Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Leeds

[Digavilla]

2 minutes ago, Ghost said:

Leeds' movement, composure on the ball, high pressing and fitness are at the level that we are aiming to be at.

We've got a ways to go yet unfortunately. 

Agreed. they played a similar style / level as premier league team ., movement / passing is very fluid ... their players don’t dwell on the ball too long / always release the ball to teammate in better position etc...Hope DS will sort us out !

[AntrimBlack]

14 minutes ago, Robtaylor200 said:

Defence signings needed . I think Dean was well aware of this and has plans for January

I would have been happy with the draw. Long way to go yet and I expect to be going to Wembley again next year 

Absolutely this. He does not have the players to play the way he wants, especially in defence. They will know what they require, and have already started building by signing a keeper.

Patience is now required by supporters.

[vreitti]

9 minutes ago, Eastie said:

We weren’t robbed - we gave it away

Absolutely true. Makes it even harder to take. We were quite simply appalling. Never deserved to win.

[StefanAVFC]

Need a whole new defence. Bruce should be sued for gross negligence leaving our defence in the mess it’s in

[jim]

16 minutes ago, pacbuddies said:

Totally robbed.

No we weren’t. We threw it away.

Pathetic second half performance.

[briny_ear]

Totally gutted. If we’d just been outplayed all match it would be easier to take but having taken a 2 goal lead and started the second half so positively, it is almost an act of self-harm to concede 3. Leeds were pretty impressive once they got their first goal but maybe we should have concentrated more on defending the 2 goals once it became clear we weren’t going to score in the opening to the 2nd half.

Woeful stuff from Elmohamady today.

[kiltorken]

Just now, StefanAVFC said:

Need a whole new defence. Bruce should be sued for gross negligence leaving our defence in the mess it’s in

Any chance we can stop referring back to Bruce after every bad result? So boring at this stage. James Bree and Elmo with two total brain farts cost us two goals but we were largely outplayed all over the pitch for most of the game and Leeds had a makeshift defence with a lot of kids thrown in. 

[Rugeley Villa]

First half I thought we were good, although I still thought they knocked it about better. Second half was awful. Outclassed by a team that will definitely go up. 

[onmeedson]

Absolute dog turd, we have the defence of an Italian Dictator. Season over

[briny_ear]

2 minutes ago, StefanAVFC said:

Need a whole new defence. Bruce should be sued for gross negligence leaving our defence in the mess it’s in

He would probably just counter-sue for recognition for the midfield and attack he created. If you’re still blaming Bruce for our defence then don’t you have to praise him for bringing in players like Abraham, El Ghazi, Bolassie, McGinn?

Better still, it would be refreshing to stop hearing about Bruce entirely. He’s been sacked and we have a new manager who I am sure accepts fully that team performance is down to him - I don’t hear him whining about his predecessor.

[MrSmirch]

**** hellfire

[Eastie]

With axel out for weeks we cannot rely on this backline  for the next 3 games as they were woeful - can riven be any worse at centre half than Bree ?

bree maybe ok   at right back but today defensively we were shocking , Chester included .

its about trying to get what we can from the next week of games and then a major defensive rebuild with 2 centre half’s and 2 full backs who can defend - hopefully Bruce will come in for the likes of Elmo and Hutton .

Edited December 23, 2018 by Eastie

[PieFacE]

The better team won. I haven't once thought we would get promoted this season due to the god-awful defense Bruce set us up with for the season.  The fact that we're still around the play-offs just shows how poor this league is, and unfortunately, we're very poor as well.

Fair play to Leeds, very good team and deserved the win.

Elmo needs to go
Hutton needs to go
Bree needs to go
Taylor needs to go.
Hogan needs to go.
Lansbury needs to go.

All utterly useless. 

[srsmithusa]

They are farther along than we are.  It showed.   Bring on the window.  

[Talldarkandransome]

Ok, well I've just watched it now and I have no idea how we managed to feck it up. Bree at fault for first goal, goalie should have came for cross for second goal and Elmo should have done better for 3rd goal. Can't wait for this new keeper to start.. Leeds seem to be the Sky favourites this season, may as well have listened to Leeds FM. Hope we have some actual funds to spend in Jan cos we need some defenders. Midfield and attack is fine, bit the defence is letting us down. Where was Tuanzebe today

[R.Bear]

Words cannot express how much this **** result ruined my evening,. You shit **** words removed.

[sidcow]

To lose this was gutting. 

But let's put it into perspective.  Without our best and most creative player, without our best central defender and without our only left back we missed a couple of good chances to go 3 nil up and a couple of good chances to go 3-2 up. We could have won this game even with those substantial issues. 

Leeds really are no better than our first team which makes it so galling to be so far behind them. Bruce is an embarrassment. 

Smith has been brilliant, an absolute revelation. I know people are worried about people getting on his back quickly and I am absolutely not doing that but I am very surprised he couldn't see what a roasting both out fullback were getting all through the game and do something to address it. 

They were inevitably going to get back into the game and we should have shut them out with more fullback support.  

Bolasie is a show pony I think and leaves us exposed in defence whilst blowing hot or cold, more often than not cold up front.  I would have taken him off much sooner for Adomah,  not Hogan. 

 

Edited December 23, 2018 by sidcow

[a m ole]

Aside from all the obvious points about poor defending and letting Leeds play back into the game, 3 points we should have protected regardless - Smith is right to call out the referee today, gives Bolasie a yellow for trying to win the ball in the air but nothing for any of the Leeds players bringing down our players on the break when they were outnumbered until Hourihane was dragged back with 10 to go. On top of that some really bizarre decisions to not even give a foul for obvious impediments.

[OutByEaster?]

I stopped off for a wee on the way out of Villa Park and while I was there a bloke said to his mate "What a game of two halves that was!", I'd have to disagree. 

I thought both halves were very similar apart from the goals. We started like a hurricane in both halves and in particular in the first half with a pressing game that Leeds simply couldn't deal with, the ref bottled a decision in the first minute then Leeds got lucky when Abraham scored rather than us getting a penalty and them a red card, during that period I thought we worked incredibly hard and looked to be making things really difficult for them, but after twenty minutes or so, it told - we tired - and when we did, they came into it. For the last fifteen minutes of the first half they were all over us and we were a little fortunate to go in two up.

Second half, for me, the same - we started brightly - unfortunately we couldn't add to our tally and when we tired, Leeds took advantage. They played their wide men really wide in the second half, made the pitch big and waited for our midfield to wilt. When that happened, it left our backline exposed and our backline isn't all that good. Elmohamady is individually to blame for one and possibly two of the goals, but it wasn't a game where a couple of odd mistakes cost us; Leeds were methodical, hardworking and...well, they're good - they're not top by accident. 

So we end up with a last five minutes where both teams push forward and we wait for a moment of genius or an error.A real barnstorming end to end finish. It was our error and Leeds that took it. We have to live with that - goals are the sword we will live and die by - and if the last six weeks have taught us anything, it's that if you want to win at Villa Park, two goals isn't going to do it.

Individually, I thought McGinn was terrific, Abraham worked his socks off and Hourihane was good too, Bolasie is great to watch and a threat and Nyland did nothing wrong. I thought we really missed Grealish in that second half for his ability to change the pace of a game, run with the ball, draw a foul and give us a little bit of control over proceedings. I hope he's back sooner rather than later.

It'll be like this for a little while I think - we need two centrebacks, a left back and in the summer another full back for either side - we're incomplete, but we've taken the side top of the table for a ride out this afternoon and they'll know they've been in a game, we will score goals against anyone - if we can get to the point where we don't need to score four to take points, we'll do well.

Two nil up and losing three two will always, always feel bad - and it does, but in a way I'm less disappointed with this than the Stoke game - I thought the performance was very good at times - we'll need to be patient, but we'll be entertained on the journey. Refocus, make sure we're pushing into the playoffs and move forward.

 

 

[mikeyjavfc]

Gutted today, but I’m not going to get too upset. This confirms what I think I knew already: we are not good enough for autos this year. That’s fine and with all the issues Bruce and Xia left us with it was probably inevitable. We should be looking at 6th place now and making sure we give ourselves a shout in the playoffs. Transfer window is massive, as is the run of 10 winnable games coming up. I trust Smith to get it right.