Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Preston

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

11 hours ago, TRO said:

They were too quick to the ball for us....and too too quick in thought.

They were physical, for sure.....but we can do that if we want to.

I think we were fortunate to get a point.

However, Davis's miss was very disappointing.

not good enough for me.

What's frustrating is, that is how I would have described us a couple of weeks ago in tandem to the teams we beat.

Yesterday, almost everything just seemed off, to the point where I wondered if something was affecting them behind the scenes.

Everyone, including the normally consistent John Terry, and Chester etc seemed out of it.

[striker]

9 hours ago, TRO said:

I thought Bruce got it wrong from the start.....but I also think too many highly paid players with premier league experience, could of given us better....i seen too many beaten first to the ball and slow laboured play in losing it.

I also think the squad is lacking players with guile.....one is not enough.

you have to compete in this league.....we played like we had time and we hadn't.

Agree with most of that TRO apart from the comment concerning guile.

I really do hate criticising anyone who has just gone through the trauma of losing a parent but over the last two games Bruce’s safety first approach has caused Villa losing points and it’s not for the first time this season.

He had a like for like replacement in O’Hare yet played him in the U23s. He could have played Hayes instead of the dreadful Onomah both of whom generally have done well and certainly no worse when given the chance yet he chose not to. He could have played Lansbury instead of Hayes if he was worried about too much youth in the spine of the team but again chose not to.

Two of those three are flair players so there is certainly more than one player with guile still available to Bruce.

I still don’t think Bruce is utilising the squad well enough because he is fixated on sticking with experience rather than going to the next best player available relative to replacing the injury and it’s costing Villa.

[VillaChris]

24 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

What's frustrating is, that is how I would have described us a couple of weeks ago in tandem to the teams we beat.

Yesterday, almost everything just seemed off, to the point where I wondered if something was affecting them behind the scenes.

Everyone, including the normally consistent John Terry, and Chester etc seemed out of it.

Let's be honest Adomah and Jack are massive to us. How they play, pace, ball carrying etc.

Snodgrass is good aswell but he can't do it all when they're not available.

The rest are hardworkers but not match winners.

[John]

15 hours ago, foreveryoung said:

You ain't gonna walk over Preston, would have been risky having Grealish in the team, he would have been kicked all over the place if not worst.

He was kicked all over the place by Bloose and that victory has come at the cost of losing Jack and Albert for a minimum of two games. A point was fair last night but we can't drop points too often and get second place.

[BOF]

Grabban's goal made him the tenth player to open their Villa account this season.  That equals the most in our history, level with the first season of the Premier League.  He joins Green, Bjarnason, Onomah, Davis, Snodgrass, Terry, Samba, Lansbury & Jedinak who had never scored for Villa before the 17/18 season.

One more new entry on that list makes 17/18 an all-time historic season.

[Stevo985]

Let's do some ratings

 

Johnstone - 5 - dreadful mistake for their goal. Did well otherwise. Serious weaknesses in his game

Hutton - 5 - he's shit. Lots of effort and had that shot gone in at the end all would be forgiven. But the worst final ball of any villa player I can remember. The combination with BB down the left was painful
Terry - 6 - a rare off day
Chester - 7 - Best defender yesterday by a margin
Tuanzebe - 2 - I hope his supposedly good performance vs Fulham was a better indication of his talent. He was utterly woeful last night. Two good slide tackles but both were the result of him being absolutely skinned

Jedinak - 5 - looked leggy. Good in the air yesterday but not impressive
Hourihane - 4 - totally anonymous
Onomah - 6 - not great but certainly the best of the 3 CMs yesterday

Bjarnasson - 3 - dreadful
Snodgrass - 5 - unimpressive but the injury midway through the first half clearly hampered him

Hogan - 4 - shit. Not much to work with but what he did have he largely squandered.

 

Subs:

Grabban - 8 - MOTM - changed the game. Got a goal. Could have set up another if the finish was better. I like what I see.
Davis - 6 - did ok. Some decent touches but could have won it at the end with more composure
Elmo - not on long enough

 

Bruce - 5 - wrong selection in the first half. But I at least give him credit for changing things early. Was expecting him to leave it until his standard 60 minutes to do anything but was pleasantly surprised. Needs to find a better solution for when we're missing Jack and Adomah.

Ref - 4 - He was poor, but poor for both sides really. Do think he got the penalty right, thankfully.

[BOF]

Looking at the players who have yet to open their account and who might still do so this season, I think the most likely would be Elmohamady, as he plays regularly and features in attacking plays. Of the others who are less likely but possible, there is only really Glenn Whelan, Callum O'Hare & Axel Tuanzebe.

[TRO]

2 hours ago, striker said:

Agree with most of that TRO apart from the comment concerning guile.

I really do hate criticising anyone who has just gone through the trauma of losing a parent but over the last two games Bruce’s safety first approach has caused Villa losing points and it’s not for the first time this season.

He had a like for like replacement in O’Hare yet played him in the U23s. He could have played Hayes instead of the dreadful Onomah both of whom generally have done well and certainly no worse when given the chance yet he chose not to. He could have played Lansbury instead of Hayes if he was worried about too much youth in the spine of the team but again chose not to.

Two of those three are flair players so there is certainly more than one player with guile still available to Bruce.

I still don’t think Bruce is utilising the squad well enough because he is fixated on sticking with experience rather than going to the next best player available relative to replacing the injury and it’s costing Villa.

I agree, with all of that and I am no way moving on and dismissing it as a side show.

I hear the arguments of playing experienced players, who are better suited to defensive type duties......but I still expect them to compete for the ball, be there before their opponent and win ball in the air, instead of us being on the back foot.

I like many am frustrated with the O'Hare situation, because he is doing it in the under 23's.....the bit I don't fully grasp is the gap between under 23's and The first team....I have to bow to the managers experience on that as much as it galls me.

I don't want to labour the point, but I still have a concern on our inability to compete with teams like Preston who squeeze you, double and treble up on us when we have the ball, when they have the ball, they are usually contact free, that can't be right.

[striker]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

I agree, with all of that and I am no way moving on and dismissing it as a side show.

I hear the arguments of playing experienced players, who are better suited to defensive type duties......but I still expect them to compete for the ball, be there before their opponent and win ball in the air, instead of us being on the back foot.

I like many am frustrated with the O'Hare situation, because he is doing it in the under 23's.....the bit I don't fully grasp is the gap between under 23's and The first team....I have to bow to the managers experience on that as much as it galls me.

I don't want to labour the point, but I still have a concern on our inability to compete with teams like Preston who squeeze you, double and treble up on us when we have the ball, when they have the ball, they are usually contact free, that can't be right.

Agree with your point about pressing. Villa generally give teams too much space to play although against Birmingham they were much better. It could be the age of the players that is hampering that plus Villa aren't blessed with pace either. It could also be that due to those points Bruce has Villa playing more zonally in defence preferring shape rather than press or just trying to draw the opposition out before hitting them on the break?

Klopp has Liverpool pressing more than they ever did but even they struggle to do that consistently over ninety minutes. 

Edited February 21, 2018 by striker

[TRO]

4 hours ago, VillaChris said:

Let's be honest Adomah and Jack are massive to us. How they play, pace, ball carrying etc.

Snodgrass is good aswell but he can't do it all when they're not available.

The rest are hardworkers but not match winners.

Chris not trying to be awkward or disagreeable.....but my bone of contention is the hardworker bit.

We was without key players, who in hindsight can suggest have been carrying us......I know the reference you are making, but what i saw was players running chasing the ball, when they were beaten to it, they rarely won a ball in the air on a one on one.

What Preston done, now thats what I call hard work, hassle, chase, press, squeeze, close down and win your aerial battles, which I think at this level, helps a team to dominate.

I think Preston Dominated us on our own muck heap......They would not do that to a hard working Villa Team, even with injuries.

I agree with you first 2 lines and I understand your sentiment on hard work.....I just think ball watching, getting beat too often in combat and chasing rainbows is not hard work its just going through the motions and trying to make it look like hard work.

Edited February 21, 2018 by TRO

[TRO]

5 hours ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

What's frustrating is, that is how I would have described us a couple of weeks ago in tandem to the teams we beat.

Yesterday, almost everything just seemed off, to the point where I wondered if something was affecting them behind the scenes.

Everyone, including the normally consistent John Terry, and Chester etc seemed out of it.

totally, totally, totally agree.

Ian Taylor actually said "very disappointed in the players"

I can accept a bad day technically and for sure, we had one of them.

but when you see players lose out in challenges of all sorts......thats not good.

They dominated us in front of a 30,000 crowd.....where's our determination, for every player to win his own personal battle......i didn't see it......with the odd exception of course.

but another point.....why are new loan players winning MOTM awards....................NAH!!!!

[The Fun Factory]

That was a tough match. The first half was very poor from Villa's point of view, we looked well out of sorts and missed Grealish and Adomah a lot. At least Brucey made 2 chances at half time rather than at the hour mark- as the game could have been over by then. Villa played better in the second but a draw on the balance of play was a fair result. The pen looked soft from the North Stand, and we could have nicked it at the end. I  thought a few of the player looked tired and below par such as Terry, and the injuries seem to be mounting up with Snodgrass and Davis could be out of action as well on Saturday. Brucey needs to start Grabban versus Wednesday as he added some pace to a very ponderous attack and was linking up well with Hogan who again had bugger all service in the first half.  Its a point and only at the end of the season will that prove to be a point gained or 2 dropped.