Rating and Reactions: Villa 1-1 Fulham

[mockingbird_franklin]

A game we should have won by a country mile, wasted far too many opportunities to score, Had a feeling for a draw before the game, But on our performance, when we went ahead thought we would go on and win it easily and should have, Forgot about Villa's shit awful luck that we seemed doomed to fall victim too every game.Another goal to add the freakish list we're compiling this year. Fulham looked very poor and we looked great going forward until it came to the final ball. Overall Very disappointed, we played well enough to get all three points today so two points dropped rather than one won for we.

[Kingfisher]

A game of poor finishing rather than defending for a change. I don't think the subs worked. We ended the game poorly with no real purpose in attack. Gabby was missed. 

 

Given...7 Not tested much

Lowton...7 Another good game

Bennett...7 Best game yet

Baker...8 Solid

Vlaar...7 Good

Delph...6 Some good, some bad

Westwood 6 Did ok. 

Weimann...7 Lively, and a handful for them 

N'Zog...8 Great technique, some poor decisions. It's Charlie and it's MOTM 

Bowery...6 Ok but no real threat

Benteke...6 Not his best game

 

Sylla...6 Mixed bag of sloppy passes and really good dones

Bent...5 Ineffective

Holman...6 Tried to make things happen.  

[darrenm]

If only Benteke had looked up and found Bent instead of blasting that shot. He had a direct line to Darren standing right in front of goal just yards away.

Yeah, that was more or less and open goal. I think Benteke's first touch was so good he was desperate to welly it, rather than keeping composed, spotting Bent and rolling it to him for an easy tap-in.

[Delphinho123]

No shots on target for Fulham

 

Irrelevant when it comes to us. If they can't score, we'll just do it for them.

Our inability to keep a clean sheet will probably see us relegated. We simply cannot go a game without conceding, it's become a mental thing.

 

If Delph hadn't put the ball in the back of the net today for them, someone else would. Next week it might be Westwood's mistake, the week after, Bakers mistake. No matter who we are playing, one of our players will **** up. Lambert must be tearing his hair out.

 

that point seems a whole lot better when you factor in Arsenals late goals. We really should be winning these matches though.

 

Up the Villa.

[brummybloke]

poor effort

 

team set up was poor,

 

nzog with a good goal but gives the ball away 85% of the time the **** has it as he point blank refuses to pass to any player what so ever

by which time he has selfishly hoofed it miles wide or passed it harmlessly to the other side.

 

benteke missed a couple sitters today and didn't look up for it, was muscled out by 2 solid defenders

 

Bennett did his usual trick of trying to turn inside with the ball, only to fall over it and set them up for an attack

 

weimann tried, but he knew every time znog had the ball there was no point expecting a return pass, it must be very frustrating for him, putting everything in only for the greedy **** to lose the ball every time he wins it back through hard work.

 

westwood and delph fell apart in the second half, no support from bowery and nzog what so ever.

 

baker was our best player today in my view, he tried and he did nothing wrong and put in some bone cruncher tackles

 

 

if we play nzog then we need more in midfield because he will lose the ball 85% of the time and if he is played in midfield will cost us massively, play him up front with benteke, he wont ever pass the ball so we may as well use the man where losing it isn't too bad.

 

2 points lost from a very winnable game.

 

at least no one else won.

[Swerbs]

Bennett man of the match for me.

[supernova26]

Feared the worst when I saw Gabby wasn't playing he's been pivotal to our recent victories.

 

My heart sank when Holman came on, he's dreadful, Sylia not much better. N'zogbia always goes off at 70 minutes don' think he's got the engine for a full match ...the strange decision was taking Wiemann off he was our most dangerous player at the time.

Edited April 13, 2013 by supernova26

[Mantis]

I didn't watch the game but looking at things positively we all would have taken 4 points from Stoke away and Fulham at home. Hopefully Gabby will be back soon.

[vandaq]

Thought I would be more mad because i really felt like we deserved to take this one. We really played great fotball today, except some instances in the second half.

Baker MOM for me today. Sylla was really disappointing today

[b23avfc]

Though Delph messed up, he helped out and tried hard. :S

[Cambridge-AVFC]

Don't like Delph thought he was poor today. Happy with a draw, we needed 4 points from our last 2 games and we got it. As far as I'm concerned this wasn't a must win game and I was expected a draw going into it. Fulham have a better team than us and throughout the match we looked the better. Lads played well and got a good result. 

 

I would've liked us revert back to the 4-3-3, with Bannan, Sylla and Westwood centre mid, as I think we could boss possesion. I wouldn't of started Bowery as the only use for him imo, is playing against physical teams. Also can someone tell Lambert to STOP REVERTING BACK TO 4-1-2-1-2 IT DOESN'T WORK!!!! Also if we're going to play 2 up front it has to be Weimann OR Bent/Benteke. Bent and Benteke are not dynamic enough to be a partnership, however with Weimann's hard work and tenacity Bent/Benteke will be given more space and more opportunities to score. 

 

My match Ratings:

Guzan 6 - looked solid, nothing he could've done about the goal.

 

Lowton 6.5 - Defensively solid looked bright going forward

Vlaar 7 - Solid as Concrete.

Baker 7.5 - Was class today, saved us a few times and put in his customary big tackles...love him.

Bennett 6 - Look at Lowton but slightly worse

 

Westwood 6.5 - Kept things ticking over and was very efficient in possession.

Delph 5 - He's woeful.

 

Bowery 5.5 - Worked hard but was painfully quiet.

N'Zogbia 7 - Wasteful at times but was a constant threat and was baffled when he got taken off.

Weimann 7 - Worked tirelessly. He's becoming my favourite player I just love this guy. Always a threat and he makes everyone else around him look better. Cannot believe he was taken off as well.

 

Benteke 6 - Decent hold up play. Looked bright and classy, but missed a golden opportunity.

 

Subs:

Sylla 6 - Made a good enough impact, I would like to see him in the Delph role as I think he would be a better enforcer and give our midfield that extra bite.

Holman 5.5 - Just a shitter Weimann

Bent N/A - Wasn't supplied with anything.

[CrackpotForeigner]

Rubbish, why on earth he brought Holman on, he's useless

 

I wasn't delighted to see him brought on, but he did well. Made a lot of the passes that set up our late chances.

[chrisp65]

a point is at least another click upwards and another result we are forcing the teams around us into needing

 

what might really do us a favour would be Man City truly battering Wigan and reducing the curse of goal diff

[Ghost]

A game of poor finishing rather than defending for a change. I don't think the subs worked. We ended the game poorly with no real purpose in attack. Gabby was missed. 

 

Given...7 Not tested much

 

I would have been very surprised if he had been tested at all considering he was on the bench 

[Raymond]

I wish there was a dislike button.  

[steve1986]

Worst performance for a while, we just lacked anything going forward. Surprised to say we missed Gabby, but we did. Joe Bennett is such a liability, for the corner he was out of position before he got the block on Berbatov's shot. I wish he could maintain his concentration. 

 

Holman was a waste of a sub and we lost a lot of shape from that sub, we lost any drive from midfield to attack and that allowed Fulham to have more time on the ball in their half. 

 

Plus points

 

Baker and Vlaar were solid, Lowton got forward well 

 

 

 

[Ponky]

Sylla was an important sub too because we were conceding the midfield. Zoggy was the wrong person to take off though - Bowery probably the better choice.

 

This game was a real lesson in not taking your chances and if Fulham were actually interested in anything but a point we might have been in trouble. That said, we could have had a very comfortable win here, but I wonder if it was a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth here. Too many forwards getting in each others' way.

 

Got to feel for Guzan - didn't have to make a save all day and still no clean sheet.

 

That said, this defence is starting to take a bit more shape. We seem very comfortable dealing with set pieces now and both Bennett and Lowton are playing with confidence. We'll get stuffed next week, but hopefully the boys will maintain their confidence.

[CI]

That was basically the Berbatov show

[smetrov]

Baker - Great in the tackle - but his clearances found a fulham man time after time

 

Weiman - was woeful today - he missed chance after chance, looked edgy and never looked like scoring. Would start Bent ahead of him. 

[CrackpotForeigner]

Bowery played really well, I thought. Quick, and reliable in posession.