Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Reading

[terrytini]

Only just got around to looking and have to say I don't share the majority view, with Steve and OBE saying the closet to my views.

I thought we played pretty well overall, created chances, looked less negative than in many games.

Particulary liked Hourihane and Lansbury second half .........yes overall we were much better first half but in the second they both started to really get around the pitch ( Lansbury made some superb runs) and it looked very much like Bruce had ( finally ..) given them more of a licence to play their natural games. For me they increasingly look like they will be a heck of a pairing.

We lost. It happens. 

I guess those that have been saying only the result matters had their happy moments over the last few weeks, and must currently feel lousy !

As someone who was more interested in the performances I had less happiness then, but have more now , I was far happier with today than with some of our recent wins.

I hope he is tweaking it in favour of a little more adventure, it seems he may be.

No problem with that - we could easily have won today - and three awful blunders in one game will always cost you - but I'm encouraged by today against a pretty skilful side.

 

[terrytini]

8 minutes ago, skarroki said:

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. 

I can't have watched the same game !! I saw the old cliched '110%'- no lack of effort at all.

Agree about the ref though.

Dont agree with ' sticking a few kids in' - first they must deserve a place on merit - who do we have that does ? Second, our best 11/16 need as much time together as possible in order to get the familiarity others have that we lack.

[Spoony]

Seems the players are checked out now playoffs can't be achieved...hope they get a boot up their arse for that.

[rjw63]

Was offered a free ticket in the Lower Holte yesterday.

My decision to turn it down and go for a break in Wales looks a good 'un

[Rugeley Villa]

37 minutes ago, rjw63 said:

Was offered a free ticket in the Lower Holte yesterday.

My decision to turn it down and go for a break in Wales looks a good 'un

Those poor wales.

[TRO]

Never went, but sounds like a bit of a paradox.

[terrytini]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Never went, but sounds like a bit of a paradox.

I'll get shouted at TRO but for me there are many people whose view of a game appears to depend almost entirely upon the result.

I guarantee if you watch an hours highlights of this game compared to an hour of ANY of our winning run games you would find as much, or more, to be happy with. But in those we didn't have a substandard left back.

Edited April 16, 2017 by terrytini

[OutByEaster?]

Looking at the highlights, we should have had a penalty for the handball and Williams would have been sent off. 

 

[TRO]

43 minutes ago, terrytini said:

I'll get shouted at TRO but for me there are many people whose view of a game appears to depend almost entirely upon the result.

I guarantee if you watch an hours highlights of this game compared to an hour of ANY of our winning run games you would find as much, or more, to be happy with. But in those we didn't have a substandard left back.

Without going over old ground Terry, at this stage of our development ,I can empathise with just gaining solace out of a win.

However, It does not fill folk with confidence. If it was boxing it is very noble to go undefeated like Rocky Marciano....but hardly any fun for his supporters.

We both know, you need both.....but in development it can be that one comes before the other......paradoxically, yesterday it seems we got your bit right and forgot the first bit we fixed.

I agree wholeheartedly about the left back, but don't want to go overboard on individual players.....Steve Bruce will of seen it.

[terrytini]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

Without going over old ground Terry, at this stage of our development ,I can empathise with just gaining solace out of a win.

However, It does not fill folk with confidence. If it was boxing it is very noble to go undefeated like Rocky Marciano....but hardly any fun for his supporters.

We both know, you need both.....but in development it can be that one comes before the other......paradoxically, yesterday it seems we got your bit right and forgot the first bit we fixed.

I agree wholeheartedly about the left back, but don't want to go overboard on individual players.....Steve Bruce will of seen it.

Not so sure.

I don't think we were poor at the other stuff either. Defensively we played well, the energy and committment was there, heads didn't drop at 1-3 ( except in the crowd), and we looked threatening going forward.

Ive seen many games where a side has basically played well but been undone by another good side who grab chances - especially gifted ones. It doesn't mean there's much wrong with the losing side, you are allowed to lose !,"...I actually someone wrote its "a disgrace" to lose at home to Reading..... why ?

I genuinely think we played well enough.

 

[TRO]

2 hours ago, terrytini said:

Not so sure.

I don't think we were poor at the other stuff either. Defensively we played well, the energy and committment was there, heads didn't drop at 1-3 ( except in the crowd), and we looked threatening going forward.

Ive seen many games where a side has basically played well but been undone by another good side who grab chances - especially gifted ones. It doesn't mean there's much wrong with the losing side, you are allowed to lose !,"...I actually someone wrote its "a disgrace" to lose at home to Reading..... why ?

I genuinely think we played well enough.

 

I think we are slightly not on the same wave length....the bit i meant that we left behind was winning.

I kinda struggle with the concept of playing well defensively and at the same time ,conceding 3 at home.....especially as I read that they were gifts.that's not quite compatible to me.

Edited April 16, 2017 by TRO

[sidcow]

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.

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.  there is plenty of work to do.

Agree with most of what you say. Not sure about some of the player ratings but it's a game of opinions. 

It is so frustrating that this is a team who have got back into the play off places but as you say, they only really scored because of gifts we gave them (they also missed a sitter mind) yet even with our awful woeful ineptitude in keeping the ball and passing to players, several of them running the ball out of play due to bad touches in promising positions, the generally bad decision making at crucial times, we created far and away the best chances and but for poor finishing we could have had 5 today easily. 

I don't buy the poor Bruce style of play, there is nothing wrong with our style it's just that the players keep giving the ball away constantly. I don't understand why, it doesn't even matter who we play and how we set up. They constantly fail to find teammates with simple balls. 

Reading again prove this is a very poor league and it will not take huge strides to get out of it, simply stringing a few passes together would transform us.

And Reading were time wasting from the 5th minute. It was astonishing, but they got mullered last time out so I guess just not losing was their main requirement. 

I think it's time for substitutions to become rolling. Why keep play stopped whilst someone walks at snails pace to the sidelin

[Mjvilla]

5 hours ago, OutByEaster? said:

Looking at the highlights, we should have had a penalty for the handball and Williams would have been sent off. 

 

Haven't seen this back and would really like to if anyone knows where it is? I was in the far end of the trinity and didn't see it at all but friends closer said it looked a good shout. 

[OutByEaster?]

1 minute ago, Mjvilla said:

Haven't seen this back and would really like to if anyone knows where it is? I was in the far end of the trinity and didn't see it at all but friends closer said it looked a good shout. 

I saw it on the Villa facebook account

 

[Mjvilla]

Just now, OutByEaster? said:

I saw it on the Villa facebook account

 

Ahhh, I'm not a facebooker but thanks anyway! 

[Grasshopper]

 

14 hours ago, sidcow said:

I don't buy the poor Bruce style of play, there is nothing wrong with our style it's just that the players keep giving the ball away constantly. I don't understand why, it doesn't even matter who we play and how we set up. They constantly fail to find teammates with simple balls.   

I'll offer my take on this.

With the whole team in containment mode, players will  not move forward in space fast or very far. One foot will always be ready to "go to your default position". Therefore we have a lack of movement into spaces or forwards. If our MF & forwards were to move forward the opposition would be forced out of their default position or chase/get back. With good movement we would dictate where the space is and oppositions would be headless chickens chasing shadows. Unfortunately, most of the time we are the headless chickens chasing shadows.

So untill Bruce lets a few have a little bit of freedom or sets up with intent to get the opposition "chasing back" we'll never have players ahead of the ball as options for a pass.

Hence, no free space, no options for a pass to a player, leaving us with high risk pass options or long balls.

Long balls automatically means we have little or no support to cause panic or problems for the oppositions defence.

Kodjia being the only one good enough to make something from nothing.

Adomah - imagine a constant feed to him either down the wing or cutting inside with 1 or 2 players running on? I'm not sure the quality of defenders in this league could really handle that.

But no. Mr Bruce likes to keep it tight and nick a goal.

Underdog/Inferior mentality with nearly 100mill spent.

ffs

What a f***ing joke