Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: Witton Warrior on April 09, 2014, 03:49:45 PM
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Apparently we are "missing the point" of Andi Weimann and need to cut him some slack according to Mr Lambert
We are expecting too much of him in only his second full season.
Lambo says "He's a natural finisher, I'll give him that, and he gets himself into scoring positions"
4 goals this season, last one in January.
Is this just Lambert deflecting from his own problematic position?
Will Andi make it as an Aston Villa striker or become a poor man's Gabby?
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Poor man's Gabby? Gabby has 3 this season, maybe he's a poor man's Weimann?
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Not fit for purpose either of them. Weimann more so.
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To be fair he's generally very supportive of his players in public and that's how I'd want him to be.
If he had said "Andi's crap, he's really letting the side down" he'd be getting pelters for demoralising him in the open air.
I don't get the impression he's the sort that pulls his punches behind closed doors where needed.
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Weimann has gone backwards this season.Lambert's judgement has to be called on this one.
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There is nothing wrong with a manager going into bat for one of his players, especially when he is low on confidence.
I don't think he has benefitted from being played out of position and has looked well out of sorts for much of the season. We have precious few attacking and creative options though, which is our big shortcoming.
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It is the timing of this that I find strange.
Not sure that Andi got any more stick than anyone else last week?
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We got away with it in the short term during last season's good run at the end, but he's not a wideman. Played as a central striker, I think we'd be seeing more from him.
We need to buy someone for the right in a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, or play Albrighton there, and add him to the pool for the central striking spot with Kozak and Benteke.
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It is the timing of this that I find strange.
Not sure that Andi got any more stick than anyone else last week?
Yep,why highlight it.
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We got away with it in the short term during last season's good run at the end, but he's not a wideman. Played as a central striker, I think we'd be seeing more from him.
We need to buy someone for the right in a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1, or play Albrighton there, and add him to the pool for the central striking spot with Kozak and Benteke.
It is his all-round games that seems lacking - the "Bambi on ice" display when defending against Stoke was bloody awful.
He might be faster if he didn't keep waving his arms around while running - would decrease drag ;-)
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It's possible it is something that Weimann has heard from a section of the crowd, or that he's simply feeling the pressure like the others and just needed a public boost. I think 3 losses on the bounce has affected everyone and when you have limited forward options it's not a bad thing for the manager to publicly support you. He did it with Benteke earlier in the season.
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If he plays on Saturday, then it has to be up front or not at all.
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If he plays on Saturday, then it has to be up front or not at all.
Would him and Gabby playing off Holt be better? Have Delph higher up the pitch to run onto Holt's passes?
Or am I dreaming again...
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I have no problem with Holt starting, I actually think he did pretty well in his Kevin Davies role on Saturday.
I would go with Gabby and Bacuna off him or Andi.
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If he plays on Saturday, then it has to be up front or not at all.
Would him and Gabby playing off Holt be better? Have Delph higher up the pitch to run onto Holt's passes?
Or am I dreaming again...
Gabby left, Super Marc right and Weimann through the middle.
Holt on the bench.
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Lambert has made a mistake never dropping him . Would have been better to take him out the fire for a bit even some reserve games to get him scoring again.
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Not at all for me. He has been beyond woeful much of the season. Albrighton deserves the spot way more than Weimann. Gabby, Albrighton and Holt all bring more to the table in that front 3, but the biggest issue with the formation in its entirety is that that 2 "wide" players simply do not have the attributes to succeed in the role. You need to be skillful, mobile and creative while getting 10-12 goals.
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I don't get why people seem to think that because we had 3 up front then 2 of them must be wide players. Surely the idea of playing 3 strikers is so they interchange and move around? That is the problem I feel, Benteke naturally moves out to the left but neither Gabby nor Andi move around the pitch to pull defenders around or to give those with the ball an option.
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Perhaps Lambert should play him in his natural position. If he wants the fans to go easy on Weimann (are we not quite patient with him?) he should stop playing him out of position. The only person wrecking Andi's game and sapping his confidence, is Lambert and his brain dead tactics and selections.
Likewise as others have said, he needs dropping. Sometimes it can be to a players benefit to be dropped. Apart from anything else, Weimann is still pretty young and he's playing 2 full seasons now. He's looked out of steam for the past 2 months. He's lacking confidence, drive and energy, making him utterly useless to us at the moment. I don't put this down to him, I put it down to Lambert. Again, Lambert has shown plenty of times he's not adverse to dropping players and making them work hard to regain their shirt, like Lowton. So I'm not sure why he feels Weimann warrants playing every game.
Again, we can't play Andi in a position where his on the ball game is paramount. Play him through the middle where his off the ball attributes like his movement and finding space, can be used. If Andi played in the middle, he could actually get a good amount of joy off Albrightons service. Andi cannot be expected to make things happen on the ball, because as Ozzjim says, he doesn't have the skill. He's not got a great touch or vision. He's got a bit of speed, but not enough for a wide position to make up for his lack of technical quality.
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I don't get why people seem to think that because we had 3 up front then 2 of them must be wide players. Surely the idea of playing 3 strikers is so they interchange and move around? That is the problem I feel, Benteke naturally moves out to the left but neither Gabby nor Andi move around the pitch to pull defenders around or to give those with the ball an option.
Theres an onus on Gabby and Weimann as the right and left forward to link midfield and attack and retain the ball. Obviously showing movement and giving the midfield the option to send them on an attack against the opposing fullbacks, or between the fullback and CH, is one thing, and we do this when we're counter attacking at our best.
The problem is at other times, we can't just rely on 3 midfielders to retain the ball. When there's an onus on Gab or Weimann to come back into play and try and influence things on the ball, they come up short because they're not technically adept footballers. Weimann if anything is more akin to Bent, who's best playing right up through the middle, feeding off service. Gabby's all about pace and in an ideal world will be hitting sides quickly with his pace on the counter.
4-3-3 works to a point for us, when we counter quickly and efficiently. Every other time it fails because both Weimann and Gabby don't have enough facets to their game. Again, this is Lamberts fault, not theirs. He's had 2 years to find more than one effective way of playing, and he's bought in well over 10 players too.
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The one thing which a lot of people might miss because of his lack of goals is his hard work, which is probably the reason why he gets picked every week. The kid does needs a break though every now and again though.
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The one thing which a lot of people might miss because of his lack of goals is his hard work, which is probably the reason why he gets picked every week. The kid does needs a break though every now and again though.
There's times when he's dead on his feet and just looks drained of all confidence too. I don't know why Lambert doesn't see this. It's not doing Andi any favours. Even last season Andi's performance levels dropped in the last couple of months and he seemed to be running on empty. Not that I want to make Prem footballers seem in any way hard done by, but as we saw many times under O Neill, that you can overwork players. Lambert has been similar and much like Pubehead doesn't seem to trust half of his signings.
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Hard work is a minimum requirement. I'd work hard if I played for Villa. He's gone backwards in terms of output this season...and its the manager's job to address this with him. Maybe if he'd been dropped a while ago, he'd have come back firing.
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Weimann's drop in form this season versus last has a lot to do with Benteke's diminished effectiveness. Many of Andi's goals last season came from good work done by the Beast, and he was sufficiently in form that his finishing was often clinical.
This season, more-aware opposition defences and Benteke's injuries have meant that Weimann has been less effective.
I think he's a very good finisher and needs to be played to his strengths. He's also suffering from second season syndrome.
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Many of us were delighted when he signed a new contract last year. I think he has let us down not the other way around.
I am desperate for us to have a new young exciting player burst onto the scene, probably too desperate and I saw what I wanted to see instead of the reality.
See also, Albrighton, Gardner, Bennett, Tonev.
Sigh.
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He's asked to play too close to the touchline, with his back to goal and largely on the right-hand side, when he's clearly better cutting in from the left.
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I feel a bit sorry for him as he usually puts a shift in. There are worse players than Weimann.
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He has had an awful season and does not deserve his place. If he is now under pressure it is because this idiot manager has played him every week despite his dreadful performances.
This is Lamberts problem and it is pathetic that he trying to hide behind another one of is obvious failings.
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I agree with you ChicagoLion, i like Andi,but he has been awful this season and does not deserve the automatic place he seems to have under this clueless manager.
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Not had good season but think he will be a pretty good player eventually. We'll probably ditch him before then
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He reminds me of Derek (Doc) Pace. Strong, rugged, willing, hard working, bit short of speed and often disregarded because of his lack of height and heading ability. Back in the day bullet heading was regarded as the primary skill of a centre forward. We let him go to Sheffield United where he became a record goal scorer and a club legend. Andi could go down the same sort of route.
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He reminds me of Derek (Doc) Pace. Strong, rugged, willing, hard working, bit short of speed and often disregarded because of his lack of height and heading ability. Back in the day bullet heading was regarded as the primary skill of a centre forward. We let him go to Sheffield United where he became a record goal scorer and a club legend. Andi could go down the same sort of route.
Doc was before my time Brian but your point is well made - play to a player's strengths and they do well - over to you Mr Lambert
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You would have loved him WW. Andi needs a month on a beach under a blonde and a coconut tree.
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I think AW has badly missed Matt Lowton this season. He had an excellent understanding last season
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You would have loved him WW. Andi needs a month on a beach under a blonde and a coconut tree.
I do too Brian . Much more chance of it happening for him though.
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Holt will start after his goal and even though I didn't like the signing again it will be a battle at Palace so I have no problem.
Weimann has been lucky to have started as many games as he has this season. Very poor apart from a couple of decent games in January.
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Is this the Andi (natural goalscorer) being dumped on his arse in our penalty area for the second goal v Stoke?
If he is a natural goalscorer why does he have to 'defend' at corners.
Why did a natural goalscorer play in 3 different positions v Swansea at home?
I could go on.....
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Lambert's 'fickle' moment. He'll be gone soon.
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He has been poor this year and possibly overplayed. Gabby has also been very poor over the last few years with his goal returns, he cannot be played because he is a villa fan and favourite of the fans.
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Lamberts missing the point of forwards.
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I think Weimann's a good player, but he's suffering this season because we've abandoned the passing football we attempted last season.
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it's a confidence thing, he's snatching at things and not trusting his ability. There was a break at the weekend where even a heavy first touch would have put him away down the left but he got nothing on the ball and it went into touch.
He's done the same with a few shots where he's tried to hit the ball too hard and scuffed it.
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He has blown a hell of a lot of decent chances this season. He's been the most guilty of anyone. Who knows how much more comfortable we might have been had he put away even half of them. It would be even more worrying if he wasn't even getting the chances in the first place. Aside from a rest, what he really needs is to pull off a goal like he did against Fulham a couple of years back. Would do him the world of good.
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I think he'd benefit from playing more centrally, but that won't happen.
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Lambert's 'fickle' moment. He'll be gone soon.
That's what I was thinking. It's not that he's defending an out-of-form player, that's the obvious thing to do - it's that the way he said it addressed the fans and not in a friendly tone of voice. I'm surprised more hasn't been made of this, I thought it was a big moment.
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My favourite memory of Weimann to date is that great photo of him standing arms outstretched in before the Holte End. A football-hating, communist-leaning, grizzled
old fart colleague of mine saw it and pithily observed "panem et circenses".
(http://i1.birminghammail.co.uk/incoming/article6108775.ece/alternates/s615/Aston-Villa-player-Andreas-Weimann-takes-the-applause-of-the-Holte-end-after-scoring-the-third-Villa-goal-during-the.jpg)
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I bet he is the life of the party.
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If both Weimann or Gabby were offloaded to the first bidder in the summer, I'd have no problem whatsoever.
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If both Weimann or Gabby were offloaded to the first bidder in the summer, I'd have no problem whatsoever.
they need some confidence and better coaching and possibly another system to play in. Nobody was saying that about either player with some of the excellent and important goals they have both come up with. We know they can both do it. We've seen them do it, just not nearly enough this season. That's no reason to dump them to the first bidder.
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If both Weimann or Gabby were offloaded to the first bidder in the summer, I'd have no problem whatsoever.
they need some confidence and better coaching and possibly another system to play in. Nobody was saying that about either player with some of the excellent and important goals they have both come up with. We know they can both do it. We've seen them do it, just not nearly enough this season. That's no reason to dump them to the first bidder.
Weimann should be given a chance, but Gabby has had, throughout his villa career, hot streaks amidst extremely barren spells. He's way too inconsistent to be relied upon in my opinion, which is a shame.
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If we persist with the 4-3-3 formation I'd keep both, but look for more genuine wide players as opposed to trying to convert strikers to play wide.
Gabby would then be our 'big hitter' from the bench. Imagine bringing his pace on against tiring defenders in the last 20 minutes of a game?
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I wouldn't want to see Gabby and Andi sold. They're decent players. I have no issue with better being brought in to supplement them, but why weaken the squad even further?
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Maybe because I have a soft spot for Gabby, I'm probably a bit more generous to him than most. I think he still has a role to play, it just might not be every start. Having someone with his pace off the bench as an option though would be invaluable. Quite frankly no player should be an automatic start. Even the very best are rotated and one of our major issues is still our squad depth. We need to get to a point where putting Benteke or Vlaar on the bench isn't about their performance but simply to keep them fresh. When Gabby is jaded is not remotely as effective and it starts to highlight his limitations as a football player.
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If both Weimann or Gabby were offloaded to the first bidder in the summer, I'd have no problem whatsoever.
they need some confidence and better coaching and possibly another system to play in. Nobody was saying that about either player with some of the excellent and important goals they have both come up with. We know they can both do it. We've seen them do it, just not nearly enough this season. That's no reason to dump them to the first bidder.
Weimann should be given a chance, but Gabby has had, throughout his villa career, hot streaks amidst extremely barren spells. He's way too inconsistent to be relied upon in my opinion, which is a shame.
You could also say the same of Benteke this season, either he's full of confidence and scoring for fun or he looks a waste of space and doesn't look like he's trying. The truth is it must be extremely frustrating being a striker at Villa, given the lack of quality service received. I've often been left thinking Benteke must wonder what the hell he's doing here, wasting his time in a team that don't seem interested in playing football.
Like all strikers, Gabby, Andi and Benteke all thrive on confidence. Good teams know where their strikers like it delivered, often where they'll be before looking up to make a pass. Good managers also know how to build a system that works to the strengths of their strikers (see Houllier with Bent). Right now we've got neither. That's what happens when you play random football.
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Works hard, gives his all but doesn't score even close to enough (ditto Gabby)
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I think that's right Rudy. Last season when they were clicking, that front line (especially the growing chemistry between Weimann and Benteke) looked unbelievable at times. Some of the movement between them had us all very excited. I think Benteke's injury and form has adversely affected that and I think Weimann has lost confidence also. There have been a number of chances he's missed where maybe last season they were going in for him. He's got into a lot of good positions. It's entirely possible he hasn't been as commmitted to his craft that he needs to address, but we've seen him play well and work hard in games also. Gabby is an enigma. When on form he can be unplayable, when not you'll not notice him there because he doesn't have many strings to his bow. But I'd keep him in the squad for what he can do.
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We're very quick to chunt balls down the flanks instead of keeping it in the centre, but instead of releasing Weimann and Gabby this often leads to them playing with back to goal close to the halfway line. They often try something fancy and rushed in these situations, usually giving the ball away. Both of these are symptoms of the deep lack of patience which infects our tactical setup.
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My favourite memory of Andi is at Norwich last year. Gabby flying down the left wing and Andi trying to keep up down the middle of the track. Gabby smacked the ball across, Andi hurled himself at it and missed by a whisker ending up hitting the net like a giant fish. Somehow typifies his great heart and lack of luck. He will come good.
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With Tek injured I think it might be worth trying Weimann and Gabby (if he's fit) in a front two in front of a diamond midfield. Of all the good things he's done, maybe the most impressive part of Brendan Rodgers' season has been to show how to bring back the strike partnership: if they're both of the wing-forward type (rather than Drogba-ish targets or Bergkamp-esque creatives) then they can use their nip and movement to alternate drifting wide, while one stays in the centre. This compensates for the lack of width inherent in the 4-4-2 diamond, and I think Andi and Gab could do it. Holt could be the bench option.
The only problem would be that midfield. I'd be tempted to have Albrighton at the point of the diamond, supported by Delph and KEA (or Sylla if KEA's unfit) with Westwood mopping up and directing affairs. It would give Albrighton a bit of freedom of movement and he could also support the strikers with his decent pace. Of course, this is all assuming we can press and pass competently, which we can't.
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I'd like to see Gabby become more of an impact player from the bench. He'll be getting to that stage now. He's too inconsistent to be starting every game but rotate him a bit or use him from the bench to try and change games, and I think he's still got plenty of use.
With Andi, I'm not sure how much the last two years, despite getting games every week, have actually hindered his development. He's an out and out striker at heart but hasn't been played there enough. Whilst it's helped his adaptability to play out of position so long, it's also hampered his potential to become a Premier League striker.
I hope whether Lambert is here, or someone else inherits the squad in the summer, that Andi will get a fair crack of the whip in his favoured position. But he's reaching a stage now where if he's not cutting the mustard at this level, it'll be best to move him on. Next season is absolutely key for him. But for a start, to help the boy, he needs playing in his natural position.
Both are well worth keeping for the next couple of years at least. It'll take that time at least, to build the squad up to a level of quality where players like Gabby and Weimann are surplus.
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Works hard, gives his all but doesn't score even close to enough (ditto Gabby)
Work rate at the expense of actual ability, the Paul Lambert ethos:
"They have got everything that you love in footballers - the pace, power, speed, work-rate. That's what you look for in players."
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Works hard, gives his all but doesn't score even close to enough (ditto Gabby)
Work rate at the expense of actual ability, the Paul Lambert ethos:
"They have got everything that you love in footballers - the pace, power, speed, work-rate. That's what you look for in players."
Good God what a horrible quote. What on earth was Randy thinking? Didn't this just sound horrible familiar?
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The best footballers in the world all have pace, power, speed and a great work ethic. What is the problem?
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Well work-ethic is a given, and pace and speed are the same thing. But Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Fabregas, Coutinho, Pirlo, Gotze, Kroos aren't that quick and have no real 'power', while Messi, Mueller, Reus, Pedro, Suarez, Aguero, Neymar, Robben, Ribery are all quick enough - some of them very - but aren't exactly what you'd call powerful. Yaya Toure, Ronaldo, Bale, Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez are all quick and powerful, sure, and it certainly helps them in how they play, but the real thing which makes them top players, which they have in common with all the others, is that they can kick a ball pretty well. Lambert appears to have overlooked this aspect, and sounds really MONish in that 'physicality above quality' soundbite there.
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The best footballers in the world all have pace, power, speed and a great work ethic. What is the problem?
The best players in the world aren't the best due to physical attributes though, rather technical ones. To prioritise the former is truely retrograde and such a mindset belongs in the 90's.
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I would say the thing that makes Messi a cut above the likes of Ronaldo is that his work ethic is another level above and he has enough physical presence to get lumps kicked out of him, yet he stays on his feet. He is a remarkable player. Lambert not listing every quality that makes a player as wonderful as Messi does not mean he eschews those qualities.
I find criticisng him on the implication that his list is exhaustive and not a quick response to a benign question to be on shaky ground.
There are plenty of things to criticse Lambert on this season outrage of excellent qualities in footballers is not one.
In respect of the list of players you have mentioned, they're all lightening quick between the ears.
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I would say the thing that makes Messi a cut above the likes of Ronaldo is that his work ethic is another level above and he has enough physical presence to get lumps kicked out of him, yet he stays on his feet. He is a remarkable player. Lambert not listing every quality that makes a player as wonderful as Messi does not mean he eschews those qualities.
I find criticisng him on the implication that his list is exhaustive and not a quick response to a benign question to be on shaky ground.
There are plenty of things to criticse Lambert on this season outrage of excellent qualities in footballers is not one.
In respect of the list of players you have mentioned, they're all lightening quick between the ears.
I actually think that the off-the-top-of-the-head nature of the comments rather reveals his instincts. Certainly his tactics reflect this sort of mentality.
You're certainly right on the work-rate point, however, and I would add that a sense of team-ethic also puts Messi above Ronaldo. When Messi wins the Balon d'Or, he smiles and says thank you. When Ronaldo won it, he cried like an actress. That's the difference.
And you're certainly right about the footballing brain. Whether its the reaction time of dribblers like Neymar or the ability to see the whole game instantly like a picture in your head, like Xavi or Pirlo, or a sense of position and knowing where to be at which point, like Aguero or Javi Martinez, all the best players have something unimaginably fast going on in their brains.
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The best footballers in the world all have pace, power, speed and a great work ethic. What is the problem?
The best players in the world aren't the best due to physical attributes though, rather technical ones. To prioritise the former is truely retrograde and such a mindset belongs in the 90's.
I fail to see how they're mutually exclusive. You play and do what your body is capable of. If Messi struggled with the powerful effects of gravity as Busquets does for example, then he wouldn't be as good as he is. The fact that he can take an absolute kicking and stay on his feet would equally not matter a jot if his control of the ball didn't border on the supernatural. If Messi was not as quick as he is, then he wouldn't have developed into the player he is. He may have been a deep lying midfielder orchestrating matters like Pirlo, he may not have been given a chance at all, who knows.
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Well work-ethic is a given, and pace and speed are the same thing. But Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Fabregas, Coutinho, Pirlo, Gotze, Kroos aren't that quick and have no real 'power', while Messi, Mueller, Reus, Pedro, Suarez, Aguero, Neymar, Robben, Ribery are all quick enough - some of them very - but aren't exactly what you'd call powerful. Yaya Toure, Ronaldo, Bale, Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez are all quick and powerful, sure, and it certainly helps them in how they play, but the real thing which makes them top players, which they have in common with all the others, is that they can kick a ball pretty well. Lambert appears to have overlooked this aspect, and sounds really MONish in that 'physicality above quality' soundbite there.
I think the penultimate word in your post is the telling one. It is a few words from which you have spun a whole theory. Are players like Delph, Westwood and Bacuna selected for their physicality?
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Well work-ethic is a given, and pace and speed are the same thing. But Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Fabregas, Coutinho, Pirlo, Gotze, Kroos aren't that quick and have no real 'power', while Messi, Mueller, Reus, Pedro, Suarez, Aguero, Neymar, Robben, Ribery are all quick enough - some of them very - but aren't exactly what you'd call powerful. Yaya Toure, Ronaldo, Bale, Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez are all quick and powerful, sure, and it certainly helps them in how they play, but the real thing which makes them top players, which they have in common with all the others, is that they can kick a ball pretty well. Lambert appears to have overlooked this aspect, and sounds really MONish in that 'physicality above quality' soundbite there.
I think the penultimate word in your post is the telling one. It is a few words from which you have spun a whole theory. Are players like Delph, Westwood and Bacuna selected for their physicality?
Bacuna to a large extent, yes, he's pretty barrelly and quick. Delph has stronger than he looks and fairly quick as well, but Westwood I grant you, along with KEA, is not there for physical reasons. This is how he is advanced from MON's '70s football. But he does overvalue the physical still, I think, and his tactics and the majority of his signings bear (or is it bare?) this out.
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I would say the thing that makes Messi a cut above the likes of Ronaldo is that his work ethic is another level above and he has enough physical presence to get lumps kicked out of him, yet he stays on his feet. He is a remarkable player. Lambert not listing every quality that makes a player as wonderful as Messi does not mean he eschews those qualities.
I find criticising him on the implication that his list is exhaustive and not a quick response to a benign question to be on shaky ground.
There are plenty of things to criticse Lambert on this season outrage of excellent qualities in footballers is not one.
In respect of the list of players you have mentioned, they're all lightening quick between the ears.
I actually think that the off-the-top-of-the-head nature of the comments rather reveals his instincts. Certainly his tactics reflect this sort of mentality.
You're certainly right on the work-rate point, however, and I would add that a sense of team-ethic also puts Messi above Ronaldo. When Messi wins the Balon d'Or, he smiles and says thank you. When Ronaldo won it, he cried like an actress. That's the difference.
And you're certainly right about the footballing brain. Whether its the reaction time of dribblers like Neymar or the ability to see the whole game instantly like a picture in your head, like Xavi or Pirlo, or a sense of position and knowing where to be at which point, like Aguero or Javi Martinez, all the best players have something unimaginably fast going on in their brains.
Looking closer to home, would McGrath had been as good as he was without the turn of pace in his legs or the turn of pace in his head? There are many facets which make up the truly great players. The cultural ethos you have touched on with Barca's crop is another ingredient of importance, especially when you consider the vast amount of English players who had the physical attributes, who had the technical ability, but lacked the mental strength to put the work in.
I see Lambert as making comments which sum up the positives of the current squad and nothing more. I think he failed in the last summer window to bring in the right blend of quality to play between tiny, but technically sound players, like Westwood and Delph and the beasts of Benteke which is why we're so meh. I am still giving Lambert the benefit of the doubt because I don't think we have the players (and you can say that he is culpable for that and yes, we can still play a lot better).
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Ronaldo is a physically superior player to Messi though. He is much more stronger and much faster. Messi's increased work rate is down to Barça's intense pressing system more than anything else, it is the same for all their players. The reason most people admire and laud Messi is due to his technical attributes such as touch, vision, dribbling, finishing, creativity etc.
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McGrath is a perfect example in general, but I was going for current players otherwise you end up with things like "well Jan Neeskens used to smoke at half time and it never did him any harm" - totally irrelevant to how the game is played now.
We certainly don't have the players, but that's no reason to give Lambert the benefit of the doubt as he has shown time after time that the most important player in his attacking set up is a Big Man centre forward. That can be called many things, but it cannot be ignored if you're looking to make predictions about how a future Villa team under him might look.
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To go back to Andi, I think this is the huge problem Lambert has and has thus far failed to address (for whatever reasons).
Andi is a forward. He bustles about and works very hard, but that does not make him an attacking midfielder. He is stocky, a pest and capable of leathering the ball in from distance or nudging a one yard effort over with his knee. As far as I can tell, we have three/front line forwards; Benteke, Kozak, Andi and Gabby.
For me, we have three Premiership quality sitting/central midfielders; Delph, Westwood and KEA, the latter of which has only shown he is capable the past few weeks.
Gabby can play in-between the the two based purely on his pace which will always pose an opposition manager a tactical problem. But we have this great swathe of the pitch that we have nobody of genuine quality to look to. The likes of Albrighton and Tonev are not up to that task and are at best squad players.
While I don't subsribe to the view that you have a player to do "X" job and another to do "Y" job; they should all be nippy, capable of passing it well, moving into space etc. However, it really isn't Andi's fault at all that he is not capable of doing a job that he is neither physically or technically equipped to do.
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While I don't subsribe to the view that you have a player to do "X" job and another to do "Y" job; they should all be nippy, capable of passing it well, moving into space etc. However, it really isn't Andi's fault at all that he is not capable of doing a job that he is neither physically or technically equipped to do.
You're right, they should all be able to do certain things, moving into space and passing. I disagree that Andi can't necessarily do it, though - we've seen his link-up play with Benteke really shine on a few occasions - I'm just unconvinced our manager has really coached them in a way which really makes/allows them to do it.
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Andi has let himself down this season due to lack of concentration. If he can get that back he may well recover to be a useful top level player.
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If I am Tony Pullis tomorrow and I see Andi in our line up, then I would be a lot happier him being twenty yards further from goal than in and around my penalty box where he becomes dangerous. Him picking up the ball on his own 18 yard line and running like Phoebe out of Friends isn't going to concern me.
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If I am Tony Pullis tomorrow and I see Andi in our line up, then I would be a lot happier him being twenty yards further from goal than in and around my penalty box where he becomes dangerous. Him picking up the ball on his own 18 yard line and running like Phoebe out of Friends isn't going to concern me.
That's true, but we can't exactly have goal hangers any more. This is why I suggested the 4-4-2 diamond with him and Gabby - both mobile, both able to go to the wing and help provide a bit of width, but allowing them the chance to play mainly as strikers.
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If we're going with the diamond, then I would have Bacuna at the tip. His pace in that area, coupled hopefully with his movement and that of Andi and Gabby could be difficult to stop. I mean this in the context of Andi dropping off the centre halves and Gabby goes wide. Its one of those strange pehnomena of defending, that centre halves look lost when they haven't got a man to pick up and it ends up creating a lot of space for the likes of Bacuna to run into.
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There has been much written of late a bout the tip of the diamond, and quite rightly so. What about the base of the diamond though? We don't got no one to play the base. Central midfelders, box to boxers , harriers, pressers, water carriers, linkers we got.
Don't help if one of your central defenders goes postal when an attacker get a run at him. If you are waiting to see Westy track a runner or get close to the person he is supposed to be marking, you will be waiting for a long time. If you think Delphy is going t hang around at the back for long, think again.
I was hoping Sylla might grow in the role, but it is the hope that kills you.
PL. Please buy one in the summer.
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I'd prefer Albrighton at the tip. I thought he did pretty well as an attacking midfielder recently, especially his movement into space. I'd also have Westwood at the best - not the most physical, but he can read the game very well given the chance, and can certainly mop up with interceptions.
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Westwood is well suited to the base role provided Delph and KEA do a lot of harrying. Westwood gets so much unfair criticism
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Westwood is well suited to the base role provided Delph and KEA do a lot of harrying. Westwood gets so much unfair criticism
I think its partly because the rest of the team is bullied so easily.
From our outfielders I'm confident of us getting the ball when Vlaar goes into a challenge.
I think Westwood is a magnet for criticism because he's a deep lying midfielder who can't tackle.
Its unfair that people expect someone as physical as Viera or as good at tackling as Makele.
But it also explains why (limited as he is) Sylla got into the team last year.
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Unlucky not to score yesterday, in fairness he's been denied by two brilliant saves, Speroni and the Cardiff one.
Still even if those two had gone in, 5 goals is a lot less than I was expecting this season. It's a toss up who starts him or Gabby as neither are providing as much as we need or what they were producing last season.
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Well work-ethic is a given, and pace and speed are the same thing. But Xavi, Iniesta, Silva, Fabregas, Coutinho, Pirlo, Gotze, Kroos aren't that quick and have no real 'power', while Messi, Mueller, Reus, Pedro, Suarez, Aguero, Neymar, Robben, Ribery are all quick enough - some of them very - but aren't exactly what you'd call powerful. Yaya Toure, Ronaldo, Bale, Schweinsteiger, Javi Martinez are all quick and powerful, sure, and it certainly helps them in how they play, but the real thing which makes them top players, which they have in common with all the others, is that they can kick a ball pretty well. Lambert appears to have overlooked this aspect, and sounds really MONish in that 'physicality above quality' soundbite there.
:)
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Westwood is well suited to the base role provided Delph and KEA do a lot of harrying. Westwood gets so much unfair criticism
I think its partly because the rest of the team is bullied so easily.
From our outfielders I'm confident of us getting the ball when Vlaar goes into a challenge.
I think Westwood is a magnet for criticism because he's a deep lying midfielder who can't tackle.
Its unfair that people expect someone as physical as Viera or as good at tackling as Makele.
But it also explains why (limited as he is) Sylla got into the team last year.
I`ve been saying for some time now that we are puny as a side, just look at the Stoke Fiasco, before the game kicked off we went into a huddle while they took up their positions, it looked like a kids team about to play a pub side, they dwarfed us all over the pitch, first 15 mins we ran the game while they were sussing what they could get away with - then they just battered us.
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I commented on precisely that point at the time Martin. We are a team of flyweights, if not by avoirdupois certainly by bearing and threat. You are also right about the way teams feel out the referee and then go to town on the opposition.
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Those chances at Palace and Cardiff go in a d we are safe and Andy bas earnt his new contract.
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From the Express and Stars report on the Hull game and Weimann's goal 'celebration'.....
From express and stars match report.....
He cupped his hands to his ears in a celebration after the first as if to admonish his critics but he is kidding himself if he thinks those supporters have been harsh to vent their frustrations at him personally or the team.
I completely agree and didn't like seeing him do that. He, as have others, has had a poor season. I have read it's because he has been played as a winger, actually he has been played as one of three up front. That means he is meant to link up with the others, be fluid in his positioning, create and take chances. All of which he did well at the previous season in the same role.
His fine performance Saturday only showed how crap he has been previously.
So no having a go at the crowd please Andi.
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If he thinks the criticism has been harsh, then it shows even more so that he's not cut out for this level.
Were the crowd to blame for his total lack of effort at times this season? (since his nice fat new contract)
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I realised very early on that his all-action style had all but disappeared since signing the new deal. I like the guy, and played in his best position (whatever that is) he'll be very useful for us.
I thought there was reaction on both goals regarding AW - Mark Albrighton seemed to do alot of crowd pointing towards him after the third. Scoring twice against Hull was great, but doesn't mask a really average season.
Why can't players just celebrate goals normally?! (Like Ashley Westwood did for the first) - Sheer joy, not trying to make a point.
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Weimann's had a appalling season and has been lucky to get a place in the team he's been that bad. His cupped ears "celebration" was pathetic. He should be saying sorry to the fans rather than sneering at them.
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I picked up on this at the time. It seems like he's got a bit of an attitude problem, how many times does he moan at the officials in a game?
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Even the best of players will struggle in a role and team set up that doesn't suit them, especially when much of the squad around them is poor and not performing also. I wonder how some fans fail to appreciate this when taking into account players' individual performances sometimes.
There's a good player in the making with Andi if we have the right set up and play him in the right way. I think if he's given the chance to lead the line more he'll get us goals. I'm certainly not going to bemoan his celebrations when the fact is that when given his chance in a role and set up that obviously suits us and him more, he scored the 2 goals that have pretty much kept us up this season.
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He's nowhere near as good as he thinks he is, and is in for a shock if he thinks he'll get a regular start next year playing like he has this. Five goals in a season is a shocking return and he should be looking at himself, not taking the piss.
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Those chances at Palace and Cardiff go in a d we are safe and Andy bas earnt his new contract.
Yes, but they didn`t and he hasn`t, 2 goals against Hull - crucial as they were, is not enough to start sneering at the supporters as if he`s just Geoff Hurst-ed a world cup final, to me the underlying message was "i`ve had a shit season (which he definitely has) but i`m beyond criticsm", no you aint my friend, 5 goals and the general level of performance all season suggests quite the contrary.
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This is his second proper full season and he's found it a bit tougher this time round but he's still only 22 and he's still learning the game. Bearing in mind he's played a lot of his football not as a main striker, 18 goals in two season's is not that bad a return. He also tends to put a shift in which is why he's picked when he sometimes could do with a breather.
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Next season, he should either shit or get off the pot. He's been largely anonymous.
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I see he's claimed in the paper this morning that Lambert should definitely stay as we've improved. Yes Andi, and you've had a great season too
Sometimes I do wonder what planet footballers live on
I wasn't impressed with that first goal celebration either. If anything he should be bowing down to those supporters after the season he's had not giving it a 'i'm fucking great me' mardy arsed celebration
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Even the best of players will struggle in a role and team set up that doesn't suit them, especially when much of the squad around them is poor and not performing also. I wonder how some fans fail to appreciate this when taking into account players' individual performances sometimes.
There's a good player in the making with Andi if we have the right set up and play him in the right way. I think if he's given the chance to lead the line more he'll get us goals. I'm certainly not going to bemoan his celebrations when the fact is that when given his chance in a role and set up that obviously suits us and him more, he scored the 2 goals that have pretty much kept us up this season.
I somewhat agree with that. I don't think he has the guile or ability to play out wide or as a "number 10". For me, he is probably best employed up front with a strike partner, where he can run the channels and generally be a bit of a nuisance. Partnering Benteke or Kozak would probably suit him best.
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I wasn't too impressed by his goal celebration either. I think Weimann needs a small dose of humility, he's had a poor season & like most of the team is not exempt from criticism. He's a goal scorer & a grafter but other than that he's been pretty much anonymous. He needs to play in a central role to be effective, rather than running around after the opposition full back.
Like most of our starting 11, his place has been under no threat because of the weakness of our squad. Hopefully next season we'll see some competition for places.
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He is an Austrian Paul Dickov.
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If he gets played through the middle he'll score more goals. He needs to get on the end of chances. Lambert playing him on the right 9 games out of 10 doesn't help Andi, nor does playing him relentlessly no matter form or fitness. Andi isn't very good at team play, linking up, creating because his touch and vision is pretty poor. He's best at finding space in the box and putting a chance away (when he's confident). To be honest, he's a Darren Bent sort of forward at his best, but he happens to have workrate going for him too.
Still, he has had a very poor season and the last thing he should be doing is getting at the fans trying to make a point. He is a whiny sod it must be said.
I'm also not surprised he wants Lambert to stay. A new manager won't play Weimann every week. He's got the makings of an okay striker, but he's not good enough to play every week at this level. Certainly Benteke is miles ahead and any potential strike partner who will play with the beast needs to be better than Weimann. Much better.
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Way too much is made of his half a second ears thing.
He has had a poor season but he was excellent against Hull. Committed, smart and very very energetic.
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Does that one terrific performance against Hull make up for all the really poor ones this season? Only because of the importance of the game? A great pity he couldn't be bothered to perform earlier in the season, we wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place. Squad player for me, news thing more.
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Does that one terrific performance against Hull make up for all the really poor ones this season? Only because of the importance of the game? A great pity he couldn't be bothered to perform earlier in the season, we wouldn't have been in this mess in the first place. Squad player for me, news thing more.
I'm sure it is nothing to do with him being "bothered". He has had a poor season because (i) Benteke has been in and out of the team (Weimanns goals last season were often a result of linking up with the Beast), (ii) the midfield has been poor this season, and (iii) he's been playing in a poor side generally.
Weimann is a goal scorer and I think we will see him hit lots more for Villa in the future.
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I wasn't impressed with his cupped ears dig at the fans. He's been a sack of shit this season and if he disses the fans again then he can leave as far as I'm concerned.
He needs a much better season next time .
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each player at the end of the season should be given a compilation dvd of a previous villa player in there position.
full backs- john gidman, kenny swain,gary williams and charlie aitken
centre backs- evans, mcnaught, mellberg and laursen
midfield- mortimer ,cowans,cropley, carrodus and taylor
forwards-gray,little,yorke,withe and shaw
then be told when you pull on that villa shirt that is the level of performance that is expected of you and nothing less than that will be tolerated
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each player at the end of the season should be given a compilation dvd of a previous villa player in there position.
full backs- john gidman, kenny swain,gary williams and charlie aitken
centre backs- evans, mcnaught, mellberg and laursen
midfield- mortimer ,cowans,cropley, carrodus and taylor
forwards-gray,little,yorke,withe and shaw
then be told when you pull on that villa shirt that is the level of performance that is expected of you and nothing less than that will be tolerated
You missed out McGrath in the centre backs!!
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I wasn't impressed with his cupped ears dig at the fans. He's been a sack of shit this season and if he disses the fans again then he can leave as far as I'm concerned.
He needs a much better season next time .
He probably doesn't think much of you either.
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Do people still think players instigate comments that are reported in the media, rather than being led by the interviewer. The days of the thinking footballer who can be bothered to go beyond the standard football clichés is long gone. Life seems too short for that now. Damn you www.iamintoomuchhurry.com
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I wasn't impressed with his cupped ears dig at the fans. He's been a sack of shit this season and if he disses the fans again then he can leave as far as I'm concerned.
He needs a much better season next time .
Yes that was unnecessary. Not only he has been poor all this season before he scored on Saturday he made of mess of at least 3 good attacking positions/scoring opportunities. He has not earned the right to have a go at the fans just yest.
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Tbh, im dissapointed with him and his celebration. Yes he has had some criticsism but its been all justified as his performances have been poor along with the majority of other players and they have had stick also. Andi seems to think he is some 'big time' player and this season should have brought his ego down a level, he needs to just get his head down and perform like we know he can because he can be a decent player just needs to show it more
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I wasn't impressed with his cupped ears dig at the fans. He's been a sack of shit this season and if he disses the fans again then he can leave as far as I'm concerned.
He needs a much better season next time .
He probably doesn't think much of you either.
Why the sarcastic comment? People are entitled to opinions. Wiemann might think he's not been deserving of the criticism but many of us think he is.
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I wasn't impressed with his cupped ears dig at the fans. He's been a sack of shit this season and if he disses the fans again then he can leave as far as I'm concerned.
He needs a much better season next time .
He probably doesn't think much of you either.
Why the sarcastic comment? People are entitled to opinions. Wiemann might think he's not been deserving of the criticism but many of us think he is.
I think you've answered your first sentence with your second sentence. Your third sentence is probably answered by that also!
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Just remember the gnashing and wailing last summer because we thought we might lose him. Young player 2nd full season and does something rash when he finally scores to get a monkey off his back. I rate him and glad we've got him, yes he's been played through a lean patch by the manager who should have given him a rest and taken him out of the firing line, but with injuries he was needed. Plus he's scored the winners in games that have kept us up twice in three seasons!
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I interpreted the ear-cupping thing as aimed at the hull fans after they taunted us with 'going down' chants when they equalised? Could well be wrong though. Very poor if it was aimed at us.
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Does anybody think some of his disappointing form this season could be due to not being as fit as he should be, owing to the alleged lack of training sessions as directed by Karsa and Culverhouse?
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I interpreted the ear-cupping thing as aimed at the hull fans after they taunted us with 'going down' chants when they equalised? Could well be wrong though. Very poor if it was aimed at us.
No you're wrong. He stood right in front of the Villa fans in the lower North and cupped his ears. It was clearly a dig at the fans. What a nerve considering the pile of shit he has served up this season.
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It was poor on his part, but I think we have to take into account it was an emotional reaction and it's not like he hasn't got some stick from the crowd. He's human after all, it was an error and I think everyone should move on.
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He's a young lad, probably a little hot headed. He certainly loves a moan. He's not a happy go lucky, permagrin sort of a player. The bad times obviously get to him. Commentators made mention that he had acknowledged he was unhappy getting stick from fans, so Andi's obviously seen and heard it. Of late he's been one of the biggest scapegoats rightly or wrongly.
Hopefully he'll learn that he's got to keep his emotions in check. Certainly it's just naivity as much as anything else. I never fault Andi's workrate in any case.
I would also say that fitness has been an issue for him too. I think he's a tad heavy. He's played almost every game and he'd also played through a niggle here and there over the season. He also tends to finish almost every game he starts. He's not a 90 minute player. He runs himself ragged but you wouldn't say he has a brilliant engine. In most games if there's one player who looks like they need pulling off because they're breathing out their ass an hour into the game, it's Weimann. Lambo very rarely takes him off though and hasn't done Andi many favours in that regard.
His form has been very poor yes but he hasn't been helped by being burned out and overplayed. Nor has it helped him being played out of position for most of the last 2 seasons. Hopefully someone gives him an arm round the shoulder and a bit of advice. The best way to make a point to us lot is just keep scoring goals. Don't start making gestures though.
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I wasn't impressed with his cupped ears dig at the fans. He's been a sack of shit this season and if he disses the fans again then he can leave as far as I'm concerned.
He needs a much better season next time .
He probably doesn't think much of you either.
Why the sarcastic comment? People are entitled to opinions. Wiemann might think he's not been deserving of the criticism but many of us think he is.
I think you've answered your first sentence with your second sentence. Your third sentence is probably answered by that also!
Thanks, Dribbler.
He may have wound a few people up here but I happen think that the comments are somewhat OTT. He's young, he's a trier and he has a reasonable degree of ability as a finisher. Give the guy a break, is my opinion.
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I interpreted the ear-cupping thing as aimed at the hull fans after they taunted us with 'going down' chants when they equalised? Could well be wrong though. Very poor if it was aimed at us.
No you're wrong. He stood right in front of the Villa fans in the lower North and cupped his ears. It was clearly a dig at the fans. What a nerve considering the pile of shit he has served up this season.
I'm sure your full version has him giving the wanker sign to the fans as well.
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He's a young lad, probably a little hot headed. He certainly loves a moan. He's not a happy go lucky, permagrin sort of a player. The bad times obviously get to him. Commentators made mention that he had acknowledged he was unhappy getting stick from fans, so Andi's obviously seen and heard it. Of late he's been one of the biggest scapegoats rightly or wrongly.
Hopefully he'll learn that he's got to keep his emotions in check. Certainly it's just naivity as much as anything else. I never fault Andi's workrate in any case.
I would also say that fitness has been an issue for him too. I think he's a tad heavy. He's played almost every game and he'd also played through a niggle here and there over the season. He also tends to finish almost every game he starts. He's not a 90 minute player. He runs himself ragged but you wouldn't say he has a brilliant engine. In most games if there's one player who looks like they need pulling off because they're breathing out their ass an hour into the game, it's Weimann. Lambo very rarely takes him off though and hasn't done Andi many favours in that regard.
His form has been very poor yes but he hasn't been helped by being burned out and overplayed. Nor has it helped him being played out of position for most of the last 2 seasons. Hopefully someone gives him an arm round the shoulder and a bit of advice. The best way to make a point to us lot is just keep scoring goals. Don't start making gestures though.
A bit like an early Dwight Yorke then?
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I interpreted the ear-cupping thing as aimed at the hull fans after they taunted us with 'going down' chants when they equalised? Could well be wrong though. Very poor if it was aimed at us.
No you're wrong. He stood right in front of the Villa fans in the lower North and cupped his ears. It was clearly a dig at the fans. What a nerve considering the pile of shit he has served up this season.
I'm sure your full version has him giving the wanker sign to the fans as well.
Put your dummy back in.
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I think any of our team who has the brass neck to make ironic gestures to our fans after this pitiful season deserves any flack they get. Even Vlaar came out and said he felt that the fans' anger (at Swansea) was warranted. Players like Weimann, who have massively under achieved should know better. That's my view and I'm sticking to it!
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I think any of our team who has the brass neck to make ironic gestures to our fans after this pitiful season deserves any flack they get. Even Vlaar came out and said he felt that the fans' anger (at Swansea) was warranted. Players like Weimann, who have massively under achieved should know better. That's my view and I'm sticking to it!
Spot on. And to pretend that it was aimed at Hull fans when he stood right in front of the Villa fans and cupped his ears at them is just laughable. The Hull support were on the other side of the pitch to his right!
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He's a young lad, probably a little hot headed. He certainly loves a moan. He's not a happy go lucky, permagrin sort of a player. The bad times obviously get to him. Commentators made mention that he had acknowledged he was unhappy getting stick from fans, so Andi's obviously seen and heard it. Of late he's been one of the biggest scapegoats rightly or wrongly.
Hopefully he'll learn that he's got to keep his emotions in check. Certainly it's just naivity as much as anything else. I never fault Andi's workrate in any case.
I would also say that fitness has been an issue for him too. I think he's a tad heavy. He's played almost every game and he'd also played through a niggle here and there over the season. He also tends to finish almost every game he starts. He's not a 90 minute player. He runs himself ragged but you wouldn't say he has a brilliant engine. In most games if there's one player who looks like they need pulling off because they're breathing out their ass an hour into the game, it's Weimann. Lambo very rarely takes him off though and hasn't done Andi many favours in that regard.
His form has been very poor yes but he hasn't been helped by being burned out and overplayed. Nor has it helped him being played out of position for most of the last 2 seasons. Hopefully someone gives him an arm round the shoulder and a bit of advice. The best way to make a point to us lot is just keep scoring goals. Don't start making gestures though.
A bit like an early Dwight Yorke then?
Well hopefully he'll have even half the success Yorkie had here.
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To be honest I think he over-achieved last season and he is getting stick which for a young player playing in a team that's not winning will be tough. The jury is out for me regarding his ability and he'll either be a Brian little next to a big man or become an Adrian Heath.
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I interpreted the ear-cupping thing as aimed at the hull fans after they taunted us with 'going down' chants when they equalised? Could well be wrong though. Very poor if it was aimed at us.
No you're wrong. He stood right in front of the Villa fans in the lower North and cupped his ears. It was clearly a dig at the fans. What a nerve considering the pile of shit he has served up this season.
I'm sure your full version has him giving the wanker sign to the fans as well.
It's nailed on it was aimed at Villa fans.
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Didn't say it was or wasn't. I personally don't think he is anything other than an excitable young kid. I doubt there was an ounce of malice intended by what he did, but if there is then he needs to learn to put that away.
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As far as I'm concerned he can make all the stupid gestures he wants if he keeps scoring.
I wasn't exactly supportive when I was shouting "run fatty!" at the Sheffield Utd game in Jan.
(he was amongst others friggin useless that day).
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He's a young lad, probably a little hot headed. He certainly loves a moan. He's not a happy go lucky, permagrin sort of a player. The bad times obviously get to him. Commentators made mention that he had acknowledged he was unhappy getting stick from fans, so Andi's obviously seen and heard it. Of late he's been one of the biggest scapegoats rightly or wrongly.
Hopefully he'll learn that he's got to keep his emotions in check. Certainly it's just naivity as much as anything else. I never fault Andi's workrate in any case.
I would also say that fitness has been an issue for him too. I think he's a tad heavy. He's played almost every game and he'd also played through a niggle here and there over the season. He also tends to finish almost every game he starts. He's not a 90 minute player. He runs himself ragged but you wouldn't say he has a brilliant engine. In most games if there's one player who looks like they need pulling off because they're breathing out their ass an hour into the game, it's Weimann. Lambo very rarely takes him off though and hasn't done Andi many favours in that regard.
His form has been very poor yes but he hasn't been helped by being burned out and overplayed. Nor has it helped him being played out of position for most of the last 2 seasons. Hopefully someone gives him an arm round the shoulder and a bit of advice. The best way to make a point to us lot is just keep scoring goals. Don't start making gestures though.
A bit like an early Dwight Yorke then?
A young Dwight Yorke still had a cracking first touch and could run all day.
If Weimann turns up to pre season with a stone shed and a proper attitude expected of a top player then he can have a second chance.
If he continues this poor me shite, f*ck him off. 6 goals in 40 appearances this season after a nice pay rise last summer, he could do with a few home truths I suspect
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I place a lot of the blame on Lambert for Andi this season.
The guy is clearly a striker. Yes his energy means he can do a job deeper, such as Liverpool away, but he is best played centrally and is pretty dangerous when in the 18 yard box. He is also young and clearly went through a massive drop in form. Not effort, those criticising his effort are dead wrong.
Lambert should have taken him out of the firing line a long time ago and given him a rest. Instead he has been played on, despite of how poorly he has played and without fear of being dropped.
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In essence Weimann scored with two basic headed goals. It doesnt mean he is suddenly a highly promising centre forward. He might have a high opinion of himself. If he does he is sadly misguided. He is championship standard at best.
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There was nothing basic about his second at all. His movemnet into the box, off the centre half and the weight of the finish was excellent.
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There was nothing basic about his second at all. His movemnet into the box, off the centre half and the weight of the finish was excellent.
It was classic CF play. It was also an indicator as to why he should play up through the middle and be finishing chances as opposed to having more of an onus on him to create chances.
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I thought he had a cheek to cup his ears to the fans given his form this year. Equally I do also think he is a striker who needs to play up front as part of a two. I;d like to see him and Benteke play togetehr next season with a play maker putting through balls for them both I think he could score a sack load as he is a naturla finisher.
Key is getting the players around him. He could save us a fortune on buying Hernandez who is obvioulsy a top player but will cost a fortune
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I think there's a massive overreaction to the ear cupping thing, some football fans really do have thin skin sometimes, perfectly ok to call the guy fat and a waste of space, etc but one reaction and he's a disgrace, get over it.
As for championship standard, I'm getting fed up of that comment, players don't come in boxes with what level they can play at and the individual performances in a single season aren't the key deciding factor in whether that player is good enough. What we really need to do is stop focusing on individual failings and start looking at what is causing them from a team perspective.
For example, Weimann is playing a similar role to Sterling at Liverpool, largely a slightly free role on the right of a front 3, but able to go where he wants to influence play. The difference is Sterling is doing that by looking to run in behind and find space around the box (which are Weimann's strengths as well) whereas Weimann is coming deeper to be more involved in the build up, generally because when he doesn't he gets accused of being lazy and disinterested.
We need to start getting the ball to players where they can be effective, their nominal starting position is largely irrelevant to that as formations are a defensive aspect first and foremost, Weimann's position means he should be looking, initially, to find space between the left back and central defender to pull one or the other out of their position and create space where they should be. From there he can then drift around with the 'goal' being that he's on the front or back post (depending on which side the ball is) when the ball gets into the box. Unfortunately, because he's so deep at times, he's not occupying the fullback or centre back and isn't able to get into the box effectively. That's not due to lack of effort, or being billy big bollocks, or anything else, it's because he feels the need to join in the midfield, we need to address that. When things were going well at the end of 12/13 he was playing exactly the role I've described, with Benteke providing a focus and drifting left and Gabby starting wide left and drifting in. That was largely down to Westwood and Delph being superb and Sylla complimenting that and doing the dog work between midfield and attack that Weimann is now trying to do.
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He's a footballer and they live in a bubble so no surprise he does the ear-cupping - laughable really
As to him playing CF next season who will partner him until the Beast is back?
Kozak if fit may be the key...
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We need to start getting the ball to players where they can be effective, their nominal starting position is largely irrelevant to that as formations are a defensive aspect first and foremost, Weimann's position means he should be looking, initially, to find space between the left back and central defender to pull one or the other out of their position and create space where they should be. From there he can then drift around with the 'goal' being that he's on the front or back post (depending on which side the ball is) when the ball gets into the box. Unfortunately, because he's so deep at times, he's not occupying the fullback or centre back and isn't able to get into the box effectively. That's not due to lack of effort, or being billy big bollocks, or anything else, it's because he feels the need to join in the midfield, we need to address that. When things were going well at the end of 12/13 he was playing exactly the role I've described, with Benteke providing a focus and drifting left and Gabby starting wide left and drifting in. That was largely down to Westwood and Delph being superb and Sylla complimenting that and doing the dog work between midfield and attack that Weimann is now trying to do.
Very good points paul_e
We are woefully static and the odd times that Weimann (or anyone else) does move to cause problems it is effective - wasn't it his movement that drew the foul for the free kick chance for Bacuna aganinst Man City?
Play to a player's strengths - a novel concept down B6
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We need to start getting the ball to players where they can be effective, their nominal starting position is largely irrelevant to that as formations are a defensive aspect first and foremost, Weimann's position means he should be looking, initially, to find space between the left back and central defender to pull one or the other out of their position and create space where they should be. From there he can then drift around with the 'goal' being that he's on the front or back post (depending on which side the ball is) when the ball gets into the box. Unfortunately, because he's so deep at times, he's not occupying the fullback or centre back and isn't able to get into the box effectively. That's not due to lack of effort, or being billy big bollocks, or anything else, it's because he feels the need to join in the midfield, we need to address that. When things were going well at the end of 12/13 he was playing exactly the role I've described, with Benteke providing a focus and drifting left and Gabby starting wide left and drifting in. That was largely down to Westwood and Delph being superb and Sylla complimenting that and doing the dog work between midfield and attack that Weimann is now trying to do.
Very good points paul_e
Agreed, very well presented.
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I'm sure I read that Benteke prefers to play slightly deeper than being the furthest forward focal point. That would presumably create room for Weimann to be the sharp end.
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Assuming that there's no funds to bring in another starting striker, a "two up-front" combination of Kozak/Andi and then Tekkers/Andi would be OK.
Gabby could be an impact sub or, if he spent the summer practicing how to run with his head up / improve his crossing, play as a winger.
This formation would however require replacing one or both Delph / Westwood with someone of more strength and passing ability.
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Everyone is assuming that the gesture is a dig at the fans. Everyone assumed that Vlaar's gesture last week was a dig at the fans. Ron came out and said he meant it as an agreement to the fans frustration. What will people say if Weimann comes out and states he meant is as he wanted to hear cheers from the fans?
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Everyone is assuming that the gesture is a dig at the fans. Everyone assumed that Vlaar's gesture last week was a dig at the fans. Ron came out and said he meant it as an agreement to the fans frustration. What will people say if Weimann comes out and states he meant is as he wanted to hear cheers from the fans?
Or maybe he just has some hearing loss, or he thought he heard someone he knew from his school days or maybe two wasps were coming at him from behind.... etc etc doubtless we will be told ;-)
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Everyone is assuming that the gesture is a dig at the fans. Everyone assumed that Vlaar's gesture last week was a dig at the fans. Ron came out and said he meant it as an agreement to the fans frustration. What will people say if Weimann comes out and states he meant is as he wanted to hear cheers from the fans?
On the commentary for the game when I was watching it, one of the comms mentioned shortly before his first that Andi had stated to the press that he was aware that fans had been critical of him and wasn't too happy about it. Of course I don't actually recall any particular interview myself, so whether the commentator pulled it out of his arse I don't know.
I think he just had a moment of hot headed naivety to be honest. If he scores tomorrow I'd expect a more light hearted celebration.
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I agree Paul, I think there's been a big overreaction. He's taken plenty of abuse, he probably shouldn't have reacted but I can understand why he did.
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I'm sure I read that Benteke prefers to play slightly deeper than being the furthest forward focal point. That would presumably create room for Weimann to be the sharp end.
As I said a few pages back, Weimann scored a few crackers last season with his link-up play with Benteke. He is a natural and has been badly served by Lambert this season (as john e has said above). The team needs a couple of addtions in midfield and some better coaching: players like Weimann and Albie will be massively the better for it.
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If we are getting all realistic, let's go the whole hog.
98% of all prem players are complete *****s wh0 have no concept of real life outside their privileged orbit.
In recent years, how many of our players would you vouch for?
Taylor, Delph, Stan, Laurson, Melberg. Running out of ideas now.
Interesting whose names were chanted on Saturday.
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In essence Weimann scored with two basic headed goals. It doesnt mean he is suddenly a highly promising centre forward. He might have a high opinion of himself. If he does he is sadly misguided. He is championship standard at best.
The second was anything but a basic headed goal.
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Supertom,
When you say, 'he certainly likes a good moan', do you mean Wiemann or Saunder's Heroes?
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Supertom,
When you say, 'he certainly likes a good moan', do you mean Wiemann or Saunder's Heroes?
Weimann. I don't blame any of us for liking a good moan after this season/last 4 years. But yeah Weimann spends 3/4 of every game looking like a kid who's been denied a lollipop in the supermarket. Normally a put upon look aimed at the ref, or sat on his arse with his hands in the air.
He needs to try and curb all that nonsense.
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Weimann's probably thinks he's better than he actually is
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In essence Weimann scored with two basic headed goals. It doesnt mean he is suddenly a highly promising centre forward. He might have a high opinion of himself. If he does he is sadly misguided. He is championship standard at best.
The second was anything but a basic headed goal.
The second was more down to the brilliance of Bowery
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Think next season is the acid test for Andi. Especially if we get a new manager. He will need to deliver more regularly or he'll be warming the bench and ultimately out the door,
And probably down a division .
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Weimann's probably thinks he's better than he actually is
I'd bet that goes for pretty much every professional footballer ever.