Our new style of play

[Monty]

I mean, we shouldn't pretend that it's not a massive improvement. But it's the kind of improvement which, if you have to make it in the first place, should disqualify you from the management business, at least as far as the top division is concerned.

[Brend'Watkins]

This has been done before I think but if ever art imitated life.....

[aj2k77]

Also this bollocks about it's going to take time (even more time than the original plans that needed time before we see fruit). It's not some intricate pass and move  one touch stuff at high pace that needs to be practiced and drilled in to the players, it's simple passing 10 yards sideways to a stationary player who then does the same. It's a footballing basic that a non league player can do as long as he has feet.


It's not even a new ''tactic'' it's just called playing football as opposed to playing attack vs defence.

[Dante Lavelli]

It also worries me that Westwood thinks the new style will be more effective against good teams such as Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea.  To paraphrase Ferguson in his book "It's easy to beat Arsenal, you just sit back and hit them on the counter attack"

Lambert (or who ever does it for him) is good at spotting players - Westwood being a good example - but he has zero clue how to improve them through coaching and seemingly teaching his players simple tactics.

Does anyone know if there is an academic side to coaching at Villa (or any club) or is it all done on the training pitch and only becomes more theory based once players start doing their badges?

[Ron Manager]

I think calling it a 'style' is going a bit over the top

Putting on the agony putting on the style. That's what all the young folks are doing all the while. And as I look around me I sometimes have to smile....er...fill in the last line yourselves! I cant think of anything that rhymes!

[claret and blue blood]

Seems to run throughout the club, the under 21's were beaten again last night 2-0 by the mighty Brighton and are having a poor season,have all the decent coaches left and left us with Lambert and one or two others?

[Gerrin]

Interesting listening to the build up to the Everton game and they are discussing their current plight. Danny Higgenbotton, who actually speaks quite well, was saying that Evertion will be in serious trouble in the league if they continue to play the way they do, he said they need to go back to basics, the "most important thing when you're in trouble is to protect the zero". We've got the 5th best defensive record in the Prem now and certainly are protecting the zero better than we were a couple of seasons back so there is progress. We just need to start putting them in at the other end now.

[Ads]

It is the ultimate realisation of fear football. Keep the ball for. 70% of the game and there are very few teams capable of beating you wih that 30%. It takes a poor starting position from a free kick from Guzan or a sending off to change that.

[Villa in Denmark]

It is the ultimate realisation of fear football. Keep the ball for. 70% of the game and there are very few teams capable of beating you wih that 30%. It takes a poor starting position from a free kick from Guzan or a sending off to change that.

Which ironically enough was his previous game theory.

4 letters, begins with T and ends with AT. can you guess the word yet?

[peter w]

Thing is our defence looks better because the players look better. having Clark and Baker at the back for a game no longer causes fear and panic as much as it did just a season or so ago. The midfield are doing a better job of screening that back 4. Therefore, our defensive frailties have improved and had before the change of style. So, once you get that right, why not rely on the system you've got to get you wins? The counter-attacking team that we had, not the boring version this year, but the one that was capable of the odd performance or two, would thrive under a rock solid (ish) defence to bail them out if needed.

[old man villa fan]

We lack real quality players than have great first touch.  Therefore we need to create space, which we are not doing by moving the ball around so slowly.

We have a really good player in Benteke but he is generally being crowded out because the ball takes so long to get to him.  He is then forced into going deeper to look for the ball and it is this partly as to why his goals this season have been very good ones rather than simple tap ins or easy headers.

[OCD]

Why not have a team that is good at retaining the ball (and hopefully become more creative with it in time) but also good on the counter? Why does it have to be one or the other? Someone in one of these pages talked about Man United's counter attacking under Ferguson but they were good in possession too. Obviously our players aren't of that calibre but it's still possible to emulate the tactics and style, there's been a few teams doing it over the last few years to a standard that shouldn't be beyond us.

[nigel]

Seems to run throughout the club, the under 21's were beaten again last night 2-0 by the mighty Brighton and are having a poor season,have all the decent coaches left and left us with Lambert and one or two others?

What's Kevin Mac up to these days?

[tomd2103]

I mean, we shouldn't pretend that it's not a massive improvement. But it's the kind of improvement which, if you have to make it in the first place, should disqualify you from the management business, at least as far as the top division is concerned.

Especially if it comes two-and-a-half years into your time at a club.

[tomd2103]

Thing is our defence looks better because the players look better. having Clark and Baker at the back for a game no longer causes fear and panic as much as it did just a season or so ago. The midfield are doing a better job of screening that back 4. Therefore, our defensive frailties have improved and had before the change of style. So, once you get that right, why not rely on the system you've got to get you wins? The counter-attacking team that we had, not the boring version this year, but the one that was capable of the odd performance or two, would thrive under a rock solid (ish) defence to bail them out if needed.

Agree Peter and it's hardly rocket science is it?  Hutton is a better defender than Lowton, Cissokho is a better defender than Bennett and Luna put together, Clark is much improved and Okore has featured more.  Added to that, we've had Vlaar and Senderos appearing at times.  Much better personnel than the past couple of seasons, so hardly some tactical masterstroke.