Re: Leeds vs Aston Villa match thread

by Guest Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:47 pm

Well without going into a debate about the stats I expect better from us than those teams. And in regards to Brentford I've watched them several times and their football is miles better more sexy than ours. It simply isn't acceptable to retort to hoofball and fight over movement and actual ability with our wage budget, our transfer budget, our squad and our facilities.

by deadbuzzardalive Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:20 pm

I highlighted Forest, Brentford and Norwich as having the best possession stats in the division to illustrate that more possession of the football doesn't necessarily correspond with success in this league. My main point was that we don't play as many long-balls as a lot of people seem to think, as I said statistically everyone plays more 'hoof balls' than us, with the exception of Fulham.

We should be doing better than we are though, put any of the other top six managers, in charge of us, and I think we'd be in the top two now, quite comfortably.

by Guest Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:13 pm

I don't think anyone ever has said that more possession equals success in this league. In fact that opposite, I think myself, Trotters, Achilles, Foxy and a few others have just highlighted that we are getting results, getting points, but the football is McGrath awful. Though the latter, that's my words, not theirs. Kudos to Bruce for getting points on the board, but for this club, with this budget, that's not good enough.

And personally I think you need to build continuity in the footballing side of things if you are to get promoted and stay promoted. Even if we are miraculously promoted with Steve Bruce football, we wouldn't stay promoted without sacking him, as his football won't work in the top flight. So we are in a position where we most likely have to sack Bruce either way.

Unfortunately Aston Villa FC are trying to get promoted in a manner suited for a small club without ambitions. We are a bit like the Norwegian national side tbh. When you give up on ability and try to win and achieve by graft and industry. This is not the manner this club should rebuild itself, and certainly not the way we can reestablish ourselves in the top flight. This is how Bolton or something would do it. I expect more.

by deadbuzzardalive Wed Dec 06, 2017 9:28 pm

I agree, if we do get promoted we're going to have to change our ways very quickly if we want to survive, it would have made much more sense for us to learn how to play football whilst in this division in preparation for the Premier league, rather than suddenly trying to learn a new style once promoted, the Premier league isn't the ideal place to do that.

by Guest Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:28 pm

Exactly

by Dions_Bald_Head Thu Dec 07, 2017 9:25 am

deadbuzzardalive wrote:I agree, if we do get promoted we're going to have to change our ways very quickly if we want to survive, it would have made much more sense for us to learn how to play football whilst in this division in preparation for the Premier league, rather than suddenly trying to learn a new style once promoted, the Premier league isn't the ideal place to do that.

Wot I've been saying too. Even the give-Bruce-a-chance brigade seem to only see him as there to get us promoted. What then? Sack straight away? Give him a few months of PL action to 'prove himself'? Cue another manager coming in with - at most - just the Summer to prepare. Seems a waste of a chance to spend this time rebuilding, bedding in & tinkering. Deja vu all over again.

I really hate to focus on a grumble while we're winning (I've always seen it bad form) but this is a rare case where success (ie promotion) could bring further problems.

I guess the question we have to ask ourselves is do we want to go up to the PL no matter what, even if it means we're unprepared, or would we rather trade it for more time in the Championship in order to get in better shape for the PL? For what it's worth, I can see the arguements for both cases - It's just I live in fear of a reapeat of our last three years in the PL.

by deadbuzzardalive Thu Dec 07, 2017 10:41 am

I definitely want us to get promoted, even if we were to come straight back down, at least we'd have a season of Premier league money and then parachute payments, so we'd be well equipped to make a swift return.

We can make a go of staying up if we get promotion, we're just going to have to be prepared to bring in a top manager who will change the way we play, and also to give said manager, enough money to bring in players good enough to play under his system.

The crucial thing will be the club being brave enough to not be too sentimental, and part ways with Bruce; with the euphoria that promotion would bring, a lot of fans would probably want him to stay as well, but for the future good of the club, we'd better off letting him walk away on a high note.

If we don't go up, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Dean Smith as manager of the club next season, provided we can afford his compensation.

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