leviramsey Posted January 13, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted January 13, 2013 Seen on Google+: "Villa can't seem to score goals, but we make up for it by not defending." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbr600rr Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 OK Can someone please explain to me why Delph is getting praise for that showing. From where i was sat he is systematic of what is wrong with this side, for all his workrate he is (and further proved today) that he is simply not yet a premiership level player. We lost the ball quite a few times because of his inability to pass a ball quickly, instead running into blind alleys. To say he played well shows just how far our expectations have dropped. i totally agree ,i thought stevens at lb did well, a marked improvement over gorden, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa_chemist Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I like Stevens (great shot in the second half), but he looked extremely heavy legged in the last ten minutes. Short of match fitness, carrying and injury, too slow or a mixture of all three? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I am suprised they didn't today. I think that last 10 minute salvo saved lambert from being booed off It's a different demographic at away games and they won't be as forgiving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Steve Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 We dominated the second half. I'd hardly call it a 10 minute salvo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parisvilla Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I like Stevens (great shot in the second half), but he looked extremely heavy legged in the last ten minutes. Short of match fitness, carrying and injury, too slow or a mixture of all three? He was torn to pieces all afternoon by Jason Puncheon. Not much of an endorsement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danwichmann Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 On this form I can't see where the next goal is coming from, let alone the next win. Players are still getting chances and in goal scoring positions (especially Benteke) so the goals will come back. It's only when the chances stop coming that's I'll worry about where the goals are coming from. It's just one of those things, when your form has gone and confidence is low, those chances that would be put away 9 times out of 10 stop going in. It's been seen time and time again at Villa and in other teams. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 We dominated the second half. I'd hardly call it a 10 minute salvo. That's pushing it a bit. They still hit the post and had chances , it was end to end really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KHV Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 Really? Couple of good tackles apart (sandwiched with a head high challenge that would have given Halsey a descision had he made contact) I would swear we were talking about a different player. 'Passed well', you being serious? ....Opinions hey! Delph was our best player by miles. If he played like that every week I'd happily have him as part of a 3 in the middle. Problem is he will revert back to being woeful the next 5 times he plays. Westwood and Bannan dont offer anything at all, at least Delph offered something. To be honest all 3 of them need replacing, we need an entire midfield beacause all of them are short of being premier league standard by some considerable distance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLARETANDBLUEFOXY Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 been a tough old week support the villa, hasn't it? been tagged on so many facebook statuses laughing at me. had texts and people coming into my work specifically to make a dig at villa. y'know what, though? it's given me a burning resolve to get behind them to get us out of this mess so i can shove all these taunts down peoples throats at the end of the season. doesn't seem so long ago that we were all feeling 6th wasn't good enough. what i wouldnt give for that to be where we are today. hindsight, people...it stings! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
switters Posted January 13, 2013 Share Posted January 13, 2013 I like Stevens (great shot in the second half), but he looked extremely heavy legged in the last ten minutes. Short of match fitness, carrying and injury, too slow or a mixture of all three? He looks fairly promising but I don't think he's really ready. Noticeably one footed - got himself into trouble with unwillingness to use his right at times & yes I don't think he has the match fitness for 90 mins of PL football at the minute. Not sure who is best option at LB currently. tbh, Lichaj has probably been best of him, Stevens & Bennett, but none have been consistent and every team we play seems to target that side of the pitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaAndLoyal Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Why, in nine pages of reactions, has only two people mentioned the criminal fact that Stephen Ireland, again, played no part in this game. For example, why on earth, when we already had three strikers on the pitch, did he bring on another in Jordan Bowery ahead of Ireland? Lambert has clearly fallen out with him but the fact he's letting it cloud his judgement shows to me that Paul will never make it as a top manager and it fills me with very little faith he will steer us to safety. When you are in a mess like we are, and when you are desperate for quality in midfield, and when you are severely lacking in experience, there is not one single reason for keeping Stephen Ireland on that bench argument or not. Even an off-form Stephen Ireland would be better than some of the shit youngsters we keep persisting with in midfield. He doesn't seem to realise that you can have as many forwards on the pitch as you like (4 in this case) but if you haven't got anybody to create then what hope do you have? I'm shocked so many people have failed to mention this because, for me, it's a big point to raise and leaves Lambert with serious questions to answer. Whether you like Ireland or not, he has still had some good games for us this season, and to suddenly drop him after Man City away (when he was one of our better players) is just diabolical from Paul. How can I look at him as anything other than a poor man's Martin O'Neill when he makes decisions such as this. I agree with someone who said 'back him' or sack him' - although I'd far rather he was backed. The simple truth, watching that game in the freezing cold, is we are going down if nothing changes and no players come in. The quality simply isn't there now. Southampton played awful, and defended a 1-0 lead for most of the game - why? - because they knew they could. We are too easy to play against, no passion, no fight, no confidence and no ideas on or off the pitch I'm afraid to say. I fear this is Lerner's shambolic tenure coming to a head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefa3011 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Yeah, because Stephen Ireland made all the difference against Wigan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaAndLoyal Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Well, what a constructive comment... Anyone can pluck a random game out of thin air and say a player performed poorly. Doesn't really prove anything, does it? You still haven't given me a reason as to why a proven pro at this level is being picked behind shite youngsters who are clearly not Premier League quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keefa3011 Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 Ok, well from what I've seen of Stephen Ireland this season he has lacked the commitment, desire and will to be at our club. Yes the guy has talent, but he doesn't give the air of someone who wants (or ever wanted) to be at the club, or indeed feels he has to prove himself to anyone. He comes across to me as though he's happy to just pick up his pay cheque and keep rolling along as a "Premier League footballer". I'm much happier not seeing him on the pitch in our current situation, and to be honest, I thought Bowery actually made a pretty decent contribution when he came on. He didn't do a great deal wrong, imo, and put in more effort than Ireland seems to. Holman is a far more limited footballer than Ireland, but if Ireland had half of Holman's desire, he'd be a top player, and probably wouldn't be at Villa anymore (if indeed City would ever have offloaded him). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaAndLoyal Posted January 14, 2013 Share Posted January 14, 2013 I'd agree that his performances since he was dropped after Man City away have lacked the right amount of effort, but before that when he had a run in the team he was tracking back, tackling, and completely disproving this popular theory that he doesn't put in the right commitment. He was still being far too inconsistent too, of course, but he was also playing very well in some games such as Newcastle away when he bossed the game and we should have won. We all know he's a 'difficult' footballer who is probably a challenge to manage for anyone but why on earth would you be happier seeing him out of the team in our current situation? We are drowning with a bunch of kids who are not good enough, we need experience, we need quality (and Stephen does have that) and we need creativity in that midfield. Holman for the first part of the season offered unbelievable effort and it was enough to win him a fair few MOTM's on here. But even his effort, in recent weeks, has been lacking and a few people have commented on this. So a Holman without effort is, well, less than useless. And that's before you get me on to players like Bannan and Delph who are just not PL quality. There is no good reason for Stephen Ireland not to be playing at the moment. An off-form SI is better than a lot of the players being picked ahead of him at present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted January 15, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted January 15, 2013 According to The Football Ramble, Halsey has come out and said that the penalty wasn't for the foul on Rodriguez, but rather for a foul by Guzan. Anyone know about this? And if so, what foul by Guzan?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisVillan Posted January 15, 2013 Share Posted January 15, 2013 Halsey is forever covering his arse. Remember the Henry free kick? Couldn't wait to get his version across after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blandy Posted January 15, 2013 Moderator Share Posted January 15, 2013 That Henry free kick, I think he was credited with an assist for his shielding of the ball, and deft step away at the last minute. Certainly some of the best attacking play by a ref I've seen for a good while. As for "fould by Guzan" - that's just code for "Oops, I f*cked up" (though I thought it was the lino who gave it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevo985 Posted January 15, 2013 VT Supporter Share Posted January 15, 2013 If it was me I'd just say "yeah it shouldn't have been a penalty, the player conned me" I don't think there's any shame in being conned by a dive. It would just emphasise that something needs to be done about diving. Now, granted I'll have to watch it again, but blaming it on a foul by Guzan that never happened just makes him look evem worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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