TonyDaley

Just hand out the team sheet, job done no one in their right mind will go take up a seat!!

I was firmly in the garde to stay camp but we go from worse to worse, today's performance was the worst in a long line. Everyone saying we were on top first half, only because Swansea never got started however they still had the better chance. We don't move the ball with any purpose, our forwards have no movement and can't hold the ball up to bring others in. I firmly believe the players are no where near as bad as they are being made to look, by poor tactics and rubbish selections. For me he has to go and it might as well be now, what's the point in persisting with someone who has shown not one inkling he could get us out of the championship let alone be competitive. Yes he has not been helped with having no half decent forward to pick from, but he just doesn't seem to motivate (just sits glum faced slumped in his chair) and can't see a way to change the game. I'm well and truely done with villa this season, can't believe I have lasted this long.

Didn't mean half hearted by those that put effort and time into trying to get this sorted, but as in people don't embrace it and join in

I hope the walk out is well received by our fans (and evertons) and makes the statement you guys want, I only hope that we don't come across as amature with a half hearted attempt. The best way it can come across to the media is for the 73 minutes and 59 seconds before hand get totally behind the team and gett villa park rocking then walk out with those not taking part cheering/clapping. edit - just seen the team sheet, that can only help the numbers!!!!!

Which part was lucky? The part where he kept himself onside, curved his run, or the vision of veretout to spot it and play it with the right pace, or the bit where he made Rudd look even stupider for dashing out by not trying to knock it round him but seeing what Rudd was doing and just simply knocked it past him. I haven't been gabbys greatest fan of recently, but I don't think it was a lucky goal.

We just don't do anything fast, every ball forward is met with a pass back or a turn back. Gana is the only one doing anything at pace. Norwich are not better just have 2 players who are direct, when they get the ball they run/move/password forwards towards the goal. Gabby, Gill, Bacuna off at h/t for me (would go Westwood as well if could)

I would take off Gill and put on lyden or Richardson, no doubt West Hams team talk will revolve around getting ball out wide to Tomkins quickly in 2nd half, oh and tell Gabby to stay up, he is marking space in middle of pitch (yep he is doing a job) but we are just holding them at bay, at least with him staying up we take out 3 of the back four and then numbers are even. Thanks god West Ham don't look all that.

Today re-affirmed something we have all known for a long time, if you buy any player make sure it's someone who can put the ball in the net, Sunderland were dog toffee today but Defoe didn't do anything but put the ball in the net twice, why o why didn't we buy a decent striker, who ever we get now I believe it's too late but a striker is an absolute must, and one with a proven record.

I don't think it's his engine as such but the way in which he runs, as in he goes from standing still to sprinting then back to walking around, then standing still, then sprinting, then standing still, that will always cause calf problems (which to me looked like it was). It's the explosive part of it that will cause injuries, I doubt he does the same training, stretching a sprinter would.

Not even sure where to start Guzan - Nothing he could do with 1st and 3rd goals, should have done better for 2nd. Generally had nothing else to do, but not commanding enough (should have spent half the game bollicking his back four) - 5 Cissohko - Good to have a left footer at left back, nothing else to say needs to settle back in squad. 6 Hutton - Few forwards runs, generally ok defensively. 6 Richards - Not a Captain, Not a Centre Back, goes wandering and all 3 goals can be in one way or another contributed to him. 3 Lescott - For some one with all that experience he needs to start showing it. Numerous times gets in others way, distrubutiong is not very good, but still slightly better than Richards today. 4 Bacuna - Started off well, had good energy and at least looked like he wanted to make something happen. - 6 Gana - Got everywhere but most of it protecting the back four, look fairly solid. - 6 Veretout - The pick of the bunch for me, covered every blade of grass, unlucky not to score, tried to get the team moving forward but often finds himself the furthest forward. One to keep. - 7 Gill - Great finish, other than that tried hard but lost ball far to often, don't think he suits that formation and the front players offer him no pass half the time. -6 Grealish - Wasted passes, didn't tackle, not much he did do. - 4 Gestede - Came deep to get ball which left us nothing up top, that's not his job he needs to be focal point furthest forward, always looked to laboured. -5 Subs - Traore - Acfually wanted to get ball and make something happened. Problem is now people will say told you so, been calling out for that. All his crosses were too deep, stood around a lot, slowed it down to much and gave himself to much to do, needs to learn to run into space and onto balls, very raw but needs to play (if not injured) - 7 Kozak - Offside more times than touched ball. -5 Sinclair - Prob his best performance. Ref - Weak, didn't have a clue what was going on half the time, didn't make any decisions one way or another just carried on. Needs to have a review and evaluation - 4 Garde - Hard to judge a man who does **** all, Non-emotional football management is not what we need now, that's why sherwood managed to keep us up. Looks like he hasn't a clue what to do, and read a few forums last week and went ok drop Sinclair/Richardson/Clark and pick Kozak/Traore in some way for game and the fans will respond favourably with me. Thats the season over for me, I can't stand being in a bad mood every Saturday evening after watching more of that shit. Will see what it's like in champioship.....

I think these ratings from http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/12/28/aston-villa-player-ratings-v-norwich-jordan-veretout-one-of-few/ covers it pretty well.

Looking at the heat maps of players yesterday showed the negativity of the team selection. Westwood and Gana pretty much occupied the same position, Richardson and Bacuna the same, veretout was furthest forward with Hutton the next, Norwich offered very little barring Brady and Redmond, but we just didn't set up to beat them, simple!. As for the Adama V Sinclair the stats show Adama done more in 30 minutes then Sinclair did in 60, not saying he should start or is the saviour but half time was the time to introduce him and possibly Gestede, I can't fathom why we didn't change it early and try and get back in the game. As others have said I don't think the back four/goalie were the problem yesterday, if we had taken an early chance we would have won that comfortably, but to do that you need the players on the pitch to do it and we didn't, regardless of whether Grealish, Gestede, Gill or Adama are decent or half decent they are attacking players and without them we only have Ayew to rely on to pull something out the hat, that is down to the manager, no one else ( and not some contract conspiracy theory). I have no doubt if Garde has his own team then things would be rosy, but he was chosen without the chance of that which is looking like another bad decision, we needed a manager who could work with what we have, more of a motivator than tactical genius, just one without an stupidly enlarged EGO, some with a reputation the players have to look up to.

I can see no footballing reason why we would start the second half without any subs, Richardson/Sinclair off, Gestede up top, Ayew and Adama either side, No reason why we can't get anything out of this game if we actually go for it. Trouble is garde looks totally devoid of emotion, players need an ass kicking at half time they need to know what this result means. Teams at the bottom who actually go for the win get points, those who set up defensively don't, yes you will take a few beatings but 3 points in one game is better than 3 draws in 18 odd.

Agree with most of this, only thing I would say about veretouts fitness is I reckon he ran a good few km's than any other villa player. He was the only one pressing in their half (whilst Gestede gingerly strolled from side to side aimlessly). would have liked to have seen Traore in last 10 mins to just chase everything down. Content with a point, as before and during game I didn't think we would get anything out of it. But it's only a good point if we build on it..

trouble is of those 28 games the next batch are almost unwinnable . 4 points from the initial easier games. That's probably why people think we are down No games are unwinnable( or even almost), not for one minute am I saying we should be beating Spurs, man city et al but the nature of the premiership beast is it throws up crazy results, one win against a team where 9 times out of 10 we would lose can do crazy things., odds say we are due some sort of freak result and that could spark something... we cant constantly be the team everyone beats.......