Brumstopdogs

Houllier out - 1 up front - boring and ineffective!

When are we going to say enough is enough and cut our losses with Houllier?

The defence is a shambles and we play one up front so never have much of a goal threat. 2 wins in 11 matches now (one of them against a B team). So much for a new manager improving the team - he's made them worse!

This is the first season in close to 20 years where I haven't felt the need to go to a game. Why? Boring unconvincing manager, negative 1 up front tactics (so much for appointing a manager who will excite) and lack of investment by the board (continual investment not invest for 3 years and then shut up shop).

Sell our best player and don't reinvest the money, appoint a manager who is doing appalling and charge us full price for a kit that we can't even have for a large part of the season. Shocking Villa - the honeymoon is well and truly over!

Seen enough of Houllier to question if he is right for us. Houllier out please!

One look at our line-up and it was clear we lacked goal scorers. Who was really going to score other than Gabby or maybe Downing or Young?

The comical substitutions in the 90th minute bringing on Pires and Delf. Far far too late to impact the game.

Negative depresessing tactics playing tippy tappy football are not getting us anywhere.

I blame Collins for the first goal - his second poor header in a row putting us into trouble. Meanwhile Cuellar and Davies aren't being fully utilised.

Let's be honest without the offside goal we scored Blues should have won that 3-0. We had about 2 decent chances in the whole match.

2 wins in 11 games now and that was vs Blackpool reserves and Burnley. Let's stop making excuses and just wake up and admit Houllier is doing no where near good enough with the players available in the squad!!!

This game just feels like that 3-0 game at St Andrews. It's a horrible feeling but you can just see it coming.

Let's have a go tomorrow, 2 up front - no defensive tosh because our so called best defenders are hopeless at doing that at the moment!

Blues will win this. You can't go away in a massive derby game with a lighweight centre.

2-0 to blues and more questions about Houllier!

A change for revenge for when they knocked us out the cup - remember that one and it was painful to watch!

Could have had a worse draw.

Houllier is plotting a 7-3-0 formation

Things that were annoying:

Not being smart (awake) when opposition are taking short corners.

Not being able to do simple 5 yards passes.

The centre backs naive positioning where one ball puts them in trouble.

Warnock slipping over on the edge of the box and then later putting his shoe back on meaning an Arsenal player is onside and almost scores!

Negative tactics at home.

Have to go behind before we "have a go"

Pires and Carew starting ahead of Ireland and Delf.

The gutless performances of some players.

The lack of movement from throw ins.

The inability to consistently cross balls.

The inability to get players doing what they do best i.e. Ashley Young and Downing running with the ball.

Glass is definitely half emoty - it might well only get worse at St Andrews -I can see Blues winning and then another defeat at Anfield!

Poor, poor, poor!!!

Clark was very poor with his passing for the majority of the match but to score 2 goals is no small achievement.

Very poor performance and our manager has to take a big slice of the blame.

2 wins since he has arrived (one vs Blackpool reserves and the other vs Wolves) simply not good enough.

The way to beat Arsenal today was to attack them from the off. He waited until we were 2-0 down before he put 2 up front. Poor.

As for our players:

Friedel - average

Luke Young - poor positioning and can't pass 5 yards

Collins - poor and would prefer Cuellar back when fit.

Dunne - committed but clumsy

Warnock - A liability - the sooner he goes the better

A Young - His strength is running at players - when did he do that?

Bannan - some neat passes - mediocre

Clark - 2 good goals. Not convinced he's a CM though!

Downing - poor game but he's done ok this season

Carew - lack of effort

It's all good saying the second half was better but the game is 90 minutes. There's no point just having a go when we're behind.

Really worried about Houllier!

Villa 0 Arsenal 2 - I really hope we play 2 up front. Tottenham and Braga showed they are fragile at the back!

I really hope we play two up front. Just go for it - their weakness is their defence!

I wonder if they'll change their name to Stratford Hotspur?

They'll have a job matching the 47 years out of the top flight the tiny tots have managed!

Tottenham win the league!

They've only done it twice and it won't happen again for a long long time!

Give me 2 goals over some passes that mean nothing in the centre circle!

Reo Coker playing worst than Hogg - looks like the xmas cracker jokes have started early!

I thought Hogg actually did quite well. By the way, what are these easy chances Ashley Young had?

I thought Hogg was very poor. Too me he's well out of his depth.

As for Ashley Young I didn't say easy but he should have put some of them away.

Stoke away - had a great chance with a header (open goal) but missed.

Fulham away - loads of chances on the counter - fluffed them.

Blackburn away - hit the bar - if it goes in possibly a different game.

I rate Ashley but he could have scored a lot more than he has :cry:

A bad result but not entirely unexpected given our injuries and line-up (1 up front). Ratings:

Friedel: Poor judgement for the goal. Looked shaky at high crosses coming in.

Young: Average

Dunne: Good at defending. Usual woeful passing.

Clark: Average.

Warnock: Gave away that stupid freekick that lead to the goal. Stupid.

Downing: Gave the ball away far too often. Careless.

Hogg: Very poor. Yes he's young but I hardly saw him touch the ball!

Bannan: A bright spark.

Ireland: Some neat touches -still need more though

Young: Tried but these misses are adding up (Fulham away, Stoke away and Blackburn away)

Gabby: Poor.

General tactics:

Would have liked to have seen 2 up front. Don't rate Hogg - waste of a place to me. We are passing the ball better but lack intelligence at times.

Defensively - don't give away corners and freekicks to Blackburn so we do just that.

Offensively - Blackburn have two giant centre backs so we play high balls into the box. Not the best decision.

Must do better

Not too confident after seeing our team! 2-1 to Blackburn

Downing snubbed a move to Tottenham and the Boro manager at the time said Tottenham weren't a big enough club for them!

General why does the official club website say that we are the FIFTH most decorated club in English football history? Man United,Liverpool & Arsenal yes! But what over club deserves to rank above us??

None from what I can see. Only Everton have won more championships but trail miles behind in terms of FA, League Cup and European Cup success. Thank you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_football_clubs_in_England_by_major_honours_won

Agreed. General, it is well known we have the 4th most major honours in the English game. It is a bit embarrassing that the official Villa site gets this wrong. Please can you ask somebody to look at?

http://www.krysstal.com/trophies.html

Leeds in the FA Cup - that's the one where they couldn't sell out their vastly reduced allocation - I remember it!

Did you know that if you type in "joke club" into google it automatically comes up with Tottenham Hotspur!!!! Brilliant!

http://www.google.co.uk/

As long as it after 1962. Oh sorry, make that 1949 as Tottenham haven't won the league since 1961!

They better re-inforce the bench!

It was however with the victories against United and the "top 4" that the hype started.

I didn't realise you beat Man United. There was me thinking in the 3 matches they played you last season you lost every game by a two goal margin 8)