STRAKER

We played the usual one dimensional football and were too predictable. The need for a quality creative midfielder and striker is even more apparent now. We won't get it though and O'Neill will preside over another collaspe this season.

This one could be a real banna skin for us?

Sorry for the people on here who have taken the day off especially for the game tonight. You'll just have to give the missus one instead

Many thanks for the statistics BFHV, but i feel it is apparent that our present strikeforce lack intelligent movement to create space for a pass. If we were to sign RVN for instance, then a season, or two, in our team would make Gabby a much more intelligent and better player! At the moment i also feel we are getting there as far as being able to attract the 20m forward you speak of. At least we should be trying. Who that forward might be is up to the manager, but he will have to shop abroad for him which might be a problem for MON?

Guzan Beye Collins Clarke Bouma(if fit?) Albrighton Reo-Coker Delph Downing Carew Delfonz This team should be good enough to see off a weakened Blackburn side and also give MON the opportunity to see whether Albrighton and Delfonz are going to be good enough to allow him to rest a few from the first team from time to time?

Like everyone else, i was distraught when Torres scored !! The manager's reactions to the goal, the final whistle and then his subsequent after match interview on Sky told it's own story. I actually think that MON was close to tears out of frustration. Liverpool's goal was indeed due to a bit of luck and maybe our inability to clear our lines when we should have. However, i have to say, on the whole, Liverpool played the better football. They certainly passed it better and looked far better tecnically, being able to pass and control the ball, particulary in midfield. They also had a world class striker who when presented with one chance, sadly took it! We however again struggled to put two passes together and very quickly after the first six minutes, largely bypassed our midfield and resorted to hoofball again to try and get a knock down to conjure up a chance. Gabby missed his only chance, having to shoot with his weaker side. Would Torres have scored Gabby's chance, probably and i'm afraid thats the difference between us and the usual top four at the moment. We are fantastic at the back now, really solid, but from midfield to upfront, we lack that all important ingredient....CLASS!! The fans, media and management are partly to blame due to the expectation level. We have been punching above our weight, so to speak. We have been acheiving results against the top four this season for a number of reasons, but i feel at this moment in time, we have a squad which is geared for, at best 6th, or 7th, instead of the top four! If we understand this, then, the defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool should be put into perspective! So, in January, if the money is available and if the chairman is serious about us achieving Champions League football, then we are short by at least two players, a class midfield playmaker and a forward who will take the chances when presented. This will cost a lot of money, maybe even in the region of 30m, but thats what we will need to give us a chance of achieving a place in the top four. Martin has been quoted in the press as saying that we will be buying no-one in the January transfer window. If that is the case, then we all will need to lower our expectation level a little and wait for the summer months when we might then buy the two quality players we will need to have a realistic chance of achieving Champions League football!

Sorry AP, but i disagree. Our standard of football has generally, been very poor and we have been getting away with it due to our solid defence. The game against Arsenal has shown us the way forward, and it is certainly not hoofball!!

I've actually been waiting quite a while now, since the Bolton game, to see us playing some decent football and being less reliant on set pieces for our goals. I'm still waiting? Another underpar performance with the wrong system being played, will certainly result in another defeat. Reo-Coker has to play to nulify the threat from Gerrard and i would partner him with Milner. Downing to play on the left for a suspended Young(thankfully) and Albrighton on the right. I would also drop Petrov who is struggling for stamina and play Sidwell in a midfield five with Gabby up front on his own. Most VTs think that we will beat Liverpool tonight. I am however not so confident and would gladly take a point. This is a very important match for both teams and we will need to improve tenfold, from the Arsenal performance to get anything from the game! Worried!

Totally outclassed? Did you watch the game? Dear oh dear. The reason we lost is simple. The only difference between us and them is that they have one world class player, who can change a game, Fabregas. He scored a great free kick and a nice finish and that killed us off. We hardly gave them a sniff in the 1st half besides the decent chance early on and the game was there to be had. We should have stuck to our game plan more in the second half but still, it was only Fabregas that made the difference. We are a different team to Arsenal and we play differently to them - if you get dazzled by the fact that they play aesthetically pleasing yet at times ineffective football, then you need to read up on the game. I suggest, The Ladybird Big Book of Different Footballing Styles. Christ. Have to agree with 'ozvilla 28.' We were totally outclassed all over the pitch and anyone who suggests differently, needs their head looked at! Time and time again, the only answer we had to Arsenal's cultured play was to knock a long ball up front in the hope that Gabby would get lucky and control a knock down from Heskey. It took about two seconds for Arsenal's defence to work out that the long ball was going to be our only threat and they quickly nulified it! Our central midfield partnership of 'Sideways Petrov' or 'James in the shadow of class midfielders Milner' simply had no answer to Arsenal's midfield and were shown for what they are, good players, without the added class! MON simply needs to buy a class, creative midfielder in January if we are to stay in the top four. Both Ash Young and Downing were absolute tosh, with the latter being excused because of his fitness levels not being what they should be after his injury and you can't blame him for that. Ashley Young on the other hand continued to dive for the camera's to get himself into the newspapers and on current form should not be be picked for the first team. He has contributed nothing for months now and thankfully, he will be absent against Liverpool. It is obvious that we lack a creative spark in the centre of our midfield and if we are not to spend millions in January aquiring this then i would suggest taking a look at Dorrans at West Brom who is certainly better than Sidwell and more creative than Petrov, who is struggling to compete with the more athletic central midfielders in the Premiership. I hope we will get a much improved performance against Liverpool and i wonder will MON make the same mistake twice in a few days and play the wrong system?

You all seem to be concentrating on Fabregas. I would be more worried about Arshavin, who is a fantastic player. He will be the most difficult player for our team to defend against. I'm consequently very worried about this one and would be absolutely delighted to take away a point. I can see Arshavin constantly turning Dunne and whoever plays with him, inside out and Ashavin will therefore test our new defence to it's limits. We will know more after this game whether we are going to be able to challenge for the top four. Play like we did against Stoke, and then we might very well suffer a heavey defeat. Tactically, MON also has to play 4-5-1 if we are to get anything out of the game.

Are you on drugs? not a brill game by any means but what an over reaction!!! It was a great 3 points! Quite like the sentiment, but sorry to disappoint. I'm not, or never have been on drugs, but some of our players played like they were against Stoke!

And this is an embarrasment to genuine Aston Villa fans. Then, you wouldn't be embarrased.

No.

A completely shite performance and we were very lucky to get the three points. Decided not to vote on who was man of the match as it would be an insult to genuine followers of football! However we keep picking up the points, but sooner or later, our poor performances will come back to haunt us. Can do a lot better than this and the player's pay should be given to charity, as they should be ashamed to collect after a performance like that!

Haven't really come across a fanbase yet, who, as a collective, wouldn't wish to criticize a member of their team. Players in the Premiership are more than well paid to be able to take a lttle criticism from their fans. I believe you find out the character of a player when he is criticized, either by the fans, or the manager. Fans also pay a lot of money into their respective club's and i believe therefore have the right to make their opinion heard on a player, especially, if he has talent in abundance, but through lazyness, or the wrong attitude, doesn't show it. Too much money and not enough work, could be aimed at some Premiership players, even, dare i say it, one, or two of our own. Carew could unfortunately be described as one of the above. He can be absolutely immense in one game, actually, totally unplayable, then in the next game, just not fancy it and parade around the pitch, not wanting to have to shower after the game. Can't understand that attitude. It is a gift to be deemed good enough to be a Premiership player and play for your country, and it is a crime then, not to use those skills to the best of your abilities. For the record, i voted for Sidwell, who unlike Carew, is in my opinion, just out of his depth in our team and has gone decidedly backwards, since leaving Reading.

Well, we finally did it. Now i can hold my head up around Christmas amongst my Man U supporting family. The team were immense. Their effort was like something out of a Marvel Comic, totally super human and i loved seeing Fergie arguing with the fourth offical when the amount of extra time was shown. The best comedy i have seen all year. An absolute classic! I did comment in the pre-match thread that we needed to show the right mentality and this was key to our win. We must carry this on throughout the rest of the season. We did give the ball away too much, particularly in the second half, but MON did get the tactics right, which made up for that. Would have also liked to have seen us carrying more of a threat in the second half, but hey, thats for another day. Well done the lads!

My God thats a laughable record Me thinks its now time for a change!

Spoke to a mate of mine yesterday, who has been a Man U fan all of his life and for the first time in many a year, he did look a little troubled about the game. No arrogance and no predictions of a Villa stuffing for Christmas. Lets hope this new found respect is not out of place and our team do indeed earn it?

It really depends on what mentality the manager and players show. I always feel that we tend to show a defeatest mentality before and when playing Man U. I can remember when 'Deadly' was chairman, there was a rumour that whenever Man U visted Villa Park, the staff at Villa Park asked for autographs from the Man U players. I sincerely hope that those days are long gone? Yes i know we are playing at Old Trafford, but we must also show the manager and players at Man U that we are not afraid to win. We must show respect, but not too much and not sit in our own half, inviting them on to us. Get at them from the start and make them worry about us, as this, without doubt, will be the best Aston Villa team Man U have come up against in many years. I hope our MON firstly chooses the right formation. I would play Reo-Coker in a 4-5-1, just to give us that little bit extra defensive security alongside Milner and Petrov, with Downing and Young ripping into United's suspect defence at every opportunity and feeding a hungry Gabby. I would keep both Heskey and Carew on the bench, until such time, as MON would see it fit for a change. I hope before whatever Villa team walks out to face Man U, that, MON has instilled the right mentality into the side and when the game has ended, it is Fergie and his players who have a newly found respect for the Villa?