Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Stoke

[romavillan]

1 hour ago, Made In Aston said:

I think the conditions had a big part to play. Stoke aren't really a footballing side so it probably suited them a lot more than us. It made for a very scrappy game which is what stoke wanted. 

Deffo, but collectively we weren't at the races today, miscommunication, sloppy when in possession, too slow once we'd invited them out to get in to the spaces. Didn't win it back quick enough when it got turned over. Very un smith like performance for most of it. Had some flashes of nice fluid movement though, should have scored 2 before we got the penalty, which speaks volumes seeing as we were half the side we have been under Smith.

Bad day at the office, still scrapped out a point so could have been much worse. Play like that against Leeds and we'll get spanked. 

Stoke were filth though to be fair, got away with murder in my book, refs in this division are rubbish.

[TRO]

38 minutes ago, romavillan said:

Deffo, but collectively we weren't at the races today, miscommunication, sloppy when in possession, too slow once we'd invited them out to get in to the spaces. Didn't win it back quick enough when it got turned over. Very un smith like performance for most of it. Had some flashes of nice fluid movement though, should have scored 2 before we got the penalty, which speaks volumes seeing as we were half the side we have been under Smith.

Bad day at the office, still scrapped out a point so could have been much worse. Play like that against Leeds and we'll get spanked. 

Stoke were filth though to be fair, got away with murder in my book, refs in this division are rubbish.

They came to stifle us by closing us down at the back and left Joe Allen & Tom Ince to create their sorties in to our half, for their creation

It worked, and quite frankly,I thought we would lose the game.

The fact that we didn't....showed the resolve you need on a bad day.

as the Albion was dropped points, this was definately a point gained.....and denied a competitor, getting all 3.

[SirSteveUK]

Just to add some fuel to the easy games/hard games argument, would point out 4 things

1. Norwich's last 8 opponents::- 

Brentford, Millwall Rotherhan & Bolton at home
SheffWed, SwanseA, Hull & Bristol City away

That's how a Fulham-style run starts

Our first 5 games in the 2019

QPR (H)

Wigan (A)

Hull (H)

Ipswich (H)

Reading (A)

 

2. The top 6 all have to come to VP

3. We play 7 of the bottom 10 away.

Edited December 16, 2018 by SirSteveUK

[Demitri_C]

8 hours ago, pacbuddies said:

Why? Middlesbrough lost!

Boro are not 2nd. I'm referring to automatics

[AvfcRigo82]

9 hours ago, foreveryoung said:

I think Grealish would have got kicked to bits in this game. Might be a blessing he stayed out, a bad injury to Grealish is the last thing we need.

Missed him today though.

After reading into today's game you damn right he would have.

I expect he will be back fresh against leeds.

[Rugeley Villa]

I ended up making the game in my work gear. I was wet, dirty and freezing, and was hoping for a good performance and result to make it worth while. Very frustrating afternoon against a stubborn stoke team. I really dislike stoke and have done for a few years. We just never got our game together, and we’re so sloppy. We played some good football at times, but hardly threatened. Possibly the worst performance under Dean Smith, although it weren’t terrible. Two shocking goals to give away, and we missed a couple of good chances ourselves. Forget automatic promotion, but still think we will make the play offs. Need to beat Leeds and I think we will. Grealish was missed big time today, and it just shows how influential he is. We were never the same team without him last season. Frustrating and a bad result, but at least we got something near the end.

[Junxs]

Would have lost that if it weren't for Kodjia, he's taken a lot of criticism in the last year so let's praise him for his performance. Turned the game around. Needs to start ahead of either Bolasie or El Ghazi v Leeds, they were both poor yesterday. 

As for drawing 2 games in a row against the form teams I'm not too fussed. This has been a very tough set of fixtures and the overall return from it has been excellent. When the fixture list came out we all pencilled this as a very tough run. 2 months of playing the best teams and us coming out of it sitting near the top of the form table speaks volumes, after Leeds things will get a lot easier.

Edited December 16, 2018 by Junxs

[Brumstopdogs]

 

 

[Stevo985]

Crap conditions, crap opponents, crap performance and a crap game. 

2-2 flatters the game to be honest. 

We were lucky to get a point in that. We were the better team but we created almost nothing. 

[Demitri_C]

12 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

Crap conditions, crap opponents, crap performance and a crap game. 

2-2 flatters the game to be honest. 

We were lucky to get a point in that. We were the better team but we created almost nothing. 

I didn't think we were. I thought a draw was fine. Stoke passed the ball better than us and defended better . We just were not at the races. I don't think grealish would have been that handy yesterday as they would have just be fouling him all over the shop. Jack struggles a bit against physical sides. 

Just a bad day at the office el ghazi mcginn bolaise just all didn't play to their potential  

[pacbuddies]

11 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

Boro are not 2nd. I'm referring to automatics

But not so long ago they were second and people were touting them as one of the favourites for automatic promotion. We rolled them over yet nobody gives us a chance!

[TRO]

Despite my frustration with teams that play like Stoke....where the game is to out muscle ,out battle and deny you the opportunity to play....its what this league is in the main and generally employed by the not so gifted teams

You either beat them or join them.....I don't want to join them I am happy with our style, but feel we must be equipped to deal with them in certain area's of our team and at present feel we are left wanting.

Newcastle, Brighton, Wolves and Fulham have beat them.....Cardiff probably joined them.

Those teams that beat them did harbour a bit of steel in their play, hence their promotion success.

We in general, despite our ability since Dean arrived to score goals....are a bit lightweight at times and Stoke highlighted that....as did Albion to a degree.

just to point out one aspect alone....Stoke were beating us in the air in just about every department, seizing the initiative and imposing their will, they gained territory through it and negated our more technical play with a rough house style that brought them an element of superiority......I do not want to copy Stoke but be able to negate their approach better, I am not sure we have the personnel to do it.

[Demitri_C]

1 hour ago, pacbuddies said:

But not so long ago they were second and people were touting them as one of the favourites for automatic promotion. We rolled them over yet nobody gives us a chance!

Because we are so far behind.  That's why. We have dropped points in the last few games against teams around us that we needed to beat 

[pacbuddies]

37 minutes ago, Demitri_C said:

Because we are so far behind.  That's why. We have dropped points in the last few games against teams around us that we needed to beat 

With 24 games and 72 points left to play for I disagree. Looking at the teams above us there are no Wolves, Cardiffs or Fulhams just a bunch of mediocre fizzy pop sides.

[Stevo985]

1 hour ago, pacbuddies said:

With 24 games and 72 points left to play for I disagree. Looking at the teams above us there are no Wolves, Cardiffs or Fulhams just a bunch of mediocre fizzy pop sides.

We are a mediocre fizzy pop side.

[AvfcRigo82]

11 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

We were a mediocre fizzy pop side under Bruce.

FTFY 

[pacbuddies]

14 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

We are a mediocre fizzy pop side.

But we're not. Even with a dodgy goalkeeper and a defence left in tatters by potato head were are still bettering everyone we come up against. If you think we are mediocre now you must have had us as nailed on relegation favourites under Bruce the last two seasons!

[AvfcRigo82]

3 minutes ago, pacbuddies said:

If you think we are mediocre now you must have had us as nailed on relegation favourites under Bruce the last two seasons!

or thereabouts.

[AVTuco]

2 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

Because we are so far behind.  That's why. We have dropped points in the last few games against teams around us that we needed to beat 

Yep. This is why I got (overly) anxious about the three draws we've endured lately. We needed to win them all.

[DaveAV1]

On 15/12/2018 at 17:35, MaVilla said:

am i correct in believing that we are 5th in the form table? (for the last 10 games - aka DS in role)

5 wins, 3 draws, 2 losses, and in that run we have played Swansea, Derby, Boro, WBA, Stoke, Blose & Forest, basically 70% of our games under DS were versus promotion contenders or teams around us.

Not too bad overall

 

FYI the teams above us in the form table (last 10 games) are Norwich, Leeds, Derby & PNE, but i bet none of those have had played the teams we have in that run.

 

P.S - in the last 7 games we are third in the form table (4 wins, 3 draws, 0 losses), with only Norwich and Leeds above us. (and 6 of those 7 games were versus promotion contenders/teams immediately around us)

Last 7 games our goal difference is 10, which is second only to Norwich with +11, the next best team is only +5 (WBA).

Thanks Stato