Roberto Di Matteo

[TRO]

I am not one for continuing to change managers but......He will have such a short stay if he does not sort out what I seen today.

That team was never in this game and yet his team failing to deal with fundamentals of this game, let them back in.

I am far from being convinced by what I am watching and I think if it continues it will be RDM's undoing.

[The Fun Factory]

Can people please stopping wetting themselves. We have another 40 games to go-2 more to play even before our 'usual' 38 game season. We played well today and are creating chances and it is unfortunate  that we did not win. RDM himself said that this is a 2 year project and I believe him. It is going to take time.  We need stability and not to keep on sacking managers. We need to give RDM some time along with his coaching team. It will come good.  If he can get the Albion up then he will be able to get us up within a couple of seasons.

[KSV]

As shit as Sherwood was.. sacking him turned out to be a mistake. We should have waited till the end of the season. Despite the losses.. the players were playing for him. Once he left the squad stopped trying. RDM hasn't lost the dressing room. Far from it. They seem United and together. Better than I've seen in a while. He did make a mistake.. I'm not a manager.. far from it.. but I am not alone in thinking Jedinak needed to come on as soon as we got the lead as it was a ballsy move to play with one midfielder. We got the goals.. we should have put another midfielder on. Hopefully he learns from that. I'm guessing he thought the way we were playing we might get one or two more but the team went into their shells. He will know not to do that again.

I don't think there's been a game we deserved to lose like Nottingham did today. Realistically we are only two wins out of play off places. Let's not overreact.

It's frustrating that this team continues to give up these results... But in reflection.. Gollini came off.. Tishbola Jedinak and Adomah still to come into the squad. This team has enough fire Power to put teams away and go on a run. Defensively I am not convinced yet but we need to remember they are still gelling as well. 

Edited September 11, 2016 by KSV

[Midfielder]

If in May, knowing we were doomed for the drop, you'd have said to me that within two or three months...

- we would be taken over (by a wealthy individual and not a consortium of many stakeholding members)

- have spent £50m odd on the first team

- moved on a few bad eggs / wastes of space

...I would have been sceptical, then delighted. Then if you'd have said that 7 matches in we would be out of the league cup at the first hurdle and got won 1 league game in 6, I'd have not been surprised. It's hard being a Villa fan. Just when you think sometimes you have turned a corner, you realise it's still sh--. I read back through the in-match thread and somebody said something like, and they said it just after we scored the second, 'i'm just waiting for obligatory late equaliser', I was thinking the same thing.

However, it will be a long season, 40 matches left. I don't have any fear of relegation this year and I do have faith that at some point we will kick in and motor on. I have faith in RDM and CLarke. I did wonder though, at points like when McCormack was too deep, clearly instructed to be there, was back marking at points, when he should have been deployed further up, if RDM knows where best to put Ross. The fact we went behind when dominating, clawed back in, then lost two points, is in some way a tactical failure today.

I don't want to have reason to moan about tactics this season, I have seen it plenty over the years. Our central midfield needs bodies but hey we have to wait til January, but even then, why not get Jedinak on later in the game. If we find ourselves in this from last year... unthinkable territory of controlling matches, having a lead, RDM will have to do better to be tacticaly astute enough to do more to secure the points. There are going to be many times this season that we will be playing matches and maybe have a 1-0 lead and have to accept that it will be hard to keep on top of it to secure the three points, close out the match, not park the bus, but lock that defensive midfield , still attack but on the conservative counter, retain possession take less risk in passing and prepare immediately for when the ball is lost, to track back and carefully recover position and fight for it.

this season we need every point we can get and we cant afford to drop 2 more often by being tactically outdone. in a way forest were jammy gits and what was all that BS with the players going down. But let's take this as (another) lesson learned. This division is a learning experience, but I don't want to be learning it for too long. RDM, you've got to do better. That's YOUR team, you've spent a lot of money. Aren't new managers supposed to bring in the least, a honeymoon period? You still owe us one.

I don't want RDM out and the alarm bells aren't ringing yet. People are going to be fed up of hearing this, but we need that little bit more time to gel, to know the ways of each players styles and strengths. However, they've been training daily, had the international break to bond, this overlapping time has to be minimised. We're approaching mid Sept now. We have no excuses soon, there are other teams who have dramatically shaken up their teams doing better albeit for lesser fees paid.

What is RDM doing on the training ground this week? There can be no repeat for the Brentford game. These two are required as objectives in training this week:

- Immediate focus on a clean sheet earned from that match, without fail. keeping a better line, the integration of Jedinak's relationship to that line and the establishment of that position.

- More successful conversion of chances. The establishment of the roles of our forwards and their positional awareness. Less of a free-for-all on attack, that when the ball is lost, no looking clueless on who is covering who and where to be and how to break next on the attack.

RDM then, we have the attacking prowess and on paper, a solid defence. These two things this year, are our selling points and huge advantages on other teams. RDM, you have to exploit this. We need them firing on all cylinders urgently. For Brentford, anything less and it'll be an awkward few steps to the tunnel after 90 mins. Ok, our midfield is a complete bag of sh--. But bring in Jedinak and let's start there.

We urgently need 3 points and then from there, consistency. It sounds obvious, and in summary this has to come from an immediate insistence on shutting Brentford out and having a more organised front line and I'm confident we will convert more. RDM, don't make me come down there and do your job for you, I have enough on my plate as it is.

[nick76]

Forest were lucky! We had 25 shots on goal with McCormack, Gestede and Kodja on the pitch who are 3 of the top scoring strikers in this league over the last couple of seasons, not to mention Ayew on the pitch. Not much else RDM could do in that.

 

If RDM had taken off a striker for Mile and Forest scored you guys would've whinged that we were in the ascendancy and why disrupt that. He can't win. If by the way the game was going and we scored a third, you guys would be hailing him now.

 

Such a fine line between being slaughtered or hailed. 25 shots with 4 of the best strikers in the league on the pitch should get you more than 2 goals. Added to that their first goal was a hit and hope. On another day that would've been 4-0. Yes we could've plugged midfield which is all good in hindsight.

 

 

[ozvillafan]

It's not hindsight though, is it?

They got a goal against the run of play. We need to respond quickly: Gestede on, Gardener off. It may not work, but it's the right response.

We scored 2 in 2 minutes. We need to protect the lead: Kodjia off, Jedinak on. It may not work, but it's the right response.

Only RDM didn't do that, did he?

As such, he bears the blame for keeping an unbalanced side on the pitch when he knew damn well that Forest would throw everyone forward after we hit the lead.

Edited September 12, 2016 by ozvillafan
Jedinak ON

[TrentVilla]

1 win in 7 games just isn't good enough all things considered. Pressure is going to come from fans, media and you'd expect the owner pretty quickly.

Having another home game so quickly is either going to be a blessing or a curse.

[Villarocker]

This league is full of poor teams and it doesn't even itself out at this stage of the season. We will fly up the league once we find the correct balance and start stringing victories together. Then, once the guys get nearer to the top, confidence will grow and they will become hungrier to get to the top and be even harder to beat. As my brother always says "shit always floats to the top" 

[Godders]

Im kind of on RDM's side with the whole not bringing Jedinak on after we went 2-1 up.

Gardner for Gestede was a good move. Forest were really doing f all all game, so we didn't really need 2 in midfield if we needed to bring on someone else up top and chasing the game.

 We were attacking with such intent for the first and second, that I genuinely thought we'd get at least another couple. If I were RDM, I'd have left the team as is and look to bring Jedi on and protect the game only after we had a two goal cushion. Forest were so dire that we probably could have done that pretty quickly.

Instead, we took our foot off the gas and let Forest come back at us. This is where the Elphicks and McCormacks of the team need to keep the players fighting and pushing on.

Had we kept on looking for a third to kill them off, the last few pages on this thread would look completely different.

[Tommo_b]

Let's put this into perspective, Brighton are going to be in the playoffs, and we are only 2 points behind them, still every chance Villa could win the league, IMO we have been playing some really good stuff, just a few unlucky goals conceded can completely change things, but as I said, Brighton will be up there and we are only 2 points behind them.

 

We are ten points behind Huddersfield but we will finish above them, long long season with many twists to come. 

[villa89]

8 hours ago, KSV said:

As shit as Sherwood was.. sacking him turned out to be a mistake.

No it didn't. Hiring him in the first place was the mistake.

[terrytini]

10 hours ago, TRO said:

............So,Bristol city was not just a one off.

RDM needs to illustrate to us that he has an understanding of the physical side of the game.

.....at present I am not convinced of that.

our standing off was shocking, and furthermore was instrumental in them getting back in to the game.

It needs addressing,immediately. 

 

A guy next to me at the game said that to me - I didn't know what he meant, and I still don't.

Opposition scores a goal ? Not a one -off ? 

I saw absolutely nothing yesterday to suggest fragility or any of the other things people were saying about the Bristol game.

In fact (except for the very forgettable garbage side we put out against Luton) the only time 'it' has happened was against Bristol.  But surely not yesterday, if anything, the opposite ? The narrative has been we crumble when the opposition score - yet we came back from 1-0 down to lead   -  how is that crumbling ?

[Demitri_C]

we have got goals in us thats promising, the link up between midfield and defence is our big issue at the moment. Very impressed with one win in 6, he needs to improve and quickly. 17th place is terrible even at this stage

[Villarocker]

All that is needed is cover in front of the back four. Gardner AND Westwood are incapable of that and both cannot play together in the same midfield. For me personally, RDM's biggest challenge now is to find a way of protecting the back four in the event that we find ourselves unable to field either Tshibola or Jedinak in future games. Who else do we have available to us that can play in front of the back four and stay disciplined enough to hold that position throughout a game?

Look at the two goals we conceded yesterday. Both scored by Forest midfielders with Westwood unable to win the ball on both occasions. Now, I am not saying that Westwood is to blame full stop but, he was the one who could have done something to prevent the goals but was not able to. It's that position on the park that needs addressing and then we will see a winning Villa team.

[maqroll]

the days are still long, leaves still on the trees...we will hit our stride soon enough

[terrytini]

8 hours ago, KSV said:

As shit as Sherwood was.. sacking him turned out to be a mistake. We should have waited till the end of the season. Despite the losses.. the players were playing for him. Once he left the squad stopped trying. RDM hasn't lost the dressing room. Far from it. They seem United and together. Better than I've seen in a while. He did make a mistake.. I'm not a manager.. far from it.. but I am not alone in thinking Jedinak needed to come on as soon as we got the lead as it was a ballsy move to play with one midfielder. We got the goals.. we should have put another midfielder on. Hopefully he learns from that. I'm guessing he thought the way we were playing we might get one or two more but the team went into their shells. He will know not to do that again.

I don't think there's been a game we deserved to lose like Nottingham did today. Realistically we are only two wins out of play off places. Let's not overreact.

It's frustrating that this team continues to give up these results... But in reflection.. Gollini came off.. Tishbola Jedinak and Adomah still to come into the squad. This team has enough fire Power to put teams away and go on a run. Defensively I am not convinced yet but we need to remember they are still gelling as well. 

I don't usually quote whole Posts but well said.

Especially the bit about RDM having assembled players who - thus far - seem to gel both footballing wise and generally.  We underestimate that at our peril.  My God have people forgotten so quickly what a shambles we were ?

There are those who seem to equate the odd bit of poor defending with some sort of ongoing disease - that theory only works if you (a) conflate this Team and its management with last years, and (2) if you ignore the actual panning out of our games this season, where any sense of collapse or crumbling has really only been one game.

If people have decided we should never concede goals that's really their issue, not a problem with the Manager.  And if people have decided money = promotion I'm not surprised there is much gnashing of teeth and wailing !

For me, its like the old weather /climate thing  - the weather isn't great but overall the climate is pleasant.

 

[terrytini]

30 minutes ago, Godders said:

Im kind of on RDM's side with the whole not bringing Jedinak on after we went 2-1 up.

Gardner for Gestede was a good move. Forest were really doing f all all game, so we didn't really need 2 in midfield if we needed to bring on someone else up top and chasing the game.

 We were attacking with such intent for the first and second, that I genuinely thought we'd get at least another couple. If I were RDM, I'd have left the team as is and look to bring Jedi on and protect the game only after we had a two goal cushion. Forest were so dire that we probably could have done that pretty quickly.

Instead, we took our foot off the gas and let Forest come back at us. This is where the Elphicks and McCormacks of the team need to keep the players fighting and pushing on.

Had we kept on looking for a third to kill them off, the last few pages on this thread would look completely different.

Agree.

My one criticism was, at the time, no Jedi, and it still is.  But I can easily see what his thinking was and how it could just as easily have worked.

Unfortunately as you suggest there will always be those whose view of a Managers tactics are entirely influenced by the result.

[hippo]

Hes had £50m to spend - but we are still short in the goalkeeping dept 

Mccormack , Kjoda, Gestede - were prolific in the division in recent seasons - yet now Mccormack misses from 2 feet ? 

He has assembled the squad and is responsible for coaching and preparing the players. As Dr Tony says - we can't keep blaming bad luck. The goalkeeping situation certainly isn't bad luck. Its a massive error of judgement - down to RDM IMO.

[terrytini]

Well I've just read a long Post basically saying RDM needs to work on clean sheets and scoring more goals.

Who woulda thought it ?

There are probably, at a guess, 91 other Managers doing that this week too.

[terrytini]

1 hour ago, TrentVilla said:

1 win in 7 games just isn't good enough all things considered. Pressure is going to come from fans, media and you'd expect the owner pretty quickly.

Having another home game so quickly is either going to be a blessing or a curse.

Well that's where the fan base splits in two !

For every person I talk to who says that, there is one (as I am ) who says that all things considered, he has done a good job, got us playing football, removed the cancers, been unlucky not to have more points, made good progress gelling a brand new team and creating a decent spirit, and that the one thing we don't need is people 'putting pressure' on him (the owner ? that's up to him).

I don't think those who say its not good enough are considering 'all things' at all, I think they are considering just two.  We've spent a lot of money and we haven't won enough.

Edited September 12, 2016 by terrytini