Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Reading

[mattyvilla]

Very much an end of the season performance , it's been such a long time since we played a meaningless game at this point of the season. Not surprised in the slightest

[Paddywhack]

57 minutes ago, NottingVilla said:

Hey guys don't forget, we win ugly....oh? We lost? At home? Guess we lose is ugly as well.

But don't forget, Bruce is the man to get us promoted because the pundits say so.

 

You must have been chuffed to bits at full time. 

[darrenm]

I heard we'd won. 51%

Yaayyyyy

[OutByEaster?]

We played better than we have done in a number of our recent home wins - so we lost.

In there is a real problem for Steve Bruce - we can't rely on playing badly, catching a bit of luck and having Kodjia create a goal out of nothing - it'll work from time to time, but on a consistent basis, it's not enough. We need to dominate games, but in order to do that we need to do three things - play better than the opposition, take our chances, not make mistakes.

Today we were the better side, we played the better football and we made the better chances. That might seem difficult to believe, but it's true, I promise you. We didn't take those chances, Chester and Hogan in the second half missed sitters and we had a host of half chances we did nothing with - in terms of chances created, this was a good day. We made mistakes, Amavi's one for the first goal, Bacuna's for the third - and a couple on between; Reading seemed to score every time we made a mistake.

For the first goal, Amavi will get pelters - we were trapped in and unable to get the ball out to midfield, it'd gone from centre back to centre back, out to the right and back again and it came to Amavi with him under a little but not a lot of pressure with a simple ball on to Chester who would have been under a little but not a lot of pressure and would then most likely have gone to the keeper to be hoofed upfield and probably lost. Instead, Amavi has tried to do something clever, tried to be proactive and make something happen and got caught - two passes and the ball is in the net. It's a dumb mistake, but it's made for all the right reasons and it's one I can forgive. 

Bacuna's error comes from Bacuna having to play left back - he looked uncomfortable all day and played right wing, left wing and left back without looking like he belonged in any of them - when you've got a right sided player out of position, there's always a chance they'll make an error - and he did.

The middle goal was rubbish too - we kicked off, gave the ball away, won it back, gave it away again and they scored all within 30 seconds. 

We're just shoddy with the ball, there's a lack of care - some of them can't pass - Jedinak and Baker just don't have passing ability - but the others are just plain careless and there's not enough good movement off the ball - the only run that really worked for me was the one that Lansbury was making in the second half where he was getting into the corners and giving the full backs something to aim at.

When you give away goals and you struggle to score goals - you're in trouble - Hutton was our most dangerous outlet - which should tell you something and once we needed a months worth (three) of goals to rescue a point, it became clear that the game was over.

Even with all that, I still felt we edged it - I wouldn't have taken the draw if you'd offered it me after their second goal - it's a very frustrating day.

Reading added to the frustration, as did the referee. If Reading go up this season, they should come with a note of apology - this was as negative a side as I've seen in a long time (and I watch us) they were time wasting after 23 minutes at a point in the game where they weren't winning. I don't think I've seen that before - when they got their penalty with 11 minutes to go, I did worry there might not be long enough left for them to take it. Defensively their tactic seemed to be to grab hold of a Villa striker, wrap your arms around him and hold on for dear life until the ball went away - they did that all game. Throw in's took forever, goal kicks involved impromptu drinks breaks, there were conversations over free kicks, ours and theirs - it was incredible an incredibly negative, anti-football that ruined the game as a spectacle - although it did help them win, so I guess they'll be happy enough. Personally I hope they don't go up. Ever.

The referee was an embarrassing shambles of a man - after having established early on that he had nothing against holding by defenders, he showed absolutely no interest in putting a stop to it no matter how blatant it got - at one point the centre half had his arm around Kodjia's neck and his hand on his own shoulder - the ref was utterly disinterested - when you're playing a one man team and the ref allows you to foul him twenty times a game - you know you're on a winner. His complete disinterest in the time wasting was also shameful. So, Mr S Duncan of Newcastle Upon Tyne, might I politely suggest you take up something to which you are more suited. If you can find anything.

So yeah, frustrating on the day, and more importantly concerning for next season in how we overcome this problem of trying to play well enough to win without losing - if we can't do that, we'll win some games 1-0 next season, we'll draw a lot, we won't lose many, we'll be horrible to watch and we won't go up - we need to find a way to allow people like Amavi to make mistakes like he did for the first goal through trying to do positive things and we need to do it without losing games - that's not easy - good luck Mr Bruce.

Play better than the opposition, take our chances, don't make mistakes - we'll need all three next term.

 

Ratings:

Johnstone (6) - didn't get near any of the goals - distribution was good and he's no longer the nervy flapping thing he was earlier in the year. He's starting to look like a keeper - in both senses.

Hutton (7) - our leader on the field, a player with the character to keep taking the fight to the opposition when others are hiding, if he was slightly better as a player, his attitude and his courage would have taken him a lot further.

Chester (6) - solid and a goalscorer today - should have had a second goal and that might be what we end up remembering.

Baker (6) - a sort of nothing performance from Baker, no real risks, no big errors - I suppose that's what you want from your centre backs, so I'll not complain.

Amavi (6) - some good things, some errors, including the big one - oddly enough, he looked really solid defensively today, he had the winger in his pocket. Part of being a good defender though is knowing and recognising where the danger is coming from - today at times, the danger was coming from Amavi being on the ball. He's a gutsy lad though and he never stopped showing for it.

Jedinak (5) - when we're the better side, his limitations become a hindrance - going forward he's a waste of a body. Passing was poor today.

Lansbury (6) - for me I thought he was one of our better players, he's another who doesn't hide, he made some great runs in the second half and helped us get the ball out of defence and onto the attack, he worked hard and defended pretty well - what's missing is goals and creativity.

Hourihane (5) - looked neat and tidy, was involved all over the place and always looked like he was about to set something up or put one away - but didn't; a  Grealish of a performance - pleasing on the eye but not on the scoresheet.

Adomah (5) - starting him on the left was a mistake and we looked better once he got over to the right hand side - he's a decent solid right winger who will make things happen - not at his best today, but foolishly started out of position. This summer, we need to find every penny we've got and put it into the best left winger we can find, one that terrifies this division - at the moment we're unbalanced and that would help a lot and it'd help Albert a lot too.

Kodjia (5) - struggled against Stone Cold Steve Blackett and also against Randy Macho Man Moore - with a referee that had an understanding of the rules he'd have been able to take them on at football, sadly that wasn't possible today.

Bacuna (4) - I've rarely seen a footballer so unable to judge the flight of a ball in the air - he steps back from balls he could have stepped forward and trapped and watches them bounce over his head and he leaps to a height about an inch over his standing height to crosses that I could reach. He was poor today, although in fairness he played much of the match out of position.

 

Subs 

Grealish (5) - some nice touches to no particular effect in limited time on the pitch.

Hogan (5) - should have scored - and in fairness, he's paid to have scored the sort of chance he had today.

 

And finally - Villa Park was really, really quiet today. Perhaps that reflected everything else, the season is over, the only game that matters is next week, no one really cared enough to make a big fuss (with the possible exception of Alan Hutton and that bloke on the front row of the lower Holte) - there is progress, but there is plenty of work to do.

[BigAl]

Poor result ,But what makes me positive is that Bruce's signings have improved us  Lansbury Hourihane and the likes of Hogan Bree and Bjarnsson will be big players for us next year if we can get a couple of more players of that standard we will be in the promotion mix .

[maqroll]

We need better players. And we need to stick with Bruce. Give him a summer, give him some cash to spend, and give him a full season to at least make the playoffs. If the wheels are coming off in December and we are in the relegation mix, make a change then.

[Eastie]

 

Poor team selections for me today - set up too negatively and I don't see how bacuna yet again started this game .

Bruce need to sort his best formation and best team - both of which shouldn't include bacuna or amavi.

[OutByEaster?]

I think the selection difficulty today was left wing - I guess the more obvious solution would have been to start Grealish there, failing that, maybe play Kodjia on the left and Hogan in the middle?

It's our problem position - our first choice is Green (injured) then Bruce seems to prefer Amavi (playing left back with Taylor out), then beyond that there's Bjarnason (Injured) and then you have to get creative with Grealish (who isn't really a winger), Kodjia (who is our best CF by a mile) or a complete change of shape. Don't be too surprised to see Gabby starting there on Monday if he's fit* and Green isn't.

What you can't do is play right sided players there and hope it'll magically work itself out - Adomah and Bacuna will never be left wingers.

 

*You know what I mean.

 

[Mjvilla]

My first game since Leeds at home and only my second this season. TBH, I was surprised. I was expecting us to hoof it all day and reading to play some kind of brilliant, attractive flowing football. Is that how it worked out? Absolutely not!! 

We don't go long that often really, there just isn't enough movement and momentum to our attacks. Which will come with time. We really need hourihane, Lansbury to get beyond the strikers and having jedinak back there, it should be easy to do.

but considering some of the blatant shit on here, it was nowhere near as bad as I thought. Definitely a work in progress. If anyone saw the warm-up, they had Lansbury, hourihane. Adomah, bacuna and kodjia all just doing attacking shadow play. Give the ball into the midfielders and let them be creative. So it's clear they are working at it. But most already knew that didn't they? 

And as for possession, reading could've had the ball all they like in that first half because they looked dodgy as duck on it and we were pressuring them and they didn't like it. They have the ball to us. They had throw ins in an attacking half, and instead of going forward they tried to keep possession and ended up with the keeper hoofing it for jedinak to win the header. Second half was a dead rubber, they stifled the duck out the game and absolutely fair enough. We would've done the same. Haven't seen it back but the penalty looked as soft as you like bearing in mind they had been pulling and pushing at kodjia through the whole game.

and which team went long the most? Definitely reading. That lad Kelly in the middle looked decent for them and found their right winger nearly all the time. Amavi had an absolute shocker today. Definitely sell. 100% 

but the things I read on here (the extreme views either way) really aren't true. It isn't absolute dross, it is a work in progress. And we will get there, I'm sure of it.

[Mjvilla]

1 hour ago, OutByEaster? said:

Reading added to the frustration, as did the referee. If Reading go up this season, they should come with a note of apology - this was as negative a side as I've seen in a long time (and I watch us) they were time wasting after 23 minutes at a point in the game where they weren't winning. I don't think I've seen that before - when they got their penalty with 11 minutes to go, I did worry there might not be long enough left for them to take it. Defensively their tactic seemed to be to grab hold of a Villa striker, wrap your arms around him and hold on for dear life until the ball went away - they did that all game. Throw in's took forever, goal kicks involved impromptu drinks breaks, there were conversations over free kicks, ours and theirs - it was incredible an incredibly negative, anti-football that ruined the game as a spectacle - although it did help them win, so I guess they'll be happy enough. Personally I hope they don't go up. Ever.

The referee was an embarrassing shambles of a man - after having established early on that he had nothing against holding by defenders, he showed absolutely no interest in putting a stop to it no matter how blatant it got - at one point the centre half had his arm around Kodjia's neck and his hand on his own shoulder - the ref was utterly disinterested - when you're playing a one man team and the ref allows you to foul him twenty times a game - you know you're on a winner. His complete disinterest in the time wasting was also shameful. So, Mr S Duncan of Newcastle Upon Tyne, might I politely suggest you take up something to which you are more suited. If you can find anything.

All of this basically. I've heard a few people say jaap stam is the kind of manager we should go for! Hahahahaha. If that is how you want our villa to play then so be it. Reading were an absolute joke today. And like you, I don't want them to go up purely based on today! It was everything football shouldn't be. 

And the ref should be ashamed. The holding of kodjia got beyond a joke, then the tiniest of flicks on the lad who won the penalty, he throws himself to the ground and it's a penalty. It's bloody bizarre what the referees see. 

[sheepyvillian]

On 15/04/2017 at 18:32, OutByEaster? said:

We played better than we have done in a number of our recent home wins - so we lost.

progress, but there is plenty of work to do.

Straight to the point  .

[Demitri_C]

Bad day at office no question it's gonna happen sometimes

[PompeyVillan]

What a disgraceful result anytime of the season against anyone.

We're either washed up **** also rans or we do what we should and get promoted next season.

I'm not not able to accept the total nonsense that "Reading are a good side". We're Aston Villa ffs.

We deserve better.

[VillanousOne]

5 minutes ago, PompeyVillan said:

What a disgraceful result anytime of the season against anyone.

We're either washed up **** also rans or we do what we should and get promoted next season.

I'm not not able to accept the total nonsense that "Reading are a good side". We're Aston Villa ffs.

We deserve better.

Well we've had Reading are a good side, we are a work in progress, we had nothing to play for, bad day at the office, etc etc.

Not mocking those opinions just because they aren't mine, just saying.

[claretman]

Pretty dire today.  Reading were anti-football but didn't really have to do much as we gifted them the goals.

 Amavi and Bacuna were trying to be too clever and were made to pay for Reading goals one and three and what on earth was the kick off after half time all about for goal two?!  Launched forward, ball lost, retained, lost again and it's in the net.

I'm a Bruce supporter but he's got to do something to accommodate two up front, we can't just rely on Kodjia.  He had no protection from the referee today (who was horrific by the way) and he isn't going to score every game. I don't know what the answer is; on the WM phone in they were talking about selling him to fund another striker to play with Hogan.  Surely not!?

 

[The Fun Factory]

Not at the races today and all 3 goals could have been avoided. Reading could say the same about our goal as well though. They were amazingly open today- if they get promoted and if they play the same in the prem they would get hammered most weeks. Stam has done a great job given the budget, but for this side to be 4th shows how poor this league is. And how poor we have been in large periods this season to be 12th.

Amavi had a bit of a mare today didn't he? It all was a bit flat but I would not question the commitment in the team today- just the concentration at the back and the execution up top.

If Hogan had equalised then it might have been a different result- or we could have just lost anyway. 

I would like Brucey to do some changes on Monday to freshen the side up a bit and have some other plans for next season.

[macandally]

On 15/04/2017 at 18:32, OutByEaster? said:

We played better than we have done in a number of our recent home wins - so we lost.

Bang on assessment bar Hourihane, for me his delivery was excellent from set pieces and we could have made more of it.

Genuine worry is how the hell we are going to play moving forward.  I hate watching us grind out results but I am a fan so of course enjoy winning, but whenever we try to play any sort of football we get beat!!!  When we get in the final third we go from side to side but do not get bodies in the box, often today Kodgia was in there on his own.  Even when Hogan came on he was stuck out on the wing.

We are not going up, so now is the time to get on the front foot and lay out how we are going to play next year.  For us pre-season starts now and it is time for Mr Bruce to prove he is working for the best interests of Aston Villa FC and not his own career.

[Stevo985]

Decent first half. Would probably have come in at half time leading if it wasn't for Amavi's sloppiness at the start.

Second half was poor, but Reading' s negative tactics didn't help.

Performance wise, that was actually better than some of the games we've won recently. But we were sloppy at the back, (for a change) and everyone left their shooting boots at hime, because we actually created quite a few chances and fluffed them all.

[skarroki]

There were no options in the box, nobody on the pitch looked interested, Amavi put in the worst performance i have seen live in a long time and that is saying something. I would have subbed him 20th minute to make a point. The referee was a joke for both teams and Reading were pretty much invited the win due to their ability to soak up pressure better, and having absolutely no pressure put on them during the match. Their keeper had a nightmare and wasn't made to pay.

Above all, who really cares? Team is on the beach, nothing to play for. Stick a few kids out there. Arguably brum is the only game of importance now, every other game is completely irrelevant. 

[Stevo985]

Not the first time this season I've been baffled by people's ratings of the ref on VillaTalk.

How can any Villa fan have watched that game and thought the referee was "average"?