Ratings and Reactions: Villa 1-4 Stoke

[poitier]

Comprehensively outplayed by Stoke. I don't want to talk about it.

[limpid]

Poll added

[AVFCAM]

Who was it last week who said people were wrong to question Lambert?

I don't think his position should be in doubt. When we play well we have beaten the best teams in the league. When we play badly we can be awful.

Today was hideous but let's not forget how good we were last week so quickly. Let's also not forget this is a work in progress and that we STILL have to get rid of some dead wood. Time to judge whether this project will be a success is this time next year.

Who was it last week who said people were wrong to question Lambert?

I don't think his position should be in doubt. When we play well we have beaten the best teams in the league. When we play badly we can be awful.

Today was hideous but let's not forget how good we were last week so quickly. Let's also not forget this is a work in progress and that we STILL have to get rid of some dead wood. Time to judge whether this project will be a success is this time next year.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying get rid. The last 2 have shown that there IS something there.

My point was that those who labelled the calls for Lambert to go, knee jerk reactions, are the same people who suddenly claimed our troubles were over and that he was indeed the messiah after 2 (arguably excellent) wins...when we find ourselves right back where we have been pretty much all year...disappointed after a terrible performance...albeit in a position of, or as as close to bring a position of safety.

[BleedClaretAndBlue]

We expected 3 points from the last 2, just not in the fashion it happened. We got what we expected. Thats my positive spin on today

[Stevo985]

Awful.

Our team seemed more interested in fouling the Stoke players at every opportunity than playing football.

We barely looked like we wanted to win, let alone like we were actually going to do it.

[The Fun Factory]

I set off today with a tiny amount of hope seeing maybe a Villa win- as I have written elsewhere the last game I have seen the Villa win live was Cardiff back in November. The weather was better than I expected. Good. I bought this season Villa shirt for a bargain bin ten pounds. Good. I had a nice walk around Aston Hall in the sun. Good. I strolled down to the lower grounds and after a few minutes Villa scored a smartly taken goal. Good. After 15 minutes we were on top and bossing the game-dare I dream that we could win 3 home games in a row? Don't be daft. Cue a comedy collapse, awful defending, playing like strangers and letting in the third just before the 1st half to kill the match off. The second half was a total non event. The only entertainment I found was seeing how many fans were leaving after about the 70 minute mark. 

 

This is such a bizarre side  that it would not be totally stupid to see them get a result next week at United after this shambles. Then again we could get stuffed 4-0. I just don't know anymore. Fulham, Southampton, Hull. I demand at least 1 win out of those 3 or we could still be in trouble come Spurs in May.

Edited March 23, 2014 by The Fun Factory

[chappy]

Playing like Brazil at one nil up and then the defence decided to have a who can **** up the most competition. Absolutely **** shocking. One step forward two steps back. Bring on Man U?

[lapal_fan]

I paid 30 quid for the privilege today, fml lol.

[StefanAVFC]

I paid 30 quid for the privilege today, fml lol.

 

How beta of you. If you were true alpha you'd have make Nicky Keye buy you the ticket

[TRO]

Went home on 65minutes at 1-3.......never ever gone so early, in 50 years as a fan.

Utterly spineless performance....if I was the manager, I would be ashamed of that.

Forget the word confidence.....this is about attitude.

[TRO]

Dreadful performance. Don't think Stoke were that great either. Could've been a dour 0-0 on another day but they were clinical and our defending was awful.

 

No doubt there'll be overreactions (not to this game, but to our general situation). Nothing you can do really but tell it how it is (it was a shit performance) and move on.

Move on

To what?

[Woodytom]

 

 

 

 

We're an inconsistent, mid table side. We'll beat Chelsea one week then look awful the next. We've done it all year. 

 

If anything we're very consistent at home, consistently **** shit.

Actually, we've been the very definition of inconsistent at home in the past few months.

 

Dreadful against Palace, West Ham and Stoke yet fantastic against West Brom, Norwich and Chelsea.

 

 

 

We were not fantastic against West Brom and Norwich. For 15 mins we looked like the best team on the planet v Norwich. Other than that, it was pretty dire stuff. West Brom, could have easily swung the other way - Again, 2nd half, we were awful. Such an inability to keep the ball.

 

Chelsea. Ok, we were resilient and excellent defensively. Chris Foy played a mammoth part and bar the last 20 minutes, our execution in the final third was as poor as your likely to see at this level. More wasteful passing, aimless crossing and dribbling down blind alleys. Same drivel we've been watching for years.

[TRO]

Worst game this season for me, that was just incredibly bad. No excuses, that was shit. Im leaving as well because the lambert hate force will be all out tonight, have fun

.......How dare they.

[RimmyJimmer]

Went home on 65minutes at 1-3.......never ever gone so early, in 50 years as a fan.

Utterly spineless performance....if I was the manager, I would be ashamed of that.

Forget the word confidence.....this is about attitude.

Spineless support, i'd be ashamed of that. Good job the players don't jack it in on 65 mins no matter how bad they played

[Woodytom]

 

Went home on 65minutes at 1-3.......never ever gone so early, in 50 years as a fan.

Utterly spineless performance....if I was the manager, I would be ashamed of that.

Forget the word confidence.....this is about attitude.

Spineless support, i'd be ashamed of that. Good job the players don't jack it in on 65 mins no matter how bad they played

 

 

 

It appears they didnt make even the 65th minute. Why would they though, they have to pay £35 a ticket while our fans sit on thousands of pounds a wee.......... Hang on a minute.

[briny_ear]

Went home on 65minutes at 1-3.......never ever gone so early, in 50 years as a fan.

Utterly spineless performance....if I was the manager, I would be ashamed of that.

Forget the word confidence.....this is about attitude.

Spineless support, i'd be ashamed of that. Good job the players don't jack it in on 65 mins no matter how bad they played

The players jacked it in (mentally) on about 20 minutes.

[momo]

Lambert. The new Ferguson. You heard it here first.

[RimmyJimmer]

Went home on 65minutes at 1-3.......never ever gone so early, in 50 years as a fan.

Utterly spineless performance....if I was the manager, I would be ashamed of that.

Forget the word confidence.....this is about attitude.

Spineless support, i'd be ashamed of that. Good job the players don't jack it in on 65 mins no matter how bad they played

The players jacked it in (mentally) on about 20 minutes.

No they didn't...they got beat by the better team on the day.

[TRO]

1-4 at home to Stoke, it happens.

....but it shouldn't, particularly on the back of a win against Chelsea.

Something is so very very wrong.

[Chap of Steel]

Inconsistency.

I remember I was at a League Two club's stadium once speaking to a random bloke, after a match. They'd just lost.

He said "the thing is, if the players were more consistent, they would be playing in a higher league."

Makes me think of some of Lambert's signings. Yes there are bargains to be had, and the likes of Bacuna and Westwood who have been signed for low fees are undoubtedly good players.

But getting players who will perform week in, week out requires a financial setup we unfortunately do not possess at the moment.