[quote=ātherock67ā]
Some basis for supporting a football club![/quote]
So MON came to Villa for the money only. I think he and the others saw a lot more than just money.
Eh Rock, you might not have noticed but with football being a professional game and clubs run like businesses that is quite important and imperative to being competitive. Not something to be ashamed of but maybe Iām being embarrasingly naive. IDIOT
jeez, that was a long read from start to finish. entertaining tho.
think farmer nailed it tho, all these āifsā. how can someone try say Villa are miles ahead of Celtic? What can you put forward as fact or reasoning to try prove this? In comparison stakes, villa cant be compared because they havent been in the highest competitions like Celtic have.
Even tho Celtic play in a joke of league, they can still perform to high European standards. This season, they were unquestionably shite, but I dont think any Celtic fan would deny that. It doesnt automatically make the club shite, nor does the fact that Villa are the next best team outside the top 4 at the moment make them a great side.
Villa are going well, but if they are to have any ambition, they should be aiming for 4th and take an out of sorts Arsenal out of their position.
The premiership outside the top 4 is very very average. Reading finish in top 10, then relegated. Spurs looking to aim for 4th, now fighting relegation. Hull promoted from the championship, and they are in European spot. Portsmouth escape by the skin of thier teeth from relegation, and then qualify for Europe. In any given year, the other 16 teams could finish in any position. Finishing 5th in the EPL is not a great achievement if you are to have any ambition.
Thats one thing about Liverpool last night, they went top of the league, and the fans werent happy, because they know it should have been better than that. There is ambition, even if in Liverpools case it is a bit misguided. Especially given how shite Liverpool were for a couple of years and only once finished outside the top 4, surely if other clubs are going to make the step up, they have to be aiming to take one of them out of it.
[quote=āGmanā]jeez, that was a long read from start to finish. entertaining tho.
think farmer nailed it tho, all these āifsā. how can someone try say Villa are miles ahead of Celtic? What can you put forward as fact or reasoning to try prove this? In comparison stakes, villa cant be compared because they havent been in the highest competitions like Celtic have.
Even tho Celtic play in a joke of league, they can still perform to high European standards. This season, they were unquestionably shite, but I dont think any Celtic fan would deny that. It doesnt automatically make the club shite, nor does the fact that Villa are the next best team outside the top 4 at the moment make them a great side.
Villa are going well, but if they are to have any ambition, they should be aiming for 4th and take an out of sorts Arsenal out of their position.
The premiership outside the top 4 is very very average. Reading finish in top 10, then relegated. Spurs looking to aim for 4th, now fighting relegation. Hull promoted from the championship, and they are in European spot. Portsmouth escape by the skin of thier teeth from relegation, and then qualify for Europe. In any given year, the other 16 teams could finish in any position. Finishing 5th in the EPL is not a great achievement if you are to have any ambition.
Thats one thing about Liverpool last night, they went top of the league, and the fans werent happy, because they know it should have been better than that. There is ambition, even if in Liverpools case it is a bit misguided. Especially given how shite Liverpool were for a couple of years and only once finished outside the top 4, surely if other clubs are going to make the step up, they have to be aiming to take one of them out of it.[/quote]
one question asked for possibly the third time on this thread. How many Celtic players would make the Villa side. The most biased Celtic fan could only claim 2. At the moment zero.
i agree with the most of the rest. Although coming fifth would be a sign of consolidation and progress from Villa. Always the danger like Spurs that we could lose the run of ourselves next season on a meaningless Cup run. It will do fine for this season tho
but that argument is a bit silly too in fairness. Take Giles and Dunphys opinions of Liverpool. they reckon, of the form of players this season, only 2 of Liverpools players would make any of the other top 4 sides. Yet at the moment Liverpool are the top team in England. Just because someone thinks certain players arent good enough to be in another team, doesnt necessarily mean the other team is better.
[quote=āKIB manā]one question asked for possibly the third time on this thread. How many Celtic players would make the Villa side. The most biased Celtic fan could only claim 2. At the moment zero.
i agree with the most of the rest. Although coming fifth would be a sign of consolidation and progress from Villa. Always the danger like Spurs that we could lose the run of ourselves next season on a meaningless Cup run. It will do fine for this season tho[/quote]
boruc
caldwell
brown
naka
mcgeady
jvoh
mcdonald
crossas
donati
[quote=ānorth county corncrakeā]boruc
caldwell
brown
naka
mcgeady
jvoh
mcdonald
crossas
donati[/quote]
IMHO i reckon that only Brown, Mcgeady, Boruc and JVOH would be the ones that would get in the villa team on a regular basisā¦
On this seasonās form Caldwell would as well. On every other seasonās form Naka would (but not under OāNeill who prefers more physical players).
Brown and Boruc, yes.
JVOH, would push Carew for a place ok.
The Villa wide players this season, Agbonlahor and Young are both far better than Naka and McGeady.
Caldwell, despite his ability to point to where he is trying to pass the ball is a very average player.
[quote=āHangBlaaā]
Caldwell, despite his ability to point to where he is trying to pass the ball is a very average player.[/quote]
When you cannot get your game at centre half for Newcastle you know your an average footballerā¦
Fishing effort or a mis-statement. hmmā¦ Iām not jumping in anyway!
wgs got the best out of him
I really donāt know enough about Villaās players to make a detailed assessment as I tend to watch potential Champions League opponents when watching leagues outwith the SPL.
How is it a mis-statementā¦The titus bramble was ahead of him at newcastleā¦
Where is the brother Steven these days rockoā¦
No way is Boruc a better keeper than Brad Friedel
I have never looked at this thread before but Iām not surprised to see it in this state.
[quote=āThe Pukeā]How is it a mis-statementā¦The titus bramble was ahead of him at newcastleā¦
Where is the brother Steven these days rockoā¦[/quote]
He was just a kid then and never played senior football with Newcastle. Presumed you had him mixed up with Steven but you seem to have cleared that up anyway!
Iām sorry but the caldwells amaze meā¦Usually you say to yourself how a fella ever made it as a professional footballerā¦but 2 from the one family is astoundingā¦I watched the older one play for Burnley last monday week against barnsley and he was truly a disgraceā¦Gary is a very poor footballer alsoā¦Macmanusās shiteness takes alot of heat and attention off Caldwellā¦heās a donkey and like I said at start of season Celtic badly need a footballing centre half to walk out the ball instead of caldwell hoofing it up the pitch thinking heās picking out a passā¦
From my limited watching of Celtic, Caldwell seems a decent player if badly short on pace. Playing centre half is all about your partner and his, McManus is a lumbering fool. A pretty shocking player. So he may improve with a better partner.
Id have Laursen, Davies and Cuellar ahead of him still.
JVOH ahead of Carew or Gabby. Yeah right
Brown ahead of Barry, Sidwell, Petrov or Reo Coker. Yeah right. Unbelievably limited player. Remember reading on here how disapointed some of ye were with him. For the best engine at the club according to Rock he was fucked after 70 mins against Aalborg.
I really liked Nakamura back in the day but he aint what he used to be. Iāve watched McGeady more than enough times to know he has talent but also that at this stage of his development he is nowhere near Ashley Young in particular. He might have more skill than Milner but Iād still have Milner ahead.
At his best Boruc is better than Friedel. Again from reading on here Boruc has been a mess since the Euros so it has to be Friedel.
Fair enough Bandage. Plenty of TV to be watched by you until next season.
Is outwith a word. Lay off the gas.
As Gman astutely pointed out, itās impossible to conclude with any certainty how individual players would fit into team shapes.
But if anyone can point out an example of James Milner or Ashley Young affecting a game at the very top level in the manner of McGeady versus Barcelona, Benfica or Shakhtar Donetsk last season then Iād be extremely interested to hear about it. But I donāt believe thatās ever happened so they canāt really be compared to the superior Irishman.
Letās not get carried away by KIB EPL Manās adoration of all things and players in the English top flight, which is naturally going to cloud his judgement. Gman, a Milan follower, provided a more rounded view.
Itās interesting to note that Celtic had a better defensive record than the ultra defensive Huns, who numbered Carlos Cuellar in their defence, in the league last season too. Itās easy to pick the example of Gary Caldwellās early career to label him a failure but you could go through the Villa squad and similarly pick out Luke Young being unable to get a game at Spurs.
Overall, as I said, itās a pointless exercise. And it will continue to be one if Villa lose to teams like Stoke, Boro, Newcastle and QPR, as they have already done this season.