Season turning point?

[OCD]

* January Signings (Sylla)
*Newcastle Second Half (new formation)
*Everton away (3-1 up)
*Gabby goal against QPR (changed the game)
*Lowton V Stoke (goal of the season)
*Stripeyfilth Away (2-0 up)
*Other (please state)

The West Ham win (we seemed to have forgotten how to win a game before that)

[not3bad]

* January Signings (Sylla)
*Newcastle Second Half (new formation)
*Everton away (3-1 up)
*Gabby goal against QPR (changed the game)
*Lowton V Stoke (goal of the season)
*Stripeyfilth Away (2-0 up)
*West Ham (first league win 0f 2013)
*Other (please state)

[ozzjim]

Dropping Stephen Ireland.

Not far from the truth either, certainly the dropping of Ireland for Sylla changed the midfield totally.

[PeterWithesShin]

* January Signings (Sylla)
*Newcastle Second Half (new formation)
*Everton away (3-1 up)
*Gabby goal against QPR (changed the game)
*Lowton V Stoke (goal of the season)
*Stripeyfilth Away (2-0 up)
*Other (please state)

The West Ham win (we seemed to have forgotten how to win a game before that)

Swapping the fish pie for the '82 trackie top.

[DrGonzo]

The West Ham game for me too.  The fact that we went on to lose the next 2 wasn't as important as the fact that we'd got over the mental block of winning and we were in the Arsenal game right up until the end.  At that point of the season it was widely being said that 36/37 poins might be enough to stay up, then we beat QPR and Reading and now it's 40+ to be sure.

[Ego Uhiogu]

I'm not sure there's been on specific turning point, just the fact that when we've HAD to win (West Ham, Reading, QPR, Stoke, Sunderland, Norwich) we have done. What's more remarkable is that in all of those games we've found ourselves in a bit of a hole but we've managed to dig ourselves out of it. When you consider the way we cracked under pressure against Bradford, Millwall, West Brom and Everton it shows how the team has progressed.

At the end of the season I think there will have been very little margin for error when looking at the final table and we'll realise how important each and every one of those victories were.

[ozzjim]

The West Ham game for me too.  The fact that we went on to lose the next 2 wasn't as important as the fact that we'd got over the mental block of winning and we were in the Arsenal game right up until the end.  At that point of the season it was widely being said that 36/37 poins might be enough to stay up, then we beat QPR and Reading and now it's 40+ to be sure.

I think, with their spirit broken by Swansea and then the cup final, and a probable defeat to Arsenal, 36 could end up being safe this season as it is possible now that Wigan could not pick up another point.

[levico]

I'm not strictly speaking answering the original question by saying this but, for me a turning point was the victory at Anfield. It convinced me that we had the makings of something really promising particularly with the Benteke/Weiman partnership.

[Brend'Watkins]

As soon as we had a settled side which would be the Newcastle game 2nd half or thereabouts.  Prior to that, the defence was a complete shambles.  Since the return of Vlaar who's still getting used to the prem and the exclusion of Clarke who isn't quite ready yet we have looked a little more solid.  Barring injuries we know what the back 4 will be.  It's not great but it's better.  We clearly know what's happening up top, this is and has been our strength since the turn of the year.  The middle too is also looking more settled and stronger without the presence of Bannan who still has more work to do to make the grade.

[ozzjim]

As soon as we had a settled side which would be the Newcastle game 2nd half or thereabouts.  Prior to that, the defence was a complete shambles.  Since the return of Vlaar who's still getting used to the prem and the exclusion of Clarke who isn't quite ready yet we have looked a little more solid.  Barring injuries we know what the back 4 will be.  It's not great but it's better.  We clearly know what's happening up top, this is and has been our strength since the turn of the year.  The middle too is also looking more settled and stronger without the presence of Bannan who still has more work to do to make the grade.

I think Bannan could do with another year on loan to get himself mentally right to play week in week out, he has put in some really good displays at times and worked his arse off, but also been dog poor too, but on a way more inconsistent basis than say Westwood or Delph.

It was a big call to leave Clark out when he came back from injury in preference to Baker, and I think Lambert did well there.

[Concrete John]

As soon as we had a settled side which would be the Newcastle game 2nd half or thereabouts.  Prior to that, the defence was a complete shambles.  Since the return of Vlaar who's still getting used to the prem and the exclusion of Clarke who isn't quite ready yet we have looked a little more solid.  Barring injuries we know what the back 4 will be.  It's not great but it's better.  We clearly know what's happening up top, this is and has been our strength since the turn of the year.  The middle too is also looking more settled and stronger without the presence of Bannan who still has more work to do to make the grade.

I think Bannan could do with another year on loan to get himself mentally right to play week in week out, he has put in some really good displays at times and worked his arse off, but also been dog poor too, but on a way more inconsistent basis than say Westwood or Delph.

It was a big call to leave Clark out when he came back from injury in preference to Baker, and I think Lambert did well there.

I'd been saying for a while that I'd play Baker ahead of Clark.

The settled defence is a good point.  We've still not had clean sheets, but managed to avoid any real spankings, so that the goal or two we always have in us now results in points.  Bennett has also improved as part of that as well.

[Ego Uhiogu]

As soon as we had a settled side which would be the Newcastle game 2nd half or thereabouts.  Prior to that, the defence was a complete shambles.  Since the return of Vlaar who's still getting used to the prem and the exclusion of Clarke who isn't quite ready yet we have looked a little more solid.  Barring injuries we know what the back 4 will be.  It's not great but it's better.  We clearly know what's happening up top, this is and has been our strength since the turn of the year.  The middle too is also looking more settled and stronger without the presence of Bannan who still has more work to do to make the grade.

I think Bannan could do with another year on loan to get himself mentally right to play week in week out, he has put in some really good displays at times and worked his arse off, but also been dog poor too, but on a way more inconsistent basis than say Westwood or Delph.

It was a big call to leave Clark out when he came back from injury in preference to Baker, and I think Lambert did well there.

Lambert's made a lot of big calls this season; dropping Given, dropping Bent, bringing in Sylla from the French second tier... He's got it spot on as well.

[Ads]

Half time against Newcastle. It was when I started belieivng again and wrote down the games on a post it note that would get us to 41 points and safety.

[supertom]

As soon as we had a settled side which would be the Newcastle game 2nd half or thereabouts.  Prior to that, the defence was a complete shambles.  Since the return of Vlaar who's still getting used to the prem and the exclusion of Clarke who isn't quite ready yet we have looked a little more solid.  Barring injuries we know what the back 4 will be.  It's not great but it's better.  We clearly know what's happening up top, this is and has been our strength since the turn of the year.  The middle too is also looking more settled and stronger without the presence of Bannan who still has more work to do to make the grade.

I think Bannan could do with another year on loan to get himself mentally right to play week in week out, he has put in some really good displays at times and worked his arse off, but also been dog poor too, but on a way more inconsistent basis than say Westwood or Delph.

It was a big call to leave Clark out when he came back from injury in preference to Baker, and I think Lambert did well there.

I think Bannan may well be a bit too old to be taking a season out on loan and expecting to return to our first team. I think at this point, if he's not cutting the mustard, it's unlikely he will. There's too many question marks about his game, and possibly his attitude unfortunately.
I would say dropping to the Championship for a new club is the way to go for him. He can develop his game there, learn to really graft and work hard on his game and, like Pete Whittingham, he may get a stab at the top flight again.

I think, barring a massive improvement, and pretty quickly, next season Bannan's long term future is away from Aston Villa.
We have a lot of players around the 19/20 mark that we need to be developing now. Bannan's getting to the senior age now and hasn't done nearly enough. Sadly for him, much of that can be put down to how O Neill used the youngsters (or didn't use them). Had O Neill given a bit more game time to some of these young lads, and a little bit more time out on loan at a younger age, it may have helped.
IMO the future isn't Bannan or Albrighton etc. We should be looking to get more from Gardner and Carruthers etc.  Fonzies probably gonna get moved on too.

[Concrete John]

IMO the future isn't Bannan or Albrighton etc. We should be looking to get more from Gardner and Carruthers etc.  Fonzies probably gonna get moved on too.

I had high hopes for Bannan when he first broke through, but this is the sad truth of it now.