What was MON's biggest mistake?

[roscoe]

The LC success this year and what it hopefully has in stall for us Villa fans in the New Year has been awesome. It has really brought a great excitement and predominant positivity to the place in the last few weeks. Onwards and upwards I say, and who knows, maybe a Champions League spot for next season. Got to keep this roll going against a dangerous Stoke this weekend though

[Overdubber]

How the flying bejezuz was Salifou a mistake? He cost next to nothing, his wages are low and he was brought in to see if he could do a job for us, he can't quite clearly but being as he hardly ever even gets on the bench how is that a mistake exactly. It was as close as you get in top flight football to a no risk gamble. In fact it was only a mistake if you want to find a reason to have a go at the manager from where I'm looking at it from.

Exactly what I was aiming at. harewood was the same, brought in for (relatively) cheap money, and given the opportunity to prove himself (which is still a point to be proven at newcastle).....

Though I must admit I expected a bit more from NRC.

[roscoe]

I'm relatively happy with what NRC has done given limited opportunities. Again, he will be seen as a 'stepping stone' signing to where we are now and where we hope to be in the future

[villanwesty88]

I think his biggest mistake was not making a couple more signings in January 2009 because the club was in a strong position in the table, yet with a weak squad. I have no doubt that he tried to get the players in, but was probably stubborn on prices (credit to him in one way because we do not want to be held to ransom like citeh). This led to the collapse in my opinion - not rotating the side enough and the side almost picked itself at times.

However, we now have a good squad and this January we are not looking desperate for a signing - an additional forward would be nice of course.

All managers make mistakes - the good ones learn from them.

[TrentVilla]

I think his biggest mistake was not making a couple more signings in January 2009 because the club was in a strong position in the table, yet with a weak squad. I have no doubt that he tried to get the players in, but was probably stubborn on prices (credit to him in one way because we do not want to be held to ransom like citeh). This led to the collapse in my opinion - not rotating the side enough and the side almost picked itself at times.

However, we now have a good squad and this January we are not looking desperate for a signing - an additional forward would be nice of course.

All managers make mistakes - the good ones learn from them.

He tried to buy Downing and was told he wasn't for sale at any price.

I really don't think that him refusing to pay the prices in january was the reason Heskey was our only signing.

[chads]

MON's biggest mistake is taking the booing at the wigan game to heart. He should have realised that anybody who booed that day was a complete and utter moron and the true supporters of this club were in the quiet majority. The 'modern' football fan who wants success and wants it now, without seeing the bigger picture is an idiot.

[alienvillan]

Sit back tactics and conceding late goals Feb to May last season. We just stopped playing. Stoke from 2-0 to 2-2, disaster ... that never seemed to stop.

[PauloBarnesi]

Stoke from 2-0 to 2-2, disaster ... that never seemed to stop.

Think that has a hell of alot to say about the players tbh.

I don’t think any single mistake deserves to be singled out as the biggest. He’s made more than a few mistakes, but the last time I looked the successes seemed to outweigh them, so I am not going to dwell too much on getting upset by the signing of Harewood, letting Cary Gahill go, not winning in Moscow, not signing Jermain Defoe, that ugly look he gave to the man behind me when we played Watford...

[Overdubber]

Those tracksuit bottoms.

makes him look like a yugoslavian drug dealer.....

[bannedfromHandV]

MON's biggest mistake is taking the booing at the wigan game to heart. He should have realised that anybody who booed that day was a complete and utter moron and the true supporters of this club were in the quiet majority. The 'modern' football fan who wants success and wants it now, without seeing the bigger picture is an idiot.

I wonder what percentage of this forum's members this accounts for?

[bannedfromHandV]

Sit back tactics and conceding late goals Feb to May last season. We just stopped playing. Stoke from 2-0 to 2-2, disaster ... that never seemed to stop.

Ridiculous.

I agree that there were times when we could be accused of sitting back but the Stoke game isn't one of them.

We were 2-0 up and absolutely cruising, it was one of the most one-sided matches I've ever seen at VP, Stoke were never in it. Gabby had a great chance to make it 3 but missed, Stoke then scored from a set-piece(?) and a 25 yard half volley, in the space of 3 minutes, how you or anyone else can call that a mistake by MoN is beyond me and illustrates to me that you cannot have played the game yourself, sometimes shit like that just happens and there isn't a lot you can do about it.

[barry'sboots]

Sit back tactics and conceding late goals Feb to May last season. We just stopped playing. Stoke from 2-0 to 2-2, disaster ... that never seemed to stop.

Ridiculous.

I agree that there were times when we could be accused of sitting back but the Stoke game isn't one of them.

We were 2-0 up and absolutely cruising, it was one of the most one-sided matches I've ever seen at VP, Stoke were never in it. Gabby had a great chance to make it 3 but missed, Stoke then scored from a set-piece(?) and a 25 yard half volley, in the space of 3 minutes, how you or anyone else can call that a mistake by MoN is beyond me and illustrates to me that you cannot have played the game yourself, sometimes shit like that just happens and there isn't a lot you can do about it.

Agree to some extent in that I don't think it was sitting back but we were clearly tiring and getting pushed back. FWIW Stoke looked much better in the second half once they had bought on Fuller and tried to join in with the game!

IMO, MON should have used his bench to freshen things up and push Stoke back. I would either have taken Stan off for NRC or gone 4-5-1 and bought NRC on to bring us some energy into the centre of the park where we were starting to lose the battle. Ditto this for the Chelski, Citeh and Spuds home games this season.

[daft]

Sit back tactics and conceding late goals Feb to May last season. We just stopped playing. Stoke from 2-0 to 2-2, disaster ... that never seemed to stop.

Ridiculous.

I agree that there were times when we could be accused of sitting back but the Stoke game isn't one of them.

We were 2-0 up and absolutely cruising, it was one of the most one-sided matches I've ever seen at VP, Stoke were never in it. Gabby had a great chance to make it 3 but missed, Stoke then scored from a set-piece(?) and a 25 yard half volley, in the space of 3 minutes, how you or anyone else can call that a mistake by MoN is beyond me and illustrates to me that you cannot have played the game yourself, sometimes shit like that just happens and there isn't a lot you can do about it.

Agree to some extent in that I don't think it was sitting back but we were clearly tiring and getting pushed back. FWIW Stoke looked much better in the second half once they had bought on Fuller and tried to join in with the game!

IMO, MON should have used his bench to freshen things up and push Stoke back. I would either have taken Stan off for NRC or gone 4-5-1 and bought NRC on to bring us some energy into the centre of the park where we were starting to lose the battle. Ditto this for the Chelski, Citeh and Spuds home games this season.

If you had done that I think we would have lost 5-2.

[ml1dch]

Agree to some extent in that I don't think it was sitting back but we were clearly tiring and getting pushed back. FWIW Stoke looked much better in the second half once they had bought on Fuller and tried to join in with the game!

We only made it 2-0 with 8 minutes to go.

Should we have brought the less creative NRC on before or after we got our second goal?

[NabilH]

signing harewood for ...................4 MILLION, wtf was he thinking there.

[kiddybloke]

MON's biggest mistake is taking the booing at the wigan game to heart. He should have realised that anybody who booed that day was a complete and utter moron and the true supporters of this club were in the quiet majority. The 'modern' football fan who wants success and wants it now, without seeing the bigger picture is an idiot.

I wonder what percentage of this forum's members this accounts for?

The fans boo'd them off against wigan and we've not looked back. Worked a treat if you ask me :winkold: :winkold:

[Overdubber]

Agree to some extent in that I don't think it was sitting back but we were clearly tiring and getting pushed back. FWIW Stoke looked much better in the second half once they had bought on Fuller and tried to join in with the game!

We only made it 2-0 with 8 minutes to go.

Should we have brought the less creative NRC on before or after we got our second goal?

ASorry , but didn´t Carew score the second before the 60th minute?

Maybe you mean they pulled ine back with 8 minutes to go?

maybe my memorie is letting me down.....

[ml1dch]

Agree to some extent in that I don't think it was sitting back but we were clearly tiring and getting pushed back. FWIW Stoke looked much better in the second half once they had bought on Fuller and tried to join in with the game!

We only made it 2-0 with 8 minutes to go.

Should we have brought the less creative NRC on before or after we got our second goal?

ASorry , but didn´t Carew score the second before the 60th minute?

Maybe you mean they pulled ine back with 8 minutes to go?

maybe my memorie is letting me down.....

My mistake - 11 minutes to go, not 8.

Aston Villa: Friedel, Cuellar, Knight, Davies, Luke Young, Milner, Petrov, Barry, Ashley Young, Agbonlahor, Heskey (Carew 76).

Subs Not Used: Guzan, Harewood, Delfouneso, Reo-Coker, Shorey, Gardner.

Booked: Ashley Young.

Goals: Petrov 45, Carew 79.

Stoke: Sorensen (Simonsen 46), Shawcross, Sonko, Higginbotham, Wilkinson, Diao, Amdy Faye (Whelan 64), Pugh (Fuller 54), Lawrence, Beattie, Sidibe.

Subs Not Used: Cort, Cresswell, Kelly, Camara.

Booked: Shawcross.

Goals: Shawcross 88, Whelan 90.

Att: 39,641

Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire).

[kid_villain]

we dont need cahill ffs!

[briny_ear]

Anybody trying to blame MON for the draw against Stoke is just being silly. The players should have strolled it, they funked it, and they knew it.