Nathan Baker - Sold

[Ad@m]

Yep, someone needs to tell our new midfield that they need to go back and fetch the ball off him before he launches it to the opposition's centre halves.  It's a long time since we had a centre half with distribution as bad as his.  Giving him the ball is literally the same as giving it straight to the opposition.

[wittonwarrior]

Such a good song for such an average player. He along with elthick could become the new darling of the villa aka westwood

[AV82EC]

Yep, someone needs to tell our new midfield that they need to go back and fetch the ball off him before he launches it to the opposition's centre halves.  It's a long time since we had a centre half with distribution as bad as his.  Giving him the ball is literally the same as giving it straight to the opposition.

It's been notable as a tactic in the last 2 games that the opposition are actively letting him have the ball, then when he's got it pressing him quickly so he just lumps it forwards and gives it away

One of the notable things last night was we started by Hourihane and Lansbury getting the ball off him and up until half time he hardly lumped it or launched it at all. The second half it was back to the usual, the fucking great clumsy lummox. Funnily enough last night Barnsley played a really high line and compressed the play, needless to say we don't have the creativity or raw pace to punish a team that plays like that.

[Ad@m]

Funnily enough last night Barnsley played a really high line and compressed the play, needless to say we don't have the creativity or raw pace to punish a team that plays like that.

Forest did exactly the same a couple of weeks back.  It really shouldn't be that difficult, with the players at our disposal, to exploit that should it?

[achilles]

Baker lumps the ball because basically our so called 'class' midfield hide and give him absolutely no other option but to hoof it!
Did Grealish want the ball? Hourihane the invisible man? Lansbury playing so deep it was ridiculous! Adomah the airy-fairy player!

[Stinkin_Thinkin]

Its not just the seniors who drop him in it.
Late on against Ipswich Baker had the ball and with no options he took the ball forward into the space,  Andre Green was just standing there. Baker gestured to him to make a move about 3 times before lofting the ball down the channel. Think it rolled out of play.

[claret+blue ed]

Not good enough, had a couple of good games a few weeks back, but still gets caught out of position, dives in too much, always going down injured, no different to how he has been for the previous few years

Just because we copied a song after we went to Leeds and fitted his name into it does not turn him into the being a nailed on starter, he is a back up at best, should have strengthened this position in January

[manic-road]

Not good enough, had a couple of good games a few weeks back, but still gets caught out of position, dives in too much, always going down injured, no different to how he has been for the previous few years

Just because we copied a song after we went to Leeds and fitted his name into it does not turn him into the being a nailed on starter, he is a back up at best, should have strengthened this position in January

I think he has been one of our better performers this season to be honest.

[LukeJames]

The Barnsley penalty came from Baker aimlessly punting a long ball up field and losing possession, he did it a few minutes afterwards again and Bruce went crazy on the touchline.

[Villafirst]

Why not put Jacob Bedeau in? He's supposed to be a ball playing Centre Half. Villa rarely put young players in saying "it's too early" RHM is another case in point. What is there to lose with so many under preforming senior players?

[achilles]

The Barnsley penalty came from Baker aimlessly punting a long ball up field and losing possession, he did it a few minutes afterwards again and Bruce went crazy on the touchline.

Give me a break, so what do you expect him to do, lose it in his own half because he has nobody to pass too, try and hide like the rest of our midfield, pass it back to our goalkeeper (who nearly cost us a goal on Tuesday due to his trying to dribble around the attacker) or pass it into the oppositions half for our so called 'strikers' to actually try and compete for the ball?

[Clampy]

Not good enough, had a couple of good games a few weeks back, but still gets caught out of position, dives in too much, always going down injured, no different to how he has been for the previous few years

Just because we copied a song after we went to Leeds and fitted his name into it does not turn him into the being a nailed on starter, he is a back up at best, should have strengthened this position in January

I think he has been one of our better performers this season to be honest.

Yes, I do as well.

[Ad@m]

The Barnsley penalty came from Baker aimlessly punting a long ball up field and losing possession, he did it a few minutes afterwards again and Bruce went crazy on the touchline.

Give me a break, so what do you expect him to do, lose it in his own half because he has nobody to pass too, try and hide like the rest of our midfield, pass it back to our goalkeeper (who nearly cost us a goal on Tuesday due to his trying to dribble around the attacker) or pass it into the oppositions half for our so called 'strikers' to actually try and compete for the ball?

I don't blame Baker because he's clearly not good enough but surely one of the "professionals" employed by AVFC can see that lumping balls up to Hogan is not going to work.  Pointy may have wound a few people up but at least he dropped deep and picked the ball up off Baker before he launched it.  How long is it going to take our new midfield to realise one of them needs to do the same?

[aj2k77]

He's crap but he's been head and shoulders better than last season.

[AV82EC]

He's crap but he's been head and shoulders better than last season.

Yep he's a clumsy injury prone lummox but he's been better this season.