Ex-Villa Player Pinpoints Villa’s Squad Problems and Plumps for Moyes

Squad Shortfall

One of the various issues MOMS has identified with Aston Villa’s squad overhaul of this summer was the lack of Premier League proven and ready-to-go purchases, that even if they were stop-gap buys, would help make Villa competitive from the off and help blood in the young European league players that Villa brought in.

Sections of Villa support have claimed that Villa have a better quality squad than last season. As they stand at the moment, I would disagree. On paper, yes, the acquisition of a bunch of £7-9m players sounds good, but the likes of Veretout, Gana, Amavi, Traore and Ayew hadn’t played a second of Premier League football. They offered potential but not proven ability.

Another key transfer was Rudi Gestede earmarked to replace the power of Christian Benteke, but while his heading prowess was very suited to Championship football, does he have the all-round game for the Premier League? Could he really be expected to replace  Benteke, the man who had kept Villa up in every season he had been at the club.

Of course, Sherwood had chased Emmanuel Adebayor as a short-term solution, the reason that didn’t complete may come out in the wash now that Sherwood has left.

The view of Villa having a lack of ‘stop-gap’ proven Premier League players being their downfall so far this season is shared by ex-Villa player Steve Froggatt. In an interview with BBCWM, he questions the club’s approach and the set-up that Sherwood had to work within (hear interview below).

 

Life After Sherwood

When asked as who should replace Sherwood now as Villa boss to try and save them from the drop, Froggatt suggested the experience of David Moyes would be the best bet.

The choice of Moyes, currently at Real Sociedad, has divided Villa supporters. While some, like Froggatt, point to the experience of the ex-Everton boss, others have pointed to a trail of disappointment after he left Everton. First there was his failure at Manchester United, followed by his underwhelming performance in Spain so far, which has had Sociedad fans calling for him to go back to England.

Certainly the key to Aston Villa’s survival now will be who comes in as the new Villa boss, if they can keep the club in touch until January and then will they get the freedom to bring in players that can make a real impact to pick-up the points to save the club.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. It looks like we are doomed barring a miracle, any new manager will have to hit the ground running and gel these players into a team of winners. Possible, but I wouldn’t bank on it. We have to get new owners and hope for some new investment. Life in the Championship might not be that bad and we could win some games at B6.

  2. Its tempting to ask, who’d take the job, footballs definitive poisened chalis. On the other hand, if you get a 2 million quid pay off if you fail, i’ll give it a shot.

    Sherwood was too quick to get rid of the old heads, the latest being Joe Cole, sent to Coventry.

    The new manager will have the usual financial constraints and will have to pick up whereTS left off, with all his new recruits. Its still salvagable, we got a good squad and the style of football’s more entertaining. My winning scenario is a manager with good technical knowledge, who gets the funds for a box to box hard tackling midfieder, Ian Taylor mark two, and a proven goal scorer, someone sharp in the box. You know what, someone like Darren Bent.

  3. I think we are 100pc doomed. The years of penny pinching under Ellis and now Lerner were always going to catch up on us – they have. Nothing -no one will save us- need an investor more than a manager

  4. Whoever comes in has to find 11-12 pts in the next nine games, to be able to go into the back 19 in January with some sort of hope. As we have only four home games during that time, the games where we could “theoretically” win points almost pick themselves. As it happens, three of them are between 19th and 28th December. So there is a window to sack whoever comes in now in eight weeks time if we don’t look like hitting that interim target, whilst still leaving some hope and of course a whole transfer window in which to get it right. smileyface.

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