Roberto Di Matteo

[Gary Thomas]

Personally, I would give RDM the whole season and review it then. Think we all need to shake the dust off now, stay together and just keep supporting. Regardless of what people write, RDM (and Clarke) are not idiots - they know the game well enough and I trust they will see the problems we see and find solutions eventually.  We have some tough fixtures coming - one in particular i want us to have a real crack at  - so lets keep the faith and hope we can get through this.  A win at Ipswich would go a long way!!

Edited September 15, 2016 by Gary Thomas

[romavillan]

1 hour ago, Gary Thomas said:

Personally, I would give RDM the whole season and review it then. Think we all need to shake the dust off now, stay together and just keep supporting. Regardless of what people write, RDM (and Clarke) are not idiots - they know the game well enough and I trust they will see the problems we see and find solutions eventually.  We have some tough fixtures coming - one in particular i want us to have a real crack at  - so lets keep the faith and hope we can get through this.  A win at Ipswich would go a long way!!

They've said from the off it's a two year project, a slow start over 7 games is nothing compared to the 92 games which comprise the 2 league seasons they were talking about. 

It's clearly not great that we've essentially thrown away at least 6 points through either profligacy in front of goal, poor concentration, poor game management and keeper errors. 13 points from 7 would look a whole lot different and we were a handfull of minutes away from that being the case. Fine lines. 

I think it's clear we have problems in the middle of the park, a fit Tshibola though is not something we have seen yet, so you could argue we haven't had out best team out yet as Adomah hasn't featured either.

[KHV]

3 hours ago, bobzy said:

What do you put down to Di Matteo?  I mean, these are all lapses in concentration (and hardly the "same thing over and over" aside from being in the 8<x> minute)

Late goal against Sheff Wed - defence/keeper error
Late goal against Huddersfield - defence/keeper error
Late goal against Forest - fail to stop a run, tackle falls to scorer
Late goal against Brentford - fail to block a cross, all defence runs to near post

Are these managerial failings?  If so, fair enough.

I think the formation against Brentford was odd and unbalanced but, then again, Kodjia scored from wide right and sounded like he had a good game - that was the move that most concerned me.

Every formation and selection is unbalanced. RDM is trying to shoe in all his attacking players but it doesn't work full stop 

[KHV]

9 minutes ago, romavillan said:

They've said from the off it's a two year project, a slow start over 7 games is nothing compared to the 92 games which comprise the 2 league seasons they were talking about. 

It's clearly not great that we've essentially thrown away at least 6 points through either profligacy in front of goal, poor concentration, poor game management and keeper errors. 13 points from 7 would look a whole lot different and we were a handfull of minutes away from that being the case. Fine lines. 

I think it's clear we have problems in the middle of the park, a fit Tshibola though is not something we have seen yet, so you could argue we haven't had out best team out yet as Adomah hasn't featured either.

We also actually have massive problems up front too. We have no width and a plethora of players that like to play through the middle. We are so easy to shut down, all the opposition have to do is pack the middle and we are **** for ideas. The whole thing is one really expensive mess created by whichever crackpot was in charge of recruitment. If RDM was totally in charge of it then he needs his P45 because it's been a right old cock up yet again. 

[BigAl]

Who would want to be a manager ,RDM gets slated for not closing up shop against Forest ,he then closes up shop against Brentford and gets slated for being negative can't win ,he is getting lambasted for playing 4 forwards last night but realistically who could he have played instead Gardner who has been our worst player this season or fans favourite Bacuna ?unfortunately it's been some poor finishing from our strikers and some poor defending towards the end of games that have cost us ,he might turn out to be yet another managerial failure but at the moment RDM needs to be cut some slack our results are more down to individual errors .

[Gary Thomas]

6 minutes ago, KHV said:

We also actually have massive problems up front too. We have no width and a plethora of players that like to play through the middle. We are so easy to shut down, all the opposition have to do is pack the middle and we are **** for ideas. The whole thing is one really expensive mess created by whichever crackpot was in charge of recruitment. If RDM was totally in charge of it then he needs his P45 because it's been a right old cock up yet again. 

 

That's ridiculous mate. We do not have massive problems up front.  We could be more clinical, we can improve, but we will score plenty of goals this year.

[AJ]

There is no doubt that Villa is chock full of talent, and can beat any team in the championship anywhere. However, it must be made known to teams coming to Villa Park that this is their turf, and show them that they are not welcome to any points at all there, that when you come to Villa Park, you are in for a nightmare. You will be tested, probed, pushed then crushed for 90 minutes. You will fear Villa Park. When you shake the Villa players hands prior to the match, you will see it in their eyes, that they are determined and will never let you off easy. For 90 minutes, they forget about their new cars, their families, and whatever anyone thinks of them, and stop being lovely guys, because all they want or care about is defeating you in a game of football, and they wont accept anything less.

Over to you, RDM.

[Midfielder]

I'll be giving RDM a lot longer but I'm not blind. Things have to change, how have our backroom not learned the lessons from the previous matches where we have thrown it away. It is really frustrating. It's early on in the season but we developing a reputation. One that sees teams come to VP knowing they can quite feasibly get something from the game. RDM etc have got to start delivering. After years of pessimism and dreading our games, came all the new-way and the positivity.

That's being shot down. I share all of the concerns voiced on here. Our expectations as fans aren't unrealistic. For that outlay, we should be doing better. I have faith in the setup but am not impressed by being tactically outdone by inferior opposition so regularly.

Someone of Tony's wealth can afford quite easily to part company with the bulk of the backroom and bring in new staff but I'd be concerned about us being in th same boat after abother change, or if again after, continually in transition. I don't think we will ever be like Leeds / Cellino but change has to come rapidly. Do they watch the tape after the match or at training? How are we not learning lessons from our mistakes. Our choice of tactics are literally costing us points. We need VP to be a fortress to have a chance at going up. All very obvious, but that's another point. RDM, cant you see that? The tension in the stands against Brentford especially is going to reach the players if not already and they're held back by our tactics.

We are not delivering. Each week goes past and we are losing ground. There are positives though, but they're outweighed by the negatives.

Me, I was in the camp of being excited by RDM's appointment, former CL winner and all. I'm having doubts but want to believe in RDM and Clarke. Happy to give them a good while longer but there are no excuses anymore, especially at home. I just hope that "while longer" doesn't see us drift any further away. I realise that a good run could propel us way up the table etc but some of the things we have seen so far aren't what you'd expect from a high reputation management team or from 50m odd spent. I see people's legitimate comments on here and my head's agreeing but my heart is saying have faith.

[Made In Aston]

32 minutes ago, KHV said:

We also actually have massive problems up front too. We have no width and a plethora of players that like to play through the middle. We are so easy to shut down, all the opposition have to do is pack the middle and we are **** for ideas. The whole thing is one really expensive mess created by whichever crackpot was in charge of recruitment. If RDM was totally in charge of it then he needs his P45 because it's been a right old cock up yet again. 

This is utter bollocks! If it was so easy why has Villa created the most chances in the division?!  The problems are silly errors and not being ruthless in front of goal.   

[Made In Aston]

I think RDM did get his tactics wrong against Brentford in the second half. However,  in his defence, we don't really have much strength in depth,  so he is very limited in terms of what he can do with substitutes to influence the game mid  - match. 

[Midfielder]

Another failure though is our lack of preparation for bodies in midfield. In this half of the season, did they assess that for instance, Gardner and Westwood would be a reliable force? They're backup at best. How can we spend here there, but neglect the midfield. Even if they thought they would go with Tishbola and Jedinak as a two, that;s not enough. Youre right about lack of strength in depth and especially in midfield. This is one of the key things that disappoints me about our preparation for the new season. That either we messed up the recruitment of midfielders, or messed up worse by deeming Gardner and Westwood to be dependable as starters or next-ins come injury / suspension.

It's a long wait to January to sort that out

[John]

It is too early to call for RDM's head for me but he does need to start picking up more than a point a game sooner rather than later.I think he is likely to have until the end of October at the very least least. We have 8 games to play up until then and I think he will need to have us mid-table by then as well as having avoided defeat against both our neighbours from the Black Country and from the dark side of the city to keep our owner relatively satisfied.

I suspect we would be looking at the likes of Bruce, Pulis, Rowett or even Woy if we press the eject button sooner than that. They may get jobs before then but that might be a risk worth taking? Surely RDM and his staff can identify the problems and will do what is needed to rectify them in the next 6 weeks or so? 

This was always going to be a tough job given the dire season we had last year but given the money spent I doubt that hovering just above the bottom 6 will be acceptable for the Doctor for very much longer. A minimum of 14 points from these 8 games would represent progress as would an end to our habit of letting in late goals during the last 5 minutes of games.           

[Gompedyret]

1 hour ago, BigAl said:

Who would want to be a manager ,RDM gets slated for not closing up shop against Forest ,he then closes up shop against Brentford and gets slated for being negative can't win ,he is getting lambasted for playing 4 forwards last night but realistically who could he have played instead Gardner who has been our worst player this season or fans favourite Bacuna ?unfortunately it's been some poor finishing from our strikers and some poor defending towards the end of games that have cost us ,he might turn out to be yet another managerial failure but at the moment RDM needs to be cut some slack our results are more down to individual errors .

TBF, the can't win thingy is the main reason for the lambasting.

[Zatman]

6 hours ago, bobzy said:

What do you put down to Di Matteo?  I mean, these are all lapses in concentration (and hardly the "same thing over and over" aside from being in the 8<x> minute)

Late goal against Sheff Wed - defence/keeper error
Late goal against Huddersfield - defence/keeper error
Late goal against Forest - fail to stop a run, tackle falls to scorer
Late goal against Brentford - fail to block a cross, all defence runs to near post

Are these managerial failings?  If so, fair enough.

I think the formation against Brentford was odd and unbalanced but, then again, Kodjia scored from wide right and sounded like he had a good game - that was the move that most concerned me.

in fairness you could make similar arguments for Sherwood, Garde or even Lambert. every goal conceded is usually a mistake

[Grasshopper]

Football

pitch 2 sets of goals 11 players one ball.

if things are not going right - its not enough just to suggest/want a change.

one has to possess the capabilty to see what needs changing, then exucute the changes, mastering everyone pulling in the same direction.

when these capabilities arent there things wont change.

We have a problem, we conceed easily and at relevant times.

The bad news is that observers see it coming but he in charge doesnt.

The solution is not to convince the observers otherwise.

But to change who can influence.

 

[hippo]

11 hours ago, romavillan said:

They've said from the off it's a two year project, a slow start over 7 games is nothing compared to the 92 games which comprise the 2 league seasons they were talking about. 

It's clearly not great that we've essentially thrown away at least 6 points through either profligacy in front of goal, poor concentration, poor game management and keeper errors. 13 points from 7 would look a whole lot different and we were a handfull of minutes away from that being the case. Fine lines. 

I think it's clear we have problems in the middle of the park, a fit Tshibola though is not something we have seen yet, so you could argue we haven't had out best team out yet as Adomah hasn't featured either.

When did they say its 2 year project ?

I was pretty sure Dr Tony said promotion this season was the aim ? 

[Paul33]

5 minutes ago, hippo said:

When did they say its 2 year project ?

I was pretty sure Dr Tony said promotion this season was the aim ? 

Heard RDM talk of "two year project" very many times !

 

[tinker]

Tishbola missed 32 games last season with 2 injuries, a groin strain and a hamstring injury, he returned from injury May 18, he was a risk , a very big risk. Why wasn't this risk factored in? We should have either kept players rather than loaning them out or brought players who could cover, instead we have Gardner who was on loan last season ( also has a terrible injury record) and Westwood who is nice and tidy but hasn't got any bite in his game when shit hits the fan.

He's left himself without a decent midfield and he had plenty of time and money to sort it, he even let players go out on loan who looked better than Gardner, last season.

Can someone from the press ask him why?

If we drop into the relegation zone then for me he has to go, I don't care about him having to have  time, we haven't got it and neither should he. 

The Dr should be looking for replacements now.

I hope I'm wrong but for me the writings on the wall for us all to see if we really want to see it. UTV

[Villarocker]

4 minutes ago, tinker said:

Tishbola missed 32 games last season with 2 injuries, a groin strain and a hamstring injury, he returned from injury May 18, he was a risk , a very big risk. Why wasn't this risk factored in? We should have either kept players rather than loaning them out or brought players who could cover, instead we have Gardner who was on loan last season ( also has a terrible injury record) and Westwood who is nice and tidy but hasn't got any bite in his game when shit hits the fan.

He's left himself without a decent midfield and he had plenty of time and money to sort it, he even let players go out on loan who looked better than Gardner, last season.

Can someone from the press ask him why?

If we drop into the relegation zone then for me he has to go, I don't care about him having to have  time, we haven't got it and neither should he. 

The Dr should be looking for replacements now.

I hope I'm wrong but for me the writings on the wall for us all to see if we really want to see it. UTV

I agree with your comments about the midfield and for me personally that's where RDM has failed so far. Westwood and Gardner will only ever work when one of them is on the pitch alongside a decent holding midfielder who can tackle. I'd prefer neither of them here to be honest as I would rather have two holding midfielders, who can play a little, in front of the back four. Tshibola was a big risk and so is Elphick and Chester to a certain extent as I believe they've had their fair share of injuries too last season. If they were to both go missing we would be left with Baker and Richards? We definitely need another decent CB, a DM and maybe a ball-playing midfielder who can also put a foot in - ala Gareth Barry/Joey Barton.

[KHV]

10 minutes ago, tinker said:

Tishbola missed 32 games last season with 2 injuries, a groin strain and a hamstring injury, he returned from injury May 18, he was a risk , a very big risk. Why wasn't this risk factored in? We should have either kept players rather than loaning them out or brought players who could cover, instead we have Gardner who was on loan last season ( also has a terrible injury record) and Westwood who is nice and tidy but hasn't got any bite in his game when shit hits the fan.

He's left himself without a decent midfield and he had plenty of time and money to sort it, he even let players go out on loan who looked better than Gardner, last season.

Can someone from the press ask him why?

If we drop into the relegation zone then for me he has to go, I don't care about him having to have  time, we haven't got it and neither should he. 

The Dr should be looking for replacements now.

I hope I'm wrong but for me the writings on the wall for us all to see if we really want to see it. UTV

Considering RDM spent his entire career as a midfielder you would like to think he knows a thing or two about organising a midfield too. Baffling