Ratings and Reactions: Reading 1-2 Villa

[AndyBM]

just watched motd

 

we were lucky to win that, reading should of had a penalty at the beginning and no way was their player offside at the end

 

as for bakers own goal, cant blame the kid, hes a left footer who was off balance

[CI]

just watched motd

 

we were lucky to win that, reading should of had a penalty at the beginning and no way was their player offside at the end

 

as for bakers own goal, cant blame the kid, hes a left footer who was off balance

Have a day off son

[Milfner]

just watched motd

 

we were lucky to win that, reading should of had a penalty at the beginning and no way was their player offside at the end

 

as for bakers own goal, cant blame the kid, hes a left footer who was off balance

 

Never read so much shite in my life.

 

Wasn't a pen.

Hunt was clearly offside. 

[lexicon]

Another biased Guardian match report

 

 

 

Paul Lambert has parroted it like a mantra throughout the season. "We'll be fine," the Aston Villa manager has said. Here is a Glaswegian of intensity and the impression has been that if he says it sufficiently, he can force it to happen; that the strength of his personality can willan inexperienced squad into prolonging the club's 25-year membership of

the elite.

 

This victory, only a second in 12 Premier League matches, brought substance to the belief. It was a long way from being handsome and there was the sense that Villa were clinging on in the second half but it did nothing to dilute the tonic. Lambert's men survived their latest self-inflicted wound, a darkly comic own goal from Nathan Baker, and a few borderline decisions to pull clear of the relegation places.

 

Reading were left to nurse bitter regret, and not only for their dreadful defending in the first half. They had the chances, as Brian McDermott noted, to have taken "the decision-maker out of the game", in other words, the officials, who ignored two penalty appeals and ruled out for offside what would have been a second-half equaliser from Noel Hunt. Reading left their shooting boots in the dressing room.

 

Commendably, McDermott did not dwell on the decisions, despite being convinced that Hunt had been barged over in the early running by Brad Guzan and wondering whether the substitute Nick Blackman might had got something from an injury-time tangle inside the area with Yacouba Sylla, Villa's full Premier League debutant. But McDermott could not hide the pain of the defeat that pressed his team to joint-bottom of the table with Queens Park Rangers. Next up for them, after four straight league defeats, are trips to Manchester United and Arsenal.

 

"There were inches in the offside decision … I don't know if it was offside or not but the referee has got good eyes to see that," McDermott said. "The result is disappointing, to say the least. It certainly hurts. We didn't kick on at 1-0 and that's cost us." Lambert felt that Villa's spirit was epitomised by Baker who, according to him, recovered in "exceptional" fashion from his aberration. Villa's defensive wobbles have been well documented but this was a new low.

 

After Jobi McAnuff had beaten Matthew Lowton to a cross from the left and Hope Akpan had flicked goalwards, Baker, on the far post, swung his right foot to clear only to miss, see the ball hit his standing foot and roll, almost apologetically, into the net. Yet Reading found a way to trail at the interval and depart to a chorus of boos from theirsupporters. They lost their focus completely after Baker's gift and when Andreas Weimann stole on to Ashley Westwood's pass to cut back from the right, three Reading defenders had toddled like lemmings towards the goalline. Christian Benteke, who had dropped off, shot home with the aid of a deflection off Stephen Kelly.

 

Worse was to come for Reading, and it was not just the timing of Villa's second that hurt. Kelly's attempted clearance from Weimann's cross was sliced high and

when Lowton won a key header, Barry Bannan's instinctive shot came back off the post. Reading froze but Gabby Agbonlahor did not. Lambert described the finish, lashed into the top corner, as "absolutely world-class."

 

Reading had flickered at the outset, with Adam Le Fondre's header forcing Guzan into a reflex save and the hosts were incensed when the Villa goalkeeper bundled into Hunt inside the area. But Villa, set up with a tight midfield three, had fashioned a foothold before the burst of goals. Benteke headed against the crossbar and Weimann dragged a good chance wide on the counter. Agbonlahor's goal felt as though it deserved to be decisive – Villa's build-up had featured 20-plus passes before the Kelly slice – but Lambert's men lived

on their nerves in the second half. The biggest call was that for offside. McAnuff's cross bypassed Le Fondre in the middle and Hunt converted at the back post only to scream injustice when the assistant referee flagged. Le Fondre, who was central to the action, and Hunt might have been fractionally in front of the last man. Everyone was agreed that it was fiendishly tight.

 

The Reading crowd is edgy, and they jeered again when McDermott substituted Akpan and Hunt before the hour but not the disappointing Mikele Leigertwood. There were cheers

when the midfielder was eventually withdrawn. But Reading carried the fight. Hal Robson-Kanu wasted a glorious chance, as he would towards the very end, and Blackman headed at Guzan.

 

Agbonhalor and the substitute Charles N'Zogbia had the chances to make the closing stagesmore comfortable for Villa but they do not trade in comfort. The wildscenes among the travelling fans upon the final whistle spoke of joy and relief.

 

I can't really see what's wrong with that besides the way the talked about the offside - because I thought it clearly was and the officials got it right. 

 

Fact is, we weren't comfortable for big portions of the 2nd half and at times looked as though we wanted them to score but at the end of the day, we managed to hold on for a big, big win.

[dakid007]

Does bannan keep his spot?

[The_Lions_Roar]

just watched motd

we were lucky to win that, reading should of had a penalty at the beginning and no way was their player offside at the end

as for bakers own goal, cant blame the kid, hes a left footer who was off balance

Behave!

[MikeMcKenna]

just watched motd

 

we were lucky to win that, reading should of had a penalty at the beginning and no way was their player offside at the end

 

as for bakers own goal, cant blame the kid, hes a left footer who was off balance

Suggest you don't watch MOTD in the future if you are going to spout shit like this - no way were we lucky!

[Morpheus]

I stated some time ago that if Lambert changed to a system which got the best out of the players available then we'd stay up. I still see no reason to change that view although i can see a defeat coming against Redknapp's QPR who will accompany us in the Premiership next season.

[matrim]

Only saw about 10 minutes of the second half live and the highlights.  From what I saw we seemed to be playing the ball around well in midfield but lacking penetration up front, and were still weak in defense.

 

Westwoods ball to Wiemann before the first goal was very good. I've heard a few people say there was a good passing move before the second but the highlights only showed Wiemanns effort and Gabbys finish.

 

Just glad we got the win and hope we can get another next week.

[flamingsombrero]

just watched motd

 

we were lucky to win that, reading should of had a penalty at the beginning and no way was their player offside at the end

 

as for bakers own goal, cant blame the kid, hes a left footer who was off balance

 

[ozvillafan]

Does bannan keep his spot?

 

Based on that performance, yes. He touched the ball so many times in the lead up to our second, always moving and looking for it and almost scored as a result.

 

In fact, I thought all 3 of our midfield played well (with the odd mistake).

[The_Lions_Roar]

Only saw about 10 minutes of the second half live and the highlights. From what I saw we seemed to be playing the ball around well in midfield but lacking penetration up front, and were still weak in defense.

Westwoods ball to Wiemann before the first goal was very good. I've heard a few people say there was a good passing move before the second but the highlights only showed Wiemanns effort and Gabbys finish.

Just glad we got the win and hope we can get another next week.

It was bannans effort that hit the post for the second goal, he should of scored really.

Motd seemed to show most of the build up and it shows if you knock it around patiently then something will open up.

[Brumstopdogs]

Does bannan keep his spot?

As long as it is the one on his face!

[roonst83]

just watched motd

we were lucky to win that, reading should of had a penalty at the beginning and no way was their player offside at the end

as for bakers own goal, cant blame the kid, hes a left footer who was off balance

Never read so much shite in my life.

Wasn't a pen.

Hunt was clearly offside.

Try listening to people's comments who were at the game and not how motd edit the game. If you watch Football First then you'll see just how much we were the better team.

[CI]

Does bannan keep his spot?

Good question. QPR I imagine will be a different type of game, based on his performance yesterday I'd say yes, but it all depends on how QPR play and how we set up.

[CI]

Only saw about 10 minutes of the second half live and the highlights.  From what I saw we seemed to be playing the ball around well in midfield but lacking penetration up front, and were still weak in defense.

 

Westwoods ball to Wiemann before the first goal was very good. I've heard a few people say there was a good passing move before the second but the highlights only showed Wiemanns effort and Gabbys finish.

 

Just glad we got the win and hope we can get another next week.

Weimanns miss was a bit of a shocker, seemed to lose his composure bit like that west ham miss in the opening minute but this was more difficult. Then he redeemed himself with effectively the 2 assists. The move before the 2nd must have been about 20 odd passes .

In terms of chances we had the best of it - the Weimann chance above, Gabbys curler second half, Zog over the bar from 8 yards, Benteke off the bar . We were worthy winners and I'm sure we had 61% possession .

[fightoffyour]

Should have made it much more comfotable but held out for a vital win. Sylla looked like the player we hoped he might be. Very comfortable and read the game well in tackles and interceptions without commiting many fouls. Guzan as ever bossed it and Benteke had one of his on days which meant he was unplayable. Not sold on Bannan, would prefer Delph to come back in for him.

Surprised to see the defence getting so criticised when in the end we only conceded a freak own goal.

[Archie]

The  Reading game showed once again that our strikers are very good.

Weimann will not be Messi but he did the hard work with pace and committment, and Gabby and Benteke could score more than twice.

Our problem is that the too often the midfield is not able to serve the strikers, and that the defence commits comic, comic blunders every game.

In these conditions is not easy for the strikers, but we are improving game after game.

If we had even only a Rosicky, fantastic player that is a regular Arsenal reserve, our strikers would score every game.

[CI]

The thing we need to stop doing is sitting deeper and deeper as games go on. Can't believe Lambert asks them to do that so must be a combination of inexperience and lack of confidence .

[Tomaszk]

Saw it on match choice and though we played OK but they were total crap.

 

Still a bit to open at the back, need to tighten up.

 

1 down, 1 more relegation rival to go.