Jores Okore

[Villa in Denmark]

That's the first footage I've seen from last night.  I have to say it's a better finish than just about anyone's served up in 14 months now.

RDM has that should I laugh or cry look, quickly followed by I can't be arsed to cry and I daren't laugh.

Oh and what the fucking hell is Richards doing, because unless he was hoping the Luton player was going to kick some sense into his thick skull I'm all out of ideas.

[mr underhill]

RDM looked like a man who knew he'd made a very bad career move

[saunders_heroes]

I think we were conned when we bought him. He was supposed to be a much sought after defender across Europe, and well we fell for that load of shite right from the off. For a start he was never big enough to be a centre back, add that to his clumsiness and his lack of composure and of course his dreadful injury record you have to come to the conclusion that he's been yet another compete waste of time and money.
Our scouting for the last 6 years (bar a small handful of players) has been nothing short of appalling.

[Villa in Denmark]

I think we were conned when we bought him. He was supposed to be a much sought after defender across Europe, and well we fell for that load of shite right from the off. For a start he was never big enough to be a centre back, add that to his clumsiness and his lack of composure and of course his dreadful injury record you have to come to the conclusion that he's been yet another compete waste of time and money.
Our scouting for the last 6 years (bar a small handful of players) has been nothing short of appalling.

s_h, we all know you hate loathe and detest everything from August 2010 to today, but there was no "supposed to be much sought after", he was. He wanted to come to England to a club where he thought he'd got a chance of game time.

There is another possibility in all of this, at the risk of giving you an aneurism. We've spent a fortune on potential over the last few years, along with how many academy graduates that haven't cut it.  Either we've turned finding utter shit into an art form or maybe they weren't all that shit and it's actually the coaching and management that's destroyed a few careers.

Regardless it looks like last night was Okore's Curtis Davies v Vienna moment and that will probably be the end of that.

Oh and dreadful injury record? Name them.

[kippaxvilla2]

That's the first time I've seen the own goal.  My immediate impression is that is done on purpose.  Exactly what is he trying to do.  Good assist from Richards though.

[RussellC]

There is another possibility in all of this, at the risk of giving you an aneurism. We've spent a fortune on potential over the last few years, along with how many academy graduates that haven't cut it.  Either we've turned finding utter shit into an art form or maybe they weren't all that shit and it's actually the coaching and management that's destroyed a few careers.

In general, I think it's a very good point. Look at how promising a player Ciaran Clark looked when he came through, as opposed to the habitual car-crash of a defender that we've just sold. Further evidence can be found in the fact that the vast majority of our successful academy graduates have only become successful after laving the club (eg, Davies, Gardner, Cahill).

However, as you point out, last night's shit-storm of a display from Okore can only be attributed to the player himself. No level of poor (or lack of) coaching can be blamed for a Professional footballer coming-up with that.

[saunders_heroes]

That's the first time I've seen the own goal.  My immediate impression is that is done on purpose.  Exactly what is he trying to do.  Good assist from Richards though.

Looks terrible doesn't it. If he was a couple of yards out and the ball ricocheted off him into the net you'd have some sympathy but he was a mile out. It was actually a good finish!

[RussellC]

That's the first time I've seen the own goal.  My immediate impression is that is done on purpose.  Exactly what is he trying to do.  Good assist from Richards though.

Looks terrible doesn't it. If he was a couple of yards out and the ball ricocheted off him into the net you'd have some sympathy but he was a mile out. It was actually a good finish!

Even aside form the touch (if that's what it was) his positioning and body shape were hopelessly wrong. He should have been on his toes with his body either facing outwards from the goal (as Amavi made an effort to do) or facing back towards the player with the ball. Especially given that Okore doesn't seem to be capable of using his hips to direct the ball in any direction other than a straight line. You can forgive a footballer for a poor touch, but the lack of awareness and basic defensive instinct is startling.

[Bottom Right 89]

RDM looked like a man who knew he'd made a very bad career move

I noticed Steve Clarke after the own goal just looked at the ground as if he was praying for the nightmare to end.

Quality Own Goal from Jores, no pressure whatsoever and conjures up a deft side foot into the opposite corner of the net. I'm sure Richard Dunne and Jamie Carragher would have been purring at such a well taken OG. Poor lad just looked like a broken man after that I hope we can rebuild him he's not a bad defender.

[RussellC]

I hope we can rebuild him he's not a bad defender.

But he is. He really, really is. I've seen a lot of fans today (mainly on Twitter) who share your sentiments and I don't get it. He's equally as poor (if not worse) than Richards, but always seems to get the benefit of the doubt with some supporters. 

We can't waste any more time hoping that players like this will miraculously improve. They're habitual losers. We need to cut our losses as soon as we can and, if nothing else, bring in players (like Elphick) who can provide a benchmark to the young players in the academy, of the level of self-application that's required to play for our great club.

Okore has been a central figure in so many heavy defeats over the past few seasons it's untrue. He's never once stood out as being anything other than as equally culpable as his team-mates for those defeats. Enough's enough. Please get rid.

Edit: quotation-failure fixed!

[in exile]

RDM looked like a man who knew he'd made a very bad career move

I noticed Steve Clarke after the own goal just looked at the ground as if he was praying for the nightmare to end...

He looked to me like a man who realised he had also made the wrong career move to be honest.
At that point he really looked like he didn't want to be there

[tomd2103]

That's the first footage I've seen from last night.  I have to say it's a better finish than just about anyone's served up in 14 months now.

RDM has that should I laugh or cry look, quickly followed by I can't be arsed to cry and I daren't laugh.

Oh and what the fucking hell is Richards doing, because unless he was hoping the Luton player was going to kick some sense into his thick skull I'm all out of ideas.

He was genuinely awful in the second half last night, but tin hat on, I still rate him.  He moved over to the left hand side of central defence last night and has looked very uncomfortable every time I have seen him play on that side.  Bunn got a hand to the shot for the own goal, but he was so flat footed and got his feet in a mess, resulting in him putting the ball in his own net. As I said, I do rate him, but I don't know if things have gone too far with him now and he needs to start again somewhere else.   

[Toronto Villa]

RDM looked like a man who knew he'd made a very bad career move

I noticed Steve Clarke after the own goal just looked at the ground as if he was praying for the nightmare to end...

He looked to me like a man who realised he had also made the wrong career move to be honest

after two games? Come on. What nonsense. These are people who have been around the game for a long time. Do you not think they've seen adversity and didn't know what they walked into? RDM has made his position quite clear on what it will take to fix this and it isn't going to happen in a couple of months. He needs to shift players out and bring new ones in and that process has a while to go. And I don't mean just this window but the next one too. Plus he's going to mistakes along the way too as he tries to find a solution like making Richards captain last night, a less inspirational and divisive person you will not find.

[in exile]

RDM looked like a man who knew he'd made a very bad career move

I noticed Steve Clarke after the own goal just looked at the ground as if he was praying for the nightmare to end...

He looked to me like a man who realised he had also made the wrong career move to be honest

after two games? Come on. What nonsense. These are people who have been around the game for a long time. Do you not think they've seen adversity and didn't know what they walked into? RDM has made his position quite clear on what it will take to fix this and it isn't going to happen in a couple of months. He needs to shift players out and bring new ones in and that process has a while to go. And I don't mean just this window but the next one too. Plus he's going to mistakes along the way too as he tries to find a solution like making Richards captain last night, a less inspirational and divisive person you will not find.

Sorry boys, we must be wrong, TV has spoken

[Rudy Can't Fail]

You could put Franco Baresi alongside Richards and he'll look poor. I'm not making excuses for Okore's own goal, it was a shocker but playing two right sided central defenders, one of whom is the clueless Richards is a recipe for disaster.