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Rating and Reactions: Villa - Newcastle


limpid

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There are lots of people saying 'we need to get behind the boys' and that we shouldn't be booing or whatever...

Against Bradford there were 40,000 people at Villa Park...last nightly there was just 30,000...I was there, the tactics were wrong and we played shit for the first 45 minutes.

If survival is such an issue and support is so important, where were the other 10,000 people who weren't 'getting behind the team'

Both games were on a Tuesday night, last nights was arguably more important...

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532 why? Its cost us in at least 4 games in a row, sort it out ffs, we have no width and our wing backs have no protection at all from midfield.

 

442 Second half better while gabby went at the fullback, after we scored he seemed to drift in more and our threat turned into pumping balls through the middle.

My worry is the lack of shape and discipline in the team, we don't keep our shape and only seem to have limited options to pass out up front. Our forwards play with their backs to goal, we have pace lets use.

 

Special mention to the fans, i was in the Holte and in the second half they helped lift our team and forced them to be brave, screaming and shouting encouragement,   loads stopped to clap the team as well, well done all, those fans deserve better Mr Lerner.........

 

Newcastle, well done first half, Taylor is a p***k and the goading of the Holte was a disgrace. Their the worst team I have seen at Villa this season (bar us) and I still think they are in trouble. UTV

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Within 10mins the guys on the radio were questioning the formation......or apparent lack of one. If they could see it, plus 30,000+ others watching the debacle unfold, why did he stick with it? Surely nobody would have criticized him if he'd made the obvious switch 20mins in.

 

Great second half , plenty of fight from the players, but if Lambert had started with it we just might have taken all three points because they were floundering.

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There are lots of people saying 'we need to get behind the boys' and that we shouldn't be booing or whatever...

Against Bradford there were 40,000 people at Villa Park...last nightly there was just 30,000...I was there, the tactics were wrong and we played shit for the first 45 minutes.

If survival is such an issue and support is so important, where were the other 10,000 people who weren't 'getting behind the team'

Both games were on a Tuesday night, last nights was arguably more important...

 

I see what you are saying, but the drop off in attendance from Villa fans for last night's game from the Bradford game isn't as big as you think.

Bradford brought 6.5k, so against them there were 33.5k Villa fans.

I don't know exactly how many Newcastle brought, but looking at the away end last night I'd estimate around 2.5k, meaning 28k Villa there.

Still around 5k less Villa fans last night than against Bradford admittedly, but nowhere near the 10k less it looks like without taking the away fans into consideration.

Edited by AvfcTheObsession
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Having gone to this one, I may aswell write up some fairly detailed ratings as it may be my last chance to do so for a while:

 

Lambert (3/8): Objectively speaking, his tactics were as bad in the first half as they were good in the second half. I think you have to both praise and criticise him for his management of the team last night. We went out with completely the wrong side, and played like we were waiting to get beaten. But; he did change it at the first reasonable opportunity, bringing on exactly the right players, in the right formation, with enough motivation to go out there and give it a go. His dogged persistence with 352 will cost us our league place, even if we never play it again, but it takes a good manager to admit he was wrong in such a big way and make such sweeping changes as early as half time. We didn't deserve to get beaten, and Lambert did all he could do in the end, but it was too late, and he can only really blame his own tactics for the mess we were in at half time. Jekyll and Hyde performance from Mr Lambert. 

 

Guzan (7): There wasn't much Guzan could have done with either of Newcastle's goals. Yes he conceded one through his legs, but let's be fair to him, he's saved us in that situation more times this season than any keeper has the right to do. One of them was bound to go in sooner or later. Was put under far too much pressure by the defense in the first half with the constant back passes, but he dealt with all but one of them neatly. I hope he stays with us in the Championship, if that's where we end up.

 

Bennet (4): He gets a 4 because his presence in the side contributed towards one of the worst 45 minutes of football I've seen from Villa in a long time. There was far too much confusion between himself and Baker in the first half and they quite often ended up standing next to each other and competing for the same balls. That said, his individual performance does not warrant some of the reactions being posted against his topic in the main forum. He didn't get beaten going down the line too often, and he actually put in a couple of decent challenges. He also carried some intent going forward, and although nothing came to fruition, nobody managed to make anything worthwhile happen in the first half. His reputation preceded him last night, because for his time on the pitch, he was no worse than Lowton and people aren't calling for his head.

 

Clark (7): Not accountable for either of the goals, and actually had a good game by his standards. Particularly in the second half, he showed a lot more confidence to get on the ball and move it forwards. I think you have to look at what players have done individually, and while our defense did concede 2 last night, it's difficult to pick out too much wrong with Clark's performance. In reality, while Newcastle absolutely dominated us in the first half, they basically scored from their only 2 decent chances. The defense weren't really the problem, it was the space infront of them.

 

Baker (6): A game of two halves for Baker I thought. Was positionally suspect for their first goal, again highlighting the positional difficulties between himself and Bennet. But he did apply himself well, won plenty of headers and performed well in a back 4. OK a decent full back would have made more of some of the attacking opportunities he had in the second half, but a full back he is not. That said, I'm happy to see him continuing at left back as he looked far more assured than Bennet has done of late.

 

Vlaar (6): Largely the same as Clark. Difficult to fault him for either of the goals and made a concerted effort to bring the ball forward in the second half. Showed some good pace at times yesterday and was rarely beaten in the air. Wears his heart on his sleeve and showed a bit of leadership by talking Baker through Cisse's goal, giving him a reassuring pat on the back to get him going again. Was nice to see that he got a decent reception from the Holte at the end aswell. 

 

Lowton (6): Hit and miss from Lowton. He tried to carry the ball out of defense a couple of times in the first half, which led us straight back into trouble. But when he looked up the line all he could see was a distant silhouette of Bent, so his options were always limited. Had plenty of chances to cross the ball in the second half, and none of them were quite good enough to hit Benteke. But his overall play and enthusiasm was encouraging. He linked up well with a winger (Weimann) once there was actually one there and put in a reasonably solid defensive shift.

 

Bannan (6): No one splits opinion quite like Bannan. His double act with Bennet in the first half ended up with us losing possession nearly every time, he was quite clearly very low on confidence. Understandably so. The midfield in the first half were non existant, Bannan and Westwood gave far too much space to their midfield, which was the root cause for both of their goals. But let's be clear here, it was 2 small players against 5 good quality players with a massive physical presence. They were beaten before they even started. What Lambert asked of Bannan and Westwood was to control the midfield while also tracking the Newcastle full backs when they got forward, leaving precisely no one in the centre of the pitch. They were both much improved in the second half, and Bannan showed a lot of willingness to take the ball from the defense and bring it forward. When he got into the final third however, he spent too much time on the ball and often ended up playing it backwards or skying it over the bar. 7 for enthusiasm, 5 for application leaves Bannan with a 6.

 

Westwood (5.5): Can be summed up fairly accurately by saying that he was "Tidy but quiet". Rarely gave the ball away, but like Bannan, struggled with the tactics given to the team in the first half. He didn't get as involved in the second half as Bannan did, but assisted in getting the ball back out to the wings at the first opportunity. No defense splitting passes, or particularly good crosses, but nothing particularly critical to level at him either. He would look brilliant in a team that controlled the ball throughout an entire 90 minutes. But with the first 45 being played in our third, and the second mostly being played deep into Newcastle's half, there wasn't much need for a midfield metronome.

 

Nzogbia (6): Carries the ball to the opposition like no one else in the squad can, and despite past question marks over his attitude, showed a lot of enthusiasm for the cause last night. Unfortunately, as ever, he didn't really have the end product to show for his endeavor. He did hit the post and improved markedly once he had Weimann and Agbonlahor beside him. He seems to enjoy the space he gets with playing the number 10 role, but he needs to improve his distribution out to the wings. Quite clearly the best option for that role out of himself, Holman & Ireland.

 

Bent (3): Being sat in the Holte I'm struggling to remember anything that Bent did yesterday. His inclusion ahead of Agbonlahor and Weimann was baffling in the first place and he literally offered nothing. That's not to say that he lazed around a la Yorke/Everton, because I genuinely think he wanted to make an impression on the game. But for all the want in the world, he wasn't winning the flick ons, and he wasn't getting on the end of NZogbia's passes.

 

Benteke (6): Gets a 6 because he scored, and if a striker scores, no matter how it comes about, then it's not been a bad day at the office. But he didn't put in a particularly great performance yesterday. There were so many balls into the box in the second half, and he barely won any of them. OK, a lot of the crosses were substandard, but we know that when he's up for it, he can beat any player in the league to a header. He didn't have the enthusiasm to go and clatter their defense like he did against United, which is a shame, because it was there for him to win it for us yesterday. He had more than enough opportunities, and even when presented with a 1 on 1 chance, he seemed to lack the cut-throat instinct that would suggest he'd cut his arm off for a goal. But he scored, and there were 9 other players out there who also failed to get our second.

 

Agbonlahor (8): Changed the game and won us the penalty that got us back to within striking distance of Newcastle. Had the beating of Debuchy all day long and found the by-line time and time again. His crossing into the box wasn't quite good enough, but he was always on his weaker foot. I cannot understand the decision to drop him in the first place, not when we're turning out with players like Bent in his place.

 

Weimann (8): Similar to Agbonlahor and was very unlucky not to get atleast one goal. Possibly our best player on the night, showing the kind of enthusiasm that has ingrained him into the hearts of our supporters. Played through the pain barrier of 2 separate knocks and just kept on running. You couldn't ask any more of Weimann, and on another day, against a difference keeper, we'd be thanking him for saving us a point, if not more. We desperately need to hang onto him, he can be a big part of the future of this football club, wherever that may be.

Edited by Shillzz
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Good summary Shillz but a tad harsh on Westwood I feel, thought 1st half he was trying his utmost to play the Newcastle midfield pretty much on his own. Second half he looked far more comfortable with more options when we had the ball, indeed, second half indicated to me that given a big strong partner and we have a real player on our hands, the vision to even see Benteke for one run was something others only dream of.

 

Also on Baker, he made a couple of good runs second half only to see BB giving him one of those floaty chips BB likes that let the defender get back into position.....

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Good summary Shillz but a tad harsh on Westwood I feel, thought 1st half he was trying his utmost to play the Newcastle midfield pretty much on his own. Second half he looked far more comfortable with more options when we had the ball, indeed, second half indicated to me that given a big strong partner and we have a real player on our hands, the vision to even see Benteke for one run was something others only dream of.

 

Also on Baker, he made a couple of good runs second half only to see BB giving him one of those floaty chips BB likes that let the defender get back into position.....

 

Yeah perhaps a tiny bit harsh on Westwood, but despite his many possessional gifts to Newcastle, I felt that Bannan was slightly more instrumental in the second half and so deserved to be distinguished from Westwood in the ratings. And let's be honest, that midfield got so heavily over-ran in the first half, that neither of them really deserve to be given 7s or above.

 

At the same time, as much as I wouldn't overly praise Westwood, I wouldn't level any criticism at him either. He and Bannan both fell on Lambert's tactical sword in the first half and there was little either could do to influence the game.

Edited by Shillzz
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Two words - **** 4-5-1.

 

 

Lowton - Vlaar - Clark - Baker

----- Westwood - Delph -----

Weimann -- N'Zogbia -- Gabby

------------ Benteke ------------

 

Please.

Thats only one word.... and a series of numbers.

 

Just sayin......

 

:D  :D :D  :D  :D  

Edited by Ron Burgundy
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This team seem devoid of any idea how to pick up points.

 

The first half was pitiful

 

The second half was better but highly strung, despite being spirited.

 

I would say we are down on recent showings, there seems no sign of any composure returning.

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