Dean Smith - Confirmed

[brian green]

Never.  We are Aston Villa.  We will volunteer for relegation.  Noblesse oblige don't  you know.

[mr underhill]

spot on Brian, the country needs us to do what we do best

[Drummond]

I'm never sure where these 'one match' stories come from. I can't imagine anyone worth their salt would allow that information to leak and why brief the press on it?

Not to say it won't happen, but stuff isn't looking good.

The reality is we'd all rather he be kept on, as a result of winning games and showing that he's worth it.

[mr underhill]

you're right - sadly there is no evidence to support the argument.

[kippaxvilla2]

Percy has been on the money everytime from memory.  He predicted Sherwood having two games left and it was correct.  He obviously has someone fairly senior feeding him stuff.

[Drummond]

So,

I was thinking that perhaps our squad were young and inexperienced... So here are their ages...

37 Reina
33 Heaton
32 Elmo
31 Taylor
30 Drinkwater
29 Nyland, Lansbury, Hourihane
28 Jota
27 Baston, Steer, Samatta
26 Mings, Nakamba
25 Engels, Trezeguet, McGinn, Guilbert
24 El Ghazi, Hause, Grealish, Targett
23 Wesley
22 Sarkic, Konsa, Davis
21 Luiz
19 Vassilev
18 Archer
16 Barry

All of our better players are at the younger (Under 25) age range, which is why they are inconsistent. You could argue that players should be consistently brilliant at the younger range, but then you're talking big, big money aren't you?

The older players are steady, but let's face it aren't ever players we'd expect much from quality-wise and half of them are bloody goalies anyway!

I think the strategy is right in the long term, but we just don't have older players who can make a huge difference right now and that's what kills us and makes Smith's job so much harder.

[Footy-Vill]

The remit in summer was to sign players 25 and under

[hilts_coolerking]

The remit in summer was to sign players 25 and under

Or to put it another way, 'young and hungry'.  That strategy fucked us before.

[mallo]

The remit in summer was to sign players 25 and under

Or to put it another way, 'young and hungry'.  That strategy fucked us before.

Or 'cheap and available'. I think we messed up the midfield (and Wesley to a large extent). If we'd spent another £15M on better midfielders I think we'd be ok but 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[hilts_coolerking]

Or 'cheap and available'. I think we messed up the midfield (and Wesley to a large extent). If we'd spent another £15M on better midfielders I think we'd be ok but 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.

You don't need hindsight to know that a strategy of buying players with limited, if any, top flight experience - not to mention no English experience - under a manager with no top flight experience was flawed from the get go.

[john e]

my unpopular opinion is that I don’t think our recruitment is as bad as many others do

[LeeB]

my unpopular opinion is that I don’t think our recruitment is as bad as many others do

Me either pal.

[Ian.]

my unpopular opinion is that I don’t think our recruitment is as bad as many others do

Me neither, in general we have some good players and I do like most of them, but I will say a more experienced centre midfielder and defender was a huge mistake though as well as a regular goalscoring forward. Stupid mistakes, which are so regular have killed our confidence and belief. Going right back to that Bournemouth game at the start where we payed so well only to be on the end of a stuffing.

We still do not know our best formation either which must fall at Smith's door.

[chrisw1]

my unpopular opinion is that I don’t think our recruitment is as bad as many others do

Me either pal.

Player for player they may turn out to be ok.  Would have been fine as additions to a decent squad.  But for what we needed to be at the forefront of a PL battle for survival?  Absolutely daft.

[Luke8]

The remit in summer was to sign players 25 and under

Or to put it another way, 'young and hungry'.  That strategy fucked us before.

Or 'cheap and available'. I think we messed up the midfield (and Wesley to a large extent). If we'd spent another £15M on better midfielders I think we'd be ok but 20/20 hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Presumably the idea before the season started was that the first choice midfield theee would be Jack, McGinn and another (Luiz/Nakamba). For various reasons we haven’t been able to do that.