Post season thread

[brian green]

 Could not agree more OMVF..  Every word.

[AV82EC]

I thought we were ok today. That's twice we've made Brighton look very very ordinary.

On the season, probably about right, solid home form but away has been little short of emabarrasing. Issues for me are the inconsistency of far too many of our team and squad.

Johnstone - if we can get him then go for it hugely more confident than when he arrived. Need a decent back up.

Hutton - cult hero maybe but needs to be replaced. Happy to give  De Laet a chance and been quite impressed with Bree.

Chester - excellent consistent and my POTY.
Baker - mid table championship player nowhere near good enough for where we need to be. For all his wholeheartedness he's a liability with the ball. Replace.
Elphick, Richards - get rid.

Taylor - been really impressed, settled well and very consistent. Amavi can go as he's just not consistent in his play or execution.

Adomah - another inconsistent player, we can't carry players like this in this division. Replace.

Jedinak - solid and excellent, keep and buy a backup.

Hourihane - hasn't settled yet but still not been given enough licence to get forwards.when he has has proved dangerous and been unlucky
Not to score more. Keep.

Lansbury - needs to dominate games
More has the ability needs to show it. Keep.

Gardner - I'm afraid it's over he just can't cut it.

Bacuna - another of the inconsistent ones does so many good things then ruins it with lackadaisical and sloppy passing, he's been really stroppy the last few months as well. Replace.

Green - keep so disappointed he picked up that injury as he'd just started to find the confidence to nail down a place. Looks like he filling out as well and looks a more muscular and physical Scott Sinclair.

Grealish- keep, we know the bad but when this lad plays we've no one like him.

Kodjia - love him, great workrate, expect the unexpected, and ability to fashion something from
Nothing. Keep.

Agbonlahor - replace
McCormack - replace
Hogan - replace

Davis - showed more in 30 mins today than the 3 above have in months. Keep and promote.

RHM - keep

Anyone on loan - sell.

By my reckoning we need a back up keeper, 2 or 3 new centre backs, a cover left back, central midfielder, 2 pacy wide options and a striker to replace the feckless, injury prone, inconsistent, poorly executing players we have.

Bruce - I'm really torn, we proved today we can play football, when we upped the tempo and pace at the start of the second half it was like a breath of fresh air and even going down to 10 men didn't dampen our intent. He's got until the end of October for me, no excuses for anything less than in and around the top 2 with the squad he's had and what's likely to happen this summer.

[PaulWinch again]

I have not found this season a refreshing change.  I have found it excruciatingly disappointing to put it mildly.

I agree. To be refreshing I'd like to see a Villa team that plays good football and dominates games.

[SoccerHQ]

Completely agree with the AV82EC squad analysis apart from Johnstone as I think there's better out there but the club dealings in recent years don't give you confidence we'll find better so on balance him in full time wouldn't be the worst idea.

Think he's nailed the rest. Hutton is worshipped by the Holte but we simply need at least one FB who can actually bomb on and create goals with decent crosses, how many assists has Scot Cafu got again? Taylor is more a steady eddie on the other side.

Been disappointed with Adomah last few months, he seems to have given up so we need another wide player as we're already light in that area as indeed we are upfront.

From thinking we only needed at the most 4 signings I've changed my mind. Due to injuries like losing all our strikers and another so that a few injuries and we're back to playing Elphick, Gardner and Bacuna again. That really can't happen if we want promotion next season.

[Fin Feds Dad]

It's been nothing short of pathetic .

Some thought we'd 'piss the league' .

The football has been appalling - 47 goals scored in 46 games. Every other team passes the ball better and play with more tempo than we do.

I've hardly missed a game home and away and whilst it's been good to go to different grounds such as Brentford , Brighton , Burton etc it's also been a chore watching the football Bruce churns out .

If we don't make a positive change , we'll be in this league for a good few years .

[Dave]

he's right though, Brian. In order to get back to the PL we have to become a force in the Chumps - an irresistible force who gain  promotion .

We could have just decided to do it in twelve months like Newcastle did.

We were a million miles behind both Newcastle and Norwich, who came down with us. Both those two were expected to bounce back. Plus I had us behind several steady, settled championship teams.
We had heck of a lot of catching up to do.
I thought we might sneak a play off shot, then we had that awful run.

God, if only we could have called on the likes of Cameron Jerome or Ciaran Clark then we'd have been fine.

Yes, we were a terrible side. Yes, we were terribly owned, run and managed last year, and for a good few years before, and yes there was a fuck of a lot of work to do.

That doesn't mean that the people who spent more money than has ever spent before in this division on people who were supposed to be good enough do something about it, get a pass because it wasn't an easy job.

Whatever state we were in, any side that comes down from the Premier League and doesn't get promoted in the following season has failed miserably, given the financial advantages that the Premier League gives you, even for a season.

The fact that we have many, many times the resources of literally every team who finished ahead of us (bar arguably one), and still finished 18 points from the playoffs should be an embarrassment to everyone at the club.

[London Villan]

After what we have spent, our finish this season is nothing short of pathetic.

[old man villa fan]

he's right though, Brian. In order to get back to the PL we have to become a force in the Chumps - an irresistible force who gain  promotion .

We could have just decided to do it in twelve months like Newcastle did.

We were a million miles behind both Newcastle and Norwich, who came down with us. Both those two were expected to bounce back. Plus I had us behind several steady, settled championship teams.
We had heck of a lot of catching up to do.
I thought we might sneak a play off shot, then we had that awful run.

God, if only we could have called on the likes of Cameron Jerome or Ciaran Clark then we'd have been fine.

Yes, we were a terrible side. Yes, we were terribly owned, run and managed last year, and for a good few years before, and yes there was a fuck of a lot of work to do.

That doesn't mean that the people who spent more money than has ever spent before in this division on people who were supposed to be good enough do something about it, get a pass because it wasn't an easy job.

Whatever state we were in, any side that comes down from the Premier League and doesn't get promoted in the following season has failed miserably, given the opportunities the financial advantages that the Premier League gives you, even for a season.

The fact that we have many, many times the resources of literally every team who finished ahead of us (bar arguably one), and still finished 18 points from the playoffs should be an embarrassment to everyone at the club.

Spot on.

[Nelly]

I'm sick of watching other teams pass us off the pitch while grimacing at whatever it is we are trying to do. We've spent so much money and now hearing we have to rebuild the squad again? Is next year going to be another season of transition then? We need some serious fires to be lit because if we don't get our act together we could end up staying in this mediocre league for a long time.

[BC Villain]

A season of treading water for me.

To spend the sort of money we have and be closer to the bottom than the top is unacceptable.  We don't score enough goals (despite spending fortunes on strikers who excelled at their previous clubs).  There is still not identity to how we play, and Bruce needs to get that sorted for next season and hit the ground running if we are to have any chance of being in the promotion chase - the last we weeks it looks like he's been "winging it".  Defensively we look OK, but we still need more depth in the middle of defense.  Elphick has been a major disappointment, and I'm still not convinced with Baker moving forward to next season.  The 'keeper situation is a must.  Gollini and Johnstone both looked OK at times, but poor at others, and neither has convinced me that me that we don't need to look for an experienced 'keeper for next season.

However, the seems much more unity around the place off the field than 12 months ago.  No fighting among ourselves, protests against an absentee owner and his "old pals act" of Fox, Reilly and Almstadt.  The Dr and his team have clearly recognized a need to make the fans feel part of the club again, and I think they have done well in that sense.  The emergence of Andre Green is another positive.  I like the look of him as a player and he seems to be a pretty level headed lad who hasn't let himself get carried away.

Very much work in progress, but there is still MUCH more to do.  Not just to get back to the Premier League, but to have a chance of re-establishing ourselves there.

[peter w]

Well at least I can now concentrate on Warwickshire in the summer.


Oh shite.

[ChicagoLion]

Agree with OMV, we needed to have the mother of all clear outs, we didn't and have addded some more problems to the squad.
I don't think we look any better equipped to get into the top 2 than we did at the end of last season such has been the mis management of the playing side of the club.
We are still a mess.

[VinnieChase84]

One word - Disappointing
Not convinced by Bruce and long term getting us an attractive team. However, willing to give benefit of the doubt and go with it. One things for certain, he either slots the final pieces into "his team" and we push on, or I'm left with no doubt that he WILL be replaced during the next season if things are not going to plan. Not ideal but let's just enjoy the summer and see he things play out. Huddersfield did not look anywhere near the side they are now this time last season so things can turn around.
Player wise for me we need;
GK situation sorting
Centre back partner for Chester (Baker can take Elphicks place in the squad)
An alternate CM option for Jedinak
A wide man
Another forward

[olaftab]

Next season is the most important in the history of the club. 

I agree. If we fail to get promoted Dr Xia will be offloading us and we will be in limbo for a long time to come looking for new buyer to save us.

[CorkVilla]

Any highlights on tv tonight?