Stu_The_Villan Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Terrible...just terrible. Couldnt string two passes together. Downing is going downhill fast, he needs dropping for a couple of games to give him as kick up the arse! Carew and Heskey were shocking - my nan would have troubled the stoe defence more than them pair. Where was Gabby?? I know hes had a 'virus' but when he came on for the last fifteen he looked fresh as a daisy! Defence played well apart from Cuellar who was getting skinned everytime an attack came down his side. Hes just not agile enough to play RB, but come on, we were playing Stoke ffs not Barcelona he should be able do deal with it but he cant. If we cant play some good football against these lot then what hope have we got? We just looked like a bunch of strangers out there. P.S i think its about time we gave Delph a propper run in the team. All we are doing by keeping him on the bench is killing his career IMO. Grow some bollocks MoN - you paid 7m for the lad and at this rate he will be sold back to leeds for half a million quid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steell Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Just about the most frustrated I've been all season. I'm a big MON fan and he has my utmost respect but PLEASE make some bloody changes! He's just so stubborn, we've been poor for several games now. To watch that for 75 minutes and then think that swapping Gabby for Carew was going to make the slightest bit of difference shows something of a weakness - we didn't get a ball in behind them of note all game. Ash, Downing and Milner were all poor and to not try and change the shape was sooooo annoying. How many times has MON said we're going to start rotating players because it's a long hard season and then picked the same 11 who've scrapped thorough, looking tired, for weeks now. Albrighton, Delph, Delfouneso and Luke Young should all have played much more than they have this season. It says to players like Ash and Downing that it doesn't matter how you play, or how much effort you put in, you'll still be picked. I'm getting to the stage where I'm hoping for a sending off or minor injury, because that's the only way some of our players are going to be fresh at the end of the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete3206 Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanky Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Jesus you would have thought we failed to beat pompy or something. A point at stoke is a decent result. Its hard to beat them. Arsenal only did when they went down to 10 men in the last min to a wrongly awarded penalty a few weeks ago. Yes we didn't play well, but teams dont at stoke, they play a good game of anti football. Im happy with the result as long as we get 6 points in the next 2 games. This for me. Any away point in the PL is a good one really. It's our remaining home games that will decide where we finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 puts pressure on us to actually win those following games though doesn't it... I am sick of no plan B. Sick of the touchline coward who refuses to change it when it ain't working. When it does work full credit to them all, but sometimes it takes more than a half time speech ( incidentally, why do we frequently start shite? ) to get us playing. Sometimes you have to change. Christ he makes me bang my head against the wall. In general he's doing a great job but games like these... **** me they drive you insane. I'm a little suprised with the reactions. I thought people would be pretty pleased with a point. Dissapointing performance yes but as a point and a game, it's hard to change the course of a match in these type of matches when it's very physical, battling, windy. Sometimes you need to tough it out and hopefully just produce a moment of magic. Apart from bringing Gabby on for Heskey on about 60 minutes, I don't know what else would of been that much of a great change, possibly Albrighton if he was on the bench. Games like West Ham at home are infuriating.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oaks Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 puts pressure on us to actually win those following games though doesn't it... I am sick of no plan B. Sick of the touchline coward who refuses to change it when it ain't working. When it does work full credit to them all, but sometimes it takes more than a half time speech ( incidentally, why do we frequently start shite? ) to get us playing. Sometimes you have to change. Christ he makes me bang my head against the wall. In general he's doing a great job but games like these... **** me they drive you insane. I'm a little suprised with the reactions. I thought people would be pretty pleased with a point. Dissapointing performance yes but as a point and a game, it's hard to change the course of a match in these type of matches when it's very physical, battling, windy. Sometimes you need to tough it out and hopefully just produce a moment of magic. Apart from bringing Gabby on for Heskey on about 60 minutes, I don't know what else would of been that much of a great change, possibly Albrighton if he was on the bench. Games like West Ham at home are infuriating.... Bang On!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PompeyVillan Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 A game for defenders, but highlighted how one dimensional we are up front. I'm not massively disappointed with the result given how the game played out. Only a handful of teams have beaten Stoke at home this season. Make no mistake, we were fantastic in defence. But one point doesn't help us much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shillzz Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Coaching it back to vp so will keep it brief. Tired performance with too many passengers. Downing did little neither did either of our strikers. We need to get young and milner on the ball more. Collins motm, followed by dunne. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaChris Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 I despair at the "football" we try to play sometimes, Stoke were outfootballing us at times in the first half which shows the sorry state of things. It's an o.k point if you want to finish top 6, but no to finish top 4 we need more than a 12 man squad. Downing was terrible today, too slow to get crosses in and was wimping out of loads of challenges. How about taking him off and putting Delph on at least. Or we need another wide player to add competition there. Heskey. Well I'm not going to say anything. Defence was outstanding but again why was out sole tactic at thrown-ins for Carlos to just throw it in long especially when you have man moutains like Faye and Huth to head it away in there. How about playing it short and trying to get some free kicks or crosses in from near the box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Serious Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 People are pissed off and some other people can't understand. A point away to Stoke is not a terrible result, as Stoke away are difficult, we all get that. But it's not the result, is it, it's the performance that led to the result. We just never looked like threatening them. They had us sussed from the start and MON refused to change. I understand he trusts in his guys, but sometimes you have to take a chance, change your shape. I'll never understand the people who think a draw is such a great result from a points perspective. If you lose a couple of games going for wins and win a couple in the same manner you will end up ahead. If not at least you had a go. The odd point gained from drawing really only helps further down the league. Man City have lost less than any other team in the league and yet are miles off the top due to draws. What I'm saying is that in the race for 4th there's two results - winning and failing to win. That's all that matters. And yet on days like today our team seems happy enough with the point. Arrghh. For my money (and people will probably hate me going back to this) I'd still love to see 4-5-1 with Gabby up front. I think it brings out the best in our players. There's so many people saying 'Heskey was better than Carew, don't slag Heskey.' The point is neither should be in the team when they play like that. I like Heskey, I see what he offers, but he doesn't suit us one bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutByEaster? Posted March 13, 2010 Moderator Share Posted March 13, 2010 In the context of the season as a whole a point away at Stoke is a decent result, not a great result but decent enough. In the context of where we are right now in the season it's a result that causes a bit more frustration than it perhaps should, it's impact seems immediate when there's still a fair bit of this race still to run. For me, the result ain't bad, I'm happy enough with it I guess. The performance on the other hand was poor, the performance at Reading was poor apart from twenty minutes and we're not always going to click for twenty minutes. We missed Gabby and I think the midfield was tired. With Heskey playing almost a midfield link man this season, we've gone for a bit more solidity in the middle which in theory lets Young, Milner and Downing play. That doesn't work with Carew up front, he's not mobile or busy enough. What happens is that the defence gets comfortable and presses onto our midfield where even with Heskey helping out, Young, Milner and Downing don't get to play. If Gabby isn't fit, it's either got to be Heskey and Delfouneso or Carew on his own for me. I think the two of them together are poor. We lacked fluidity and rhythm and sounded like we were a little anxious. Reasonable result, worrying performance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSufferingVilla Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Most difficult game we've had all season, delighted to get a point out of it. Collins and Dunne simply superb. Would have preferred to see both Downing and Ash Young spend more time in the middle as there simply wasn't any room to move out wide on the narrow pitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewiek2 Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 They had us sussed from the start and MON refused to change. That about sums it up for me. Thought Warnock was MOTM personally, offensively every one of midfield and strikeforce was shit today. The wind is swirling and making it bad out there so we do what? kept lump it forward to 2 strikers who frankly looked as if running around a bit was beyond them. THe final balls were just piss poor. Midfield went missing far too often, and we had not answer to Stoke sitting deep and hitting us on the break. Fair play to Stoke, they had a game plan and it worked. Villa's game plan did not, and ditherer had no idea how to, or a reluctance to, change it. Perhaps if he got them to actually pass and move and pull Stoke out of position a bit more it would've been a good start. Yes, a point away isn't a bad result, however, with some balls from the manager to have a back up plan and a bit more belief in his team to pass the thing instead of boring long balls it could have been so much more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic_bouma Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 good result when you think of the decent teams that have lost there.... defence were great and they needed to be.... Petrov was good but the rest of midfield and attack were below par... Downing was particularly turd... gotta beat Wigan now on Tuesday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4Serious Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Also note that Gabby was apparently fit. MON mentions in his interview on the BBC website that 'it was a combination of everything' (ie. Gabby's late return to training/missing the last match, Carew's hat-trick, Heskey+Carew's height) that made him not play Gabby, going on to say that it's only 'the second time in the 3 and a half years I've been here when Gabby hasn't played other than through illness or injury.' The quotes are paraphrased from memory, but basically Gabby was rested/dropped. I don't have a massive (any) problem with it to start the game as his reasons are sound, but it's interesting. He should have been brought on sooner if he was fit enough, though. I thought that was a mistake. edit- Obviously the benefit now is that Gabby has had quite a nice rest over the last two weeks to get ready for all the games coming up in a row. Hopefully we'll see the benefit. If we do, this point will seem all the better considering Gabby got a rest out of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonyh29 Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 good result when you think of the decent teams that have lost there.... which decent teams would that be ? in the league they have failed to beat any of the top sides Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanky Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 good result when you think of the decent teams that have lost there.... which decent teams would that be ? in the league they have failed to beat any of the top sides True but Man City couldn't beat them there with an extra man for half an hour and Liverpool could only draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
commander Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 Another sack of shit performance. Terrible game. Terrible performance. Terrible tactics from an exceptionally overrated manager. Quite funny how everyone is slagging of Heskey, Carew did nothing. He was shit like he's been all season, 5 goals agaisnt teams struggling to avoid league 1 - 3 of which were pens doesn't make me think he's decent. Carew should have been first to make way - he was given a chance and didn't take it (again) - what's worse is that he didn't even try. Heskey isn't the answer for goals, but he's solid and gives his all, let him tire out and then bring on Delfouneso for the last 20 mins. Why no albrighton on the bench? 2 right-backs on teh bench again. It's **** retarded. Why the **** would we ever need two rightbacks? We're lucky Blues did us a favour cos I could've seen Everton overtake us. Why don't we ever try to win these games? It really annoys the shit out of me. Ratings. Mostly 6 - meh Carew - 3 did nothing Downing - 5 **** up a lot of the time he got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic_bouma Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 good result when you think of the decent teams that have lost there.... which decent teams would that be ? in the league they have failed to beat any of the top sides i was thinking of arsenal just the one then Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wol. Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 I had money on the 0-0 , no goal scorers on either side. Agree carew was just as bad as hesk, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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