Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Ross McCormack from Fulham.
We decided to speak to Fulham fan and podcaster Russ Goldman about our new striker. Big thank you to Russ for answering our questions.
1. What can we expect from McCormack as a whole?
You can pretty much expect that he will score you around 20 goals so that is a positive for Aston Villa as goals should not be an issue for the club now.
2. Will he be one that will work for the team?
I have, to be honest here and say what I have seen so the answer is “no”, as he is a striker that wants everything to go through him.
As long as the manager and the supporters accept what he is, which is a proven goal scorer he will help you, but as a team player, I personally did not see him that way at Fulham.
3. What is the general mood from Fulham fans about this move?
This is interesting as it is pretty split. I did a twitter poll a few weeks ago that had 501 votes and 54% voted “no” on selling him, but 46% wanted to sell him.
I was in the minority as I wanted Fulham to move on, so they could reinvest in the needs for Fulham. Fulham are now playing a pressing style with pace, and I was not sure how McCormack fit into the team this season.
This move to Aston Villa should benefit both teams and that is what you want in a deal.
4. Where is he best suited to play?
He is best suited to play as one of two strikers up front or in a formation that he is right behind the main striker. He is not suited to be the lone striker and my hope is that he will stay up front and not go so deep to get the ball.
A criticism of him has been going too deep and leaving the other striker isolated. He just needs to do his job which is scoring goals and letting the play come to him. If you notice him coming deep into the midfield that is not a good sign. He just needs to be a striker.
5. Will he settle into the squad quickly?
I would like to say yes, but his time at Fulham it took him about six weeks to hit his groove so do not panic if he starts slow. I don’t think he will start strong from the beginning as he will work his way into the team so just be patient.
6. Are you concerned for your goal outlet without McCormack having already lost Dembele?
I am not as concerned as you might think as Fulham have really changed how they are playing, so the goals should be distributed throughout the team, and the defence seems to have improved a great deal.
Fulham are going to win in different ways, and I think a huge key will be how they defend. The focus of the team has changed from the two up front, to a team that wants to press and play solid on defence.
7. Could he help Villa to promotion?
He could if the manager uses him correctly, and just understands that he is a striker and just gets him to concentrate on scoring goals.
8. Are many fans bitter about this move?
There are fans that are upset because his goals kept us in the league the last two seasons, and I am grateful for what he offered with those goals.
It is the unknown that scares fans, but doors have now been opened so as long as Fulham continue to build on the recruitment they have done so far, this move could really turn Fulham from a good team to a very good team.
There are fans that are nervous, but my hope is that him leaving catapults Fulham to the next level if they reinvest wisely.
9. Anything else you would like to add about him?
I wanted, to be honest here and I thanked Ross McCormack on Twitter because Fulham would be in League One without him.
I just think that leaving for Aston Villa is the best thing for him and Fulham. I do wish him the best, and I hope he is a success for Aston Villa. It was just time to move on and a change was needed for McCormack and Fulham.
Comments.
Loading comments…