Ollie Watkins

[Ian.]

He's lost a yard of pace and his willingness to work hard. The latter he can rediscover, but he's not worth his place in the side at the moment. Malen is no better down the middle. I would play Guessand there for a few games.

It's not just that, he's seemingly incapable of bringing a ball under control or holding off an opponent as well.

His performances have been dismal on the whole since the Euro's last year, I was a big fan of him in the past but I'm pig sick of watching him turn out for us now. I'm not sure when it turned for me but whining like a titty baby about not starting when he'd not deserved it was probably the last straw.

Ollie had feet like a clown under Gerrard. When his confidence drops he looks no better than a Sunday league plodder. The level in the downturn is remarkable. However he’s turned it around a few times and I’m pretty sure he will again. It would be interesting to go back through this thread.

[N'ZMAV]

there's a few forwards that have moved this summer, that would have been useful - especially if we had CL football.

[AV82EC]

If we want  to win or be challenging for the League (I know I know) he will have to be replaced. For a team in the mix for European qualification each season (ok maybe not this year) he’s more than adequate. I think there may be someone more suited to the EmeryVilla central striker role than Watkins but whilst he’s here and Emery doesn’t seem to want to change him then it’s utterly pointless speculating.

[N'ZMAV]

If we want  to win or be challenging for the League (I know I know) he will have to be replaced. For a team in the mix for European qualification each season (ok maybe not this year) he’s more than adequate. I think there may be someone more suited to the EmeryVilla central striker role than Watkins but whilst he’s here and Emery doesn’t seem to want to change him then it’s utterly pointless speculating.

agreed - our downfall is that when he's having a shite spell, we've got no real alternative

[PeterWithesShin]

Anyone clearly better than him won't be joining us. Anyone young looking likely to be better than him is unlikely to join us. And that is the problem. We need a less bonkers version of Duran, and hope that if they are better, or even as good, they stick around for more than a couple of years.

[N'ZMAV]

anyone coming through the U21/U18 of any potential? been a while since we had a home-grown forward of any pedigree.

[Brazilian Villain]

anyone coming through the U21/U18 of any potential? been a while since we had a home-grown forward of any pedigree.

They're all Scottish, I'm afraid.

[Sexual Ealing]

If we want  to win or be challenging for the League (I know I know) he will have to be replaced. For a team in the mix for European qualification each season (ok maybe not this year) he’s more than adequate. I think there may be someone more suited to the EmeryVilla central striker role than Watkins but whilst he’s here and Emery doesn’t seem to want to change him then it’s utterly pointless speculating.

agreed - our downfall is that when he's having a shite spell, we've got no real alternative

And if we have an alternative, he's guaranteed to sulk.

If Aston Villa were my sister and Watkins were her boyfriend, I'd tell her to thank him for the memories, move on and grow.

[john e]

Ollie is 30 years old and at some point will need to be replaced or at least some decent competition bought in the next 18 months or so

so all you guys dismissing all the current alternatives,young ones won’t be joining good ones will go elsewhere great ones we can’t afford, will be totally fucked when that time comes
and that time will come so we better start looking short and long-term now, and if that puts his nose out a joint like what’s happened before and he can’t compete so be it

[KRS]

Let’s see how he gets on when we start playing decent football, remember how to attack teams and start creating chances for him. His touch can be frustratingly poor and he does miss his fair share of chances, but when he’s scoring and we’re winning again then his critics won’t be so vocal.

[Sexual Ealing]

Obviously not.

[john e]

Let’s see how he gets on when we start playing decent football, remember how to attack teams and start creating chances for him. His touch can be frustratingly poor and he does miss his fair share of chances, but when he’s scoring and we’re winning again then his critics won’t be so vocal.

You make it sound like when a goal scorer is scoring goals He doesn’t get criticism because he’s scoring goals.
But when a goal scorer becomes a non-goal scorer and stops scoring goals he gets criticism for not scoring goals

who’d have thought

[Monty]

I think it's very possible to think that Watkins has been a very good player for us indeed, and also that he's not perfect, and that he's not irreplaceable. Our new sporting director (all praise to the sporting director!) picked up Isak for La Real when he was but a lanky young Swede with a dream and an ego - it is actually possible for recruitment to do their jobs well sometimes.

[Sexual Ealing]

Name someone then. Name ten of them.

[Monty]

Name someone then. Name ten of them.

[sweating, furiously refreshing Football Manager] Uh, Jaime Tonbridge-Bort! Ahm, Nygard Bygard! Err let me see, er, Hydros Götterdämmerung! I'm sure there's more around here...