Jores Okore

[ozzjim]

Richards was playing like it was a practice match for half the time yesterday. Barely broke sweat. Thought he played Okore into trouble a couple of times.

Lescott and he do look a pairing now. Keeping both fit and in the side next season would be a good place to start the rebuild but I bet Okore is one of the first picked off.

[Diablo]

Probably our most underrated player.

Is it a major co-incidence our defensive stats improve yet again when he gets a run in the team (also remember he didn't play the Norwich and Swansea games).

Yes he was poor end of last season but anyone could see he was near enough playing on one leg at Southampton and in the cup final, he could barely run.

An important player to keep and build the team around next season I'd say.

Yep. Eight games he's played this season including today. Only one defeat which given we've spent most of the season being defeated can't be a coincidence.

Southampton   1 - 1   Aston Villa   
Aston Villa   0 - 2   Arsenal   
Newcastle   1 - 1   Aston Villa   
Aston Villa   1 - 1   West Ham   
Wycombe   1 - 1   Aston Villa   
Aston Villa   1 - 0   C Palace   
Aston Villa   1 - 1   Leicester
WBA 0-0 Aston Villa

Great stats. Thanks for this I hadn't realised the correlation. Said it before if he can stay injury free he'll be a great player for us.

If we could add a fit Sanchez to help protect the defence a bit you never know we may convert some of these draws into wins? How's that for optimism?

[john e]

Probably our most underrated player.

Is it a major co-incidence our defensive stats improve yet again when he gets a run in the team (also remember he didn't play the Norwich and Swansea games).

Yes he was poor end of last season but anyone could see he was near enough playing on one leg at Southampton and in the cup final, he could barely run.

An important player to keep and build the team around next season I'd say.

Yep. Eight games he's played this season including today. Only one defeat which given we've spent most of the season being defeated can't be a coincidence.

Southampton   1 - 1   Aston Villa   
Aston Villa   0 - 2   Arsenal   
Newcastle   1 - 1   Aston Villa   
Aston Villa   1 - 1   West Ham   
Wycombe   1 - 1   Aston Villa   
Aston Villa   1 - 0   C Palace   
Aston Villa   1 - 1   Leicester
WBA 0-0 Aston Villa

There is something about him that always worries me, he dithers to much

But fair enough you can't argue with those stats, it's looks pretty impressive for the lad

[Clampy]

Richards was playing like it was a practice match for half the time yesterday. Barely broke sweat. Thought he played Okore into trouble a couple of times.

Lescott and he do look a pairing now. Keeping both fit and in the side next season would be a good place to start the rebuild but I bet Okore is one of the first picked off.

I can only presume he played Richards yesterday for his height to combat their set peices. I think Bacuna there and Veretout in the middle would have been better but we didn't concede I suppose.

[PaulWinch again]

Okore is a bloody good player. Our back four actually looks competent when he and Lescott play together.

[mr underhill]

the problem is the more accomplished he - and others - become under Garde's leadership, the more likely they are  to be poached

[LeeB]

the problem is the more accomplished he - and others - become under Garde's leadership, the more likely they are  to be poached

I think he'd stick it out for a year, he seems a good lad.

I remember an interview when he first joined about his agent suggesting he go in hard when he started training, so the first thing he did was cart Benteke into the air.

That impressed me at the time, and his front foot defending has ever since.

[Steve67]

He and Lescott certainly seem to be our best pairing at the moment. I'm glad Garde had the nuts to see through Clark and Richards to dump them both. I am much more optimistic that we could get out of this with a striker and centre mid brought in over the next week. Much more solid in defence and I see no reason to loan Debuchy if we keep the back four as it is.

[supertom]

the problem is the more accomplished he - and others - become under Garde's leadership, the more likely they are  to be poached

I think he'd stick it out for a year, he seems a good lad.

I remember an interview when he first joined about his agent suggesting he go in hard when he started training, so the first thing he did was cart Benteke into the air.

That impressed me at the time, and his front foot defending has ever since.

He'll stay. I don't think anyone outside of the Villa has any idea who he is. It's quite hard to catch the eye as a CH in a side that's rock bottom. The assumption is, that having on of the leakiest defences means the defenders are all shit. Which isn't always the case. He's also young and he's missed a lot through injury in his time, so I think a full season, even at Champ level, will do him the world of good and Jore's is probably sensible enough to know that.

[tomd2103]

the problem is the more accomplished he - and others - become under Garde's leadership, the more likely they are  to be poached

I think he'd stick it out for a year, he seems a good lad.

I remember an interview when he first joined about his agent suggesting he go in hard when he started training, so the first thing he did was cart Benteke into the air.

That impressed me at the time, and his front foot defending has ever since.

He'll stay. I don't think anyone outside of the Villa has any idea who he is. It's quite hard to catch the eye as a CH in a side that's rock bottom. The assumption is, that having on of the leakiest defences means the defenders are all shit. Which isn't always the case. He's also young and he's missed a lot through injury in his time, so I think a full season, even at Champ level, will do him the world of good and Jore's is probably sensible enough to know that.

Some pundit was on Talksport just before Christmas saying that Okore wasn't good enough for top flight football.  I think he will become a top player in time if he can avoid injury.

[Olof's Beard]

Worth a quick bump of this thread for Jores given his impact of late. You only need to look at a comparison of us when he is or isn't in the side:

Villa this season without Okore:

P16 W1 D2 L13 Conceded 32 Points 5
Average goals per game conceded - 2
Average points per game - 0.31

Villa with Okore this season:

P9 W2 D5 L2 Conceded 8 Points 11
Average goals per game conceded - 0.88
Average pts per game 1.22

Now, I think it's fair to say that there are a few factors other than Okore's form at work here - particularly his partnership with Lescott - but the only time we have looked loose defensive in the last couple of months were the two games he missed against Norwich and Sunderland.  The only times we have lost with him in the team (or conceded more than once in the game) were against Arsenal and a West Ham team who had a man extra for 75 minutes.

There's no doubt which Villa player is looking likely to emerge from this season with the most credit. He's really likeable too. I hope he stays.

[Edvard Remberg]

Probably our most underrated player.

Is it a major co-incidence our defensive stats improve yet again when he gets a run in the team (also remember he didn't play the Norwich and Swansea games).

Yes he was poor end of last season but anyone could see he was near enough playing on one leg at Southampton and in the cup final, he could barely run.

An important player to keep and build the team around next season I'd say.

Yep. Eight games he's played this season including today. Only one defeat which given we've spent most of the season being defeated can't be a coincidence.

Southampton   1 - 1   Aston Villa   
Aston Villa   0 - 2   Arsenal   
Newcastle   1 - 1   Aston Villa   
Aston Villa   1 - 1   West Ham   
Wycombe   1 - 1   Aston Villa   
Aston Villa   1 - 0   C Palace   
Aston Villa   1 - 1   Leicester
WBA 0-0 Aston Villa

There is something about him that always worries me, he dithers to much

But fair enough you can't argue with those stats, it's looks pretty impressive for the lad

That looks like he is making us draw rather than win games. Stats for you

[Villa in Denmark]

Worth a quick bump of this thread for Jores given his impact of late. You only need to look at a comparison of us when he is or isn't in the side:

Villa this season without Okore:

P16 W1 D2 L13 Conceded 32 Points 5
Average goals per game conceded - 2
Average points per game - 0.31

Villa with Okore this season:

P9 W2 D5 L2 Conceded 8 Points 11
Average goals per game conceded - 0.88
Average pts per game 1.22

Now, I think it's fair to say that there are a few factors other than Okore's form at work here - particularly his partnership with Lescott - but the only time we have looked loose defensive in the last couple of months were the two games he missed against Norwich and Sunderland.  The only times we have lost with him in the team (or conceded more than once in the game) were against Arsenal and a West Ham team who had a man extra for 75 minutes.

There's no doubt which Villa player is looking likely to emerge from this season with the most credit. He's really likeable too. I hope he stays.

He was also part of our best partnership last year when he was alongside Clark.

[Risso]

Richards was playing like it was a practice match for half the time yesterday. Barely broke sweat. Thought he played Okore into trouble a couple of times.

Lescott and he do look a pairing now. Keeping both fit and in the side next season would be a good place to start the rebuild but I bet Okore is one of the first picked off.

Richards does my swede in.  He was brilliant at times against West Ham, but most of the time he has the air of somebody who's got the hump for being made to play at full back, and at times looks so unarsed that it could well be a kick about in his back garden.  It's not like we're asking him to play a position he's completely unfamiliar with, but he's got that misery arse expression that Agbonlahor does so well.  He looked like he was going to twat Garde when he got taken off, and as the captain should have done his best to pump his replacement up for the final few minutes, but barely glanced at him.

[Villa in Denmark]

Richards was playing like it was a practice match for half the time yesterday. Barely broke sweat. Thought he played Okore into trouble a couple of times.

Lescott and he do look a pairing now. Keeping both fit and in the side next season would be a good place to start the rebuild but I bet Okore is one of the first picked off.

Richards does my swede in.  He was brilliant at times against West Ham, but most of the time he has the air of somebody who's got the hump for being made to play at full back, and at times looks so unarsed that it could well be a kick about in his back garden.  It's not like we're asking him to play a position he's completely unfamiliar with, but he's got that misery arse expression that Agbonlahor does so well.  He looked like he was going to twat Garde when he got taken off, and as the captain should have done his best to pump his replacement up for the final few minutes, but barely glanced at him.

I don't think I'v ever taken such an instant dislike to one of our players before.  Even before he'd kicked a ball there was something about him that said "not one of us."

Callaghan had it, Cascarino had it and Baros had it but it took a while to show. Richards I managed to take an instant dislike to from the moment he was stretching the shirt. Maybe because I never really wanted him, especially with the rumours that he was coming as a centre back and not a right back.