The "what is wrong with this club" part 259 thread.

[PaulWinch again]

5 games and less with some players. Give the manager a chance.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I am hoping that after Wednesday things will settle down.  There will be no more players coming in or leaving and the manager should be saying that's it until the New Year, the season starts now.  Players will know their position and have a settled period of 4 months.  RDM should have in his mind his first XI and the style of play he wants to develop.  The international break is just what we need now and without the transfer fever distraction, there will be 10 days to get out at BMH and start to put in the hard work and begin to bond as a squad.  I am hoping that the hangers on have been sold/loaned out as they are a distraction that we don't need and I imagine the likes of Westwood, Bacuna, Grealish etc. will be listening to them more than the new players, again something we do not need.

bodymoor heath is what worries me the most, as i dread to think what goes on there or more importantly what doesnt go on there

I will chip in to buy them some paint for the grass. I am assuming we are out as out players look surprised, shocked and confused every time we get a throw in or corner*.

*Yeah yeah, I know, McCormack actually takes a decent corner. We havent trained it out of him yet.

[Matt Collins]

The problem(s) are pretty clearly mental.  Look on the match threads (on here and other fan sites) and you can see the fragile mindset of the fans, every missed chance was followed by "we're going to regret that" or "we all know what's coming" or similar.  Then we concede and it's "only 1 winner from here" and "typical Villa".  Those fears and uncertainties aren't only with us, that's part of the club psyche at the moment and what we really need is to have a game like this where we hang on for the win and another where we put them to the sword and take the chances.  slowly build that confidence up that we can take the lead and win or that we can go into the last 15 level and take the points, getting that mental fortitude is a tough process but it's key to this.  Buying in players who have it does help a little but they need to set examples or they'll get dragged down with the rest.

Agreed. But for all the merit in having more "characters" or a sports psychologist, if we'd have just gone two up in the Bristol and Huddersfield games, I think we probably would have seen them out. And that would have done so much for everyone's self belief

[brian green]

This season we have seen three classic capitulations.  Boro in the final warm up game, Luton in the League Cup and Bristol City last Saturday.  Games we have dominated, missed chances then upon conceding a goal, collapsed, conceded more goals and been penned in our own half.  The pattern is only too familiar.  It is clear that it is a mental problem.  The odd thing is that on the evidence of last Saturday, previously mentally robust players like Jedinek, De Laet, Chester and Elphick show the same symptoms of needless panic.

I have long thought that we have a Mary Mallan, a panic spreading Typhoid Mary in our ranks.  In turn over the last couple of seasons I have thought it was Sanchez, then Richards, then Clark, then Guzan, then Veretout, then Gana, but none of them was present last Saturday but the panic and capitulation was identical to all those preceding it.

It must start with one player.  However quickly it spreads through the team it has to have ignition.  Of course the alternative is that the spark that starts the surrender is incident not player driven.  It could be goalkeeping howlers or missed sitters or perceived refereeing bias or needless fouls conceded around our penalty area.  I still think it will not stop until whoever it is who triggers the white flag is omitted from the team.

[Jimbo]

In other words, it's Westwood's fault?

[chrisw1]

And when he is bombed who will you blame then?  This is not down to one player.  If anything it is down to the manager, but more likely just low confidence whilst the team finds its feet.

[brian green]

My personal opinion currently is that it is Leandro Bacuna.  Not because he is playing badly, his form is much better than it was and I admire him for the way he has coped with the way over the top fan abuse.  He is like a racehorse that can get its head in front anywhere but on the winning line.  He can play well, for spells he does play well but he cannot play even tolerably well when it really matters.

I have been wrong before, most likely I am wrong again.

[Jimbo]

I don't think it's down to one player. As I've said before, I think it goes much deeper than that. But what I do know after four years of watching Westwood is that he isn't anywhere near good enough, he should never have been a Villa player in the first place, and it's because we filled our squad with dross like him that we're in the position we're in.

I don't think Bacuna can be relied upon, either, for that matter. A grinning halfwit.

[LeeB]

Westwood has to go, the most passive central midfielder in the top two divisions.

[cdward]

I just think it is a mentality that needs to be re-set within this club.
We somehow need to wipe the slate clean mentally and start from fresh.
I hoped that would have started with a new owner and management team, but i think any of the players from last season are still scarred.
Look at the reaction of Ayew when Grealish scored, he did not celebrate or congratulate Jack with the other team mates.
Ayew, Westwood, Bacuna, Grealish, Gestede probably all need a brainwash after last season.

[Ads]

No its not down to one player, but he's a weak link in a significant area. It's Westwood who cannot move the ball quickly, Westwood who lack athleticism to drive the game on, Westwood who lacks physicality to stand up to pressure, Westwood who lacks the ability to create and score, Westwood who when pressed cannot shield a back four.

He's woeful.

[old man villa fan]

I think over the last few seasons we have had too many players that lack composure.  This can come from lack of confidence over a short term which players can play themselves out of or it can be just part of a players make up in that they never play naturally, it always looks laboured.  With the latter, as soon as things start going against the individual or the team, they do the easy thing and hide.  They will not take responsibility and become passengers in the game.

In different parts of the pitch, this can be seen in forwards not pressing 100%, not tracking back effectively and not making runs into space.  With fullbacks it is usually the attacking side of their game that goes, not wanting the ball or trying to make decisive passes and this results in their defensive play coming under pressure.  With central defenders, their concentration starts to go and they also do not want to take responsibility for building play from the back.

The most important part of the pitch, however, is midfield.  Games are won and lost there and I believe that is our problem.  We have 2 players in there in Westwood and Bacuna that are mentally weak when things start going against us.  They do not raise their game when the opposition start to get on top, the exact opposite happens.  Added to these two, the midfield has to carry Grealish because of what he offers going forward but if we start to lose the midfield, he becomes ineffective.  Tshibola looks to have potential but he does not have any experience and I think we are expecting too much from him at this stage.  We therefore need a midfield general to replace Westwood and then use him and Bacuna as squad players.

[oswald funkletrumpet]

I don't think it's down to one player. As I've said before, I think it goes much deeper than that. But what I do know after four years of watching Westwood is that he isn't anywhere near good enough, he should never have been a Villa player in the first place, and it's because we filled our squad with dross like him that we're in the position we're in.

I don't think Bacuna can be relied upon, either, for that matter. A grinning halfwit.

this 100%

[thick_mike]

I think over the last few seasons we have had too many players that lack composure.  This can come from lack of confidence over a short term which players can play themselves out of or it can be just part of a players make up in that they never play naturally, it always looks laboured.  With the latter, as soon as things start going against the individual or the team, they do the easy thing and hide.  They will not take responsibility and become passengers in the game.

In different parts of the pitch, this can be seen in forwards not pressing 100%, not tracking back effectively and not making runs into space.  With fullbacks it is usually the attacking side of their game that goes, not wanting the ball or trying to make decisive passes and this results in their defensive play coming under pressure.  With central defenders, their concentration starts to go and they also do not want to take responsibility for building play from the back.

The most important part of the pitch, however, is midfield.  Games are won and lost there and I believe that is our problem.  We have 2 players in there in Westwood and Bacuna that are mentally weak when things start going against us.  They do not raise their game when the opposition start to get on top, the exact opposite happens.  Added to these two, the midfield has to carry Grealish because of what he offers going forward but if we start to lose the midfield, he becomes ineffective.  Tshibola looks to have potential but he does not have any experience and I think we are expecting too much from him at this stage.  We therefore need a midfield general to replace Westwood and then use him and Bacuna as squad players.

Very much this! It's sometimes hard to spot players hiding, but ours have become experts over the last few seasons. It's almost like its part of the coaching set up. We need players that make themselves available for a pass, even when we go a goal down. Most of ours seem to evaporate into thin air.

[levico]

No its not down to one player, but he's a weak link in a significant area. It's Westwood who cannot move the ball quickly, Westwood who lack athleticism to drive the game on, Westwood who lacks physicality to stand up to pressure, Westwood who lacks the ability to create and score, Westwood who when pressed cannot shield a back four.

He's woeful.

Best summary of Westwood I've ever seen. Kudos.