[Football] Aston Villa

[Thunder Bolt]

Fair enough. I was being slightly sarcastic on the relegation comment. He took Bournemouth up 3 years ago. That's a long time in football.

He is still quite capable of playing at Championship level. Eddie Howe has a record of just abandoning players when he no longer needs them. Murray, for example, and Elphick. Steve Bruce doesn't rate Tommy, but that doesn't make him a bad player.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

He is still quite capable of playing at Championship level. Eddie Howe has a record of just abandoning players when he no longer needs them. Murray, for example, and Elphick. Steve Bruce doesn't rate Tommy, but that doesn't make him a bad player.

When you say Eddie Howe has a record of 'abandoning' players when he no longer needs them, what else can he do with them, other than sell them on? That's precisely what he did with Tommy. Just unfortunate that things haven't worked out for him at Villa.

Howe and Bruce are very different types of manager, one largely likes to see the ball kept on the deck, the other has a more long ball style.

 

[GT49er]

He is still quite capable of playing at Championship level. Eddie Howe has a record of just abandoning players when he no longer needs them. Murray, for example, and Elphick. Steve Bruce doesn't rate Tommy, but that doesn't make him a bad player.

I think he's been a bit unlucky. IIRC, he lost his place at B'muff in the PL through injury and couldn't get it back again. I think Villa paid a fair whack for him; it just didn't work out for him there - I think even before Bruce came along.
I suppose his injuries might have cast doubts over his future (?) - they seem to have been quite serious - but I'd like to see him revive his career, at Reading or wherever.

 

[Weststander]

When you say Eddie Howe has a record of 'abandoning' players when he no longer needs them, what else can he do with them, other than sell them on? That's precisely what he did with Tommy. Just unfortunate that things haven't worked out for him at Villa.

Howe and Bruce are very different types of manager, one largely likes to see the ball kept on the deck, the other has a more long ball style.

Very true about playing styles. Grealish is the exception to the Bruce rule. The rest of the Villa tactics comprise power, height and directness.

 

[Weststander]

Interesting article about Villa:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/jun/06/aston-villa-tony-xia-bleak-future

In season 2016/17 alone they ignored FFP and spent £88m on players. Contrast that to us, by no means low spenders ourselves, paying a mere £2m to £5m each on the likes of Duffy, Knockaert and Murray.

Their problems won't be leaving them any time soon. HMRC will want the next monthly tranche of PAYE/National Insurance to the tune of £4.2m, then the same recurring into the future. A legacy of paying huge wages to circa 25 players, they couldn't truly afford to acquire.

 

[sjamesb3466]

You reap what you sow. Spent crazy money in a league notorious for being a nightmare to get out of and one in which it has been proven many times that massive spending doesn't always guarantee success.

Little sympathy here. I bet most Villa fans were creaming themselves when this rich foreign owner came in promising the world. **** we are lucky to have Mr Bloom and Mr Barber. Barber especially may have his faults (my own dad thinks he is a hatchet man) by he sure knows how to look after the finances of a football club (and spend Mr Blooms money wisely). Long may they both reign over the Albion.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Villa were also a cash cow for N’Zogbia, who recenly spent literally years not playing games for them, whilst on massive wages in a long contract and refusing to be sold on.

Lessons there for sensible clubs like the Albion.

A lesson we learned with Rod 'disco' Thomas.....

1998–2001 Brighton & Hove Albion 48 (4)

 

[Weststander]

A lesson we learned with Rod 'disco' Thomas.....

1998–2001 Brighton & Hove Albion 48 (4)

I can't even remember him! But I can recall the Rod Thomas who starred for Derby and Cardiff in the 70's.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I can't even remember him! But I can recall the Rod Thomas who starred for Derby and Cardiff in the 70's.

He looked absolutely shit hot when we signed him but he very quickly lost interest and was happy to see out his contract while DJing in the fleshpots of Brighton. Our 'Super Rodney' (it was Roderick, actually) was not welsh, although he did welsh on his contractual commitment to us. Like the knobbers mentioned above in the luxury villa context (a term coined by [MENTION=528]attila[/MENTION] rather than Paul samrah, schurely??). The workshy basterds.

 

[Braggfan]

He looked absolutely shit hot when we signed him but he very quickly lost interest and was happy to see out his contract while DJing in the fleshpots of Brighton. Our 'Super Rodney' (it was Roderick, actually) was not welsh, although he did welsh on his contractual commitment to us. Like the knobbers mentioned above in the luxury villa context (a term coined by [MENTION=528]attila[/MENTION] rather than Paul samrah, schurely??). The workshy basterds.

I always think you speak a lot of sense on here, but I recall Rod Thomas’s time with us differently. For me he was without doubt a shining light at Gillingham during dark times. During a time when we signed a lot of dross, he was by far and away our best signing for a few years. There was a spell at Gillingham when he and Minton linked up amazingly and for a little while pushed us to within reach of the playoffs (it all went wrong when Horton left and we lost 8 or 9 on the trot under Wood). He got injured, (ankle ligaments I seem to recall) and missed a chunk of games, mainly during that rotten run. All of that was prior to Micky Adams arriving. I love Micky Adams and what he did for the club, but he had his own way of doing things and he liked players who had played for him before. Almost from the moment Micky arrived Rod Thomas was side lined, maybe because he was coming back from injury, but he never really got a run in the team. You can't argue with Micky's first spell with us, but it was a shame Rod never featured in his plans. I don't think it was Thomas's attitude, I think it was more an unfortunate injury and change of manager that led to him drifting out of the side. I know a lot of people who never went to Gillingham who say Thomas was very average, which I always say is because they never saw him at Gillingham.

 

[Surf's Up]

Was it not Rod Thomas who made that amazing save in front of app 1100 fans on a cold winters night against Plymouth?

 

[Easy 10]

Rod Thomas was MUSTARD

(Pebble).

 

[James Bond's body double]

Rod Thomas was MUSTARD

(Pebble).

Never rated Rod Thomas myself.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

I always think you speak a lot of sense on here, but I recall Rod Thomas’s time with us differently. For me he was without doubt a shining light at Gillingham during dark times. During a time when we signed a lot of dross, he was by far and away our best signing for a few years. There was a spell at Gillingham when he and Minton linked up amazingly and for a little while pushed us to within reach of the playoffs (it all went wrong when Horton left and we lost 8 or 9 on the trot under Wood). He got injured, (ankle ligaments I seem to recall) and missed a chunk of games, mainly during that rotten run. All of that was prior to Micky Adams arriving. I love Micky Adams and what he did for the club, but he had his own way of doing things and he liked players who had played for him before. Almost from the moment Micky arrived Rod Thomas was side lined, maybe because he was coming back from injury, but he never really got a run in the team. You can't argue with Micky's first spell with us, but it was a shame Rod never featured in his plans. I don't think it was Thomas's attitude, I think it was more an unfortunate injury and change of manager that led to him drifting out of the side. I know a lot of people who never went to Gillingham who say Thomas was very average, which I always say is because they never saw him at Gillingham.

That seems a fairly reasoned argument. Although l saw nearly all of our games in exile, (at Gillingham), I was watching what was just about the worst Albion side ever. Consequently many of the games l witnessed have been conveniently airbrushed from my memory banks.

It was a time when we were signing an awful lot of obscure players in an ever more desperate attempt to turn the tide of despair, and poor Rod was just one of them. Looking back I think if he was playing in a more settled, more successful side, he would have fared better, and been more appreciated..

 

[Braggfan]

That seems a fairly reasoned argument. Although l saw nearly all of our games in exile, (at Gillingham), I was watching what was just about the worst Albion side ever. Consequently many of the games l witnessed have been conveniently airbrushed from my memory banks.

It was a time when we were signing an awful lot of obscure players in an ever more desperate attempt to turn the tide of despair, and poor Rod was just one of them. Looking back I think if he was playing in a more settled, more successful side, he would have fared better, and been more appreciated..

God we did sign some absolute guff back then. People seemed to come in for 2 or 3 games and then disappear. I think the first year was definitely the worst. Under Horton in that second year, we looked ok at times. Comparitively I mean, compared to how we'd played for the two previous seasons and against some of the other sides in the division.

 

[theroyal]

Nearly took them down...

I like Tommy, but I think League 1 is his level now. I thought at the time it was a naive signing by Villa.

Only made 4 appearances. Got injured. He looked good when he did play.

 

[Giraffe]

Only made 4 appearances. Got injured. He looked good when he did play.

Fair enough, maybe he just needs an injury free run then. A good pre-season and he might come back the same player we know he is capable of being. 30 in September so probably has 2-3 years left before pace will become a real problem. But if alongside a faster centre half his reading of the game will stand out.

 

[Munkfish]

I thought we signed Rod Thomas with money contributed by fans? He wasn't the worst player of that error, Geoff Pitcher was much worse, although I was far to young to know about Rods late night goings on.

 

[Wozza]

Definition of unfulfilled potential....

"At just 14, he was being hailed as 'the next Pelé' while in Watford's youth set-up, however by 23, he was playing for Carlisle United F.C. in the fourth tier."

 

[Wozza]

I have fond memories of Thomas at Gillingham. Loved the fact that he took on players.

Anyway, a nice piece about his Mansfield goal here...

https://sabotagetimes.com/football/...-thomas-vs-mansfield-town-thomas-vs-mansfield