Darth Villa

I've always hated the way we've struggled against Millwall, who have relied on physical size and strength to bully us but today we showed how to deal with it - we passed it around them and scored (for a 10 minute period out of a 90 minute match!). That aside, we didn't half make hard work of it today, sloppy mistakes went unpunished thankfully but Villa being Villa they put us through the mill every time don't they? Mings was again dominant, Jedinak had a mistake in him but was suited to the hoof ball from Millwall (it's so good to see 2 units at the back, how I've missed a team built around such players!), Captain Jack and SJM went about the midfield with typical surging runs (McGinn doing well to avoid the yellow cards he normally picks up - clearly someone has a had a word) but I went for Whelo as MOTM as I think he's given us a presence in the middle of the pitch that kept it ticking over whenever the physical side came to the fore. El Gazi showed growing potential but couldn't quite make it happen, Jimmy Danger did well for his goal but we lacked the physical presence that Tammy gives us. I felt Adomah had a poor game and Green injected pace but his end product also lacked at times. Can we make it 11, well not playing within ourselves like today we can't (given that it's Leeds next) but we certainly have the ability in the team - if we chose to step up but at present, I think we're coasting towards the boing boings in the playoffs and you couldn't have said that a couple of months ago! History in the making, 10 on the bounce, captained by a Villan, managed by a Villan… I wonder how the story will end this season?

Ref did his best to spoil the game and ruin our winning run. Felt sorry for Mings but worried now about cover for Saturday, although Jedinak was comfortable tonight. Mcginn is something else and Jack turned it on when needed. Not sure about Tammy, is he carrying a knock or suffering a loss of form? Another win against the odds and isn't nice to be down to ten men and have a team that can still dominate the ball. Can't remember the last time we could say that!

I think it's time we offered some cabbage throwing coaching to the Boro fans.. obviously not until we're safely into a play-off spot...

I think Axel will start from the bench, we've looked solid and don't need a change baring fatigue or injury. It's a great option to have in reserve and IF we make the play-offs then he should be fully fit by then and I couldn't see anyone physically beating him, Mings and Hause in any combination.

He's bulking up a bit too, somebody check to ensure he knows that Gabby is NOT a suitable role model for footballers or any athlete for that matter. Seemed a yard or two off the pace tonight (being kind) but he's learning and has massive potential given the raw attributes he possesses. Let's hope he turns into another Ashley Young rather than Gabby mk2..

I agree you can reasonably debate the impact of MON's actions at length (personally I think he wasted a ton of money and were still paying for it) but for me his intent was definitely to do the club a great deal of harm and that is what I take issue with. That point aside, totally agree it was another great away win and makes the Boro game on Saturday even more important, we can only hope but it's such a great feeling to have something to aim for again!

Professional, controlled performance, some questionable tactics by Forest with diving players and a few who confuse football with Rugby. Pleased for Hause, nearly delivered a costly error but overall did well and great goal. As for McGinn, he's like a man possessed at the moment and we're all the better for it. Still much prefer having two units at CB, gives so much more confidence. Taylor and Elmo were both mostly respectable too - the Forest goal was pure fluke and overall Steer is earning his place even if he doesn't have a massive amount of work to do - I like his physical presence and area management, he's got guts. Jack seemed a bit quite but was still hacked a few times and had to endure Gomes with his awful moaning mind games down his ear. His maturity continues to shine through each game. The play-offs now seem within reach but that applies to several other teams too, we can finally enjoy games again and have something to play for. Best of all, that irritating little Northern Irishman who used to manage us before trying to end us was unhappy, that was pleasing to see and we didn't have to use any cabbages to get our message across either!

I thought the cabbage had seen off Steve Bruce but he seems to hang around this forum like a lingering killer fart.. We've been operating beyond our means for many years and last summer the Empire nearly crumbled over a tax bill, that is simply not sustainable, not acceptable. Our new owners have identified a long-term, reduced cost, patient strategy that they believe will work as they've used it at other clubs albeit for different sports. We will stabilise financially, hopefully retain player's truly worthy of their salaries (of which we have very few in our squad) and bin the rest in favour of potential growth, not simply one last pay cheque. It might not be what we're used to but I'm going to advocate giving these proven, sports business owning multi-billionaires a chance. After all, they're keeping us afloat today and working towards a sustainable tomorrow, all whilst keeping Captain Jack on board.

This approach ^^ of using the ownership change or a forced sales of a key player I.e. Grealish seem to be the only logical way to justify why we're not going to fail FFP, in my opinion. Purslow has indicated previously that the change of ownership effectively refinanced the club and so we start with a clean sheet. Equally, Smith was talking about Jack's long-term contract yesterday and building him up as the captain for the year's ahead. It is difficult to trust new owners given our Randy and Dr X experiences but it looks like that's what we're having to do I.e, take Purslow at his word that we're fine and we should know more come the summer based on the type of signings we make. It's a bit worrying but equally we do seem to have owner's who are more on the ball these days.

It was an excellent game, working as a team, good positioning, movement off the ball, players responding to criticism and fans / players harmony restored.. and that worldy from Jack to cap it all off. BUT.. All this seemed to flow from the return of 1 player, granted he's arguably the best player in the division but it was fundamentally just one player that seemed to unlock all the negativity, the frustration of the fans and the arse flapping of some key players we've had to endure during Jack's absence (Hourihane had a great game, as did Whelan, who kept everything ticking over in the middle of the park and both have had stick lately). My concern is the psychological impact that losing Jack had on the squad, and what would happen again if he got hacked to bits on Sunday by the Neanderthals at the Sty.. Equally, Jack seems to unify a lot of the apparent "negativity and cliques" that we've heard being alleged based on the remarks of Elphick and others lately. The other key learning point for me was seeing Mings and Hause work together as CBs when Elphick went off - having two agile, committed units (albeit both lefties), that were both comfortable on the ball just highlighted to me what we've been missing for a long time - they had the physical attributes and technical abilities to ensure Derby would not get past them, these are the type of defenders we need more of in the Summer. Which makes me worry about playing Taylor at left-back against the noses, let's hope Elphick's injury isn't as bad as it looked... Can't complain overall, it's a win that was long overdue, everyone is happy and we still have McGinn to return so we can at least sense some positivity now even if it does look a tad too late for the play-offs (hope I'm wrong about that!).

ITK? You state "they are not happy" but I'm not clear whether you mean the fans, owner's or both? Can you elaborate further?

We're definitely taking a gamble but no more or less than any appointment since MoN, I don't think Smith will jeopardise the club's financial future like Bruce did but agree that he may not be the man to get us back to the promised land either but it's just too early to tell. If we're still in this rut come May then I expect he will have to go (and rightly so) but if we get Jack and Axel back and turn it around then I'll give him the benefit of the doubt for the summer. Don't you think we need to at least try to break the cycle and do something different or are we to remain on the "he's crap, get rid" merry go round?

I think the Graham Turner comparisons may well be valid in the case against Smith and his impact at the higher levels but we're currently a mid table Championship side, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as so far we've changed managers and seen the same performances - let's see what happens if we change the player's so that we collectively apply the same effort throughout the team that Tammy and Mcginn show now. My near term concern is what happens if we get a poor result at the Sty, that could prompt an onslaught of cabbages not seen before... That aside, totally agree about having a boss and towing the line to put food on the table (I have to do that too) but I suspect some of our players will never get a better contract than we've offered and that's why we have soo much deadwood in the squad.

Hi @hippo, I don't for one second believe that the team-talk goes the way you've indicated and that wasn't what I was trying to imply in my original post either. What I was trying to get at was the "promotion or bust" FFP pressure from the owners seems to have evaporated, I believe that is perhaps subconsciously allowing some players to adopt a less than 100% effort attitude (as injuries have limited replacement options) and when combined with contracts coming to an end we have a distinct lack of motivation for the "physical dynamic" needed to play the high tempo pressing game that Smith aspires towards. I believe Smith still wants to win and tries to instil this in the team, he's one of us after all. The players (some of them anyway) just don't give a toss anymore as most of them will be gone in the summer

Cheers @AvfcRigo82, I do believe they'll give him the summer unless the position becomes untenable i.e. if we don't win another game and slip towards the relegation zone then it could make it impossible to keep him (a staggering statement after only 4 months!). My belief is that our new owners are committed to a different model and will endure short-term pain for long-term gain but if Smith loses the plot completely (hence my interest in JT fall out rumours) then they'll have no choice (which would be a crying shame). Ultimately, I think we'll pick up enough wins, in the near-term my fear is the response from "fans" if we get turned over at the Sty - that could see cabbages flying everywhere...

Thanks @AvfcRigo82, I guess we're both in the same boat with regards to trying to make sense of the alarming drop off in performances. My belief is the club have decided this year isn't happening and therefore they're not bothered as we seem to have a plan for surviving FFP. This in turn is filtering through to the player's, who aren't the most committed and motivated individuals on their best days either. I just hope we have plan's for next season that are well advanced as I don't know how long Smith will get if we don't start seeing progress once he's got his "own" player's in over the summer.

@AvfcRigo82, forgive me for asking directly but can you elaborate on the JT fall out rumours? It strikes me that rumours will inevitably surface now, given the poor performances and thanks to our obvious frustration as fans but if something like a genuine falling out has occurred then it could have a bigger impact and help explain the drop off these past 10 games or so. I just keep hoping it will get better next season but a nagging voice in my head (and not the wife for a change) keeps telling me I'm exhibiting Dr Xia levels of blind optimism.

Awful performance, shocking officials and nothing different from any of the previous 10 games. I know Smith wants us to play differently and I believe many of the players won't be here next season either but seriously, I paid to watch a full season of football not a bunch of overpaid muppets who've decided it's all over in February!! Felt Mings did well again, Whelan tries but has no legs, Hourihane is the latest scapegoat but to be fair he is weaker than a 5 year old and therefore deserves all the stick he gets. Dean Smith has turned into Steve Bruce, we're negative, slow and have no pattern - can someone tell me WTF has happened? He seems to have lost the dressing room now and that's never a good place for a manager to find themselves. I cannot see where our next win is coming from..

It's not taken long for this thread to mimic the Steve Bruce page's has it? Still way too early to judge but yet again being a Villa fan isn't fun anymore, poor results, poor performance and poor effort from player's and arguably coaching staff alike. It is too soon to really tell whether Smith is Graham Turner mk2 or just waiting to ship out the dross, so perhaps we should let it play out this season and judge next year? We're not going to make the play-offs but neither are we ready for the Premier League either (but the cash would help). We are Aston Villa, always in transition and most definitely lost

I never knew Adomah was such an inspiration to so many of my fellow fans... for all the wrong reasons of course

Our fan base confuses me sometimes, we're the first to moan about the squad not being good enough, poor individual performances, the failings of the current manager etc.. etc.. so the club take action to address the shortcomings.. A Villa player on his debut (a more than decent debut I would add) is involved in a horrific challenge and half us want to string him up because he's got previous (which was provoked, unlike this one - but I'm not saying that justifies anything). He's in an unfamiliar team, hasn't played a lot lately due to injury and is having a pretty good debut - I'll go so far as to say he's looking like what we've been missing since arguably our last truly effective unit - Ugo (may he rest in peace). Perhaps we could cut him some slack? He's clearly quite upset about it and I'd like to not see him destroyed in the way Neil Taylor has been by a single, unfortunate incident. I don't believe Dean Smith is in the habit of signing psychotic centre backs from the dark side but I'll admit we have a problem if he starts accumulating bodies faster than a Rambo movie on speed although at this point I think he was unlucky, I think he deserves our backing whilst wearing the shirt (as many including bluenoses and sky pundits are keen to string him up) and I'd like to keep him playing well for us as I think we'll need him if we're ever to get out of this league. I have nothing but sympathy for the injured player and his wife but this is a contact sport played by professionals and sometimes this sort of collision is inevitable, albeit thankfully very rare. nb: Just seen that he wont be facing any further sanction, which is great news and hopefully help to shield him from the anti-Villa pundits and press

I thought Mings was a LB although Smith wants to play him at CB? Hause is a CB who can play LB too. On that basis we seem to have addressed the main defensive issues (with a French RB to come in the summer). We do seem a tad lightweight in the DM position still but have been sensible in using loan to buy options to minimise the chance of making more expensive mistakes. Tom Carroll may be an underwhelming name but from a long-term perspective we do finally seem to be building towards a sustainable future, which is what we all wanted, isn't it?

Not the worst performance I've seen but certainly not inspiring enough to look like we can go on a run from here. Ipswich are a shockingly poor side and we still flapped at times, especially after they scored. McGinn played well in the No.10 role and Tammy again worked hard and took his goals well. We're still all at sea defensively, Chester needs rest to recover and Taylor/Hutton need replacing urgently. Kalinic still concerns me but it's early days so only time will tell. To sum the game up, we had a ref who managed to book an Ipswich player early on in the game which set the tone but then equally booked Kalinic for time wasting, even though he was waiting for the substitute to come on. That's the highlight for me, which explains how dull the football was overall. Let's hope we get some talented defensive recruits in over the days ahead.

I think we're looking at a team who have realised that most of them don't have a future at the club, given our new focus on youth and developing players (Lambert Mk2, I hope not!). That combined with losing Jack and Axel to injury plus other sides figuring out our weaknesses (we have no stomach for a fight and our midfield and fullbacks are shite) has culminated in what we witnessed in the first half today. We need to be fitter, work harder and emulate the efforts of McGinn & Abraham - we need to ditch the show pony (Bolasie), the journeymen (BB and Whelan) and the downright weak (Hourihane) to see a change and I trust Smith is working on that as it is still very early days. We just need to be patient and allow for the necessary transition to happen..

Not making excuses but the decline mirrors the period of Tammy being taped up and today he's gone. The player's need to move on and forget about him and the club need a number of new player's too. We can still make the play-offs but the vibe around the club is turning shit. Dean Smith has to really earn his money now, Jesus needs to deliver a miracle too..