How would you feel....

[Jimbo]

Apologies if posted already.

A very well observed and accurate impersonation, if a little too wordy.

[Toronto Villa]

I wonder though if saying our players aren't good enough as a little too simplistic. Would they be better with better players around them in the squad and pushing them? Would it give them more time and confidence to get better? I wonder now if the likes of Westwood have taken a step back relative to the level they got to so quickly, and that what they need now is a little time to regroup and work their way back into form with the help of some experienced leaders at the club.

[Damo70]

The current set of players aren't good enough as it stands. However, two or three quality additions to help them would raise the whole team into the good enough bracket for me.

[ChicagoLion]

The current set of players aren't good enough as it stands. However, two or three quality additions to help them would raise the whole team into the good enough bracket for me.

Yes and TV comment above. Just one decent player can raise the standard of the whole team.

[supertom]

A bit of experience could help us no end. Albrightons been on the OS today talking about the influence Pires had on a lot of the younger players when he was here, particularly Albrighton. One thing he tried to put across as very important was not to panic on the ball.
Is anyone actually trying to influence our players in that regard on (or off) the pitch at the moment? Doesn't seem that way. I'm not going to suddenly pretend Pires was a good signing or anything. He was years past his best, but off the pitch, on, he certainly has a level of experience and respect that can be useful.

I still think we need a couple of players who've been round the block a bit. Players who also are still up to the task at this level too. I'd way up the money saved on the likes of Ireland, Hutton, Zog, Bent, all gone or going in the next 6 months, and fork out a bit of money if I were Lambert and/or Lerner.

[Nelly]

I think we need a signing or two just to inspire some confidence in our players. Towards the end of last season we looked like we could pass it and play decent football, but it's almost the club's culture now to play awfully - unable to pass, not sure of tactics, etc.

[Villa in Denmark]

I've posted before that I think people consistently under estimate how big the Villa job is at the best of times.  With the mess the club has been in the last 3 - 4 years the task is enormous.

With that in mind we've been in need of someone who's got the charisma, self belief and arrogance to just take the thing by the scruff of the neck, coupled with a genuine ability to coach. 

I think Houllier had it, and as much as I know he received some (quite justified at times) stick, and we would have been much healthier if he had stayed based on how he was bringing through some of the youngsters, albeit from necessity coupled with what looked like a clear and progressive playing style developing, and apparently some clear ideas of who the next through the in and out doors needed to be.

I guess that there'll always be a question mark over how much of his departure was due to ill health, and how much was due to Randy not liking the look of the transfer / wages budget over the coming years based on Houlliers plans. 
Personally I think Houllier was out of the game due to health issues, it might have been convenient, but money was not the driving factor.

When we come to both McLeish and Lambert I think they're a bit too humble in their public demeanor, certainly not inspiring.  Of course they might be completely different in private with the players, but then you could end up with players wondering which is the managers true  opinion.

Then we come to the coaching, and here we need to understand the difference between a manager and a coach.

In real life a manager is someone who is present to ensure that employees fulfil their duties in accordance with statutory / company / technical requirements and ensure that they have the necessary resources to fulfil that function.  The manager also tends to be the one with the overarching vision of how all the pieces fit together and how things should be moving forward. (The project - sorry - , team selection, tactics)

A coach on the other hand had no responsibilty for ensuring tasks are completed, but is present to improve an employees technical competency so that the employee is better able to fulfil their function, and possibly also learn new skills to enable the employee to take on new roles. (Culverhouse).

The perrfomances this year that have seen such a shocking combination of lack of basic skills and either badly thought out or poorly implemented tactics must be layed at the feet of both PL and IC Of course if Lambert is telling Culverhouse not to practice these basic skills, it all lies at his door, and should do anyway as he should be telling Culverhouse to do this if he isn't.

Before anyone jumps in with but they're professional footballers they shouln't need to, think about how many hours Beckham reportedly spent practicing his technique for free kicks, Johnny Wilkinson his penalty and conversion kicking in Rugby, or Andy Murray just hitting a tennis ball sweetly.

All of these skills are genuine use them or lose them when you're approaching what's required to compete at the highest levels and need plenty of regular pratice to keep them up to the required high standards where what you're trying to do will work at least 95 times out of 100 when the pressure is really on, otherwise you're just a gifted individual with lots of potential.

This is how I see most of our squad when I see them play at the moment. Gung ho or not, planned or lucky, they showed at the back end of last year that they were capable of so much more. We hear about how Tonev can do incredible things in training, but couldn't hit the proverbial barn door come match day.

All of which points to a group of individuals who have the potential technically, but are lacking the confidence to trust their own abilities come match day.  Hence why there are so many comments about players hiding.

Sorry about the monster ramble.

I'll leave you with a quote from Michael Laudrup, who I wanted after Houllier, from just after he'd taken over at Swansea in an interview with ESPN.

 "You can't ask players to do things that Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are doing, but you can ask the easy things" he said. "Sometimes the easiest things in football, a simple pass five or eight yards, can be the most effective. That, everybody can learn"

[Irish villain]

The current set of players aren't good enough as it stands. However, two or three quality additions to help them would raise the whole team into the good enough bracket for me.

On our current players being goodenough, Villa sides I have followed since the early 90s have always had a pretty decent spine to them with such players as: McGrath, Teale, Southgate, Ehiogu, Townsend, Staunton, Yorke and Taylor at various points in the 90s and the likes of Mellberg, Laursen, Ronny Johnsen, Gareth Barry, Solano, Angel and McCann in the pre takeover era and of course Petrov, Milner, Carew, Bouma and Luke Young in the MON years.

I just look at our squad now and it is so ordinary in comparison to anything I have seen at villa before. Sure there is  potential there but there isn't that solid spine that you would usually see in a Villa side. There aren't those four or five, solid players who will give you at least a 7/10 most weeks. A 17 year old Gareth Barry was able to break onto the scene at villa because he had experienced heads around him. The same could be said for others like Hendrie, Joachim, Ehiogu and maybe even Gabby in more recent times.

I just think two or three experienced heads in the side would have made such a difference to us over the past eighteen months. Hopefully we will get them in this window.

[dave.woodhall]

The current set of players aren't good enough as it stands. However, two or three quality additions to help them would raise the whole team into the good enough bracket for me.

On our current players being goodenough, Villa sides I have followed since the early 90s have always had a pretty decent spine to them with such players as: McGrath, Teale, Southgate, Ehiogu, Townsend, Staunton, Yorke and Taylor at various points in the 90s and the likes of Mellberg, Laursen, Ronny Johnsen, Gareth Barry, Solano, Angel and McCann in the pre takeover era and of course Petrov, Milner, Carew, Bouma and Luke Young in the MON years.

I just look at our squad now and it is so ordinary in comparison to anything I have seen at villa before. Sure there is  potential there but there isn't that solid spine that you would usually see in a Villa side. There aren't those four or five, solid players who will give you at least a 7/10 most weeks. A 17 year old Gareth Barry was able to break onto the scene at villa because he had experienced heads around him. The same could be said for others like Hendrie, Joachim, Ehiogu and maybe even Gabby in more recent times.

I just think two or three experienced heads in the side would have made such a difference to us over the past eighteen months. Hopefully we will get them in this window.

Like the one you're currently moaning about us signing, you mean?

[brian green]

I think Nobby Solano would fit perfectly in the current team.   Half arsed, idle and disloyal.

[bobdylan]

We he the last creative player we had?

[Ads]

Downing.

[bobdylan]

Downing was a traditional wide man, good deliveries, could beat a man, run with the ball etc so I know what you mean, but I'm thinking more a clever tricky player, could pick a pass, open teams up, make a difference when a team parks the bus.  I remember Merson, Carbone and Solano, can't think of anyone similar since.  Granted Young, Downing, Barry, Milner, Petrov etc were good players but not no. 10s, not genuine creative attacking midfielders.

[oldhill_avfc]

We he the last creative player we had?

Keane

[not3bad]

Ireland was meant to be creative wasn't he?  Might not have done much but that was supposed to be his thing.