Ratings and reactions: QPR 1-1 Villa

[flamingsombrero]

I think we're going to get steamrollered by some teams this season, but if Eck can get them playing entire games like todays second half then we'll win enough to keep us mid-table.

That's definitely what I took away from today's game. It's a big IF though.

[Mallam]

Thought we bossed the second half, unbeaten and will still have the same muppets moaning, think about it...we could be Birmingham City scrapping a lucky draw against Barnsley at home.

There was me being all depressed because we played shit again. Your take on life has made me feel so much better.

Yep played shit first half and still unbeaten think when we start to play well

[steve-67]

From the 35 minute mark, I thought we controlled the game and never really looked in danger. Got lucky with the penalty and Hutton's hand ball and then in the 93rd minute our luck ran out, probably making up for such a crap first 35 minutes. Played well in parts although we still give the ball away when trying to beat that third man all the time. WTF was Collins doing with the header? At the end of the season, a point against sides like QPR might not be enough. Get fit Jenas and Bent, keep Ireland in the side and give him a run of games. Average performance 6 out of 10. Can do better, must start putting these sides to bed.

[Sani]

Hutton: 3, Bloody awful, especially when you see L Young playing for the opposition being a million times better in defence and attack.

I agree with all you wrote in that post but this? All of our good attacks came down Youngs side and he was dreadful defending, even Warnock had acres of space every time we attacked that side of the pitch.

[Hanky]

we played well for 10 mins of the game and scored. That 10mins shows as a team how well we can play and just how poor a team QPR are. Yet for some reason we played them like we feared them for the other 80mins.

This for me.

We showed we can play well for 10 minutes but it is beyond me that we have a spell of pressure and score, then just sit back.

N'Zogbia was poor yet again, Collins played well then complete undid all his good work for the goal, thought Hutton was slightly better today.

Our midfield was useless first half, chasing shadows. Second half slightly better. I'm annoyed with some of the performance but a draw was a more than fair result.

Oh and I thought it was a pen, too.

[VamosMiAstonVilla]

First half was the embarrassing relegation football that we've seen for most of the season.

Second half we came out playing a lot better. Pass the ball and we play better shocker! Not feeling the Delph hate he played a big part in a lot of our stuff going forward in the 2nd half.

N'Zogbia looks very timid and low on confidence he should be told to just keep it simple until he improves. I did try and warn people who were celebrating his arrival like the rebirth of Christ that he is no Ashley Young.

I do actually think Mcleish is trying to get us to play it on the floor as well. You often hear him shouting stuff to that effect. BUT we need to sacrifice more players forward instead of sitting back a lot of the time or sit further up the pitch. We get boxed in far to often by teams that are really shit.

Ireland was mildly creative but still looks a little non-arsed.

James Collins - words fail me -confirmation you can make it in this country as a footballer by just being big and brave and not having any footballing skill at all. Should be dropped, and I should have taken football more seriously as a youngster.

Not sure why Albrighton was bought on, no balance, no footballing brain. Downing and Young made him look good last season.

We should never try and defend a lead, a proven pointless exercise.(well, for us anyway) If we score a goal we should go for number 2. Simples.

The only good stuff I seen today was the reschedule of Houllier's tippy tappy revolution.

Lets hope the players are working on it next week listening to Mcleish I'm sure they will be. Any ball hit in the air is a waste all our players are midgets! Tippy Tappy the way to go.

Oh and if Heskey is back next week lets hope Mcleish isn't daft enough to drop Bannan, and Bannan should be in the middle not on the wing.

With regards to whether we have had a good start or not the answer is no. 8 pts from the games we've had is definitely below par unless you're expecting us to finish 14 or below. Sod this unbeaten bull shit. But at least today there were signs of improvement.

Not sure I'm as confident as Ray Wilkins in thinking we'll be the surprise package this season. :confused: Can't see what he is basing that on.

[chappy]

Didn't think it was a pen and thought they should have had one. But I did think the ref gave them far too many decisions after our goal as if he was trying to make up for it.

Bannan was my motm today he looked very composed but sometimes needs to play a simpe ball rather than trying to take on another man. Dunne was great og aside but he can't be blamed for that, just wrong place wrong time. Leading on to my next point, another standard Collins mistake... he always tries hard but he needs to be dropped as soon as Clark is fit, We would be better going forward with CC in the team but also more shored up defensively.

Warnock was good today I though, surprised at the amount of neagtive ratings. Hutton seemed better but still not good enough.

I though Delph and Petrov were solid enough. Nzogbia I would say has two more games to rpove himself or just drop him, mayhbe that wil fire a rocket up his arse because it looks like he has forgotten how to do what should be simple stuff for a player of his quality. Thpught Ireland looked good, keep him in the team please.

Gabby did well with the service he had but we really cannot afford to keep leaving our strikers so isolated.

Given standard good performance.

Albrighton did okay except when he shouldve squared the ball to Weimann, who incidentally looked good for the short amount of time he was on, much hungrier than Fonz it seems and I'm glad he's back.

Good HT teamtalk from AM because as has been said we were woeful first half.

We didnt deserve to win overall but it felt like a loss. Need to beat Wigan.

Also well done to everyone who went, outsang QPR for ninety three and a half minutes.

Would have took a draw beforehand but it's sickening that we can't close out games like this where we need to get points on the board because Aguero and co are no doubt going to rip us a new one in a couple of weeks time.

[Ponky]

Just thought I'd mention that ripping free kick of Bannan's too. They were very lucky Kenny got a hand to it. I think relieving N'Zogbia of set piece duties sends him a bit of a message too.

[Mark8691]

The ref was definately our motm!

[Tomo]

The first half we put out there was dreadful, we couldn't get near them all half bar a decent spell towards the end of it. There was no interaction between the lines, Agbonlahor was completely isolated, Bannan and N'Zogbia didn't see any ball, our midfield didn't get anywhere near their's. So encouraging to see Ireland cover so many metres in the first half (more than anyone else on the pitch). The second half was a lot better, transitions were better and our three forwards weren't so isolated. Warnock and Hutton overlapping along with Ireland and Delph supporting and sometimes getting beyond the front three really added another dimension to our play, shame about the OG. We really need that to happen on a more consistent level.

Positives:

Our desperation defending is actually quite good.

As tough as the first half was, no one was hiding.

The second half.

Ireland and Bannan in particular had very good games.

For all of QPR's dominance in that first half the closest they came was Taarabt's speculator that hit the post.

Negatives:

We can't seem to keep the ball under pressure.

James Collins is terrible on the ball and Dunne isn't much better.

Gave them too much time in the first half.

MOTM: Ireland or Bannan.

[quizme]

Albrighton really needs to get some footballing brain in to his head. He makes so much mistakes late in the games, stupid freekicks, misplaced passes, passes that didn´t come (the one that he should have played for Weimann..) and so on. But I guess that´ll come with experience.

Ireland - First half=What the **** was that? I thought he would get subbed at halftime, second half much much better!

Dunne - great performance, the OG nothing to do about.

[Shillzz]

Will keep this one simple...

For anyone who went to Villa Park and endured the games against Newcastle and Bolton, the second half atleast provided some promise.

Good:

Ireland

Bannan

Dunne

Given (which is a given)

OK:

Gabby

Warnock

Petrov

Collins

Poor:

Hutton

Delph

Nzogbia

[Willy_Evergo]

A big problem looming for us is our disciplinary record. Players will start getting suspended very quickly if we keep shipping cards like we have already this season. Petrov and Gabby are already on 3 each.

[Richard]

Absolutely delighted we avoided a defeat

[Jon]

Some of the football we played in the 2nd half suggested brighter times on the horizon ...

[briny_ear]

First match I've attended this season and by about 40 minutes I was beginning to wonder why I'd bothered. Best moment was the loud cheer from the Villa faithful when we got our first corner, which I think was around 38 minutes. I think I'm right in saying we hadn't had a shot, on or off target, either by that point. Fortunately for us, QPR seem utterly clueless in front of goal. They had pretty much the run of midfield and were making good inroads down the wings but had no clue how to get the ball to a forward to have a shot. A really strange first half.

We did pick up in the last 5 minutes or so - you sensed the players had maybe spotted McLeish getting increasingly apoplectic on the touchline and wanted to have something to mollify him with when the went in for their half time chat. Great free kick by wee Barry - let's hope he gets the chance to see many more of these - and a really good save to keep the scores at 0-0.

The transformation in the second half was amazing. Villa just came out and took over the game. The midfield were buzzing, slick passing movements, great positioning, running well for each other, playing much higher up the pitch and shredding the QPR midfield and back 4 with ease. Even more amazingly, the one who looked most determined and sharpest was Ireland - my MOTM - who was really orchestrating the midfield effort. The other inpressive thing was the players' awareness of each others' positions and the accuracy and foresightedness of the passing. Shame Gabby was having an off day. If Bent had been playing, I reckon we would have got 1 or 2 and that would have been game over. As it was, the ref intervened on our behalf and awarded a penalty for an offence that I'm sure only he had seen in the entire ground. And, having watched carefully the TV replays later, I think you would need special video analysing technology to get even a hint of the offence. Still, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth and the penalty was well taken by Bannan. It should have set us up to press on, get a 2nd goal and wrap up the game but it didn't quite happen and we increasingly got pressed further back. Their goal in the end was a bit lucky but you couldn't say it wasn't deserved for all their effort.

I thought all the midfield did well in the 2nd half, Ireland in particular, but Delph and N'Zogbia did well and Bannan, after a first half of largely chasing round failing to get the ball, started to have an impact.

No idea why McLeish substituted Bannan with Albrighton - maybe he was hoping to give the forward play some new impetus as we were coming under more pressure. As it is, we probably suffered from the fact that Bannan defends better than Albrighton, who is a bit of a liabilty in that area TBF.

On the way home I reflected that the players are maybe naturally resorting to cautious play, even against poor sides like QPR, because they haven't adjusted to the loss of our two iconic stars and are still unsettled after the prolonged spell of tactical confusion and managerial chaos and clownery last season. Maybe, just maybe, McLeish is starting to get them to see how they can play pacy, accurate, progressive football with the squad we now have. If they can build on the approach they took in the first 25 minutes or so of the 2nd half (and if we can get Bent fit and back in the side with his scoring boots on) then things might not look quite so flaky by the end of November, after which the fixture list starts to look a bit hotter.

BTW, rubbishy little ground, poor attendance, but a great show by the Villa fans. Particularly liked the counter chant of "boring boring Villa" as we ripped QPR apart at the start of the 2nd half. But they made a LOT of noise throughout.

[wedge]

First match I've attended this season and by about 40 minutes I was beginning to wonder why I'd bothered. Best moment was the loud cheer from the Villa faithful when we got our first corner, which I think was around 38 minutes. I think I'm right in saying we hadn't had a shot, on or off target, either by that point. Fortunately for us, QPR seem utterly clueless in front of goal. They had pretty much the run of midfield and were making good inroads down the wings but had no clue how to get the ball to a forward to have a shot. A really strange first half.

We did pick up in the last 5 minutes or so - you sensed the players had maybe spotted McLeish getting increasingly apoplectic on the touchline and wanted to have something to mollify him with when the went in for their half time chat. Great free kick by wee Barry - let's hope he gets the chance to see many more of these - and a really good save to keep the scores at 0-0.

The transformation in the second half was amazing. Villa just came out and took over the game. The midfield were buzzing, slick passing movements, great positioning, running well for each other, playing much higher up the pitch and shredding the QPR midfield and back 4 with ease. Even more amazingly, the one who looked most determined and sharpest was Ireland - my MOTM - who was really orchestrating the midfield effort. The other inpressive thing was the players' awareness of each others' positions and the accuracy and foresightedness of the passing. Shame Gabby was having an off day. If Bent had been playing, I reckon we would have got 1 or 2 and that would have been game over. As it was, the ref intervened on our behalf and awarded a penalty for an offence that I'm sure only he had seen in the entire ground. And, having watched carefully the TV replays later, I think you would need special video analysing technology to get even a hint of the offence. Still, you don't look a gift horse in the mouth and the penalty was well taken by Bannan. It should have set us up to press on, get a 2nd goal and wrap up the game but it didn't quite happen and we increasingly got pressed further back. Their goal in the end was a bit lucky but you couldn't say it wasn't deserved for all their effort.

I thought all the midfield did well in the 2nd half, Ireland in particular, but Delph and N'Zogbia did well and Bannan, after a first half of largely chasing round failing to get the ball, started to have an impact.

No idea why McLeish substituted Bannan with Albrighton - maybe he was hoping to give the forward play some new impetus as we were coming under more pressure. As it is, we probably suffered from the fact that Bannan defends better than Albrighton, who is a bit of a liabilty in that area TBF.

On the way home I reflected that the players are maybe naturally resorting to cautious play, even against poor sides like QPR, because they haven't adjusted to the loss of our two iconic stars and are still unsettled after the prolonged spell of tactical confusion and managerial chaos and clownery last season. Maybe, just maybe, McLeish is starting to get them to see how they can play pacy, accurate, progressive football with the squad we now have. If they can build on the approach they took in the first 25 minutes or so of the 2nd half (and if we can get Bent fit and back in the side with his scoring boots on) then things might not look quite so flaky by the end of November, after which the fixture list starts to look a bit hotter.

BTW, rubbishy little ground, poor attendance, but a great show by the Villa fans. Particularly liked the counter chant of "boring boring Villa" as we ripped QPR apart at the start of the 2nd half. But they made a LOT of noise throughout.

"One-nil, to the boring team" also made me chuckle into my pint as well.

[Copey11]

Some positives:

It was clear from the off that AM wants us to press harder, something many on this board (myself included) were calling for. It just seems it took us 30 minutes to settle into that style as the players weren't sure when to press and when to set up more defensively. This is an important dynamic because if one presses and another makes a different decision, gaps are opened up. We seemed to get more of a collective sense of when to play that way after 30 minutes, and grew in confidence thereafter.

Ireland and Bannan will benefit from this style greatly, as I think that they are very effective both individually and together when we pressure and create turnovers in midfield that they can quickly counter using their quick touches and good vision. Ireland made some excellent passes and runs off the ball. It will come with more time together, but his quick distribution from the center followed by his runs made some openings that we just didn't exploit.

Richard Dunne is playing really really well right now, very unfortunate OG. He spends A LOT of time covering for Collins, and a bit for Warnock as he not only gets beat occasionally, he also gets himself in very bad positions at times, though I can't fault his effort.

Also, Petrov played very solidly yesterday. He really does make a lot of good decisions in possession, if taking the conservative route a bit too often for my liking. He has a good sense of the tempo of the game, and it is good to see, again from the off, that both Delph and Petrov were given license to get forward.

Negatives:

Collins is a mess right now. While a little better at distribution today (read: less hoof), he still makes poor decisions about when to clear, distribute, or hoof. His positioning is all over the place and gaps are being created. So many times Dunne and Warnock had to both slide to their right to cover because Collins got beat or chose to mark the wrong man.

Delph and Bannan. This is not a severe negative, and I do believe this is a sympton of being inexperienced at this level, as they both clearly have talent. As referenced by many, Delph's touch really let him down the last few games, and it really kills us. It was clear that we wanted to press and create turnovers in midfield, and we did only to have Delph give it back with the whole team moving in the wrong direction, especially the first 30 minutes. As for BB, I like his willingness to take on a player, his technical ability and linking with Ireland, and I want him to keep trying, but when he gives it away, or we lose possession, he becomes a real liability. Don't get me wrong, he hustles, but I never really see him win the ball back, and combined with the fact that his style of play will always result in giving the ball away at times (I don't have a problem with that), it hurts the midfield at times.

Zog. There's a player in there, but now he's pressing - making poor decisions as he tries to do too much and make an impression, taking a man on when there's a pass to play and vice versa. I don't fault him, he's putting pressure on himself to perform, but again it results in giving the ball away when we are going the other direction.

[villa4europe]

I think the 2nd handball was a pen but the 1st one wasn't

as for ours IMO it's the danger of going too far down the technology route, just because sky haven't got a conclusive angle of it's not a pen? Ref was well place and the lino would have had a better angle than anyone, dermot gallagher giving it some bollocks about it being no different to Leicester vs Cardiff it's completely different IMO traore pulled back a man he'd lost

Why isnt warnock furious about bothroyd not being sent off for leading with his arm or traore not getting a straight red for denying a goalscoring opportunity? Because he's a word removed that's why

[VillaAndLoyal]

BTW, rubbishy little ground, poor attendance, but a great show by the Villa fans. Particularly liked the counter chant of "boring boring Villa" as we ripped QPR apart at the start of the 2nd half. But they made a LOT of noise throughout.

They made a lot of noise? I am actually stunned at that comment, if you were indeed referring to Queens Park Rangers fans. That was easily the quietest away ground I have been to for a while.

Their support was worse than the Emirates, worse than Fulham and worse than Blackburn, hell even worse than Wigan. None of their fans in the whole ground were standing and they made little to no noise throughout - until we caved in on 93 minutes.

Our fans on the other hand were a different class, as you have correctly alluded to. I just cannot fathom how any Villa fan, in that away end, could have thought QPR made a lot of noise throughout. They were beyond dire.