The Positivity Thread !

[Guest]

OK, there are so many negative posters on this forum (understandably) I thought I would start a thread where only positive talk can be exchanged....it will most likely be a very barren thread, but what the hell!

Fabian Delph signing a contract extension is absolutely reason to be positive about Aston Villa again. Whatever your thinking for his reasons, the fact is he is staying is a massive coup for the club! Perhaps he has been tipped the wink over a takeover, perhaps he has had a buyout clause or relegation clause added....who knows. The lad's words are enough for me....when was the last time you heard a player...and international player come out with "this is my club" when talking about Villa?
I hope we build a team around him over the coming windows.

Take a look at the strength of our squad now too. Yes our goalscoring problems are there for all the world to see...but that will change, no doubt. We don't have the movement across the front line yet to open defences up playing this new passing style of football...but you can see that is slowly changing. The Weimann goal yesterday was on the back of some superb play...a fantastic goal. You won't find a bigger critic of Weimann than me, but he showed great desire to get in the box yesterday, and the finish was sublime. For all his shortcomings as a footballer, you can never knock his workrate. He deserves to keep his place this week.

In my opinion Lambert has shown this season that he has he ability to be a good man manager. If you consider the club's treatment of Alan Hutton for instance....and now look at the level of commitment he is showing every week...it is clear that he wants to play for this manager. Delph wants to play for this manager.
He rescued Guzan from the abyss, Ciaran Clark is now looking like a premier league centre back....add to that the signing of Sanchez...what a find he was for £3m...and now Gil, early days but it's a long time since a new signing had the impact he has had so far.

Off the field it would seem that Tom Fox truly is starting to influence things. I love the Delph announcement before the game yesterday...inspirational. It's hard not be inspired and excited when you listen to him speak...to move from Faulkner to this guy is such a quantum leap.

And one other thing...I moved my seat from Upper North to the Trinity yesterday...and it gave me a good chance to get a close up of the Holte again...it's such a fantastic site. When in full voice those players must be buzzin...it really is hairs up on the back of the neck time. I watched a small group of dedicated fans, around a 'Brigada' banner...they never stopped singing the whole game...great to see. I would love to hear the Holte signing in full voice from the off against Chelski in a couple of weeks. The noise after the first goal yesterday was deafening....just imagine how young Gil was feeling at that moment...I'm surprised his heart didn't explode out of his shirt.
Villa Park is still a magical place guys....


Anyway, please feel free to add more positivity....

[jeffvilla]

I have just posted a positive thread on the take over page. I should have kept my powder dry for this  one
Great win, brilliant news about Delph, Gil was a sensation and I hope this is the sign of things to come. Perhaps one more signing with Gils quality should see us over the line come last game of the season. Up the Villa.

[NARLA24]

Watch out Arsenal. We are coming to get ya. UTV

[villabromsgrove]

Yesterday was quite an emotional day for me. We won a match that a lot of us including the media had written off, and we won it with two cracking goals. The real emotion for me came at about 2.45 pm when one of my sons said "that's the back of Delph's head in that picture". For the previous few minutes I thought it was Vlaar who was re signing, but to think and hope that it could be Delph was a magic feeling. When the confirmation came through a couple of minutes later I went bonkers. Delph has long been my favourite Villa player and I think there is still a lot more to come from him when he's allowed the freedom to get forward.

What a feeling! What a day! Up The Villa!

Good post Mardy.

[plastic]

Great to see a thread like this. I think that one of the things that is missing from the team is some positivity. They don't believe in themselves enough. Football is a real confidence game, especially up front so I'm going to dare to believe that Gil's world class goal and Weimann's stonking finish are going to give that positive bounce that the team needs. If Benteke can bag a couple now I think we can seriously move forward. UTV

[villabromsgrove]

Great to see a thread like this.  I think that one of the things that is missing from the team is some positivity.  They don't believe in themselves enough.  Football is a real confidence game, especially up front so I'm going to dare to believe that Gil's world class goal and Weimann's stonking finish are going to give that positive bounce that the team needs.  If Benteke can bag a couple now I think we can seriously move forward.  UTV

You're right plastic, there was a swagger to Villa's play as soon as Gil hit that worldy!

[Guest]

I think I've read it on here somewhere, but I definitely saw Delph step up a level last week when Gil cam on against Liverpool....I didn't imagine it did I?

Football is so much in the mind...very easy to get stuck in a negative rut....but when the good vibes come back, sides can suddenly take off...I really think we have a squad capable of winning more games than we lose for the rest of the season.

[villabromsgrove]

I think I've read it on here somewhere, but I definitely saw Delph step up a level last week when Gil cam on against Liverpool....I didn't imagine it did I?

Football is so much in the mind...very easy to get stuck in a negative rut....but when the good vibes come back, sides can suddenly take off...I really think we have a squad capable of winning more games than we lose for the rest of the season.

I think it was me that said it. As soon as Gil came on, Delph started making really classy runs at the L'pool defence and they panicked for the next twenty minutes. It has the makings of a good attacking pairing.

[Villa_Dan]

I think I've read it on here somewhere, but I definitely saw Delph step up a level last week when Gil cam on against Liverpool....I didn't imagine it did I?

Football is so much in the mind...very easy to get stuck in a negative rut....but when the good vibes come back, sides can suddenly take off...I really think we have a squad capable of winning more games than we lose for the rest of the season.

When Gil came on and started using the ball positively Delph followed his lead, the whole dynamic of our midfield changed.

[Army villain]

I Like the Positivity Thread it has been hard being a positive fan at the moment, but it takes a spark to start a fire, and villa spark is Gil. So upbeat at the moment and very positive. up the villa.

[villabromsgrove]

I agree it's great to have a totally positive thread about Villa (well done Mardy).

Now let's see if I can get away with this comment .... I will look forward to using this thread again on Tuesday February 12th after the Hull game!

Have I just breached the rules? Will this post need to be modded off? I'll add a scarf just in case.

[Gracon73]

Loving this thread

Yesterday was a good day to be a Villa fan and just what most of us wanted and needed to see. Let's hope for a nice draw in the next round.

With any luck the confidence levels are rising now and we can push on for the second half of the season. I think Gil coming in and Delph signing will both have a massive positive impact on the squad, now we just need to see a little more of Grealish and I'll be a happy man.

[kimbo]

We do already have a positive thread of sorts. I might merge the two into an ultra positive thread of awesomeness. Like TBAR morphine or something.

[kimbo]

Anyway, yesterday was my first game this season since Leyton Orient, so I was delighted to see a win. Was right in line with Gil's goal, friggin' awesomeness.

So pleased about Delph as well, I was genuinely resigned to losing him.

[lukevilla]

Just had a thought! Maybe fox was spending longer at the training ground to Lambert sacking him! After all this is the positivity thread!

[Trotters]

Aston Villa might not seem an attractive vacancy initially, but there is plenty to encourage potential new managers...


Christian Benteke

One of the main reasons for Paul Lambert's departure was his failure to inspire Christian Benteke to rediscover his form of 2012/13. The Belgian hit 23 goals in his debut campaign at Villa Park, but found the net only 11 times last season before rupturing his Achilles tendon. Just three goals in 18 matches since his return has shelved talk of a big-money move to Liverpool or Tottenham, but the 24-year-old showed his finishing touch hasn't completely deserted him with a fine strike in December's 1-1 draw with Manchester United. If the new manager can work on providing Benteke with better service, the striker could still play a vital role in Villa's survival bid. 

Carles Gil

The man charged with creating chances for Benteke has only been at Villa for a month, but already Carles Gil has made a big impression. The 22-year-old scored a stunning goal in the FA Cup tie against Bournemouth on his first start and then produced a smart piece of skill to set up Jores Okore's equaliser in the 2-1 defeat to Chelsea. Lambert hailed Gil as a player who can "unlock doors" after paying £3.25m for the former Valencia playmaker, and whoever replaces the Scot certainly has an exciting talent to work with.

Robust defence

Aside from the recent 5-0 thrashing at Arsenal, Villa's defence has been stronger than their position in the bottom three suggests. Nine of the club's 13 defeats have come by a margin of two goals or fewer, with Villa's record of 34 goals conceded the joint-best in the bottom half and equal to sixth-placed Tottenham. Okore has impressed with a string of committed displays, while Ron Vlaar's return to full fitness should steel Villa for the relegation run-in.

Experience 
Another advantage Villa possess over their rivals is the experience of having survived previous battles to avoid the drop. Villa were stuck in the bottom half for the vast majority of the previous campaign, and were only four points above the bottom three in April before earning a crucial win at home to Hull. In 2012/13, they climbed from 19th after 25 games to a 15th-place finish while relegation was avoided by just two points in 2011/12. This is not unfamiliar territory for the squad given their recent struggles, and this relevant experience could be imperative as the season goes to the wire.

Potential
While the immediate task for Lambert's replacement is securing Villa's Premier League status, there is plenty to be positive about should that aim be achieved. Randy Lerner may be looking to sell up after failing to get a return on his investment but the second-city club could be an attractive prospect for potential buyers if they find a way back into the top half. With a passionate fan base, 42,000-seater stadium and excellent training facilities, the infrastructure is in place for Villa to push on; they just need a new manager to engender optimism.

[kimbo]

Can't argue with any of that 

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