Ratings and Reactions: Brentford v Villa

[TRO]

It doesn't matter what permutation you choose or what personnel you select you cannot stand off the opposition like that and expect anything from a game.

 A school team manager would have something to say on that, never mind a professional club.

we also struggle to control anything when we are being breathed on.

its just so basic and so weak.

[Banger75]

Immensely frustrating game.  The central midfield 3 seemed to all be all out of position...and in a new side they had no shape (and in Thor's case, out of shape).  But the killer is that the simplest thing to do - work hard, was completely absent.  No second ball gets, massive gaps between Kodjia and the midfield, no tracking runners....its not bloody hard to have some pride lads.

Bruce is a peanut.  The first 10 minutes the game seemed to be all ours, they make some minor tactical adjustments (get close to Angela; isolate Kodjia; attack the knock downs) and we are ****.  Mind you, you'd think the 3 or 4 captains/ex-captains on the field could have sorted this out themselves.  But this is Villa, and they can all go home and lay on beds of 100 pound notes.  

[The Fun Factory]

Basically the season went to pish when we lost to Cardiff at the start of the month. We were garbage that day and have not improved at all since. 3 away defeats (4 if you count the Spuds game) and 1 draw at home. Any momentum built up over Christmas has well and truly gone.

[TRO]

3 minutes ago, romavillan said:

Our start was the best thing about us, then they changed their shape to put more men in the middle and we crumbled and never adapted.

Paradoxically yes.....its easy to be wise after the event, but we should have started tight let them take the initiative, nullified them and grew in to it.....then do what we did in the first ten minutes

I think we are brittle and when you go gung ho, get picked off.

lets just hope it's down to too many new faces at once.

I prefer starting cautious and getting more ambitious as we go.....as opposed to the other way round.

[flamingsombrero]

Went to watch Trainspotting 2 tonight (very good by the way) and know nothing about how the game went at all. With all the buzz and momentum of the window and the feel good factor around the place I thought to myself as I checked the score just, "What would be the most Villa result possible in this situation?".

To be fair to them, I went with 4 nil.

What an old pessimist eh?

 

[One For The Road]

21 minutes ago, flamingsombrero said:

Went to watch Trainspotting 2 tonight 

I saw it last night.  Tonight I was at Brentford sadly. The sad thing is, we haven't won a trophy since the FIRST Trainspotting was released.

Now we are further away than ever from any kind of success. I cant imagine we would ever have imagined losing 3-0 to Brentford in the 2nd division when we were enjoying the mid nineties.

How ******** sad. 

Edited January 31, 2017 by One For The Road

[sidcow]

It's raining 

[Villastine]

2 hours ago, Dale said:

Steve Bruce made to look average with the most expensive squad assembled in this league. He's a terrible manager isn't he. A relic. 

He got Hull promoted last year!!!! 

WTF are you on about? 

[sheepyvillian]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Because you have to rely on being allowed to.....they stopped us playing, we stood off them, and wished them well.

So that the must be the case every game we play .

[AJ]

It was really hard choosing MOTM, and since my choice wasn't an option, I gave it to Adomah by default.

If I could I would have given it to the guy who holds up the substitution/extra time board.

At least he does what he is paid for, and does it competently.

[Mat Kendrick's Dentist]

Dreadful, pathetic, it's all been covered. We're simply a team without an idea, without an identity, happy to recycle possession back to Alan Hutton to perpetually hump it out for a throw-in until the end of time.

Johnstone 4: At least 2 of the goals couldn't be considered "unstoppable", and yet he never looked like saving them. Was also shaky on a number of crosses/through balls.

Hutton 3: Unbearably awful, but then that's par for the course for Big Al. A black hole on the ball, riddled with errors, and constantly defending too narrow.

Amavi 6: Made some mistakes, but also defended well at times against Brentford's best player. Was the least culpable of our defenders/keeper for the goals we conceded.

Chester 2: Seems to be a hero among Villa fans, but he's a bit of a myth imo. He keeps costing us by stupidly vacating his position, and the worrying thing is that he's not learning from these constant mistakes. Dreadful decision to step up for the first, marked absent for the second, and crazily out of position for the third.

Baker 4: Poor for the first and third goals, but was left between a rock and a hard place by Chester's rashness.

Lansbury 6 (MOTM): Started off well, but was soon marshalled when Brentford dropped Jozefzoon back on him. Wasn't great at tracking runners, but worked hard overall.

Hourihane 4: Wasn't able to stamp his authority on the game. Felt the obvious move was to bring him back alongside Lansbury in a 4231 when Henri was being man-marked. Instead, we back to hoof, bypassing midfield totally. Not great defensively.

Bjarnason 3: Looked like a player who hasn't played 90 minutes in 6 weeks (and he is). Didn't offer anything after the first 10 minutes. Average technically, and not the quickest, so we'll have to move him higher up the pitch to see the best of him imo.

Green 5: He lived up to his name. He has plenty of ability, but for now is very "green" and remains a player for the future, rather than the present imo. Plenty of pace and nice dribbling, but not yet enough knowledge of when to cross/pass/hold onto the ball. Weak defensively also.

Adomah 5: Worked hard as ever. Received poor service, but also provided poor service in turn. Got plenty of crosses in, but we never got enough bodies forward to get onto them.

Kodjia 5: Given very poor supply overall. Didn't make use of the 3/4 occasions he was played through because of poor finishing or straying offside.

Bacuna 5: Some good, some bad, worked hard at least.

Grealish 6: Did more in 15 minutes than some did in 90. He has his detractors, but I think it's madness leaving him on the bench.

Bruce 3: We flew out of the traps, but once Lansbury was man-marked we made no attempt to drop another CM (Hourihane) back in order to build the play. Instead we launched it towards an outnumbered Kodjia. In terms of team selection, regardless of how recently he was signed, Bree is better than Hutton, he literally has to be. Grealish also has to start, as when he doesn't there is a chasm the size of McCormack's arse between our midfield and Kodjia. Finally, subs came far too late to change anything.

PS Brentford's Jota deserves a mention as the best opposition player I've seen this campaign. He wasn't all that in La Liga this season but today was a 10/10 performance from him.

[TRO]

45 minutes ago, sheepyvillian said:

So that the must be the case every game we play .

You have to win the battle before you start playing football.....we just stood off and surrendered posession.....once that was established they just grew in confidence.

yes most games lately.

[sheepyvillian]

9 minutes ago, TRO said:

You have to win the battle before you start playing football.....we just stood off and surrendered posession.....once that was established they just grew in confidence.

yes most games lately.

Teams that play decent football do so from the opening minute , even when they are pressed they have the confidence to continue with the style they practise day in and day out . The fact is we now have a manager ,who I struggle to recall ever managing a side who played  decent football .

[TRO]

2 minutes ago, sheepyvillian said:

Teams that play decent football do so from the opening minute , even when they are pressed they have the confidence to continue with the style they practise day in and day out . The fact is we now have a manager ,who I struggle to recall ever managing a side who played  decent football .

They say that about the last lot.

[sheepyvillian]

2 hours ago, Villastine said:

He got Hull promoted last year!!!! 

WTF are you on about? 

It's not just promotion , we have to think long term .

[sheepyvillian]

After witnessing tonight's shambles , I'm thinking maybe Dean Smith would of been a better option .

[imavillan]

3 hours ago, sheepyvillian said:

It's not just promotion , we have to think long term .

and thats why he must be given time. He now, largely, has his own team. He now needs the time for the team to gel and forge partnerships.

We have bought and shipped out a lot of players in January, this type of movement before a season starts and there are normally 4/5 pre season friendlies to get used to one another. 

Last night was bitterly disappointing, annoying etc but the team will get better.

[Jimzk5]

Laughable that 15 minutes in, Brentford put a man on Lansbury and we fall the pieces and had no response to it

[VILLAMARV]

7 hours ago, TRO said:

Because you have to rely on being allowed to.....they stopped us playing, we stood off them, and wished them well.

I think all TRO got wrong here is saying 'you' instead of 'all our players seem to'

Yes the tweak from Smith was tactical in getting a man on Lansbury but we didn't win a single second ball from what I can recall after the second goal and there's about an hour left at that point. No one being able to leave the pitch with their heads held high from our team tells a story.

But most of all I just wanted to stop by and add to the few positive comments about Brentford. We could do a lot worse than sit the boys down today and show them a replay of that match and say do that what they are doing there look. Worked hard for and with each other. Scored some nice goals from some nice passing movements. Completely outplayed us and bossed the match. Respect.

[cbr600rr]

we go again