VillanousOne

Not saying i disagree but who on our team is thick as shit?

Blimey the war is over get a life, you're right though Pennant is a jail bird cuuuuuuunt. Huth is more a fouling kraut scumbag.

The ref and his assistant were shocking, we had so few decisions go our way and Stoke fouled with almost every touch, Huth is a **** word removed. I didn't think we played that badly today, but we have very little in the final third, Gabby gets too heavily marked and without Albrighton we have no width on the right. Given 6: Did ok bit still doesn't command his box nearly enough Baker 7: Really coming on well of late Collins 6: Fouled all over the shop but needs to stay on his feet more when challenged Lichaj 7: I think he is looking a really quality defender Hutton 4: Appalling every pass seemed to go straight to the opposition Herd 6: Tidy if unspectacular Ireland 7: Another strong performance Bannan 5: Too many wasted balls and wasted out wide, no disgrace though Gabby 6: Showed good industry as ever but fluffed a good chance Weimann 7: Great goal and should've had a second subs: Gardener 5: Out of position so couldn't offer much Nzogbia 5: Looked ok but too little time on the pitch Heskey 6: Won a lot of headers and offered some physical presence up front. we miss Zog and Albrighton out wide.

Not that one again....he is the only one! ha ha - ummm yeah maybe you can only use that one if a shit manager has become good.

I am not pro McCleish, he wasn't on my list of managerial choice and i don't think he was on any Villa fans, so much of my criticism of Lerner and our situation stems from his staggering arrogance and delusion in appointing a manager no-one wanted. But let's look at it from Eck's viewpoint, he was offered a step up from a Championship side - who from what I gather have been sent backwards by multiple owner changes corruption and meddling in managerial affairs. It was rumored that may signings were not down to him and his relationship with the top brass was broken by the end. Now his stupidity at thinking he could walk the divide between two same City clubs who hate each other is baffling, especially with a record that has been less than stellar in recent years. But I find our intense hatred of him is misplaced. Let's state some facts 1) He inherited a club stripped of it's best players, on the back of a relegation battle that was only won in the last few games. Criminal wages and players alienated by either MON in the past or Houllier in the more recent past. A catalogue of mismanagement, high wages and bad transfer decisions, created a deflated team with very little central technical or creative ability. MON played a system with counter attacking forwards and wingers, there was never a plan B or a central back bone to that team. In my opinion it was more baffling why we failed last season than this season as Milner aside much of the team that MON had were still there last season, some would say Houller did make us play in a much more passing and technical way by the end, but i don't think we would be much better off under him once Downing and Young were gone - nor would we be much worse! 2) I don't think Eck plays negatively on purpose, but there are times you get the impression he doesn't believe in the squad he has - or rather he is still getting to know and understand the players he has. We just expected him to come in on a wave of negative press and vibe with a bunch of players who have seen their team mates sold off or been frozen out of the team. 3) What Eck did wrong was continuously fail to work out how to play the players he has and get the best from Nzogbia, but he needed time and patience, time and patience that we weren't prepared to give him because collectively we are all hurting from what happened with MON, what happened with Houllier and the players who have left, and the manner of his appointment. 4) The cruel irony is when Ireland, Zoggy and Keane were on the pitch we didn't play negatively, Hutton looked ok and you could see what Eck was trying to do. This doesn't excuse all the other terrible performances and tactics deployed but you have to look at what Eck has been given to work with. If Zog, Dunne, Clark, Bent, Petrov were all available i genuinely think we would have found a few more wins by now and be close to safety. I am not saying we be anywhere near the team we should be and Eck embraced and about too live happily ever after, but people have to admit our injury problems this season have been appalling, in fact over the last two seasons they have completely destroyed any sees of hope of momentum we have had, our luck has been a **** disgrace. 5) Eck did manage to get Ireland, Cuellar playing and playing well, Petrov and Gabby looked pretty decent and rejuvenated at times. He brought Warnock back from the brink, ok so the jury is out on Warnock and maybe still on Hutton but both have looked quite solid of late. He has also done pretty well with the youngsters although he hasn't really stuck with any of them through choice, Herd is the only player guaranteed to start when fit, Bannan, Lichaj, Gardener and Baker are all cameos or players who we have no choice but to start. He looks like he has some faith in Weimann though although would he start with Bent fit? Clark seemed to get games before his injury so he has done a reasonable job with the youth. He has failed to get the best out of Zoggy and Albrighton, he has relied on Heskey but for some reason countless manager's have done that! I know you look at Swansea, Newcastle and Norwich and say why can those teams do so well with squads similar or worse than ours. Well those squads have been promoted together under the same manager and have some continuity and consistency of playing staff and leadership - something that is critical in stability and survival (just look at Everton). Yes Brendan Rogers is doing awesomely at Swansea, but he bailed on Watford and did badly at Reading. Lambert also did the dirty on Colchester but he's done superbly at Norwich so i can't criticise him much. Pardew has been awful as a manager in the past but he's found his place at Newcastle and he has a battle hardened squad who have been through some rough times together, something i almost hope will stand us in good stead in the future with or without Eck. I know this rambling nonsense above looks like I am absolving Eck of blame, i'm not, i am just trying to get some headspace where we try and divide up emotion from fact. I don't hate Eck, I don't read negativity into everything he says, his a human being who is trying his hardest to steady a sinking ship with a depleted playing squad and a chairman who had really **** things up badly. I want him to do well for the club because i love this club and i believe he wants to do well for the club and all the while he is at the club i have to hope he can do a job - even when that defies logic. You have to remember how many managers were awful when the first joined their clubs, Fergie is a good example. My hope is we avoid relegation and Eck leaves in the summer, if Lerner decides to put money into the club then i'm not sure if i can see Eck spending it well - but it is impossible to say whether or not given backing his vision for the team would be anywhere near as bad as some would make out. what a long post, sorry.

Not sure Gabby lacks the basics, but what does get my goat is the amount of times the ball is in the air and Villa players head it straight back to the opposition rather than control it. We have feck all technical ability in the team, even Ireland was doing it - although it could have been Collins - they both look the same from afar!

why was he out today?

On the official site it says Weimann is out as is Zog and Cuellar - with only Hutton likely to come back and he is the only player Lichaj did a good job replacing. Heskey will end up back in his headless donkey role of playing somewhere in-between midfield, defence and attack that offers no-one around him any use at all. I can't predict the full team at all, all i know is we will end up with players hopelessly playing out of position and lose by a large amount, with Downing scoring and King Dickhead and their supporters acting like they've won the Champion's League.

Houllier had us playing passing football and by the end it looked like we might have a turned a corner, but he did a hell of lot damage alienating senior players so it is almost impossible to know what would have happened if he had stayed, he tried to do too much too soon and i've never known a manager have such a negative impact on a squad, even if technically and tactically he was better than McCleish. When we had Keane, Ireland and Zoggy all playing together you could briefly see what Eck was trying to do and there was a faint glimmer of hope..... and when Hutton started to play well - and Cuellar came back into the side - it actually looked like things might improve. The luck Eck has had has been truly dire, that doesn't change the times when he has thrown together a packed midfield of players who don't know what they are doing or negative and inept tactics that have cost us games before we've kicked a ball. He has looked utterly clueless and blamed everyone but his self. My worry is who the hell do we have that can get us out of this mess? Gabby and Ireland are about all we have left half decent in terms of experience and class, the former hasn't scored in a long time though. Collins has been better- but without Cuellar he is vulnerable and Warnock is a liability. Alby was great Sat but has been poor for a long time, he should still start though ahead of Bannan or any other youngster playing out of position. Given doesn't command his area at all or come for crosses and this is costing us goals whether people want to ignore that because he is a great shot stopper or not! Bannan is either not that good or handled poorly, i can't decide which, he should play behind the striker but with Ireland there that is unlikely. We are pinning too much on Weimann and Gardener - they can't perform miracles and Herd is average at best. Lichaj i like a lot - but he is still inexperienced at this level. Baker? Oh dear - i always think he looks like a good defender and then he makes costly errors. I don't know when Hutton is back - Cuellar has an out side chance of coming back against Pool but that aside we will end up with a load of youngsters against a team who have been poor of late but will no doubt find their form against a team who couldn't defend their way out of a paper bag. So how the hell we gonna get out of this mess - play Makoun - oh wait we can't, Jenas? Whoops! How bout stick Carruthers on one of the wings??? It's a lot to ask of the kid, then again i'm sure Eck will bring on Heskey instead. Yep we're **** alright! Expect us to run around like headless chickens against Liverpool with no width or penetration - but hey we'll work hard but then give Carroll and Downing gold plated piss easy goals - that make the headlines claim the next day that both players are on the up - all we ever do is make out of form shit players look good and teams look amazing. we have to have a titanic change in luck for us to get any points in the remaining games, remember even with Bent, Zog, Dunne, etc we were awful most of the time!

Grealish, Johnson and Carruthers?

In one sense it was nice to see the youth in the team and we can take pride in the way we played at times during that game, but things are stacking up against us at the wrong time in the season, we are losing players left right and centre and with it all the experience we have in the team. It is easy to flame Eck for his team selections and that one did have a pretty odd balance and lack of width, dropping Albrighton was a bad move - not because he hasn't been poor but because we have already lost three experience players before the game - and Alby may be underpeforming but he's no rookie! We can't buy luck at the moment and we have lost our club captain in the most tragic of circumstances. Getting rid of Reo Coker and loaning Makoun out look like piss poor decisions when you consider how utterly devoid of experience and confidence our midfield is. But no point in chewing on the past - Eck is running out of time to cobble together a team that can get 6 points at least out of the remaining games. The question is who is there left to gamble on? People were crying out for the width of Grealish or Carruthers in this game - and Albrighton has to start, but Eck is unlikely to make such a positive but dangerous gamble on anymore youth as playing Baker really cost us today. so yeah i think we're **** really as i can't see any one player left in the team who is going to stop us conceding or score goals or even set up goals. the future is painfully bleak.

I am not watching another game under this Ginger F*cktard!

the ref isnt helping us at all

what is wrong with Cuellar?

we are allowed to want the team to win!

we made Walcott and Djourou look world class! sometimes as much as i loathe Ginger Bollocks I'm also tired of making excuses for one of the worst group of players we have had in decades, there just isn't anyone in that squad that makes me get excited. you look at the long list of utter failures, Nzogbia, Ireland (ok he has got better), Makoun, Delph, Bradley. Even some of the older players never really became what they should have been Petrov for example has had about 10 outstanding games out of hundreds where he has been mr dependable but average. And don't get me started on Heskey. The youth hasn't saved us and the whole squad needs a complete rethink but i don't think Eck is the man for that.

oh and Bent has defibnitely been worse off under Eck, although selling Downing and Young may have been an equal factor!

what irks me is i used to have some clue at what our best eleven was and who should be playing - and could rage at Eck for not picking the best team, but Heskey aside he seems to have turned our entire squad into clueless headless chickens. So based on the players at the start of the season and now - how has Eck done? Ups Cuellar - probably just because he plays Collins - looks better next to Cuellar Hutton - injured now but was starting to do well Ireland - our best player Weimann - needs chances Downs Given - has started making mistakes - as well as not coming for crosses so he started as 7/8 rated player now i wouldn't give more than a 6 Gabby - isolated, clueless and sulks a lot Albrighton - Oh dear Heskey - even worse than last season Gardener - such promise fading fast Delph - looked utter garbage before his injury Dunne - not sure Eck is responsible for his form but we look better without him Delf - all gone wrong Same Warnock - part liability part awesome defender Zog - partly mismanaged and partly frustratingly average to awesome most of the time Herd - somewhere between solid and average Petrov - Average - above average with smatterings of consistency, drive and guile Bannan - Eck can't work out how to get the best from him either Lichaj - some potential so pretty much the players form and performance levels has got worse not better under Eck, Ireland is benefitting from playing rather than Eck's cunning man-management!

Every time we play one of the top 6 teams Petrov seems to utterly vanish, he and Herd only seem to work as a pairing against really terrible opposition, even Gardener has provided little of late when he has played. But this may well be down to our tactics and lack of movement as it feels like we have no heart to our team, playing Heskey doesn't help, maybe playing Petrov when injured as he apparently was Saturday is also stupid but whatever the case something is very very wrong. If all of our midfield is closing down well and even doing the most basic of passing we would have been a damn site better, but players seem to vanish. Saturday Heskey lumbered and did no running, Petrov was half arse, Gabby would get the ball run into a cul-de-sac totally isolated and then sulk for 10mins. No-one seems to work for the team, no one seems to work for McCleish.

Given: 4 - Messed up for the first and the free kick at the end Collins: 4 - Useless Cuellar: 6 - Recovered from the mistake Hutton: 5 - Inaffective Warnock: 5 - Good goal line clearance but was torn a new one by Walcott Heskey: 0 - Contributed absolutely nothing! Petrov: 3 - Really poor Herd: 3 - Equally poor Albrighton: 4 - Useless as ever but at least tried Gabby: 3 - Offered nothing at all Ireland: 7 - Only player to emerge with any credit Subs: Weimann 6 - too late to really do much but looked capable Gardener 5 - Didn't get into the game at all Lichaj - too late to be rated but did a stupid tackle to get booked! Eck: 0 - Put Heskey in and whatever he said at half time didn't make any difference whatsover!

erm i agree he has been poor of late but at the start of the season he was awesome!

what is this short corner rubbish???

Wigan winning again

Wigan winning again

do you remember player cam on sky sports, could you imagine what that would be like with Heskey????