Villa being discussed at length on Talksport right now

[Iago]

Paulie, GH spoke to Lorik Cana's agent in Paris last January.

[Mazrim]

I never had a problem with Houllier as he was up against it from the start, trying to change our play from the dark ages. I was hoping he would have stuck around to take an upstairs role with a promising deputy brought in but then the club lost their mind and here we are.

[Toronto Villa]

Again, I'll stress that I want AM to succeed. But if he thought he was up against it to begin with his style of play is alienating those like me who are (still) willing to give him a chance. I need to see green shoots that suggest that he is instilling a belief in the squad, that he wants to play an attractive style, and that the players will give him everything and more. I don't at this moment see evidence of any of that.

[TheSandman]

Isn't Cabaye the more attacking mid at Newcastle and Tiote (now there is a player we should have signed!) the defensive one? Cana would definitely help our midfield get tougher though. Maybe a bit too tough by his disciplinary record...

[pauliewalnuts]

Again, I'll stress that I want AM to succeed. But if he thought he was up against it to begin with his style of play is alienating those like me who are (still) willing to give him a chance. I need to see green shoots that suggest that he is instilling a belief in the squad, that he wants to play an attractive style, and that the players will give him everything and more. I don't at this moment see evidence of any of that.

I too wanted him to succeed. He's the Villa manager, I want all of them to succeed. When he took over, I thought I'd give him a chance, so long as he didn't revert to type.

Now, 14 games in, we're playing exactly like Blues, and I don't want to go and watch that anti-football shit. He is doing the absolute worse thing he possibly could, and it is going to alienate a lot of people who might have given him more time.

[Toronto Villa]

Isn't Cabaye the more attacking mid at Newcastle and Tiote (now there is a player we should have signed!) the defensive one? Cana would definitely help our midfield get tougher though. Maybe a bit too tough by his disciplinary record...

I'm not a complete advocate to the "we need a nasty bastard" school of thinking. My belief is that if 11 players are pulling in the same direction and have a common understanding of the tactics then there are no holes that require meaty challenge by one player. The tone is set by everyone. Right now, we have big gaps between our midfield and forwards and our midfield and defence that get exposed too easily. Add to that we keep giving the ball to opposition PL players. Not a good combo.

[Iago]

Again, I'll stress that I want AM to succeed. But if he thought he was up against it to begin with his style of play is alienating those like me who are (still) willing to give him a chance. I need to see green shoots that suggest that he is instilling a belief in the squad, that he wants to play an attractive style, and that the players will give him everything and more. I don't at this moment see evidence of any of that.

All of us want AM to succeed for Aston Villa. We are not this angry mob who are anti McLeish, who only attend games with the sole agenda of abusing AM. Fuck anybody who believes that shit. Simply put, the product on the pitch is depressing at the moment and we are reacting to it.

[Simba]

Again, I'll stress that I want AM to succeed. But if he thought he was up against it to begin with his style of play is alienating those like me who are (still) willing to give him a chance. I need to see green shoots that suggest that he is instilling a belief in the squad, that he wants to play an attractive style, and that the players will give him everything and more. I don't at this moment see evidence of any of that.

I too wanted him to succeed. He's the Villa manager, I want all of them to succeed. When he took over, I thought I'd give him a chance, so long as he didn't revert to type.

......"Now, 14 games in, we're playing exactly like Blues,......"

Did you realise how close you are to the truth?

Blues 2010-11     P14   W3    D7    L4    F15    A17

Villa   2011-12     P14    W3    D7    L4    F16    A18

Scary deja vu stuff.

[Concrete John]

Again, I'll stress that I want AM to succeed. But if he thought he was up against it to begin with his style of play is alienating those like me who are (still) willing to give him a chance. I need to see green shoots that suggest that he is instilling a belief in the squad, that he wants to play an attractive style, and that the players will give him everything and more. I don't at this moment see evidence of any of that.

I too wanted him to succeed. He's the Villa manager, I want all of them to succeed. When he took over, I thought I'd give him a chance, so long as he didn't revert to type.

Now, 14 games in, we're playing exactly like Blues, and I don't want to go and watch that anti-football shit. He is doing the absolute worse thing he possibly could, and it is going to alienate a lot of people who might have given him more time.

When I think of type with him, what I was expecting was a tight defence and every player being competitive and hard working, with a real strong team mentality.  Not overly pretty on the eye, with most of our victories being 1-0 and quite a few bore draws thrown in.  Think of George Graham's Arsenal as the blueprint.

Whilst a lot on here would be unhappy with that, I could have lived with it while we got the finances back in order.  But we haven't seen that.  It's been mainly last man interceptions and some great saves by Given that have lead to whatever defensive strength we have.  The midfield lacks shape with the creative players being poor.

The good news is that despite all this we're still top half, so the panic button can be left alone for now.  I'm of the hope that AM's ideas and emphasis are taking time to get through and we'll improve from here on in.   

[Merv]

I don't think Cabeye's overtly defensive or attacking, he's just a very good all-round midfielder who gets about the pitch, and uses the ball very simply and cleverly (sighs)...

I think he's probably had to take on slightly more defensive duties since Tiote has been out, but intelligent footballers can cope with that tweak in tactics, more often than not.

[Toronto Villa]

Again, I'll stress that I want AM to succeed. But if he thought he was up against it to begin with his style of play is alienating those like me who are (still) willing to give him a chance. I need to see green shoots that suggest that he is instilling a belief in the squad, that he wants to play an attractive style, and that the players will give him everything and more. I don't at this moment see evidence of any of that.

I too wanted him to succeed. He's the Villa manager, I want all of them to succeed. When he took over, I thought I'd give him a chance, so long as he didn't revert to type.

Now, 14 games in, we're playing exactly like Blues, and I don't want to go and watch that anti-football shit. He is doing the absolute worse thing he possibly could, and it is going to alienate a lot of people who might have given him more time.

When I think of type with him, what I was expecting was a tight defence and every player being competitive and hard working, with a real strong team mentality.  Not overly pretty on the eye, with most of our victories being 1-0 and quite a few bore draws thrown in.  Think of George Graham's Arsenal as the blueprint.

Whilst a lot on here would be unhappy with that, I could have lived with it while we got the finances back in order.  But we haven't seen that.  It's been mainly last man interceptions and some great saves by Given that have lead to whatever defensive strength we have.  The midfield lacks shape with the creative players being poor.

The good news is that despite all this we're still top half, so the panic button can be left alone for now.  I'm of the hope that AM's ideas and emphasis are taking time to get through and we'll improve from here on in.   

John, I said something similar to your first couple of sentences a week or so back. I can accept being bored to victory. I just hate being bored to 0-0 draws and defeats. The thing about being in the top half is now sitting on the thinnest piece of ice imaginable. One more loss and we could just as easily plummet to just above the relegation zone. The gap between us and the big pack above us is now a chasm and unless we get going soon we'll be discussing our ambitions for this season in the same breath as Blackburn, Sunderland, Norwich, QPR, Swansea etc.

[Concrete John]

John, I said something similar to your first couple of sentences a week or so back. I can accept being bored to victory. I just hate being bored to 0-0 draws and defeats. The thing about being in the top half is now sitting on the thinnest piece of ice imaginable. One more loss and we could just as easily plummet to just above the relegation zone. The gap between us and the big pack above us is now a chasm and unless we get going soon we'll be discussing our ambitions for this season in the same breath as Blackburn, Sunderland, Norwich, QPR, Swansea etc.

The truthful comparison to the 'big 6' is that our ambitions aren't that much different to those sides - and that's all down to money!

I agree that the mid table pack we're in is very tight and will continue to be so until May, but that works both ways with any improvement from us, which player-wise we are capable of, meaning we can shoot back up again to the giddy heights of 7th or 8th.

I'm afraid that's our lot in life for 2011/2012.

[Vanilla]

I think it's more they're having a go.

They drew 2-2 at Spurs, granted that was at home and not WHL but it was still a very good watch.

They went to OT and got a 1-1 and even though Chelsea turned them over, Luiz should've walked early on and they hit the post I think 4 times in that game.

I think team spirit and direction is what places them apart from us. They may falter, but considering what they have endured they seem to be taking steps in the right direction now.

Villa have just flatlined.

Yes, good point. McMinge appears not have created the sort of "team spirit and direction" that you refer to at Newcastle and that almost saved the Bluenoses last season.

I have to say, I get the impression that the likes of Collins, Dunne and Warnock are back to their "Billy-big-bollox" and "you can't drop me" mindset; which is what GHou was targeting last season as a sort of team cancer.

Your last is a very valid point. Houllier got all the stick from fans, players and the press for trying to break the non-rotational tactic of MON. Sadly, most only now appreciate what he was striving to do.

The midfield pack does seem to get shuffled regularly under the current manager, whilst the back line is a virtual given for each game.

[Chris Smith]

Funny how when GH is remembered it is the Msnu gsme that gets mentioned, not Liverpool or Msn City away which ere easily as bad as anything we have seen this season.

Results improved last season when he stopped sulking, restored Dunne and Collins to the defence and we started playing to our strengths again by utilising two players who are no longer with us. They improved even more when he was taken ill and wasn't influencing things.

[PeterWithe]

Funny how when GH is remembered it is the Msnu gsme that gets mentioned, not Liverpool or Msn City away which ere easily as bad as anything we have seen this season.

Or the Wolves game after which I was as angry as I think I've ever been at a Villa performance.