Alex Mcleish - good or average start?

[pablopicasso_10]

while we are unbeaten against some pretty uninspiring opponents, its been appalling on the football front and i dont see that changing anytime soon...

Appalling? You really, truely think we've been appalling?

i do...

[pablopicasso_10]

putting 3 strikers on the pitch with one of them wide left and the other in midfield, is not playing with 3 strikers...

It's still way of what he installed at blues though, I know calling Heskey a striker at any level is a bit of a stretch, but your talking about the formation, they are all three classed as strikers, there to try and score goals as the main priority,

Personally I was expecting a far more rigid and defensive tactics, I admit my expectations of football were very low under AM, so although I don't think he's become a football purist, I have been pleasantly supprised so far, at least he puts the personal out to try and win the game.

The standard of football so far is no better or worse than GH or MON and I thought it would be, although that's not saying to much

indeed... and as you said, thats not saying much...

herd is a midfielder and he was used as a right back... that doesnt mean we played 3-4-3...

i just think mcleish is dressing up his defensive minded 9 men behind behind the ball while booting it up to the lone front man by putting agbonlahor wide left (when he previously said he wouldnt), and heskey wherever he is meant to be playing, so it looks like we are playing with 3 strikers...

the fact that agbonlahor isnt a left winger and heskey isnt a footballer, doesnt appear to matter as we fail to create anything of real note for a the best striker we have had in years...

it is still a rigid defensive minded 4-5-1 with two holding midfielders sitting in front of the back four, and i havent really seen anything else to suggest we have done anything to change that...

in my humble opinion...

[pablopicasso_10]

while we are unbeaten against some pretty uninspiring opponents, its been appalling on the football front and i dont see that changing anytime soon...

Appalling? You really, truely think we've been appalling?

I think he's talking out his arse.

youre entitled to think that, as i am entitled to my opinion...

[supertom]

I'm happy that we look solid and don't look like giving much away. Attacking needs to be better.
We need to sacrifice one of Heskey or Agbonlahor (okay, Heskey) to really accomodate N'Zogbia better, because playing 3 front men, then trying to fit Charles in, isn't getting the best of him, and leaves us looking disjointed in midfield. Creatively we need Bannan or Ireland in there.

I do kind of see why Heskey has been played, because of his physical presence and his workrate. We got overrun too easily last season and our midfield lacks a physical force with Coker gone, so yeah, call it negative or wary, but McLeish has played it a little safe. However we look tight enough we could sacrifice Heskeys presence for some creativity. Whether Ireland and Bannan are good enough or reliable enough, is another matter.

I'm not too disappointed in truth. Wolves are a well organised side. They won't struggle this year IMO. Fulham away was a solid point too, whilst we made light work of Blackburn. Not 3 top sides granted, but I'd fancy we'll be tough to beat for better teams, and we'll be able to play a more counter attack minded game and pick up more points.

I'd put us somewhere between average and good, and that I'd have taken when Big Eck was appointed and our two best midfield players left.

[Clark W Griswold]

I looked at the team yesterday and thought of our attacking 5 of Heskey, N'Zog, Bent, Gabby and Delph as being a very good combination of pace, strength, guile and goals (finishing). I could see how that would work. The defensive 5 filled me with dread, Collins, Dunne, Herd, Warnock and Petrov. What transpired on the pitch was the opposite, with a solid hardworking defensive display (apart from a flashback to last season when the little bloke won the header at the far post when Collins was in no mans land and Warnock nowhere to be seen) and a disjointed, lethargic attack. Hopefully he can get it right overall, but i still think we need a couple of additions to the defensive 5 as we will get hammered against the decent teams.

[Dave]

Slow and steady wins the race in this new world of fiscal prudence.

It doesn't though does it.  In the Premier League slow and steady wins you absolutely nothing.

Also, there isn't really a new world of fiscal prudence in the Premier League apart from the one at Villa Park.

And Everton I suppose.

It's the one at VP I was reffering to, hence why I posted that on H+V. 

So if it's only the 'new world of fiscal prudence' at Villa Park that you're referring to, which race are you envisioning us winning?

[Eigentor]

It's a good start. His first job was to shore up the defence, and he has done that. In the beginning, it will come at the cost of some uninspiring 0-0 draws, I think we'll have to accept that. The question is whether McLeish will be able to build on this, or if every team that aren't obvious relegation candidates (like Blackburn) will continue to find that stifling us is embarrassingly easy.

[DrGonzo]

Slow and steady wins the race in this new world of fiscal prudence.

It doesn't though does it.  In the Premier League slow and steady wins you absolutely nothing.

Also, there isn't really a new world of fiscal prudence in the Premier League apart from the one at Villa Park.

And Everton I suppose.

It's the one at VP I was reffering to, hence why I posted that on H+V. 

So if it's only the 'new world of fiscal prudence' at Villa Park that you're referring to, which race are you envisioning us winning?

Fuck me who's pissed on your chips??  All I was trying to say is the way that McLeish is coping with a difficult situation is impressive.  He hasn't thrown all the kids into the side and watched them sink or swim, he's using them alongside the experienced players and not asking them to play 90 mins. 

Now let that bug out of your ass before it suffocates.

[Steve67]

McLeish doesn't really have a great deal od choice than to bung in one or two of the kids.  The board keep selling his more experienced players?  I hope he is being consulted on who leaves.

[WA Villan]

Slow and steady wins the race in this new world of fiscal prudence.

It doesn't though does it.  In the Premier League slow and steady wins you absolutely nothing.

Also, there isn't really a new world of fiscal prudence in the Premier League apart from the one at Villa Park.

And Everton I suppose.

It's the one at VP I was reffering to, hence why I posted that on H+V. 

So if it's only the 'new world of fiscal prudence' at Villa Park that you're referring to, which race are you envisioning us winning?

Fuck me who's pissed on your chips??  All I was trying to say is the way that McLeish is coping with a difficult situation is impressive.  He hasn't thrown all the kids into the side and watched them sink or swim, he's using them alongside the experienced players and not asking them to play 90 mins. 

Now let that bug out of your ass before it suffocates.

It's not rocket science really. If your limited with your options, choices are easy to make. At this moment in time almost all on this forum could manage Villa. The team picks itself, always makes me laugh when people put formations out of who will play where. The size of our squad, and the quality of player doesn't exactly cause a conundrum. Hence the excitement of a new name or the hope of a rising star within the academy. It's quite sad really that we all support the Villa and yet we can clearly see or witness the missed opportunities that we've had. Will always support them, but it's only on hindsight that you recognize what could have been ie( allowing 82 to dwindle away)

[Damo70]

The point I would make is that we have conceded one goal in four games and whilst we havn't played the cream of the PL in any of those games, that sort of defending always gives you a chance. If the Herd or Bent headers had gone in we would have been looking at a very good start.

[Tokyo Sexwhale]

Under par - I'd have expected 7 points from the easy opening run, and to have beaten Hereford more convincingly.

Not a disaster, but nothing any competent manager couldn't have matched.

[The Left Side]

Slow and steady but I think we will have to get used to it.

[hawkeye]

Saturday told you everything, we had them under the cosh for 25 mins in the second half, Heskey had stopped and petrov was flagging, so he leaves Heskey on and puts Bannnan on the wing. Wolves made 2 subs  and they finished stronger. Bannan for Heskey was so bloody obvious. The game was for the taking.

[Eigentor]

Bannan for Heskey and the probabilty that we conceded on one of Wolves corners in the dying minutes would have increased. I wouldn't have been surprised if that was a consideration that played part in AM's decision.