The view from up here

[LeonW]

I don’t think there’s any doubt that after the back end of last season and the 5 game losing run DS went on that the players were no longer responding to what he was asking from them and that they’d lost confidence in themselves or DS or both which necessitated a change. However, the debate for me has always been that if the club were going to make a change, it had to be an improvement on DS. At this stage of his career, the only tangible improvement that SG could bring was an increased media profile for Villa. So what we’ve been asked by Purslow to believe is that, in time, SG could take the club forward and be an upgrade on DS.
 
So far, we’ve seen little evidence of either, with SG being just as slow at making changes, a plan A that doesn’t work against certain sides and having no plan B. It’s also clear that SG mistakes ‘setting standards’ with man-management decisions that will lose him some of the players. This is mistake of a manager who wants and expects the club to be Champions League level and not that he has to get us there first to manage this way (with all the authority that would bring him and the threat of having viable alternatives that would mean a player could be out in cold for weeks).

Reading the various related forum threads, I think there is conjecture about whether the manager or the players are the more significant problem. But the issue is, getting the calibre and volume of players SG wants to play his system is not going to happen with where the club are right now and what we can spend under FFP-even with the benefits his reputation as a player could bring. But a number of these problems are not the fault of SG. The route of the problem is Purslow. Personally, I think he’s dropped a major clanger here that puts his own future and all the good work that’s been done up to now at risk. The situation didn't need scrapping and starting again, but with the appointment of SG that's changed things considerably.

[SaddVillan]

We're going round in circles.

But are we spiralling down, or up?

[brian green]

Excellent summation Dave.  I could draw on 75 years on the Holte to underpin my endurance of us only ever flattering to deceive but it would be boring.  Suffice to say the weakness that returns over and over again is that we fail to see things through. Whether through greed, poverty, stupidity, naivety, vanity, lies or whatever, we panic, we fall out, we settle scores instead of holding fast to a concept, a vision or a commitment.  We need to see the big picture, hold our nerve and see things through.

[robleflaneur]

 The observation about Nakamba is spot on.McGinn and Luiz are not half as good without him.He allowed them to press further up the pitch and attack.Against Leeds and Watford both were anchored in deep positions and ineffective. Never thought that I'd say that Nakamba is the most missed player in our midfield.
We need to play with a proper DCM who understands the role,even Chambers or the young kid from Albion,Tim ... .

[brontebilly]

The observation about Nakamba is spot on.McGinn and Luiz are not half as good without him.He allowed them to press further up the pitch and attack.Against Leeds and Watford both were anchored in deep positions and ineffective. Never thought that I'd say that Nakamba is the most missed player in our midfield.
We need to play with a proper DCM who understands the role,even Chambers or the young kid from Albion,Tim ... .

Nakamba has his uses don't get me wrong. But he is such a limited player. Against Liverpool, granted one of the best teams in the division, he was beyond useless. Press our midfield and Nakamba is a liability.

I can't help thinking Luiz has a move lined up in the summer. He avoided physical contact at all costs in the last two games. But our current slump is a lot more than just a couple of players being out of form. I think the players are confused as to what Gerrard wants from them. Our manager seems incapable, like his predecessor, of addressing issues during a game. Our players need direction and urgently.

[tony scott]

As a long time, mostly suffering supporter, what has disappointed me the most ,is the ditching of the continuity plan where management could we replaced without the necessity of a team rebuild. Great Article Dave

[Mister E]

The observation about Nakamba is spot on.McGinn and Luiz are not half as good without him.He allowed them to press further up the pitch and attack.Against Leeds and Watford both were anchored in deep positions and ineffective. Never thought that I'd say that Nakamba is the most missed player in our midfield.
We need to play with a proper DCM who understands the role,even Chambers or the young kid from Albion,Tim ... .

Nakamba has his uses don't get me wrong. But he is such a limited player. Against Liverpool, granted one of the best teams in the division, he was beyond useless. Press our midfield and Nakamba is a liability.
I can't help thinking Luiz has a move lined up in the summer. He avoided physical contact at all costs in the last two games. But our current slump is a lot more than just a couple of players being out of form. I think the players are confused as to what Gerrard wants from them. Our manager seems incapable, like his predecessor, of addressing issues during a game. Our players need direction and urgently.

I think this probably sums my feeling up best, at the moment. I see a bunch of players who are unsure what is expected of them and / or not buying into what is the team is supposed to do.
It's disconcerting and worrying that we go through this cycle with such frequency.

[Beard82]

great article - sums its up nicely.

I would say we haven't be blessed with a manager that understands tatics for as long as I can rembeber. 

In the time we have had Managers with lots of other strengths (and sometime no discenable strengths) but not the ability to identify opportunities against diffrent opponents and adjust the game plan to take advantage of that

[N'ZMAV]

Probably Houllier was the last; but never had the players he needed to implement anything half decent.

[Nelly]

As a long time, mostly suffering supporter, what has disappointed me the most ,is the ditching of the continuity plan where management could we replaced without the necessity of a team rebuild. Great Article Dave

For me also. It burns me that Villa are back to that awful cycle of sacking a manager, ripping up a squad, spending fuckloads and on and on forever. Even going back to people like Faulkner when he talked of making Villa like Ajax in how we wanted to grow the club - this time felt like we might finally actually do it and keep a philosophy. I would genuinely love to hear Purslow's thoughts on this. It's a huge failing in my opinion.

[Risso]

I don't think the system has been ditched really. We didn't really have much of a system under Smith anyway, other than "get it to Grealish". This season he tried 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 3-4-3 and 5-3-2. If we accept that the 5 at the back wasn't really him, and he preferred either 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, then that's how we're still playing. Of course no two managers are identical, but in my opinion the need for the squad overhaul isn't really down to a change in managers and style, it's down to some of our players bot being good enough. Luiz, McGinn and Watkins have mostly been poor this season. I'd be tempted to persevere with Watkins for now, but I've seen more than enough of McGinn and Luiz to be honest. They were underperforming for Smith, and now they're underperforming for Gerrard.

[ChicagoLion]

I don't think the system has been ditched really. We didn't really have much of a system under Smith anyway, other than "get it to Grealish". This season he tried 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 3-4-3 and 5-3-2. If we accept that the 5 at the back wasn't really him, and he preferred either 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, then that's how we're still playing. Of course no two managers are identical, but in my opinion the need for the squad overhaul isn't really down to a change in managers and style, it's down to some of our players bot being good enough. Luiz, McGinn and Watkins have mostly been poor this season. I'd be tempted to persevere with Watkins for now, but I've seen more than enough of McGinn and Luiz to be honest. They were underperforming for Smith, and now they're underperforming for Gerrard.

Smith liked 2 wide forwards whereas Gerrard wants them narrow or 2 x 10s. So Traore and Bailey are probably surplus to requirements.

[Risso]

Well he's played with two 10s, because that's basically all he's got. Traore hasn't been fit at all and probably won't be, and Bailey has been injured/not very good.

[LeonW]

I don't think the system has been ditched really. We didn't really have much of a system under Smith anyway, other than "get it to Grealish". This season he tried 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 3-4-3 and 5-3-2. If we accept that the 5 at the back wasn't really him, and he preferred either 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, then that's how we're still playing. Of course no two managers are identical, but in my opinion the need for the squad overhaul isn't really down to a change in managers and style, it's down to some of our players bot being good enough. Luiz, McGinn and Watkins have mostly been poor this season. I'd be tempted to persevere with Watkins for now, but I've seen more than enough of McGinn and Luiz to be honest. They were underperforming for Smith, and now they're underperforming for Gerrard.

I think the key question is, good enough for what? Where do you think is realistic for the club to be at this stage?

[LeeB]

I don't think the system has been ditched really. We didn't really have much of a system under Smith anyway, other than "get it to Grealish". This season he tried 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 3-4-3 and 5-3-2. If we accept that the 5 at the back wasn't really him, and he preferred either 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3, then that's how we're still playing. Of course no two managers are identical, but in my opinion the need for the squad overhaul isn't really down to a change in managers and style, it's down to some of our players bot being good enough. Luiz, McGinn and Watkins have mostly been poor this season. I'd be tempted to persevere with Watkins for now, but I've seen more than enough of McGinn and Luiz to be honest. They were underperforming for Smith, and now they're underperforming for Gerrard.

I think the key question is, good enough for what? Where do you think is realistic for the club to be at this stage?

Beating shite like Watford and Leeds at home, for a start.