Ratings and Reactions: Villa 0-4 Tottenham

[villa89]

An inevitable loss to a side who have a squad unlike us. Surprised so many people are angry about it to be honest. As Steve bruce said the early rounds of the league cup are like friendlies. Every manager is so focused on their league that they make wholesale changes. The big clubs can afford to do that and win, we can't. No harm being out of the carling/capital one/coca cola/worthington/rumbelows cup early really. We have a tough run of fixtures to start our season and the focus this year has to be getting into the top ten and away from any relegation scrap.

 

On our home form it will continue to be bad until we improve our midfield options. Probably need to sign 2 quality midfielders to play alongside Delph to have enough to break teams down at home. And of course we need to improve at the back...  

Edited September 25, 2013 by villa89

[andymac12345]

On our home form it will continue to be bad until we improve our midfield options. Probably need to sign 2 quality midfielders to play alongside Delph to have enough to break teams down at home. And of course we need to improve at the back...  

 

I really think one Hatem Ben Arfa type player who can open up defences is all we need. Think we should have signed one of those instead of someone like Helenius (especially as we now have Kozak too)

[abdulaziz1]

Our B team will always going to be worse than premier league regular side .. Let alone Spurs half of A side !!

 

I don't think we were that bad .. Could have been worse .. Anyway I hope Lambert could work from there ..

 

Hopefully Gabby And Delph would be back to City game .. with Sylla starting Alongside KEA and Delph ..

[Electric Avenue]

But it wasn't a full B team :

Lowton, Vlaar, Baker, KEA and arguably Bacuna/Tonev are all A team as will be Kozak for 2 months or Helenius. So that's 50% A team playing.

[Shillzz]

But it wasn't a full B team :

Lowton, Vlaar, Baker, KEA and arguably Bacuna/Tonev are all A team as will be Kozak for 2 months or Helenius. So that's 50% A team playing.

 

I wouldn't expect Baker or Tonev to start on Saturday, and only one from Lowton and Bacuna will get a run out. KEA and Kozak were subbed at half time, at which point we were doing reasonably ok. For the entire second half Vlaar was the only player present who you could argue was a real staple of the first team. 

[Electric Avenue]

Simply not true, Lowton, Sylla ? I struggle to see how bombing out Nzogbia and replacing with Tonev carries any sense or logic whatsoever.

Don't forget it was spurs reserves largely too and we allowed their over the hill reserve CF to bag two.

Really shocking home performance again.

[Shillzz]

Simply not true, Lowton, Sylla ? I struggle to see how bombing out Nzogbia and replacing with Tonev carries any sense or logic whatsoever.

Don't forget it was spurs reserves largely too and we allowed their over the hill reserve CF to bag two.

Really shocking home performance again.

 

Lowton & Sylla? Neither started last week, Sylla hasn't started a league game all year.

 

I agree with your point on NZogbia, who I thought was reasonably useful last year. Tonev is one for the future I suspect.

[Electric Avenue]

I'd class lowton as a first teamer and people on here have universally demanded that Sylla starts games. So when he plays and is a passenger people say he's a reserve ?

[Shillzz]

I'd class lowton as a first teamer and people on here have universally demanded that Sylla starts games. So when he plays and is a passenger people say he's a reserve ?

 

Yeah, normally Lowton would be a first teamer.

 

Did you think Sylla was a passenger last night?

 

I thought he was quiet in the first half, but our most important centre player in the second half.

[Electric Avenue]

We walked out on 75 mins so maybe I'm not the best person to ask but what I saw Sylla had a poor game. Perhaps he did well from 75 onwards when the score line went from 0-2 to 0-4 ?

[Morpheus]

The positives, the thing that made me angry, what happened and the negatives - in that order.

 

Most of the positives were on the pitch - I thought Bennett had a really good game, Bacuna looked like a player with a future, KEA worked his socks off in the first half and the team gave it their all - quality wise, this was Championship against Premier league, but you can't knock some of ours for effort. Steer made a couple of good saves, Sylla, Vlaar,Baker and Lowton were solid enough and for the most part they gave it their all.

 

Just after half time, the decision not to award a penalty absolutely incensed me - there are two question that need an answer for a penalty to be awarded - was it in the box and was it a foul? Well, it was in the box, no doubt about that. For me, pulling shorts is a foul, same as pulling shirts - so the simple question was did he pull Helenius's shorts? If the answer to that is yes, then it's a penalty. Helenius's shorts ended up around his knees. Absolute balls up by a referee who was too amused by a player with his shorts pulled down to remember he was a referee. Don't get me wrong, Spurs would have gone on to win, but it would have made for a much more interesting evening - particularly as there's a pretty strong case for a red card.

 

What happened on the night in the end was that we ran out of steam - we worked like trojans in the first half and were a little unlucky to go in behind to the late goal - by the end we were knackered and a bigger, stronger, quicker, fitter Spurs squad looked like they could play all night. They were the better side throughout, but we kept ourselves in it and just needed the luck we didn't get to make a better fist of it.

 

For me, the worst thing about the evening was 22,750 - The 4,000 Spurs fans in their end sang "Your support is **** shite" and "Your ground's too big for you" and they were right on both counts - I'm sick of the excuses, there are two million people within range of our ground - the support we pull in is shit. I went on my own - I'm half responsible , this club needs us dragging people along with them, take a mate, someone you work with, your missus, your nan or your dog, we need to start getting people into the habit of backing their team - I bet the Royal was packed. I was embarrassed. This isn't a better fan claim, if you couldn't make it fair enough, there ought to be someone who can, the Geordies, the Mackems and the Scousers can pack em in, if this game had been at White Hart Lane it would've been full - where are our fans?

 

The Chairman needs to invest, a club within its means doesn't have the support to live in our division - but we've got to have something to offer a buyer and a ground with 17,000 Villa fans in it (there were Spurs fans everywhere) isn't going to encourage anyone.

 

We're got a good manager, and a smattering of good players, there's still a chance we can get this right, but I'm wondering if enough people care.

 

I'm annoyed. I may change my mind on some of this. It's not 4-0 that does it. It's not shit referees. It's not being mocked in an empty ground by the rest of the league, it's that they're right.

 

And I really really hate Jermaine Defoe.

Excellent post but do you switch your TV on when there's nothing good to watch?

 

Therein lies the problem.

[TRO]

I wish I could be as dismissive as some....kinda bad day at the office syndrome, usually said when folk don't want to face reality.

These games have kinda made the emirates win a bit of a fluke and that Arsenal was the ones with the bad day at the office.

We are all looking for progress, but it is very debatable if in fact we are progressing.

We say on occasions that if only...if only we can get a clean sheet, things will change, if only we can get a win, things will change, if only we can get a home win, we'll be on our way.

Sad fact is individually there is so much wrong, with most of the players games, we are heading no where.

For example, we simply can't keep giving the ball away cheaply at the rate we do and expect to get results and if we do they will be sparse not consistent.

We can't build on anything because there is little substance to build upon.

Don't know where we go from here....except just plodding on and trying to keep our chins up.

Edited September 25, 2013 by TRO

[PompeyVillan]

 

The positives, the thing that made me angry, what happened and the negatives - in that order.

 

Most of the positives were on the pitch - I thought Bennett had a really good game, Bacuna looked like a player with a future, KEA worked his socks off in the first half and the team gave it their all - quality wise, this was Championship against Premier league, but you can't knock some of ours for effort. Steer made a couple of good saves, Sylla, Vlaar,Baker and Lowton were solid enough and for the most part they gave it their all.

 

Just after half time, the decision not to award a penalty absolutely incensed me - there are two question that need an answer for a penalty to be awarded - was it in the box and was it a foul? Well, it was in the box, no doubt about that. For me, pulling shorts is a foul, same as pulling shirts - so the simple question was did he pull Helenius's shorts? If the answer to that is yes, then it's a penalty. Helenius's shorts ended up around his knees. Absolute balls up by a referee who was too amused by a player with his shorts pulled down to remember he was a referee. Don't get me wrong, Spurs would have gone on to win, but it would have made for a much more interesting evening - particularly as there's a pretty strong case for a red card.

 

What happened on the night in the end was that we ran out of steam - we worked like trojans in the first half and were a little unlucky to go in behind to the late goal - by the end we were knackered and a bigger, stronger, quicker, fitter Spurs squad looked like they could play all night. They were the better side throughout, but we kept ourselves in it and just needed the luck we didn't get to make a better fist of it.

 

For me, the worst thing about the evening was 22,750 - The 4,000 Spurs fans in their end sang "Your support is **** shite" and "Your ground's too big for you" and they were right on both counts - I'm sick of the excuses, there are two million people within range of our ground - the support we pull in is shit. I went on my own - I'm half responsible , this club needs us dragging people along with them, take a mate, someone you work with, your missus, your nan or your dog, we need to start getting people into the habit of backing their team - I bet the Royal was packed. I was embarrassed. This isn't a better fan claim, if you couldn't make it fair enough, there ought to be someone who can, the Geordies, the Mackems and the Scousers can pack em in, if this game had been at White Hart Lane it would've been full - where are our fans?

 

The Chairman needs to invest, a club within its means doesn't have the support to live in our division - but we've got to have something to offer a buyer and a ground with 17,000 Villa fans in it (there were Spurs fans everywhere) isn't going to encourage anyone.

 

We're got a good manager, and a smattering of good players, there's still a chance we can get this right, but I'm wondering if enough people care.

 

I'm annoyed. I may change my mind on some of this. It's not 4-0 that does it. It's not shit referees. It's not being mocked in an empty ground by the rest of the league, it's that they're right.

 

And I really really hate Jermaine Defoe.

Excellent post but do you switch your TV on when there's nothing good to watch?

 

Therein lies the problem.

 

 

It stems from our terrible home form, which is unacceptable for a team in the Premier League. I don't blame people from staying away. 

[TRO]

The positives, the thing that made me angry, what happened and the negatives - in that order.

Most of the positives were on the pitch - I thought Bennett had a really good game, Bacuna looked like a player with a future, KEA worked his socks off in the first half and the team gave it their all - quality wise, this was Championship against Premier league, but you can't knock some of ours for effort. Steer made a couple of good saves, Sylla, Vlaar,Baker and Lowton were solid enough and for the most part they gave it their all.

Just after half time, the decision not to award a penalty absolutely incensed me - there are two question that need an answer for a penalty to be awarded - was it in the box and was it a foul? Well, it was in the box, no doubt about that. For me, pulling shorts is a foul, same as pulling shirts - so the simple question was did he pull Helenius's shorts? If the answer to that is yes, then it's a penalty. Helenius's shorts ended up around his knees. Absolute balls up by a referee who was too amused by a player with his shorts pulled down to remember he was a referee. Don't get me wrong, Spurs would have gone on to win, but it would have made for a much more interesting evening - particularly as there's a pretty strong case for a red card.

What happened on the night in the end was that we ran out of steam - we worked like trojans in the first half and were a little unlucky to go in behind to the late goal - by the end we were knackered and a bigger, stronger, quicker, fitter Spurs squad looked like they could play all night. They were the better side throughout, but we kept ourselves in it and just needed the luck we didn't get to make a better fist of it.

For me, the worst thing about the evening was 22,750 - The 4,000 Spurs fans in their end sang "Your support is **** shite" and "Your ground's too big for you" and they were right on both counts - I'm sick of the excuses, there are two million people within range of our ground - the support we pull in is shit. I went on my own - I'm half responsible , this club needs us dragging people along with them, take a mate, someone you work with, your missus, your nan or your dog, we need to start getting people into the habit of backing their team - I bet the Royal was packed. I was embarrassed. This isn't a better fan claim, if you couldn't make it fair enough, there ought to be someone who can, the Geordies, the Mackems and the Scousers can pack em in, if this game had been at White Hart Lane it would've been full - where are our fans?

The Chairman needs to invest, a club within its means doesn't have the support to live in our division - but we've got to have something to offer a buyer and a ground with 17,000 Villa fans in it (there were Spurs fans everywhere) isn't going to encourage anyone.

We're got a good manager, and a smattering of good players, there's still a chance we can get this right, but I'm wondering if enough people care.

I'm annoyed. I may change my mind on some of this. It's not 4-0 that does it. It's not shit referees. It's not being mocked in an empty ground by the rest of the league, it's that they're right.

And I really really hate Jermaine Defoe.

Good post. On the attendance, I think you're wrong, in part. I think when a club doesn't win home games regularly, and it goes on for years, people stop paying to go. It doesn't matter where the club is, geographically. London or the North East. I think when prices are completely out of kilter with the "offering" people just won't go.

I think season ticket holders won't shell out extra.

I think, when paul Lambert said on Saturday that the league was the priority, it was confirmation, if needed, that with the injuries etc. we'd play a weak side.

If the fans of a club who are 2nd in the league, with a currently very good side and squad want to sing songs about a club or its fans, that have been scuffling around the bottom of the league for a few years, who cares. We'd do the same to them if the roles were reversed.

With regards to the attendance I absolutely agree with you.

...and as far as the positivity is concerned sometimes on here it's misplaced.

What I witnessed in the last 2 home games and the first half against LIverpool was in my opinion low grade football

Forget the results, the play was poor.

When you get players paid well and can't trap a ball it's time to say so.....some folk want to watch the game rather than just reflecting on the result.

We have been out played now in all but the Rotherham game....irrespective of the personnel of the team....it seems it doesn't make much difference who we pick, it's basically the same...low grade.

Not trying to be negative, just saying what I see....sees like a few who never turned up , agree.

Edited September 25, 2013 by TRO

[Electric Avenue]

As Morpheus says above, people voting with their feet are well entitled to. For almost 4 years now, we have been dealt a shit hand down aston. Fans deserve more.

[abdulaziz1]

Our B team will always going to be worse than premier league regular side .. Let alone Spurs half of A side !!

 

I don't think we were that bad .. Could have been worse .. Anyway I hope Lambert could work from there ..

 

Hopefully Gabby And Delph would be back to City game .. with Sylla starting Alongside KEA and Delph ..

[abdulaziz1]

I have a problem with my Internet .. I thought my post wasn't submitted !!

[abdulaziz1]

But it wasn't a full B team :

Lowton, Vlaar, Baker, KEA and arguably Bacuna/Tonev are all A team as will be Kozak for 2 months or Helenius. So that's 50% A team playing.

 

But those aren't the most effective players in our team !

 

The most important 4 aren't there .. Benteke Gabby Delph Guzan .. Weimann too wasn't there Westwood do .. 

 

But mainly Our team depends on those three .. Benteke Gabby Delph Guzan ..

 

Until Tonev make a step up and Kozak .. We might consider them as Gabby and Benteke's quality .. Delph irreplacable as no one does what he does .. 

[Avflife]

Out of the starters against Spuds only Vlaar, Lowton and KEA would be considered first-teamers on games this season, Kozak will be for the next 6 weeks and preferably Sylla and Baker will be instead of KEA and Vlaar. We were missing 8 first team players, Guzan, Clark and Weimann were all rested and Gabby, Westwood, Delph, Luna and Benteke were all injured, the latter the only one who is unavailable for the game against City on Saturday.

[Ponky]

I understand the dismay of people at the lack of cohesion and effectiveness but there really is to much panty twisting going on over this game.

To me this is little different to our regular dumping at the hands of 2nd string Man Utd, even when we were a top 8 team. Lack of squad depth has long been a problem for us against teams that can afford to mothball players we could only dream of signing.