Ratings & Reactions: Villa v Burnley

[a m ole]

23 minutes ago, MaVilla said:

dont you mean:

"you lose some, you throw some wins away"

 

You win some, then lose them.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, terrytini said:

I thought that after five minutes of gloom it actually helped the atmosphere.

Having said that I think it’s without doubt the worst idea in the history of football.( as implemented).

Not just our games, I’ve seen most games the feeble good it’s done is massively outweighed by the amount it’s spoilt.

It’s absolute rubbish. I’ve not seen our goal back but nobody in the ground near me had any concern it might not have stood. Great for TV viewers... 

Goal line clearances only.

Its just become another referee and no one knows which one is managing the games.......Its created a void that both parties think the other is dealing with it.

It should be scrapped and be available only for the above....In its current form its a menace to the game.

Edited September 28, 2019 by TRO

[a m ole]

37 minutes ago, OutByEaster? said:

Today's refereeing let down came in the form of the absolute kicking their midfield were able to dish out to McGinn and Grealish - Jack Cork should have been booked three times in the first half, and there must have been another half a dozen challenges that you'd ordinarily see cards for - the one at the end on Grealish that did produce one could have been red - the result of that refereeing largesse will be writ large on the shins of John McGinn this evening. It's been like that all season and we need someone at the club to make a fuss - it'd be worth a touchline ban for John Terry to wake people up to this - the papers would listen to a controversial statement or two from the superstar coach and we might find a fairer approach - we need to do something, because at the moment we're being refereed out of this league and our best players are collecting scar tissue left right and centre.

Obviously we don’t know if the club will or have had a word with the FA but we should. The two most fouled players in the league and we rarely if ever see yellow cards for the opposition.

[TRO]

6 minutes ago, Lerner's Driver said:

Realistically, this year was always going to be difficult and I know wishing for anything else is just me expressing deluded entitlement, but why oh why, couldn't our momentum continue. It just feels so typically Villa to look promising and then kill ourselves.

We ALWAYS do.

In that way, last year felt surreal because the glory was delivered and reality just never interfered, but the dream is well and truly over now. Fully awake and nothing but a long hard slog from here on.

Joy.

There is a physicality in this league that has to be met to survive.....Burnley played 4-4-2 until they was losing and went 4-3-3 with Rodriguez coming on.....They effectively had 3 physically adept players in their front 3 that was pressing us at every opportunity......In Contrast we had Wesley and 2 wingers.....They never pressed or were fired for battle in the same way....Their 3 were denying our 2 centre backs from driving in to midfield to support and reduced them to long punts upfield, which reduced us to speculative balls and nullified our game.

We amongst many things were tactically out manoeuvred.....The only hope we had was our 2 better players getting on the ball and as ever, they just ran out of juice.

[TRO]

17 minutes ago, a m ole said:

You win some, then lose them.

You draw some, then draw some more.

[nick76]

So angry, that ended feeling like a loss.  How did we not win that game.

Impressed with Nakamba more and more.

Surprised Trez didn’t start but loved that Smith put Gealish further forward.

disappointed to concede two goals but how did we not score more than two....our offence continues to worry me.

Need more shooting practice, our shots aren’t good enough.  Don’t mean to pick on Jack but that one attempt where he was free, attacking the North stand and he just blasted it miles over the bar.

[The Fun Factory]

Inexplicable defending for the 2nd Burnley goal. Threw the game away.

McGinn is far too good for us. A class above any of our other players.

Wesley is poo.

That is all.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, OutByEaster? said:

It makes you wonder doesn't it?

We should have had a point against Palace, we should have had something against Arsenal, should have beaten West Ham and we absolutely should have won this one at a canter - we've got two points to show for those four games and it really could have been eight.

It makes you wonder if things balance themselves out - at the moment it certainly doesn't feel like it - if we tossed a coin and called heads it'd come up tails, if we tossed it again it'd roll down the drain. We were the better team today by a distance, in the first half particularly and we should have gone in two or three goals up at the break.

It's hard to talk too much about our shortcomings, because in truth we haven't had many over the last four games - yeah, we're blunt up front, Wesley isn't having a great time of it and we lack a bit of pace - but McGinn and Grealish and co, are creating chances, we're moving the ball around, making angles, hurting teams, heck we've got four goals in our last two games.

It's not even just that we're not defending well - we've not been great at the back today, with Mings looking a bit too relaxed following his stint with England, but we're not allowing many chances - not here, and not really in any of our recent games - it's just that when they come, teams are putting them away - seemingly every single time.

We've been the subject of outrageous refereeing thus far in this league, and today was no different, although at least today for once VAR only caused confusion, not disdain. By the time VAR had said its piece on our opener, most of us had finished celebrating and had no idea VAR were even looking at it - it's frustrating when "that goal from a while ago" gets chalked off, but if it was offside, then it was offside - VAR is reasonably good at that, so I'll take their word for it.

Today's refereeing let down came in the form of the absolute kicking their midfield were able to dish out to McGinn and Grealish - Jack Cork should have been booked three times in the first half, and there must have been another half a dozen challenges that you'd ordinarily see cards for - the one at the end on Grealish that did produce one could have been red - the result of that refereeing largesse will be writ large on the shins of John McGinn this evening. It's been like that all season and we need someone at the club to make a fuss - it'd be worth a touchline ban for John Terry to wake people up to this - the papers would listen to a controversial statement or two from the superstar coach and we might find a fairer approach - we need to do something, because at the moment we're being refereed out of this league and our best players are collecting scar tissue left right and centre.

It makes you wonder how we change it - we're playing well - we're outplaying our opposition and we're doing the right things - yes, there are weaknesses in the squad, but we're still winning games in every way except the one that actually counts - all the battles we win - all the wars we lose. Maybe it's a mental thing, maybe there's a little bit of us not being sure if we belong, or if we can do it at this level - but it doesn't look like it - we look good, we're playing good football. 

That's the thing, if we're playing well and not winning, what does that do to our confidence, what does that do to the fight in these players?  At the moment, these results are taking bites out of us, they're hurting and they're reducing us and our ambitions - it's so important we find a way to put an end to this ridiculous run, because we're not a bad side at all, we're doing alright - the table lies.

It's supposed to even out, it's supposed to reward you for your efforts, for your qualities, but right now, week in, week out, the game is finding ways to f*** us over and if our luck doesn't change soon, then we know where we're headed.

We've battered Burnley today - we looked twice the team they are - they're organised and willing, but we looked a class apart from them. I don't know what else to say. I'm baffled - we must have run over a troop of black cats belonging to a gypsy in a field of four leaf clover. Yes, Wesley isn't pulling up any trees, yes we've got no pace up front, yes we're not great at protecting a lead - but give us a fair go and we'll be more than okay. 

I can't find reasons, I can't find tactical changes or personnel changes, or problems with mentality - we're doing enough to get more points - we're just not getting the rub of the green - and if we don't find some luck that isn't bad luck soon, it makes you wonder if this just ain't our season.

Unlucky Villa.

 

I think your point about referees will end up a shallow call sadly...and we will just be labelled as whingers by the rest of the league......I have to concede as much as teams Like Burnley and Albion in the semi final, pee me off......We have to start defending ourselves better than we do.....today we were slower to most loose balls ( not an endearing trait) missed out on many headers in midfield and slow to react to 50/50's.

Its clear to me ,we like to play football, but teams in this league who don't have the guile of Liverpool or Man City, will resort to this and try to negate any bit of skill we have......We better get used to it......referee's will not save us.

We need some training sessions with Eddie Jones after the World cup to teach us the art of Physical combat and how to embrace it.

Edited September 28, 2019 by TRO

[TRO]

11 minutes ago, The Fun Factory said:

Inexplicable defending for the 2nd Burnley goal. Threw the game away.

McGinn is far too good for us. A class above any of our other players.

Wesley is poo.

That is all.

Words fail me.....Its like the RDM nightmare returning.

but its not just the back four.....the whole team struggles to defend.

Its simply Kamikaze football.

Edited September 28, 2019 by TRO

[Delphinho123]

6 minutes ago, TRO said:

Words fail me.....Its like the RDM nightmare returning.

but its not just the back four.....the whole team struggles to defend.

Its simply Kamikaze football.

It isn’t. We’d be 6 points better off with a decent striker. It’s so obvious.

Wesley is trash.

[TRO]

1 hour ago, VillaFaninLondon said:

Burnley are effective at making games scrappy and picking up points but to say they are ‘decent’ is wrong. Most boring team in the league.

We can all call them whatever we like.....but they pick up points and know how to get back in to a game....dirty so and so's as they are, they know how to scrap and whinging about them will give us a defeated comfort.

I say, unless you can play pretty football like Liverpool or Man city, be careful not to rely on it too much,  unless we have the players to emulate them....and I don't think we have enough to do that...we have to find an alternative strategy to add to our game to survive....until we can get better quality.

Bournemouth, Burnley and the like have realised you have to change to survive in this league, Brighton have had to too....Teams now will physically test us, we have to be ready......so far, I think we are playing an aesthetically attractive game, But it requires time and space and dare I say it....its a tad naive, because these opponents won't give it to us.

We will go in to a relegation battle, if we are not careful bemoaning everything but ourselves.....Having said that we had 2 players with good opportunities balloon balls over the bar, you don't get many chances to waste in this cauldron.

We need to shape up.

Edited September 28, 2019 by TRO

[flashingqwerty]

For me DS is at fault again for todays loss.

Think moving Grealish out wide put him too far out of the game.

Starting Hourihane didnt work.  He was dead on his feet by half time and should have been off before 60 mins.

Taylor is a waste of a squad place.  Hause is a better left back defensively and offensively - play him!

There is clearly something wrong with either our tactics or our fitness regime as we cant play for more than 60 mins without being exhausted.

Wes needs dropping for Davies.  He had a decent game against everton but in every other has done enough.  Davies has done nearly as much as Wes in 5 minutes today - needs to start next game.

In game management last 4 games has been appalling.  DS needs to g8ve his head a wobble and start paying attention to whats happening on the pitch, and when its not working CHANGE IT. could, should have made subs at 60 mins and because he didnt it cost us.  Took our best player and put him out the game to keep his sustem and accomodate hourihane - bad decision.

Either change the system or be prepared to make 2 early subs DS.  Otherwise we will be down my Jan.

[TRO]

8 minutes ago, Delphinho123 said:

It isn’t. We’d be 6 points better off with a decent striker. It’s so obvious.

Wesley is trash.

I think its an issue Granted and he had a bad one today.....but its not all him.

We had episodes like this before Wesley.....and that's not dismissing your call by the way....but its deeper than that.

I can recall games in the Championship where, we had similar issues.

[TRO]

39 minutes ago, nick76 said:

So angry, that ended feeling like a loss.  How did we not win that game.

Impressed with Nakamba more and more.

Surprised Trez didn’t start but loved that Smith put Gealish further forward.

disappointed to concede two goals but how did we not score more than two....our offence continues to worry me.

Need more shooting practice, our shots aren’t good enough.  Don’t mean to pick on Jack but that one attempt where he was free, attacking the North stand and he just blasted it miles over the bar.

I share your frustration, but 2 goals is enough to win a game.

If we think we are going to have to exceed that to survive......I have to say, we are in for a disappointing season.

We have to tighten up after scoring....no ifs or buts......to proceed to scoring more after every reversal, will undo us.

We have to look carefully at the game aside from the 2 goals we scored and I think we will spot some home truths.

[ChicagoVillan1983]

Villa absolutely bossed the first half, really creative - looked solid middle table/ top 8 team. Second half they (again) sat back and tried to cushion a 1 goal lead. Lost all the creative spark except for Jack/ John. Burnley basically scored almost every chance they had. Marvelous is everywhere in the middle of the park without doing anything other than a 5 yard pass (he’s a boss). But we keep putting in second half shifts like that and we’re relegation fodder.

[TRO]

15 minutes ago, ChicagoVillan1983 said:

Villa absolutely bossed the first half, really creative - looked solid middle table/ top 8 team. Second half they (again) sat back and tried to cushion a 1 goal lead. Lost all the creative spark except for Jack/ John. Burnley basically scored almost every chance they had. Marvelous is everywhere in the middle of the park without doing anything other than a 5 yard pass (he’s a boss). But we keep putting in second half shifts like that and we’re relegation fodder.

Respectfully, I don't think we did sit back and try to cushion a one goal lead.....We were being man handled by a physically savvy team who are well versed in this activity and we lost territory to lead to their goal. If a team loses ground or territory easily it will concede.

The second....is one for the fairies, no idea what we were doing, just never closed anything down and just allowed then to run through us.

I have said it many times tonight......2 goals is enough to win a game at Home.

Edited September 28, 2019 by TRO

[Delphinho123]

We were a Chris Wood away from winning that game at a canter.

I don’t know whether that’s a good or a bad thing. 

[terrytini]

@OutByEaster?what a fantastic post.

As to the conundrum you pose, I’d say we are not struggling physically, we are struggling mentally. Not massively, but by 5%. And that’s enough.

All those little 5%s all over the pitch, mostly in Second Halves, mostly in the final 30 minutes.

Why was Mings tearing up the pitch in the 87th minute ? Why not do what he’s done for 95% of every game ? Why did Engels ping a 50 yard ball into touch in the 92nd minute ? Why not play the 5 yard ball to Gilbert that he’s done 95% of the time ?  Why does Jack shoot in the (85th ? minute) why not pass as he has done 95% of the time ? And so on.

Why those little lapses ? Because going from being in the Championship ( which means, especially in our last couple of months, you always have that extra second over your opponent) to being new boys in the Premier League is a jump. I don’t think it’s a physical jump ( I’ll bet any money these players are not tiring). It’s like a County Championship Batsman suddenly playing Test Matches. Instead of a bad ball to hit every Over, it’s one every four overs.

I think we are getting up to speed but aren’t there yet and Premier League teams will target that.

Secondly, but linked in that it’s the mental side of the game, I think we are lacking some nastiness. Id like a Robbie Savage in that side. Nakamba looks like he might be able to fulfill that role to a point. Why isn’t someone feigning injury shortly after our second ? Wasting time ? All that stuff.

And, though some mock the concept, we are indeed having no luck at all.

I see plenty to give encouragement.

 

[terrytini]

1 hour ago, TRO said:

There is a physicality in this league that has to be met to survive.....Burnley played 4-4-2 until they was losing and went 4-3-3 with Rodriguez coming on.....They effectively had 3 physically adept players in their front 3 that was pressing us at every opportunity......In Contrast we had Wesley and 2 wingers.....They never pressed or were fired for battle in the same way....Their 3 were denying our 2 centre backs from driving in to midfield to support and reduced them to long punts upfield, which reduced us to speculative balls and nullified our game.

We amongst many things were tactically out manoeuvred.....The only hope we had was our 2 better players getting on the ball and as ever, they just ran out of juice.

I was going to say I concur, but I don’t agree we were outmanoeuvred tactically, I think we lack the player we needed to bring on.

[terrytini]

9 minutes ago, TRO said:

Respectfully, I don't think we did sit back and try to cushion a one goal lead.....We were being man handled by a physically savvy team who are well versed in this activity and we lost territory to lead to their goal. If a team loses ground or territory easily it will concede.

The second....is one for the fairies, no idea what we were doing, just never closed anything down and just allowed then to run through us.

I have said it many times tonight......2 goals is enough to win a game at Home.

I concur.