Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Sheff Utd

[The_Rev]

5 hours ago, jones1328 said:

The team started to play better around the same time the fans actually started to get behind them. Strange that.

 

I know that a good atmosphere is a factor,  but it shouldn't be used as a stick to beat fans with.  If louder fans meant more success then Crystal Palace would be top of the Premier League and Manchester City would be bottom. 

[Ponky]

This is the first Villa game I've managed to watch since November and I couldn't believe how bad we were. It was in incredible finish but we were yet rubbish for most of it. Quite worrying. 

[AvfcRigo82]

6 hours ago, Demitri_C said:

I left and like you said 1/4 left. But a lot left once the third went on straight away. I don't blame those as come on we were pathetic for 80 minutes of that game. 

I bet you could have got near 1000/1 on the odds of us scoring 3 goals in the 8 or so minutes of the game.

Not a chance in hell would anyone would have predicted that considering what was witnessed before hand and also the last 9 games.

God knows where it came from, god knows how we did it, but it was a great comeback for sure even if just for the point.

Will we kick on from this?

[PieFacE]

Eeerrr wtf. Went to the pub to watch the game. Left at 3-0 because we were utterly awful. 

Can't believe we came back in that game!

[Demitri_C]

54 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

I bet you could have got near 1000/1 on the odds of us scoring 3 goals in the 8 or so minutes of the game.

Not a chance in hell would anyone would have predicted that considering what was witnessed before hand and also the last 9 games.

God knows where it came from, god knows how we did it, but it was a great comeback for sure even if just for the point.

Will we kick on from this?

Taht is one reason why I won't except the you stay till the end. We were three down playing awful and created absolutely nithing in horrible conditions. 

I definitely respect all those that stayed. Huge credit to you all. 

[Demitri_C]

16 hours ago, smg said:

No I wasn’t at the game but if I had been I would not have left at 79 minutes.

Your only saying that because of the result don't give me that mate. 

[rjw63]

1 hour ago, Demitri_C said:

Your only saying that because of the result don't give me that mate. 

Don't forget he would have sailed over on a longboat with Ragnar and Floki so would have been in no rush to leave

 

Bollox I thought that was @sne that posted, dammit

Edited February 9, 2019 by rjw63

[TRO]

9 hours ago, Nigel said:

Just seen the replay. Do the championship have goal line technology?

Their first goal looks like it didnt cross the line.

yes they have and yes it did.

[TRO]

4 hours ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

I bet you could have got near 1000/1 on the odds of us scoring 3 goals in the 8 or so minutes of the game.

Not a chance in hell would anyone would have predicted that considering what was witnessed before hand and also the last 9 games.

God knows where it came from, god knows how we did it, but it was a great comeback for sure even if just for the point.

Will we kick on from this?

I don't think so....but sincerely hope so.

I think the inherent problems that this team has won't allow it.....not sure where we are going to be frank.....There seems no signs to the end of this slow lethargic play, lacking in intensity and drive....god only knows where the last 15 minutes came from...but you can't build a future on that.

[ExhallVillan]

Awful display for 80 minutes---passes going astray passes going for a throw---not much team spirit----awful inept display from the official throughout who clearly were loving being under the tv spotlight!!!----blimey they are getting worse with every dam game---were,nt fit for an under 6 game!!!!!!

Whelan and Green come on----and we suddenly hit the ground running----was thinking of heading home after 80 then 85 ----but real glad i stayed  great scenes at the end----well pleased for Green----and Mings----he looks strong and hopefully Jack and Tammy,s affection for the club will rub off on the lad---

now we have shown that we can perform----no shrinking back now---keep that fight passion and spirit  going into the next match----and the one after that--

[TRO]

20 hours ago, fightoffyour said:

Smith’s PPG for the whole season would have us in the top 6. And he’s had a much tougher set of fixtures. And we’ve been missing arguably the best player in our team,  or even the whole league, for much of that. And the refs have consistently shafted us.

and that puts us precisely ...where?

Its not a case of looking for reasons or excuses....Its a case of realising, what exactly have we got.

Watching that 70 minutes and taking in to consideration the last dozen or so games....I would say we have a very deep problem that needs fixing, if we have any notion of improvement....it looks like its bumping along going in to every game, so the work at BMH does not seem to have any affect.

The faces of the coaches yesterday,in that unbelievable spell of incompetency..... resembled the faces of the generals after Hiroshima.

They looked shocked and worried as to what they were witnessing....looked like they had never trained together.

When a new recruit who has not played first team football for sometime and gets 2 man of the match shouts in respective matches.....I would say we have some serious issues.

Edited February 9, 2019 by TRO

[fightoffyour]

2 hours ago, TRO said:

and that puts us precisely ...where?

Its not a case of looking for reasons or excuses....Its a case of realising, what exactly have we got.

Watching that 70 minutes and taking in to consideration the last dozen or so games....I would say we have a very deep problem that needs fixing, if we have any notion of improvement....it looks like its bumping along going in to every game, so the work at BMH does not seem to have any affect.

The faces of the coaches yesterday,in that unbelievable spell of incompetency..... resembled the faces of the generals after Hiroshima.

They looked shocked and worried as to what they were witnessing....looked like they had never trained together.

When a new recruit who has not played first team football for sometime and gets 2 man of the match shouts in respective matches.....I would say we have some serious issues.

Well it doesn't get us where we need to be. We're not good enough clearly. There are a few mitigating circumstances that I listed, but it's not enough of an excuse.

My statement was only in response to "this squad should be top 6" and demonstrating that if Smith had been the manager all season and shown the exact same form as he has since taking over, then we would have been in the top 6 after last night's game. Nothing more. And I don't think we should be aiming only for top 6 either.

[Made In Aston]

Football is a crazy game. When you look at the match incidents, rather than the performance, we actually should have won. Their second goal should not have counted, we should of had 2 penalties and basham should have been sent off. 

[Keener window-cleaner]

Despite letting in 3 goals I thought our CB were our best players.

Midfield hampering us massively...

[Ghost]

Was only able to watch the final 15 or so mins. What a time to time in! 

[Skills]

On 09/02/2019 at 08:52, Villan_of_oz said:

As an Aussie I find it very hard to criticise Jedinak at all, he has been an absolute warrior for my country and was a very decent premier league footballer. So I say this with a heavy heart, please DS never ever play him again, if we are that desperate then put a kid in there to see what they can do.

Mile if you happen to read this, I'm sorry

surprised to see the first comment on Mile on page 4.  The long term injuries look like they have taken their toll, time to come back to Oz unfortunately

[Villan_of_oz]

1 hour ago, Skills said:

surprised to see the first comment on Mile on page 4.  The long term injuries look like they have taken their toll, time to come back to Oz unfortunately

I think he would be great for an A-league club. Central coast could certainly do with him returning to his roots, they're clearly lacking leadership.

[Dante_Lockhart]

Mighty Glenn Whelan changed the game.

[flashingqwerty]

On 08/02/2019 at 22:22, Spoony said:

I honestly don’t know how the ref didn’t see this. Even in real time it was clear he had control of the ball. 

Even forgetting he has 2 hands on it, IMHO his foot is raised, has gone studs up into an opposing player, this is dangerous play and an automatic red card.

Raising a foot like that running towards an opposing player anywhere else on the pitch, and its a foul minimum.

[flashingqwerty]

On 08/02/2019 at 23:02, OutByEaster? said:

It's all complicated in my head so what I'm going to do is start with the referee, use him as an unnecessary and complicated metaphor for our performance, talk about the game a bit and about moments, lose my way, then finish in the opposite way to usual on a big fat negative, 

Nudge in the back. Nothing. Foul. Nothing. Good challenge. Whistle. Free kick. Take free kick. That's how it worked under this referee. Or at least that's how it worked when United had the ball. When we had the ball, it went. Nudge in the back. Nothing. Foul. Nothing. Good challenge. Whistle. Free kick.Take free kick. Whistle. Take free kick again.

Have you ever watched a game where the commentary is out of synch with the visuals, so you're never sure if the commentator is commenting on what just happened or what's about to happen? He was like that with a whistle. The Dali of referees. 

Even so, after about an hour I'd come to notice that he'd had no real influence on the game, he was strange for everyone and the players seemed to accept it and just try to do their best around him. Of course, then he decided to pull a foul up off the top shelf for their second goal and spoil that for me. He was always a step ahead, or eight seconds behind, I'm not sure which.

In many ways that's reflective of our performance in the match; we were awful, absolutely abject - but in the same way that the referee's decisions weren't influenced by play, our ability to score goals isn't in any way attached to our ability to play football - they just come, almost at random, for very little reason.

For no reason at all, we fumbled our way to a corner on 81 minutes and Mings who had a decent home debut headed home, I didn't celebrate that goal because I was in a mood. Then, we started to play with a little bit more intention than we had for the rest of the second half - that annoyed me further, if you can do it, why weren't you doing it for the previous half hour? Then, sort of out of nothing a ball popped up on the back post and Tammy Abraham did his thing to put us in sight of it. I clapped reasonably politely. We weren't good enough to get back into it, we didn't deserve it and if anything United would score again to ensure that order was restored. Of course, magically that wasn't to be.

Football gives you moments as a fan, things you remember, things you'll take with you to the end of your footballing days - moment when you're bellowing like a donkey with its cock on fire and throwing your arms around like one of those inflatable things you sometimes see outside car hypermarkets, moments where you forget where you are, who you are, what you've got to do tomorrow, that you're in your forties, that you have been in a mood for 90 minutes - everything. Moments that take you away and make you part of something that's just.....wonderful. 

I had a bit of a moment when we equalised. Andre Green slid directly at me and the players celebrated right of front of my moment. I had an eye contact moment with Glenn Whelan, it was unnerving but special. We were as one. It was only a moment, I'm sure Glenn is over it. It left me breathless; that's a first for him.

Some fans left after United's second goal, an awful lot left after the third goal - those that left after the full time whistle bounced out of Villa Park with manic grins and red faces - shared moments, moments for themselves, times to remember.

And that's why it's complicated - to try to separate the moment from the game, the magic from the underlying performance, because lets be in no doubt about it, this was a terrible performance - Taylor was poor, Jedinak showed that his next move should be retirement, the limitations of our midfield were exposed, Kodjia was half arsed and ineffective, El Ghazi hit-and-miss, Abraham alone. Individually we were second best and as a team we were miles away from the opposition - they opened brightly and passed the ball round us like we were cones, at times it was dazzling, but you always felt both team were contributing to it. We were still in the game at half time because we'd worked our magic over forty-five minutes and made them worse. 

If anything we were worse after the break, we lack energy and spark, we lack the ability to pass and keep the ball, we have a manager famed for a pass-and-move approach and either he's gone off the idea or they aren't listening, because the only passing we do is around our back four and even then we look like we're about to lose it at any moment, especially when the big Aussie in front of them has never been able to pass and is rapidly losing the ability to move. 

Ultimately today, we've got another draw - and as magical as the moment was, it's probably a draw that in the cold light of day puts an end to our hopes of reaching the playoffs. We should have had a penalty and they should have had a goal disallowed twice, but we haven't been unlucky, quite the opposite - we've robbed Sheffield of a win and their fans of their own table topping moment. If I had an ounce of decency, I'd apologise to Sheffield United.

We're a long way short of being a good Championship team and if we're to compete for the playoffs next season, we'll need to replace eight of this first eleven - given that half of them are retiring or on loan, we'll need to replace almost that many just to have a team, and before you start - there are no kids. There's no one ready to step in next weekend and make us better.

We're playing badly, we're badly organised, we have an ageing and disjointed squad and we're being propped up by loanees. We play two good sides next and I fear for us a little bit, and yet I know in five years time I'll have forgotten that and I'll still remember me and Andre, me and Glenn. It's a curious and magical game this thing of ours. 

I don't think dark times have ever been quite so much fun.

 

Just - wow!