An Impossible Job

[Guest alex]

Villa played a lot of long ball stuff under him. Obviously the better sides played better stuff but they still missed out the midfield a lot. What English teams didn't at the time though? I can remember him getting Watford to 2nd place and they were very direct. Getting away from the subject a bit though. With Taylor it's easy to be able to point to a lack of tactical brilliance at international level but with players like Gerrard and Barnes you can only assume it's a mental thing as they had/have all the talent in the world. I suppose Gerrard would say he's been played out of position a lot.

[Guest Stevie]

Villa played a lot of long ball stuff under him. Obviously the better sides played better stuff but they still missed out the midfield a lot. What English teams didn't at the time though? I can remember him getting Watford to 2nd place and they were very direct. Getting away from the subject a bit though. With Taylor it's easy to be able to point to a lack of tactical brilliance at international level but with players like Gerrard and Barnes you can only assume it's a mental thing as they had/have all the talent in the world. I suppose Gerrard would say he's been played out of position a lot.

The thing with Barnes was, when you look at the stats 79 England Caps 11 goals, that's a tremendous international career on paper. He played some brilliant games for England too. Holland at home in 93, Brazil away 84, Argentina 86, Yugoslavia away in 87, but he was so good in club football, people will remember his international career as being unfulfilled, because he didn't become the global name like a Zico, a Kempes, a Lothar Matthaus that his ability should've demanded.