Ratings & Reactions: FAC4R: Villa v Chelsea

[TRO]

2 hours ago, Pinebro said:

People seem to underrate Chelsea a bit.

Just because their 11th doesn't mean they are shit and all we need to do is to turn up and we'll win.

They are still a decent side with some very talented players and on their day they can be a handful for anyone

The rest of the league, don't seem to have much trouble with them....because they compete.

Any team in this league will look good.....if its allowed.

The amount of times last night, I saw our midfield, in no mans land, when Chelsea attacked, not picking up players.....just meandering back.

Edited February 8 by TRO

[Pinebro]

2 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

But you said they are good and have very telented players. They pissed us, why not Tottenham?

We beat them in the league. 

I don't think you can appreciate how competitive the league is. Any team can beat anyone on their day. 

[Pinebro]

1 minute ago, TRO said:

The rest of the league, don't seem to have much trouble with them....because they compete.

Any team in this league will look good.....if its allowed.

If that was true they would be 20th not 11th 

 

[Mr_Dogg]

28 minutes ago, Pinebro said:

No shame in losing to any of those 

No shame, but not good for our season.

[Pinebro]

6 minutes ago, Mr_Dogg said:

No shame, but not good for our season.

Top 7 would still be a good season. It would mean another season in Europe 

[Mr_Dogg]

Just now, Pinebro said:

Top 7 would still be a good season. It would mean another season in Europe 

Ultimately we would all be disappointed.

[Villan_of_oz]

15 minutes ago, Pinebro said:

Top 7 would still be a good season. It would mean another season in Europe 

I disagree, 7th would be an average season, and that's all it would be. 

You don't get chances like this all the time and I can guarantee Unai isn't thinking about 7th. No chance.

We should be fighting for top 4, and no matter the struggles along the way we know we can do it.

It's gotten harder as the season goes along but that's a given. We haven't worked anywhere near hard enough against Newcastle or Chelsea, I didn't see the Sheffield United match but we beat a shite team convincingly....

7th will get a pass mark but I will be disappointed and I think the team would be thinking of opportunities missed...

Disclaimer: the European trophy would negate my thoughts on league position somewhat 

Edited February 8 by Villan_of_oz

[The Fun Factory]

22 minutes ago, Pinebro said:

Top 7 would still be a good season. It would mean another season in Europe 

That is providing that Chelsea don't win the League Cup and finish in their current position. 

[Rugeley Villa]

20 minutes ago, Pinebro said:

Top 7 would still be a good season. It would mean another season in Europe 

Nah, very disappointing if that was the case purely because of how long we’ve been contesting top 4 this season. I mean we are still only 5 points off the top. To finish 7th and be ok with it we’d have to win a trophy too which is only the conference league(wish they would get a new name ) achievable now. At the start of the season with the injuries we had, yes 7th would have been good but we’ve found out we are better than that .

[R.Bear]

11 hours ago, CVByrne said:

Am fine to be out of the competition. We don't need it this season. Hope the team have a reaction against United. Win that and we are in a brilliant position. 

We don't need it? We haven't won a trophy in 28 years, the longest drought in our entire history. Even if we qualify for the Champions League, what if we bomb out in the group stage like Newcastle?

Winning trophies should be an absolute priority and it amazes me that any fans could think otherwise, given our horrendous record in this competitions in the last few decades and lack of silverware.

[VILLAMARV]

That was brutal. We're all used to going out of the FAcup but that was a tough watch. As much as it's easy to be annoyed at the Kamara/Cash giveaway for the first, the missed header from Carlos for the second and it didn't look like a free kick to me even if the guy scored a worldie (close ups/replays might prove me wrong) credit to Chelsea. Along with Liverpool and Newcastle they stopped us from playing and enforced their own game onto us.

[The_Steve]

After a very poor first half it would have been a very different game had McGinn put his shot anywhere else. Going into the second half at 2-1 would have been very different. It wasn’t a free kick for the third goal. But you deserve to lose with a first half like that. The game was very open and Chelsea’s billion pound plus squad had the quality to expose our flaws. Too many individual errors but we did also create good chances. It was a cup game that would be way more open than a standard league affair. Unai will sort them out for United. 

[Frodo]

Plus points Diaby on score sheet with a well taken goal plus point no more injuries, - points the results, & Dixon on commentary just slagged us all night even said Diaby's he scuffed it that's me done on here till Sunday, may pop in to see the vibe Sunday evening. 

[Jas10]

Well I guess this image sums up their performances:

Midfield was in disarray… as much as I rate Bouba… he is prone to these bouts of complacency and casualness from time to time… Unai’s got to make sure these players have their heads screwed on and remain focussed and determined in each and every game… we haven’t achieved anything that warrants arrogance and a relaxed attitude…

Dougie sometimes displays the same sort of demeanour but doesn’t make such costly errors… but he has generally been quieter in games since the turn of the year… 

McGinn always works hard but can’t be at his best in every game… as usual, when he struggles we struggle. When he shines, the whole team does… but players need help.

That’s the problem… even if you’re one of the better players in the side… if the players around you are not performing well and we’re not cohesive… then that individual cannot thrive either…

We are struggling with the injuries and, basically, a reserve defence too but that doesn’t excuse the air of arrogance and laid back approach…

Got to keep the focus and desire if we want to achieve something of note…

the sooner we address that, fix our attitude,  the better… starting on Sunday please…

Unai is on it but the players have to be too… otherwise, they won’t be part of our future plans…

[foreveryoung]

2 hours ago, Pinebro said:

We beat them in the league. 

I don't think you can appreciate how competitive the league is. Any team can beat anyone on their day. 

We played crap admit it. They wouldn't beat us had we put a shift in.

[El Segundo]

In some sense you could say we were victims of a sort of Villa “curse”.  When struggling teams need a result, struggling managers need a performance,  or struggling players need a goal, Villa, no matter how good or bad they are at the time, often oblige. 

So a team of misfiring misfits that cost a billion suddenly finds a game-plan and clicks.  Gallagher had never scored for Chelsea and put one right in the top corner making it unsaveable for Emi.  The up-to-now massively underperforming Fernandez produces a top draw free kick, also unsaveable.  Worse still, the hitherto largely hopeless Jackson was allowed to locate the cow’s arse with his banjo and get on the scoresheet.  Even the Chelsea fans were gobsmacked – “How shit must you be, we’re winning away”. And that was at 0-1.

But to put it down to things not going our way would be masking the decline in our performances generally that seems to have set in since we beat Arsenal.  Sheffield is the only game where we’ve looked anything like ourselves – a game where we were neither pressed nor low-blocked and given ample time to play our game.  I was delighted at that result but wary that it was as much due to Sheffield’s naivety and awfulness as any upturn in our form. 

Injuries haven’t helped us, sure, but that doesn’t explain the sloppy and lazy approach of some of our players, our sudden inability to pass to each other.  Emery needs to find ways to counter those teams that are pressing us into submission, or we can kiss goodbye to top 6 let alone top 4.  

[AVFCDAN]

4 hours ago, Pinebro said:

1st goal is a defensive error from Kamara

3rd is a wonder strike

Just one of those days.

We were totally overrun in the game though, exactly the same as Newcastle, exactly the same as Man U before that. 

Top 4 teams don't get overrun like that and look totally devoid of ideas so often. Yes these games happen but its become regular over the last 2 months and there is an issue that needs to be addressed clearly.

[John]

13 hours ago, Brumstopdogs said:

It will be soon.  I can understand those that didn't want an FA Cup run, we didn't have the squad depth to go on all three fronts and injuries haven't helped, but it is still a trophy that I really do want to see us win. 

Worryingly similar to how the Newcastle game went and our visitors on Sunday will see their chances of a win, as much more likely following those two performances. UE picked a full strength team last night and will have been as disappointed, as those of us that witnessed their capitulation. 15 cup finals to go after this to secure CL qualification, which is our primary target. We need to show much more on Sunday and in those remaining games, and to somehow find our missing consistency.    

[R.Bear]

3 hours ago, Pinebro said:

We beat them in the league. 

I don't think you can appreciate how competitive the league is. Any team can beat anyone on their day. 

You can say that about any league in the world. In fact any league of any sport in the world.

[smokingzen]

1 hour ago, foreveryoung said:

We played crap admit it. They wouldn't beat us had we put a shift in.

It doesn't matter how much of a shift you put in if you can't pass the ball 10 yards to a team mate. 

That was our main issue last night, it started with Kamara and then spread across much of the team, because of that we had no cohesion and kept losing the ball and inviting pressure on ourselves.