CI Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Beat Wigan and the world will look a lot more claret and blue. UTV ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chappy Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Write this off, another terrible performance. We need to beat Wigan on saturday. Guzan MOTM again. We missed Weimann, Holman doesn't work up top. Benteke was very poor again. We missed Westwood when he went off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soylee22 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Glass half full: 3 points from Liverpool away, Chelsea away, Tottenham at home. Win against Wigan and we've got 6 from a run it would have been good to get 4. Glass half empty: Liverpool result seems a million miles away, a game which we were lucky to win given the Liverpool dominance and could have been a different game with a Liverpool early goal. Chelsea and Tottenham results equal the record for most goals conceded in 2 consecutive games (12). Failure to win the 6 pointer against Wigan and relegation is more of a threat. A note of depression - **** shocking that a Wigan game is 6 pointer. Used to be the Everton games! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parisvilla Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 A tragedy in four acts. Firstly that first forty five minutes - I don't think we got out of our half more than twice during it and we barely got a touch on the ball - oddly, Spurs created half chance after half chance but didn't really convince you they were about to score. I'd imagine they left the field at half time as baffled as the rest of us as to why they weren't ahead, and ahead by a distance. Secondly, the opening fifteen minutes of the second half, where we came to life, we harried, we stepped up, everything was quicker and it paid off - we created two excellent openings - Spurs scored from both of them. Then the game we'd expected, a bright lively Tottenham looking the better side and outscoring a positive but inferior Villa team, for twenty minutes we kept at it and weren't good enough and they polished us off with the polish that they're capable of. And finally for me the best part of the night, four minutes from the end the chant of 'Paul Lambert's Claret and Blue Army' went up and stayed up, getting louder towards the final whistle and lingering until after it was blown. Are we shit? Yes we are. Are we fickle? My arse. Can it have an effect? Who knows? As a gesture of support it was one of the best things I've seen at Villa Park for some time - you can take no pride from losing 8-0 then 4-0, but you can manufacture it and try to force it into a group of players. There are still some things about this club that make it special. For me, Bennett did okay coming forward, Delph was lively and Ireland added something when he came on - the rest were poor. We were poor overall and there's lots of work to do before we're going to convince anyone we're not poor. The next game is a six pointer. Pretty much agree with all of this. I wanted to leave on 80 mins but me mam insisted we stayed and I'm very glad we did. Great support from those who remained for the last 10. Pity none of the players save for Guzan, Clark and Lowton (?) came down past the half way line in recognition of it but still. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernova26 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I think the problem comes from us going a goal down. Either Lambert and/or the players seem to struggle to find the confidence/motivation to rescue anything from behind. This comes from our lack of goals I suppose. Have we actually won any points from from behind in the PL? Remember against Liverpool they hammered us for 20 odds minutes and should have been at least one goal up, if they'd have scored first no doubt it would have been another big loss for us. The team he put out today was bizzare but I could see it was a "shut-up shop" team full of work-horses. We can battered first half , hardly left our own half, it was like Barca had came to Villa Park. This was because we were surrendering possession. Lambert did change things bringing on Ireland for the injured Baker. It did improve our attacking options but also gave them more space to tear into us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
screwdriver Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Lack of leadership on the pitch. You could see that right away before the kick off with the huddle, they were all looking around at each other. Bannan might be a limited footballer but he always seems to be ready for war in a way. Westwood was having a bad game, but El Amhedi (dont care if it's misspelt) was atrocious! I thought Bennett played really well and Delph. Wish he'd taken out Gareth Bale earlier. Ireland changed the whole game when he came on. He is class. He needs to start every game with instructions just to conduct the orchestra. The first 10 mins of the 2nd half we were bossing it. Then we got undone but the heads didn't drop until we went 2-0 down. I do think Guzan could of made that ball and launched it into outer space. The only thing we can do is get to the next game as quick as possible. Then in Jan we need to do business I hate to use it as an example a Dugarry-esque signing. Not Robbie Keane. But maybe Frank Lampard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakid007 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Please no more live villa games on sky sports please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ponky Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Westwood went off because he was a bit of a liability IMO. Was not coping with being closed down and made a number of reckless back passes that put the defence under pressure. I think he is a great talent but he clearly doesn't like being put under pressure. The other problem for Westwood was that our players seem to have reverted to their approach of standing there like garden gnomes when they don't have the ball. Makes it awfully hard to pass to a team mate when they don't want the ball. I think our defensive incompetence coincided with Baker going off. Clark is not a leader at CB - he is a follower - and Herd is not a natural CB and together their positioning was criminal. Apart from Ireland, who tried in vain to make something happen, they were all shithouse - and that includes Guzan who, despite making one world class save in the first half, was far from his usual commanding and dependable self - I guess shipping 12 goals in 2 games will do that to you. Finally, the inexperience in our team is a stark reminder of how stacked against us things are at the moment. When you think we could replace that entire back five with players with over 150 international caps between them who are either injured or out of favour, and three of our first team strikers were missing in the same circumstances, it's no surprise that Lambert is fighting with both hands tied behind his back.Whether that situation is entirely or only partially of his own doing is up for debate I guess. Injuries are not his fault, but the lack of squad depth is his responsibility, and he really needs to address that in the next few weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legov Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Randyyyyy. £££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££££ Happy new year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 (edited) Just saw it on delay...abysmal first half, better start to the second, but then gave up two quick and easy goals. Lowton looked totally out of his depth at points. We're missing Vlaar's leadership at the back, and frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing Richard Dunne back there. That was just brutal defending. But the continuing narrative is our weak midfield. The likes of Bale and Dembele are like a tank division against infantry. No contest. 12 goals allowed in consecutive matches is relegation form, Lerner better splash some cash before this thing gets uglier. Edited December 27, 2012 by maqroll Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walesavfc Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Lack of leadership on the pitch. You could see that right away before the kick off with the huddle, they were all looking around at each other. Bannan might be a limited footballer but he always seems to be ready for war in a way. Westwood was having a bad game, but El Amhedi (dont care if it's misspelt) was atrocious! I thought Bennett played really well and Delph. Wish he'd taken out Gareth Bale earlier. Ireland changed the whole game when he came on. He is class. He needs to start every game with instructions just to conduct the orchestra. The first 10 mins of the 2nd half we were bossing it. Then we got undone but the heads didn't drop until we went 2-0 down. I do think Guzan could of made that ball and launched it into outer space. The only thing we can do is get to the next game as quick as possible. Then in Jan we need to do business I hate to use it as an example a Dugarry-esque signing. Not Robbie Keane. But maybe Frank Lampard. I thought Guzman could reach second goal 2 I said as soon as he went backwards he had messed up He should of took man and ball out the game but hesitated Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob182 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Bennett looked good. Our fans were fantastic at the end (the ones that didn't run off to cry into their leftover turkey) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjw63 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Please no more live villa games on sky sports please Ever. In fact the day these **** go bust I'm throwing a huge party Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul33 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 (edited) The other problem for Westwood was that our players seem to have reverted to their approach of standing there like garden gnomes when they don't have the ball. Makes it awfully hard to pass to a team mate when they don't want the ball. ^ ^ ^ THIS ^ ^ ^ The biggest diference between the sides was that Spurs players wanted the ball and moved into spaces to make themselves good and easy options to pass too. Most of our side made passes and then just stood there with a "phew - at least I didn't give it away" demeanour. We need players - like Ireland - who demand the ball and who are not afraid to run with it and take players on rather than simply pass it back to somebody else and leave them with the responsibility to do something. Edited December 27, 2012 by Paul33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wainy316 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Great support from the ramaining fans in the last 10 minutes. Anyone who watched on TV could you hear it much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCAM Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 I've neve left a game early, well, once before when I had to get to work, but yesterday was too much to take. Having sat through the shower of crap that the last 3 seasons has been, watching us ship 4 disgusting goals, having been terrible for 80 minutes, I decided that I had better things to do with my evening. Doesn't make me less of a fan, the players are allowed to not turn up, so I'm allowed to go home early. I pay my money, I take my choice. My Dad always says, when you go to a restaurant, eat as much or as little as you like, you're the one who is paying... Guzan our best player again, Clark poor. Improvement needed. I do think we will get relegated. I hope I am wrong. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 Did anyone see Stephen Irelands reaction when Benteke pulled that ball back but put it a yard behind him. That incensed me . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fightoffyour Posted December 27, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 27, 2012 We would have very happily taken 6 points from Pool - Wigan, so it will be job done if we do beat Wigan in what is now a hugely important game. It's frightening how easily we capitualted though. It could have been 8 again if they'd have scored in the first. However changing the tactics at when Baker went off (purely tactical, or did we not have enough defenders left?) and at HT looked like it really could have worked. That 10-15 minute spell was brief but encouraging. We don't look like we'll recover from going a goal down against a top or even half decent team though. McLeish what have shut up shop whereas as PL carries on attacking which is why we conceded so many in the last 2 games. Bennett looked decent both defensively and going forwards I thought. Did well to get the tackle in for the 2nd but it didn't quite fall to Clark and then Guzan could probably have got their before Bale if he hadn't hesistated. I even thought Delph looked pretty good. He at least had a desire to burst forwards. Also Ron Vlaar was watching in the stands in the lower Trinity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa89 Posted December 27, 2012 Share Posted December 27, 2012 MIdfield is a huge issue as KEA, deplh and bannan just constantly give the ball away. Its like they are allergic to it or can't recognize team mates. Ireland, Herd holman etc. aren't much better. Without a midfield you are going to get battered by good passing teams like Spurs/chelsea. On paper easier fixtures coming up so hopefully can pick up a few points and get away from the tripe at the bottom of the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted December 27, 2012 VT Supporter Share Posted December 27, 2012 Baker going off made a big difference, until then the limitations of our midfield were being compensated for by our defense. Upfront Benteke was isolated, Holman ran around but was ineffective. Delph and KEA are well out of their depth, gave the ball away far to often and as other have noted, no movement from them when were on the ball and seem to dive in when tackling. Felt sorry for Westwood, he at least tried to play it around a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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