Big_John_10 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 We currently keep the ball less than we did when McLeish was in charge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntrimBlack Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Continuing to do enough to stay in the league will not be enough for many Villa supporters! Lambert got it wrong big time yesterday and the stats back this up. Well I am not happy to be a mid-table team, although that is preferable to relegation. However, I do not think we can keep on flirting with relegation, or we may well go down eventually. I know we are in 10th, but I check the results of the teams below us before the teams above us, and I think that indicates where my anxiety lies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted February 2, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted February 2, 2014 Regardless of wage restrictions, it wasn't Lerner that instructed Lambert to play 5-2-3. This result is not down to poor/average players. It was down to poor tactics and substitutions. For mine, Lambert showed a complete lack of belief in his own players and their ability to take the game to Everton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_John_10 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Regardless of wage restrictions, it wasn't Lerner that instructed Lambert to play 5-2-3. This result is not down to poor/average players. It was down to poor tactics and substitutions. For mine, Lambert showed a complete lack of belief in his own players and their ability to take the game to Everton. But at the same time we started with holt, replaced him with KEA and vlaar went off with a knock. Lambert messed up but this squad is still weak thanks to the owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted February 2, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted February 2, 2014 Regardless of wage restrictions, it wasn't Lerner that instructed Lambert to play 5-2-3. This result is not down to poor/average players. It was down to poor tactics and substitutions. For mine, Lambert showed a complete lack of belief in his own players and their ability to take the game to Everton. But at the same time we started with holt, replaced him with KEA and vlaar went off with a knock. Lambert messed up but this squad is still weak thanks to the owner. Granted. But this performance was not down to a weak squad - the same squad scored 4 mid-week. It was down to poor decisions on Lambert's part. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 I think the quality of the team we were facing probably had something to do with it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Away from home we are reliant on one player in terms of the way we play and that is Gabby. If he was fit yesterday I think we go in to the game with a completely different approach. As soon as he picked Grant Holt to start up top alongside Benteke then the writing was on the wall. Soak up the pressure then when we do get the ball lump it up front, hope it sticks and we could get Bertrand and Bacuna bursting forward. It didn't work though as aside from the goal as an attacking threat we were non existent. The bottom line really is that our squad is very weak and when one of our main players is out - Gabby, Benteke, Delph, Vlaar it has a way bigger impact on the team than it should do due to the fact the standard of the replacements are simply not good enough. The squad lacks strength in depth and had gaping holes before the window opened and those same holes remain now - no creative midfilder, lack of a decent defensive midfielder, quality cover at centre back. I think the reason we didn't bring those players in is simply because we didn't have the financial clout to do so and I find it shocking that as a club we did not have the finances to bring in at the very least a centre back that would be an improvement on Baker. The club has been doing things on the cheap for way too long and has just about gotten away with it so far. Eventually though we will pay a heavy price if we continue to act like a small club no matter who the manager is. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted February 2, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted February 2, 2014 I think the quality of the team we were facing probably had something to do with it as well. Everton are a decent side.... ... but they have a lot of injuries and have not been in great form recently. Sadly, we sat back and played them into some sort of form. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimzk5 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Absolutely gutted about yesterday again, Everton may have only lost 1 of the last 21 at home but when you go 1-0 and keep it that way for the best part of an hour you really should be getting at least a point, once again a stupid foul/error cost us that point, Clark played on his 102nd premier league game yesterday and still lacks composure at vital times. Then to the tactics, two big men up front, casting aside the progress of the last 3 games to revert to hoofing it (surprise the one bit of pass and move we scored from), a midfield that can't operate with just 2 in there, Westwood may be able to pass the ball around with ease, but he has no presence and really does look like he doesn't believe he is a premier league player at times, leaving delph who tries but can't do it all by himself And then he tries to create width by playing wing backs, the best of which we have he doesn't play (lowton). If you want crosses in the box Paul and width, play the one player we've got that can do it please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Steve Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Lowton has been in shocking form and was rightfully dropped yesterday. Part of the problem is a lack of leaders in our defence, once Vlaar went off, we saw a nervousness creep back into the side and before that, we did so well defensively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Houlston Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 (edited) I think the quality of the team we were facing probably had something to do with it as well. You mean the one that was vastly weakened and started with no recognised striker up front. Perhaps had we continued with a similar formula we may have exposed their weaknesses more as opposed to sitting deep, failing to counter attack and mustering one whole shot on target. They did create more than that wonder kick you know. Edited February 2, 2014 by Houlston Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Everton away are still a much tougher prospect than West Brom at home. Just think that should be taken into consideration. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jarpie Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 One of the reasons Lambo why probably used that tactic was must've tiredness of the players. Cant think other logical reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onmeedson Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Just showed yesterday the importance of using the transfer window correctly and not wasting your loans ,left back was a must, a midfielder was a must, a central defender was a must, we got another forward so we could play hoof ball. When you build your house with a pack of cards generally it falls down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PieFacE Posted February 2, 2014 VT Supporter Share Posted February 2, 2014 Yeah I agree tactics should be based on the opposition. That's the way I like a manager to be, I don't like a manager to play the same system week in week out. However, even with that in mind, sitting deep and playing counter attack football without pace and with Holt up front is just plain stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risso Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 One of the reasons Lambo why probably used that tactic was must've tiredness of the players. Cant think other logical reasons. Tiredness? We're not in Europe and are out of all the cups. Tiredness is a dreadful excuse. Yesterday showed that the decent couple of performances against Liverpool and West Brom were just a blip, and that the usual lack of possession and passing was back to haunt us. And watching that lumbering oaf Holt haul his carcass around the pitch yesterday was embarrassing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mantis Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 How does one bad performance show that the two good performances that came before it were a blip? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwan Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 It's fine tailoring to your opponents. But you can't tell me facing Everton is a more daunting task than Liverpool. We could have still played the ddiamond. Lambert just McLeished it instead 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brumstopdogs Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 It is very tiring getting the ball back, hoofing it and then semi chasing after it again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markavfc40 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 (edited) I think only the most blinkered Aston Villa fan or a fool would argue against the fact that in the main this season we have been poor. Certainly I could name you far more poor performances than good ones. The good performances stand out like sore thumbs in fact. That isn't a criticism of Lambert by the way. What do we expect really. Excluding the bomb squad (Hutton, Given, Bent, NZogbia) then the squad has been built on the cheap in terms of fees and wages and in the main in football you will get what you pay for. We have therefore built a squad that will inevitably struggle. We are I think perhaps fortunate that our first 11 is decent and good enough to finish mid table. The problems however arise when we get a couple of injuries to key players. When Vlaar is out we look poor at the back, when Gabby is out away from home we lack an attacking threat, when Benteke is out or playing not fully fit we struggle to score, when Delph is out an already weak midfield looks dire. Lambert isn't blameless in all this and certainly has to take a portion of the blame for some of the tripe served up. Overall though given the backing he has received he has done as well as could be expected. Any manager, be it Mourinho, Wenger, Guardiola, would struggle to build a squad capable of doing any better than we are under Lambert with the funds he has been given. Edited February 2, 2014 by markavfc40 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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