Robbie Keane - loan now confirmed

[Risso]

It seems Mrs. Keane will be at Villa Park tomorrow. http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-sport/aston-villa-fc/aston-villa-news/2012/01/13/aston-villa-a-reason-for-fans-to-get-excited-claudine-keane-to-be-at-villa-park-on-saturday-97319-30118749/

Christ, in a straight choice between sunbathing next to that on a California beach for 6 weeks, and getting exasperated waiting for a Villa player to move into a bit of space, I know which option I'd have chosen!

[Greg N'Ash]

I notice Keane's still doing that arms in the air thing that used to annoy spurs fans so much. Mind, he's probably got a point with our team

[Pete3206]

I thought Keane would have been a great addition to the team after half time yesterday. Especially with Ireland finding so much space and getting forward.

[saunders_heroes]

Yeah I thought he should have been introduced much earlier. He look bright when he came on though.

[Legion]

Yeah I thought he should have been introduced much earlier. He look bright when he came on though.

Agreed.

[kippaxvilla2]

I repeat what I said in the match thread.  What is the point paying a £1m for a bloke for 6 weeks and then putting him on the bench at all never mind keeping him there till 10 minutes from the end.  So that is around £165,000 blown for 10 minutes play.  Sorry 13 including injury time.  Over £10,000 per minute.

[dave.woodhall]

He would very likely have been brought on after 60 minutes, but you can't really make an attacking change when you've just gone a goal up. he showed some good touched and a willingness to run off the ball, but I daresay we'll soon coach that out of him.

[Risso]

He would very likely have been brought on after 60 minutes, but you can't really make an attacking change when you've just gone a goal up. he showed some good touched and a willingness to run off the ball, but I daresay we'll soon coach that out of him.

There was one point yesterday when he had the ball that he looked up, saw no movement off the ball whatsoever, and ended up with his hands on his hips with a look of total disgust on his face.  Some wag on the match thread said something along the lines of "get used to it Robbie, you're not at Spurs now!"

[Toronto Villa]

He would very likely have been brought on after 60 minutes, but you can't really make an attacking change when you've just gone a goal up. he showed some good touched and a willingness to run off the ball, but I daresay we'll soon coach that out of him.

There was one point yesterday when he had the ball that he looked up, saw no movement off the ball whatsoever, and ended up with his hands on his hips with a look of total disgust on his face.  Some wag on the match thread said something along the lines of "get used to it Robbie, you're not at Spurs now!"

I said something like that on the thread. It is our number on issue. Our players are like statues out there. Either we are just not bright enough, not good enough, not quick enough or more likely a combination of all three.

[tarzansbrother]

He would very likely have been brought on after 60 minutes, but you can't really make an attacking change when you've just gone a goal up. he showed some good touched and a willingness to run off the ball, but I daresay we'll soon coach that out of him.

I disagree Dave, why not change it after we scored. It was a lucky goal and you could take your pick about who to take off. I would have changed it at half time and would have bought Nzogbia on with Keane as it was a game we needed to win and not limp to a draw.

[old man villa fan]

He would very likely have been brought on after 60 minutes, but you can't really make an attacking change when you've just gone a goal up. he showed some good touched and a willingness to run off the ball, but I daresay we'll soon coach that out of him.

There was one point yesterday when he had the ball that he looked up, saw no movement off the ball whatsoever, and ended up with his hands on his hips with a look of total disgust on his face.  Some wag on the match thread said something along the lines of "get used to it Robbie, you're not at Spurs now!"

I said something like that on the thread. It is our number on issue. Our players are like statues out there. Either we are just not bright enough, not good enough, not quick enough or more likely a combination of all three.

Or not coached well enough.  Players may be great individual players but unless they play as a team with a well coached method of play you either end up with everybody chasing the ball like 10 year olds or nobody moves because they think somebody else will.

[Toronto Villa]

He would very likely have been brought on after 60 minutes, but you can't really make an attacking change when you've just gone a goal up. he showed some good touched and a willingness to run off the ball, but I daresay we'll soon coach that out of him.

There was one point yesterday when he had the ball that he looked up, saw no movement off the ball whatsoever, and ended up with his hands on his hips with a look of total disgust on his face.  Some wag on the match thread said something along the lines of "get used to it Robbie, you're not at Spurs now!"

I said something like that on the thread. It is our number on issue. Our players are like statues out there. Either we are just not bright enough, not good enough, not quick enough or more likely a combination of all three.

Or not coached well enough.  Players may be great individual players but unless they play as a team with a well coached method of play you either end up with everybody chasing the ball like 10 year olds or nobody moves because they think somebody else will.

I'm not dismissing the coaching element entirely, but why would the coaching staff, and that includes Gordon Cowans and KM, not just Grant and McLeish not want players running off the ball? I can't believe for a second they'd be telling players, "when one of our plays has the ball, the rest of you stand still". I just don't think we have good enough or intelligent enough players to carry out that task. That will change a the academy players come through because if you watch them, they get it, and their movement at times is sublime. McLeish needs to find players to bring into the club that will do the same thing.

[old man villa fan]

He would very likely have been brought on after 60 minutes, but you can't really make an attacking change when you've just gone a goal up. he showed some good touched and a willingness to run off the ball, but I daresay we'll soon coach that out of him.

There was one point yesterday when he had the ball that he looked up, saw no movement off the ball whatsoever, and ended up with his hands on his hips with a look of total disgust on his face.  Some wag on the match thread said something along the lines of "get used to it Robbie, you're not at Spurs now!"

I said something like that on the thread. It is our number on issue. Our players are like statues out there. Either we are just not bright enough, not good enough, not quick enough or more likely a combination of all three.

Or not coached well enough.  Players may be great individual players but unless they play as a team with a well coached method of play you either end up with everybody chasing the ball like 10 year olds or nobody moves because they think somebody else will.

I'm not dismissing the coaching element entirely, but why would the coaching staff, and that includes Gordon Cowans and KM, not just Grant and McLeish not want players running off the ball? I can't believe for a second they'd be telling players, "when one of our plays has the ball, the rest of you stand still". I just don't think we have good enough or intelligent enough players to carry out that task. That will change a the academy players come through because if you watch them, they get it, and their movement at times is sublime. McLeish needs to find players to bring into the club that will do the same thing.

I think in a way you have answered your own point in that the young players look to want to move off the ball (coached by ??) but the 1st team (tactically managed by?) do not show any movement in the main area of the pitch where the influence on the game is dictated.

You are right in that the manager does not tell them when they go out to not move off the ball but we have been doing it for so long that he clearly is not b********* them enough when they do not move off the ball and show a willingness to receive the ball.  This is not just a McLeish era thing as we had similar problems in MON's time but he played to different strengths.  Today we have far less of the other strengths so it seems pretty obvious to me that you have to play as a team all over the pitch and not just rely on individuals.  Other teams with 'lesser' plays seem to manage it.

[Toronto Villa]

Other teams have acquired players over time to fit the system. McLeish just arrived. If this is the way the team plays when some of the biggest culprits of our lack on invention are gone, the buck will firmly rest with him.

[SoccerHQ]

I was happy for the team to stay as it is when we were leading but Keane should've been on pretty much as soon as after Everton scored.

They equalised on 65 minutes and Keane came on at 80 minutes so there was a 15 minute gap there where we barely threatened.

McLeish did this against Swansea aswell, they scored right after half time and he didn't bring anyone on until after 70 minutes at which point the game had been lost.