Re: The Championship and Aston Villa

by South London Villan Sun Jun 05, 2016 7:03 pm

The Championship is tough, a short run of form good or bad, has a huge impact on your league position. It always makes me smile that with 5 games to go there are mid table teams that could make the play offs or be relegated.

As our fate became inevitable I watched more of the Championship and, to me, you need a real balance of skill & grit. Experience and youth. It was no surprise that Bent didn't get many minutes at Fulham or Derby. His attitude and work rate are below what is required. Weimann lacked the skill and finishing prowess to be a regular starter. Look at Bannan , industrious and committed and he makes the Championship team of the year.

by South London Villan Sun Jun 05, 2016 7:41 pm

Hmmmmmmm. Fixture list.............

https://www.docdroid.net/yUt3IuL/championship-fixture-list-2016-17.pdf.html

by **Sandie** Sun Jun 05, 2016 10:11 pm

South London Villan wrote:Look at Bannan , industrious and committed and he makes the Championship team of the year.

I always thought there was a player in Bannan (I know, I know) and it seems he just needed to move on then find a club where he could settle down. I agree with your general point too. Get in a few youngsters used to that level, add in a few experienced heads and we'll be well primed to make a relatively swift return to the Premier League return.

There always seems to be a fake leak of fixtures though that one seems very genuine so either it's right or someone's got too much time on their hands.

by Chris Harte Sun Jun 05, 2016 10:11 pm

South London Villan wrote:
As our fate became inevitable I watched more of the Championship and, to me, you need a real balance of skill & grit. Experience and youth. It was no surprise that Bent didn't get many minutes at Fulham or Derby. His attitude and work rate are below what is required. Weimann lacked the skill and finishing prowess to be a regular starter. Look at Bannan , industrious and committed and he makes the Championship team of the year.

I stuck a tenner on Weimann at the start of last season to be the Championship topscorer last season. Easy money I thought, at 33/1. What do the bookies know?

Well more than me, it seems.

He wasn't even topscorer at Derby. Think he finished on four goals.

by **Sandie** Sun Jun 05, 2016 11:46 pm

Where did it all go wrong for Weimann? He actually seemed like a decent finisher to start with. Did Lambert's insistence on deploying strikers as wingers ruin him?

by Chris Harte Mon Jun 06, 2016 10:10 am

Sandie wrote:Where did it all go wrong for Weimann? He actually seemed like a decent finisher to start with.

This was behind my thinking when I placed the bet. I honest felt he was capable of 20+ goals at that level.

by **villabromsgrove** Mon Jun 06, 2016 10:49 am

I'm convinced it's the shape of Weimann's feet that lets him down. We call him "toblerone feet" in my house, because when he shoots the ball flies off one side or another of the ridge! The Championship and Aston Villa - Page 2 3640643743

The Championship and Aston Villa - Page 2 3640643743

by **Sandie** Mon Jun 06, 2016 2:21 pm

Fixtures list a hoax apparently: http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/those-leaked-aston-villa-birmingham-11432586?

by **villabromsgrove** Wed Jun 08, 2016 7:34 pm

I've noticed a number of Championship clubs using Aston Villa as a way to hype season ticket sales (get a season ticket to guarantee that you get to watch Villa .... and Newcastle). I think that a lot of teams will play out of their skins when they play us.

We have to bring in some mentally tough players to help us deal with the "big club" tag.

by **Sandie** Wed Jun 08, 2016 9:42 pm

Both ourselves and Newcastle are big names so I'm not surprised. You'll definitely have those teams who will play out of the skin against us including several Midlands rivals. It's all transient though. If we're still a Championship club next season they won't be talking about us as much.

by **villabromsgrove** Thu Jun 09, 2016 10:28 am

Sandie wrote:Both ourselves and Newcastle are big names so I'm not surprised. You'll definitely have those teams who will play out of the skin against us including several Midlands rivals. It's all transient though. If we're still a Championship club next season they won't be talking about us as much.

I don't think that's a good management plan though. Playing crap for a season so that other teams don't try so hard against us in 2017/18! The Championship and Aston Villa - Page 2 3640643743

Only joking Sandie. Very Happy

by **villabromsgrove** Wed Jun 15, 2016 9:20 am

As much as I'm looking forward to the press conference today, it will be good to get by all this and back to a day to day normality at Villa. We've been on hold since before Christmas, almost in a state of frozen animation.

Normal stuff will be reassuring after this weird recent existence.

I guess we have to wait for the players to start pre season training, but that's only a week and a half away if they're going to be given the usual six weeks period of training before the first match.

by **Sandie** Wed Jun 15, 2016 12:36 pm

Premier League fixtures out today. Even though I know we're not involved I still ended up looking for Aston Villa under your club's fixtures on the BBC website. Sad

by **villabromsgrove** Wed Jun 15, 2016 2:21 pm

One of my son's asked me at breakfast time whether the fact that we weren't in the fixture list today bought home our situation. I was genuinely surprised by the question because I had done my grieving months ago. Now I find I'm quite chuffed about having our fixture list to look forward to next week. The Championship and Aston Villa - Page 2 205019816

The Championship and Aston Villa - Page 2 205019816

by **Sandie** Wed Jun 15, 2016 3:55 pm

I thought I did too so that almost subconscious search came as a surprise. With all the speculation about the sale (which frankly was more interesting than our games last season) it feels like I haven't had the usual mental holiday from Villa matters when these fixtures are coming out. I'm looking forward to them all the same.

by Sponsored content