Hitzlesperger - Would you be Happy with the Return!

[usav]

Decent enough but what would he really add?

Cover, which could be valuable if we have 9 first team players injured again like last year.  Apart from that not a lot.   As I said, it's a free transfer and so long as his wages are sensible I would do it.

[Rick_avfc]

Decent enough but what would he really add?

Cover, which could be valuable if we have 9 first team players injured again like last year.  Apart from that not a lot.   As I said, it's a free transfer and so long as his wages are sensible I would do it.

I think people are forgetting the injury plagued season we had and that we had to use the youngsters which resulted in us winning hardly any games and putting unnecessary pressure on them to deliver.  Hitz would be decent enough cover should that happen again to take the pressure off the inexperienced players.  at the end of the day, i want every youth team player to do well but playing them in games when the pressure is on will not benefit them when you have 40k fans expecting more

[pauliewalnuts]

If Hitzlsperger had never played for us before, and we were getting linked with him now, would the people most keen on his return still be as keen?

[usav]

If Hitzlsperger had never played for us before, and we were getting linked with him now, would the people most keen on his return still be as keen?

That's football though innit?   He's a big fan of the area and the club, you would like to think he would try harder than others.   Might not happen that way and yes he is only average, however, we need squad cover that is cheap and if he fits the bill, why not?

[pauliewalnuts]

If Hitzlsperger had never played for us before, and we were getting linked with him now, would the people most keen on his return still be as keen?

That's football though innit?   He's a big fan of the area and the club, you would like to think he would try harder than others.   Might not happen that way and yes he is only average, however, we need squad cover that is cheap and if he fits the bill, why not?

If the main appeal is that he knows the club, then maybe we need to re-evaluate how we select our transfer targets.

[Rick_avfc]

If Hitzlsperger had never played for us before, and we were getting linked with him now, would the people most keen on his return still be as keen?

I probably would to be honest as I would have looked at the clubs he has played for and the experience he brings with him.  He cant really be judged on his time at West Ham due to injury and the fact that their whole team were 5h1te, not one single player could have saved them including the great Scott Parker!
The fact remains he is an ex villa player who wants to come back to us and he isn't exactly rubbish now is he?  Yes, he will not lighten up the premiership but for someone who is available on a free and can do a job for us, I think its a no brainer (only if the wages are right though).  He is a decent player with an ability to shoot from outside the box and score goal.  How many of our centre midfielders are capable of that?

[pauliewalnuts]

Is it a no brainer if it comes at the cost of hindering the progress of Gary Gardner? Or Delph? Or Bannan?

He's also not going to play for free, so it's not as if there is no cost.

I understand why emotionally people would want his return, I like the bloke, too, I just don't really see the point when you get past the "coming home" bit and look at all the other things you need to consider.

[usav]

If Hitzlsperger had never played for us before, and we were getting linked with him now, would the people most keen on his return still be as keen?

That's football though innit?   He's a big fan of the area and the club, you would like to think he would try harder than others.   Might not happen that way and yes he is only average, however, we need squad cover that is cheap and if he fits the bill, why not?

If the main appeal is that he knows the club, then maybe we need to re-evaluate how we select our transfer targets.

Given that both of us know next to nothing about the transfer policies of the club, I would say we have little to worry about from that respect.

[Mazrim]

Nobody is forgeting last season for christ's sake. And it was such an unusually bad injury list that you could scarcely plan for it. You would have to have several people sitting around doing nothing to guard against it happening again and that's not practical. We have an academy for a reason. To produce the best young players we can. They have to play and when there are injuries and lack of form and fitness its natural they get their chance.
Anyway, we didn't struggle because of them, in fact a lot of our best players in that time were the kids. Albrighton, Clark, Bannan etc. It was the senior ones who were letting us down.

In any case, I find it hard to believe that people think merely having Hitzlsperger would have made any difference.
He doesnt score many goals (but because of his shooting power when they do go in they tend to be memorable), he doesnt create many goals, he's no great tackler, he has no real pace, he's just very, very average and I dont think fear of another ridiculous injury list we may never see the likes of again in our lifetimes is a good enough reason to sign him.
And he's free. So what? Go and buy a better player. That's what counts, not how much they cost.

[pauliewalnuts]

I'm not saying we do know anything about the transfer policies of the club, just that "knows the area" as one of the main reasons to sign a player is pretty poor, really.

[pauliewalnuts]

Anyway, we didn't struggle because of them, in fact a lot of our best players in that time were the kids. Albrighton, Clark, Bannan etc. It was the senior ones who were letting us down.

Too right it was.

[Rick_avfc]

Im not blaming the younger inexperienced players for villas poor run but all im saying is that its not fair on them to throw them in the deep end when the team as a whole is doing bad.  It cant benefit them mentally now can it?  it can affect their performance and moral and eventually, some fickle fans as well as the media will get on their backs if the performances are not there.

[Chris Smith]

Anyway, we didn't struggle because of them, in fact a lot of our best players in that time were the kids. Albrighton, Clark, Bannan etc. It was the senior ones who were letting us down.

Too right it was.

The young players clearly weren't ready for the responsibility of playing every week and all of them, perhaps with the exception of Clark, dipped markedly in performance after a bright start. That's only to be expected but results improved once we didn't have to rely on them. I think this season they have to show that they're good enough regardless of age.

[Dave Cooper please]

Gardner is potentially a very special player.

His brother is certainly special.

[Mazrim]

Anyway, we didn't struggle because of them, in fact a lot of our best players in that time were the kids. Albrighton, Clark, Bannan etc. It was the senior ones who were letting us down.

Too right it was.

The young players clearly weren't ready for the responsibility of playing every week and all of them, perhaps with the exception of Clark, dipped markedly in performance after a bright start. That's only to be expected but results improved once we didn't have to rely on them. I think this season they have to show that they're good enough regardless of age.

I dont entirely agree with all that but I agree that they have to show what they're made of soon, and blocking their way with average players who've had their chance and not been good enough is not the way.