Aston Villa fan holds sway on the 5Live 6-0-6 football phone-in

[Avflife]

 

 

 

I'm not unhappy with Lambert, he has one hand tied behind his back not just with transfer fees but this wage budget in place, but that game v Fulham was as bad as anything last year or the year before

Ok....we played poorly yesterday, but a game that we lost 2-0, away from home, which included, imo, a soft penalty, and that we were still 'in' right to the end was as bad as chelsea 8-0, wigan 3-0, spurs 4-0, bradford semi, spurs 2-0 under mcleish (hutton playing right mid I believe), chelsea 7-1 under mon, man city 4-0 under houllier????....and I could go on....

Stupid, idiotic, and reactionary statement that is becoming the norm on here.

 

I said it was as bad as anything from last season and the one before, its not A reactionary comment, just my opinion on what was on the pitch yesterday, just because we didn't get a pasting doesn't mean the general performance of the players was better than in previous pastings (the Christmas period last year for example).

2 shots on target, 17 touches in the fuham box against a Fulham team that had lost 7 on the bounce and who has never scored more than once at home all season until yesterday.

That game was lost as soon as sidwell scored, going a goal behind should bring a reaction out of the players, the reaction yesterday was "meh"

 

Well 'in my opinion' it was nowhere near as bad as you're making out. Yes it was a poor performance but I saw players still in there fighting and giving there all...I even think they charged around too much.

I have witnessed some abject performances over the years, under mcleish; dol, even far back as billy mcneill, and I'm telling u, how u r describing yesterdays performance is a 'massive' over reaction.

 

Fulham could of easily scored 4 or 5 yesterday, they had two cleared off the line and hit the post once, in addition to Berbatov having his header and shot in the first half saved by Guzan. We were like against Man City, lucky to beat Southampton and have been playing some of the most shocking stuff I've seen this season, we do look like the Stoke of last season.

[Avflife]

From a journalistic side of opinion yes, it shows the bias that the big media outlets have towards the apparent 'big 4'.

[HeyAnty]

The players we have now will become better players

If anything i think the majority are getting worse

[sidcowans21]

I just get annoyed by so many negative comments on here. Lambert is a good manager and needs to be given time. I know we can't wait forever but by not giving him at least 3-4 years we will never know if he could be a 'great' manager.

The downside is that along the way there will be peaks and troughs, that's what comes with building from the bottom up, which is what Lambert is doing.

Young players like bacuna are going to be inconsistent, they're going to look poor sometimes, but it's a learning curve.

I don't know whether lamberts philosophy will work, but I am more optimistic under him than I have been for a long while, it's not going to be overnight success but I think we should start enjoying the ride a bit more, especially a lot of us villa talkers!!

Utv

Totally agree with you mate. It makes me wonder how old some of the posters are, because it seems alot of them are the 'We want everything NOW' playstation generation teenagers. Things take time. I know it's old hat, but Fergie took a few seasons to get going and the rest is history. Im sure some fans have got the knives out before we kick off, secretly hoping we get beaten so they can make themselves feel better with their rants and get a bit of attention. We win, and they find the tiniest thing to bring the club down, something Lambert said in an interview, Benteke didn't blow me kiss - i don't think his heart is in it etc... 

 

We are making slow progress and that suits me just fine.

[Brumstopdogs]

When Steven Davis has more touches of the ball than the entire Aston Villa team you know you have some serious problems.

 

Completely Lambert's fault.

[Cliffy Biro]

Is this worth a story in the newspaper? Is it just me?

 

 

Yes it is because it raises a few good points, people are starting to notice our dire brand of football.

[Agbonla-score]

 

I just get annoyed by so many negative comments on here. Lambert is a good manager and needs to be given time. I know we can't wait forever but by not giving him at least 3-4 years we will never know if he could be a 'great' manager.

The downside is that along the way there will be peaks and troughs, that's what comes with building from the bottom up, which is what Lambert is doing.

Young players like bacuna are going to be inconsistent, they're going to look poor sometimes, but it's a learning curve.

I don't know whether lamberts philosophy will work, but I am more optimistic under him than I have been for a long while, it's not going to be overnight success but I think we should start enjoying the ride a bit more, especially a lot of us villa talkers!!

Utv

 

 

You're right. Nobody is saying "sack the manager." That's ridiculous. His purchase of Kozak, for example, an extra striker seems to have been vindicated. 

 

For me, it's just calling for the manager to pick Lowton again, and give Gardner a start. And buy back Bannan and invest more in the winter transfer window.   If we do that, and play Herd in midfield whilst Delph is suspended, we'll be okay.

 

 

Con, I've missed the Bannan comments. VT hasn't been the same without them.

 

Seriously though,  I was a bit embarrased with the comments in the article. If you compare where we were this time last year, could that fan honestly say he doesn't know what Lambert is building?

We are so much more effective than last year with a lower wage bill. Comments like that just add to the view that us Villa fans are fickle and never satisfied.

 

Last year it was "we wish we could keep a clean sheet...wish Lambert could sort out the defence". Now we're doing that and picking up points in midtable, people are complaining we're not doing it pretty enough. Sounds like comments some Villa fans made 4 years ago when we were top 6 and challenging for the champions league. 

 

Lets see what type of player we bring in once the bomb squad has gone and we're finishing midtable.

[ozvillafan]

You simply don't understand. The Fulham 'performance' was horrendous from top to bottom. The basic shape of the team was incoherant and all over the place quite frankly. The midfield presence was non-existant, the space in which the Fulham attackers were afforded to move into was embarressing and our attacking penetration was about as potent as a blunt knife. Fulham could easily have won it about 4 or 5-0 had they been more ruthless with the numerous offensive opportunities they found themselves in at ease.

There is nothing reactionary about classiying it amongst one of our worst showings under Lambert at all.

 

 

 

I'm a fan of Lambert and like the way he is trying to go about things.....

 

... but I can't disagree with Isa here. I did something in that game against Fulham that I have only done once before (in the game last season against Wigan at home) since I started watching Villa in the 90's - I switched the broadcast off at the hour mark and went to bed (it's early morning for these games down here).

 

We were horrid. End of.

[TRO]

The_Steve

 

I think what Josh is saying is that he can't see what Paul Lambert is building...Kinda meaning the play is not good enough.

 

There is a plethora of reasons put forward by fans why that is, but that still does not change what the guy is saying has a point.

 

I have been a fan for oodles of years and seen young players come through...its not entirely new. What some are saying is right now, not in 6 months time, some ain't good enough and that is compounded by young players from a foreign land which are in some cases equally debatable.

 

Look, in 6-12 months, they might be ok...I have my doubts, but they might be.

 

right now, its all jam tomorrow and it might be jam tomorrow in 12 months time.

 

I think Josh is saying....He can't see it, there ain't no Ross Barkley's or Delafeu's amongst ours...its all very hopeful and lacks a bit of surety.

 

Ps I have grave doubts that we have any Sid Cowans or Gary Shaws amongst them......because that's we need for this league, that is the standard.

Edited December 10, 2013 by TRO

[Con]

Carruthers, Grealish, Gardner still coming through. 

 

Gardner is the last of the golden generation of the academy team which produced Clark, Bannan and, surprising some people, Baker and Weimann. As long as Gardner can stay fit, he'll absolutely succeed at the same level like those four have. Just needs a chance to play and better luck with injuries.

[TRO]

I was there and I did something I have never done at an away game....left early,went back down the pub with 15 minutes left.

 

it was quite an expensive day out on the club coach to be doing that.

 

what gets me is how he can get it so right against Southampton in the space of 4 days get it so wrong.

 

If he has got difficulties, he needs to lighten the burden and share it with us we might be a bit more understanding.

[TRO]

Sid Cowans21

 

you made some ridiculous references in that post.

 

Come and sit next to me during any game you please and I will SHOW you what folk are referring to.

 

we have had too many games for comfort where we have been comprehensibly outplayed...we have also had players who have turned in simply low grade football.

 

we started well against Arsenal and even Chelsea, so its fair to say in terms of form and performances we are going backwards....results alone are keeping the wolf from the door and any discerning villa fan knows it.

 

Many more performances like Sunday and we are heading for trouble... We are very hit and miss right now...the hits are nice, (whilst not very believable but still nice and the misses are too much of a miss for my liking. In general terms,we are probably only as good as our worst performance.

[Electric Avenue]

We need points over the next 5 games because the first 4 league games after Jan 1st look very tough. Lambert is working with his players now and a growing injury list and I've no idea what the tactics are. But the table doesn't lie , at this stage we are are showing like for like progress .

[AndyM3000]

If we had built this season on playing passing football with the defence being better then fair enough I'd say we are moving forward but we switched to long ball boring stuff. If we end the hoof ball and go back to the passing stuff its going to take players ages to adjust again. I don't think Lambert has any long term plans at the moment.

 

As for our youth players considering the results they get at U18s and U21 level we really haven't produced a good youth player for a while so the next crop don't exactly give me hope. Clark, Baker are okay, Albrighton, Herd wont make it at premier league level if they leave Villa IMO. Id rather a couple of them make the bench though, Robinson, Carruthers instead of say Bowery who just isn't used and clearly has no future here.

[AndyM3000]

I was there and I did something I have never done at an away game....left early,went back down the pub with 15 minutes left.

 

it was quite an expensive day out on the club coach to be doing that.

 

what gets me is how he can get it so right against Southampton in the space of 4 days get it so wrong.

 

If he has got difficulties, he needs to lighten the burden and share it with us we might be a bit more understanding.

 

Do you actually think he got it right v Southampton? I don't. I think he got very lucky. The aim was to contain them and grab a goal, well we didn't contain them they scored twice and could have had more. We had 3 shots and scored all 3, most games we would be lucky to score one there.

 

We had the same kind of plan for Fulham, didn't work they scored 2 and we didn't score any, which could have very easily happened in the Saints game.

[HeyAnty]

Interestingly what do u think was our best performance this season? I think it was chelsea which we got beat. Says allot really.

[Skruff]

What worries me is that we've looked far worse as a footballing team this half of the season then we did the second half of last season. Even though we're picking up results we managed to do this playing entertaing football the latter half of last season. So why not now? Had a though start? Yes, but we looked at the start of the season, then what we do now. We've even made additions to the squad. I expected us to build from what we were seeing last season, but we have not. Which is something that dissapoints me. It hurts saying this but I'm finding Aston Villa boring to watch these days.




 

[YLN]

This thing about our current players getting better over time... I think the lines between reality and FIFA career mode are often blurred on here. What about the old adage, if they're good enough, they're old enough. This idea of contant progression of players as they go through the ranks and become better players is just mostly la la land. Youth players do not come into premier league sides, starting off fairly shit and getting better and better. What generally happens is they come in are rubbish and drop down a division, possibly returning in a few years when they've learned their trade a bit, like Whittingham, or Myhill. Neither were anything special to begin with, nor did they get really good by playing loads of games at the top level. Albrighton didn't get better with games. J'Lloyd Samuel didn't get better with games. Bennett didn't get better with games.

 

The other side of the coin is Agbonlahor, Rooney, Milner, Barry. These players burst onto the scene at a really young age and were good immediately. There was no waiting for their overall score to rise up to 80. They had actual talent. It takes talent to make it in the premier league. You can get away with being a mucksavage 200 game twenty year old grafter in the championship and then into the lower half of the prem, but if we want to have a team of players to challenge the top ten, we don't need Leandro **** Bacuna to get minutes under his belt, we need talent. Look at the Arsenal team, or any top 6 side. Their players were never as shit as our players. They sat in wait for their chance to impress the world with their talent, not anticipating the clocking up another **** terrible performance in the interest of bulking up their games played. Didn't happen. Aside from Benteke and possibly Guzan, we don't have any talent in the squad and anyone who is waiting for Ashley Westwood to turn into Paul Scholes had better get comfortable. We have a team of Terry Cookes

Edited December 11, 2013 by yillan

[sharkyvilla]

What worries me is that we've looked far worse as a footballing team this half of the season then we did the second half of last season. Even though we're picking up results we managed to do this playing entertaing football the latter half of last season. So why not now? Had a though start? Yes, but we looked at the start of the season, then what we do now. We've even made additions to the squad. I expected us to build from what we were seeing last season, but we have not. Which is something that dissapoints me. It hurts saying this but I'm finding Aston Villa boring to watch these days.

I think a problem has been Weimann's struggle as well as Benteke since his injury. That is the main thrust of our more entertaining style last season not playing well this season. I still think by far the most important thing this season has been the improvement in defending and some attacking instinct had to be sacrificed. I mean, if we could settle the defence and still score goals for fun like last year we would probably be second behind Arsenal, that ain't gonna happen when we're averaging below £3m a signing. Judging by the evidence that Lambert really wanted an attacking midfielder and I assume will get one or two in the next couple of windows, I would expect that the football will improve, just give it time! Give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Skruff]

 

What worries me is that we've looked far worse as a footballing team this half of the season then we did the second half of last season. Even though we're picking up results we managed to do this playing entertaing football the latter half of last season. So why not now? Had a though start? Yes, but we looked at the start of the season, then what we do now. We've even made additions to the squad. I expected us to build from what we were seeing last season, but we have not. Which is something that dissapoints me. It hurts saying this but I'm finding Aston Villa boring to watch these days.

I think a problem has been Weimann's struggle as well as Benteke since his injury. That is the main thrust of our more entertaining style last season not playing well this season. I still think by far the most important thing this season has been the improvement in defending and some attacking instinct had to be sacrificed. I mean, if we could settle the defence and still score goals for fun like last year we would probably be second behind Arsenal, that ain't gonna happen when we're averaging below £3m a signing. Judging by the evidence that Lambert really wanted an attacking midfielder and I assume will get one or two in the next couple of windows, I would expect that the football will improve, just give it time! Give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

Yes, I think theres good explanations for why we're playing like we're playing, and the players form and injuries is a major factor. I also believe you have to build your team from the back, sort out the defense and go from there. With such a young team we're going to have many ups and downs.  I still have patience and belief in Lambert. But my expectations for footballing play this season based on second half of the previous one, and our preseason are so far from what we're seeing now. Therefore I'm disappointed and a bit frustrated. At the same time if you look at the table, I'm pleased with where we're at, but I fear that if we continue with our current style of play. We're going to start slipping down the table. Another thing that I find hugely disappointing is Lambert stubbornness to stick with players who's clearly out form when there's others on the bench who might make a far better appearance, it's a two-edged sword. Even though I'm patient I don't think he should be above criticism. Let's be honest, we've been served some dreadful football this season. I think it's possible to produce more entertaining with our current squad. There is a middle ground between 8 man defence and 4 strikers + 2 wingers.