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Ratings and reactions: Villa 1-3 Everton


limpid

Who was your man of the match?  

103 members have voted

  1. 1. Who was your man of the match?

    • Given
      1
    • Vlaar
      14
    • Clark
      1
    • Baker
      13
    • Lowton
      0
    • El Ahmadi
      61
    • N'Zogbia
      1
    • Bannan
      0
    • Herd
      2
    • Bent
      1
    • Delfouneso
      1
    • Holman (for Delfouneso 46)
      4
    • Lichaj (for Herd 56)
      3
    • Weimann (for Bannan 67)
      1


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It's clear to anyone watching the last couple of games that we need better players asap.

Watching that bollocks though just reminded me how great it was to watch the Olympics, I've forgotten what it feels like to win things being a Villa fan.

Get your cheque book out Randy, it's not as though you're skint now is it..

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Even though this was not a fun match to watch and quite terrible, I see some positive things:

1) Lambert's signings looks decent, and they will only get better as they adjust to the league

2) This match has shown that we can free up cash for other players after selling N'Zogbia who did nada

3) We can not rely on young players like Bannan, Clark and Delfouneso, meaning there will be funds to improve the team

4) Weimann looked good, should have had a penalty and had a huge chance when hitting the post after a clever run

5) Can we sell Given without getting weaker? I think so.

Will it?!

That's a helluva leap.

I'd say that the fact they are in the squad is a sign that theres no/not enough money and we must make do. Coupled to Faulkner telling us last season that all these great young players will play a big role in the coming seasons...

I think you could be disappointed.

That may be so, but I am not the type of person who goes on getting disappointed before there is a reason to. And that day is not now, it is late next week.

Having seen the last three years Villatalk cynic Richard, who questioned Lerner long before anyone else, having turned positive and said Lambert will get the cash he needs, I am calm.

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Terrible performance, made slightly less bad by a strange change in mentality that came over us about 15 minutes from the end. Suddenly we didn't give as much of a shit, which allowed us to take an extra clever touch here and there.

I suspect that was every bit as much to do with Everton taking their foot off the gas as anything we did. You know how a cricket team declares when they think they have an unassailable lead? It happens in football too sometimes. Dont let the last 15 minutes gloss over a performance which was as bad as anything served up under McLeish.

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Everton capitalized on the new manager's team selection - merely teething problems - and it was over for all intents and purposes after Shay's dribbling fumble. Clark barely touched Jelavic (if at all) and that was the final nail, though there was a fillip for the season ahead (in the context of relegation, at least) in the improvement with one less man. Everton weren't particularly interested in a fourth, to be fair, but most of the post-dismissal display, and the fact that Lambert is undoubtedly better informed about his personnel, means I'm much more positive than today's result might portend.

Good: Vlaar, Herd, El Ahmadi, Holman

Bad: Given, Clark, Delfouneso, Bannan, Baker

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Lambert will have learnt a lot more about the players, but its always going to be difficult with new players in new positions in new styles against sides that have been together for a while. Everton are strong, not surprised by the defeat tbh but sounds like we really need to improve the attacking play to start getting points on board. At least we've got the first goal of the season up, a minor point though.

Improvement needed and I back it to happen. LB and striker in please, and maybe another midfielder if possible but, it is going to be tough going early on.

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We did the worst thing you can do vs Everton and went behind very early. They are one of the best in the league at holding a lead. It clearly rocked our already unsteady confidence, and we then really struggled to get any hold in the game. That's where the massive lack of experience in the team showed.

N'Zogbia and Bannan were the biggest disappointments. Both wasteful, both showing very poor decision making. Bannan needs to learn when to play simple and keep the ball on the ground, rather than trying to overcomplicate things. N'Zogbia needs to learn when it's best to run and when it's best to release it, but I fear he never will.

Gotta try and eke out something positive, so I will say once we scored, even though Everton had clearly just settled for the score at 1-3, we did look a bit more confident & that is something to take forward. Holman and Weimann both offered a bit more brightness in attack in their cameos.

Got a nice home cup fixture now to try and build some confidence. I'd like to see something like:

Given

Lowton-Vlaar-Baker-Lichaj

Herd-ElAhmadi-Ireland-Holman

Bent-Weimann

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Terrible performance, made slightly less bad by a strange change in mentality that came over us about 15 minutes from the end. Suddenly we didn't give as much of a shit, which allowed us to take an extra clever touch here and there.

I suspect that was every bit as much to do with Everton taking their foot off the gas as anything we did. You know how a cricket team declares when they think they have an unassailable lead? It happens in football too sometimes. Dont let the last 15 minutes gloss over a performance which was as bad as anything served up under McLeish.

I mentioned it this in the match thread but I don't think it was entirely down to this. Our first touch suddenly looked crisper and we looked braver, despite the fact that Everton were still attacking and hammering us (some evidence being Mirallas' offside goal late on).

Definitely one of the worst performances I've ever seen, but the point I'm trying to make is there is a very strange problem with our mentality as a team that Lambert has to sort out on top of everything else. He has to instil the players with confidence and give everyone a sense of purpose. I honestly think that playing better at the end was less about Everton dropping off (because they didn't, really) and more about the players loosening up and not stopping to overthink things.

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Our squad at the moment are nowhere near good enough. We are lacking quality all over the pitch and we were dominated by a good Everton team. Although we made them look like Brazil.

Clark in particular was absolutely terrible up against the strength and movement of Evertons strikers. When Baker moved inside and we put a more natural full back on we dealt a bit better with the long ball.

Was Clarks sending off the right decision, couldn't tell from where I was.

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Second half was better in that we chased them and closed them down a lot more but still left gaping holes in defence from the fullbacks pushing up to provide width.

Hopefully Lambert will see that Baker is not a fullback but is a decent centre half.

It was a lovely goal from KEA and it certainly put a put of gas into the tank.

Hopefully the way we played in the last 15 minutes was the penny dropping, because we looked halfway competent at that point.

Holman I thought was very good and instrumental in us getting up forward and moving it around in the final third.

That said, it was a stunningly poor effort from our boys - and it seemed like boys vs men. Hopefully this is the impetus we need for Randy to realise that the wage budget needs to take a bit of a hit at this point for us to avoid self-destructing.

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Whilst ability wise some of the players are not good enough I have to question the effort aswell on a few of the players.

It's a good point. The serious lack of effort is worrying, particularly as (yes, I know it's early) but there doesn't appear to have been any Lambert effect, an improvement in enthusiasm and drive. If anything, the players look less motivated than the end of last season.

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I'm glad I stood alone in not joining the Lambert w@nk-fest. Another (Scottish) chancer who seemingly doesn't have a clue on how he wants us to play.

We are going down there aren't 3 teams worse than us in the league. I can't even think of one never mind three.

Ireland is poison get him out.

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We did the worst thing you can do vs Everton and went behind very early. They are one of the best in the league at holding a lead. It clearly rocked our already unsteady confidence, and we then really struggled to get any hold in the game. That's where the massive lack of experience in the team showed.

N'Zogbia and Bannan were the biggest disappointments. Both wasteful, both showing very poor decision making. Bannan needs to learn when to play simple and keep the ball on the ground, rather than trying to overcomplicate things. N'Zogbia needs to learn when it's best to run and when it's best to release it, but I fear he never will.

Gotta try and eke out something positive, so I will say once we scored, even though Everton had clearly just settled for the score at 1-3, we did look a bit more confident & that is something to take forward. Holman and Weimann both offered a bit more brightness in attack in their cameos.

Got a nice home cup fixture now to try and build some confidence. I'd like to see something like:

Given

Lowton-Vlaar-Baker-Lichaj

Herd-ElAhmadi-Ireland-Holman

Bent-Weimann

Id prefer:

------------Guzan--------------

Hutton-Vlaar-Baker-Warnock

-------------Herd----------------

-------KEA---------Delph------

------------Ireland--------------

-----Wiemann------Bent--------

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