Home truths

[andyaston]

Having been a season ticket holder since the late 1980s give or take a few half season tickets I have never known such shocking home form as the last few years. Since early November 2011 we have won six home games. Yes, six home games in nearly two full calender years.

Lambert has to be partly responsible because in his period he has only managed 5 home wins in 21 games. I thought it may be different this season but yesterday angered me because nothing has changed at all. Newcastle, a  team low on confidence, with all sorts of internal conflict and an awful away record reading one away win in 18 months eased to victory against us on Saturday. So thats two awat victories for them in 18 months both at Villa Park.

Why are we such an easy touch in front of our own fans? It's begining to upset me, asked whether we would win before the match by a few confident fellow fans I replied 'that I don't trust our home form' I wished so much that I was wrong. We let teams settle far too easily at Villa Park instead of going for them. When is the last time we scored an early goal?

No clean sheets since last December, awful naive defending especially by Clarke who cost us the game yersterday by inviting Ben Arfa inside on his strong foot, even a young lad in the stand knows how too defend better then that! We have not learnt from our mistakes. We got Sylla in last January and our midfield shored up and protected our back four better. But, Lambert plays a lightweight in El Ahmadi instead of him who just looks out of his depth.

I'm just fed up of teams strolling up to Villa Park in thier slippers in comfort, being given a goal head start with thier fans taking the piss and enjoying a lovely day out in Brum. Ultimately taking back an easy three points on their journey home.

[PaulWinch again]

Our home form is a major issue for a number of reasons. Principally it's our tactics at home are just not good enough, we need to be able to play through midfield and have patient build up. This will create sustained pressure and we will score goals. Additionally we have to address the number of goals we concede.

[eastie]

Our home form is a major issue for a number of reasons. Principally it's our tactics at home are just not good enough, we need to be able to play through midfield and have patient build up. This will create sustained pressure and we will score goals. Additionally we have to address the number of goals we concede.

Very true, there can be no excuse for the way we seem to struggle at home so often, there seems no idea how to break teams down or change things when they aren't working - we need to set up differently at home and be far more positive .

[PaulWinch again]

Yep counter attack at home doesn't work unless you're playing the teams at the very top. We have to be patient and build sustained pressure.

[ozzjim]

I think there is a sentence in the initial post which is totally untrue too. Newcastle are not low on confidence, and man for man are a significantly better and more experienced side. Cabeye and Sissokho are top drawer centre midfield players, Cisse is a top class striker, Ben Arfa would be incredible in our side and is only still there due to the injury issues he has had. Debauchy, Colocinni and the other centre back are all regular internationals for top sides, and Santon and Krul are both very decent players. Only Anita is unproven in that side really. Compared to ours, it is streets ahead. We were tactically woeful, and Lambert is fully responsible for that and the fact he has not gone and got a player like Ben Arfa that can terrorise and create, but Newcastle are being way, way under-estimated by people.

[alteavilla]

can we play all our games away

no.i did not think so,anyway now the shit as it the fan if we don't get a result at Norwich PL will have too make changes NOT BEFORE don't panic its only played 4

[eastie]

Newcastle looked good yesterday, but they are very hit and miss - i don't see them as a top 10 side and they will probably struggle around the bottom 6 , we made it too easy for them and they will not get many games this season where teams let them play and give them so much space.

They were better than us but we were very very poor - probably 7 or 8 players below par and made them look better than they are .

We should be beating teams like that at home.

[PaulWinch again]

We are desperately short of an attacking midfielder who can unlock defences, like Ben Arfa. It's painfully obvious and must be addressed.

[eastie]

We are desperately short of an attacking midfielder who can unlock defences, like Ben Arfa. It's painfully obvious and must be addressed.

Too late now as the window is shut but its been a priority for a long time and one that should have been addressed rather than another striker.

[Mister E]

Ironically, we may have been better had we not had 3 up front: it encouraged us to try and hoof the ball instead of getting it down and playing through the opposition. Perhpas Bacuna or Tonev in midfield along with the other three might have worked better.

[VillaAlways]

Under estimated Newcastle ? They were utter shite last season hence their league position. They had also won once way from home in the league all season. Care to guess who that victory was against

Yesterday's loss was unacceptable really. I hope it was a blip as its getting embarrassing

[Monty]

Mister E, I think I agree in that the forwards spent too much time too high up the pitch - they didn't get back or join in, and coupled with the midfielders not really getting forward enough we looked as static as any Mike Bassett-esque 4-4-2.

[supertom]

I suspect more teams will also have us figured out when we play on their patch. I think we'll struggle to get a really solid run of away form again like we have done on occasions in the last few years.
If we don't sort out our home form, we'll be in trouble. I actually think resorting to a bog standard 4-4-2 might be the way to do it at home. Have Gabby and Tonev on either flank and perhaps have one of our front men dropping off slightly, either Benteke or Helenius. At least that way we can introduce a bit of width to our game and try and get crosses into the box for the big men, as well as help out our fullbacks defensively, because they're our weak link at the moment. I don't think our centerbacks have been all that bad. We have to resign ourselves to the fact that we're not technically proficient enough to play a possession game. In all honesty, the way to go about it, is the O Neill way. Play at a high tempo get the ball wide as much as we can and feed the two front men. It's not pretty but I'd rather be average at home than piss poor. Our away form will be good enough on the whole I suspect.

What with Albrighton still at the club, might he be a worthwhile option to slip in wide right? He works hard, he provides width. It's for want of a better option granted, but it's also surely his last season at the club to try and make the grade. If he got back to his form under Houllier, he'd be an asset, particularly with Lowton to overlap.

[Monty]

The bog standard 4-4-2 at home won't do anything except make us play in exactly the same way we have for 10 years. There's no going back - as a club, if we want to play well and win at home, we have to do things we have never done before, and just fucking move on from the same old Britisher tactics that just couldn't be more screamingly inadequate.

[PaulWinch again]

I think that assuming we are alright this season, the signings we make in the summer have to for the most part be obvious improvements on what we already have.