Aston Villa v West Ham post-match thread

[eamonn]

This is where Deano needs to show some flexibility with formations.  I think Arsenal away is a good game to try something like a 4-2-2-1-1.  Hourihane in there for his set piece threat and get the big lads up, play Grealish higher up the field and look to win free kicks. Be compact and we can nick something there.

                  Heaton

      Fred - Engels - Mings - Taylor

          Marvelous - Douglas Luis

         McGinn - Hourihane

                 Grealish

                 Wesley
 
     

no width

Peter?

[brian green]

Very much agree TV.  Up front is where we are not Premiership class. 

[in exile]

I hope Supporters don't start turning on AEG he's a great lad and can be class on his day, I just think TM went a bit OTT, England call up prob got to his head and Anwar has reacted. Hopefully that's the end of it , both great  lads

Well said; exactly my thoughts.

I think you're both wrong in that case

[Badsastard]

I hope Supporters don't start turning on AEG he's a great lad and can be class on his day, I just think TM went a bit OTT, England call up prob got to his head and Anwar has reacted. Hopefully that's the end of it , both great  lads

AEG's general unwillingness to track back demonstrates a poor teamwork ethic. The bollocking he received was completely justified and his response to it was petulant to the extreme. Very poor from him.
 

[Marlon From Bearwood]

It was unacceptable from AEG and would’ve almost certainly caused us to lose the game had the Ref sent him off.

[john e]

we do need to become more clinical but the chances have to be created first
I really don’t think it’s a case of just going out and buying more strikers like we have done in the past to our cost at times

if we had signed Maupay I honestly don’t think he would have made any difference in the games we have played so far

it’s not just about buying a forward, it’s not that easy
it’s about the whole team working together and finding a way to play and score goals as a forward unit

having said that I think we will bring another centre forward in because we are light in that department but I don’t think that will be the answer straight away, we need to use the ball more effectively in the final third and the goals will come

[Risso]

we do need to become more clinical but the chances have to be created first
I really don’t think it’s a case of just going out and buying more strikers like we have done in the past to our cost at times

if we had signed Maupay I honestly don’t think he would have made any difference in the games we have played so far

it’s not just about buying a forward, it’s not that easy
it’s about the whole team working together and finding a way to play and score goals as a forward unit

having said that I think we will bring another centre forward in because we are light in that department but I don’t think that will be the answer straight away, we need to use the ball more effectively in the final third and the goals will come

I get your general point John, but I think Maupay WOULD have made a lot of difference up front.  He could either play the Wesley role and be a lot more mobile, or replaced either El Ghazi or Jota, both of whom have been largely rubbish.

[danno]

I think we're an Ashley Young type (rather than a Darren Bent) short ATM.

Still maybe Trezegeut has that in him. Far too early to tell.

[paul_e]

There's a story from, I believe, a spoof Twitter account that AEG reacted as he did because Mings spoiled Harry Potter for him. It's nonsense but I really want it to be true.

[john e]

we do need to become more clinical but the chances have to be created first
I really don’t think it’s a case of just going out and buying more strikers like we have done in the past to our cost at times

if we had signed Maupay I honestly don’t think he would have made any difference in the games we have played so far

it’s not just about buying a forward, it’s not that easy
it’s about the whole team working together and finding a way to play and score goals as a forward unit

having said that I think we will bring another centre forward in because we are light in that department but I don’t think that will be the answer straight away, we need to use the ball more effectively in the final third and the goals will come

I get your general point John, but I think Maupay WOULD have made a lot of difference up front.  He could either play the Wesley role and be a lot more mobile, or replaced either El Ghazi or Jota, both of whom have been largely rubbish.

I think when we go for another striker we will go for better than Maupay
honestly think the new owners are just keeping their powder dry when it comes to another forward option and when we do make a move it will be a biggy

[Damo70]

I am starting to think we need a forward who is a free agent to see us through to January. The need for another forward was the only thing that disappointed me regarding our summer transfer business.

[Risso]

I think when we go for another striker we will go for better than Maupay

We didn't in the summer.

[olaftab]

That’s because Kane wasn’t available.

[paul_e]

I think when we go for another striker we will go for better than Maupay

We didn't in the summer.

Well maybe we did, we were linked to a few players that I'd say are a level up from Maupay but none of them came to anything. Maybe they decided that they would only go for another forward if it was someone who would be a level above what we had and the options they found just weren't available or interested at the time. This is why I'd like to see us get away from the bottom 3 long before January. If we could go into that window sat in midtable and looking for a striker to challenge for Europe our options are much better than looking for someone to pull us out of the relegation battle.

[amfy]

I honestly think a team has to go down to 10 men in the first half for it to make a significant difference. In the last half hour teams tend to get a surge of self righteous energy which doesn’t run out before the end of the game.

In this particular game I thought we were tiring and West Ham were getting on top just before the sending off. They had been better at ‘making the ball do the work’ as the pundits say whilst our style is more frantic & I think we were running out of steam.

In this sense, the sending off helped even things up, but a team that has a steady passing game (rather than a running game) like West Ham will cope with being a man down for half an hour far better than our style would.