Ratings & Reactions: Play Off Final v Fulham

[Robtaylor200]

4 minutes ago, Harry said:

Fulham deserved to win and good luck to then because I think they will need it. For me they are a very well organised and disciplined Championship side. They did everything right; they keep it very tight in midfield, were in our faces from the off, they targeted our best player very effectively and fouled him shamelessly and were luck to have a very forgiving referee and their youth and organisation shone through, Their manager called it precisely write as our 'experienced' and ageing ex-Premiership players laboured in the hot sun.

This game exposed yet again Bruce's shortcomings as a manager; the total absence of an effective game plan and the total inability to change the game by having anything near a Plan B. In reality we should not have been there. Our late season wobble against QPR, Norwich and Bolton cost us dear, three p*ss poor sides we gifted three point to. We should have had our feet up yesterday watching probably Fulham and Cardiff slog it out in the POF. I was happy with Bruce in the belief that his experience could get us up and we could worry about the Premiership once we got there. Sadly there is  a major rethink required. Fortunately we say goodbye to the expensive loanees most of whom were found wanting yesterday and will have to rely on our youth which is good enough as Fulham proved with theirs. Given that is what we will have to do Bruce is not the manager to do that. Maybe Dean Smith is the man but we do need a younger manager with fresh ideas like the Fulham manager.

I think we will keep Grealish for another season and amongst the experienced players we should keep Kodja, Adomah, Chester, Bjarnasson, Jedinak, Hogan and Hourihane The rest either return to their parent clubs or should be moved on. That represents the core experience around which we blend our youth either already bought in like Bree or have come through the Academy like Green.

I wish I had not gone yesterday and followed TRO's example. I hate the place. The infrastructure is woeful. You can build as many hotels, shopping centres and flats as you like but the road system is a joke and the parking worse. Our coach wandered around for about 45 minutes trying to get to the coach park and failed. It took well over an hour to travel the what three miles to the A40 after the game. World class stadium with third world transport links.

Coach 28 too ?

[Harry]

6 minutes ago, Robtaylor200 said:

Coach 28 too ?

23 mate so clearly it was not our driver.

[striker]

15 hours ago, mjmooney said:

I'm over it already. We weren't good enough, didn't deserve to go up. Bring on next season. I suspect Bruce may resign. 

Listening to his post match interview I don’t think he will. Decision seemingly will be left to Xia.

[Hev]

Fortunately i was home by 10.00. Left straight on final whistle. Train from Wembley to Beaconsfield where our car was parked, quick nip up m40 and on m42 and home. Wd have been awful to have had to hang around trying to get away from Wembley after that. Dont like Wembley . I always thought Emirates Stadium was better. Also no phone or internet signal at all . Still hurts. Reading storyin Sunday paper that Jack will have to be sold. Hope not. 

[StefanAVFC]

I'm still absolutely gutted.

[villarule123]

The 3 hour train journey back standing up sweating our balls off was horrible, made better by the Villa fans with us, all a good bunch and no trouble with bellends whatsoever. Had a right laugh.

Shame about the game

[The Duck Of Death]

My last ever post on here..........I promise............Well at least for a very long time.

The Championship isn't a bad league, and it's better to have a team that can compete well in that league, than a team that keeps getting hammered in the Premiership, we've both found that out in recent years.

I've just watched a replay of the match, and the commentators were just full of praise for Steve Bruce, and the job he's done since he arrived, so I was a bit surprised by some of the hate towards him on here.

But as has already been pointed out, you watch your team every week. My own view is that when football fans call for the managers head when you have just had quite a successful season, there's something wrong somewhere.

At least you aren't Liverpool fans though, those scum have been wishing death on their goalkeeper, how I'd love to see every last one of their fans see their poxy overrated club relegated, that's what they deserve.

My final point, and it does make me laugh a bit.

Quote

The older you get as a Villa fan, the more you get used to the disappointment of defeat.

Supporting Aston Villa helps you to remember there's a lot more to life than football... until the next game of course, when it all starts again.

You get used to the disappointment of defeat? What have you won? 7 FA cups, 7 League titles, and a European cup? and you're moaning about getting used to defeat? Give me strength, try supporting Fulham for 60 years, or 100 if you've lived that long. That's when you get used to the disappointment of defeat. League titles =0 FA cups = 0, League cups = 0 we've reached 2 major finals in our history, and we lost them both.

Edited May 27, 2018 by The Duck Of Death

[Lerner's Driver]

1 hour ago, The Duck Of Death said:

My last ever post on here..........I promise............Well at least for a very long time.

The Championship isn't a bad league, and it's better to have a team that can compete well in that league, than a team that keeps getting hammered in the Premiership, we've both found that out in recent years.

I've just watched a replay of the match, and the commentators were just full of praise for Steve Bruce, and the job he's done since he arrived, so I was a bit surprised by some of the hate towards him on here.

But as has already been pointed out, you watch your team every week. My own view is that when football fans call for the managers head when you have just had quite a successful season, there's something wrong somewhere.

At least you aren't Liverpool fans though, those scum have been wishing death on their goalkeeper, how I'd love to see every last one of their fans see their poxy overrated club relegated, that's what they deserve.

My final point, and it does make me laugh a bit.

You get used to the disappointment of defeat? What have you won? 7 FA cups, 7 League titles, and a European cup? and you're moaning about getting used to defeat? Give me strength, try supporting Fulham for 60 years, or 100 if you've lived that long. That's when you get used to the disappointment of defeat. League titles =0 FA cups = 0, League cups = 0 we've reached 2 major finals in our history, and we lost them both.

 

Quite honestly, I couldn't care less what Fulham or any other team have or haven't won and I say that despite recognising the better team won yesterday.

Your opinion of what constitutes a good fan by comparing their responses to an enduring lack of success is pointless.

Okay, so Fulham haven't won anything ever, great... show me one fan of any club that HAS won something who feels comforted by former glories. 

You won't find one. Believe it or not, my point was actually similar to yours, in that life goes on. Villa losing is disappointing, of course it is, but that's all it is. 

[gilbertoAVFC]

2 hours ago, The Duck Of Death said:

My last ever post on here..........I promise............Well at least for a very long time.

The Championship isn't a bad league, and it's better to have a team that can compete well in that league, than a team that keeps getting hammered in the Premiership, we've both found that out in recent years.

I've just watched a replay of the match, and the commentators were just full of praise for Steve Bruce, and the job he's done since he arrived, so I was a bit surprised by some of the hate towards him on here.

But as has already been pointed out, you watch your team every week. My own view is that when football fans call for the managers head when you have just had quite a successful season, there's something wrong somewhere.

At least you aren't Liverpool fans though, those scum have been wishing death on their goalkeeper, how I'd love to see every last one of their fans see their poxy overrated club relegated, that's what they deserve.

My final point, and it does make me laugh a bit.

You get used to the disappointment of defeat? What have you won? 7 FA cups, 7 League titles, and a European cup? and you're moaning about getting used to defeat? Give me strength, try supporting Fulham for 60 years, or 100 if you've lived that long. That's when you get used to the disappointment of defeat. League titles =0 FA cups = 0, League cups = 0 we've reached 2 major finals in our history, and we lost them both.

Bye

[John]

2 hours ago, The Duck Of Death said:

My final point, and it does make me laugh a bit.

You get used to the disappointment of defeat? What have you won? 7 FA cups, 7 League titles, and a European cup? and you're moaning about getting used to defeat? Give me strength, try supporting Fulham for 60 years, or 100 if you've lived that long. That's when you get used to the disappointment of defeat. League titles =0 FA cups = 0, League cups = 0 we've reached 2 major finals in our history, and we lost them both.

Don't forget our 5 League Cup wins!  

You have won most recently at Wembley though so will play in the top flight next season leaving us in the second tier for at least another year. Winning things does not make us immune to disappointment as Fulham may now find out in the future. Thor like us is upset about yesterday's result as last night's lightning strikes demonstrated. 

[maqroll]

Bitter pill. It would have been nice to keep the better players and add to the side with premier league talent.

This loss underscores how vital it is to secure automatic promotion. Playoffs are for suckers.

[smg]

5 hours ago, Dr_Pangloss said:

For all our 'experience' what a soft touch we were. Fulham excelled in the dark arts yesterday, why couldn't we do the same? Why couldn't we have more of a 'plan' to take out the likes of Cairney and Sessegnon? 

Ahh the beautiful game.

[Davkaus]

I'm still fuming.

At the players, who hardly broke a sweat in the first 45 minutes.

At the officials. It made me think of that clearing in the woods Vidic staying on the pitch, all those years ago. 

At the **** manager, who, nice guy though he is, just doesn't seem to have it in him to send a team out to attack. 

Not so much at Fulham. They've seen teams kick lumps out of Grealish to neutralise him all season, and it works. God knows how refs never see it, but it works every other week. Bloody ridiculous. 

[Xela]

4 hours ago, StefanAVFC said:

I'm still absolutely gutted.

Same. 

Biggest game in a long long time and we were very poor. 

[Talldarkandransome]

Not completely sure "football" won as per Cairney. Football isn't kicking seven shades of **** out of the best footballer on the pitch. Congratulations to Fulham though

[The Fun Factory]

Still totally shattered and gutted from yesterday. Awful feeling. There are no positives and I have no idea how Villa can progress from now on. We are screwed. 

[Stevo985]

Thought the Fulham fans were shit yesterday. Barely heard a peep out of them all game apart from when they scored and the final whistle. Sat down the whole game. Nothing. And those **** clappers were embarrassing.

I also could not believe how many of them were streaming down Wembley way immediately after the game. Could half understand that when the Arsenal fans were doing it when we lost to them. They win plenty of trophies.

But for **** sake. Fulham don't win anything. Stay in the ground and watch them lift the trophy! Unbelievable.

[Robtaylor200]

2 hours ago, John said:

Don't forget our 5 League Cup wins!  

You have won most recently at Wembley though so will play in the top flight next season leaving us in the second tier for at least another year. Winning things does not make us immune to disappointment as Fulham may now find out in the future. Thor like us is upset about yesterday's result as last night's lightning strikes demonstrated. 

and the World super cup

[GrassyNoel]

For me, it’s not the losing. Losing happens, it’s the nature of contests.

It’s the nature of the defeat. That’s what kills. Every time. Turgid stuff.

I was watching it with a few neutrals; Spurs fan, Man U fan and a Liverpool fan (who had his own misery ahead). I was just embarrassed at times, partly by how we played but also about how far we now are from the teams they follow. They were being kind about Villa...we used to have a professional rivalry. It was awful.

it absolutely kills. We can say “We’re Villa” til the cows come home but we’ve failed again to return to where we allegedly belong. We have the worst of both worlds down here: a big name scalp for “lesser” teams, yet unable to actually be a big club performer, having our pants pulled down by Brentford or Norwich.

I’m not sure I can handle another season of hearing “there or thereabouts” either. The “thereabouts” IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH. We have to be THERE. No ifs, buts or maybes. 

Tick tock, Tony.

[onmeedson]

Their manager got it spot on to many old legs, the first half was dire due to the fact most of that set up knew they could not compete over 90 mins. We were passed to death by a reasonable side who played as a team, our game plan was easy to negate as Fulham just had to stop one man.  They have just put a new dinosaur in the museum in Birmingham maybe the slot along side it is for our manager. The writing was on the wall after the wolves game it may work occasionally but the price is failure in the following games because teams know what you are about. We were never ready to go up with the style of football and a manager who turns up for press conferences looking like the local butcher in a villa top.