me, I'm sure that's why they're now 'not required' by Paul Lambert.
Ireland doesn't work hard enough. Bannan just isn't good enough no matter how hard he works
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Bannan works hard but has little footballing talent.
Ireland has footballing talent but doesn't work hard.
Can we gene splice them?
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Bannan works hard but has little footballing talent.
Ireland has footballing talent but doesn't work hard.
Can we gene splice them?
Bannan's got a lot of talent, i think he's a good footballer. Ireland i'd agree with though.
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Think Barry needs to be in or around the team, especially with Delph out for the next two.
And you can't say Bannan doesn't graft, one of the hardest working players we have.
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Think Barry needs to be in or around the team, especially with Delph out for the next two.
And you can't say Bannan doesn't graft, one of the hardest working players we have.
A lot of people don't like him so they refuse to acknowledge anything he does well. I'd like to see him in the position Gabby has been playing mainly because Gabby was really poor against city, got caught on his heels far too often.
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Barry just needs to keep it simple, let the ball do the work, football is not always about 30 yard passes, sometimes three 10 yard passes are just as effective. I think he'll be gone, he's already said this is the season I have to do something
Ireland however is a waste of space
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I do know that Barry asked for a temporary move away in January but PL wouldnt sanction it,
That seems odd considering he was getting a regular start during January.
he was also getting a lot of shit from the crowd though!
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hmm, play well and/or try hard and you dont get shit from the crowd. I dont have much sympathy for a player on wages like that who dont perform because "de nasty men all pick on ickle me" Boo hoo, get over it, and get playing
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It could be an attitude problem. Lets face it, both have well known previous when it comes to acting like twazzocks and perhaps fancying themselves as better than they are. Certainly in Irelands case, he doesn't work hard enough. Bannan's temperament is questionable too. If he's doing okay, he plays fairly well at times. But one or two errors and his game goes to shit. He tries too hard to compensate for the errors and starts trying 60 yard passes that just aren't on. In the end their both pretty average. A bit of footballing ability will mean little because neither has the mentality or physicality to succeed in this league.
I know some people will point at Barca with their small players like Messi and Iniesta, but we're talking exceptional talent there, and their far, far fitter than Ireland or Bannan.
I don't think either has a long term future in the premier league. I'm not too fussed either, especially in the case of Ireland who's a prized pillock.
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Neither of them are holding midfielders or widemen, so for me they are competing with N'Zog and Holman for the attacking mid slot, we also have Gardner to come back so probably neither are required any longer.
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I expect Bannan to be joining Celtic in the summer, probably for £1m.
Ireland we'll probably have to raffle. What a waste of talent.
Bannan to Celtic? I would have thought Cowdenbeath would be more his level- Ireland is happy to take the money and do little to justify his wage- cant see anyone taking him.
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Get rid of them both to Celtic . Part exchange for Wanyama's left toe .
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I expect Bannan to be joining Celtic in the summer, probably for £1m.
Ireland we'll probably have to raffle. What a waste of talent.
Bannan to Celtic?
His best performances have been in a Scotland shirt so he has some value north of the border.
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I do know that Barry asked for a temporary move away in January but PL wouldnt sanction it,
That seems odd considering he was getting a regular start during January.
he was also getting a lot of shit from the crowd though!
Bannan works hard but has little footballing talent.
Ireland has footballing talent but doesn't work hard.
Can we gene splice them?
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Bannan works hard but has little footballing talent.
Ireland has footballing talent but doesn't work hard.
Can we gene splice them?
With our luck this year we would splice them and end up with the one has little footballing talent and doesnt work hard
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Delph and KEA graft more than Ireland and Bannan which is why I dont think Lambert thinks they will be any good in a dog fight.
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Although agreeing with most of the comments here surely having 1 or both as an option from the bench is not too much to ask ? The current 7 on there are a waste of time in trying to change any game that needs winning/drawing to be frank.
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I can see Ireland going to somewhere like Celtic eventually for a season or two, then he'll probably get an offer to go and play in the MLS where he can sunbathe in the afternoon.
I tend to agree with you but I think he would prefer the MLS as soon as possible.
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If we stay up or god forbid go down I think those two, Eric Lihaj and even Chris Herd will move on.
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Not posted for a while as whatever we think it all seems so futile as we literally get the same result.Whoever plays the same problems persist.The bottom line is we just ain't good enough.Anybody who thins otherwise after the misery of this season is clutching at straws.
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Barry Bannan offers nothing as a professional footballer. Absolutely nothing.
He's played around 60 league games for us, scored one goal (a penalty I think) and set up very few. Defensively he's a complete liability.
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Bannan's been awful for ages now but he was still playing regularly until fairly recently so surprised he's not on the bench.
It's not like we have huge depth there either, with Delph suspended we have Westwood, KEA, Sylla and possibly Holman as our sorry central midfield options.
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Bannan has talent i think.
Ireland is just a fucking mercenary and should be got rid of asap.
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I do know that Barry asked for a temporary move away in January but PL wouldnt sanction it,
That seems odd considering he was getting a regular start during January.
he was also getting a lot of shit from the crowd though!
It would be sad if that was the reason for any request to leave.
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Barry Bannan offers nothing as a professional footballer. Absolutely nothing.
He's played around 60 league games for us, scored one goal (a penalty I think) and set up very few. Defensively he's a complete liability.
From what I can find he has 4 goals and 13 assists in 112 appearances (including internationals and loans). Not exceptional but not poor enough to say he offers nothing as a professional footballer, particularly given that Lambert seems to see him as a defensive midfielder.
He's played very well when he's been in the roles that nzogbia and gabby have had recently and has done enough to get a run of a few games there, particularly given how ineffective both of them were on Monday, and Dawkins and Holman offered very little either.
As for fans getting on his back and getting to him, I could understand that. There was a game in January where, in the stats, he misplaced 3 passes all match and all 3 of them he got booed, then people on here and other forums were slating him for not being able to pass, despite having made 43 out of 46 (or something like that). He really can't win, if he keeps it simple and plays short passes he gets shit, if he tries to do anything more and it doesn't work he's 'hollywood'. If he ever goes on the forums I can totally understand him not wanting to be at the club, a large section the fans have been really harsh on him in the last 18 months (and now seem to have set Clark up as the next academy product who can do nothing right).
I've said all along, if Ireland was the player we wanted him to be Bannan would be getting 20-30minute cameos and looking decent, but we've had to rely on him as a core part of our midfield for a year and a half because the senior players have failed and yet it's him that gets shit, instead of the waster on 70k a week (who gets voted player of the season instead) who has done fuck all to earn his wages for nearly 3 years.
Once again, I don't think Bannan is perfect but I think he's done enough to show that he can be an effective squad member for a mid-table premier league side, if played correctly. I'd say the same for all of the 'kids' except possibly Lichaj who is unlikely to get a new contract this summer anyway. I do wonder if the expectations on some of the kids has caused this though, for years we've had a great academy, with the next big thing always coming through but none of them have come in and turned us around so, after a handful of games they're dismissed as another kid who's not good enough. I've already seen comments like that about Gary Gardner who's played about 10matches, mostly as a sub. It's weird, we seem to set higher targets for the youngsters than we do for the senior players at the minute.
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Can't quote at work...
Bannan works hard but has little footballing talent.
Ireland has footballing talent but doesn't work hard.
Can we gene splice them?
Knowing our luck we'd end up with the player who has little football talent and doesn't work hard.
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Bannan works hard but has little footballing talent.
Ireland has footballing talent but doesn't work hard.
Can we gene splice them?
And have someone throwing handfuls of coins at his own pink Range Rover?
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Bannan works hard but has little footballing talent.
Ireland has footballing talent but doesn't work hard.
Can we gene splice them?
And have someone throwing handfuls of coins at his own pink Range Rover?
Don't think he's got that anymore, he got rid of it at about the same time as that ridiculous syrup he used to wear.
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At the end of the season we will have 9 contracted central midfielders for 2 spots in the team, Makoun, Gardner, Herd, Delph, Bannan, Ireland, KEA, Sylla and Westwood. We only need a maximum of 5, but you would have thought at least one addition of real quality is required, which means shifting 5 from that list above, certainly Bannan, Ireland and Makoun, maybe Herd and KEA too. But what are the chances of that, last summer we desperately tried to shift players but only got one contracted player off the books permanently (Collins) and were left with Warnock, Hutton etc.
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Barry Bannan offers nothing as a professional footballer. Absolutely nothing.
He's played around 60 league games for us, scored one goal (a penalty I think) and set up very few. Defensively he's a complete liability.
The same could have been said about Delph. Last season when TSM played him alongside Stan, it was Petrov who was playing the more advanced role and Delph as the defensive central midfielder. He was shocking.
Like Delph, play him in his best position and we might start to see the player we all hoped he'd become.
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The sooner Ireland is off our books the better.
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Barry Bannan offers nothing as a professional footballer. Absolutely nothing.
He's played around 60 league games for us, scored one goal (a penalty I think) and set up very few. Defensively he's a complete liability.
The same could have been said about Delph. Last season when TSM played him alongside Stan, it was Petrov who was playing the more advanced role and Delph as the defensive central midfielder. He was shocking.
Like Delph, play him in his best position and we might start to see the player we all hoped he'd become.
I think gary Gardner will play a big part next season - as for bannan and Ireland , get rid!
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They both have talent but neither are effective in this team. They both might flourish in a team with better players, but in this Villa team they are a luxury we can probably not afford for the last 10 or so games.
I have more time for Bannan. It takes a lot for me to care little about seeing a player in a Villa shirt ever again, but for me, Ireland fills those boots above any other in the squad. He just doesn't give a toss.
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Ireland is a bald ******.
Potentially the best player at the club, but is a modern day stereotypical footballer. A twat.
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Quite, Can Baldy Be Battered. Quite.
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Bannan weak, small offers nothing. Ireland just picking up his highly inflated wages every month and doesn't give a fuck.
I wish them all worst.
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Stephen Ireland was on the tele again the other night here on one of those EPL Preview bullshit shows aimed at 14 year olds or new footy fans in Shanghai. He's such a twat it's incredible.
"I like to train the way i play, get stuck in and really give it 100%"
I think I dislike him more than any Villa player before ever, he makes Steve Hodge look like Ian Taylor.
And I don't even think there's this decent player that everyone seems to think there is either. One decent season 5 years ago ffs! He looked a good player in a poor side for a few months and has done the sum total of fuck all since, just a midfield version of Jlloyd Samuel really.
As for Bannan, he's not PL quality i'm afraid but might do a job for us if we go down. Might!!
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Ireland played OK under McLeish and Bannan did OK under Houllier.....................................just saying ? OK
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Ireland is just a D list celebrity who used to be a footballer so enough said about him.
Bannan however is a different kettle of fish. At times in games this season he has shown his mettle but he needs to be in a defensive midfield role with attacking midfielders going forward in front of him to make it work.
When the team are up against it he is weak but when we are attacking the lad gives us options. The problem is for most games this season the team have been back tracking against superior opposition and this leads to mistakes, Bannan can't really be blamed for this lack of confidence amongst the other 9 outfield players. He is young, he needs leadership and guidance but there is none out there.
As for the crowd influence then we have to concede we have a bearing, the team currently look better away than at home - Why?The section of the upper Holte to my right that booed Gardner after his mistake on Monday should take a long hard look at the effect that thier moronic actions have on a young player because this hardly instills any sort of confidence.
We are all devestated by the last couple of seasons, we are probably going down but booing our players is not the answer, abusing our owner is justified (but I dont see us giving Randy or Faulkner a hard time - shame on us) along with overpaid dicks like Ireland, but not the youth, it is the youth that will dig us out of the Championship next season hopefully at the first hurdle so all of us need to give them our full backing - even when we are losing.
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Ireland's best position is where N'Zogbia and Holman can both do a better job. Look how many goals and assists he gets - which is obviously a good judge of an attacking midfielder. For me that's why he's not in the squad. I actually think his work rate has been ok. He's just lost the player he was 3/4 years ago. Bannan doesn't keep the ball as well or tackle/intercept as well as Delph, Westwood and El Ahmadi. Obviously he also lacks height. I'm not saying he's a bad player, just that when those 3 are fit it it should be a choice between him and Sylla for the other midfield bench spot. Obviously at this stage Lambert rates Sylla as a better option. I imagine Bannan will be back on the bench in the next 2 games.
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Ireland is a half arsed player who used to be famous.
Bannan is a championship player at best.
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Ireland's best position is where N'Zogbia and Holman can both do a better job. Look how many goals and assists he gets - which is obviously a good judge of an attacking midfielder. For me that's why he's not in the squad. I actually think his work rate has been ok. He's just lost the player he was 3/4 years ago. Bannan doesn't keep the ball as well or tackle/intercept as well as Delph, Westwood and El Ahmadi. Obviously he also lacks height. I'm not saying he's a bad player, just that when those 3 are fit it it should be a choice between him and Sylla for the other midfield bench spot. Obviously at this stage Lambert rates Sylla as a better option. I imagine Bannan will be back on the bench in the next 2 games.
I still believe that Bannan's best position is in that attacking midfield role as well. He hasn't got a lot of the attributes needed to play as a defensive midfielder and played in a more advanced position for the reserves. I never want to see Ireland in a Villa shirt again, but I do hope that Bannan is given a chance in his more natural position before being totally written off.
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Stephen Ireland was on the tele again the other night here on one of those EPL Preview bullshit shows aimed at 14 year olds or new footy fans in Shanghai. He's such a twat it's incredible.
"I like to train the way i play, get stuck in and really give it 100%"
Heh. The thing is, is he actually suffering from that sort of lack of self-awareness or is he just subtlely taking the piss? I really haven't a clue which it is. Has he even asked for a transfer yet? If he hasn't, then seeing the way different managers have frozen him out, you know he's content to sit here collecting his money till his contract ends.
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Would either of them get into a top ten side?
In my view, no.
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One of them might get another shot at the weekend. Both were given more than enough chances though and don't see anything in them to suggest they will turn around their form like Delph has.
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One of them might get another shot at the weekend. Both were given more than enough chances though and don't see anything in them to suggest they will turn around their form like Delph has.
But loads of people saw nothing in Delph to suggest he could turn it around prior to this run of games.
Ireland I agree we should get rid of, he offers very little and is earning far too much money to justify it.
Bannan, much like Delph, needs a run in a position that 'fits' (a large part of the turn around for delph is that he's not being asked to be a defensive anchorman like he has been in the past. That bit of freedom to chase things down and be 'all action' is, along with some genuine match sharpness, the key. Let Bannan play a little further forward with instructions to press high up the pitch rather than sit deeper defensively would help him greatly.
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The problem with Bannan is he tries to do to much. Instead of dropping back to pick up the ball, he should stay a bit further forward and just play his own game. I think he's a really good footballer personally and i hope he's back on the bench at least tomorrow.
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I'm sure there's something in Bannan. he played well when we won at Sunderland and for a few ganmes thereafter he and Westwood looked like a good combination. he's stopped playing well - as has Westwood really - and so you can't have completely anonymous players in midfield. Which is why we're struggling. Amongst many other reasons.
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One of them might get another shot at the weekend. Both were given more than enough chances though and don't see anything in them to suggest they will turn around their form like Delph has.
Bannan, much like Delph, needs a run in a position that 'fits' (a large part of the turn around for delph is that he's not being asked to be a defensive anchorman like he has been in the past. That bit of freedom to chase things down and be 'all action' is, along with some genuine match sharpness, the key. Let Bannan play a little further forward with instructions to press high up the pitch rather than sit deeper defensively would help him greatly.
Totally agree with this.
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One of them might get another shot at the weekend. Both were given more than enough chances though and don't see anything in them to suggest they will turn around their form like Delph has.
Can't see it myself. I think El Ahmadi will start with Sylla on the bench.
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Would either of them get into a top ten side?
In my view, no.
Change that to Prem
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Ireland is a bald c***.
Potentially the best player at the club, but is a modern day stereotypical footballer. A twat.
Quite, probably has the most talent at the club but equally the worse attitude at the club!
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The problem with Bannan is he tries to do to much. Instead of dropping back to pick up the ball, he should stay a bit further forward and just play his own game.
Agree in part with that, Clampy, especially the tries to do too much. What Bannan needs is a bit more discipline and that must come from Lambert. Look at the Plastics, Ferguson signed extremely talented players (Ronaldo, Nani, Anderson etc) but he restricts their natural creativity by making them more disciplined which works better for the team. I often scream out at Bannan in Match threads for being a tart, as he's too obsessed with impressing rather than getting the basics right. If he can restrict himself to playing a more functional role, his confidence will grow with consistent performances.
The sooner somebody tells him he ain't Sid Cowans, the better.
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The problem with Bannan is he tries to do to much. Instead of dropping back to pick up the ball, he should stay a bit further forward and just play his own game.
Agree in part with that, Clampy, especially the tries to do too much. What Bannan needs is a bit more discipline and that must come from Lambert. Look at the Plastics, Ferguson signed extremely talented players (Ronaldo, Nani, Anderson etc) but he restricts their natural creativity by making them more disciplined which works better for the team. I often scream out at Bannan in Match threads for being a tart, as he's too obsessed with impressing rather than getting the basics right. If he can restrict himself to playing a more functional role, his confidence will grow with consistent performances.
The sooner somebody tells him he ain't Sid Cowans, the better.
I would'nt disagree too much with that although strangely enough, what you've written could also apply to N'Zogbia.
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The problem in this squad is that there are too many under performers who do not consistently deliver - the likes of Ireland, holman, el ahmedi, bannan, nzogbia( better recently) , and gabby come into this bracket.
We can afford the odd off day but too many very rarely have an on day and we cannot afford that.
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The problem in this squad is that there are too many under performers who do not consistently deliver - the likes of Ireland, holman, el ahmedi, bannan, nzogbia( better recently) , and gabby come into this bracket.
We can afford the odd off day but too many very rarely have an on day and we cannot afford that.
Sorry, Eastie, but Gabby is not in that company. He might not be the 20 goal a season striker we might've wanted a few years ago, but he's more of a threat than any of those others names.
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When you watched Bannan in the reserves he was the lynchpin of that side and evertything seemed to go through him; he seems to have struggled to adapt to not necessarily being that figure in the first team though and taking on a more disciplined role. Like many of our younger players, a more sustained stint away on loan might have helped but we didnt have that luxury.
He's got talent but I'm starting to wonder whether we'll ever see the best of it at Villa.
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I'm sure there's something in Bannan. he played well when we won at Sunderland and for a few ganmes thereafter he and Westwood looked like a good combination. he's stopped playing well - as has Westwood really - and so you can't have completely anonymous players in midfield. Which is why we're struggling. Amongst many other reasons.
What summed up Bannan this season was being MOTM against Arsenal and then 3 days later being arguably our worst player against Reading.
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The problem in this squad is that there are too many under performers who do not consistently deliver - the likes of Ireland, holman, el ahmedi, bannan, nzogbia( better recently) , and gabby come into this bracket.
We can afford the odd off day but too many very rarely have an on day and we cannot afford that.
Sorry, Eastie, but Gabby is not in that company. He might not be the 20 goal a season striker we might've wanted a few years ago, but he's more of a threat than any of those others names.
Agreed but he is also a threat to our Premier League safety. He promises much but delivers little.
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Personally would not link Bannan and Ireland.
Bannan - gives his all
Ireland - doesn't
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The problem in this squad is that there are too many under performers who do not consistently deliver - the likes of Ireland, holman, el ahmedi, bannan, nzogbia( better recently) , and gabby come into this bracket.
We can afford the odd off day but too many very rarely have an on day and we cannot afford that.
Sorry, Eastie, but Gabby is not in that company. He might not be the 20 goal a season striker we might've wanted a few years ago, but he's more of a threat than any of those others names.
Agreed but he is also a threat to our Premier League safety. He promises much but delivers little.
Just watch him go for the rest of the season. He will score tomorrow and more in the coming weeks. Nothing wrong with Gabby.
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I bloody hope he does, but I've seen no evidence to suggest he will.
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I'm sure there's something in Bannan. he played well when we won at Sunderland and for a few ganmes thereafter he and Westwood looked like a good combination. he's stopped playing well - as has Westwood really - and so you can't have completely anonymous players in midfield. Which is why we're struggling. Amongst many other reasons.
What summed up Bannan this season was being MOTM against Arsenal and then 3 days later being arguably our worst player against Reading.
Which suggests he's more inconsistent than 'a championship standard nobody who offers nothing as a professional footballer'. Which has been my point about him all along. The issue is a lot of people completely ignore the performances like Arsenal and judge him entirely on the performances like Reading and I can't figure out why, there are a large number of fans who just seem to hate him and are waiting for a chance to slag him off.
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I'm not sure what it is that makes people hate Bannan so much. Where I sit in the upper holte everyone around me seems to be constantly on his back absolutely all the time - the minute he makes a poor pass he gets dogs abuse, often for the rest of the game. He could play the perfect game, but one wasted pass in the last 20 minutes and suddenly he's the worst player ever to pull on a claret and blue shirt, its bizarre.
I think his problem is the same as 90% of the rest of the team - there's not one of them that doesnt have bags of potential, but they're being asked to do too much too young, without enough support from more experienced players, and they're suffering for it.
Also theres absolutely no comparison with Ireland - even when he's having a dreadful game, Bannan always works his tiny socks off, and is never afraid to call for the ball and try and make something happen. That alone puts him above that waste of space Ireland.
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I thought Bannan had a decent game today. Kept it neat and tidy when he had to and rarely gave the ball away. Good to see him back.
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The problem in this squad is that there are too many under performers who do not consistently deliver - the likes of Ireland, holman, el ahmedi, bannan, nzogbia( better recently) , and gabby come into this bracket.
We can afford the odd off day but too many very rarely have an on day and we cannot afford that.
Sorry, Eastie, but Gabby is not in that company. He might not be the 20 goal a season striker we might've wanted a few years ago, but he's more of a threat than any of those others names.
Agreed but he is also a threat to our Premier League safety. He promises much but delivers little.
Just watch him go for the rest of the season. He will score tomorrow and more in the coming weeks. Nothing wrong with Gabby.
Good work Dan.
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I thought Bannan had a decent game today. Kept it neat and tidy when he had to and rarely gave the ball away. Good to see him back.
Amen.
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Bannan was not my MOM but he did well. he contributed to the team effort. did very well. For me i thought Gabby and concrete were outstanding!!!!
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I thought Bannan's good spell in the game coincided with the team's good spell - namely, the middle third of the match (from the Reading goal to about the 65th minute). I'm not sure whether we played well because he did, or if he played well because everyone else did (bit of both, you'd suspect), but I do think we lost a bit of composure in possession when he went off. What impressed me most today, however, wasn't that he didn't make mistakes with the ball, but the fight he showed in making amends for them. That was very welcome.
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Bannan can be excused through youth and inexperience... Ireland however came out his mother's womb a twat.
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Did Lambert say why Bannan has been out of the squad the last few games, secret injury or just taken out of the firing line for a bit?
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Chipsticks really hates Bannan.
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I thought Bannan's good spell in the game coincided with the team's good spell - namely, the middle third of the match (from the Reading goal to about the 65th minute). I'm not sure whether we played well because he did, or if he played well because everyone else did (bit of both, you'd suspect), but I do think we lost a bit of composure in possession when he went off. What impressed me most today, however, wasn't that he didn't make mistakes with the ball, but the fight he showed in making amends for them. That was very welcome.
He's the type of player who, if he's playing well, makes it easier for other people to play well because he's always looking for the ball and giving an option so yes, him playing well and the team playing well were very much linked today.
I've always found it odd when people question his work rate because that's always been something I've liked about him, particularly trying to make up for his own mistakes.
I do think the change weakened us, but more because of the change in shape than the personnel changes, Nzogbia played 15yards further forward which meant we weren't able to pass in neat little triangles around them.
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Can't fault Bannons workrate but he simply isn't good enough.
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The commentators over here were waiting for Lambert to make a change for 5-10 minutes before he did - because we'd dropped deeper and lost control over the midfield. They were as surprised as I was when N'Zogbia came on for Bannan, though he did well, because that didn't help stop the problem.
As for Bannan, he ran the show at times today and passed the ball really well. He made a couple of poor errors in the middle (not that our other players were immune to this) but got back and made up for them, and in our best spells he was the stand out player. I'd rather give him credit for that - making the team pass and play well - than say it was just because the team were on top.
I think he deserves to keep his place for next week, but having not seen much of QPR I'm not sure what kind of midfield they have.
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I thought Bannan had a decent game today. Kept it neat and tidy when he had to and rarely gave the ball away. Good to see him back.
i agree
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Just watched the last 10 minutes or so again, and one moment stood out which for me sums up how Bannan is viewed compared with the other midfielders. Sylla had the ball facing the back four and tried to slip a square pass to Westwood, who was on his heels, before Reading nicked it and within 3 seconds Robson-Kanu whipped a shot just wide.
I haven't seen anyone mention these errors in the post-match threads, and fine because they were only minor mistakes, but you can guarantee that if Bannan had either played the slightly dodgy pass or been robbed of the ball people would be ripping him apart for it.
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I thought Bannan's good spell in the game coincided with the team's good spell - namely, the middle third of the match (from the Reading goal to about the 65th minute). I'm not sure whether we played well because he did, or if he played well because everyone else did (bit of both, you'd suspect), but I do think we lost a bit of composure in possession when he went off. What impressed me most today, however, wasn't that he didn't make mistakes with the ball, but the fight he showed in making amends for them. That was very welcome.
I do think the change weakened us, but more because of the change in shape than the personnel changes, Nzogbia played 15yards further forward which meant we weren't able to pass in neat little triangles around them.
Agree with this totally. I understand why Lambert wanted N'Zogbia on the pitch, presumably to catch Reading on the break but he should have took off Weimann if anybody. That way we could have kept the three in the middle and kept the ball better. Lambert can be tactically naive at times.
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I thought Bannan's good spell in the game coincided with the team's good spell - namely, the middle third of the match (from the Reading goal to about the 65th minute). I'm not sure whether we played well because he did, or if he played well because everyone else did (bit of both, you'd suspect), but I do think we lost a bit of composure in possession when he went off. What impressed me most today, however, wasn't that he didn't make mistakes with the ball, but the fight he showed in making amends for them. That was very welcome.
I do think the change weakened us, but more because of the change in shape than the personnel changes, Nzogbia played 15yards further forward which meant we weren't able to pass in neat little triangles around them.
Agree with this totally. I understand why Lambert wanted N'Zogbia on the pitch, presumably to catch Reading on the break but he should have took off Weimann if anybody. That way we could have kept the three in the middle and kept the ball better. Lambert can be tactically naive at times.
Disagree about Weimann. He personifies the 'never stop running til the game is over' attitude, which is what was needed.
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I understand why Lambert wanted N'Zogbia on the pitch, presumably to catch Reading on the break but he should have took off Weimann if anybody. That way we could have kept the three in the middle and kept the ball better. Lambert can be tactically naive at times.
I have been a little unnerved by Lambert's subbing at times. I've come to the conclusion that he perhaps feels we do not have enough reliable 'sitting' midfielders to bring on, to shore up a game.
Were the defence more solid, the likes of Charles coming would be a smart move ...
Having said all that, I hate it when we sit back and invite teams onto us.
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Just watched the last 10 minutes or so again, and one moment stood out which for me sums up how Bannan is viewed compared with the other midfielders. Sylla had the ball facing the back four and tried to slip a square pass to Westwood, who was on his heels, before Reading nicked it and within 3 seconds Robson-Kanu whipped a shot just wide.
I haven't seen anyone mention these errors in the post-match threads, and fine because they were only minor mistakes, but you can guarantee that if Bannan had either played the slightly dodgy pass or been robbed of the ball people would be ripping him apart for it.
To be fair its because Bannan has plenty of previous for giving the ball away sloppily which Westwood doesn't.
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Just watched the last 10 minutes or so again, and one moment stood out which for me sums up how Bannan is viewed compared with the other midfielders. Sylla had the ball facing the back four and tried to slip a square pass to Westwood, who was on his heels, before Reading nicked it and within 3 seconds Robson-Kanu whipped a shot just wide.
I haven't seen anyone mention these errors in the post-match threads, and fine because they were only minor mistakes, but you can guarantee that if Bannan had either played the slightly dodgy pass or been robbed of the ball people would be ripping him apart for it.
To be fair its because Bannan has plenty of previous for giving the ball away sloppily which Westwood doesn't.
Just watched the highlights again and bannan gave the ball away in midfield under no pressure and this led to a reading shot inches wide, all players will make mistakes, I think bannan looked ok in the main but would be temped to go with sylla and Westwood with Delph ahead of them when all available .
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The highlights did'nt show him losing the ball again in the second half, then chasing their player to win it back. Ireland would have just stood their and shrugged his shoulders. The midfield three really worked well yesterday.
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Bannan has had a hip injury apparently.
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The highlights did'nt show him losing the ball again in the second half, then chasing their player to win it back. Ireland would have just stood their and shrugged his shoulders. The midfield three really worked well yesterday.
I'm no fan of Bannan though may have been affected by combo of working under TSM and his own drink driving stupidity which set him back. There may well be a player in there.
As for Ireland - I despise the fact that he is still an employee of AVFC. He is a complete and utter waste of a body.
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As for Ireland - I despise the fact that he is still an employee of AVFC. He is a complete and utter waste of a body.
(http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsb25hlEPz1qmn1lqo1_500.gif)
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One thing in our favour is that we seem to have players regaining their form , nzogbia, Delph, gabby and hopefully now bannan - this augurs well for the forthcoming games .
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One thing in our favour is that we seem to have players regaining their form , nzogbia, Delph, gabby and hopefully now bannan - this augurs well for the forthcoming games .
Definitely a good sign as we'll need them all, especially considering our luck with regard to injuries.
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As for Ireland - I despise the fact that he is still an employee of AVFC. He is a complete and utter waste of a body.
A waste of footballing talent but he's a decent if mixed-up human. Volunteers and attends more of the club's community/kids initiatives than any other player and had to fight to win custody of his own kids. Maybe he uses-up all his (com)passion off the pitch.
As for Bannan, Clive Allen was singing his praises yesterday but a few minutes after he gave the ball away cheaply (Bannan not Allen) which led to a decent chance for Reading and was hauled-off shortly afterwards which Clive astutely noted.
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Bannan for me is better than Holman. That's his place in the squad - the forward looking, hard working midfielder (as opposed to the break-up-and-go of Sylla and Delph, or Westwood's deep-lying pure continuity). He did play a bit further forward at times yesterday, and benefited from the physical presence of Sylla next to him. Injury or no injury, the time out appears to have done him good as well and he looks useful again.
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Bannan for me is better than Holman. That's his place in the squad - the forward looking, hard working midfielder (as opposed to the break-up-and-go of Sylla and Delph, or Westwood's deep-lying pure continuity). He did play a bit further forward at times yesterday, and benefited from the physical presence of Sylla next to him. Injury or no injury, the time out appears to have done him good as well and he looks useful again.
Agreed, that's definitely the role he should be playing and, if we're going to play Gabby and Weimann wide of Benteke in attack, he offers a lot more protection that Nzogbia, meaning that we should be picking between them depending on the game.
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Bannan for me is better than Holman. That's his place in the squad - the forward looking, hard working midfielder (as opposed to the break-up-and-go of Sylla and Delph, or Westwood's deep-lying pure continuity). He did play a bit further forward at times yesterday, and benefited from the physical presence of Sylla next to him. Injury or no injury, the time out appears to have done him good as well and he looks useful again.
Agreed, that's definitely the role he should be playing and, if we're going to play Gabby and Weimann wide of Benteke in attack, he offers a lot more protection that Nzogbia, meaning that we should be picking between them depending on the game.
For me the front 6 would be if all available with bent and nzogbia capable of coming off the bench to influence things-
Westwood. Sylla
Weimann Delph. Gabby
Benteke
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Bannan for me is better than Holman. That's his place in the squad - the forward looking, hard working midfielder (as opposed to the break-up-and-go of Sylla and Delph, or Westwood's deep-lying pure continuity). He did play a bit further forward at times yesterday, and benefited from the physical presence of Sylla next to him. Injury or no injury, the time out appears to have done him good as well and he looks useful again.
Agreed, that's definitely the role he should be playing and, if we're going to play Gabby and Weimann wide of Benteke in attack, he offers a lot more protection that Nzogbia, meaning that we should be picking between them depending on the game.
For me the front six would be if all available with bent and nzogbia capable of coming off the bench to influence things.
Westwood. Sylla
Weimann Delph. Gabby
Benteke
I think Delph and Sylla should be fighting for 1 spot.
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Bannan for me is better than Holman. That's his place in the squad - the forward looking, hard working midfielder (as opposed to the break-up-and-go of Sylla and Delph, or Westwood's deep-lying pure continuity). He did play a bit further forward at times yesterday, and benefited from the physical presence of Sylla next to him. Injury or no injury, the time out appears to have done him good as well and he looks useful again.
Agreed, that's definitely the role he should be playing and, if we're going to play Gabby and Weimann wide of Benteke in attack, he offers a lot more protection that Nzogbia, meaning that we should be picking between them depending on the game.
For me the front six would be if all available with bent and nzogbia capable of coming off the bench to influence things.
Westwood. Sylla
Weimann Delph. Gabby
Benteke
I think Delph and Sylla should be fighting for 1 spot.
I'm not sure paul, I think Delph looks decent as an attacking midfielder and would offer more in that role than bannan .
Early days with sylla and he needs a few games to get used to the league but a promising start.
Also with the likes of bannan, nzogbia, bent on the bench there is plenty of scope to tweak things.
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Bannan for me is better than Holman. That's his place in the squad - the forward looking, hard working midfielder (as opposed to the break-up-and-go of Sylla and Delph, or Westwood's deep-lying pure continuity). He did play a bit further forward at times yesterday, and benefited from the physical presence of Sylla next to him. Injury or no injury, the time out appears to have done him good as well and he looks useful again.
Agreed, that's definitely the role he should be playing and, if we're going to play Gabby and Weimann wide of Benteke in attack, he offers a lot more protection that Nzogbia, meaning that we should be picking between them depending on the game.
For me the front six would be if all available with bent and nzogbia capable of coming off the bench to influence things.
Westwood. Sylla
Weimann Delph. Gabby
Benteke
I think Delph and Sylla should be fighting for 1 spot.
Are you going to sell tickets for that bout?!
I think eastie has got the line-up right, although I'd like to see Herd being given a game at RB (to rest Lowton).
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What's up with Herd?
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My problem with Bannan is that when he's shit, he's embarrassing to watch and when he has a decent game, he can can only keep it up for about an hour before he starts making mistakes and giving the ball away. Also, apart from the odd decent punt, his dead ball deliveries are generally poor.
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What's up with Herd?
I'm glad it's not just me wondering that. I thought maybe he was the one involved in the alleged drink drive whilst banned incident.
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What's up with Herd?
I'm glad it's not just me wondering that. I thought maybe he was the one involved in the alleged drink drive whilst banned incident.
Someone who knows a thing or two about a thing or two Herd some things.
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Bannan for me is better than Holman. That's his place in the squad - the forward looking, hard working midfielder (as opposed to the break-up-and-go of Sylla and Delph, or Westwood's deep-lying pure continuity). He did play a bit further forward at times yesterday, and benefited from the physical presence of Sylla next to him. Injury or no injury, the time out appears to have done him good as well and he looks useful again.
Agreed, that's definitely the role he should be playing and, if we're going to play Gabby and Weimann wide of Benteke in attack, he offers a lot more protection that Nzogbia, meaning that we should be picking between them depending on the game.
For me the front six would be if all available with bent and nzogbia capable of coming off the bench to influence things.
Westwood. Sylla
Weimann Delph. Gabby
Benteke
I think Delph and Sylla should be fighting for 1 spot.
I'm not sure paul, I think Delph looks decent as an attacking midfielder and would offer more in that role than bannan .
Early days with sylla and he needs a few games to get used to the league but a promising start.
Also with the likes of bannan, nzogbia, bent on the bench there is plenty of scope to tweak things.
I tend to agree, what a shame El Ahmadi and Holman appear to have very little to offer, I had high hopes for both.