Ollie Watkins

[eamonn]

Reboot required on server 357529.

Anyway, I still play Football Manager. No not that one, the Kevin Toms one.

Sorry Drummond, I was replying to the post above yours.

I know. I was just carrying on with my own agenda regardless.

Selfish.

[VillaTim]

Great finish today , and what a ball by Tielemans!

[DrGonzo]

I was beginning to wonder if somebody had told him we were swapping him for Mbuemo at the end of the season.  Brightest he's looked for a while.  We need everybody firing.

[Pete3206]

How anybody could doubt Watkins is beyond me. He is exceptional.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

Another great finish today by our near PL record goalscorer.
Villa are 2-0 up with a pen in injury time...Ollie is 1 goal away from being equal PL top scorer for us and Asensio steps up to take it, having already missed one. The fans there should have been shouting for Ollie to take it. The players/Unai should have been persuading him to take it.
The lad deserves to equal/better the record. To-day was a missed opportunity that I'm hoping won't be regretted come the season's end.

[Sexual Ealing]

What a goal!

[Ian.]

It was brilliant. He made a huge difference today.

[PaulWinch again]

It was a fantastic finish. A run of Ollie goals now would be terrific.

[garyellis]

When Brentford missed out in the playoffs (I think it was Fulham) I said to my son that’s great for us now we can sign Ollie Watkins.
Money exceptionally well spent.

[Proposition Joe]

He made some gestures to the fans after scoring that looked to me like he was saying "I'm staying here". I wonder if he's been put out a bit by rumours recently.

[Rory]

I think he genuinely 'gets' and cares for the club.

My Dad always goes on about "once you play for the Villa, it's in your blood". That's romanticised nonsense, but equally all clubs have certain players and figures who just click. Between player and club it's almost like a mutual infection.

It isn't enough that a player is great for us, or even that the fans love them. Milner, Benteke, Yorke. I don't sense any great affinity there.

But Paul McGrath, Ian Taylor, Brian Little?

I think we're spoiled right now to have quite a few where this is the case: Ollie, Tyrone, Big Emi and SJM at the bare minimum. I see signs of it in Unai as well.

[john2710]

We are always better with Ollie in the team. His finishing may let him now now & then but he is so much more than that.

[Dante Lavelli]

Given the financial situation I’d be happy with Watkins and Malen as our strikers next season. Rashford’s wages just dont seem sustainable and will prevent investment elsewhere.  I think I’d prefer a more natural winger than Asensio too.

[PaulWinch again]

I wouldn’t Asensio’s been brilliant.

[Concrete Tom]

Did anyone else notice the strapping on his lower left leg when he was on the bench yesterday?

Seems pretty obvious to me he has been carrying an injury for some time.

Performances have reflected this recently. He hasn’t been pressing/chasing as much and seemed to have lost a yard/sharpness.

Hope he’s back to his best now for the run in. We’ll need him and our full squad to turn a promising season into a great one.