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

[Phil from the upper holte]

We do have a lack of Steel but I thought signing Elphick, Chester & Jedinak would sort that

[ozzjim]

The experienced players need to show some leadership to ensure that any notion that we are a soft touch gets nipped in the bud. It is pretty much a new team and as the manager and coaches have also changed I think any suggestion of a hangover from last season are a little tenuous and there is still a long way to go. To put it into perspective, when we have played 3 more games we will have the equivalent of a PL campaign still to go.

A major falling is not turning our periods of dominance into goals, a new striker will obviously be a step in the right direction and so far I think we have bought well this summer. So while I am as pissed off as the rest of you after yesterday I still think we have the basis of a good side for this league.

Agree completely.

[mr underhill]

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

[ChicagoLion]

This squad is not good enough to get promoted, it looks like it is to big an ask to convert a 6 year losing streak into a championship winning team.
We still have no recognised striker, a goalkeeper that is a mistake a game and people like Bacuna and Ayew with the wrong attitude.
That is not to mention a lack of back up to cover for injuries and suspensions.
I have seen nothing from this management team to indicate that they are capable of arresting this situation.
Those believing that we will be back in the PL any time soon are kidding them selves.

[Godfrey Brian]

We still have to gel as a team and squad and this is the sort of performance and result that will happen whilst we do. This time around I don't see the management ignoring or glossing over the causes.It was always going to be a long job and things will improve a lot when our new foundations are established. This is a league where a bit of consistency moves you up the table rapidly so still enjoying the ride and experiencing the bumps for what they are.

[Meanwood Villa]

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

Fair comment. Isn't he meant to be a goal machine? 1 in 6 is a Villaesque ratio. What was Heskey's?

[Rudy65]

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

[ChicagoLion]

We still have to gel as a team and squad and this is the sort of performance and result that will happen whilst we do. This time around I don't see the management ignoring or glossing over the causes.It was always going to be a long job and things will improve a lot when our new foundations are established. This is a league where a bit of consistency moves you up the table rapidly so still enjoying the ride and experiencing the bumps for what they are.

and being in  the same league next year, repeat

[Ormy Droid]

1 - You're going to lose games in this division, everybody does (see Norwich, Newcastle, the recent history of the Championship).
2- There was bound to be a bit of a hangover from relegation, particularly one as pathetic as ours was, and you just can't wash that away within five games (see Graham Taylor first few games).
3 - Given the amount of changes in the team in such a short space of time, it will take some time for them to come together as a unit, for leaders to emerge and inspire some of the powderpuffs around them.
4- Up until yesterday, it had begun to look as if we'd stopped the rot, and with the right striker in, and assuming the GK would cut out the silly kicking mistakes, it seemed possible that we could go straight back up, not something I'd thought remotely likely a few months ago.
5- Jordan Ayew is a selfish prick, who only flatters to deceive, whose body language resembles that of Ronaldo's, but without anything even approaching a meaningful contribution. When Jack scored yesterday, Ayew couldn't even be bothered to celebrate with the rest of his teammates. He clearly doesn't want to be here, so the sooner we cash in on him in the presently unhinged transfer market (£16million?), and use the funds to buy a centre forward who's committed to our cause, the better.

[levico]

Until we get the crucial goals when it matters (McCormack at Weds, Ayew v Hudds and Bacuna today) we are inviting teams to punish us. And invariably they do. The reason? No killer instinct, no real desire to win. It's RDMs job to change the mentality, and bloody soon.

Totally agree but do we really really believe that RDM is the type of manager/personality who can achieve it?

[ChicagoLion]

Agree Ormy and I noticed Ayews complete lack of excitement when we scored.
I do not think any one was expecting our points tally to be this low after 5 games though.
The fact that the squad rebuilding is some way off is huge cause for concern and not necessarily the fault of the owner or management.

[Matt Collins]

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

[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.

[The Edge]

O.k we've dropped down a division.

From last summer it was demanded we got in a new owner (tick), get in a relatively proven manager (maybe didn't want Pearson so RDM at least ticked boxes for not being a) Nigel Pearson and b) having a promotion from this division so he knew what was coming this year.

We have slowly changed the team aswell. I wanted proven winners at this level and we've delievered that....Chester, Jedinak, De Laet, Elphick all regulars for promotion winning teams at this level. We also have a proven striker at this level who scores 20 goals at this level with his eyes closed apparently.

And yet we still can't win many football matches!

1 win from 5...that is a poor start.

What is wrong with this club? There should be a freshness about things with the changes but still we're making the same old mistakes....missing chances when on top, collapsing as soon as we concede a goal.

How many managers and overhauls of playing squads before we actually start doing something.

You can understand it at premier league level as we're facing world class players on an annual basis. Not now as these are mediocre teams so the results are much more embarrassment. But then we've had plenty of those in the cup in recent years so maybe it should've been expected as it all has the feeling of cup ties still.

Whatever something is still badly wrong at the club. What is it?

I totally feel your pain mate. I had this same conversation with my pals lin the pub ast night. Just what the hell has happened to the Villa? It's like the famous gypsies curse over at The Sty has manifested itself in Aston. As you say they are ticking all the boxes for what we wanted but somehow things have carried on where we left off. Baffled and gobsmacked in equal measure.

[Matt Collins]

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