Replace the first team with 11 youngsters? Well, I don't think they would do that much worse than this lot, though wisdom tells me it would be folly to take that route. But I do think that if the performances of the last two matches are the best this team of expensive hangers-on can do, then why not play 6 or 7 youngsters with (say) 4 'old heads' to keep them together?
We very nearly had such a situation at Villa once - they were called "Mercer's Minors" - and it nearly paid off. But that's another story and about another era.
Today's situation is strange, is it not? Two successive 0-1 defeats against sides managed by the likes of the wily Howe and Hodgson and both their sides fighting for top tier survival. Villa, on the other hand, look on paper to be full of enterprise and sparkling capability (which we have occasionally seen), yet are made to look stodgy by comparison.
For the first time I am asking what is the matter with Gerrard after impressing me when he first came in. For me I'm beginning to find him thoroughly inconsistent in what he says and does. Firstly he replaces Targett with Digne, ostensibly for the reason that he wants attacking full-backs. But I am yet to see quite how much Digne is better than Targett, even with Targett not playing as well as he was last season.
Then we have the matter of Sanson, of whom Gerrard said he rated as a really good player who would be an important part of the team this season. Well, if Sanson was needed to keep the bench warm, he's certainly done that. Just what has he done wrong, especially as last week Gerrard said "there would be changes" after the previous lack of performance. There was one change today - Ings for Watkins, and at the start I thought he was showing that his greater directness might pay off, but then any chemistry petered out. But Luiz, who I don't think touched the ball in the first 10 minutes, looked (as last week) mostly out of sorts.
Why did he start if there were to be "changes"? And why was Sanson still left on the bench when Luiz was pulled off?
Was Young an improvement on Cash? I don't think so. I felt sorry for Cash as passes intended for him were sent astray in point of fact.
The one player who left us with such a startling impression against Everton (Bailey) seems also not to be in favour. Yet it was that kind of performance from someone - anyone - that was needed to break through Watford today. Instead, we were left with misplaced passes, too much tippy-tappy - much of it along the halfway line - and centres that did not reach their target. And 20 "shots" and only one of those on target. Even that hardly tested the keeper.
Fed up of Hodge Hill. But UTV nevertheless!
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