The Westwood thread

With plenty of comments on social media that he was booed coming onto the pitch (or the boos were more like a mass-groan) I thought I'd get people's thoughts on him.

For me, he's a limited player; in the middle of a 3-man midfield, he'll do ok. Anything else and he struggles. He lacks any great creativity, he's a bit of a pussy when it comes to tackling.

But I can't hate on the kid. I can get frustrated by him, I can get pissed off with the sideways passing all the time but I can't hate him. He's been a model professional so far as I can see, he doesn't seem to be one to do-a-Gabby and cause issues behind the scenes or let himself get out of condition, he doesn't Grealish-himself in the middle of a road on a Saturday night. He looked absolutely gutted when our relegation was confirmed. He always, ALWAYS, gives 100%.

Of course, you can argue that every Villa fan would give 100% so he's nothing special there but I think it takes a lot of character to come out of the pitch and give your all knowing that the crowd is ready to turn at any minute. It takes a lot of character to say nothing to the press - and you can bet your life he's been approached by shit-rags like the Mail for a comment that they can twist.

I like the lad. He was given a chance of a lifetime, a lucrative contract and continually gets picked by managers. If he's a limited player - and he is - he can hardly say to a manager that he'd prefer not to play because a certain section of the crowd disapprove. Imagine if that happened? Christ, he'd be crucified! So he does his absolute best game in, game out and takes whatever comments he sees and hears on the chin.

I do wonder just how good he could have been in a team that isn't complete shit, is balanced and hasn't had 5 seasons of shit managers to content with.

I also wonder how well he could play if the crowd got behind him, had a song for him and made his job enjoyable.

Thoughts?

I am not disappointed that he is on the bench!

For me for all his 'attributes' he seems to always have a negative impact on those players around him? It is no coincidence that all our wins this year apart form 1 have come when he is starting on the bench and players like Gueye, Gardner, Tish and Jedinak all look better when he is not on the pitch? He is our only midfielder this season not to have scored or created a goal and has had more minutes on the pitch than any other MF. That sums up AFW!

He seems like a nice guy and has conducted himself professionally but he is an obvious liability and it seems like we are playing with 10 men when he starts? The bench is the best place for him at present and then a squad filler come January when we hopefully strengthen in the window.

Like a broken record, he only works in the centre of a three-man midfield, anywhere else is out of position and he hasn't played in his preferred role since Lambert left. He must be doing something to get chosen by various managers, at the moment I think it's just to try to bolster up the defence if we take the lead. He scored two cracking goals in one match at the end of last season and didn't celebrate either. I do think he has an excellent pass on him if there's someone willing and able to get on the end of the ball but being a defensive midfielder I think he passes sideways because it's the safest - and often the only - option. Who knows, perhaps Bruce will work out what to do with him but with the Jedi occupying his favoured position in a three-man midfield (or ahead of the defence in a 4-1-4-1) and not working in the middle of a 4-4-2 I can't see him learning some new tricks.

I like him though. He's never disgraced his shirt, tweeted anything he shouldn't, put in anything less than 100% effort etc.

Likeable person shit player.

I'm not even sure having him full of confidence will make a difference.

Hope I'm wrong through. I was utterly wrong about Kodjia so I'm getting used to pie atm.

Joppe''s first line says it for me.

Agree, with the above two...

likable person, crap player.

Certainly doesn't deserve boos and i feel sorry for him if that was the case as he has given his all for us as limited as that may be and he did look gutted last season when we went down.

Confidence or no confidence though he simply isn't good enough and i banged on for ages that we wouldn't start winning until he was dropped, and for once to be proven correct :)

Nice chap and would look great in Paul Lamberts new wolves midfield, in fact, I hope Lambert likes a few more from here too.

I see that twat is now saying that he spoke "drivel" for 3 years at Villa to protect the hierarchy, and that he won't do it again.

Lambert you twat, you speak drivel ALL the time, and I truly believe the only reason you have taken the Wolves job is so you can be closer to the Villa in order to keep commenting on us. Please lose the obsession you have with us, we've finished with you, we've ended it, we're just not the same people as we were, we met when we were both too young, it not you, it's us. We want different things now.

Stop painting rabbits claret and blue then boiling them. Tony is taking out a restraining order as we speak, I'm sorry that your last moments will be spent in a dim bedsit in Bilston, surrounded by scattered pills, and an empty bottle of Bells, slumped over, clutching a picture of the Holte End tightly to your nylon pyjama-clad bloated corpse, whilst copies of "The Villa News and Record" continue to pile up on the threadbare hall carpet beneath your letterbox.

Mmnn, probably should have put this in the "West Brom/Wolves, do we care about them?" thread.

De Kuip wrote:I see that twat is now saying that he spoke "drivel" for 3 years at Villa to protect the hierarchy, and that he won't do it again.

Lambert you twat, you speak drivel ALL the time, and I truly believe the only reason you have taken the Wolves job is so you can be closer to the Villa in order to keep commenting on us. Please lose the obsession you have with us, we've finished with you, we've ended it, we're just not the same people as we were, we met when we were both too young, it not you, it's us. We want different things now.

Stop painting rabbits claret and blue then boiling them. Tony is taking out a restraining order as we speak, I'm sorry that your last moments will be spent in a dim bedsit in Bilston, surrounded by scattered pills, and an empty bottle of Bells, slumped over, clutching a picture of the Holte End tightly to your nylon pyjama-clad bloated corpse, whilst copies of "The Villa News and Record" continue to pile up on the threadbare hall carpet beneath your letterbox.

Mmnn, probably should have put this in the "West Brom/Wolves, do we care about them?" thread.

Quality Sir!

I, myself, could never tell whether he was speaking drivel, or not.

incomprehensible = Mr Lambert
In between the mumbles and the we go ago saga I for one could not make out a bloody word he was saying !!!!!!

Trotters wrote:

Quality that