Quote from: Clark W Griswold on February 14, 2023, 04:29:30 PMI'd like to see us bring someone in during the summer and offload Chambers (who was good last season but dropped off badly this). We need to improve the overall standard of the squad so that's something i think we should do. It doesn't necessarily have to cost a fortune if we're shrewd. McGrath was relatively cheap at the time, Ugo was virtually free, Teale was a good price at the time, even Southgate wasn't over the top. Bargains can still be found these days if the scouts are doing their job and the manager has a good eye. We need someone that is better than anything we've got currently ideally and a good but inconsistent Mings and a Carlos coming back from injury can compete to play alongside. I do think Mings has it in him to play regularly in a top half side but he just needs to step it up a bit. Better competition could do that.I know what you mean, but all those bargains you've mentioned are from 30 years ago. It's not so easy these days.Unless you're Brighton, obvs.I'd love us to find bargains, but if we set out with that as our over-riding criteria, we're screwed.It is an expensive business and we need to be competitive with what we are prepared to spend.
I'd like to see us bring someone in during the summer and offload Chambers (who was good last season but dropped off badly this). We need to improve the overall standard of the squad so that's something i think we should do. It doesn't necessarily have to cost a fortune if we're shrewd. McGrath was relatively cheap at the time, Ugo was virtually free, Teale was a good price at the time, even Southgate wasn't over the top. Bargains can still be found these days if the scouts are doing their job and the manager has a good eye. We need someone that is better than anything we've got currently ideally and a good but inconsistent Mings and a Carlos coming back from injury can compete to play alongside. I do think Mings has it in him to play regularly in a top half side but he just needs to step it up a bit. Better competition could do that.
Quote from: KevinGage on February 16, 2023, 02:58:50 PMMings is plenty good enough for a top 6-7 aspiring side. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but mine is he's miles off. He's been the mainstay of a defence that hasn't been good enough for the top half, and isn't likely to be again once again this season. You can make a similar case for just about every player in the squad being good enough for the top 6 to 7, but apart from one or two possible exceptions of which Mings isn't one, they're just not.
Mings is plenty good enough for a top 6-7 aspiring side.
Quote from: Risso on February 16, 2023, 03:06:44 PMQuote from: KevinGage on February 16, 2023, 02:58:50 PMMings is plenty good enough for a top 6-7 aspiring side. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but mine is he's miles off. He's been the mainstay of a defence that hasn't been good enough for the top half, and isn't likely to be again once again this season. You can make a similar case for just about every player in the squad being good enough for the top 6 to 7, but apart from one or two possible exceptions of which Mings isn't one, they're just not.I disagree. I think with better players around him he'd look fine in most teams pushing for top 6-7.
Quote from: Risso on February 16, 2023, 03:06:44 PMQuote from: KevinGage on February 16, 2023, 02:58:50 PMMings is plenty good enough for a top 6-7 aspiring side. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but mine is he's miles off. He's been the mainstay of a defence that hasn't been good enough for the top half, and isn't likely to be again once again this season. You can make a similar case for just about every player in the squad being good enough for the top 6 to 7, but apart from one or two possible exceptions of which Mings isn't one, they're just not.He's probably good enough to be part of one. He one of a gaggle of English centre-backs (Dier, Stones, Maguire, Gomez etc) who are all pretty good but aren't what you want to build your defence around. And those four aren't miles off being good enough to play for top 6-7 sides, given that they do and have done for ages.What Mings obviously isn't good enough to be is the undroppable, stand-out player in that position in a top 6-7 side, which is his current status amongst our centre-backs right now. He could potentially be the right partner to whoever our Ruben Dias or Virgin Van Dijk turns out to be. Or he might not be.
Three of those are fighting to stay up though, not going for 6-7th.
Villa have won just one of the 12 league games Mings hasn’t started since signing on a permanent deal from Bournemouth. That was a 1-0 victory over Norwich in December 2019. This means we have failed to win any of our last 9 Premier League games without the England international in the starting line-up.PL games Mings hasn't started for VillaSheffield United December 2019 Lost 0-2Southampton December 2019 Lost 1-3Norwich December 2019 Won 1-0Watford December 2019 Lost 0-3Tottenham February 2020 Lost 2-3Chelsea December 2020 Drew 1-1Crystal Palace May 2021 Lost 2-3Brentford August 2021 Drew 1-1Brentford January 2022 Lost 1-2Bournemouth August 2022 Lost 0-2West Ham August 2022 Lost 0-1Manchester City February 2023 Lost 1-3
Really good defenders like White and Fofana from clubs on our level have tended to move on to bigger clubs though. I'd put Mings on a par with Coady who went to Everton.
Aston Villa is delighted to announce Tyrone Mings has signed a new contract with the club.The defender is closing in on 150 appearances in claret and blue having initially joined on loan in 2019.Mings helped Villa clinch promotion to the Premier League at the end of his first season before signing permanently for the club.He has gone on to become a mainstay at the heart of defence for Villa and has been capped by England on the international stage.