Ratings and Reactions: Villa 0-0 sha

[smetrov]

NRC MOTM - Did what was needed in a local derby. Downing was poor.

We looked at our best when Bannan and Carew came on.

I worry about GH to be honest - he doesn't seem to have the respect of the players - I can't share people optimism that he is going to pluck a couple superstars from the backwaters of the french league. If he could do that he wouldn't be working as administrator for the french FA.

[OutByEaster?]

We got what we came for - a nil-nil draw - as a performance it's job done, as a statement of intent from the manager it shows a complete lack of ambition.

It also shows our lack of quality.

Without Gabby we have no threat - I'd be surprised to see Carew too often before he goes in January, Delfouneso is invisible to Houllier and Heskey does a good job but it doesn't include scoring goals.

Our chances of scoring today relied on Ashley Young beating four men or Reo Coker bursting through, neither of which seemed likely.

Did we wait 70 minutes for our first corner?

In midfield, I thought Reo Coker was our best player, but he is limited, he's got drive, energy and the ability to break up play and get you the ball, but he needs help in there with the rest.

Petrov is injured, Downing is just okay, Young is a great winger who doesn't want to play there, Bannan is lively but is also limited, albeit in a very different way to Reo Coker and Sidwell isn't good enough to compete for a top six side. As a unit, our midfield at the moment just isn't strong enough.

At the back we look solid, I thought Clark looked comfortable as a defensive midfielder, comfortable but unnecessary in the context of the game. Our back four doesn't worry me so much.

On that performance though, we're four or five players away from competing for the top six and I'll be much happier when we've got forty points on the board.

It's not about tactics, it's not about injuries, it's about quality - we just don't have enough of it at the moment.

It's not about 'them' either, they're a mid to lower table side who matched us today and indeed were much better than us for forty five minutes. If I ask myself why small heath can match us or why Burnley can take us into extra time, the answer I keep coming up with is that this is our level. We're 10th-15th on recent showings.

We'd best win the next game we play against these, because that league cup quarter final is our season.

[paddy]

It had 0-0 written all over it anyway, but when that team was released, it just confirmed it really. Far too defensive, reminded me of Taylor's first derby at the sty with Ronny Johnsen in midfield. At least this one didn't backfire so spectacularly.

Having said that Clark did very well, he just shouldn't have been there. Or if he was then it should have been instead of Sidwell really.

Honourable mention for Bannan too who looked decent and almost scored. Winning a header against Zigic (I think) too was brilliant We need Gabby back asap, any news on him?

I'll give the poll another 24 hours or so before working out the player of the month.

[jackbauer24]

A point is a fair result, neither team did enough to win. I suppose the plus side for Villa is that we relatively comfortably held them despite being depleted and having a very poor game. However we've been playing poorly most of the season.

The players are generally not being awful, they're just not playing as a team - and they're average.

Freidel - Solid, not much to do.

L Young - Think he is a good RB and always happy to see him there over anyone else we have. Solid defensively.

Warnock - OK, you get the feeling he sometimes loses track of the game and that means he has a few lunges - hence so many yellows.

Dunne - Certainly not the Dunne of last season, lacks confidence, strength and pace. Lucky Jerome wasn't on earlier.

Clark - What the hell was he doing in midfield?! But to be fair to him did an effective defensive job.

Collins - The ball is a bomb, kick it away as far as possible - don't bother to look just kick it.... More composure needed.

Sidwell - Ireland must have had a leg chopped off for Sidwell to be ahead of him, Sidwell shouldn't even make a reserves team.

Downing - Can be great, can be infuriating. Not a great performance, too many wayward passes but can make an impact.

A Young - Villa's only threat, he knows it and the responsibility is causing him to try and take on too much - needs creative support.

Reo-Coker - Adds a bite to the midfield, you know he won't back out of a challenge - will have more red cards than goals in a season though.

Heskey - Works hard, bit more belief this season but never ever going to be a goalscorer.

Bannan - Not the game for him, too physical and not enough vision to see other players.

Carew - Does what it says on the tin, physical and height - not much end product. Two strikers who just try to nod the ball on, but to who?

I can't see this team getting better until there are some reinforcements and returns from injury. I think Petrov is a bigger miss than some people recognise, he may not be spectacular but he is the link between defence and attack, NRC only goes backwards, Ireland only goes forwards.

Houllier concerns me, not sure he believes in the squad - fairly negative set up for a home game. Get the feeling he's biding his time til he can get some of his own players in. Strikers are needed desperately, two big strikers flicking on the ball to no-one is going to result in very few goals and he obviously has no faith in Delfounso who isn't even getting on as a sub - bit of pace may have worked today. And with all this work around passing and fitness it seems odd that we've suddenly taken to booting it forward to Heskey/ Carew again - loads of passing along the back line, to midlfield, back again and then to Friedel who boots it down field.

We're average and will probably end up around 10th/11th. Losing Milner, any manager, Petrov and Gabby to injury and early in a campaign is going to greatly damage you - regardless of effort to address it. Only bonus I see is that at least Blose will still be below us - they're looking at relegation of they can't threaten a team that played like we did today; and with all their key players back.

[jimmygreaves]

Any idea why Zigic wasn't red carded for flattening Collins?

Every single time the ball was falling towards him, he looked straight at the defender (not the ball) and jumped into him with a leading elbow.

He clearly did this on about 6 occasions.

[paddy]

Did anyone else think when Hleb was substituted: "Was Hleb really on the pitch?" Completely anonymous.

[Maradona10]

We got what we came for - a nil-nil draw - as a performance it's job done, as a statement of intent from the manager it shows a complete lack of ambition.

It also shows our lack of quality.

Without Gabby we have no threat - I'd be surprised to see Carew too often before he goes in January, Delfouneso is invisible to Houllier and Heskey does a good job but it doesn't include scoring goals.

Our chances of scoring today relied on Ashley Young beating four men or Reo Coker bursting through, neither of which seemed likely.

Did we wait 70 minutes for our first corner

In midfield, I thought Reo Coker was our best player, but he is limited, he's

got drive, energy and the ability to break up play and get you the ball, but

he needs help in there with the rest

Petrov is injured, Downing is just okay, Young is a great winger who doesn't

want to play there, Bannan is lively but is also limited, albeit in a very

different way to Reo Coker and Sidwell isn't good enough to compete for a

top six side. As a unit, our midfield at the moment just isn't strong enough.

At the back we look solid, I thought Clark looked comfortable as a defensive

midfielder, comfortable but unnecessary in the context of the game. Our

back four doesn't worry me so much.

On that performance though, we're four or five players away from competing

for the top six and I'll be much happier when we've got forty points on the

board.

It's not about tactics, it's not about injuries, it's about quality - we just don't

have enough of it at the moment.

It's not about 'them' either, they're a mid to lower table side who matched us today and indeed were much better than us for forty five minutes. If I ask

myself why small heath can match us or why Burnley can take us into extra

time, the answer I keep coming up with is that this is our level. We're 10th-

15th on recent showings.

We'd best win the next game we play against these, because that league cup quarter final is our season.

Great post, the way I see it our midfield/attack was a joke, are any of the midfielders any better than Barry or Milner? We've gone backwards in every sense, What must GMac and Cowans think of our midfield, they are static and the game passes them by!

[villadale]

We are 3 points of 5th

[HJ]

How can Houllier be called defensive when he brings bannan on and then carew?

He started with 3 defensive midfielders who are all pretty useless going forward, and Heskey up front alone.

he played a 451/433 i dont think its fair to say he was negative. What other options did he have? Ireland has hardly looked good lately.

He had options. Instead of 3 defensive midfielders he could have dropped one and

a) Played Bannan left, or in the middle with Ash left

played Ireland off Heskey and Ash left

c) played Fonz up front with Heskey

d) played Carew up front with Heskey

He chose 3 defensive midfielders because he just wanted to avoid a loss, not because he absolutely had to.

[chris_avfc]

Voted Reo for motm, Clark a close 2nd.

Heskey played well today.

Problem was we didnt have the Stan or Milner in the middle to play the better balls so we go wide as our main attack but Ash or DOwning didnt get the ball in to our outnumbered striker.

We were by far the better team, not dissapointed but not over the moon.

[Rob182]

I'm happy with a point. We have injuries to our first choice central midfielder, our best striker and Albrighton who has been in good form this season.

The formation was slightly negative by Houllier, but he didn't have too many other options.

He could have played Carew & Heskey upfront, but we all know that this is a very static forward pair which hasn't worked well in the past.

He could have played Ashley behind Heskey, Downing on one wing and Bannan on the other, but Bannan loses the ball too often and maybe Houllier thinks that Ash and Downing on the wings is more stable (offensively and defensively).

Either way, I'm happy. They'll treat this as a win, but let's be honest, we have injuries to some of our better players whereas they have a player on loan from Barca and an almost full strength squad.

The sha fans on the radio saying that they've caught up with us are still dreaming.

[Nigel]

MOTM to that bloke in front of the Doug Ellis!

(The one who fell over the hoardings after heading the ball, then got throw out to complete the pure embarrassment! )

[chris_avfc]

MOTM to that bloke in front of the Doug Ellis; The one who fell over the hoardings after heading the ball, then got throw out to complete the pure embarrassment!

What rocket polishers for taking him away though

[Nigel]

MOTM to that bloke in front of the Doug Ellis; The one who fell over the hoardings after heading the ball, then got throw out to complete the pure embarrassment!

What rocket polishers for taking him away though

Indeed!

[beasley14]

Still trying to work out how a goalkeeper can come for a ball, miss it completely, punch someone in the face, and get a goal kick for his troubles.

Terrible decision. That challenge was akin to the stuff Karl Henry has been dishing out.

Foster wiped Clarke out, with the potential for a terrible head injury and it went unpunished.

Just because he is a goalkeeper, it's okay for him to mistime a challenge. It's bullshit and sets a dangerous precedent.

It's a joke isn't it. Why do keepers have their own set of rules? If you catch someone after they have played the balll it's a foul. It's not just today it happens in every game, every week. The other one they do is come out to catch the ball with their knees up so they catch people in the face, isn't that the same as an overly forceful tackle which they have started punishing these days. Really pisses me off this.

[AndyClarke]

Young played behind Heskey most of the game, he even mostly defended as a striker ie. centrally blocking the passing lanes for their CB's. Defensively either Young/Sidwell/NRC scrambled to left every time Carr went forward.

No he didn't, he played from the left for the majority of the game but switched the to the right for a spell in the second half. There were times when he found himself furthest forward and played up front for a short while and Heskey dropped into left midfield.

For me that is why we were bereft of creativity, Young couldn't get on the ball and Heskey was horribly isolated because we played 4-1-4-1 rather than a more aggressive 4-4-1-1 with Young playing inside in the hole.

[Ponky]

We were very unbalanced in the first half - reminded me of the days Pertov/NRC were played at right-mid. Once Bannan came on and Young pushed wide I thought we started to trouble them.

No doubt all the scum fans will be moaning about how they deserved a penalty and a red card for NRC conveniently forgetting Foster punching Clark in the face and Zigic's elbow on Collins (not to mention Gardner's handball in the box).

I'm not one to celebrate the injuries of others but I have to admit I had a chuckle when Roger Johnson went down.

[Maradona10]

Clutching at straws, Clark headed the ball and should have put it away!

[IainG]

Blimey. I only listened to the 2nd half on the radio. Sounds like I saved myself some boredom.

[wedge]

1st half: Good opening 5-10 mins, Blues on top for last 20-25 mins of half

2nd half: Better side...better quality of football in the final third..no end product

Scoring goals tends to help in football and that is something we are not doing at the moment, I'm confident we will sort it out though.