Remi Garde - Departs Aston Villa

[selly park trinity]

The rush to judge Garde is equally daft on both sides. He's done nothing to be called either not fit for purpose, or the next Arsene Wenger yet. 

Obviously our fortunes over the next couple of season will be how he is judged as a manager.

I would though say that he has impressed me with his dealings so far. No just seems to be getting on with it, without the  self serving pronouncements typical of a Pulis or an Allardyce.

He appears to be getting an improvement out of the players at last, but it's not very long since he was talking about other people at the club needing to speak out, and how he couldn't be judged on things that happened before he came etc.  There have also been, and continue to be some strange team selections, eg dropping Veretout at the weekend against the bitters.

I didn't see that as strange at all, to me it was a player who has a suffered a dip in form being given a rest. He is 22 and new to the league so only to be expected.

Up to those 2 games he was good but especially the leicester game I thought he gave the ball away a lot in promising positions and especially second half - right in front of where I sit his crossing was atrocious.  I did think this was because he was tired so agree with Garde's selection last week 

[Risso]

I don't remember him giving the ball away much, but even if he did, is he really going to waste possession as often as Bacuna?  Really?

[PeterWithesShin]

It was our 5th game in 14 days. It's kind of the point of having a squad so as you can rest players now and again when they need it.

[Risso]

It was our 5th game in 14 days. It's kind of the point of having a squad so as you can rest players now and again when they need it.

That doesn't stack up in Veretout's case though, as he didn't play at all in the Wycombe replay, and all played 20 mins as a sub in the first.

[PeterWithesShin]

Doesn't mean he didn't need a rest though. We've all said how unfit they all looked until recently, so not only have they obviously worked on it a lot in training, we're also working a lot harder in games now. I'd prefer we rest a player when they need it than play someone that needs a rest and they either have a stinker because of it or get injured.

[ozzjim]

Also the French lads usually have a mid season rest. I thought he looked much better at West Brom than he had the week before

[Dante Lavelli]

I don't remember him giving the ball away much, but even if he did, is he really going to waste possession as often as Bacuna?  Really?

I'm guessing that a fresh/fit Vertout can "win" games whereas Bacuna is seen as a holding position: a solid player that will allow the other big names to function at their best. [straws clutched].

[ozzjim]

I think he must have been carrying a knock out in the red zone they talk about.

[AVH87]

Nothing worth worrying about, Garde's a smart guy and knows Veretout is a better player than Bacuna, he'll be picked ahead of him for the rest of the season I'm sure.

[joe_c]

Nothing worth worrying about, Garde's a smart guy and knows Veretout is a better player than Bacuna, he'll be picked ahead of him for the rest of the season I'm sure.

It was the Albion, he didn't feel as if we needed our strongest side obvs.

[old man villa fan]

I thought Veretout looked very bright when he came on against Albion.

[David_Nab]

He took one corner against WBA that resulted in a decent chance for Richards , in previous game he couldn't get the ball past the first man.

Could be mental fatigue as much as anything , new league faster pace and a team in a very poor position.Sure he will come back better and he looked good in brief time against WBA

[LTA]

I seem to recall one of the main arguments for getting rid of Sherwood was we had assembled a strong squad of players in the summer (a few even comparing it to BFR's business in 1991) and it was only his tactical idiocy that was holding us back.

Coming into a club bottom of the league in November is far from ideal, but it is not worse than the situation Pulis inherited at Palace in 2013, and various Sunderland managers have had to contend with for the past five years.

The better managers (and Pulis) find a way. Garde hasn't.

Exactly.  Yes he's inherited a mess, but you'd expect to see a little bit more than 1 win in 12. 

It's easy to say the right things in a press conference, but the results don't back it up.  It's all beginning to feel a little bit like the O'Leary nightmare.  Talks the talk, but can't walk the walk.

[tomd2103]

I seem to recall one of the main arguments for getting rid of Sherwood was we had assembled a strong squad of players in the summer (a few even comparing it to BFR's business in 1991) and it was only his tactical idiocy that was holding us back.

Coming into a club bottom of the league in November is far from ideal, but it is not worse than the situation Pulis inherited at Palace in 2013, and various Sunderland managers have had to contend with for the past five years.

The better managers (and Pulis) find a way. Garde hasn't.

Exactly.  Yes he's inherited a mess, but you'd expect to see a little bit more than 1 win in 12. 

It's easy to say the right things in a press conference, but the results don't back it up.  It's all beginning to feel a little bit like the O'Leary nightmare.  Talks the talk, but can't walk the walk.

I just hoped to see a semblance of organisation and a more defined playing style under him, which I think since a Sunderland, we have.  He has been dealt a crap hand when it comes to attacking options and we may have got a few more wins had that not been the case.

[Percy McCarthy]

I seem to recall one of the main arguments for getting rid of Sherwood was we had assembled a strong squad of players in the summer (a few even comparing it to BFR's business in 1991) and it was only his tactical idiocy that was holding us back.

Coming into a club bottom of the league in November is far from ideal, but it is not worse than the situation Pulis inherited at Palace in 2013, and various Sunderland managers have had to contend with for the past five years.

The better managers (and Pulis) find a way. Garde hasn't.

Exactly.  Yes he's inherited a mess, but you'd expect to see a little bit more than 1 win in 12. 

It's easy to say the right things in a press conference, but the results don't back it up.  It's all beginning to feel a little bit like the O'Leary nightmare.  Talks the talk, but can't walk the walk.

O'Leary couldn't even talk the talk. Sounded like a twat every time he opened his mouth.