The Fun Factory

Worked hard but really that was a sitter Gabby missed yesterday.

And almost every goal we concede is through a mistake we make. Teams don't need to break us down, we do all the ground work for them. Its is probably true, but isnt that the case for most goals? Usually from a defensive lapse rather than a world class move/shot?

12th. I said 12th before the start of the season I am sticking with that. I think people had been on the sherry when they thought we could be close to the top 8. Nowhere near that at present. I will take a few good peformances like Arsenal, a few crap ones like today, and some improvement to a mid table this year. Thats about as much as we can hope for. If we should be happy as that as Villa fans is another matter altogether.

Need to priortise winning more than 5 matches at home per season ffs. That is all.

I have a football bingo book at home. Its mildy amusing when on the bog.

Like many of the starters, I personally like the fella, but he was carp today. Hopefully just a dip in form.

Yep but back to babysitting duties if Okore is out from that injury. If Ron gets injured as well, it might be brown trousers time.

Yep. Villa Park is hardly a fortress is it? Lovely ground and most of the top team players probably have happy memories of many wins to motivate themselves every time they pop down to B6. I don't know the stats but I guess 'modern' football ie the last 15 yrs, home and away results are less different? Most the stadiums are not as hostile, all the pitches are bowling greens and most Premier League sides have a very comfy trip to away grounds. Also I could be wrong but I doubt if there is such a difference in support in a club in home and away matches than Villa? We are nearly always excellent on away trips, but bar the odd big match, Villa Park be can a deathly. My theory would be that bar the odd dodgy year like last season, Villa never look like in trouble of going down nor actucally challenging for anything. A bog standard premier league match at Villa Park can be a bit meh. As Birmingham is so central, most away days are within a day trip of doing, is different, and hence the loud support.

I like Westwood, but he was poor today. Got bullied off the bull far too much. Needs to eat some beefcake or something.

'you can't defend that way' Where have you been for a year Paul?! Joking aside Lambert is a funny one. Sometimes you think yeah he knows what he is doing, we are going to be a Dortmund lite, its fine. And then peformances like today and last season you think does this fella know what he is doing? Baffling tactics sometimes. I am going to put this down to a bad day in the office and expect a much better peformance at Norwich. We need at least a draw at Carrow Road to get back on track.

Right just back. 2 lane motorways, you just have to love it. Well that’s the early season optimism gone then isn’t it?! From my view point of the upper trinity (literally row z-£10 on Viagogo thank you) looking down on the Hoi Polloi of the rest it was a painful reminder of all the bad bits of last season. The midfield looked lightweight, the defence always looks like it’s one cock up from letting in a goal, and if Benteke has a bad day at the office, no one else seems likely to do stuff. Pardew tactically outsmarted Lambert which is a bit worrying as Newcastle were supposed to be ‘the club in crisis’ . They scored early and sat back making it hard for us to score from our favoured position of on the counter attack. Ben Arfra was different gravy than anyone else on the pitch. Delph, Westwood, Weimann and Lowton all had poor games and gave the ball away far too often. We played far too narrow and no one put in a quality cross or set piece all match. I thought Lambert would have done some subs far earlier in the game- bringing on Tonev with 4 minutes to go was pointless. In fairness we improved second half and a draw should have been a fair result, but we pressed the self destruct button on the second goal. The atmosphere, like the players was poor. From my view up in the gods it really showed how many people bugger off 5 minutes before half time and at the end. The Holte must have been half empty by the final whistle, but with this performance I suppose I understand. 9 wins in 40 home league wins aint good enough. Its puts pressure on the away matches. We need to have a plan b or c when things are not going is way. Today is hopefully just a setback, and not a picture of what this season will bring. Arsenal was probably not how we will play all the season and Newcastle will hopefully not be either. Onwards and upwards. UTV.

Neither Westwood or Lowton were mentioned in the football 365 england 50 player world cup watch, so people are still unaware of them.

I love Westwood. But I think he's the least energetic and dynamic of our midfield. When you have 2 in there, you need 2 players who can cover a lot of ground. Delph and KEA are both very similar in how quickly they can get about the pitch, so if we're losing one midfielder so we can push higher up then I think Westwood would need to make way. Do you think Lambert seems a bit of himself in Westwood when he was a player? He is a virtual first choice now.

3-1 to the Villa. Gabby hat-trick. Lambert to look pleased. Pardew to blame Kinnear. Att 39,562.

However I read somewhere else that the Premier League did standarise all pitch sizes last season?

Anybody going to the Rugby League World Cup? I am going to the England-Aus, Wales-Italy double header in Cardiff. Plus a opening ceremony all for 20 quid!

More proof we're the new Stoke. Both of us are at the end of the table for pitch sizes. Peas in a pod. Yeah just about to comment on this. Stoke's pitch is deliberately small done by Pullis, to the minimum size. You could tell when that season they played in Europe, the pitch had to be bigger. It looked like a different ground. I am quite suprised Villa Park is the biggest pitch in the prem though.

There is no way that Villa will let Benteke go in January. I get a feeling that Villa have reached an argeement with Benteke that any bids over around 30mil in the summer, we will not stand in the way of him leaving.

Trap is a great manager, his record over 40 years in top level managment stands up to anyone. He should have left after 2012 but he has done a decent job at Ireland punching above their weight. I suspect O'Neill will get it,, he needs a job and no decent premier league side will take him on now. Cue confusions over both Ireland and North Iron managers called O'Neill.

Not saying Harry would have done any better but at least we would have played some attacking football. FA always go for the safe option. Hodgson wasn't big enough for Liverpool and he isn't big enough for England. So managing Inter Milan means he isnt big enough for managing England? I am not Hodgson's biggest fan but to say he isnt big enough for England is nonsense. His CV was far more suitable for the England job than Appy Arry.

A spectacularly dull match tonight. England looked happy for a 0-0 from the start and bar a few moments, Ukraine never looked liked scoring. I am not Cahill's biggest fan but he played well tonight. Walker looked like he was distracted (I wonder why) and Wiltshire is either struggling with form or is still not fit. It is a bit worrying that really Lampard, Gerrard and Cole are still 3 of the top 5 peformers for England when it is likely they will all retire next year. Its a deeply average side, but they are one step nearer the World Cup tonight, so I will not be too hard on them. Has home nation international football ever been so low of expectation and pefromances?

Start of the season part 2. Is it me or August feels like pre-season with all the transfer window and international break nonsense? A good solid win would be nice.

Not good enough. Committed, but a bit of a clogger really. Not a Lambert type player at all. Sadly the long term peformances of Herd/Bannan/Delfouneso and Albrighton do somewhat undermine the 'lets build the team around the kids' circa 2010ish period when O'Neill flounced off.

'you can't dust for vomit'

Totally. Perhaps at the end of the season in June or something? Would be fab.