I demand a positive response!

[Legion]

Yes, Alex. I'm sure you do.

Manager Alex McLeish has promised a positive performance from his players when they return to home action against Chelsea next Saturday.

The Villa boss was bitterly disappointed with a 3-0 defeat by Arsenal which leaves them looking anxiously over their shoulders towards the foot of the Barclays Premier League table.

But he stressed: "We have a home game next week and we have to be positive.

"We have to concentrate on the glass being half full rather than half empty."

McLeish said his team had learned a lesson at the Emirates, particularly during a first half in which they conceded two "lamentable" goals.

"Although we didn't see a lot of the ball in the second half, we saw more of it," he said.

"At 2-0 we had a couple of chances. At half-time we thought that if we could get a goal back we could make Arsenal nervous.

"Andi Weimann had a couple of chances. He scuffed a left-footer and played the ball across the face of goal when he might have gone for goal.

"Normally, his striker instincts would have made him try to score, but he was lively when he came on.

"But the goals in the first half were pretty lamentable - they were very weak from our point of view."

The manager also made the point that he was without several key players, including the team's latest injury victim Charles N'Zogbia.

"That was the most experienced XI I had available," he added.

"The rest are injured and we had six kids on the bench.

"People expected us to come here and win but we have to be realistic.

"I felt that if we could keep Arsenal quiet, the longer the game went on the more chance we would have. But they were just too good for us."

Sorry, but the Pravda spin does my head in.

[adrenachrome]

For cough ya daft pasty-faced sun-dodging ginga non grata.

[bertlambshank]

How many lesson's are we gonna learn.He is talking shite.

[Monty]

He actually said "we were playing Arsenal today, one of the elite clubs" in the Beeb interview. He actually said it.

[ez]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17499702

[Shrek]

What's with the nugget singleing out young players?

[Legion]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17499702

TWAT!

[hawkeye]

How fukn depressing

[ez]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/17499702

TWAT!

McTwat if you please

[TheSandman]

Yes, Alex. I'm sure you do.

"We have a home game next week and we have to be positive.

Unlike your tactics on the day in all probability.

[PaulWinch again]

Fuck off Alex, you genuinely have no idea why you get criticised you moron.

[Steve67]

The man's a complete knob. Oh, and those of you who thought Villa were safe, no chance of getting relegated, we're too good to go down.  Shut up idiots!!  This Villa is a shit heap, led by a complete knob. Heskey plays again!! Jeez, we are crap and he's making us worse.  McLeish out!

[adrenachrome]

How fitting that the thingummy he is wearing on his lapel is the colour of the cowardly lion on our badge: yellow.

[Mister E]

That box of quotes does really bring a tear to the eyes.
The most experienced is not always the best choice of an XI - Emule is experienced; he's also not very good.
Given his paranoia with the "elite" he might as well have tried to give the kids a shot; playing Lichaj and Weimann from the start, for a start; playing Petrov, Herd and Gardner as a midfield three might have been a good idea.

He is just not very good, I'm afraid.

[Shrek]

Mcleish out