Ratings & Reactions: Play Off Final v Fulham

[The Fun Factory]

I am totally gutted and devastated after today. Its the worst I have felt watching Villa and that includes the cup final  defeats, Bradford, going down and the 6-0 hammering by Liverpool.  I am afraid to admit as soon as the whistle went I left and did not applaud the players, I had to get out of there. 

The first half was poor, we sat back far too much. Fulham are not Middlesbrough and I don't know why we used the same tactics. Fulham are a good passing side but if you press and put them under pressure, they make mistakes- why did we only do this in the second half?  The second was better but as the game went along you knew it was not to be our day. Unfortunately some of big game players did not play well today. Albert has been off the boil and so has Grabban. Brucey should have made subs earlier- Bjanarson would have been a decent option for the last 30 and Kodja should have replaced Albert at half time.

I don't know where Villa will go from this as it was blatantly clear this team was built for  1 season to achieve promotion. The money has gone and we have an ageing squad. It is going to be very, very, hard to get out of the division now.  

I fail to see how anyone can be positive at all from this result. This won't be the making of Villa, it won't be a challenge trying to go up with a fraction of our current budget, Villa are not going to be patient for the youngsters to bed in- today is an utter disaster for the club. I feel this is the turning point of the club rather than 2 seasons ago. We have blown our golden chance to get back up and we are in serious trouble to be competitive in this division. 

I also hate Wembley. It is always  a ball ache to get t o and 3 out of the 4 times I have been Villa have lost. Hate the place. 

Edited May 26, 2018 by The Fun Factory

[StefanAVFC]

37 minutes ago, The Duck Of Death said:

Blimey, some of you guys are a bit harsh on your manager and your team aren't you?

Fulham are a good side, but in the second half Villa came out and gave it a right go.

I'm a Fulham supporter yes, but I saw a couple of things from Fulham players today that I really didn't like.

Forget Odoi, I thought Fredericks stamping on Grealish was way out of order, and Kamara's theatrics for the second game on the trot, trying to con the ref for a penalty doesn't sit well with me at all.

For what it's worth I thought we should have ended up with 9 players on the pitch, and you lot 10, because Grealish's challenge on Cairney was also way out of order.

It was a scorching hot day, and Fulham make other teams work hard, so I think some of you should be a bit more forgiving of your team. You're not the team you were a few years ago, and neither are we for that matter.

I'm not going to gloat about the result, instead I would like to wish you every success for next season. You guys won't be down for long, you all know that.

I have a feeling you'll all enjoy next season, just as we have this time after losing in the play offs last season. Fulham on the other hand, are going to find things tough.

I honestly feel for your supporters, it was always going to be tough on whoever lost. Best of luck to you all.

 

We watch our team every week. That turgid first half is the norm under Bruce  

[Wolf man]

Let’s be brutally honest , that was simply a terrible performance. Fulham deserved the win and  have a better team to cope in the premier league , where your team would most certainly be relegation canon fodder . Where you go from here who knows. FFP  will play a big part in that outcome I guess , with who stays , goes and comes in . Maybe and just maybe if Bruce , tony xia and Keith would have concentrated more on getting it right with villa rather than sticking there nose in the way other  championship teams run there clubs , then maybe there would be one more midlands club representing in the premiership next season . Good luck for the future  

[tom_avfc]

Just now, StefanAVFC said:

We watch our team every week. That turgid first half is the norm under Bruce  

**** this attitude tbh. Some of us have been home and away over the last couple of years and seen the level of improvement in that time.

Good effort Villa. We almost got there (and arguably deserved to) and have had a team worth supporting for the first time in almost 10 years.

Who knows where we go from here and it feels a long way back from here but I’ll be there next year to hopefully help us on to the small step further we need! 

[StefanAVFC]

Another **** you to the ref  

Booked Chester after one foul then let grealish get kicked 5 times before booking anyone. Missed the stamp.

Basically let a game that wasn't really angry get out of control through incompetence.

[StefanAVFC]

3 minutes ago, tom_avfc said:

**** this attitude tbh. Some of us have been home and away over the last couple of years and seen the level of improvement in that time.

 

Not sure on the relevance of you saying youve seen every game home and away? Better fan dig?

I've watched nearly every game under Bruce and can count the games where we've played well on 2 hands  

[tonyh29]

5 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Another **** you to the ref  

Booked Chester after one foul then let grealish get kicked 5 times before booking anyone. Missed the stamp.

Basically let a game that wasn't really angry get out of control through incompetence.

Having just watched the CH5 highlights I was going to post the exact same thing

that ref pissed me off almost as much as Michael Gray saying just now that Fulham could have had 5 in the first half , 

[tom_avfc]

7 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Not sure on the relevance of you saying youve seen every game home and away? Better fan dig?

I've watched nearly every game under Bruce and can count the games where we've played well on 2 hands  

Not a better fan dig more a reflection on what the vast majority of fans attending games this season have felt in my experience.

We’ve won over half the games we’ve played and lost out on promotion by one goal in a game that neither team really looked like scoring in. Sorry I’m not calling for the manager to go.

On a side note our support today disappointed me. As soon as we conceded we’d lost as a fair proportion of our support seemed to give up on us there and then. 

I don’t know where we go from here but ill be there and behind Bruce on the first day next season. 

[Jim Witton]

5 minutes ago, tom_avfc said:

Not a better fan dig more a reflection on what the vast majority of fans attending games this season have felt in my experience.

We’ve won over half the games we’ve played and lost out on promotion by one goal in a game that neither team really looked like scoring in. Sorry I’m not calling for the manager to go.

On a side note our support today disappointed me. As soon as we conceded we’d lost as a fair proportion of our support seemed to give up on us there and then. 

I don’t know where we go from here but ill be there and behind Bruce on the first day next season. 

Probably because when we concede first we tend to lose the game, today being no exception. 

[StefanAVFC]

7 minutes ago, tom_avfc said:

Not a better fan dig more a reflection on what the vast majority of fans attending games this season have felt in my experience.

We’ve won over half the games we’ve played and lost out on promotion by one goal in a game that neither team really looked like scoring in. Sorry I’m not calling for the manager to go.

On a side note our support today disappointed me. As soon as we conceded we’d lost as a fair proportion of our support seemed to give up on us there and then. 

I don’t know where we go from here but ill be there and behind Bruce on the first day next season. 

Sorry but nonsense imo

We are set up not to lose, its Bruce's tactic. Today the fans being angry was not because they scored but because we did **** all for 45 mins because of the tactics 

If we keep Bruce he should be under pressure the millisecond, we have a bad result. He has disrespected us at times and today is unforgivable.

[OutByEaster?]

A couple of different things happened out there today. 

Firstly on the football, the balance of play, the things that the teams did with the ball to try to win the game - Fulham edged it, they dominated the first half and defended with determination and organisation in the second half when we were well on top. They played some nice first touch stuff and they moved us around. On the balance of play, the things that the two teams did with the ball to try to win the game, Fulham deserved to win. Congratulations to them, they were better.

They also didn't deserve to win. The team that plays the better football doesn't always win the game, there's more to football than that - our season has been based on not always being the better side but using our determination, our grit and our experience to find a way to win - it's also been based on a very special footballer. Fulham had a plan ton how to deal with Jack Grealish today; they kicked seven shades out of him from start to finish and hoped the referee wouldn't be a match for the occasion. Congratulations to them, they were right.

There were three bookings for fouls on Grealish, one a second booking for a red - there should also have been two more bookings, a straight red card and a penalty. Anthony Taylor had a shocker, as well as ignoring those, he also decided two handballs in the box weren't deliberate and booked any Villa player who was a moment late. Grealish is the one though - tonight I saw on the highlights Tom Cairney say that "football won" today - that'll be the football that sets out to kick a young man head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch into the air any time they could get near to him - they were better, but a better referee would have changed the result. Ryan Sessegnon is a £60m footballer apparently - and today he's played the ball that's one the match, he's quick, he's got a good touch and he's got a goal in him - on the evidence of this game I wouldn't swap Grealish for two of him. 

For us, we paid the price for our failure to arrive on time. We came out slow and played a poor first half, credit to Fulham for their part in that, but I think the second half showed how much of it was down to us. Ultimately, we've paid the price for the lack of ambition in our football, in our desire to win through individuality and scrappy determination - they've won on the ambition of their football, the style and the team - even though ultimately their win was decided by an individual performance - albeit not one from a man in white.

I took my ten year old nephew; his first time away with the Villa, his first time at Wembley, his first really big game. You want it to be different for them you know? You want them not to have to go through the things you've gone through. I had hope on this one and coming home on a coach with a sad young man that's looking out of the window at the celebrating Fulham fans and trying to be brave hurts. As you get older,  you think it won't find ways to keep hurting you, that you're hardened to it, that you understand football, that you can take your enjoyment from 'the game' not just the match - you're wrong. It hurts. It hurts a lot.

I've come away with a referee I won't forget, with a pride in a young player that is as good as any I've seen in a Villa shirt, but it's a game that will take a little while for me to get over. I'll take some time getting over this trip to Wembley and at the back of that is what this game means, it's not just me - I think the club will take a long time to recover.

Congratulations to Fulham, they're a hard club to dislike. They deserved it today. And didn't.

 

 

 

[tom_avfc]

1 minute ago, OutByEaster? said:

A couple of different things happened out there today. 

Firstly on the football, the balance of play, the things that the teams did with the ball to try to win the game - Fulham edged it, they dominated the first half and defended with determination and organisation in the second half when we were well on top. They played some nice first touch stuff and they moved us around. On the balance of play, the things that the two teams did with the ball to try to win the game, Fulham deserved to win. Congratulations to them, they were better.

They also didn't deserve to win. The team that plays the better football doesn't always win the game, there's more to football than that - our season has been based on not always being the better side but using our determination, our grit and our experience to find a way to win - it's also been based on a very special footballer. Fulham had a plan ton how to deal with Jack Grealish today; they kicked seven shades out of him from start to finish and hoped the referee wouldn't be a match for the occasion. Congratulations to them, they were right.

There were three bookings for fouls on Grealish, one a second booking for a red - there should also have been two more bookings, a straight red card and a penalty. Anthony Taylor had a shocker, as well as ignoring those, he also decided two handballs in the box weren't deliberate and booked any Villa player who was a moment late. Grealish is the one though - tonight I saw on the highlights Tom Cairney say that "football won" today - that'll be the football that sets out to kick a young man head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch into the air any time they could get near to him - they were better, but a better referee would have changed the result. Ryan Sessegnon is a £60m footballer apparently - and today he's played the ball that's one the match, he's quick, he's got a good touch and he's got a goal in him - on the evidence of this game I wouldn't swap Grealish for two of him. 

For us, we paid the price for our failure to arrive on time. We came out slow and played a poor first half, credit to Fulham for their part in that, but I think the second half showed how much of it was down to us. Ultimately, we've paid the price for the lack of ambition in our football, in our desire to win through individuality and scrappy determination - they've won on the ambition of their football, the style and the team - even though ultimately their win was decided by an individual performance - albeit not one from a man in white.

I took my ten year old nephew; his first time away with the Villa, his first time at Wembley, his first really big game. You want it to be different for them you know? You want them not to have to go through the things you've gone through. I had hope on this one and coming home on a coach with a sad young man that's looking out of the window at the celebrating Fulham fans and trying to be brave hurts. As you get older,  you think it won't find ways to keep hurting you, that you're hardened to it, that you understand football, that you can take your enjoyment from 'the game' not just the match - you're wrong. It hurts. It hurts a lot.

I've come away with a referee I won't forget, with a pride in a young player that is as good as any I've seen in a Villa shirt, but it's a game that will take a little while for me to get over. I'll take some time getting over this trip to Wembley and at the back of that is what this game means, it's not just me - I think the club will take a long time to recover.

Congratulations to Fulham, they're a hard club to dislike. They deserved it today. And didn't.

 

 

 

Thanks for this. A perfect summing up of the day for me.

Its a shame that for some it’s a game to beat a manager who’s done as much as anyone to get us to this point!

As it seems you are, I’m disappointed but proud of how we’ve done this year. 

[tom_avfc]

5 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Sorry but nonsense imo

We are set up not to lose, its Bruce's tactic. Today the fans being angry was not because they scored but because we did **** all for 45 mins because of the tactics 

If we keep Bruce he should be under pressure the millisecond, we have a bad result. He has disrespected us at times and today is unforgivable.

Ok, let’s boo if we fall behind on the opening day next year. The sense of entitlement is baffling amongst some of our fans. Did people expect us to go to Wembley and outplay Fulham. We lost by one goal in a game that could have gone either way. Again, I’m sorry I’m not calling for Bruce’s head. 

[OutByEaster?]

42 minutes ago, Wolf man said:

Let’s be brutally honest , that was simply a terrible performance. Fulham deserved the win and  have a better team to cope in the premier league , where your team would most certainly be relegation canon fodder . Where you go from here who knows. FFP  will play a big part in that outcome I guess , with who stays , goes and comes in . Maybe and just maybe if Bruce , tony xia and Keith would have concentrated more on getting it right with villa rather than sticking there nose in the way other  championship teams run there clubs , then maybe there would be one more midlands club representing in the premiership next season . Good luck for the future  

Wow that's bitter. 

[MONCABA]

1 hour ago, The Fun Factory said:

I am totally gutted and devastated after today. Its the worst I have felt watching Villa and that includes the cup final  defeats, Bradford, going down and the 6-0 hammering by Liverpool.  I am afraid to admit as soon as the whistle went I left and did not applaud the players, I had to get out of there. 

The first half was poor, we sat back far too much. Fulham are not Middlesbrough and I don't know why we used the same tactics. Fulham are a good passing side but if you press and put them under pressure, they make mistakes- why did we only do this in the second half?  The second was better but as the game went along you knew it was not to be our day. Unfortunately some of big game players did not play well today. Albert has been off the boil and so has Grabban. Brucey should have made subs earlier- Bjanarson would have been a decent option for the last 30 and Kodja should have replaced Albert at half time.

I don't know where Villa will go from this as it was blatantly clear this team was built for  1 season to achieve promotion. The money has gone and we have an ageing squad. It is going to be very, very, hard to get out of the division now.  

I fail to see how anyone can be positive at all from this result. This won't be the making of Villa, it won't be a challenge trying to go up with a fraction of our current budget, Villa are not going to be patient for the youngsters to bed in- today is an utter disaster for the club. I feel this is the turning point of the club rather than 2 seasons ago. We have blown our golden chance to get back up and we are in serious trouble to be competitive in this division. 

I also hate Wembley. It is always  a ball ache to get t o and 3 out of the 4 times I have been Villa have lost. Hate the place. 

This post sums up exactly how I'm feeling.

Edited May 26, 2018 by MONCABA

[StefanAVFC]

12 minutes ago, tom_avfc said:

Ok, let’s boo if we fall behind on the opening day next year. The sense of entitlement is baffling amongst some of our fans. Did people expect us to go to Wembley and outplay Fulham. We lost by one goal in a game that could have gone either way. Again, I’m sorry I’m not calling for Bruce’s head. 

No but I expected a shot on target, to actually play football and try to win, not try not to lose from the 1st minute. I'm not calling for his head because of today. Far from it. We have been generally turgid under him and today totally sums it up.

Don't put words in my mouth and accuse me of nonsense. Ta.

 

[TRO]

15 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

A couple of different things happened out there today. 

Firstly on the football, the balance of play, the things that the teams did with the ball to try to win the game - Fulham edged it, they dominated the first half and defended with determination and organisation in the second half when we were well on top. They played some nice first touch stuff and they moved us around. On the balance of play, the things that the two teams did with the ball to try to win the game, Fulham deserved to win. Congratulations to them, they were better.

They also didn't deserve to win. The team that plays the better football doesn't always win the game, there's more to football than that - our season has been based on not always being the better side but using our determination, our grit and our experience to find a way to win - it's also been based on a very special footballer. Fulham had a plan ton how to deal with Jack Grealish today; they kicked seven shades out of him from start to finish and hoped the referee wouldn't be a match for the occasion. Congratulations to them, they were right.

There were three bookings for fouls on Grealish, one a second booking for a red - there should also have been two more bookings, a straight red card and a penalty. Anthony Taylor had a shocker, as well as ignoring those, he also decided two handballs in the box weren't deliberate and booked any Villa player who was a moment late. Grealish is the one though - tonight I saw on the highlights Tom Cairney say that "football won" today - that'll be the football that sets out to kick a young man head and shoulders above anyone else on the pitch into the air any time they could get near to him - they were better, but a better referee would have changed the result. Ryan Sessegnon is a £60m footballer apparently - and today he's played the ball that's one the match, he's quick, he's got a good touch and he's got a goal in him - on the evidence of this game I wouldn't swap Grealish for two of him. 

For us, we paid the price for our failure to arrive on time. We came out slow and played a poor first half, credit to Fulham for their part in that, but I think the second half showed how much of it was down to us. Ultimately, we've paid the price for the lack of ambition in our football, in our desire to win through individuality and scrappy determination - they've won on the ambition of their football, the style and the team - even though ultimately their win was decided by an individual performance - albeit not one from a man in white.

I took my ten year old nephew; his first time away with the Villa, his first time at Wembley, his first really big game. You want it to be different for them you know? You want them not to have to go through the things you've gone through. I had hope on this one and coming home on a coach with a sad young man that's looking out of the window at the celebrating Fulham fans and trying to be brave hurts. As you get older,  you think it won't find ways to keep hurting you, that you're hardened to it, that you understand football, that you can take your enjoyment from 'the game' not just the match - you're wrong. It hurts. It hurts a lot.

I've come away with a referee I won't forget, with a pride in a young player that is as good as any I've seen in a Villa shirt, but it's a game that will take a little while for me to get over. I'll take some time getting over this trip to Wembley and at the back of that is what this game means, it's not just me - I think the club will take a long time to recover.

Congratulations to Fulham, they're a hard club to dislike. They deserved it today. And didn't.

 

 

 

On the basis of the last 2 finals, I chose not to go and watch it on the telly.....I was not disappointed in that decision , only the result.

I thought, it was a disappointing game but not quite as bad as the last 2.....but for me a bit predictable in so much as players not turning up.

I hear your comments about Jack and I agree with you, but for me its an indictment on the rest of the team, how his name is so synominous with whats good about Aston Villa.....its like haven't you got any other players, sadly ones who can gain us promotion......No.

I will repeat it again.....too many, not good enough.

[StefanAVFC]

Watched the stamp over and over again. How does NOBODY see it?

[TRO]

1 hour ago, The Fun Factory said:

I am totally gutted and devastated after today. Its the worst I have felt watching Villa and that includes the cup final  defeats, Bradford, going down and the 6-0 hammering by Liverpool.  I am afraid to admit as soon as the whistle went I left and did not applaud the players, I had to get out of there. 

The first half was poor, we sat back far too much. Fulham are not Middlesbrough and I don't know why we used the same tactics. Fulham are a good passing side but if you press and put them under pressure, they make mistakes- why did we only do this in the second half?  The second was better but as the game went along you knew it was not to be our day. Unfortunately some of big game players did not play well today. Albert has been off the boil and so has Grabban. Brucey should have made subs earlier- Bjanarson would have been a decent option for the last 30 and Kodja should have replaced Albert at half time.

I don't know where Villa will go from this as it was blatantly clear this team was built for  1 season to achieve promotion. The money has gone and we have an ageing squad. It is going to be very, very, hard to get out of the division now.  

I fail to see how anyone can be positive at all from this result. This won't be the making of Villa, it won't be a challenge trying to go up with a fraction of our current budget, Villa are not going to be patient for the youngsters to bed in- today is an utter disaster for the club. I feel this is the turning point of the club rather than 2 seasons ago. We have blown our golden chance to get back up and we are in serious trouble to be competitive in this division. 

I also hate Wembley. It is always  a ball ache to get t o and 3 out of the 4 times I have been Villa have lost. Hate the place. 

I don't like the place too, hence I never went.

I like to remain positive and support the club.....but I sensed this coming.

I don't think it is all doom and gloom, I just think too many wrong decisions are being made......We have a number of players who are not doing it, despite their reputations and now we can get back to making better decisions......Managers are sometimes too loyal to experienced players and I think we have been guilty of that.

That overall, was a poor performance in my view and not scoring was an indication of it.

The cull in the summer, may turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

[fifamad]

2 hours ago, The Duck Of Death said:

Blimey, some of you guys are a bit harsh on your manager and your team aren't you?

Fulham are a good side, but in the second half Villa came out and gave it a right go.

I'm a Fulham supporter yes, but I saw a couple of things from Fulham players today that I really didn't like.

Forget Odoi, I thought Fredericks stamping on Grealish was way out of order, and Kamara's theatrics for the second game on the trot, trying to con the ref for a penalty doesn't sit well with me at all.

For what it's worth I thought we should have ended up with 9 players on the pitch, and you lot 10, because Grealish's challenge on Cairney was also way out of order.

It was a scorching hot day, and Fulham make other teams work hard, so I think some of you should be a bit more forgiving of your team. You're not the team you were a few years ago, and neither are we for that matter.

I'm not going to gloat about the result, instead I would like to wish you every success for next season. You guys won't be down for long, you all know that.

I have a feeling you'll all enjoy next season, just as we have this time after losing in the play offs last season. Fulham on the other hand, are going to find things tough.

I honestly feel for your supporters, it was always going to be tough on whoever lost. Best of luck to you all.

 

Sod off was that Grealish tackle a red and we were garbage, the first half we didn’t show up at all and the second half we threw a couple crosses in wow-wee, you had 10 men for 25 minutes and we didn’t test you’re keeper at all, you wasn’t that good yourself we were just crap also you’re team are very dirty.