Ollie Watkins

[LeonW]

I find the Watkins debate quite odd at times. Some people are just adamant that he’s trash and others that he’s totally beyond reproach and we should never try to replace him because it’s not possible with where we are as a club. It’s a bit perplexing.

Watkins is and has been a good striker who works hard and has given us great service. Plus he seems like a nice chap. But he’s never been truly clinical, doesn’t really sniff out goals and it looks as though physically (where he really had and gave the side an edge) he’s on the decline.

He’s been largely poor for a long period of time now and whilst some will make the argument that we’ve had results this season with him in the side even if he’s not hitting the mark of a couple of seasons ago, it’s also arguable that we might have done even more with him performing better. We’ve largely got where we are this season without a fully functioning main striker.

And before we have those jumping up to say name an alternative we could get, name them
now! just look at Brentford, a club without our resources and pull: Hogan to Watkins to Toney to Mbeumo to Wissa to Thiago. That’s one club alone that manage and bank the profit. If we’re saying that we can’t manage it then we may as well give up now.

[ChicagoLion]

That’s a very sensible post LeonW

[Neil Hawkes]

Taken from LeonW:
Watkins is and has been a good striker who works hard and has given us great service. Plus he seems like a nice chap. But he’s never been truly clinical, doesn’t really sniff out goals and it looks as though physically (where he really had and gave the side an edge) he’s on the decline.

I am of the opinion that because he is such a nice chap, this is impacting his decline as he does not partake of the dirty niggly stuff that a plethora of strikers have fallen back on over the years to mask their fading energy and precision.

[LeonW]

Taken from LeonW:
Watkins is and has been a good striker who works hard and has given us great service. Plus he seems like a nice chap. But he’s never been truly clinical, doesn’t really sniff out goals and it looks as though physically (where he really had and gave the side an edge) he’s on the decline.

I am of the opinion that because he is such a nice chap, this is impacting his decline as he does not partake of the dirty niggly stuff that a plethora of strikers have fallen back on over the years to mask their fading energy and precision.

I don’t think him probably being a decent bloke nice is necessarily anything to do with his abilities if that’s what you’re trying to get at. Gianfranco Zola is universally a decent guys and he was just a bit good.

[Skipper_The_Eyechild]

I don't see many people thinking he is beyond reproach anymore. The consensus has clearly turned.

[Meanwood Villa]

FWIW, I'd disagree that he's never been truly clinical. He's had some incredible purple patches for us. Agreed he's been mainly shit this season

[Rory]

I don't see many people thinking he is beyond reproach anymore. The consensus has clearly turned.

I know they're not your words, but I don't think anybody ever actually considered Ollie 'beyond reproach'. Rather, that was the way one poster portrayed anybody making any kind of defence of him.

[LeonW]

I can’t recall a player dividing the fanbase quite like this (probably missing some names) and I just find it a bit odd the extremes. Watkins is a good player who is not quite as good as he was. I don’t get some of existential debate we see on him. I’m sure Watkins would be equally baffled and I’m sure in plays in to how some act every time he misses a reasonable chance.

[JUAN PABLO]

I dont pay attention to Stanley Collymore as he always seems to be trying to sell our best players to the Sky wank 6

[Skipper_The_Eyechild]

I don't see many people thinking he is beyond reproach anymore. The consensus has clearly turned.

I know they're not your words, but I don't think anybody ever actually considered Ollie 'beyond reproach'. Rather, that was the way one poster portrayed anybody making any kind of defence of him.

Agreed.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I've come to the conclusion a change of club would do Watkins the world of good, the old chestnut 'a change is as good as a rest' seems to fit. The disappointing thing is we won't be getting as much as we'd like for him as I can no longer see him making the England World Cup squad, something I really wanted for him as reward for the hard work he's put in wearing a Villa shirt over the years. It would have hopefully increased his sales value too but I can't imagine how gutted he'll be sitting at home watching the World Cup on TV. 

Despite earlier predicting he'll score 15 goals this season, right now I can't see it happening. Part of his problem is we're not creating the number of chances he's grown accustomed to, add into that he generally needed a few chances before putting one away and his overall play isn't what it used to be, he's not even getting into the positions he was so brilliant at finding. Be it a lack of confidence, frustration, tactics, fitness, age, the game simply moving on to a higher technical level or a combination of all of the above, he's been a key player for us since joining, helping us not only stay up but climb the table and achieve European football every season.

[paul_e]

I can’t recall a player dividing the fanbase quite like this (probably missing some names) and I just find it a bit odd the extremes. Watkins is a good player who is not quite as good as he was. I don’t get some of existential debate we see on him. I’m sure Watkins would be equally baffled and I’m sure in plays in to how some act every time he misses a reasonable chance.

The debate is because 1 person made it a personal missions to shit talk him for months and then constantly move the goalposts whenever people told him he was talking bollocks.

[LeonW]

I can’t recall a player dividing the fanbase quite like this (probably missing some names) and I just find it a bit odd the extremes. Watkins is a good player who is not quite as good as he was. I don’t get some of existential debate we see on him. I’m sure Watkins would be equally baffled and I’m sure in plays in to how some act every time he misses a reasonable chance.

The debate is because 1 person made it a personal missions to shit talk him for months and then constantly move the goalposts whenever people told him he was talking bollocks.

It’s been longer than that. It started with his inability to play with Ings, then the noise got louder when Duran was a potential alternative, louder still with Rashford, then Malen, etc. It is partly his own making both with his own comments and inability to play with different striker partners.

[Percy McCarthy]

I think you’ve really misinterpreted the debate Leon. I think your summary of the arguments is almost as inaccurate as Tony’s idea that he played wide left for us when he first arrived. I’m sure I recall an academy graduate called Joe (or something like that) played wide left when Ollie joined us.

[ROBBO]

It's true that Ollie has lost a yard and lost more in confidence but it is also true that supply to him has been at a minimum. We are playing the Arsenal way, numerous passing across the forward line trying to find ever decreasing gaps. When Ollie was at his best we were getting the ball into the penalty box a lot quicker and before defences were able to crowd him out.