Ratings and reactions: Villa 1-0 Fulham

[il_serpente]

Yes, least effective. Zog ran himself into dead ends time and again. TV commentator was pointing out that he looked lively but every time he got the ball in a good position he wasted it with the wrong decision, usually by trying to do it all himself. He contrasted the lack of end product from all of N'Zogbia's possession in good positions with Duff, who had the ball in Villa territory something like 3 times and turned all into chances. Albrighton wasted a number of crosses, but some were into good spots where a teammate should have been waiting; and at least he recognized that a teammate was in a better position than himself to make something happen.

The only thing wrong with the team's play today was inability to turn promising possession into real chances. That's not McLeish's fault. Whatever you think of him, if you watched this game objectively you could not fault him at all. Team selection, strategy, tactics and substitutions were all good today. He can't make the final pass himself. Yet reading some comments on this match thread you'd think he'd f**ked it up royally. Save the McLeish bashing for when he really deserves it. It's not as though you've been starved for opportunities...

[Harry]

Chris Herd is turning into a slim version of Gareth Barry isn't he

I thought he played really well. Others didn't rate him so high.

He did play really well and I think he is the key to our defence looking much more comfortable. He was the MotM for me yesterday. If he keeps on developing I don't think we will be looking in the transfer market for a DM.

As for the rest I think Gabby and Albrighton were poor but both still represent a threat and draw defenders, Gabby particularly. Cuellar was outstanding and is by far and away the best CB at the club.

For me Villa outplayed Fulham for the majority of the game, as ever we lacked that killer instinct in the box and we are too laboured in our build up play but otherwise very good.

I'm no fan of McLeish but he got his subs right yesterday and he actually tried to win the game in the last twenty minutes so credit where its due.

It was great to see three Academy products combine for the winner and I was really pleased to see Weimann score it. I have rated him for some time and with Bent out he will get some chances now.

[Harry]

Oh and I had my free Balti pie......

[JulieB]

Having watched Football First highlights last night then the MOTD 6 mins FWIW - I thought Villa did a really good job of completely stifling a

team bang on form without being at all defensive. The players were just determined that they weren't going to get beat and attacked the ball

at every opportunity.

Good to see and I can't beleive how hardly any Villa fans think it's not a matter of pride that no less than 8 of our academy graduates were

on the pitch or on the bench yesterday again.

[barry'sboots]

One game and a lucky goal. I sware some of you on here make me laugh. I was at the game, it was awful in the second half once again. Taking Nzog off killed it for me. He has gone to far for me McLeish still Out!

The crowd reaction killed it for me. We needed to get a striker on because we were never going to score. We took off the least effective, and most expendable midfielder, and the crowd reacted the way that they did.

The reaction was pathetic and ignorant, and further underlined that whatever this manager does he is one step away from ten thousand knives in his back.

For today at least, he did know what he was doing, and once again a section of our support have brought shame on the Aston Villa name.

Wrong IMO. The fans were correct. He keeps taking off NZogbia when he is far more effective and threatening than Albie. He wants to take of Herd/Clark when it would be much better to remove a tired Stan.

And then McTool has the nerve to call the Villa fans because they don't support getting Wieman on to the pitch when the fool is well aware that the fans are not criticising getting Wieman on but taking NZogbia off. The guy just has no class!

[Tomaszk]

It was wrong to bring off Zog rather than Albrighton.

Even if we'd drawn, we played very well and battered them from pillar to post.

Gorgeous drop of the shoulder from Bannan to lay it off for Gardner's shot.

Absolute rodent of a finish, I love it.

[Tomaszk]

Oh, and Cuellar brilliant as well.

Can't think of anyone in the last few years who has been treated so badly by managers. Always our best defender when he's played, don't get him not getting a chance over the classless oafs Dunne and Collins.

[barry'sboots]

Probably the best 90 minutes that a McLeish Villa team has managed to string together. Good first half where there actually appeared to be a team plan, press high up the pitch and try to get down the sides. It worked well.

Second half was very ropey. NZogbia coming off was plain stupid, but expected. Keeping Petrov on for as long as he did was painful to watch. It was obvious his legs had gone (again) and for 20-25 minutes we were second best in the middle area for the first time in the match. I was even more amazed he took Herd off who appeared to have more legs than Petrov despite just coming back. I was aksing why Gardner wasnt on from about 60 minutes on. Him and Herd would have been combative in there.

Credit for not throwing Heskey, its on taken 20 odd games. Credit for Andreas for following in the shot, you tell youngsters time and again to do it, he obviously listened and didnt he enjoy that moment. Hopefully more to come.

The kids are getting nearer and nearer to starting and hopefully we will have a new manager in place next year to bed them in and use them properly.

Completely agree with you.

I hate the way that McTool is trying to suggest he was getting stick from the fans for bringing on Wieman when he knows full well that it was for bringing off the Zog.

[theunderstudy]

Makes a nice change to win in injury time, and we kept the ball in their half for virtually all of added time.

Thought the bloke in the Lower North that kept bawling "USE IT", "PUT EM UNDER" "PRESSURE" and a few other classics was highly entertaining :-)

:oops:

[brummybloke]

while i am pleased for weimann and the younger players ( bannan, see what happens when you play it on the floor a simple pass rather than trying to lift it over 5 people from 40 yards), i have not seen a side play so negatively and porrly since seeing ourselves.

fulham had dempsey playing almost as a defensive midfielder in the first half, they were shocking, an observation various unbiased journos came up with when reading some of the match reports on the game

we did some nice things, collins while solid was STILL giving the ball away far far too often with his hit and hope hoofs when he can shift it out wide or shudder.. passit through to a midfield player who has dropped deap to receive the ball.

like all villa fans, i want us to win, but also like most villa fans, i cant stand the useless negative pockmarked faced flame haired coq of a manager we have been lumbered with, he will try and claim this was a tactical battle and skillful managerial decision and all his doing. it is strange because each totaly shit gutless negative defensive game we have played and either drawn or lost he doesnt come out and say it was his fault, no you see that is the PLAYERS fault.

so win and it is down to him

LOSE or DRAW and it is not his fault?

luckly most on here are clued up enough to realise just how bad and desperate a man he is to keep hold of his £2 million plus per year job, knowing he wont get anything like that if he manages to find a club somewhere which would employ him.

we have another easy game, against the bottom club coming up which will give us another 3 points again unfortuantely some very soon forget the entire season we ave suffered and take 1 or 2 games in isolation and completely out of context to the season and think things are ok.

the only reason cuellar hasnt gone is rangers are broke, our best defender and he was only used because dunne and clark are out injured, we are now entering in to contract talks with him as rangers is now a no no.

ths ginger prince is a cancer on this club and needs removing as quick as possible so his poison does not spread, we have good young players coming through who will have their entire careers ruined if this idiot stays.

[theunderstudy]

while i am pleased for weimann and the younger players ( bannan, see what happens when you play it on the floor a simple pass rather than trying to lift it over 5 people from 40 yards), i have not seen a side play so negatively and porrly since seeing ourselves.

fulham had dempsey playing almost as a defensive midfielder in the first half, they were shocking, an observation various unbiased journos came up with when reading some of the match reports on the game

we did some nice things, collins while solid was STILL giving the ball away far far too often with his hit and hope hoofs when he can shift it out wide or shudder.. passit through to a midfield player who has dropped deap to receive the ball.

like all villa fans, i want us to win, but also like most villa fans, i cant stand the useless negative pockmarked faced flame haired coq of a manager we have been lumbered with, he will try and claim this was a tactical battle and skillful managerial decision and all his doing. it is strange because each totaly shit gutless negative defensive game we have played and either drawn or lost he doesnt come out and say it was his fault, no you see that is the PLAYERS fault.

so win and it is down to him

LOSE or DRAW and it is not his fault?

luckly most on here are clued up enough to realise just how bad and desperate a man he is to keep hold of his £2 million plus per year job, knowing he wont get anything like that if he manages to find a club somewhere which would employ him.

we have another easy game, against the bottom club coming up which will give us another 3 points again unfortuantely some very soon forget the entire season we ave suffered and take 1 or 2 games in isolation and completely out of context to the season and think things are ok.

the only reason cuellar hasnt gone is rangers are broke, our best defender and he was only used because dunne and clark are out injured, we are now entering in to contract talks with him as rangers is now a no no.

ths ginger prince is a cancer on this club and needs removing as quick as possible so his poison does not spread, we have good young players coming through who will have their entire careers ruined if this idiot stays.

Now that last point baffles me. Gardner made his debut. Bannan has improved a bit for me. Clark has had a few games at CB. Herd has vastly improved to the point I'd start him in a flash. Only Albrighton hasn't improved, and he's been poor with a few bright spots since December 2010. In fact I'd say McLeish has done as much if not more for youth development than Houllier did.

[theunderstudy]

I'm not saying McLeish is doing a great job, blah blah. However, the football is not as boring as people would have you believe, this myth that GH played some kind of total football and now we're playing one-dimensional hoofball is annoying. Both styles of football are on the frustrating side but not as bad as last year I heard for GH and not as bad as this year for McLeish.

As for yesterday, I can believe I saw people calling Charlie totally ineffective. First half he was a complete handful, with a fully fit and interested Gabby/Bent we'd have been up 2 or 3. He was a dervish, and Albrighton was largely poor, good running but totally failed to spot the advancing Hutton numerous times and couldn't cross a footbridge.

[brummybloke]

while i am pleased for weimann and the younger players ( bannan, see what happens when you play it on the floor a simple pass rather than trying to lift it over 5 people from 40 yards), i have not seen a side play so negatively and porrly since seeing ourselves.

fulham had dempsey playing almost as a defensive midfielder in the first half, they were shocking, an observation various unbiased journos came up with when reading some of the match reports on the game

we did some nice things, collins while solid was STILL giving the ball away far far too often with his hit and hope hoofs when he can shift it out wide or shudder.. passit through to a midfield player who has dropped deap to receive the ball.

like all villa fans, i want us to win, but also like most villa fans, i cant stand the useless negative pockmarked faced flame haired coq of a manager we have been lumbered with, he will try and claim this was a tactical battle and skillful managerial decision and all his doing. it is strange because each totaly shit gutless negative defensive game we have played and either drawn or lost he doesnt come out and say it was his fault, no you see that is the PLAYERS fault.

so win and it is down to him

LOSE or DRAW and it is not his fault?

luckly most on here are clued up enough to realise just how bad and desperate a man he is to keep hold of his £2 million plus per year job, knowing he wont get anything like that if he manages to find a club somewhere which would employ him.

we have another easy game, against the bottom club coming up which will give us another 3 points again unfortuantely some very soon forget the entire season we ave suffered and take 1 or 2 games in isolation and completely out of context to the season and think things are ok.

the only reason cuellar hasnt gone is rangers are broke, our best defender and he was only used because dunne and clark are out injured, we are now entering in to contract talks with him as rangers is now a no no.

ths ginger prince is a cancer on this club and needs removing as quick as possible so his poison does not spread, we have good young players coming through who will have their entire careers ruined if this idiot stays.

Now that last point baffles me. Gardner made his debut. Bannan has improved a bit for me. Clark has had a few games at CB. Herd has vastly improved to the point I'd start him in a flash. Only Albrighton hasn't improved, and he's been poor with a few bright spots since December 2010. In fact I'd say McLeish has done as much if not more for youth development than Houllier did.

the players are another year older now so would be expected to be stepping up towards the first team anyway.

just like making gabby captain a game or 2 ago, he is picking the team which gets him the least flack not that gets villa in the best position.

it is his get out of jail card, like getting players like bannan to go on national radio on friday to tell the fans to get behind the team

he is using them as a deflective shield to hide his quite clear weaknesses

our squad at the moment is not blessed with loads of seasoned profesionals, this si also why we had lots of youngsters on the bench

it is not down to the strawberry blonde haired rough faced jock wanting to use the decent youth we have coming through, it is desperation and a lack of decent squad forcing his hand.

he knew there was 0 chance heskey would get a game yesterday unless we were 5-0 up and our forwards were injured.

why?

i bet he wanted to play him, but he knew if he did he would get even more grief for being so shit. so you put on the young lad the fans have hopes for, because even if in the 17 minutes he cant save the game, the excuse of well he is being blooded into the team is rolled out.

this was not a great master stroke from the orange topped numpty this was damage limitations for HIMSELF.

just like when we were looking at losing 5 in a row at villa park, he set the side up with pretty much 10 at the back and 1 in the middle, why? to get VILLA the points?

nope, to stop himself having the worst run of defeats any villa manager has ever had at home in the history of the club.

he is a cancer and needs removing

[brummybloke]

I'm not saying McLeish is doing a great job, blah blah. However, the football is not as boring as people would have you believe, this myth that GH played some kind of total football and now we're playing one-dimensional hoofball is annoying. Both styles of football are on the frustrating side but not as bad as last year I heard for GH and not as bad as this year for McLeish.

As for yesterday, I can believe I saw people calling Charlie totally ineffective. First half he was a complete handful, with a fully fit and interested Gabby/Bent we'd have been up 2 or 3. He was a dervish, and Albrighton was largely poor, good running but totally failed to spot the advancing Hutton numerous times and couldn't cross a footbridge.

i agree with the second half of your post, nzog was a handful, albny i thought did good in the first half but just like warnock, his crossing is that of a double leg amputee.

gabby was poor also but it probably came as a shock to him that he was playing upfront, he has been used so poorly this season it is a joke.

i have to say, fulham were the worst team i have seen us play in a very long time, no fight, no attacking, just trying to keep the ball at the back for as long as possible.

so as i say, a win is welcome but it changes nothing in regards to the lack of quality and honestly aston villa require in a manager

[rjw63]

How does Warnock still get into the team? He's dreadful. Constantly being bailed out by Collins/Cuellar/Hutton.

He was solid today. What did he do "wrong"?

yeah...today was the first time both full backs had a decent game with no glaring **** ups

[Jimzk5]

controlled the game, i left on 85 mins when the chav knob heads round me started hurling unwarranted abuse at eck when my 7 year old neice is sat next to them and all i hear is word removed this and **** off that.

as for the game, we controlled it without creating a lot, but fulham did park the bus, id give the team a 7/10 overall with critisism for

agbonlahor - 3rd match in a row his had a shocker, yes working as a lone frontman is hard, but the times zog and alby had the ball to cross gabby was by the corner flag instead of in the box.

albrighton - whats happened to that peach of a cross he could put in last season, he doesnt whip the ball in the box any more, he tries to float it in the box and it always goes out for a corner. worked hard though

collins - doesnt understand the laws of physics and tries to pass the ball through players.

a win against bolton and we can put the season to bed

[Woodytom]

It was wrong to bring off Zog rather than Albrighton

No it wasnt.

Last time I looked we won 1-0. How can it be wrong?

You may have preferred Albrighton to go off, but you cant say the substitution was wrong because not only did we win the game, we won it as a direct result of the Nzogbia substitution.

[CI]

Loving the North Lower "Is there a Fire Drill" banter with Fulham yesterday

[KevMur]

Apropos of not much, but one of the lads on the Guardian's football podcast last Monday reckons that a team will go down with 30 points this year.

It'll be interesting to see if he's proved right.

Massive 3 points for Villa all the same.

EDIT: Does that even make sense? Stay up with 30 points. Better?

F*ck it, I'm not sure what he said.

[Milfner]

Is there anywhere you can download the Football First highlights from online?