Ratings and Reactions Villa 3 - 0 Tranmere

[jim]

Good stuff Villa. When is the draw for the next round?

Thursday I believe

Tomorrow, after the remaining games.

[TRO]

Went down tonight to see things for myself.

Long way to go IMO

I have to say though the persistence to play the ball was encouraging, but the team need help in terms of confidence.

I think there is a genuine time to get behind them, my message to the crowd is if they play crap give them some time to play through this difficult period....in the meantime we need to strengthen.

Third goal was very decent.

[ClaretMahoney]

God i wanna see highlights. I didnt see the Bremen highlights either, can anyone help a homie out?

[Goose19]

Nice to wake up to a good result for a change. Hopefully the turn around starts now!

[screwdriver]

If the club had made it a tenner in I think more people would have made an effort. Also If you could of just paid cash on the turnstyle would have been easier. To get a £12 ticket you had to queue up at the ticket office first. They didn't make it easy for themselves.

Tranmere were really poor their goalkeeper was just booting out for throw ins from goal kicks. 11 men behind the ball. Don't think Guzan had to dirty his gloves.

It was a good result for us was a good performance. Ireland pulled all the strings for Villa. Everybody was their usual self. Bannan kept doing his beckham style 70 yard passes that usually came to nothing.

Bent didn't do a lot apart from his goal. The whole passage of play for Bents goal was class, think a one two send Ireland down the right wing and he cut it back and Bent was clinical.

Burke looked very confident when he came on late.

We really need a couple of players who can dribble and go past their man with the ball.

[troon_villan]

God i wanna see highlights. I didnt see the Bremen highlights either, can anyone help a homie out?

Can't find any anywhere mate which is starting to piss me off tbh.

The highlights of all the games will be on BBC One in the UK tomorrow night so you'll have a better chance after then.

[Ghost]

God i wanna see highlights. I didnt see the Bremen highlights either, can anyone help a homie out?

Can't find any anywhere mate which is starting to piss me off tbh.

The highlights of all the games will be on BBC One in the UK tomorrow night so you'll have a better chance after then.

Not all the highlights but here's the goals.

Aston Villa 3-0 Tranmere Rovers

[8pints]

The 15k attendance was poor but it will soon turn around when results improve.

Tranmere were poor and never threatened us apart from one chance in the first ten inutes that was well defended by Baker and Bannan.

I know Tranmere are a lower league club however you see lower league opposition coming to Villa Park and being organised but they weren't, they were rubbish and it seemed to take us half an hour to realise it.

We were in control from start to finish and possibly if we'd have been cut-throat earlier on we had scored a fair few although we had a couple disallowed so the intent was there.

The mentality to knock the ball about was brilliant but we're missing two players to direct the play in to being a more effective.

Again we played with a narrow midfield, where the full backs need to provide the width and they didn't do that tonight. It seems to be a difficult but not impossible task for full-backs under Lambert, he's quite demanding of their position and if the right players are in there working the way he wants them to it could be very interesting.

We scored three good goals.

Great to see Stevens cutting inside the box to cross the ball in, bit of luck in the deflection and good to see Delph getting a goal (I like the fact Bent put the ball all the way in just to be sure ).

Fantastic to see Stephen Ireland in the area and it was a good cross for Herd to put in the back of the net.

Ireland played really well, dictated the tempo, very neat, sprayed the ball about intelligently and put in some good challenges, still doesn't shoot enough but when he did tonight he produced a very good save from their keeper.

I still don't think he's an attacking midfielder, I think he's a linking central midfielder that needs plenty of options to pass to.

The last goal was my favourite direct with a cutting edge.

Direct doesn't only mean long ball and this final goal was proof. It Also showed what Bent is about. Alot of players would have skied it or taken an extra touch; Bent = Bang! Goal.

Bannan put a great defensive block in early on but he's still looking very negative, either playing the ball to the player immediately behind him or playing it too far forward where there weren't enough players able to keep it or do anything with it.

On the ball Herd looked great and was getting forward early on but it seemed to be he didn't look very well as the match went on, a bit ill.

Baker was very solid and great in the air. Delph made some very good tackles and although I'd prefer a natural left back I think he looks good when he's put there.

Bent and Weimann played well together, I think Weimann with his energy is a good foil to Bent and he looks to worry defenders too. They could do with someone else linking the midfield to them, still think they need players for Ireland to pass to and then pass it on to Bent and Weimann or shoot themselves, do it that way the majority of the time.

N'Zogbia still not looking exciting. I didn't hear him being booed. I sit in the Upper North, where was the booing of him coming from?

There's no excuse to boo anyone wearing a Villa shirt, it's not big, clever or helpful. I don't care if he still hasn't performed in a Villa shirt. There's no reason to do it, it's not your right or privilege just because you've spent money to be there, it's like buying expensive tickets for a play/any show and booing a character all the way though, it's counter-productive. Yes you've spent your hard earned money but so have I and a thousand others and we're not booing.

[troon_villan]

Thanks Ghost! Crikey that was a rocket from Benty!

[Ponky]

Lovely little cut-back from Holman for Bent's goal.

That first one was strange - looked like the first shot (Weimann?) had crossed the line but they kept playing.

[villa_shere]

Easy win, comfortable 3-0, would be nice to see replays of the dissallowed goals, they didnt show them on the big screens last night.

Ireland was my MOTM.

Still not sold on Bannan to many poor or misplaced passes for my liking.

N'Zog had a shocker when he came on.

Delph tackled well.

That kid (No.39?) who came on looked very lively.

Baker was solid at the back.

Happy with the win, a little confidence booster for he team. Hopefully we can push on from here. UTV!

[AValon]

Sounded to me as though SI moreorless run the show, which is what we really need from him. Lambert will be purring about that this morning.

As for the rest, probably more industry than star quality, though its never a foregone conclusion when you're playing a potential banana skin. Stephens seemed to have done ok, chipping in with the assist and Weimann was his usual busy self. The stark comparison between him and Bent is pretty clear for all to see, but then DB9 goes and does the business just to confuse the issue.

As for the rest, maybe Baker did enough to change Lamberts mind as to who should partner Vlaar and there was a distinct step-up in attitude overall, which is very pleasing to see. If only we could get N'Zogbia to take part things might look very different.

[donnie]

Sounded to me as though SI moreorless run the show, which is what we really need from him. Lambert will be purring about that this morning.

As for the rest, probably more industry than star quality, though its never a foregone conclusion when you're playing a potential banana skin. Stephens seemed to have done ok, chipping in with the assist and Weimann was his usual busy self. The stark comparison between him and Bent is pretty clear for all to see, but then DB9 goes and does the business just to confuse the issue.

As for the rest, maybe Baker did enough to change Lamberts mind as to who should partner Vlaar and there was a distinct step-up in attitude overall, which is very pleasing to see. If only we could get N'Zogbia to take part things might look very different.

Nah your wrong here Weimann did nothing and added nothing to our team. Bent did actually try and put in a shift today although he kept slipping over and misplacing passes, at least he contributed. Weimann contributed nothing and if he made a simple pass to Bent would have been an easy tap in for him, instead he shot at goal with the weakest strike of a ball you'll ever see. Championship player im afraid.

But yes Ireland was majestic yesterday, always thought him as being an attacking midfielder but yesterday he sat back slightly and commanded the central area. I think him sitting behind a midfield centre 2, with him pinging his balls across could work on yesterdays showing

[hogso]

Were the two disallowed goals given as offside or fouls or what? I was sitting in the Upper Holte, so couldnt really tell, but there didnt look to be anything wrong with the second one.

After those 2 were disallowed, it was getting a bit edgey, thinking we'd never score...glad we won by a comfortable margain in the end, although it was frustrating at times. Great to see Bent-o lash one in, and Ireland did pretty much all the right things.

[AValon]

Sounded to me as though SI moreorless run the show, which is what we really need from him. Lambert will be purring about that this morning.

As for the rest, probably more industry than star quality, though its never a foregone conclusion when you're playing a potential banana skin. Stephens seemed to have done ok, chipping in with the assist and Weimann was his usual busy self. The stark comparison between him and Bent is pretty clear for all to see, but then DB9 goes and does the business just to confuse the issue.

As for the rest, maybe Baker did enough to change Lamberts mind as to who should partner Vlaar and there was a distinct step-up in attitude overall, which is very pleasing to see. If only we could get N'Zogbia to take part things might look very different.

Nah your wrong here Weimann did nothing and added nothing to our team. Bent did actually try and put in a shift today although he kept slipping over and misplacing passes, at least he contributed. Weimann contributed nothing and if he made a simple pass to Bent would have been an easy tap in for him, instead he shot at goal with the weakest strike of a ball you'll ever see. Championship player im afraid.

But yes Ireland was majestic yesterday, always thought him as being an attacking midfielder but yesterday he sat back slightly and commanded the central area. I think him sitting behind a midfield centre 2, with him pinging his balls across could work on yesterdays showing

Strange how being there can give a completely differing picture of how it really was, donnie. I only got the commentary and it sounded as though Weimann was a lot better than he actually was. Just goes to show.

[Cizzler]

Sat in the upper Holte and didn't hear N'Zogbia getting booed at all? Maybe a few groans the second time he dribbled it off the pitch though!

A comfortable win albeit against poor opposition. Bannan did alright. I think a few posters here are too quick to criticise him. He can be a frustrating player but he always wanted the ball and played a few incisive passes. Ireland played well. Baker deserves a mention too, in my opinion. I'm not jumping to a conclusion, but at the moment I feel Baker could be the type of player who will boss the lower leagues but find some of the football and movement at the highest level a bit too much.

[theboyangel]

Have watched the extended highlights on AVTV and (albeit against League One opposition) thought we played some very nice attacking football.

Ireland must surely be in contention against the Barcodes on Sunday, along with Delph and Holmann.

[terrytini]

Were the two disallowed goals given as offside or fouls or what? I was sitting in the Upper Holte, so couldnt really tell, but there didnt look to be anything wrong with the second one.

After those 2 were disallowed, it was getting a bit edgey, thinking we'd never score...glad we won by a comfortable margain in the end, although it was frustrating at times. Great to see Bent-o lash one in, and Ireland did pretty much all the right things.

The first was for Weiman pushing down on the defender to help him jump - pretty weak decision, the second was offside - I was right in line and think it was debatable.

Loved Baker again - whenever I see him at Centre Back he reminds me of Laursen, especially his lunging powerful 30 yard out headers, a ML speciality - ithink Baker will be fantastic for us, a much much better player than Cahill at the same age.

Couldn't understand the total lack of width, other than PL has simply decided we dont have any players up to it (other than Nzog in theory).

Superb build up for the 3rd goal.

The Club ought just open the lower Blue tiers for these early rounds it wouldv'e been a much better atmosphere - sad to see so few then see a very busy Goodison tonight on Sky.

I like Weiman, but dont see him and Bent working.

Ireland MOM, Delph played well too, would like to see Delph start alongside KEA at Newcastle.