Against Swansea City, Aston Villa paid the price for playing four in the middle. Whilst having two up front may look like a more solid option at home, strikers are useless if stifled of their supply.

In the article I wrote before the Sunderland game for the Express & Star, I suggested that four in the middle only tends to work when you’re either a) you’re playing against four in the middle and are better man for man or b) you’re far better than your opponent that them playing five in the middle makes no difference.

Sure, Villa may only have lost by one goal and, depending on how you look at the game, that may have been yet another example of bad luck conceding late, but the truth is that we lost and it was a massive point to miss.

Make no doubt about it, a Tim Sherwood team is focused on the idea of getting on the front foot and, as stated above, putting two up front is one way of looking like you’re attacking more than if you play one.

The reality, however, is slightly more complex. Take, for example, the 4-2-3-1 system can, depending on its implementation, be anything from defensive to all-out-attacking, meaning two holding midfielders or four attackers with support.

4-4-2, on the other hand, has its limitations. As stated previously, if you play with two central midfielders, you’re at risk of being outnumbered against a team with five across the middle, leading to your strikers being isolated.

For Villa, the issue the team have had is playing under pressure. In Sherwood’s defence, he has set the team on the front foot to alleviate some of those issues, meaning Villa are forcing their opponents on to the back foot. However, when facing more numbers in the midfield, the only chance to equal or beat the numbers games means going wide or going long.

Going wide poses its own risks and Swansea exploited issues in those areas to get the win. Going long means a risk of losing the ball – and the subsequent possession – and when you lack the ball, you lack the chance to do anything with it.

Villa need to think a little more tactical when it comes to survival. Whilst the argument for retaining a certain formation – regardless of the opponents – has its own advantages, but Villa aren’t good enough to retain a “one size fits all” mentality to tactics.

On the contrary, Villa need to adapt. Sherwood has displayed this to an extent – the use of Matthew Lowton at left back has proved effective enough – although there needs to be more to the team’s adaptability than just playing inverted wing backs.

Sometimes this might mean using five in the middle. Sometimes it might involve stretching play wider against teams that play a more narrow and compact formation.

Again, to Sherwood’s credit, he started to change the formation to suit the tactics, but it realistically should have been done earlier, though I appreciate it is easy to sit from my armchair stating what should and shouldn’t be done tactically given I have no culpability.

What matters is that Villa survive. April will pose significant, if not insurmountable, challenges. Games against the Manchester clubs and Tottenham Hotspur may yield a less than ideal amount, although Villa will likely take it to their opponents given Sherwood’s philosophies.

Whether the Villans survive is something that will be illustrated in time, but many will be happy that Sherwood’s men are attacking more than before. What matters now is just how they adapt when the situation requires more than just cockiness and soundbites.

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Matt Turvey
Matt is the owner of, and chief writer for, Aston Villa Life. He is also a columnist for the Wolverhampton Express & Star, appearing in the Kick Off pullout on Saturdays and the Final Whistle pullout the Monday after Aston Villa play, as well as every Thursday as a blogger on their website. He has previously been featured as a writer on Football365 and Life's A Pitch, and was a regular pundit for Sports Tonight TV on Sky.

Comments 96

  1. John Lerwill

    Matt,

    Interesting article, but the issue for me is still that we had several reasonable chances so I’m not sure that lack of supply was the problem.

    It seemed to me that the shooters hadn’t got their sights properly adjusted. Sinclair in particular.

    Strikers should get a great majority of their shots on target at least. Swansea did, and scored from one of them.

  2. Mark King

    morning all,

    hello matt, I wonder how much TS’s tactics are personnel driven verses the need to get our lot believing they can win?
    As you have stated against that many in midfield it was always going to be a struggle, add makeshift defenders and the problems multiply.
    maybe if we set up in a more defensive formation we would of ended up creating little as in Lamberts time and TS was guarding against this?

    when we have played Westwood and Sanchez as defensive mids they tend to get in each others way. In fact Sanchez tends to want to be everywhere, he doesn’t play a very disciplined DM role for me. westwood is more disciplined but less physically capable.

    The other major problem is we attack from the right continually and that is too easy to suss out for a good team.

    In hindsight maybe TS should approach the better teams with more caution but as he’s watched us get stuffed doing that most of the season he’s reluctant?

  3. Trinity

    Hello all.

    Hello Matt. You make some good points. Guess it’s one of those damned if you do and damned if you don’t kind of things. I’m tempted to think that given what TS knows abour Spurs if the game against them isn’t our best chance to beat them in a few years.

  4. Graham O'Gara

    This was probably the perfect game to allow Gil to come in and provide that extra body in the middle of the part, without losing a whole lot up front.

    Sure Gil isn’t the biggest, but he is tenacious and seems to work hard. He could have helped close down spaces in the centre circle of the park.

    Its no shame to lose to Swansea at the moment, as I said last week I can’t stand Gary Monk but he seems to have taken to management like to duck to water. He’s helped massively because the club have an excellent structure and their direction and team philosophy is not dictated by the manager but the chairman and the board, their is stability, their is a plan. In fact Swansea are the complete opposite to Villa in every way. They have stability, a direction, a plan. They are also a small nothing club with little history. We’ve been running round like headless chickens, looking for that one man wonder to come in and plug a sinking ship, but ohhhh look at how big the club is and our history….

    While we have a core of really good players, I also feel we have a glut of sub-standards in and around the squad. Fox in all fairness seems to be doing things well in the back ground, and hope that he continues to make improvements to the structure of the club, for developing both commercially and on the pitch, the two things now go hand in hand.

    Away from the team the team I see the Uzmanov rumours are rumbling back on to the scene, how I wish their was an ounce of truth in them….

    TS is a young manger, he’s got the right intentions and we’ll need to roll with a few punches as well as enjoy the occasional knock out punches we deliver when it all clicks.

    QPR is massive for us, our fixture list isn’t looking kind to us at the moment.

  5. runtings

    Interesting points Matt

    Before the swans game i have to admitt i was hoping for 442 but due to the swans slick football and the fact that we didnt take any of three good chances we lost out of points

    We tried to have a go but it didnt work out but 442 suggests to me that we believe we can win and are prepared to have a go at doing so — this in itself is a god send after the last couple of negitive years
    Ii is going to be hard for TS to keep everyone happy and hindsight is ours rather than his – lots of players out too

    I agree that switching tactics depending the opposition is a weapon that can help us win a game if the manager and team get it bang on but i also think for this season TS should keep it simple – i saw delph play a diaganal forward ball in the latter part of the swans game that opened of the swans – not seen that kind of pass from delph before so it shows that the training is making are players better and much more attack focused

    i reckon it gonna be hit and miss to the end of the season but i also thing a shock win or two is around the corner for us — we live in hope

  7. Ree Khalid

    Nice article Matt and I have to agree with you, 442 wide is fine when you’re playing teams using the same formation or teams weaker than you but not against better opponents. Ferguson was re-known for his 442 with genuine wingers but there was a reason he went 433 against better opponents later on in his career. Footballing styles have their cycles and for me 442 has been dead since the early naughties. A decent 3 will always outplay a good 2.

    There are problems with the 433/4231 if you dont get enough support up then the lone striker becomes too isolated. For me these formations are nearing the end of their cycle, still very effective if used right but have been found out. Right now Im liking the 4312/442 diamond formation, as you have the 2 strikers which will more than occupy the back 4 and you have that no 10 in a free role roaming around the pitch. This is what I feel is more effective for us, Nzogbia or Gil are perfect for that free role.

    When time switched to that formation against the baggies first game, I thought it was a great move. We absolutely dominated first half. He switched it up for the next match due to injuries, then we played Sunderland at the right time and made it count with our counters. Against Swansea we should have gone back, but Sherwood stuck with the same formation. Cant really blame him given the result before, but when he saw it wasnt working he should have changed it up. AT half time I thought he would change it, he kept it the same but higher tempo which worked to an extent. When Nzogbia came off it was 0-0 and he bought on Westwood, I though finally hes changing it so we have three in the middle. Instead he switched Delph, who was our best player, out wide and Sinclair to the other side.

    Tbh game could have gone either way as John says, but the fact was we never had any real control of that game. Swansea did for long periods. Overall we deserved to lose it and it was down to Sherwood. When he came to the club I knew hed bring in a change and motivation, but I was surprised at how big an impact he had. He sussed the situation real quick and got us fitter off the pitch which has helped massively getting those wins we have. Iv even been impressed with his tactical changes each game – until the Swansea one. Lets hope its a blip but its one of the things that worried me about Tim as a manager. We need to get back to the diamond formation against Utd otherwise it will be the same result.

  8. Jenny Truman

    Good morning Matt – and I really enjoyed your article – as I am interested and learning all the time about the significance of football formations etc so it was very informative for me.!!

    Even the ladies I was with, who don’t even know what the midfield is, asked why we couldn’t get the ball . From the first ten minutes it was clear we had lost the midfield. It was faintly embarasssing seeing the home team watching on and chasing whilst Swansea dominated and passed the ball for fun. (siliencing the crowd as Monk intended)

    What psychological l effect does this have on the players? With all the chasing after the ball and the frustration that they couldn’t keep it, they soon looked dispirited and lacking in confidence compared to the fantastic display they put on at the SOL. I agree that it should have been changed sooner – if that is possible – and also that it is very easy to be an armchair critic on the sidelines. It was improved at half time – so yes TS deserves credit for that.

    From my limited knowledge of formations, common sense tells me that flexibility and adaptability must come near the top of the list when considering managerial skills. Some of the Spurs fans complained that Tim Sherwood rolled out the 4-4-2 formation too often which was fine for the teams lesser than you but not so great playing those better or the same standard. That said, he still had a 59% success rate – a record to be proud of albeit in a 29 game period. So who knows whether, as Mark said he is limited on choice given the players he has inherited.

    The plus point from Saturday is that we had more attacks than under Lambert and we are playing a less defensive style. It looks like Benteke wasn’t 100 per cent fit, as he wasn’t just quiet after the knock , he seemed to be holding back .

    Gary Monk is similar to Tim Sherwood at Spurs, and R de Mateo at Chelsea. All were significant players for the clubs they later went onto manage. Interesting that Sherwood didn’t get his managerial contract extended after his success and R De Mateo was sacked inspite of winning two trophies including the Champions League. Time will tell whether the club player/manager helps them in their role (knowledge of club – instant respect from players and fans etc) so this is something Tim Sherwood will be keen to dispel – ie he can do it with another club (can de Mateo?) Maybe the club connection gets you so much time and after that period it is down to your managerial skills.

    FInally, changing the formation will make no difference if your players can’t pass to their own. Saturday showed that we couldn’t and even the crowd gave up cheering when the ball went to a claret and blue because it was passed straight back to a white shirt. Tim Sherwood must have been tearing his hair out – I certainly was !

  9. Ree Khalid

    Jenny – the extra body Swansea had in midfield cut out a lot of the passing lanes. We couldnt get the ball to Benteke or Agbonlahor to hold onto it and bring others into the game. Nzogbia drifted infield as he does to give an extra option, Sinclair didnt do that so much. Swansea sat deep too which limited the space in behind and their cm’s took up that space just in front, it was hard to get past them. Our forwards should have made more runs to give our midfielders more options but when they saw that the ball was just given away again and again they stop making runs.

    Gabby got wide a couple times second half leading to that one cross Sinclair was inches away from. All in all we lacked options and we lacked ideas.

  10. Jenny Truman

    Ree – I agree it was hard to get past them and you have eloquently explained why. But , that does not altogether explain why we were misfiring so many passes . These weren’t even being intercepted by Swansea they were passed straight to a standing player ! It really was shocking .

  11. Mark King

    TS is a young manager but monk is ten years younger and knows ts’s style. It was interesting to see us play a high line to give Delph and cleverly a chance to pressure them. It was equally plain to see Swansea didn’t. It’s plain our forwards don’t like a pact defence and swansea overran the midfield and their pressing was good. as a consequence are passing was rushed and gabby and tekkers had no room and stayed routed for large parts of the match. Well played Mr monk who saw our weakness at right back and exploited the space. The game was won as much by what monk did vs what TS did, he hit us on the break with two quick players.

    You would hope against better teams the opposition will be more adventuresome and less tactical and we can do the same.

    I see Delphs one man show second half has made him ill.

  12. Jenny Truman

    If we don’t have options hang on to the ball somehow , but we laid it straight at Swansea’s feet all the time . It was do poor I wondered whether they were getting the jitters – bad decision making – passing to get rid of it as soon as possible .

  14. Mark King

    Jen I’m guessing that ts’s introductions were to get the ball forward quickly. That’s when you see a difference with clever players they will try different approaches rather than follow instructions blindly. It’s been said a lot but Gil would of made a difference.
    The full back and a pact midfield stopped backuna crossing and you could see tekkers gabby and Sinclair all on the back post waiting. Not one run to the near post, a couple of times nzogbia got into the area and still no front post runner. We obviously got carried away with the new cafus ability.

  16. Mark King

    I see benteke has declared himself fit for Belgium, I hope it’s not just desperation on his part, if so let’s hope he doesn’t get on the pitch

  17. Rags

    I agree with the basic point of the article that 4-4-2 vs Swansea in theory was never going to be optimal however in Sherwood’s defence:

    He has just got here, mb he wants us to get better at 4-4-2 b4 trying something else

    We just won 4-0 was this tactic, if it aint broke…

    He showed confidence in the boys, ‘we don;t need to change- your better than them’ attitude

    We just lost, mainly because Sinclair is pony

  18. steamers75

    Runtins/ Brasil .
    do you fancy meeting up on semi day at a pub in Kilburn to watch the game on telly , let me know asap as l will give my ticket away , lm happier in the pub ) ) , jenny do you fancy a day out .
    Jenny xxxx. get your name down for assistant to TS , think he needs it ,

    Frem
    email me your address mate

  19. Mark King

    rags is that except on the days he scores? in that case it was a good job Swansea’s forwards were pony for most of the game or it would of been embarrassing 😉

  22. Frem

    Personally I’m a big fan of the 442 and I don’t think we needed to change formation. I’ve seen many games where a team playing 442 has done just fine playing against a team playing 3 in midfield. I think it depends on what shape the three are. If it’s a flat middle three who are always side on to each other like ours under lambert were, then 442 is fine. If it’s a triangle 3 with the two centre mids in front of our two and the CAM playing in between the lines then it becomes harder but as log as our two centre mids get there angles of the ball right then it should fine.

    http://youtu.be/XDgAC2dQfqM

    Have a look at this. Personally Carrick is one of the most underrated players around. Look at his movement of he ball and blocking of passing lines. One man can cut of the passing lines of two possible options if he gets it right. Our two in centre mid should watch this

  24. steamer

    IMO,most managers have their preferred systems, Lambert liked 1-10-0-0. it depends on what type of players are available. Apart from one game, as a manager, i always played 4-4-2, flat back 4 with FB’s only backing up MF, anchor in CM and a floater behind the front man, two natural widemen, think someone later christened it ‘the Christmas tree’ by the way, we never won bugger all but we played some nice footy along the way.

  26. runtings

    ST75 yes deffo up for linking up – one of my work mates has a wembley season ticket along with his uncle – if is uncle is not back from Ireland for the semi’s i get the ticket – which i am not banking on – will let your know for sure asap

    I am a big fan of ooh ooh ooh its carrick – you know -youll never believe its not scholes — agree frem he is very under rated – no suprise man u have stepped up a gear since his return

  29. steamer

    Played 666.

    S75,
    Just give Runtingz your ticket, he can go to the game and you can still get bladdered without doing his head in, problem solved.

  30. Mark King

    rags- Gomis may have descended from heaven in a golden chariot surrounded by angels singing his praises but he’s still only got 6 goals in all competitions. 3 in the prem with 1 assist in 30 games sounds electric.

    Frem- glad you put that up, its exactly what Sanchez doesn’t do, he makes himself look bad/slow by charging about instead of cutting out the angles. Carrick is hardly quick but uses his body and position to guide play, its amazing how much you can effect this. Clarke has learnt it this season and seems much improved, he used to get turned a lot and had to foul now his positioning is 100% better. I’m going to have a look at a forest game as GG is playing that position and from what I am hearing is really good at it, which doesn’t surprise me he’s an intelligent player.

  32. steamer

    Just had a squint at the blogs, our fans aren’t too confident about the next few games, if Lambert was still boss then i wouldn’t be either but IMO we’re a different prospect now, we may surprise a few folk especially when we win at the theatre of bullshine.

  34. steamers75

    nice one Runtins , will def meet , just paid coach fair so will give ticket away ,

    mark l only want what l paid , not into making money out of our lot , altho l could name a few l would , and lets get this straight , lm the one who is owed money , l think thats why Brasil hasnt answered my calls to meet up ,

  37. James Gill

    frem
    442 works but not with 2 out and out wingers
    think houghton barnes at pool late 80 wilcox riply at blackburn giggs beckham utd overmars parlour gunners
    just need to get balance right
    our 2 cm to light and not strong enough

  38. Frem

    The 80’s is before my time James 🙂

    Giggs and Beckham, you couldn’t get 2 more out and out wingers if you tried could you? Scholes and Keane in the middle
    The work load of the wingers in a 442 is massive, maybe Zoggy can’t handle that.

  39. Frem

    I think Delph can handle it in a 442 no probs. Great energy and good pace. Can travel with the ball. Clev has the mobility to but i fear Sanchez and Westwod are to slow for it.

    On Delph, anyone else think he looked amazing when he was moved to left mid on sat ? Maybe something in Sherwoods plans

  40. James Gill

    frem
    whats your description of winger, mine is bit speed, trick or 2, can cross the ball
    beckham could play a cross or deadball but no tricks or speed
    delph not strong enough or good enough passer to play as a two man centre mid but part of 442 delph on left tricky winger on other side no problem
    houghton played for villa at end of his career and one of my favourite irish player of all time great footballing brain great commentator

  43. John Lerwill

    I am surprised on the amount of comment about not getting the ball to the forwards on Saturday.

    Though the first half was of that type, the second half saw Villa open up their defence more as they pressed up. And the result was a few chances, mostly wasted by Sinclair who (I thought) was able to get in because their defence were concentrating on Gabby and CB.

    I’m of the opinion that if Sinclair had scored – particularly earlier in the second half – we may have seen a very different outcome. Swansea would have had to change their game.

    It’s getting those shots on target that’s the key in my opinion.

  46. B6toBrasil

    Morning Lifers

    John,I believe we will be safe,mainly due to low standard of the Prem.Sherwood`s real test will be next season,when the new impetus he has created has evaporated and the novelty factor has gone.Let`s not forget he hasn`t even been a gaffer for 50 games,but he could turn out to be a cracking manager for us,far better than many with 500 games under their belt,perhaps.

    Deano I am pleased you are landing in my manor,Kilburn and can be contacted on
    07417591079 villajoeB6@yahoo.co.uk

  48. Ree Khalid

    John that article is pure filler, not even worth the time to read it. How do you judge form? If its the last 3 games we’d be 5th in the table and above champions Man City! If its the last 6 games we would be 14th, and if its the last 12 games then we would be 17th above only Sunderland, Leicester and QPR!

    Theres so many other factors to take under consideration. Also we all know how unpredictable football is.

    That being said, I read a better stats based prediction on ESPN a few days ago which had us finishing 15th on 35/36 points, which is pretty much how I think we will finish.

  49. James Gill

    g o gara
    would like to think sherwood could get a better keeper than give guzan new contract not good enough in my opinion poor handling kicking too many goals coming from crosses across 6 yard box does command penalty area
    frem
    loved wingers like young but my thinking would be a 442 system attacking fullbacks good partner ship like some of the ones the last 20 years god and teale southgate eghiou mellborg laursen one strong and one cute knows what to do and when, midfield one out and out winger like a young big strong centre mid like sanchez only quicker one ball player and maybe delph out left strikers i would go at home big man little man like gil to open doors away gabby for pace

  50. John Lerwill

    Ree,

    In a way, I posted that link just to demonstrate that it’s all a question of mirrors and shadows! 😉

    However, I think somewhere between 32 and 36 points will, in fact, be sufficient.

  52. steamers75

    JL
    steamer has knackered his laptop screen up , he got a picture of the villa/swans crowd and divided it up into little squares on his screen , thing is the marker he used was a permanent one !

    Brasil will be in touch about what pub we stopping at mate , bring that £20 , and you Runtins , l can then get us some jaeggerbombs

  56. Mark King

    james- I don’t think the centre mid has to be that big or quick. doesn’t hurt but knowing how to play the position like carrick (frems example yesterday) much more important. I think playing anywhere in the middle requires a quick brain to weigh up all the options that are occurring continually, defensive and attacking. cowans wasn’t huge or Mortimer.
    I agree on Guzan he has stopped coming for crosses as much as he did before and his kicking is pants.

    JL- your right if we had scored it would of changed the game but if Swansea hadn’t missed at least three sitters first half it would have been all over 😉

  59. John Lerwill

    Did you see the map of the country’s character types? I saw it in the ‘i’ newspaper, but it’s also at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-31816926 where you can do the test yourself.

    About Brummies, it seems to be saying…

    Moderately extraverted,
    Moderately agreeable,
    Moderately conscientious
    Fairly neurotic
    Moderately open to (new) experience

    I did the test and found that I’d be best suited to living in a part of Leicestershire! … In fact not far from where I was living over 40 years ago!

  64. James Gill

    mark k
    my ideas on team system are you have to have strong spine like mourinos chelsea
    but some of my favourite players for villa and in general where ball players like carrick
    barry never to fast but great brain draper platt houghton richardson kevin parker loved big ron players

  65. Mark King

    I agree on that james I think GG could be that player who has it all. Hes 6’1 is doing well anchoring forests midfield can score pass too
    Hopefull I know but he has always had quality

  72. Mark King

    but in place of who John? I think he would probably play instead of nzogbia so who plays RM? he suits playing at the tip of a diamond midfield so to keep Zoogy in we have to lose a gabby or tekkers?
    Defence isn’t his forte so he fails on several levels for me to come up to TS’s must be fit for a battle demands. I can’t see Joe beating many people on shuttle runs either. we are already without cleverly who complements delph well so the midfield will be under par anyhow can we afford a man who is likely to fall over?

  73. John Lerwill

    Well, let TS choose where he plays, Mark! – That’s his job. 😉

    In TS we *have* to trust!

    In fact we don’t really expect to win at OT so this match may just be another practice run… We can’t afford knocks with QPR being played within a few days.

  74. Jenny Truman

    I really like Tim Sherwood’s style in this respect . Unlike his predecessor, he values experience – and when in a relegation fight , better we have bodies on there who’ve seen it , dome it and can keep a cool head . He is picking personalities and battlers . He wants men out there not boys , people he can rely on . It was TS afterall who said they were playing in fear , and I don’t think that was fear of PL to be fair. It was fear of making mistakes and losing . It is a secure manager , whether in sport or business , who embraces experience , particularly from ppl who have been there before , and don’t feel threatened by it.
    We all have different opinions on the speed in which PL wanted to expel the experienced (was KMac one if these too?) and bring in young “blank pages” to work with , but it could be he felt insecure – they’d worked for better and more experienced managers than him , knew more about the club. It’s hard comjng into a new company / club and the best and most self assured will try and get everyone on their team who can benefit – rather than the less confident who fear being conpared unfavourably so bring in “their own”,
    I read Tim Sherwood saying Petrov will “always have a place here whilst I am Manager”, not just as a mascot but because he knows the club , players and has loads to offer . Also he wanted as many ppl who were involved with the club in the past as possible . Wise move Tim , a win win. Fans love it – and club experience will speed up his getting to grips with how it all works. Sorry about rambling post btw.

  75. Mark King

    nicely sidestepped John 😉 I have to say unless we change formation I can’t see Joe starting, wish the man was truly fit and I would have less doubt.
    I really wish we could be that flippant about available points you can guarantee the likes of Burnley won’t be. The winning attitude has to be maintained. Our home form is not written in stone unfortunately But we have seen this team come away with wins at the big clubs and I think with the right approach we can get something, the wrong one and we get hammered

  76. John Lerwill

    Good morning Jenny!

    Yes … the difference in attitude towards the ‘old uns’ is astonishing.

    TS’s attitude is one of inclusiveness – unity. That creates a much better atmosphere.

  77. John Lerwill

    Mark,

    I take the point about needing to keep the winning attitude momentum. Yes, that’s of course important.

    But it’s also necessary to have a fit team to play the QPR match. As we’re in doubt about getting anything at OT it would be foolhardy to go into the match with all guns blazing with the QPR match in mind.

    I’d be v. happy for Villa to get a point at OT, but if not then not.

  78. Mark King

    Jen I truly think Lamberts thinking was guided by wage reduction. He saw it as the quickest way to get to the wage level asked of him. I suspect at first he really believed in his own ability to bring through lesser players as he did at Norwich and still compete. Unfortunately he couldn’t shift the high earners quickly enough, those that went made us little money and those that stayed were the most expensive. This had the knock on effect of limiting who we could bring in and I think a little animosity and maybe belligerence on both parties parts meant they were not going to come back in and be used.
    Once the sale was announced and funds tightened further
    Lambert really had no choice but to turn to a group of demotivated players, the rest is history.

  79. Mark King

    John- That’s why I think we should set up as Swansea did against us and play on the break but I don’t think its TS’s style. At spuds he got several beatings I assume as he went out all guns blazing

  84. Frem

    Agree with Mark, I can’t see Cole playing in a 442. He won’t have the legs to run up and down all game as a winger. I like his ability but he can only play as a CAM from the start, or maybe 20 mins at most a winger. That’s why I worry about Gil and Grealish, if the future is 442, I don’t think they have the pace to play as two out and out wingers.

  85. Ian

    Hey Mark, is there too much history in Villa Park for a completely new stadium to be built? One with a retractable roof for instance. Most of the new stadiums here are covered which rules out inclement weather for all the games. BC Place stadium is warm in the winter and air conditioned in the summer and it holds 65,000. Always perfect conditions for a game. Fans are always in shirt sleeves.

  86. John Lerwill

    Ian,

    Why are you trying to remove the semblance of the old days that’s still available to the fans? 😉

    I miss the standing on terraces and the tidal wave of passion as the old fans used to move and push forward when a moment of brilliance occurred.

    It all seems so hygienic now! … Adding a roof would only make it more artificial i.m.h.o.

    Once that gets introduced you’ll have teleportation of fans directly into the ground and bypassing the weather altogether!!

  87. Ree Khalid

    Afternoon all. I find it a bit strange TS is bigging up Cole given the way he has spoken about Gil. For all intents and purposes they are similar players, what Cole has over Gil is experience but Gil has a bigger advantage over Cole and thats the ability not to stay injured! I do rate Cole and have ever since he broke through, he was a special talent and injuries probably stopped him having a better career. He’s a person who will take chances and will not be afraid to take the ball and try do something with it. If he could stay fit he would be an asset but we all know thats not very likely. Gil also has that ability to pick out a pass and doesnt shy away from the ball. He turns on a dime creating space so he can dribble a bit too.

    I gotta say that the cameo appearance he made when he came on for his debut against Liverpool was probably the best substitute appearance I have ever seen for Villa (or that I can recall!). I was instantly a fan and he followed up with that fantastic goal in the cup and great assist against Chelsea. Even in the piss poor defeats to Arsenal and Hull he was the only one who went looking for the ball and came away with any credit. For some reason TS doesnt rate him or maybe its that he doesnt rate him in this situation. Even still Id still like him to see some playing time from the bench.

    But I agree that both will not work in a conventional 442, they need to play at the tip of the diamond in the 10 role. Nzogbia cant seem to last a full game, so most likely it will be Cole or Gil coming on for him and right now it seems he favours Cole.

  88. Mark King

    Andrew p- or we could of got 3 points from that and the previous 2 😉 Its swings and roundabouts mate but the times we have been caught out is late on, really shouldn’t happen.
    Believe me I want to see us attack but gifting it to the opposition doesn’t help either, nor does saying we should have got something there afterwards.

    Ian- only if John allows it mate

    frem/Ree- Cole has had one really good game against Burnley and knackered himself, the next game he was anonymous.
    Gil has looked threatening in all his games until he got a knock when he played his first and last game under TS against Stoke.
    The fitness excuse seems a little bit lame when Nzogbia cant last a game and now Cole is going to save us? I like TS but Gils exclusion behind Cole and weimann who incidentally has looked the worst player to get on the pitch in Ts’s reign is baffling. Also TS is known for giving players a chance, its ok saying they’ll play if they look good in training but some players come alive on match day. McGrath wouldn’t have seen the pitch ever in that case. And when did Cole have to play in a relegation battle? from what I have seen of Gil he looks up for it.

  89. Ian

    Gil will get a run. Don’t fret it. Weimann, in the past has notched some important goals. TS just might be giving him enough rope to hang himself or find his confidence and shine on. Either way it will resolve itself soon.

  90. Ree Khalid

    Weimann is suffering from a big lack of confidence from having his starting spot taken away. He’s not the type of player that makes an impact from the bench, he needs games to get his confidence and form up.

    On a side note read an interesting article ranking English clubs in terms of ‘who is the biggest’. They used a combination of stats such as attendances, trophies, league placements etc to come to a conclusion. Villa are 8th in that list below Everton and Spurs but ahead of Newcastle, which is about right but I feel maybe we could be a little higher like 5th or 6th. Some of the ways they measured the stats are suspect but makes for interesting reading.

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3011776/Are-Manchester-United-Liverpool-Arsenal-Chelsea-biggest-club-Sportsmail-s-study-finally-settles-football-s-great-debate.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490

    No surprise ManUre are on top.

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