Remi Garde - Departs Aston Villa

[Monty]

Ha, that was me and it wasn't the match I saw - I thought we were too slow to react to their passing. Happy to be wrong if that's what Remi's saying (it's nice to have that sort of confidence in a manager for once).

[andyh]

Ha, that was me and it wasn't the match I saw - I thought we were too slow to react to their passing. Happy to be wrong if that's what Remi's saying (it's nice to have that sort of confidence in a manager for once).

I enjoyed our 'discussion' over it at the time. 😉
I must admit, I thought a few of us called it how Remi also saw it.

I still love your work in the 'Paris' thread tho.

[Monty]

I think loads of football fans overrate the role of physical strength in football, so I suppose I just have a bit of a reflex against it and sometimes go too far the other way. To be honest, if we were outmuscled we were also out-manouvered, outpassed, outrun, out-thought and out-everythingelsed. It was a proper mauling that!

[Toronto Villa]

Ha, that was me and it wasn't the match I saw - I thought we were too slow to react to their passing. Happy to be wrong if that's what Remi's saying (it's nice to have that sort of confidence in a manager for once).

It's not one or the other. It's a mix of both. We need to be smart and physical as required. You can't have too much of one or the other because you end being Arsenal or Wimbeldon. There is a sweet spot in between and right now we are bit more Arsenal without the technique and skill, and when you don't have that along with the intelligence you look like we do.

[brian green]

I get from what I see and hear of Remi that we are going to be more Wimbledon than Arsenal in the weeks ahead. I suspect behind the manners and courtesy he is one fucking hard bastard.

[Chris Smith]

I get from what I see and hear of Remi that we are going to be more Wimbledon than Arsenal in the weeks ahead. I suspect behind the manners and courtesy he is one fucking hard bastard.

 I don't think we have the players to be either Arsenal or Wimbledon but we can at least be a better organised version of whatever it is we are. As the saying goes "when you are in a hole the first thing you do is stop digging".

[brian green]

I meant to repeat what I said earlier today. I think his approach will be "no frills" "back to basics" Hard yards football while he has to deal with our plight with the squad he has inherited. There will be very little swash and even less buckle.

[Brend'Watkins]

I didn't see or listen to any of the game on Saturday but can glean enough from here how we played.  If the worst happens against Watford the rule from there on has to be go out to win games in the way that Garde envisages us playing.  It may still result in relegation and a thumping here or there but at least we will have a game plan to get back at the first attempt.   

[Monty]

Sanchez back in would help, not just because he's more combative than Westwood (he is) but also because he gives the ball away less and has more positional sense. We might be able to actually attack Watford as well, so for the first time under Remi we'll see what we look like going forward.

[peter w]

I think loads of football fans overrate the role of physical strength in football, so I suppose I just have a bit of a reflex against it and sometimes go too far the other way. To be honest, if we were outmuscled we were also out-manouvered, outpassed, outrun, out-thought and out-everythingelsed. It was a proper mauling that!

Really? Overrate physical strength? Its absolutely integral. Even at non league level upper body strength is imperative and many clubs will give players training routines to pump up their muscle mass. Any top flight footballer's torso us absolutely ripped and that's because they are an athlete and need the physique to meet. I get tour point but the modern day footballer absolutely must have physical strength to survive and clubs have regimes and personal trainers designed to get their physique up to scratch.

[Monty]

But that's part of my reasoning, Peter - there's actually not much of a difference between how strong most players are, and that strength has an upper-limit to its usefulness. By that I mean that there's almost no team which wouldn't be better off it had more skill, or better tactics, or even more pace, but plenty who aren't even that 'strong' who absolutely don't need any more strength.

Anyway, all that physical fitness is only partially about jostling and pushing and fighting on the pitch - its mostly stamina, actually, followed by speed.

[Tuscans]

I think I started it with my comments about not setting the tempo within the first minute with a reducer. When I go on about how weak our midfield is I partially mean in physical strength but predominantly the fight and strength in character.

Sanchez has to start every match for me.

[brian green]

I think what we would all agree on is the importance of strength to weight ratio. Sid looked like street urchin who had nicked a Villa strip the first time took the field at VP. I recall saying "who the fuck is this?" and some wag replying "it's the kid who sells the Arguses". One tackle was all he needed.

[Monty]

I think I started it with my comments about not setting the tempo within the first minute with a reducer. When I go on about how weak our midfield is I partially mean in physical strength but predominantly the fight and strength in character.

I agree about the mentality - they need to be more aggressive - but that BFR 'reducer' stuff is a bit Vinnie Jones for me.

[cheltenhamlion]

Agreed. I do want to see us more streetwise though. We have been too nice for too long.

We don't get in the referees ear. We don't waste time when seeing a game out. We don't target opposition players to wind up.

It is all rather amateurish and Corinthian.