“I will now find 11 players who are ready to fight.” - Remi Garde

Surprisingly, I've not seen this quote from Remi Garde discussed much at all since the game yesterday. What do we think he means by this?

Has he got the balls to play the u21's against Stoke? Is the mentality of the U21's any different anyway?

Of the team that played yesterday, would any keep their place against Stoke?

I personally think Gil showed desire. Of the rest, I wouldn't be particularly arsed if they all left.

I think it means he is resigning and going to another club. He says he will find 11 players for the next game who are ready to fight. He doesn't say which club those 11 will be playing for or when that next game will be.

Let's face it, he can't be talking about AVFC if he's looking for players ready to fight - he wouldn't be able to put out a 5-a-side that meets that criterion.

Any chance we could see something like Ayew vs Delph, no gloves?

I wish Garde all the luck, and I really would rather see a couple of Academy players start for Bacuna and whichever non-firing striker we'll have fit next week. What do we have to lose?

I like Garde for his attempts to fabric a team out of dross and his ability to stay calm amid all this shit.

I dislike him for those very same reasons.

There's no team worthy of a Villa top that includes the names Bacuna, Westwood, Gestede, Lescott, Richardson, Guzan, etc.

Take our top few outfield players (I'm thinking maybe Gana, Veretout and Cissokho and dump the rest on the side of a road somewhere.

The trouble is Garde should have dumped a lot of these players and brought in some hungry kids to completely revamp the squad of 25. Sadly, that chance has gone. But I'd still start with as many new faces as possible.

And I'd come out and say straight up that players have been dumped because they're not worthy of the shirt. If these pricks are hanging on until relegation day in the hope of getting shiny new contracts somewhere else, then let's see them try it with the kind of CV that has that kind of endorsement attached.

Remi has nothing to lose now except pride. Go out fighting. I don't give a shit if the kids on our bench lose every game because I'm sure they'll do it with a bit of pride and dignity.

Not sure I'm listening anymore to a manager who would leave Bacuna on the pitch until we were 6-0 down before bringing on Lyden.

I know he has been sh*t on but to me Garde is just part of the problem.

Thinman wrote:Not sure I'm listening anymore to a manager who would leave Bacuna on the pitch until we were 6-0 down before bringing on Lyden.

I know he has been sh*t on but to me Garde is just part of the problem.

I do agree with you mate. Although you have to take cover when daring to criticise the manager!

His team selections/substitutions have always been bizarre in my opinion...equally as baffling as Sherwood most of the time.

Who remembers Traore? ....clearly far from the finished article but surely worth more than 4/5 mins at the end of games already lost?
Gabby - Forced into reselecting through injuries....but should of been hauled off after 30mins on Sunday for piss poor lack of effort. He has never had ability....but to stand there and watch Gil scampering around ahead of him...scandalous. Scott Sinclair for all his faults at least works hard. He should of been on the pitch much earlier.

Bacuna is a pathetic excuse for a player, in every position he is played, and you're right...why wait so long before taking him off?

Garde must stamp some authority now and refuse to pick these players anymore this season. If he continues to pick them, then he has to go.

With so many of our younger players out on loan we are screwed for a major overhaul of the team for the remainder of the season, but for the Stoke game I think Bunn should keep his place, even though I think he could of done better with some of the goals last week and bring in Johansson for a place on the bench....in front of him I would keep Cissoko and Okore, but bring back Clark (as captain) and maybe give Tom Leggett a look in an right back?

In midfield I would keep Veretout but play him centrally....he should not be played out wide. I would definitely bring in Riccardo Calder and give Jordan Lyden a start in there.

I would play Gil as an orthodox No. 10, keeping him as far forward as possible and central....he is not a winger and should not be having to play so deep...too lightweight for that.
I wouldn't personally mind if Sinclair started but maybe give Jerrell Sellars a run?



Clearly it's a gamble to chuck so many younger lads in, but how are we gonna know if they are cut out for it? We know for a fact that our current first team squad are woefully short in terms of both ability and desire....I can't see any harm now in giving the U21's a run....we are down, what's the worst that can happen?

I like what you're saying there. What's the point of the Academy if the players coming through are no better than Bacuna and Gabby are playing right now.

Some damning statistics:

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11662/10169733/are-tottenham-the-fittest-team-in-the-premier-league-this-season

Trotters wrote:

There's no team worthy of a Villa top that includes the names Bacuna, Westwood, Gestede, Lescott, Richardson, Guzan, etc.

Take our top few outfield players (I'm thinking maybe Gana, Veretout and Cissokho and dump the rest on the side of a road somewhere.

I agree with what you're saying, but we're in a position where arguably almost our entire first team squad is more or less shite.

1 Brad Guzan
4 Micah Richards (captain)
5 Jores Okore
6 Ciaran Clark
7 Leandro Bacuna
8 Idrissa Gueye
9 Scott Sinclair
11 Gabriel Agbonlahor
15 Ashley Westwood
16 Joleon Lescott (vice-captain)
17 Jordan Veretout
18 Kieran Richardson
19 Jordan Ayew

20 Adama Traoré
21 Alan Hutton
23 Jordan Amavi
24 Carlos Sánchez
25 Carles Gil
26 Lewis Kinsella
27 Libor Kozák
28 Charles N'Zogbia
31 Mark Bunn
38 Jordan Lyden
39 Rudy Gestede
40 Jack Grealish
43 Aly Cissokho

Youth


Easah Suliman
Jerrell Sellars
Kevin Toner
Khalid Abdo
Riccardo Calder



Loans:

Joe Bennett
Nathan Baker
Gary Gardner
Janoi Donacien
Callum Robinson
Benjamin Siegrist
José Ángel Crespo


Of our entire club, everyone, I can only see a worthy future for about 16 players. Out of these 16, I think about 4 will leave either way as they want Premier League football. That leaves 12. Of these 12, 9 are young players, and 2-3 are unproven to say the least.

We need a fundamental rework of the entire club.

Spot on pal!

Looking at those stats regarding distance run....I'm disgusted by them...."never underestimate the power of desire of ability" as Tom Ross always says....West Brom are an appalling football team, but the 3rd highest work ethic in the division is ensuring they will be safe this season.

Those stats say two things to me....1). we have a bunch a lazy bastards playing for the club and 2) we have a manager that can't/won't instil that work ethic on the players.

Was mentioned by Tom Ross on the phone in last night....and exactly what I said on Sunday about garde's body language from the touchline.,....there was an injury break for Gabby in the 2nd half....several players went to the touchline for a drink....garde never even got off his seat!!!! gobsmacked!!!

get up and tell the twats to pull their fingers out ffs!!

If I was Remi I would've stayed sat down too - the only way to stop myself from tearing up the seats & swinging for the players.

The game was a write-off. The season is a write-off. Don't much care what he does now - throwing youngsters on to a lost cause could be great experience for them or shatter their confidence. I think he's damned whatever he does.

For what it's worth I would've like to see him have a crack at a full season.

There is literally next to nothing i like about the club or team at the moment.

The only tiny little bits of interest to me are Traore and whether he can round his game enough to fulfill his amazing potential.

To see whether we actually have any decent young players coming through and i'm remotely curious to see if Garde could actually build a good team if he had some backing....although i know he won't get that backing of the "accountants" so that's a mute point anyhow!

And that is it really... i find the only thing about AVFC i enjoy now is watching old reruns of the 80-82 mini era which is the only true glimpse of success this club has to hold onto in 115 years!

The Utterer wrote:There is literally next to nothing i like about the club or team at the moment.

The only tiny little bits of interest to me are Traore and whether he can round his game enough to fulfill his amazing potential.

To see whether we actually have any decent young players coming through and i'm remotely curious to see if Garde could actually build a good team if he had some backing....although i know he won't get that backing of the "accountants" so that's a mute point anyhow!

And that is it really... i find the only thing about AVFC i enjoy now is watching old reruns of the 80-82 mini era which is the only true glimpse of success this club has to hold onto in 115 years!

There will be no backing to speak of, the club will sell what they can ( Ayew, Richards, Veretout, Gana, Amavi) and give any manager probably about half of the sums raised. We are completely shot under this regime. I am sure Garde will walk at seasons end, i think he has smelt the coffee and knows what is ahead under these people. I think Garde was possibly the right manager at the wrong time under the wrong people, i think he could be a success in the premiership but is really not suited to championship football and championship type players.

Dazzle wrote:

The Utterer wrote:There is literally next to nothing i like about the club or team at the moment.

The only tiny little bits of interest to me are Traore and whether he can round his game enough to fulfill his amazing potential.

To see whether we actually have any decent young players coming through and i'm remotely curious to see if Garde could actually build a good team if he had some backing....although i know he won't get that backing of the "accountants" so that's a mute point anyhow!

And that is it really... i find the only thing about AVFC i enjoy now is watching old reruns of the 80-82 mini era which is the only true glimpse of success this club has to hold onto in 115 years!

There will be no backing to speak of, the club will sell what they can ( Ayew, Richards, Veretout, Gana, Amavi) and give any manager probably about half of the sums raised. We are completely shot under this regime. I am sure Garde will walk at seasons end, i think he has smelt the coffee and knows what is ahead under these people. I think Garde was possibly the right manager at the wrong time under the wrong people, i think he could be a success in the premiership but is really not suited to championship football and championship type players.

To be a fair a fire sale with the manager getting 50% of the funds wouldn't be the end of the world for me.

A decent manager should be able to build a promotion push out of that. Trouble is I fear he won't get anywhere near 50% of raised funds .....20% would be my guess..

Available funds haven't, and won't be, the major problem. Plenty of teams find bargains, or even proven players for decent sums. Villa's failings have been a combination of finding these players before another team, or not stumping up the wages required to sign them - Tadic was scouted by us but we signed Tonev instead. Now Tonev was signed for less than Soton signed Tadic, but Gueye cost £1m less than Tadic. 

IMO wages have and continue to be our greatest stumbling block

Wrong managerial appointments are more to blame for our current position than finances IMO.

Villa_Dan wrote:Available funds haven't, and won't be, the major problem. Plenty of teams find bargains, or even proven players for decent sums. Villa's failings have been a combination of finding these players before another team, or not stumping up the wages required to sign them - Tadic was scouted by us but we signed Tonev instead. Now Tonev was signed for less than Soton signed Tadic, but Gueye cost £1m less than Tadic. 

IMO wages have and continue to be our greatest stumbling block

Whatever we paid for Gueye....it was too much


edit: before people laud his praise...just have a look at the league table. he has been involved in almost every league game...in a key area of the field, he (along with every other member of the squad that has played 70%+ of our matches)....is crap and needs to go!!

smetro wrote:Wrong managerial appointments are more to blame for our current position than finances IMO.

Recruitment is the major fault that needs fixing....I would say this is more of a problem than the current ownership (although he is ultimately responsible for appointments of key staff....he appointed Fox, Fox appointed Reilly...etc etc etc)

Until we get people in at the club that can actually tell the difference between good stats and a good player,...we are screwed no matter who is in charge!

ViewFromT2 wrote:

smetro wrote:Wrong managerial appointments are more to blame for our current position than finances IMO.

Recruitment is the major fault that needs fixing....I would say this is more of a problem than the current ownership (although he is ultimately responsible for appointments of key staff....he appointed Fox, Fox appointed Reilly...etc etc etc)

Until we get people in at the club that can actually tell the difference between good stats and a good player,...we are screwed no matter who is in charge!

John Gregory back in some capacity would do me just fine.

John Gregory back in some capacity would do me just fine.[/quote]

with you on that Narla, and Brian Little too

got to agree John Gregory and Brian Little

Never go back.

Maybe this is why he made the first team play the under 21s on Friday? The under 21s won 3-0 btw

I'm intrigued by this match because if Ayew played for the U21s, who played up front for the senior squad?

We've seen Remi make big(ish) selection decisions in the past - I wonder if he's mulling over any changes based on this game. What was the performance report like (if there was one)?