N'Zog - Unhappy with role

[hawkeye]

I'm resigned to ugly football, I just hope Eck has the sense to get the players who'll get us results in turn.

That approach to football isn't going to put bums on seats is it. 

It will if we're winning.

True, start winning games and the picture changes very quickly, start winning games and looking like we are a force again and the picture looks even brighter.

[dave.woodhall]

Let's be honest. If we were top of the league now after winning every game 1-0 the ground would be sold out for the rest of the season.

[hawkeye]

Let's be honest. If we were top of the league now after winning every game 1-0 the ground would be sold out for the rest of the season.

It was a bit like that under Gregory, It worked for Arsenal under Graham, and lets face it Leeds were pretty dour but selling out.

[dave.woodhall]

I could live with that.

[hawkeye]

As an after thought, I think it is now more difficult to grind out results on the basis of nil goals against in this era.

[Greg N'Ash]

If he's not happy, ask for a transfer so all the citeh's and United's can buy him off us as we were dead lucky to steal such a talent from under their noses.  When he starts playing half decent for more than one game in a row or maybe two, he can perhaps make his views known, but until then he should shut the fuck up.

[Irish villain]

I could live with that.

Me too. Success at the end of the day is what we want. We could be playing like Brazil and losing 3-2 every week and you'd be getting poor crowds too.

However, I think the opposition to McLeish's style of play is rooted (and forgive me I am speaking in broad brush strokes here as I have to go to work) in the growing realisation in the wider game that it's not all about brawn. The best way to neutralise your opponent is to keep the ball away from him, thus saving your own energy levels so that when you lose possession you have it in the tank to chase and press to win it back.

My fear is that this lesson is increasingly being learned in the Premier League (look at Swansea), and the more English teams come unstuck against in the continent, the more likely we are to come up against this style in the coming few seasons. I don't see any evidence that we are moving in that direction. Rather I think we are now worse than ever with the ball despite having players like Ireland and N'Zogbia in the squad.

[Concrete John]

I think I started a thread here during MON's time asking what's more important - winning football or entertaining football.  Of course the two are not mutually exclusive, but the poll came out in favour of winning, but not by a huge margin.

In reality though, I think the crowds would be there and the forums would be where the moaning took place!

[PaulWinch again]

I could live with that.

Me too. Success at the end of the day is what we want. We could be playing like Brazil and losing 3-2 every week and you'd be getting poor crowds too.

However, I think the opposition to McLeish's style of play is rooted (and forgive me I am speaking in broad brush strokes here as I have to go to work) in the growing realisation in the wider game that it's not all about brawn. The best way to neutralise your opponent is to keep the ball away from him, thus saving your own energy levels so that when you lose possession you have it in the tank to chase and press to win it back.

My fear is that this lesson is increasingly being learned in the Premier League (look at Swansea), and the more English teams come unstuck against in the continent, the more likely we are to come up against this style in the coming few seasons. I don't see any evidence that we are moving in that direction. Rather I think we are now worse than ever with the ball despite having players like Ireland and N'Zogbia in the squad.

I think that's the essence of it. Also the reality is that we play a poor style and don't have any success with it, so those things in combination are not very appealing.

[supertom]

If we can find more consistency in our decent patches of play, then we could play reasonable football. Lets face it, goals are what football fans want to see. We want to see more goals. If McLeish is to be successful here then he'll have to sort out our defence, midfield and attack.
We know full well he's a defence first manager. That's getting there. Once the midfield is done the attack sorts itself really. We'll score more and should get the better of the majority of the bottom 13-14 sides on any given day. Our home form most certainly should improve.

But yeah, we don't have the players, and can't afford it to play a game like Arsenal but if Eck gets the right players then we'll get better and most importantly win more.

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Sure enough, he's playing the 'not quoted right' card

sportinglife.com

N'Zogbia, in a media statement released by Villa, said: "I would like to clarify because I have not been quoted correctly.

"The most important point is that I'm very happy to be an Aston Villa player. I appreciate that the manager brought me here and I want to repay this by performing well for the club.

"We have been performing well as a team in most of our games and I'm happy to be playing my part. I want to contribute.

"This is a big club with a proud history and I have a great desire to help the club to win.

"That is the attitude the manager wants to see in all of the players here."

N'Zogbia added: "I know now that he (McLeish) did not say this about me (preferring cars to football).

"He was saying this about every player but he wants players to win football games and think about cars and everything else after this. This is my attitude also.

"We spoke together after the game against Newcastle and we have put this behind us.

"I'm focused on our game against Arsenal this weekend at the Emirates which we will be trying our best to win. We believe in one another."

[Vanilla]

Let's be honest. If we were top of the league now after winning every game 1-0 the ground would be sold out for the rest of the season.

It was a bit like that under Gregory, It worked for Arsenal under Graham, and lets face it Leeds were pretty dour but selling out.

Yes, but grinding result after dour result will only be accepted if we actually achieve something. Doing that to just finish in the top half does not an attractive proposition make.

[Monty]

Very few teams can actually grind their way to the top with dour 1-0 wins. The way modern football is, the way teams defend in numbers nowadays means that you have to be good at holding the ball and working through defences: you can't rely on set-pieces, counter-attacking and a solid defence. People say Mourinho's Chelsea did that, but while they weren't the most fluid team you've ever seen they were ruthless in their methods of breaking down defences from open play and in keeping the ball to protect leads. That's the very least attacking you can be at the top, and it still requires great technical ability.

[olaftab]

 I find not happy with the role most frustrating comment from footballers. FFS N'Zogbia  it does not matter what role you have been asked to play. When you have the ball it's yours go and do something with it.  Show us how good you are instead of moving sideways and backwards and than losing possession.

[pauliewalnuts]

Ha ha ha, this:

This is a big club with a proud history and I have a great desire to help the club to win.

... are we supposed to believe the media department didn't write that?