FAC:SF vs Chelsea Ratings & Reactions

[harrywrose1]

Briggamans post was spot on. Although I wouldn't hve been so diplomatic as to say terry was fortunate to stay on the pitch. More he's a **** disgraceful piece of scum who did milner and definately should have been sent off! It was a disgusting tackle that only a piece if shit like terry would do to another Englishman with the world cup coming up, cos he can't help it, like his drug dealing word removed of a father!!Imagine the uproar if he did that to one of wengers little boys? As it's milner and he gets on with it they don't say anything.

For those 10 mins in the second half, it was amazing, we were so loud singing my old man it wasn't true, watched it back on the tele and it shows how good we were. Possibly the best I've ever witnessed us! Problem was we got carried away with it, they had a break and scored a flukey goal from the resulting corner. Knocked the stuffing out of us and as people have sad no real plan B comes out.

Extremely proud to be a villa fan again. Let's just hope well win one next season!

[reykjavik]

Despite the non penalty, it wasn't down to to the ref that we didn't have a meaningful shot on target for the rest of the game, nor that once again we totally gave up at the end. As for bringing on Heskey - how inspirational. Not.

O'Neill clearly doesn't have the tactical or motivational ability required at the highest level. I hope he does the decent thing and pushes off at the end of the season.

I think you are unfair, we simply need bigger squad. We need better strikers and need extra player for rotation.

[Borgs]

I should've commended the Villa support, also. The voices of those in attendance came bursting through the TV speakers like I haven't heard since.... maybe the last time I heard Villa supporters make such noise. Well done if you were there.

[JAMAICAN-VILLAN]

Pissed again and maybe no sensible comment.....one of those days where i actually just feel bad for the boys (our team)... we didn't deserve to lose like that....can imagine how dejected they feel.......just hope we can pick ourselves up from this. Fear we will not....

[srsmithusa]

I don't agree that Petrov tires.

I do agree that the referee was fine except for the PK. Malouda holding Gabby. Terry for a horror tackle. It's probably just coincidence that they all went in Chelsea favor.

I thought Milner throwing the ball into Alex's back to allow himself the second touch was hilarious.

I don't agree that we created no chances. Milner missed by less than a foot. Carew's flick missed by very little. Cech was frantic in his effort to push out a cross from Ashley.

I do agree we should have created more chances.

I thought Chelsea first goal was a really poor headed clearance from Dunne. And that most of our team relaxed cause Dunne was heading clear as always. We were flat footed and drifted off our marks of Terry who wanked it, and Drogba who didn't.

I thought the sheer luck of that goal off a bad clearance be a man that doesn't make bad clearances added on top of the lack of the PK call crushed our spirit (we're doomed - we never catch a break). I did not think it made us too tired to play.

I would have liked to see Delph on for Petrov (for speed and quickness, not for tiredness, which I agree with others is a myth) and Delf on with Cuellar making room (just for attacking intention when behind). But it would not have helped. It would have looked good to the cynics. MON doesn't make decisions to shut up the critics. I probably would. I don't manage a football club.

[PauloBarnesi]

sign of an average team - play the tough luck card, blame the ref etc....

Is that how you describe Chelsea (after they went out last year against Barça?), Arsenal (Wenger again and again), Man U (this week against Bayern Munich and numerous times??), etc, etc. Doesn’t matter where you are in the league or cup, fans and managers love to blame the ref...

[cbr600rr]

had a great day out,the "green man pub" was rocking! ..the game; played well first half,worked hard & closed them down,still lacked a cutting edge,you still felt if villa were to make a impact on the goal it was maybe was down to "luck,a slip", villa played typical villa with lots of huff & puff but just carnt blow the house down, yes the big descions went their way,thats how it goes it seems,lets take it on the chin.. with 10 mins to go i felt hollow when mon introduced heskey,.. this was plan B, win or bust! we got hit with 2 more. i thought mon might have gone 4-5-1 from the start as we have produced our best football imho then plan b is carew...

[ozvillafan]

Overall, I was happy with Villa's performance. First half in particular was outstanding and we were unlucky not to have scored. Yes there is improvement in the squad still - but I thought they deserved something from this game. And no bitching about the referee for mine - if you do not expect big decisions to go against you in these games then you simply did not prepare properly. End of.

What had me livid, though, was not using any substitutes until the final 7 minutes.

You can say what you like about fitness and lasting a full game but the simple facts are that you can expend more energy running around the pitch if you know you have 20 minutes in total compared to 90 minutes and it will take some time for the other team to adjust to a new player - even if that player is "lesser quality".

Chelsea made 3 substitutions - we made 1. They made their changes earlier in the 2nd half (65th minute for Kalou) - we waited until 7 minutes to go. That's 3 fresh players busting their guts vs 1. And it showed in the end. Now you can say what you like about the quality of Chelsea's bench - the fact remains that (for mine) Ancellotti replaced 3 players with LESSER substitutes. Kalou, Ballack and Anelka are NOT as good as Cole, Deco and Drogba - yet Ancellotti used everything available to him to help turn over what was a stubborn rear resistance from Villa. When at last they succeeded....

...we did nothing! Nothing to change things up. Nothing different to cause some panic or create something new. Say what you like about the quality of Sidwell, Delph, Delf et al - the fact remains that they would have had more energy to burn, would have brought something unknown to Chelsea (even if only briefly) and would have busted a lung given the chance!

So why did we not use them? Why did we let Chelsea get a look in and do nothing to ask new questions of them? What did MON expect the original 11 could do different from what had happened in the previous 83 minutes?

It's simply not good enough. And it's this stubbornness that is seeing us fail in the back end of games and, it appears, also in the back end of seasons. This has to change. Period.

[Maradona10]

People saying MONs diverting attention should read the press reports from the observer, quality report and spot on!

[Denis_B]

A bench of Kalou, Bollock and Anelka v Heskey, Sidwell and Delph - some difference in that let alone the starting 11 - the team played well but unfortunately class always tells against a team that has only one idea of how to play the game

Carew is a lumbering oaf except against Championship quality when he looks a wold beater, Young still won't take players on and beat them he has to fart around and misses the simple pass

[Foxy1]

MON was pissed off and rightly so. **** John Terry.

MON might be pissed off about this and the 'penalty', but I think its a very valuable diversion tactic or him.

Diversion from what?

Thats pretty obvious.

But if you need it spelt out...he is diverting attention from the abstract failure of his team to muster a single decent atempt on goal in 90 mins.

He is diverting attention from the fact that despite his captain being being absolutely knackered, he was unable to change things and bring some fresh legs to the team when they badly needed it.

He is diverting attention from the fact that our best hope of rescuing the game was to bring on **** Heskey.

He is diverting attention from the fact that he is tactically inept, and when push comes to shove and when we REALLY,REALLY need a result, HIS team is not good enough.

mate what planet are you on? Seriously...

Chelsea are going to win the Premier League, they are one of the top 3 sides in the world right now. They had 3 of their first choice defence out but were able to call on 3 £10m+ players in Alex, Ferreira and Zirkhov to come in. They had Anelka and Ballack on the bench!

Anyone criticising MON for not being able to compete with that is living in a dream world

Our boys did very well yesterday and were unlucky. Ok we could have brought on Delf and Delph but do we honestly think these young boys could have made a difference in a game like this? Hopefully in a few years these two will be big players for us but not right now.

[thetrees]

I was immensely proud yesterday. Proud of the team and proud to be a Villa fan.

I was fortunate enough to be sitting about 10 rows behind the dug out, in the 'neutral' seats. The noise from the Villa faithful was 'awesome', as commented by a number of neutrals around me. Chelsea had a bunch of about 20 blokes trying to get their crowd going, but that didn't work until the 67th minute. The performance of our crowd was immense, and the shiver has only just about left my spine!

I thought the team were magnificent, and on another day would have won. My immediate after-match reaction was that 'the difference' between us and the (so-called) top 4 is a top class striker, in yesterday's case Drogba, but in all fairness we have players who can take advantage of a lucky break as well. Once again, it just wasn't our day.

This season we have had our Wembley rehearsals, next season we will taste Wembley glory.

[Maradona10]

Great Post!! Got to give those boys a great reception on Wednesday!

[rjshare]

MON was pissed off and rightly so. **** John Terry.

MON might be pissed off about this and the 'penalty', but I think its a very valuable diversion tactic or him.

Diversion from what?

Thats pretty obvious.

But if you need it spelt out...he is diverting attention from the abstract failure of his team to muster a single decent atempt on goal in 90 mins.

He is diverting attention from the fact that despite his captain being being absolutely knackered, he was unable to change things and bring some fresh legs to the team when they badly needed it.

He is diverting attention from the fact that our best hope of rescuing the game was to bring on **** Heskey.

He is diverting attention from the fact that he is tactically inept, and when push comes to shove and when we REALLY,REALLY need a result, HIS team is not good enough.

mate what planet are you on? Seriously...

Chelsea are going to win the Premier League, they are one of the top 3 sides in the world right now. They had 3 of their first choice defence out but were able to call on 3 £10m+ players in Alex, Ferreira and Zirkhov to come in. They had Anelka and Ballack on the bench!

Anyone criticising MON for not being able to compete with that is living in a dream world

Our boys did very well yesterday and were unlucky. Ok we could have brought on Delf and Delph but do we honestly think these young boys could have made a difference in a game like this? Hopefully in a few years these two will be big players for us but not right now.

i think the point is that mon doesnt give the players that he has the best chance of competing, not that the defeat is the managers fault.

[Foxy1]

I don't agree that Petrov tires.

I do agree that the referee was fine except for the PK. Malouda holding Gabby. Terry for a horror tackle. It's probably just coincidence that they all went in Chelsea favor.

I thought Milner throwing the ball into Alex's back to allow himself the second touch was hilarious.

I don't agree that we created no chances. Milner missed by less than a foot. Carew's flick missed by very little. Cech was frantic in his effort to push out a cross from Ashley.

I do agree we should have created more chances.

I thought Chelsea first goal was a really poor headed clearance from Dunne. And that most of our team relaxed cause Dunne was heading clear as always. We were flat footed and drifted off our marks of Terry who wanked it, and Drogba who didn't.

I thought the sheer luck of that goal off a bad clearance be a man that

doesn't make bad clearances added on top of the lack of the PK call crushed our spirit (we're doomed - we never catch a break). I did not think it made us too tired to play.

I would have liked to see Delph on for Petrov (for speed and quickness, not for tiredness, which I agree with others is a myth) and Delf on with Cuellar making room (just for attacking intention when behind). But it would not have helped. It would have looked good to the cynics. MON doesn't make decisions to shut up the critics. I probably would. I don't manage a football club.

I agree with every word of this great post mate

[Foxy1]

i think the point is that mon doesnt give the players that he has the best chance of competing, not that the defeat is the managers fault.

Sorry what do you mean by that?

[shambles]

Have to agree with Mike Field on Vitalfootball

It was ours to lose it and it was ours to tire just as Terry said. Sadly we did both without much of a whimper unless you class Heskey on again as anything more than a whimper?

Ok caste iron penalty and at least two red cards again we can blame as proof we should've been 1-0 up and playing 10 men for most of the match, and 9 for the period we shall now call 'the final Villa flop' which could've made a difference but truth be told, just like Man U we could've been playing 8 men and I'm not convinced we'd have won.

1 decent cross in every 10 attempts is not good enough. 3 shots on target all match is thoroughly pathetic. I could go on and on but I won't.

All that is brilliant about the Villa was on show in the first half, all that is wrong with us - players and manager - was on show all match. Effort, commitment was fantastic...dare I say terrific. They gave their all, but when their all runs out substitutes don't. They stay sat on the bench, just like different ideas stay sat in the brains of other managers.

Chelsea knew exactly how we'd set up, how we'd play and what we'd do. When we had them on the ropes we needed to do something different, something to confuse them, something to shake them up. We didn't, so it was only a matter of time and Chelsea were worthy of their 3 goals...it could've been more and even the most blinkered Villan can only claim a penalty and a red card. Not much in the grand scheme of things is it?

It's easy to be angry over our failings again, the lack of subs, lack of plan B etc etc etc but it's also very easy to be proud of the lads today. The first half was magnificent and all you could ask for. Even the second half when tiredness hit, yes it took it's toll but they didn't give up running, they kept going the best they could even if it wasn't good enough. We were playing Chelsea afterall.

Good mix of emotions at the moment and I promised to do a match report but I'm not sure I can after that, I'm not sure what I'd put. It's easy rambling, I don't have to make sense.

We have hit our level though, our failings, and those of the manager mean we'll get no further. That doesn't mean we haven't done well though. We're in the hunt for Top 6 again this season, we've bagged a final and a semi final in the domestic cups (we'll ignore the Europa feckups) so all in we haven't done too badly...I just go to sleep every night wondering how much better we could be doing and that's what sticks with me.

I said at halftime to much giggle bring on Delph and Delboy and take off Downing and Ash. Go 433 because Chelsea would never see it coming, they'd have a hell's game organising marking because nowhere in their week would they have planned for that. It would've been both a brave decision, but also ridiculous, lunatic and mental. The alternative was what we do every game, which rarely works. Heskey on, I'm surprised we didn't see Sidwell - but the outcome was what everybody could expect and saw coming. Great managers do things nobody expects, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. We do what everyone expects, namely because it's what we've done for months. That's what is stopping me from truly enjoying today, second half we knew we'd lose, our legs were going, Chelsea were coming back into and we did the same we always do. Had Monny done something mental at halftime and we'd still lost I'd be a hell of a lot happier at the moment. At least it would've been an effort.

It takes no intelligence or effort to simply do the same thing we do every match that invariably brings the same bloody result.

Read more: http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/stats.asp?a=7504136#ixzz0kmG2xPmw

[Nigel]

I was immensely proud yesterday. Proud of the team and proud to be a Villa fan.

I was fortunate enough to be sitting about 10 rows behind the dug out, in the 'neutral' seats. The noise from the Villa faithful was 'awesome', as commented by a number of neutrals around me. Chelsea had a bunch of about 20 blokes trying to get their crowd going, but that didn't work until the 67th minute. The performance of our crowd was immense, and the shiver has only just about left my spine!

I thought the team were magnificent, and on another day would have won. My immediate after-match reaction was that 'the difference' between us and the (so-called) top 4 is a top class striker, in yesterday's case Drogba, but in all fairness we have players who can take advantage of a lucky break as well. Once again, it just wasn't our day.

This season we have had our Wembley rehearsals, next season we will taste Wembley glory.

Great post.

I woke today expecting to feel like shit, robbed again, but all i feel is pride.

The fans were fantastic yesterday. We showed what football is all about, supporting your team, and having a good time with it (I just cant get 'My old man' out of my head). I wonder how many of the Chelsea 'fans' have this feeling now?

We will be back, stronger next season, and better prepared for these kind of pressure situations.

UTV

[sellyoakvilla]

The one thing I will always remember from these two games is the amazing atmosphere. I've never witnessed anything like it before from our team or anyone elses. Really proud of everyone even though we lost. It just wasn't to be this year, nevermind.

[PauloBarnesi]

I was fortunate enough to be sitting about 10 rows behind the dug out, in the 'neutral' seats.

I was in the same area; no shirts etc... I thought it was just Villa in that area, until Chelsea scored when a few of them stood up and started ‘celebrating’, unzipping tops to show Chelsea shirts, etc.

The fans were great