onmeedson

You can only heap praise on a lad stepping up.

Sweet Stevie G da da da

The one thing that Gerrard and his coaching staff brought was Passion and the will to win, we went beyond 70 mins for the first time in ages to put a side to bed. Dean needed the change the players needed the change and lets hope we can build from here. Good luck to Dean and hope he doe's well but we are Villa fans first.

Would we have gone 433 under Dean Smith, would some of the players have raised their game under Dean?

Sweet Stevie G Da Da Da good time never felt so good

Rabbits in the headlights, that soft underbelly has them all in a panic and for professional footballers they have to be in the bottom league for willing to fight for a cause. All the heads go down and leave the battle to someone else instead of sweating blood for the team.

Shambles

One of my first thoughts after the game was our back line look like we never train together and I know with the internationals we always look bereft around the 70-80 mins, but seeing Dean and the set piece coach after the game both looking totally glum the thought entered my head was have we been putting to much training into set pieces and not enough passing the ball to one another and defending under pressure. We need all the elements of the game to improve and the mental toughness is part and parcel of it, but today it may have gone out of fashion.

What a shambles, the total lack of leadership on the park and discipline to be in control of the back line was abandoned at 80 mins. All wolves had to do was to step up a gear and bully our defence into flapping and do we do that well.

Penalty at old trafford, every fan can say those words and know its about to happen. The late winner was classic fergi and sweet revenge for all those bad days in manchester when we played well and came away with nothing. Kortney brings another asset to this team, the ability to head a ball with total control and direction and allows our central defenders to stay calm.

Kortney brings power to the team and slots in nicely with our defence, you can only give credit to him for his approach to the game.

He made that header look so natural that it looked to easy, a great bit of skill and reminded me of a certain Mr Andy Gray when he played.

We gave them a game and got their big guns of the bench, got to look at different players under pressure and the lad Archer had the game you could only dream of.

Thought we earnt the right to win that game yesterday with Ramsey and Makamba doing the ugly bits, step up Leon Bailey to take the plaudits and produce his cameo. Strange game for the Villa, we looked like we knew what we were doing. From training ground to on the pitch is it us.

Thought we played well first half but top teams play well for 90 mins, Emi was a big miss as his presence brings a calm to that defence and tactically i am not sure if three centre backs works and would prefer one in front of the two to add the cover. We need to be a team that works for each other because we are to easily exposed and tend to flap when pressed and the result is as followed.

We fell apart yesterday, Watford had desire, belief, hunger and fitness way above our levels. What are our fitness coaches doing when Targett is blowing through his backside after ten minutes and has to be replaced by Ashley Young. The lack of leadership on and off the field was amount to pub football and the result was only to clear to see, it's back to work guys the holidays are over and its time to shine. We missed players of the grafting kind and spirit to say this is not right and change the game, instead we wanted our tummies tickled.

What would we have given for an Ollie Watkins at 90 mins yesterday

Jack Charlton knew more about football than these jokers and God was on his team sheet every game.

Ollie needs a rest, sad for the lad but still chuffed as a villa fan that he gets the break he needs.

That 70 minute brick wall seemed to hit again.

That was a great little end to a season, we had to dig in but we showed we could do it and give game time to some of the squad. What that displayed for me was we do have options and hopefully with a couple of additions in the summer we will be a more balanced side. The established players have done their part but the players that have come in lately have put a shine on the season and to Deans credit he got there in the end. Game management is very important in todays football as the amount of pressing a player is asked to do can only lead to problems along the way, we have found new ways to play and that is the progress being made. Good luck to one and all, roll on next season, Good luck to the kids tonight.

That modern playing out from the back never factored in Ollie Watkins or the high press, Mcginn was back to his best with the help of a not so pretty Nakamba but a work horse in the making and a valuable asset to this side. You could see an argument for playing Konsa, Hause, Mings in the same side with Hause just sitting infront of the central two. Spurs have the sort of troubles you could only wish on them and to see our two youngsters come on and not look out of place was the pep up we needed. Well done Dean we needed a spark and you gave us it.

Definitely brings something to that defence, good to see him on the pitch.

Palace just wanted it more than we did, and fitness seems to kick in at 70 mins with a few players. We all know that the bench is not great and Dean sticks to his 11 players but the work they have to do take's its toil and a rest now and again might help the 11. Squad players have a purpose for injuries and the like but you can use them in games to rest the weary and bolster an area. Midfield was being run ragged at palace did we put an extra player in there or just use jack as a comeback, we really miss Matty Cash when he is out and Konsa suffers when he's not there for the amount of running matty doe's. They got lucky with the 3rd but we could help ourselves much more by managing our first 11 a little bit better and getting Squad or youngsters more game time and maybe the beach will not come so early.

Schoolboy defending yet again by our defence, to continually get the wrong side of a player to tackle borders on stupidity. What is ever is going on at coaching at bmh is a mystery to not only the players but any sense of football ability, always keep your body between the goal and the opposition. We continually get mugged because we allow that crime to take place, communication is non existant between our defenders and leads to to many ball watchers just admiring the play. When a 19 year old can mug you off, you are in the wrong place between the goal and the attacker. Gareth will be well impressed.