Fazilla

Very difficult to pick up one player as they have all played their part. However, I think that Pau Torres has transformed the way we play. Whenever he is in possession something seems to happen. I was watching a programme on Sky Sports on the signing of the season and most went for Declan Rice. No mention of Pau. Why am I not surprised.

Peter Bankes in the home game against Spurs ran him close.

I'd go with the team that played and won against Manure last Sunday apart from Olsen for Emi. Lets see what our new goalkeeping coach can do,

Spot on with all of the above. I attended my first match in 1966 and can't remember a poorer goalkeeping display. When I read that our manager insists on us playing out from the back I was worried for Olsen. Every time he had the ball at his feet he looked like a rabbit in headlights. I was quite relieved when he booted it long. After a truly horrendous first half. things got worse in the second half. We score a great opening goal and 19 seconds later United punt a hopeful ball down our left. I'm waiting for Olsen to sprint over and boot it into touch. Instead I see him scrurrying back to his goal with the inevitable result. I can't remember much about the second goal, but the third one was down to his awful attempt to play to out from the back only for the ball to land perfectly for Manure. As for the fourth goal.,again I was waiting for Olsen to claim a hopeful punt into our box. but surprise surprise he was glued to his line. I would hope that Emery never picks him again because he just is not good enough to play for Aston Villa.

That's got to be one of the worst goalkeeping displays I've ever seen. Olsen was slow off his line and awful with his feet.

How often have you seen Chambers as a DM?

I thought he was really poor today. He gave the ball away in dangerous positions on numerous occasions. The whole of our midfield was totally dominated. Time for a few changes Dean.

Villa have got a lot to thank the Doc for. Before he arrived Villa were getting crowds of 12,000, but then he came in and claimed that he could get Villa in the top five of the old first division. I remember him paying £110,000 for the Rioch brothers and standing in the Holte when there were 59,000 watching us beat Southampton in a cup replay. There was never a dull moment with the Doc around and he helped to set Villa on the road to success. RIP.

You really have to feel sorry for the Newcastle supporters having to watch the rubbish that Bruce's teams serve up and then listen to his pathetic excuses. Villa and Sunderland fans have heard it all before.

Magnificent team performance. What is really pleasing is that the fringe players such as AEG, Hause and Traore have all made a contribution. There is real competition for places now.

Stevie probably needs the Newcastle players to get their boots on.

Does anybody know how to book the official coach travel from Villa Park? I have looked on the avfc website and can't find a link.

Just seen a picture of Jack with JPA with his leg heavily bandaged. Hope he is fit for tomorrow.

The only thing that has made me laugh on another miserable afternoon.

I must admit that I am not Whelan's greatest fan, but he changed the game when he came on. Fair play to him, but we desperately need more dynamism in midfield for next season. I can't see us making the play=offs this year.

Perhaps you would have preferred the Bruce approach of throwing on as many forwards as possible in the vain hope that one of them scores. His subs included a forward and two midfield players. That hardly suggests somebody who is a coward. It is a manager who has inherited players who are not capable of playing the way that he wants.

Imagine trying to get the likes of Whelan, Jedinak and Hutton to adapt to Smith's style of play.

Probably none of them, but I am prepared to give Smith longer than three months before I start slagging him off.

Comparing the team that played in the playoff final with the team that played today we have lost Johnson, Terry, Grealish, Snodgrass and Grabban. Give Smith time to bring in his own men and then judge him. Over the last few years we have changed managers regularly and look where it has got us.

Well that was definitely something... I was told he’d make forward passes and bring energy but he touched the ball once in 20 minutes, didn’t complete a single pass, and got a yellow. So which one is true? Did he make 1 pass pr 11?

Dean Smith has been left with some very poor players and I will only start to judge him when he has had a pre-season and a chance to get rid of the dead wood like Whelan, Hutton and Jedinak. He has also lost two of his best players in Axel and Jack, As for everyone wanting Brendan Rogers, there is a reason that Liverpool sacked him.. Yes he has done well at Celtic, but if Scott Sinclair can rip the league apart it says something about the quality of opposition.

That is a frightening statement to make. How on earth are Villa going to get into the playoffs if we have to rely on Whelan in midfield?

I know that the modern football fan is an impatient being but this post is something else. Smith has been here for a couple of months. In that time he has lost his best defender and his most creative player. He hasn't been able to bring in any of his own players and the squad is unbalanced . Despite this results and performances have improved. Think back to the away game at Sheffield United to prove that progress has been made. I think the time to start judging Smith is in a year's time when he has been able to bring in some of his own players and had a pre-season to work with them.

The first requirement of a full back is to defend, but the amount of space that QPR had for their second goal was incredible.

Well I will reserve judgement until I have seen him play. For a start off he is left footed and can play CB or LB so it may be that he will replace the Scottish Cafu.