Aston Villa 2-2 Stoke City Post Match Thread

[Meanwood Villa]

Interesting reading that table. It's annoyed me Blues stayed up as much as anything.

[Pat McMahon]

Got back home and have eaten and warmed up so feeling more charitable now.

All in all today is probably a point gained as I thought Stoke were the better team and we had to come from behind twice. I think some posters are being harsh on them as they played decent football and used the width well. Generally they were better in midfield than us Joe Allen and Woods in particular.

Too many of our players were below par but unlike others I thought Whelan was better than most and did some good defensive work. He also played what looked like the best ball of the first half, curled behind their defence. Nyland also made a few good saves and held just about everything he could, though is starting to look more comfortable with the ball at his feet. I don’t have confidence in him though.

The front 3 were average today and I don’t think we won a meaningful ball in their half for about an hour. The wide players also didn’t protect the full backs as they should have done meaning we were always vulnerable down the flanks.

I knew it was another our day with a shit journey up, realised my seat in K4 was on the right of the Holte and there was an ongoing feud between a bloke and several stewards all through the first half just behind me. He had called McClean a “non poppy wearing terrorist c@#t” and refused to back down when given a warning by the police. It veered off into “I was in the army and he supports terrorists” territory for a while and even the bloke’s daughter was beseeching him to calm down.

Journey home was shit too - bad weather and slow traffic punctuated by two signs warning of people and then animals on the M40. I was waiting for the inevitable thud to finish off the day.

Play offs is the best I can see us achieve this season. We are too weak defensively.

Blimey....thought My day at villa park was just average    Glad it wasn't as bad as yours...!

Cheers mate!

I forgot to say it all started within 500m of leaving the house. I went to fill up at the local garage and the queue for the pump I was in was 5 deep, with 3 in front of me. The selfish bastard at the front had filled up but didn’t return to the car. I asked the woman in front of me what was up and she wasn’t sure so I went inside to ask. Turned out he had gone to the toilet and had been in there for 10 minutes but instead of moving his car he had left it there.

I hope he drove into a giant marshmallow and that somebody super glues his locks.

[ez]

I went to my first villa game for several years today. I was looking forward to seeing Smith's brand of attacking football but there wasn't much of it going on. Also I  couldn't help noticing how quiet it was for a decent attendance and wondered if this is how it has become while I've been away.

[tomd2103]

Just seen the goals again and there was some pretty poor defending for both.  Hourihane then Hutton for the first and Elmohamady for the second.

[London Villan]

We need to win 9 out of the next 10 to get us in there.

[kippaxvilla2]

So three out of six of the teams that will were in the top six on boxing day dropped out of the picture at the end of the season.  So I reckon this season it will be Boro, Sheffield and Norwich.

[The_ads]

If we don’t go up through play offs I’ll literally eat my hat.

[Des Little]

If we don’t go up through play offs I’ll literally eat my hat.

It’s way too cold for such folly. You’re gonna need it next week my old son.

[robleflaneur]

We are not going up automatically.  How are 6 other teams going to fail and let us in.  Besides, 48 points minimum will get us to 81 points.  I cannot see that being enough for 2nd.  Top 6 yes.

I would argue that we should be favourites for automatic promotion.The majority here think that we will finish top 6 and as others pointed out we have leaked 9 goals in 3 home games but we are unbeaten in 7  after facing the November/ December games that we feared under Bruce.
.Third place is only 6-7 points away ,held by either Derby and WBA.I think that we have already proved that we are superior to them.Also we will improve by at least addressing some of our defensive issues in January.
Then that leaves theorectically only one team to catch as 2nd place is enough
Today's game gives me encouragement because Villa and Stoke ,both outside the top 6, are on long unbeaten runs,so the top 6 will come under more pressure as games become more difficult.A slight wobble from Leeds or more likely Norwich becomes more probable.

[eamonn]

I went to my first villa game for several years today. I was looking forward to seeing Smith's brand of attacking football but there wasn't much of it going on. Also I  couldn't help noticing how quiet it was for a decent attendance and wondered if this is how it has become while I've been away.

How long had it been since your last?

[alftitimus]

Hmmm....  .... Thanks some of you   

 I anticipated a larger backlash about Jack being out
... but we did the job.
Rowett is BFS / Pulis / Warnock  ~ a sedentary Manager.

My only Crit about us, a BIG Crit, is we have no plan B.

I expected Smith to take the blame.
I expected Jack's absence to be an excuse.
WE DREW ![/b

I hate to say this.... BUT..."We Move On"....

[Steve67]

We are no worse off really after yesterday's results. We are two further points away from Leeds and Albion but have gained on Boro and the blades. No worse with Norwich. Two or three players coming back next week to boost the depth of the squad and then the January sales open. Long, long way to go yet. We can only get stronger, due to players coming back, and the minor surgery. If we can beat Leeds then we throw it wide open.

[alftitimus]

YEP Mate.....

 

My only REAL worrry is in our "Selling" or "Returns"

We do have a FFP consideration,we are payin  £50-60K per week for at least one of our loans ~ £35K a week on another....we can't continue that unless we get promoted and do a QPR on the EFL ... that is ignore our EFL Financial debt in the Prem...where they can't chase us   

That's a GAMBLE that XIA chased.

My only worry is a "Settling" period by our new owners in January.

Chase the Dream... or Lose Out and be Hammered by Xia's debts ?

[VinnieChase84]

Yesterday’s game highlights perfectly why we are looking at Sawyers. Without Jack we don’t have that player who will put their foot and the ball and drive/dictate play.
With a new keeper, CB, LB and sawyers we can really push on.
The great news is that I really can’t see us losing games. We win the majority and the gap can be closed quite quickly.
Do feel we are destined to do it the hard way though UTV

[Ad@m]

I went to my first villa game for several years today. I was looking forward to seeing Smith's brand of attacking football but there wasn't much of it going on. Also I  couldn't help noticing how quiet it was for a decent attendance and wondered if this is how it has become while I've been away.

Afraid so. The Lambert years have really sucked the life out of the crowd.