Ollie Watkins

[Smirker]

The fact that it looks like his best days with us might be over, doesn’t make you right. I could say it’s 8pm for the next 7 hours and I’d be wrong, until eventually I’m not.

He’s been brilliant for us. Integral to us improving over the last 3 seasons, culminating in our best season for 30 years. You don’t like him. Great. It now looks like he might be getting towards being past his best. Great. We look like we’re heading on a downward spiral. Smirk.

He's had one good season of goalscoring in five.

Sometimes you get freak stats in football.

Sam Allardyce being England's most successful manager. Bayern Munich never scoring a goal against Aston Villa and losing every game.

And Ollie Watkins being Aston Villa's PL top scorer. Says a lot more about circumstance and the level of the club in that time than it does about the quality of Ollie Watkins.

[aj2k77]

LMAO the Fat Sam and Bayern stats are based on a tiny sample size. Ollie's sample size is hundreds of games.

He's out of form and possibly sulking and right now looks shit but you're talking some right shite on this mate.

[Clampy]

LMAO the Fat Sam and Bayern stats are based on a tiny sample size. Ollie's sample size is hundreds of games.

He's out of form and possibly sulking and right now looks shit but you're talking some right shite on this mate.

Are you angry about everything?

[Nunkin1965]

For some it will be a problem if he gets goals in the next few games but I'm hoping he finds some form.
Like the rest of the team!

[FatSam]

I agree that he can be frustrating, and a bit streaky, but the fact is that he is our top EPL goal scorer, and our 7th highest of all time. Since he’s been here only two players have scored more EPL goals, and he has scored on average every 203 minutes. His goals/ game is presumably what people think can be improved upon, and I don’t necessarily agree, but there aren’t that many players who have played a similar number of games who have improved on these figures. The ones that have are some of the most expensive players in the history of football.

He’s obviously not doing well this season, and it might be that he’s on the way down, and will ultimately need to be replaced. I don’t however agree with the idea that he has been the weak link over the past 5 years. What we don’t seem to have been able to do, other than perhaps with Duran, is find a way to rotate him when things aren’t working. The fact is that he is super resilient, and rarely injured, so he always plays whether in form or not.

[PeterWithesShin]

Ollie scored 50 top flight league goals in the previous 3 seasons. No other Villa player in the last 50 years has done that in a 3 season spell. Withe, Shaw, Gray, Platt, Yorke, Little, Benteke etc.

[PaulWinch again]

Indeed, and comparing niche stats like Allardyce’s win rate in his England reign as an attempt to justify a spurious argument is fairly comical.

[Clampy]

He should have broke Gabby's record earlier than he did, lets be honest but to bring up the fact that you dont like him after every game is just weird and a little sad.

[Drummond]

Shiot old Ollie

The fact that it looks like his best days with us might be over, doesn’t make you right. I could say it’s 8pm for the next 7 hours and I’d be wrong, until eventually I’m not.

He’s been brilliant for us. Integral to us improving over the last 3 seasons, culminating in our best season for 30 years. You don’t like him. Great. It now looks like he might be getting towards being past his best. Great. We look like we’re heading on a downward spiral. Smirk.

He's had one good season of goalscoring in five.

Sometimes you get freak stats in football.

Sam Allardyce being England's most successful manager. Bayern Munich never scoring a goal against Aston Villa and losing every game.

And Ollie Watkins being Aston Villa's PL top scorer. Says a lot more about circumstance and the level of the club in that time than it does about the quality of Ollie Watkins.

Freak stats indeed. The only 2 players to have scored more Premier League goals in the past FIVE Premier League Seasons combined are Salah and Haaland.

[Dave]

He should have broke Gabby's record earlier than he did, lets be honest but to bring up the fact that you dont like him after every game is just weird and a little sad.

I'd say that when he's massively out of form, not scoring and not looking like scoring is probably the right time to bring it up.

It's saying how rubbish he was at the time he was playing brilliantly that's the weird time to have done so.

[PeterWithesShin]

For the last 8 seasons there's been a Premier League Playmaker of the Season award, which is for the player with the most assists in a season. There's been 5 different winners. Salah, de Bruyne, Hazard, Kane and Ollie.

[Clampy]

He should have broke Gabby's record earlier than he did, lets be honest but to bring up the fact that you dont like him after every game is just weird and a little sad.

I'd say that when he's massively out of form, not scoring and not looking like scoring is probably the right time to bring it up.

It's saying how rubbish he was at the time he was playing brilliantly that's the weird time to have done so.

Yeah, that's fair enough although mind you he was on the pitch for 22 minutes against Brentford (and scored an penalty) and still got moaned at.

[Sexual Ealing]

He should have broke Gabby's record earlier than he did, lets be honest but to bring up the fact that you dont like him after every game is just weird and a little sad.

I'd say that when he's massively out of form, not scoring and not looking like scoring is probably the right time to bring it up.

It's saying how rubbish he was at the time he was playing brilliantly that's the weird time to have done so.

The trouble with Watkins - unlike my fellow crusader, Smirker, I won't argue with the numbers - is he just fails the eye test. Now, most of you are too sensible and rational to base your entire opinion of him on that alone. That's to be admired, and I do, but I can't get over it. It's why my bursts of anti-Ollie nonsense on here tend to be in the immediate aftermath of watching him play.

The frustration's different with someone like Rogers, because his problem is more straightforward: he's not doing what he's capable of. That happens all the time, with every player. With Watkins, I get the sense that this season's version is essentially what he is as a player. I know he (sometimes) scores and works hard, but for where we are (well, were) and where he is, I don't buy him. He looks like an imposter to me.

This is an explanation of my perspective, not an attempt to recruit anyone to Smirker's and my very exclusive club. We're not currently taking new applications.

[PeterWithesShin]

Last 3 seasons, 50 league goals plus 27 assists. It's staggering that anyone knocks what he's done for us as not good enough. To be better he'd have to have been Salah, Kane or Haaland.

[Smirker]

Last 3 seasons, 50 league goals plus 27 assists. It's staggering that anyone knocks what he's done for us as not good enough. To be better he'd have to have been Salah, Kane or Haaland.