VillaAndLoyal

Has he left yet?

I bet that word removed Oliver Holt, the one who laughably calls himself a chief sports writer for a national newspaper, is behind this. Word removed.

Paul Lambert? Great up and coming manager who gets his team playing attractive and effective football. Far better than the useless tw*t we have at the moment. Then again, the main problem is Lerner. Hope he sells up to someone responsible soon and puts his English experiment to bed.

**** all seater stadia. This game is what football's all about - on the terraces 8)

I think a few are travelling without tickets mate so you should be in good company.

Yeah, so honourable that he forfeited an FA Cup match and then admitted afterwards that he didn't think we could win. Please don't claim to say something as "fact" when it isn't.

McLeish's tactics, system and line-up was so, so wrong today. And it is ultimately what lost us the game. See my post in the match reaction for why.

Christ, some of the comments on here are baffling. We didn't lose today because we didn't drop 7 players like Swansea, and the players were tired. What is the first thing a team want to do after a brilliant away win at Chelsea? The answer: Play again. Tiredness just does not play a part. The reason we lost today is simple: We clearly didn't research how our opponents play and the tactics and formation employed by McLeish today lost us the game. Let me explain. Swansea pass the ball from the back, and use every player in passing moves, including the keeper. What this does is let them dictate the tempo of the game, build up possession, frustrate the opposition and most importantly stretch the play, helping them to play the passing game they are well known for. So what does Alex McLeish do to combat this? He puts Darren Bent on his own up front, a player who does not pressurise and doesn't have the speed to put defenders under pressure. Subsequently we've got Mr Bent jogging aimlessly from one side of the pitch to the other, Swansea easily passing the ball around and opening the pitch up ready for their next attack, while the crowd get increasingly frustrated at the tactical ineptness of our team. What we should have done, is kept Gabby up front either on his own or with Bent (preferably on his own) and kept a high line so Swansea were forced into mistakes and forced into reconsidering their own game plan. We DIDN'T do that, we played straight into their hands because of our shocking tactics. Our previous three games, with Bent out of the side, has been by far our best football of the season. We bring him back, and we look like we're playing with 10 men again, surprise, surprise. Our best player by far this season, Gabby, is forced to play on both wings during the game and centrally for a short period towards the end. What must he be thinking? He is being WASTED by McLeish. Our best player against Chelsea, Ireland, and a player who clearly needs a run in the team, gets taken off when we are chasing the game? Work that one out? Especially as he was playing better than the rest today. And, to cap off the numerous bizarre decisions, our recently named player-of-the-month Marc Albrighton was dropped to the bench for some unknown reason. He is another player who needs a run of games and his confidence to remain high, not being dropped as soon as your so-called star striker is back in the fold. So to those who have said: "He played the same system today, it was purely the players to blame etc" - Rubbish! To play the same "system" you have to be playing the same or like-for-like personnel, which we weren't. It was patently obvious after 20 minutes what the problem was. And yes, Alex McLeish is totally and utterly to blame. I'm really surprised that so few can see why. He doesn't know what his best system is, he doesn't know what his best team is, he doesn't know whether he should be attacking games or waiting patiently (Chelsea aside), he doesn't know when to make substitutions, he picks players on reputation rather than form, he clearly doesn't research his opposition, he doesn't know how to change a game or react to things during a match, and he's got a shocking win percentage as Villa manager. Not to mention some of the most boring, insipid football I've seen at Villa Park and on the road for years. And, to tell you the truth, if you asked him what team he was managing, I wouldn't be surprised if he hesitated after saying "Birm....." Please **** off Alex, and take Paul and Randy with you. And that "General" bloke.

I hope Guzan fly's out of goal, misses his punch, cracks John Terry in the head and leaves him in a bloody heap on the floor. Just saying.

Don't want it to come across as picking holes in your post, as I agree with a lot of what you and Woodytom have said. But I would like to pick up on this point, as many, included McLeish as you rightly say, have talked about the incident in question. However, it's quite wrong to suggest nobody in a Villa shirt had the hunger to be looking for the scraps of Sorenson's mistake. If you watch the incident again, you'll see that we actually had two players directly either side of where the ball came to land following the keepers howler. It was, in my opinion, just pure bad luck that it didn't drop to either of them. So to use that point as evidence that Bent would have made a difference is not on the money for me, I'm afraid. We did have players following up, it was just a very unlucky bounce off Sorenson. As I say, a very minor point. But one which has been bugging me since the Stoke game.

By about a dozen retards, I might add. Though that i suppose does count as a section. It was only a section, hence why I stated that. But it was more than 12 supporters I think you'd find. As for critisising them for doing so, I sometimes wonder if you can ever win with some people. If everyone started hailing McLeish and the sudden 'two-match turnaround' then the word 'fickle' would be bandied about more than I care to imagine. Two matches doesn't change the fact that the hiring of McLeish was one of the most illogical decisions I can ever remember being made at board level in modern times. The poll on various internet sites, including this one, suggests only a very small minority want him at this club. If you're one of them, then that's your opinion, but let's not insult those who oppose him. As I said, every fan applauded the players and were fully behind the team - you can't ask for more than that.

Agree with what you said PB. And Trent pretty much answered the question about who might want him for me.

He got booed as he walked towards the tunnel at both half-time and full-time by a section of the crowd. Inbetween standing ovations for the players, I might add.

First away game I'm missing this season. No way am I paying £55 **** quid to line the pockets of scumbags such as John Terry & Co. They're having a **** laugh.

Villa fans arguing about how many career goals Darren Bent has Jesus Christ, who cares!? To be honest, I'm not bothered whether he stays or not anymore. To me, it is inevitable he will leave, if not in January, then definitely in the summer. We've seen this so many times before, particularly in recent years. Yorke, Barry, Downing, Young, Milner etc etc. Will he, won't he? I'm bored of it - of course he will leave unless we suddenly find our spending power again. And that is simply not going to happen. Bent's Premier League record is brilliant, no doubting it. On paper, he's up there with the very best and last season his goals were vital to us. But, personally speaking, he's just not my kind of player in the slightest. I hate his lack of work ethic, I hate how awful his body language has been this season, and I hate how, unless he's in the six yard box, he contributes absolutely nothing to the team. When he doesn't score, it's like playing with ten men to put it bluntly. An attacker with a record as good as his should be playing in the Sky4 - on the face of it. That's until you realise he has so many other flaws to his game. He's not a footballer; he's a goal poacher - plain and simple. It's these flaws which mean he will always float around clubs such as Spurs, Villa and Sunderland. I do also realise, from his point of view, that working with Alex McLeish on a day-to-day basis must be soul destroying as well as having the club's two most creative assets being sold from under you. He must have thought: "What the hell have I got myself into?". We've lost bigger and better players in the past however and moved on, and I'm more than resigned to the same happening here. I firmly believe we'll take a financial loss on him and he'll move back to the bright lights of London under QPR's new regime, which does seem to have significant financial backing. Ironically, I think in a top 4 side his deficiencies would be less of an issue and be better hidden. But playing in such an average side as were are at the moment, we need more from what is sometimes our only striker, than to be effective just in the six yard box. We need an all rounder, like Gabby, who not only scores but contributes other things to the team. It was a great move, in theory, and the £18m we paid for him saved us losing £40m+ had we been relegated. So, in that respect, we got our money's worth. But I just don't think it's working out now and I won't be surprised nor too disappointed when he's gone. I genuinely feel sorry for the fans who still care so much that they are debating whether these (so-called) injuries are just a smokescreen for him leaving. This is what the Club does to people, turns us into paranoid freaks. *Places tin hat on head and sits patiently waiting*

That's funny, I thought Herd was pretty anonymous all night. You'll be trying to argue Bent played better than Gabby next.

Be as sarcastic as you like, but if you wouldn't keep coming out with ridiculous comments such as "Gabby is poor on his own" then I wouldn't have to keep correcting you. I do hope Santa left you with a Villa season review video so you can remind yourself about how well Gabby can play on his own in a 4-5-1 formation.

You seem to just blurt out random statments which are either wrong or don't make any sense. You say you don't think Gabby should be dropped, but then put the team you would play for Stoke without him in it. Make your mind up? :? And then you say Gabby would be lucky to get 10 goals a season when he has already regularly achieved that feat. Again, another meaningless comment. You also like putting words in my mouth. I've never said he should never be dropped, have I? But he's been by far our best player this season and you still haven't given me a single logical reason for dropping him. It would be non-sensical to drop our most dangerous attacking player - we're struggling for goals as it is. I like sticking to the facts. And yes, on his day Bent can be a very good player. Trouble is, when it's not his day (which has been practically every game this season) he contributes absolutely nothing to the team whatsoever, whereas Gabby can also create goals even if he isn't scoring them. If anyone should be dropped, make no mistake, it should be Darren Bent.

Can someone please say something controversial? It's far too civilised on this thread :winkold: Hope everyone is having a great day - unless you're a bluenose lurker of course. Off to destroy the rest of my Heineken crate and then get started on the Grolsch 8)

Gabby is poor on his own? Either you have an extremely short memory or you haven't been a Villa fan for very long? Gabby was upfront on his own in a 4-5-1 formation for the incredibly successful festive run we had a few seasons ago, under Martin O'Neill, when we couldn't stop winning, particularly away from home. So that defeats any argument you were trying to make right in its tracks. Gabby hasn't done much for the past few games? Sorry, are you getting the two of them mixed up? Bent has done next to nothing for half a season. Bent, by the very nature of his play, doesn't make anyone "look better" - he is simply there to score from six yards. Talking of scoring from six yards, and your assertion that "feeding Bent" will mean he scores - what about the countless sitters he's missed this season? How many points has that cost us? Gabby had a below-average game against Arsenal and all of a sudden it's Bent who has been making Gabby look good all season You couldn't make it up! What a load of rubbish. Had it not been for a fantastic save from the keeper, Gabby would have scored a first half header against Arsenal. But don't let that get in the way of your argument. Would Bent have tucked away Albrighton's goal the other night? I doubt it very much. Gabby over Bent any day of the week - he's Villa, he's one of us, and he's a bloody great player who gives his all for the Claret & Blue cause. Bent will be off as soon as he gets a telephone call offering him more money, in my opinion of course.

What a load of rubbish. Gabby has been our best player by a country mile this season. You would drop him for a drastically out-of-form player who can't presently hit a cows arse with a banjo on the basis of one below-par game? If that is your 'grounds' for suggesting Gabby should be dropped then Mr Bent should have been relegated to the bench weeks ago.

We only played that way though, and got so many good balls into the box, because of the system we played. A system that didn't include Bent. I would leave him on the bench whether he is fit or not against Stoke. We played our best football of the season against Arsenal with him out of the team. His head hasn't been right for a while now, and quite frankly it's like playing with 10 men when he's this out of form. Dropping him might give him the kick up the arse he needs. What Villa certainly need against Stoke is 11 men on that pitch fighting 100% for the cause - something which Bent simply doesn't do imo.

This. It's a disgrace.

Didn't miss him at all tonight, I thought. Played our best football of the season with him sat at home (or out late night shopping).

Christ Calling a Villa fan a sore loser? Don't think so mate, I'm more than used to seeing us lose by now to be "sore" over anything. If I was a sore loser why am i saying Arsenal should have had another penalty given, which wasn't? When you get fouled in the box, it is only a foul if the player being impeded still has the ball under control. Look up the rules if you don't believe me. Now watch the incident again and tell me Walcott still has the ball under control? He quite clearly kicks it too far in front of himself in the box, and therefore Clark's subsequent raised arm, in the rules of the game, is irrelevant. It was never a penalty, despite the petty insults you throw at me. I've backed my argument up with facts, thanks. The referee also failed to send Mertesacker off despite him committing three bookable offences during the match. So no, he did not have a good game in the slightest. Three big decisions all wrong, two of them against Villa.