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

[ChicagoLion]

I always thought we might have a slow start and I didn't think we'd go up this year.

I had been starting to change my mind with the signings, with the way we've played in the first half of most of our games. I'm now less confident again

Despite all of the defensive, positional and motivational problems - stick an inform number 9 in that team and I still reckon we'd have put Bristol and Huddersfield out of sight at half time, and may well have beaten Derby too

The most critical areas on the pitch, goal scoring and goalkeeping, despite the millions spent has not been addressed.

We have addressed the keeper position - we just may have done it badly!

McCormack will score goals. He's a slow starter who wasn't match fit

I expect a centre forward will still arrive. If it's £12m+ for kodjia I've a nasty feeling it will be a mistake though

we are in the player value acceleration period and the more desperate as each day passes.

[The Edge]

Two constants from our shite last few seasons - Westwood and Bacuna - are still in senior roles. It's no surprise to me that with their contributions, we're as solid as a paper aeroplane in a tornado.

Absolute bollocks.  Two of our better players this season.  It's their fault the whole fucking team collapse in the second half?

i know the result as soon as I see thier names on the team sheet.

Bacuna's done half decent so far but he's still not anything special. Westwood on the other hand has been his usual anonymous self. Honestly when are fans gonna realise the waster this man is? He's spent years making our midfield mediocre with displays of nothingness and it's time we finally got rid of him. We won't be promoted with him in our midfield.

The fans do realise what a useless player Westwood is. Question is when will the hierarchy realise it? He is not the sole reason we are in this utterly depressing situation but he has become a symbol of the club's current malaise. We have got only one crumb of comfort to cling on to. And that is in the shape of Tommy Elphick. Can he be the one to turn up at the training ground and lay the law down to the troops? I sincerely hope so.

[The Edge]

Our run in the league is now PL45 W4 D10 L31.

I knew it was bad, but thats just bloody awful. And we still get 35k to VP

Fucking ouch! That's even worse than I thought. Depressing. 

[The Edge]

I wonder whether the players and staff have fallen under the spell of "We are Aston Villa, Champions of Europe, Greatest team ever" rather than "We are Aston Villa, Champions of fuck all anymore and they need us to get out of this fucking mess"
[/quote
Great point. I have banged on about this many times and usually get shot down for it but here goes.
Can the club PLEASE tear down those embarrassing banners about the European cup from 34 fucking years ago?Great memories but it's time to move on.  Maybe then we just might make some new memories.

[Jimbo]

Firstly, I think we should bin all this crap about gypsy curses. That's for the medieval knuckledraggers in Small Heath.

Secondly, I can't believe more people didn't expect a rough start. The juggernaut full of shit that thundered us out of the Premier League hasn't even slowed to a stop yet. It will eventually, and we will then start to turn it around. May take a season, may take two.

What I think has happened to us is largely psychological. A kind of big club syndrome. But the truth is big grounds, crowds, nice training facilities and sparkling trophy cabinets don't win football matches.

Only hard work, concentration and a bloody-minded will to win can get us the points we need. I didn't see the game yesterday, but how much did we look like we wanted, needed to win?

We're like a posh kid whose parents have lost their fortune, and who has been forced to leave his private school and attend an inner-city comprehensive. When it all boils down, we're really no better than the 'sister fuckers' and 'small time' clubs that keep bloodying our noses. That attitude of innate superiority has to end, right now.

We have to forget our glorious past, stop pampering players and learn some toughness. Hide the European Cup replica, take the star off the badge. We've lived on our pedigree for far too long and it's killing us.

[PaulWinch again]

I'm not sure how relevant it is to worry about our form across the last couple of season, because those stats are going to look bad for a while regardless of what we do. We could win our next 5 on the bounce and our record over the last 50 games will be shit, but it won't actually reflect where we are at that point.

The relevant stats are that we've played 5 league games and taken 5 points. That's not good enough at the moment.

[Ads]

I'm massively ashamed of us winning the European Cup.

Yours,
Sir Herbert

[The Edge]

Firstly, I think we should bin all this crap about gypsy curses. That's for the medieval knuckledraggers in Small Heath.

Secondly, I can't believe more people didn't expect a rough start. The juggernaut full of shit that thundered us out of the Premier League hasn't even slowed to a stop yet. It will eventually, and we will then start to turn it around. May take a season, may take two.

What I think has happened to us is largely psychological. A kind of big club syndrome. But the truth is big grounds, crowds, nice training facilities and sparkling trophy cabinets don't win football matches.

Only hard work, concentration and a bloody-minded will to win can get us the points we need. I didn't see the game yesterday, but how much did we look like we wanted, needed to win?

We're like a posh kid whose parents have lost their fortune, and who has been forced to leave his private school and attend an inner-city comprehensive. When it all boils down, we're really no better than the 'sister fuckers' and 'small time' clubs that keep bloodying our noses. That attitude of innate superiority has to end, right now.

We have to forget our glorious past, stop pampering players and learn some toughness. Hide the European Cup replica, take the star off the badge. We've lived on our pedigree for far too long and it's killing us.

Applause!! The nail is hit on the head right there.

[The Edge]

I wonder whether the players and staff have fallen under the spell of "We are Aston Villa, Champions of Europe, Greatest team ever" rather than "We are Aston Villa, Champions of fuck all anymore and they need us to get out of this fucking mess"
[/quote
Great point. I have banged on about this many times and usually get shot down for it but here goes.
Can the club PLEASE tear down those embarrassing banners about the European cup from 34 fucking years ago?Great memories but it's time to move on.  Maybe then we just might make some new memories.

No idea what happened here. I do it from time to time.  Lol.

[The Edge]

I struggle to think of anything that influences me less than what Small Heath do.

Who gives a fuck?

Your in denial. I have to live, work, drink with the Villa obsessed tossers and my life will be made a misery over the bank holiday. I really do give a fuck what happens to that pile of shit from small heath.

[Jimbo]

I'm massively ashamed of us winning the European Cup.

Yours,
Sir Herbert

There's a difference between obscuring the European Cup a season after winning it, and still tossing off over it some 34 years later. History doesn't get you out of the lower leagues. See Preston North End, Sheffield Wednesday, Forest, Huddersfield, etc.

[Clampy]

I struggle to think of anything that influences me less than what Small Heath do.

Who gives a fuck?

Your in denial. I have to live, work, drink with the Villa obsessed tossers and my life will be made a misery over the bank holiday. I really do give a fuck what happens to that pile of shit from small heath.

You might give a fuck but it doesn't mean everyone else does. I couldn't give a shit about them either.

[Ads]

The amount we've spent and are spending suggests that a season or two won't cut it.

I don't think it's an attitude that's endemic rather a personnel matter and chiefly the fourth division player we still have disappearing in the middle of the pitch.

Other problems persist. We lack pace as an outlet. We move the ball too slowly and we are in our second season without a proper centre forward. It's ridiculous to top the chances created league yet find ourselves stuck on the current point and goal a game.

The opposition has been rank. Real Wednesday are massively  unimpressive and we're bossed second half, yet we fell foul because we lack the core ingredients to win games. Ayew is spurning glorious opportunities.

He should, not could, should have scored or set up tap ins at Wednesday, Huddersfield and Bristol City. That sort of profligacy is going to cost you.

Huddersfield were one of the worst sides I've seen at Villa Park for an hour. Bristol were dire first half. There's no quality here and it's unacceptable.

The games change when they step up the pitch a few yards and press our middle. That's Westwood. He may look miles better than Gardner and he may have flown into a few more tackles but he cannot react because he doesn't contribute. He wilts and so do we. You cannot persist with a glaring hole right through your middle, on top of our poor finishing.

The absence of pace is a blood boiled. Scannell and Wells pressed our full backs and stopped us getting forward. Bristol did the same and they're free to do so because they're winning the ball so cheaply in midfield, 10-15 yards higher up and with nothing to worry about hitting them in behind.

To bring on Kozak twice is desperate stuff from RDM.

That we are a big club with some good players is playing into our hands as to a man every side we've played so far has filled their small club pants and given us plenty of room to play. We've only punished the diabolical Rotherham and it's cost us massively. It will take time to generate an élan and a winning culture because the side is so new, but it's got to happen soon as we can't keep dropping points.

[ChicagoLion]

Being realistic, the size of the task to turn around a team according to PWS stats that has won 4 games in 45 is huge.
The complete shambles that Lerner left us in can not be under estimated.
They have done well to shift some of the deadwood but even now Agbonlahor Richards Lescott are still here and costing £120 grand a week.
Against this back ground we can ill afford to make any dud transfers and allready we are doubting the Goal keeping position which does not bode well.
I do not think we have time or resources to sort this out in one season and the problem is that next season relegated clubs will have much more fire power.
I do think we will improve as the team gells and with a few more changes but not nearly enough to get us in the top 2.
A play off place is far from certain either.
Thanks Guzan Agbonlahor Richards Bacuna Sherwood Fox Lambert Black and Lerner

[brontebilly]

I also thought it was Ross Mac's job to bang in his obligatory 20?

Agreed, he is our big money signing and should be doing more. Can't help thinking his position is one we were reasonably covered with anyway.

He does seem a clever footballer but more Joe Cole than Robbie Keane at the moment. For our big money signing to be blowing out his arse after 60 mins is unacceptable.