Villanbee

Comments on Sky about poor recruitment. Looking back, and seeing how the new players have been deployed, thinking seems disjointed. And it's seemed disjointed all season in regards to how the new signings fit in. Firstly I think that any players we signed needed to, in every case but Ebony Salmon, be an upgrade on what we already had, moving some of last year's preferred 11 into squad and rotation positions. That's how you progress Then consider the two loan signings made permanent means you are essentially signing players to stand still. Nothing that can be done about that if you want to keep them. In terms of the players new to the club, my interpretation was... We'd brought in Salmon as a much needed second striker, backup to Daly and tactical option if we want to go with 2 up front. No issues there. We'd brought in Leon for the right wing position as an upgrade on Lehmann. Except Leon doesn't seem to be the preferred choice. So that seems strange. Then the defence. We make Patten's loan permanent and bring in Lucy Parker. So I think Parker will play central defence with Patten alongside. Building for the future etc. Especially as Dan Turner is essentially a left back who played central defence last year. But then we make Rachel Corsie captain, which suggests that we are going to be playing her more often than not. So, I'm thinking we maybe intend to go back 3 of Corsie, Parker and Patten with Pacheco and Mayling as wing backs and Turner (who is 32) moving to a utility squad position. This could cover the issue of upgrading the defence from last year and move Mayling into a position further forward, where I believe her strengths lie. I think she's suspect defensively. But it would also diminish the point of signing Leon and retaining Hanson. But come the start of the season, we seem to want to shoehorn all the central defenders into the team without playing wing backs, with Parker in a CDM role. Pacheco on the bench and Turner on the left. We then tinker with playing both Pacheco and Turner in a back 5 against Arsenal before moving Parker to right back in a back 4 against Spurs. As of today (appreciate she was injured today) the new central defender we brought hasn't actually played there. Today, we drop Corsie to bring Turner back to central defence even though she's played on the left all season so far. So against Chelsea we put together a back line that has not played together all season. In fact, we reverted to the back line that we wanted to upgrade from last season. Against Chelsea. Hardly surprising it was a shambles. That's my biggest issue. I appreciate we've been without Hanson and Dali, but there's been far too much tinkering going on. There doesn't seem to be any identity on how we play or what our playing style is. Compare this with how well drilled the men's team are.

Does anyone remember an interview with Carla over the last few weeks where she said something to the effect of she sees her job as more of a people management role as she has a coaching staff to take care of that side of things. Hopefully my mind isn't playing tricks on me, so if I am right in my recollections, might I suggest that could be where the issue is. Because the coaching is clearly an issue. Didn't we get a new first team coach (or something like that) over the close season?

Useless, listening to Carla's interview, you seem more confident than her! You can't fault her for facing up to the cameras for that interview. Big respect for those responses. However, we are an absolute shambles. No progression. Tough start or not, we've conceded 16 goals. The defence do not seem to have a clue what they are doing. Basic, basic stuff being neglected. Not closing down players. Unmarked players on corners. Basic positional awareness lacking.That's coaching. DvD has been hung out to dry. I feel incredibly sorry for her.

Just look at the TV coverage of that huddle. A picture paints 1000 words.

Useless, I take on board all the comments you've made, but I can't help but think they read like an essay of excuses. You talk of the nuances of it not being so simple as we finished above so and so and should beat them. I get that. But then your argument seems to be that we've played teams who finished above us last season etc. so it's expected that they beat us. We don't have a monopoly on bad luck.It's not like other teams aren't without players. That WSL transfer fee record signing didn't play today for Spurs because of injury. At the moment, the team looks a mess.

This difficult start excuse is nonsense. There are only 10 other teams in the league. You will regularly meet the top 4. Last season we finished fifth. So far we've played four games. Two against teams that finished above us (one home, one away) and two against teams who finished below us (one home and one away). Next two games are against the team that finished top and then the team who were promoted. In the more difficult fixture, we are at home. Seems pretty fair to me. Anyway, we shouldn't be worrying about playing the top teams. There is supposed to be a project within both the women's and men's teams which sees year on year progression and us offering a threat to the established top teams. We shouldn't be fearful of playing teams who finished above us or accepting that consistently losing against them is acceptable. We have broken that mentality with the men's team. The same expectation should be applied to the Villa women's team as the mens. Farlz may think we're a 'tiny irrelevant club in the women's game', but we have a team stacked with talent, with international standard players in all positions and two Ballon d'Or nominees. Having no points from four fixtures was never in the script and I'm sure that the powers that be won't be saying that it's ok because we had to play Man U and Arsenal in those fixtures. Useless, you seem convinced Carla is untouchable. Gemma Davies was highly rated, but look what happened there. With the men's team, Dean Smith had much more credit in the bank than Carla has with the women's team but, again, the plug was pulled relatively quickly after we were seen to be lacking progression on the positive season that had gone before it. The key is progression. At the moment, we look a shadow of last year's team, despite an active transfer window which should have meant more ability to cope with losing the likes of Dali and Hanson. Today was an abject performance. Liverpool was poor and I've made my feelings on the second half display last week clear. We look like a bunch of strangers out there. No service to Daly, no ball retention, poor decision making and a shambles at the back conceding sloppy and late goals. Surely that's coaching?

We can't moan about fixtures. All teams have to be played. We have played two teams who we finished above last season and have been beaten by both. We've been poor all season so far. Sloppy at the back and lacking cohesion up front. That attack by Parker says it all. A simple through ball to Rachel Daly and instead she goes alone. Every team we've played this year seems better coached than us. The way Spurs have cut through us at will today is worrying. They've all improved. We've gone backwards. Playing 4 centre halves but leaving one of the leagues best full backs on the bench. Is Pacheco not fully fit? Otherwise it's baffling.

Another half to go but, yet again, the masters of our own downfall so far and, yet again, surrendering a lead. Two really sloppy goals to give away. Poor to be out jumped like that. But I think we've given away sloppy goals all season so far. We look decent going forward, but need to score two now. Fingers crossed.

I don't think challenging for fifth is good enough. This season there needs to be a challenge for top four and certainly a closing of that ten point gap. Some of that may happen naturally as the other teams have strengthened and are bound to take points off them (as Liverpool did to Arsenal and Leicester did to Man Utd). But we certainly can't have other teams below us jumping us. That's not the progression we are looking for or, I suspect, the project the new players have signed up for. But, looking at results so far, not just from Villa but from other teams, I think it's a distinct possibility. This idea that the top four are untouchable needs to be put to bed. That approach, together with top-level coaching, has seen the likes of Villa and Brighton challenge the status quo in the Premier League and the same mentality needs to be applied to the Villa women's team who, in terms of squad depth, are miles more advanced than this time last year. As you say, it's early days, but 0 points from 3 games, conceding so many late goals is disappointing no matter how it's dressed up. For what it's worth, today I think we got the first half spot on, but were devoid of ideas in the second. Something needed to change as Arsenal should have been level well before 90 minutes. You can only push your luck for so long.

I think calling people out as ignorant is disrespectful. The tactics in the second half today, whether by accident or design, were awful. To continue to shut up shop, coming under that amount of pressure, was always going to end in tears. It wasn't as if there weren't enough warnings earlier in the half. We were lucky to be still at 1:0 at 90 minutes. If, with the players we now have, we are incapable of retaining the ball higher up the pitch, something is very wrong. We beat Arsenal 2:0 at their place a few months ago without Dali. We did have Hanson, but were without Patten, Nobbs and the wealth of options that were on the bench today. So why the negative approach in the second half when it was clear that we were riding our luck? On paper, losing 2-1 against Man U and Arsenal doesn't look too bad. But, in reality, losing both games in injury time (as we also did last season against Man Utd) is poor. We need to stop seeing ourselves as plucky underdogs. It's akin to the Gerrard 'Chelsea should be coming to Villa park and wiping the floor with us' mentality. Last season, we beat 3 of the top 4 at some stage (albeit Man U was a cup game) so absolutely we should be going into these games with high expectations. That's year on year progression. We have a team stacked with international level players now.

I'm baffled. We have a team full of international standard players and approached that game like a lower level team trying to grab a result in a cup game against top level opposition. Like Zrinjski did against the men a few weeks ago at Villa Park. What has gone on? We're a shadow of the team that finished last season.

Not good enough. Two injury time losses in three games. Sitting back all game. Giving them far too much respect. My life, we played as if we were privileged to be on the pitch with them. We defended resolutely but you cannot let a team like Arsenal come at you all game. What on earth were we thinking? Get hold of the game. A few months ago, we went to Arsenal and beat them two nill. I'm really cross. We're better than that. Tactically, we've been found wanting again. Must do better and quickly.

We didn't lose yesterday because the squad wasn't good enough. Absolutely we missed Dali (and Pacheco is a usual starter too) but we still had more than enough quality on the pitch. We lost because the players on the pitch didn't play well enough. Listen to Carla Ward's interview with Sky Sports. She doesn't pull any punches.

Agreed. We needed to move the ball much quicker through them. Every high ball we've put in has been headed clear. Their defence has been great.

As soon as that break was on, we had to make a tactical foul there. Yet again, our defending lets us down. Liverpool's defending has been resolute all game. Ours has been shocking. This game was there for the taking. We've not taken chances up front and been really sloppy at the back.

Frustrating, because we are much the better team, but Liverpool are defending well and when we've had chances we've not capitalised.

We beat Arsenal at their place last year. I'd rather play the top teams early before a rhythm sets in. The biggest issue for me is Dali and Pacheco missing. Pacheco on bench but has been ill apparently. We're not taking chances. Nobbs and Patten should both have scored there. We're still in this.

Mayling is getting done time and again on that right side. Letting crosses come in far too easily. That was the position I really wanted to upgrade over the winter.

Ok. Watched the coverage. How the ref didn't give that penalty shout to Daly is beyond understanding. It's so unfortunate. If the pen is given, the game plays out differently and Hanson's challenge, which was only a minute or so later, doesn't happen. Those are the breaks you need.

We were unlucky to lose, but I was disappointed we didn't manage the game better when we took the late lead. Could we have brought on Pacheco for the last 10 minutes? I don't know. Have to trust the manager. But Leon looks very lively. An upgrade on Lehmann. Bring Dali and/or Nobbs in and we can go toe to toe with anyone. Dali, Staniforth and Nobbs were our engine room last season. Taking two of them out was always going to be tough. I'll reserve judgement on the penalty shout until I've seen the BBC coverage, but from the lower Holte we were astounded it wasn't given. The sending off, even though we scored after, was the defining moment. You just can't go in with studs up. It cost us the game. The gap between us and the top four is not the gap it is made out to be. Today, we gave a top two team a real run for their money. With 11 players, we get a result from that. There's a lot more to come from this team. We absolutely should not be aiming for consolidation as best of the rest at the end of the season.

I was worried as soon as I saw that back line. Thought Pau, with his European experience would be a nailed on starter. They looked like what they were. A back line who had never played together in anger before. I get the need for a squad and that we have a PL game on Sunday, but we played a stronger team against Hibs away. Just baffled.

Her Instagram seems to suggest that is the case.

Good luck to him. He's still young and hopefully this can give him the kick start his career needs.

This signing gives us a huge opportunity to play Rachel Daly at left wing back. After all, it's only logical position to play the league's Golden Boot winner and subsequent Balloon D'Or Nominee. Seriously though, this is another great signing. Salmon, Daly and Hanson is an exciting attacking threat. Very pleased with the incomings so far. Our best 11 will give anyone in the league a serious run for their money. Still time in the window for more too.

This is a worry. It's ok smashing the Burnleys and Evertons of the league, but we have been showed up twice now against the top end clubs. It highlights what a miss Mings is for us.