Are we a boring outfit?

[rob_bridge]

Everton finishing above us 8 out of the last 9 seasons is a fairly damning stat
 I'd like to compare wage bills in that period but fear the result would not be in our favour.

[Caiphus]

If we were a team with an average age of 27 then I would say yes we are boring.  The flashes of brilliance we occasionally see would just be reminders of wasted potential.  Because the average age is around 23, even though the majority of our play is "boring", those flashes of brilliance say to me that we have some exciting development ahead of us if handled in the right manner.  If we could combine the end of last season's attack with this season's improved defense than we will be anything but boring... and considering that it is largely the same team with a few additions there is no reason why we can't get there.

If we had lost our best players from last year and this is how we played because of that then I would be in despair...  I've been bored through large sections of the season so far by our play, but not by the team, the club or the direction we are heading and I'm confident that it will pay off over the next 9 games.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

If we were a team with an average age of 27 then I would say yes we are boring.  The flashes of brilliance we occasionally see would just be reminders of wasted potential.  Because the average age is around 23, even though the majority of our play is "boring", those flashes of brilliance say to me that we have some exciting development ahead of us if handled in the right manner.  If we could combine the end of last season's attack with this season's improved defense than we will be anything but boring... and considering that it is largely the same team with a few additions there is no reason why we can't get there.

If we had lost our best players from last year and this is how we played because of that then I would be in despair...  I've been bored through large sections of the season so far by our play, but not by the team, the club or the direction we are heading and I'm confident that it will pay off over the next 9 games.

Bloody good post mate.
UTV!

[paul_e]

If we were a team with an average age of 27 then I would say yes we are boring.  The flashes of brilliance we occasionally see would just be reminders of wasted potential.  Because the average age is around 23, even though the majority of our play is "boring", those flashes of brilliance say to me that we have some exciting development ahead of us if handled in the right manner.  If we could combine the end of last season's attack with this season's improved defense than we will be anything but boring... and considering that it is largely the same team with a few additions there is no reason why we can't get there.

If we had lost our best players from last year and this is how we played because of that then I would be in despair...  I've been bored through large sections of the season so far by our play, but not by the team, the club or the direction we are heading and I'm confident that it will pay off over the next 9 games.

Great example of a reasonable, realistic post on our current situation.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I just pray waiting for Paul Lambert to turn us into the new Dortmund is not the same wasted years as waiting for MON to turn into the next Brian Clough.

[rob_bridge]

I just pray waiting for Paul Lambert to turn us into the new Dortmund is not the same wasted years as waiting for MON to turn into the next Brian Clough.

None of us have several.more life times to waste.

[eamonn]

To be honest I'm only interested in us as a club and what happens. Every other club bores me. That hasn't always been the case, but I don't think the league is as good as it was 10-15 years previous, nor does it have as many standout characters and players. Plus it's increasingly more riddled with tosspot players, which in part has marred my enjoyment to watch a game nuetrally.

Also when the Prem was in it's early years, most clubs in the top flight would carry a mercurial player. That doesn't happen as much now. Occasionally there's a special sort of player playing outside the top four (and not for long). But back in the day clubs from top to bottom could carry 1-2 mercurial/lazy players. The games so competitive now, a lot of the clubs fighting to tread water in this league would rather have 11 gut busters in their side. I mean just thinking of players who were game turners who never played at big clubs, like Le Tissier, Carbone, PDC, Ginola, Kindladze, Ravenelli, Juninho. For ourselves we had Merson, Atkinson, Yorke (though he could graft too and was consistent too).
But clubs below the top 6-7 are less inclined to carry players like this nowadays. Someone like Taarabt doesn't flourish in the Prem, whereby 15-20 years ago, he'd probably have a side built around him perhaps. I think even now, a player like Cantona would struggle to have the impact he did if he was playing in this era.

I think the whole league is a lot more boring these days. It's not just a case of us being "boring." I think a lot of footy fans are like myself now. My club is what I'm interested. The rest doesn't bother me unless it directly affects my club.
Back in the 90's, up to the early noughties I could happily sit and watch a Spurs game to watch Daveed doing his thing, or Arsenal to see the likes of Bergkamp and Henry in their pomp. I hated Utd but watching Cantona was an awe inspiring joy at times. There's a handful of very watchable players now, but generally the overall spectacle isn't quite as good, and too many players are just a bit unlikeable. We know as much about players as we've ever done before, and often a little too much. Chelsea, a club I quite enjoyed to watch back in the Franco Zola era, are now a club that represents the worst in Football. They're repulsive and the people who are the face of that club, particularly JT are repugnant individuals.

I kinda get what you're saying but you are also indirectly commenting on your rose-tinted youth when football was a magical world full of these wedge-haired wing-wonders. Stuart Ripley was the height of exoticness in our street in 1993. Now, when you (or me or Ads who I can't believe is only 27) or most others who post here are older than most of these gobshites who we watch every week on obscene money, that love does lose its lustre.

Plus, you've got your own grown-up concerns to contend with such as comedy-writing and avoiding scatalogical mishaps in Premier Inns' meaning football thoughts aren't all-consuming as when you were a bairn.

[Toronto Villa]

boring teams don't score the kind of goals we did last year. There's some real talent in this squad. What we lack is the experience and consistency which we are building, and in the process shedding some of the naivety that plagued us last season. Boring is what McLeish made us into and for a decent stretch under Gregory. This side is interesting and is continuing to come together. It is anything but boring.

[eamonn]

Our spate of spectacular goals last year was often borne out of a moment of inspiration. But all too often it's 99% plodding perspiration. I know Swansea are finding it a bit tougher this year with the UEFA Cup to contend with and Southampton may well be a flash in the pan (I think Pocchettino will go on to be an outstanding coach) but it would be nice if we had a bit of consistent passing to go with the pressing like they both seem to have.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I just pray waiting for Paul Lambert to turn us into the new Dortmund is not the same wasted years as waiting for MON to turn into the next Brian Clough.

Yup.

[Toronto Villa]

Our spate of spectacular goals last year was often borne out of a moment of inspiration. But all too often it's 99% plodding perspiration. I know Swansea are finding it a bit tougher this year with the UEFA Cup to contend with and Southampton may well be a flash in the pan (I think Pocchettino will go on to be an outstanding coach) but it would be nice if we had a bit of consistent passing to go with the pressing like they both seem to have.

yes, both play some really nice stuff. But also bear in mind we watch all of our games, every minute so there's far more room to scrutinize everything we do. We are our own worst critics. My guess is Swansea and Southampton forums aren't always glowing about their sides either. We are very much a work in progress and for me at least, if we become more resolute and "boring" and harder to beat, while figuring out how to capitalize on our chances then I'll be cheering on "boring, boring, Villa" all the way.

[Nelly]

I don't think we make enough of an impact as a club to be memorable. We're just another club at the moment. We're only in the news when one of our players is linked away it seems. I hate to bring him up but when O'Neill was first around there was a genuine hope and excitement around the club. That was an exciting time in my opinion. Right now we have the potential to be exiting, but we're not quite there.

This isn't a moan by the way, I just feel that we seem to be an after thought in the media's eyes and that hasn't always been the way. So we've declined a fair way over the last decade. Glancing in from the outside, would it not be reasonable for people to assume we're quite boring? You have to kind of dig deep to find out that there's actually reason to be exited at Villa.

[Ads]

Who cares what a neutral thinks? How can you be neutral and be a football fan? There is always some affect on the Villa when watching others play, wanting one team to do another to keep us above them, or another team which has caused mortal offence in games gone by which provides interest.

Sorry neutral was the wrong term. I meant a fan of others especially with no Mids connection. We are nothing to them , very much an album filler of a side.

I see what you mean now. I suppose it depends on who it is. Ask Everton fans what they think of us and a stream of vitriol usually follows.  Newcastle fans have a bit of a chip on their shoulder, but it works both ways. There are a number of clubs I am just not really bothered about too and they play in the Champions League.

Why is it I am more offended by Spurs, who have a healthy dislike of and I am not bothered by an infinitely more successful Arsenal? I suppose unless you’re club and or supporters are entirely obnoxious, such as Man United, then it’s pretty difficult to garner a universal dislike.

[Dante Lavelli]

If we were a team with an average age of 27 then I would say yes we are boring.  The flashes of brilliance we occasionally see would just be reminders of wasted potential.  Because the average age is around 23, even though the majority of our play is "boring", those flashes of brilliance say to me that we have some exciting development ahead of us if handled in the right manner.  If we could combine the end of last season's attack with this season's improved defense than we will be anything but boring... and considering that it is largely the same team with a few additions there is no reason why we can't get there.

If we had lost our best players from last year and this is how we played because of that then I would be in despair...  I've been bored through large sections of the season so far by our play, but not by the team, the club or the direction we are heading and I'm confident that it will pay off over the next 9 games.

You've described it better than I could.  BUT to a neutral they probably couldn't care or indeed realise that we have the youngest squad so to most football folk we have been pretty dull this season.  Their loss.

As a neutral I'd say I enjoy watching in order (ignoring the money teams):  Swansea, Southampton, West Brom, Everton, Palace (the fans are great) and possibly Newcastle (an enjoyable car-crash).  That leaves Hull, Cardiff, West Ham, Stoke, Norwich and Sunderland (roughly). 

I'd like to think Villa fit comfortably in the first set of clubs.  It's also noticable that most the good clubs to watch have foreign managers.

[Ads]

There are some games that when they're on Sky on a Monday night or a Sunday afternoon where I think "why is this on the box?". I ended up watching Norwich against West Ham, goodness knows why, as if you want boring clubs, then look no further than those two.

But then I find watching Man United a pretty dull affair and could not be bothered watching them play Arsenal. Its the derby games that I quite like watching, where there is a bit of needle.