Fans Worried Over Villa Future

[peter w]

The worrying thing though robbo is that I would happily snap your arm off if i was offered a mid-table finish. If O Leary is in charge we're in trouble. If Curbishley is in charge then the feel-good factor we'll last for a month or so. Then it would be back on track. Not only has the ambition completely gone from the club, so has the optimism. That is what's dangerous. It doesn't matter how good a manager is, if the club is in a state of torpor then he will be struggling. Especially if he is given no money to spend.

[ROBBO]

I am convinced though Pete that our squad is not as bad as our table position indicates, where I disagree with many posters is the position that most needs attention and to me that is midfield. We will never know whether Angel or Baros are good operators together until we get the supply situation sorted.

[peter w]

Oh, I agree, 100%. I started a poll on this in the season. Our midfield is the big problem. With McCann doing the holding job our centre-halves are far too exposed. How many 'ave-it's have we seen from them this season. The reason being there is no one 5 yards in front of them to collect the ball. Two possible reasons- McCann is crap in possession so it would be a waste anyway. The other is that the manager has said to the centre halves to knock the balls into the channels for the front two to run on to. That has been our tactic for a few years now. I think the other teams may have cottoned onto it.

Davis is progressing nicely and I think someone to take some of the workload off his young shoulders would benefit him, and the team. Its easy to forget that this is his first full season. He's scored goals, become an International regular, and yet some want to criticise him. Unbelievable.

The other area of worry is creativity. Milner will get better -if he's ours to keep. But the standard of crossing from Milner at the moment is only average. The standard from barry, whatever we think of him as a player, is abysmal. We do not tend to score many goals with attacking football because our delivery into the box is inconsistent. Out of 10 attempts we tend to get the ball into the box 4 or 5 times. What is poor, though, is that there is a huge difference between crossing the ball, and just putting it in the box. One of our better crossers of the ball is Hughes, but he doesn't do it regularly enough. Milner second. But too many times we see the ball aimlessly put into the box, rather than the crosser actually picking out a player, or delivering the ball into the danger area. We're not nearly good enough in doing this.

Therefore the forwards we have, who are by no means rubbish have to get themselves out of the positions that they would like to because of a regular failing of this football team. The midfield is a huge weak link.It has been for a few seasons now.

Oh, and their fitness in general has been woeful. Save Milner.

[JD]

It is true. We need a defensive midfield player, who can tackle, pass (to his own players) and get around the field. Someone like Dacourt. He is the type of player we should be signing to plug the huge gap that appears in the centre of the park every time we play.

[ROBBO]

I've watched Solano very closely since he went back to the barcodes and one thing he always does is find his man. Very rarely do you see a Solano pass go astray which cannot be said for any other Villa player. I believe we have missed him more than we thought we would.

[peter w]

If there are not ant any changes on high in the close season we will be shopping around for the Bakkes of this world. Not the Dacourts.

[ROBBO]

If there are not ant any changes on high in the close season we will be shopping around for the Bakkes of this world. Not the Dacourts.

It all sounds very grubby, grovelling around in the shit hoping to find something worth having.

[peter w]

Hence I cannot get too excited about the Shit going down. Whilst we are sinking its impossible to feel the slightest bit jubilant about anybody elses demise. As good as I know the feeling should be.

[JD]

My joy on them going down lasted for one day and then I read that Reading, Sheff Utd, West Ham etc are all talking about spending millions in the Summer.  8-[
My heart sank, knowing that if we don't spend money we will be even futher in the mire next season.  ](*,)

[peter w]

The first few days , maybe the first week or two will give us a flavour of what to expect later in the summer. If Doug moves quickly to get rid of O Leary then it is a sign that a) Doug is staying but B) A new manager. If its all quiet then the longer we go into the summer then the more likely that O Leary will stay.

[ROBBO]

The first few days , maybe the first week or two will give us a flavour of what to expect later in the summer. If Doug moves quickly to get rid of O Leary then it is a sign that a) Doug is staying but B) A new manager. If its all quiet then the longer we go into the summer then the more likely that O Leary will stay.

Are you deliberately setting out to depress me?

[peter w]

Well if we are all doom and gloom merchants, surely any news, ANY, can only be good. Its a psychological masterstroke.

[JD]

It concerns me that HDE is saying we have to sell before we can buy anyone. We are either going to sell our fringe players (Hendrie, DJx2 etc) and only have enough money to buy a new Subbuteo Team, or we are going to cash in on our biggest assets Baros, Davis etc and not be able to replace them in time.

It is not looking good for next season and this one isn't even over.  ](*,)

Go on Doug, please surprise us and get rid of DO'L and then find 25 million under your desk, for the new Manager  [-o<

[peter w]

Lets hope that Baros has a greta World Cup. Then we can flog him and use that money to puimp back into the transfer kitty. maybe even mellberg too. But this isn't the thread to have hope on.

[JD]

The only problem I have with selling players like Baros and Mellberg Peter is who are we going to replace them with? Neither have had a particularly great season (understatement), but they are both class players.

O'Leary would probably replace them with Michael Bridge and Gary Brean.  ](*,)