14K_away

for a change was not nervous after the equaliser, not sure why we changed shape in the 2nd, made Marc less effective. Who'd have thunk it .. 2 way tie for MOTM , Weimann/Albrighton with Bowery almost making it a 3way, but Guzan was essential as usual & Delph back to life, Gabby not enough time but he only needed 2 1/2 mins to make his impact. Bakers 2 headers before the 2nd were both going in... loving it, can easily imagine a win at spurs .. city, depends what else happens before then UTV.

WhoTF keeps voting Holt as MOM whenever he plays ? I assume its someones idea of a joke? Lambert was right to take Bacuna off for whatever reason not-fit/lazy (probably the former) and to do it in good time. No probs with Robinson coming on, made sense to change the dynamics and he has promise. [Of course if we still have Lambert next season he will be loaned out to a championsip side [assuming we are not one already] same as alby , caruthers etc] Holt? OK at least he was not put up the top where he would have been useless trying to keep up with marc/gabby/robinson but KEA was putting 110%, not very proficiently and he looks awkward to watch but he was not bad and again, putting in the yards, hes as likely to score as anyone at the moment.... (what happened to Delph ? ) Holt, glad he had time to play for us since he was having such great crack on the touchline... seriously he is old enough to know better, one assumes he is past caring he must know this is his last season in the top flight... so why play him ? seriously why ? Lambert one assumes is no longer getting bullied into playing him so WTF? Put on Tonev, OK cant shoot straight but at least puts 100% in every time, even sylla .. yeah ok maybe not. Davkaus is right in theory, unfortunately we may need him if by some miracle we ever go a couple of goals up somewhere and need someone strong to bully them, he does have that ability.

only 7 between sunderland and our GD, + thier game in hand ... at city we will either pull off a shock win or get hammered, I am def not feeling safe yet.

If Crystal Palace was the only time he waited until it was far too late to make the obvious substitution(s) then fair enough ... but its not, time and again he has made baffling substitutions, at least this time they were the correct ones but far far too late to avoid the obvious & I cant imagine any reasonable defence to that ?? It is, but so was the above, Lambert has so many parts of the puzzle that he has no influence on, but watching the game is something he can do & one assumes the ability to realise its all going pear-shaped and its time to make a change .. why he no do? , seriously why ? [something the fans have to consider re the manager] We can all agree to give him 100% backing for the sake of the club but he has had that backing all season and yet he still makes points-losing stupid schoolboy mistakes... even with a better squad (and personally I quite like most of ours) what makes us think he would not make the same mistakes ? Or perhaps the other training issues have something to do with player management and general enthusiasm? .. who knows, the next couple of games should give us a clue. Anyway, love your enthusiasm and loyalty & hope you are right, but like Lambert we need to be realistic as well, if only to make sure he knows that he has to clean his glasses.

"Not one single poster on VT knows more about tactical ability, a suitable philosophy or greater footballing astuteness than Paul Lambert" Is there another human on the planet who would have waited that late to make the (by then pointless) substitutions ? anyone .... ..... thought not. [taking about the Palace game specifically but could be applied to others] Till now I thought previous bad tactics/subs had been mistakes or circumstance or a bad gamble of some description but have had to give up on that , absolutely clueless, even the missus asked where the `funny looking skinny one [she meant Albrighton]` was .. and `the good looking German [she meant Weimann (& yes I know)]` .. to be fair my missus would only play the good looking ones... which itself would create its own problems .. though maybe Holt would get on the front cover of Farmers weekly ?, but if she could see it ...??? Actually Holt, had a go and worked hard and after the last 2 games I feel kind of bad for calling him porky cos at least he is trying! "Not one single poster on VT knows more about tactical ability, a suitable philosophy or greater footballing astuteness than Paul Lambert" Sorry, but my missus does, yes she wears Jimmy Choos and spends more on handbags and shoes than Lerner allows Lambert to buy players .. but thats about the only defence left I had for Lambert after this years run , and even thats not enough any more. Please defend the substitutions and keep a straight face... you can't, sorry "& get 100% behind the whole club & give them our vocal backing & support." agreed, anyone booing the VIlla should be ejected cerimoniously or otherwise, but someone needs to let Lerner know that Lambert is going to cost him money one way or another.

Is there another human on the planet who would have waited that late to make the (by then pointless) substitutions ? anyone .... ..... OK ignore humans, other sentient beings ? thought not. Till now I thought previous bad tactics/subs had been mistakes or circumstance or a bad gamble of some description but have had to give up on that , absolutely clueless, even the missus asked where the `funny looking skinny one [she meant Albrighton]` was .. and `the good looking German [she meant Weimann (& yes I know)]` .. to be fair my missus would only play the good looking ones... which itself would create its own problems .. though maybe Holt would get on the front cover of Farmers weekly ?, but if she could see it ...??? Actually Holt, had a go and worked hard and after the last 2 games I feel kind of bad for calling him porky cos at least he is trying .. I am also kind of glad now that the Villa shop could not fit 'Agbonlahor' on my shirt (too many letters, i.e. they are as lazy as him ATM) ... but who else to choose , Marcs name is too long as well, yet they manage to fit them on the match shirts ? anyway got side-tracked there. I was previously of the opinion that yes we have a Championship side but hey, we have been floating mid-table with that... not that bad from that perspective, but now I suspect that constantly playing people out of position, stupid,stupid,stupid formations and substitutions etc .. well perhaps Lambert is converting us to a Championship side ?, we know what Gabby,Weimann,Delph,Vlaar,Guzan are capable of, even KEA Westwood and Lowton are playing in the right league .. so why so bad ? well after the last 2 games ... it has to be Lambert innit ? Yes, Lerner out, is a given, he probably went to Alabama for the last game. If however he gave a shite about the Villa and even then if he stumped up some money Lambert would probably buy the rest of the Norwich team who will be going cheap after their upcoming relegation. Sadly, I have to agree that its time to say... Lambert out.

No tekkers and No holt please .. not sure what options that leaves us but anyway. I want to see Albrighton start but if he does that will mean Holt starting up front alone or with Bennet or some other out of place disaster .. maybe Luna basically anyone that wont have the pace to make it worth while playing him in the first place... If I supported any other club that would of course be a very stupid thing to say ... at the moment, under Lambert its a real possibility. Or.. Guzan > Tonev > wild shot Norwich goal Guzan > Tonev > wild shot repeat until done. As per usual I am gonna say Villa win, how & under which laws of physics this could be possible I am unsure but a win non-the-less, if Holt plays and scores I will eat my own Villa pint glass I got from the Villa store .. its oval, the logo is arseways and it wobbles ... I assume Lambert is managing that factory as well.

And should continue, if he turns left at the end then Belgium is only a couple of hundred miles, he should take Lambert with him (Holt can carry the bags) Good first half, average second half, Newcastle not a walkover this season despite the recent shite run of form, Manager should have shaken things up a bit in the second, sylla, agreed would have been happier with clark, and Manager is not bothered about playing anyone out of place .. remember Bennets last starting position ? Seriously why not bring on Albrighton in the second ? in fact with Benteke forced out of the game by 3on1 and not doing a lot apart from constantly holding his hands in the air even Holt for Benteke may have done something... if only to give Benteke something to think about, he constantly gripes about not getting the ball where and when he wants it yet fluffs a pass to Gabby which could have sealed it for us that Holts Mom would have made (I assume she is one of those who voted VG for Manager performance ?) Would have been happy with a draw, but you can't buy happiness ... err actually Man City etc CAN so why cant we try it.. oh thats right our owner thinks the balls the wrong shape

Sorry down to the Manager again... WTF was Bennet started there? , Weimann was not as effective as he could have been but why only bring him on the last 20 mins ? lots of nice work from Albrighton (why do some here despise him?) he only manages to get past his man 50% of the time to put a cross in but when he does he puts some crakers in, Benteke did not seem bothered in the box yet for a change worked hard (with some success) elsewhere. I only got to record the second half but I could not find anyone to fault, Gabby should have scored but he worked harder than I assumed from reading the comments here, not his best but far from crap. It feels like Lambert only gives us a chance for 20 minutes a game these days, and even when he starts us off right he changes it later for reasons unknown. He has to react quicker to the game in hand. Still a positive enough second half but yeah we were playing Cardiff, should have taken it but despite my 3+ prediction for the VIlla the practical me inside was expecting a 1-0 loss so .. could have been worse and some positives to take out of the match if Lambert stops and thinks.

If Holt starts predict loss, not that I dislike him that much it will just mean our tactics are Eddie the eagle again. Would like to see albrighton, wiemann, gabby and teckers starting which would be pretty strange I admit but since we may be leaky at the back best we go out all guns blazing.... 3+ the villa. UTFV

Win, by at least 2, in the bag, would rather Carroll was playing so he could dissapoint again.

it was 5-3-1 (or 3-5-1) depening who wins that one, Holt was never going to get any traffic so we were essentially down to 10 anyway. I dont see an issue with the smash and grab that HAS worked for us quite well away but without Gabbys legs (or Albrighton who should have been on from the start in this case) that tactic did/does not work.. as we saw

big call to call him rubbish, he may have his uses but I bet even his Mom would have been surprised to see him start... especially against the like of Everton Whilst I have been a Lambert supporter his tactics were wrong at the start at goodison and wrong/bizzare for 2 of the substitutions at least. In other words he may or may not be rubbish (I suspect not) but he was always going to look rubbish with those tactics on Saturday, he did not stand a chance.

Sorry, this ones on Lambert, as previously mentioned there was no point starting Holt and Tekkers together, Holt may or may not be class but he was never going to be involved given the tactics we were using today, should have had someone else with legs to help Weimann feed Tekkers (e.g. Albrighton should have been subbed for Holt before we started) We were planning [i assume] to sit back, defend well which BTW we did for 89 minutes! and catch a couple on the break... its worked away so many times so WTF not? ... well because we did not have the legs for it today. Everton were lacking in skill but really never gave up, in the second half however we gave up anything other than defending which again I think we did very well, obviously not well enough but I think it was was some of the best defending under continued pressue I have seen from us in a long time (no yellows today either AFAIKR !) Which is why taking off Concrete was so bizarre ... unless he did have some sort of worry. Bacuna MOTM ...though I voted Bertrand since Bacuna already had a deserved lead there [would be nice if we had a ratings poll so we could mark out of 10 for each player etc] who voted Holt ? & why, I don't recall hearing his name on the commentary until he was subbed ? I think all at the back had a very good game incuding Clark and Baker who seem to be disliked here but looked pretty solid to me? The beast needs feeding & Weimann and Delph were not providing today and I could not really work out why, Westwood sort of AWOL as well. Tonev .. yes at least he has a go & looks like he means it but Weimann needed support, not subbing another WTF? KEA like him as a sub.. and like Tonev he has a go. Please Mr Lambert leave your mate [who I am sure is very good (though I am not sure about the haircut)] on the Bench until he is required or Tekkers needs a rest. Please Mr Lambert keep Bertrand if you can.

That'll be KHV lol I voted poor , the starting lineup was good, but swapping Holt for Gabby simply destroyed the way we were playing, after that we did well to play as high as we did, should have been Albrighton on for Gabby since he has the speed and can be a playmaker, Holt would have been a better substitution for Tekkers (if that had been required which it was not). And when he brought on Luna ... not sure if Bertran had a problem or not, I reached for my cuddly toy and sat in the corner .. I want to Love Luna but every game, every game [excluding Arsenal Away], he gives away dangerous passes , he only had time for one stuff up this time which thankfully we got away with. Otherwise was like watching a different team today (yesterday for you) loved it, and not our usual on the break away style... perhaps we will try something different at home now ? Hope that special place is getting prepared for Suarez... I would like to say you can't blame the ref since he may or may not have the best view but seriously don't they ever watch other games ? don't they know he is a cheating scumbag [which diminishes his brilliance] ? , have they not seen the countless dives and hoe-and-away acting ?, did the ref not see the great big smile on his smug capybara-like face, arms open wide celebrating that he got a penalty, NOT 'ref I think thats a pen' , seriously whats the IQ of some of these refs? Anyway, an away point I would have paid for though I think our biggest issue was not the Suarez penalty but the Holt substitution which made no sense in this situation, don't get me wrong, would love to see him get some time but this wasnt it.

I watched the Cardiff match and the scoreline flattered arsenal, they were pretty average then + now they have Walcott out, even the baggies got a draw out of them. If it were not for the dismal blades game I would have said we had a chance, even at home !@#@#$#$ .. still don't think we will get smashed and I reckon a point is very possible. Thats assuming Tonev does not start, pref not Luna either though not sure what the options are at the moment. I am hoping for 10% possession , we cant pass at the moment so lets pretend we are playing away, hoof it up & we stand a chance, not sure about tekkers .... one assumes he has to wake up from his coma at some point, so maybe a start but don't be scared to take him off at half time and pop Helenius up there.

Predicted a bigger win and we nearly did ... Benteke working harder than recent but still stood around like a sick chuck after the goalline clearance , had anyone else cleaned it up he would have been offside... I am beginning to get annoyed with his standing still and looking shocked routine everytime he loses the ball... but he was more of a team player today than of recent and all in all glad he was there. Everyone is giving Albrighton the evils for the rotten shot but he had a corker on target and was in the right place at the right time a fair bit, working hard but next to Gabby everyone else looked pedestrian. Luna .. I really want to love him but I have palpitations most times he gets the ball in our half, though at least if he takes a throw I can put the kettle on and not worry about missing anything including the default loss of possession afterwards, still think he should be played higher up. Sunderlands goal was offside but had than been any of the top 5 it would probably have been given, ref poor but not one-sided. Better from Villa and I don't think the next 2 games are unwinnable or a given even at home, we more likely to crash and burn at Sheff

Sunderland (remember they are actually pretty crap) could easily fold if we get a quick start like v Swansea and we don't then decide on a post goal nap, I think we are past getting a pasting even without Vlaar. so I predict either a paint-drying/grass-growing 0-0/1-1 or a decent 3+ Villa win. Pls dont start Tonev Pls start Albrighton, Pls move Luna up or off. We can and need to be able to win without Tekkers, that said, if he wants to ease himself in with a hat-trick this arvo then thats fine for now.

So the 12th man is not performing either, sadly we cant have them sacked. Anyone calling our own players cxxxts should be sent on loan elsewhere to boo at a `less shite club` All this cripe about only midtable (In the premier division of the best fecking league in the civilised world) cos the other teams are worse is stupid/illogical, its like saying that $hitty will win the title only because everyone below them was worse than them, which is stating the bleeding obvious. As for my 2c, cant see how Tonev even makes the bench, Luna is [mostly] useless in defense but can be tasty higher up so perhaps he should be tried in the middle before following Tonev on loan elsewhere. Weiman is not scoring goals but if you watch the replays he always works hard and is behind many good moves and our rare goals (including against Swansea), he does not appear as fit as last season but would rather start with him than the alternatives, I dont personally understand the shelling he seems to be getting lately. Lambert I assume still has a plan, I instinctively like the man so will assume therefore that the issues are deeper than him but agree that some basics really need to be spanked into the squad, we can carry off some beaut long passes when breaking, other than that its the Stevie Wonder show again, that really is something to (privately) boo at. Its embarrasing trying to explain to our antipodean cousins (when watching on Foxtel) why anyone would one boo at thier own team, they understand it at the London clubs with little underlying cla$$ in the fan base but not in teams with real home-grown grass roots support.

I dont see this result as worth the whinge, hard to blame anyone for RVP's second though Guzan should have stopped the first, but face it which club were likely to have stopped manure tonight , given the circumstances, given their current form ? just lucky that they did not decide to go for some other sort of record, but we did not roll over and spread our legs so they were content with the 3. Does anyone seriously think that the result would have been different if we went 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 ? really do you?, the strongest part of our team is out front so you may as well play them (in this sitution) , I liked the startup though I really dont like delph .. is it just me ? first time I saw El Ahmadi do anything useful, liked his approach today. Why is anyone whinging about Benteke ?, should have scored today but I dont want to think where we might have been without him. I want to love nzogbia but far too mercurial for us at the moment. Strangely perhaps, I feel more confident after this result of staying up, again I think if this were not a championship winning night for an in-form -in-form manure then we might have stood a chance. Looking forward to next season in the top flight though of course most of our assets will be sold and will be in the same boat next year... what can you do

That's 9066 Miles ... as the crow flies, so please excuse that the last Villa game I actually attended was away at Coventry , we won 3-2, and yup, thats I think.. 1982 ?! Handsworth ex-pat in Perth, Oz, get to watch most games live on satellite here in Perth... mostly live. Warning I decided to sign up cos I am sick of hearing all the whinging going on here, not that there is nothing to whinge about, but perhaps the lack of sunshine back home is putting a dampener on some otherwise not-that bad outings. Anyways, hi !