tommytenjobs

Went yesterday with my dad and had to sit in palace end with him. Poor view as low down and behind goal, but my take was…. -we held them at arms length for most of the game, let them have the ball and play in front of us. We weren’t worried by any of them except zaha and after cash incident he seemed distracted and riled anyway. -Watkins played better than many think, gave Tomkins a torrid time, but needs to pass on the ball quicker, shoot quicker and be more decisive. -Bailey needs to do all the above. Too much an individual still, but did attempt more defensive work. Still think that there’s a player there! -el ghazi should always play at least the last 25 mins. Stretched play by hugging touchline, attacks oppo by running straight and direct. Gets fouls and always looks like he’ll contribute. Not sure he ever does this when he starts. -mings, in control of benteke for 90 mins. Don’t understand the flax he seems to get sometimes -cash really solid and great decision making. Kept a really dangerous weapon under control. (Like targett last week against lampty) - motd….no clue on at least three penalty shouts so was really looking forward to seeing them, Luiz red and cash/zaha spat to clear them up in my mind…..not on highlights at all really. It’s not like they had much else to show and yet nothing. Who the hell edits the program?

Think I’ve figured out the prob. Gone on again today and the option is now there for me to sell my ticket back to the club…for the Burnley game. Clearly must be a window in which you have to know you can’t make The game and nominate to sell the tickets back to them. I must have missed the Man City window, which is why I could find an alert section which contained a sell back option. Anyhow, bought tickets for charlton away as compensation for not being able to get up to Brum and back on a Wednesday night. Thanks to all for suggestions and help. Much appreciated. UTV

Thanks so much. I’ll give it a go this evening. Don’t think I’ve spotted an alerts section so maybe that’s my error!

Thanks. I’ll try to give them a call. Don’t hold much hope of getting through to the ticket office though.

Has anyone been able to sell their season ticket for any games back to the club. I’ve been sat at the laptop with my account details open for the best part of 45 mins and am still clueless. I’m a bit of a techno phobe…but nothing is jumping out to me. Can’t make the man c mid week match and want to make sure someone else has a chance of taking the seats. The club letter threatening all manner of punishments has put me off just giving it to someone else but they’re not making it easy for me! Any ideas much appreciated!

Needs to think up a plan B for at least some of some games. Subs.....weasly and SJM should have come off on 70mins, but he doesn't seem to trust alternatives. I just worried were going to be knackered and very predictable in the second half of the season.

Struggling. Needs a break. Take him out of the firing line and at least give kodja a chance. He's doing ok for a 20million striker in his first season, but he doesn't have to play 90mins every week.

Poor today. Lacked verve, should have been carded on at least three occasions. They walked around him, luiz and nakamba too often. Needs a break. Feel sorry for Connor that it's always him being dropped.

Anyone else think he seems to go absent when he's up against it? Few times today he was caught in possession and just jogged back. Also seems to get injuries which allow him to be subbed off when we're behind. Prob just coincidence but I'm not convinced he's a man for when the chips are down.....

Much better yesterday than my comment after Wolves. Still.....mostly running and trying as opposed to quality. I like him. Good sub. But Grealish walks back into the team and El Gahzi has some qualities that put him out ahead. Trez will improve but needs a calmer head and confidence to take his time and pick a better option.

Just saying.....our last home match vrs Liverpool was a 6.0 loss. A bit better today! #deanoistheway

Disappointed in the end......but amazed Smith and the team got us as far as they did. Look at the two benches to see the difference between the sides. Gulf! Let alone the starting 11. We fought tooth and nail; in a few years we might just try to compete football wise, but for now I'm happy to see the emotional and physical fight. Please, some if you worrying and venting...remember the capitulation years. We've won more games already than our relegation year. We've got players who are limited but fighting. We've been in every game. We've got a team to be proud of and I left with my daughter shattered, stressed, disappointed...but proud. Didn't feel like that much between 2000 and 2018. UTV!!

Looking forward to tomorrow. First home game where I feel I might be able to judge where the team really is/could be. Other games I've made it to have felt like they've been ruined by red cards or VAR. Difficult to gauge where some of our players are against the likes of Burnley. Hope we are harder to play through than Brighton game and the resting of first teamers in the week has refreshed them. If Jack is fit....might give them a game at least. It's the hope that kills ya!

Quality on the ball and off it. An easy night overall to judge him, but looked a pretty good prospect to my mind. Be good to see him up against better teams soon. Given the ricks in both mings and engals in the past few weeks.....I could see him getting a start soon.

Got to be ahead of Taylor as reserve left back. More due to Taylor's weaknesses....but Kortney has pace, power and occasionally tries to find a ball forward or inside rather than the safe option all the time. Looked sound last night defensively, but we need to be mindful he was up against a 16yrold making his debut.

Poor quality in all he tried last night. Counted 5 times in first 20mins where his pass or touch just went out of play. Couldn't believe he was still on the pitch at the end. Can't believe he's a better bet than Ramsey? We really look like we don't have the squad quality to play 433, but not sure what else Smith has as options until Jan. Feel for him though as he tries and so obviously wants to do well. Maybe time and games will help?

Two tickets booked. Second trip in two years. Second time lucky!? Just finished watching Derby. They didn't play like that at villa park a month ago. Getting nervous already.

Just about recovered enough to make some comment. Ref: Allowed foul play to dictate the tempo and tone of the game. Too many niggley fouls, body checks, kicks as the ball had gone and stamps that appear to no longer by fouls. How Jenson only got one yellow from the two games is beyond me. That said, both missed major possible decisions the other way too. Our forward line: Poor if truth be told. Played for over 45 mins against 10 men across the two games and no goals to show for it. Lack of mobility and strength and touch and presence from Abraham. I never thought I'd be critical of a 26 goal a season striker.....but by God he gave us nothing to play off of last night. An easy night for their two centre backs. Wingers, El Ghazi get no help from the opposition being able to shuffle over to double up, knowing that we are never going to try and get in behind them n the right. Green looking for most of the time as a player who couldn't get into the Portsmouth team. Adomah I think just realises his pace has gone and he just faces up to a full back, before rolling the ball back to Elmo to create. I think we have to make a change on the right - Abrahams moves out and Kodji up the middle?? Substitutions - all about holding Jedi back for Pens. You could argue this was a negative approach (the only one of the night from Smith) ....but you can certainly argue that it worked! Davis - another miss. He'll learn I think....but how many more chances will he get? Needs to go out on loan next year whatever division we are in. If we nurture him, he can be a player for us I think in the future. Penalties: Debating afterwards when the last time I saw Villa in a shoot out was....Tranmere? Won that too. More than happy to take Pens at this stage as I think the others will crumble! UTV

Back him. Show him how much we trust him and start him. Keep Connor biting at the leash and keep Glen as a key part of the team that has made it this far. He is so often in the right place at the right time to sweep up the second and third balls. He does the basics well and his organisation of others should not be underestimated. As some have said, he'll not be here if we go up, he is limited and slow, but people also sometime overlook what he does do.

Any thoughts on the banner over the Holte before the game? My daughter thought the idea of the recall ropes not working nad blanking the game for the top tier quite a prospect. I thought it was a nice touch for the rest of the ground, but what about those the wrong side of it? In general the atmosphere was a little nervous, understably for much of it, but the first and last ten mins were electrifying. Not quite standing in the middle of the holte home to inter Milan......but that's the joy of kids and the family section! Id love it if we could really get some momentum behind bringing standing back....might take a few years though.

I know Glen made an error and I know Connor spanked in a worldie....... but there's a reason we have stopped conceding goals in the last few months and Glen has been a key part of the change. He stays in the starting line up for me. We're winning, not chasing. Adomah's has gone and the constant looking forward before stopping and rolling it back to Elmo is making us lopsided and stops us spreading their three centre halfs accross the full width of the pitch. Good servant and tries hard, but for me, Green should now be given his head and an extended run. He needs confidence and the managers faith. He starts for me. Taylor......woeful in possession but keeps our shape and doesn't get caught out much. Torn, but for consistency of the back four....he starts instead of Hause. But only just. No idea who the Baggies will start up front, Rodrigues presumably. Mings to stand on him in a way he couldn't with Gayle. Huge loss for them....such a shame. I feel so much more confident than I did at any point prior to the 74 mins on sat. Just got to hold our nerve and keep faith with what has worked so well for last few motnths. Utv

My man of the match yesterday. Increasingly important in keeping width to our game and forcing full backs back. I think he'll just keep getting better and better. Got a trick. Got some pace. Crossing getting better. Supports Taylor defensively now too. Just needs to keep up these performances and he will become a great player for someone. Just hope its with us. If we can see secure promotion.......

Dean Smith Excellent tactical adjustment to the personnel available. Without Jack's ability to hold possession and with Jedniak's lack of speed we played a very different defence set up. Much narrower and deeper, at times happy to sit and force Bristol into attacking arierally. This required discipline from El Ghazi (where he has improved as the season has gone on - despite his refusal to ever commit to any tackle with a physical element needed to win the ball) and Adomah but also a huge effort on their part to get forward and quickly when we broke up Bristol's attacks. We still looked vulnerable at times without Mings - but the set up and the willingness to play out a little less compared to recent weeks, meant that on the whole we kept them at arms length for significant periods. Well adjusted Dean! Players El Ghazi's best game once he realised at half time that he had their full back. He made full use of coming inside and looking to shoot or slip others in with reverse passes. Also, willing to cross earlier and earlier. Hourianne should have benefited with at least three goals. If he carries on in this vein, we will struggle to keep him unless we go up. SJM - everywhere - the legs of the team and the dynamism with and without the ball. As he develops his passing and poise, which at times can be lacking, what a player we will have! Of late he's starting to add the cross-field ball to either side with much greater accuracy and this then creates space for late runs into the box for balls in. A really added bonus to his dribbling and shifting possession quickly to Grealish. Tammy - hold up play and keeping possession can be poor - but he's a handful at all times, chases defenders and balls all day and is so often in the right place at the right time, you have to take his flaws with his huge positives. He's 21! Should have laid off to SJM in the first half though....striker's selfish streak?? Taylor, Jedinak, Whelen, Adomah, Tzansebe, Lansbury and Davis all performed roles well - no one underperformed with the exception of ...... Hourianne - and that's only because his finishing ended up making the whole game much too tense for my heart rate in the second half. He gets in so many good positions, drifting into the box late, that he should have had four yesterday. Referee Should have sent Johnson off - what a whining, disingenuous little man he is. ( look at the difference between his post match bitterness and Smith on the pitch shaking every Bristol players hand like they were his players. Class always tells!) Bring on the play offs and hopefully an away leg at the baggies first?? UTV

Renewed yesterday about 30mins before the deadline. The 230 mile trip has been so worth it in the last 2 years for very different reasons. I was stuck for a while in that I'm not that sure I will enjoy a season fighting like Cardiff for every point going, but I suppose thats a different kind of enjoyable.......we'll have to wait and see. The main reason for going for it for another year is Dean Smith. Honest, open, realistic, claret and blue, though and through - I hope he stays rain or shine. He's unified the group, but then Bruce managed that last year....but he's done it with a much more joyful and attacking vision. I like the way we play, I like the way we try and win, whatever the opposition or game position and if we lose, so be it. At least we tried our best to entertain and do things as they should be.

Really impressed with him last season and in the small amount of game time he has had this. The reason for his lack of goals in comparison to Abraham is about runs off the ball and movement when others are breaking in wide positions. If he's bright and perceptive he should have learnt an enormous amount being at the same club as Tammy for a year. Injured or not, he should have been watching what Tammy does to find space in the box. I remember a great header verses Barnsley last year that should signs he can do this. In terms of holdup play and playing others in behind the defence, he's actually already a superior player to Abraham. The ball doesn't bounce off him and he doesn't look all arms and legs. Abraham at times looks awkward and hasn't yet grown into his body. He's young and has huge potential but this part of his game has led to us facing more pressure towards the end of the game with narrow winning or drawing scores; as he's either very tired from pressing all match, or unable to keep the ball long enough for us to get out of our defence positions to support. In terms of Goals and movement, speed and pressing - Abraham wins. Holding the ball, passing to team mates and touch - Davis wins. Kodjia - not going to be given extension, because we no longer need his solo effects and dribbling as the team is set up to play around someone like the first two - as a team.