Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: Legion on December 28, 2013, 11:27:09 AM
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Available Saturday 28.12.13 @4.50pm.
Please be nice.
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A point is better than expected.
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Footballing dysentery.
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Crap.
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Positives: scored a goal, didnt lose, we're not Fulham
Negatives: everything else
On the face of it that's not actually a bad result considering, and that's what's so depressing.
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Disappointing - little else to add at the moment - depressing :(
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I'll take that to be honest. Exactly the kind of game I expected, so a better scoreline.
But we are really, really shit at the moment.
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That was really almost unimaginably bad.
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On the positive side we are now no longer on a losing streak. Swansea must be kicking themselves!
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A point, which is good.
A performance which promises next to nothing, though.
It was embarassing to watch our failure to complete even the simplest of passes, compared to Swansea's ease on the ball.
I've had enough of Villa teams playing like that, it is absolutely gash to watch and, over the course of the rest of the season, will not be enough to avoid relegation.
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Better than a loss. Luna looked better. Delph probably the pick of the midfield. KEA should start next game instead of Westwood.
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I'll take that. We have a crap team, and reversing 4 losses on the bounce was important. However, we need investment in January.
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Well same ole...ok for 5 mins and then really bad the rest. Players just can't do basics, passing, moving, marking....Under 8's are taught this!
I really don't like Lambert and who he has bought and the way he plays. He has bought 3 full backs, all the worst in the league for me. 3-4 midfielders...again, could be the worst in the league....
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Well, we got a point, so that's good I suppose, but performance-wise that was appalling.
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It really is incredible that Lambert is still in a job.
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Well we go again and who the back 4 or 5 will be god only knows, if we are going to spend in Jan it has to be the first week not the last week, if we leave it till the last week we are doommmeeeddd
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Nowhere near good enough.
(http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/6166/grqg.jpg)
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There's nothing that happened today that convinces me Paul Lambert is the right man for the job.
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Better than a loss. Luna looked better. Delph probably the pick of the midfield. KEA should start next game instead of Westwood.
Really?
KEA spends far too much time trying to give away the ball for my liking.
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Nowhere near good enough.
(http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/6166/grqg.jpg)
27% possession AT HOME
Jesus.
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Rubbish again. Another 90 minutes of my life I won't see again.
Lambert is out his depth. Don't think he knows how to change it.
Look at Swansea, the way they coach and insist on playing that type of football. Beautiful stuff. Where as we can't strong two passes together. Total hoof ball, worse than stoke in that regards
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Sorry Ciggie Luna looks better , better than what???
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Awful again. Swansea seemed all too happy to just take the point, which given their dominance is a surprise. They played some nice stuff but just lacked that cutting edge. Bony was poor, and I'm not sure the lad who replaced him barely touched the ball. Shelvey is hit and miss. I like Hernandez and De Guzman. Decent players. If they get themselves some extra quality in defence and attack (because Michu has been a huge miss) they'll be comfortably mid-table.
We've got to invest in proper quality in jan, or we'll be in trouble. Again though, Lambert has no answer. We'll simply "go again" and hope for the best. We look way, way off being an efficient side. The standard of football is utterly appalling.
A poorer collection of players we've probably never had.
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Our midfield aren't creative enough, our defense never give it to them in the first place and our strikers are all off form. Apart from that we're fine.
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We didn't lose Christmas 0-15, at least. And the transfer window is opening, so Continental div 2 teams will be telling their players to prepare for a look around the Bullring.
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Deserved to lose. Swansea had everything we didn't.
Delph, Guzan, Bacuna and Gabby did ok. The rest were shit.
Then KEA came on and challenged Luna to the award of bigggest fucking clown in town. What a fucking awful footballer. 3 players, Luna, Tonev and KEA should all be replaced by the end of the 2nd day in January!
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Well we go again and who the back 4 or 5 will be god only knows, if we are going to spend in Jan it has to be the first week not the last week, if we leave it till the last week we are doommmeeeddd
Definitely, if we are actually going to buy some players they need to come in asap.
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90mins of passing backwards and fucking hoofball. I completely hate watching this shite. I arranged to go with the mrs to this a coule pf weeks ago but couldn't bring myself to put her through it after the palace game. I was justified again.
Its not even the money, More than anything I hate the fact that I don't want to go and watch the team anymore. Less than 3years ago I would have been working out my calender a month or so in advance to ensure I could make the games.
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Better than a loss. Luna looked better. Delph probably the pick of the midfield. KEA should start next game instead of Westwood.
Really?
KEA spends far too much time trying to give away the ball for my liking.
Less than Westwood and he won the ball back much more often. Ideally we would have a creative midfielder in there, but right now out of KEA & Westwood, KEA is better.
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Sorry Ciggie Luna looks better , better than what???
Better than his last game.
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Not that fussed about the football. Just walked up witton lane to get the bus and some poor fucker is fucked on the floor. Hope he's ok he looked in a bad way.
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Oh, and worth noting the numbers below next time someone trots out the hackneyed line "you pay peanuts you get monkeys" or "buy championship players, get championship football" which are both INCREDIBLY IRRITATING:
Guzan (0.5) lowton (1) Clark, Baker (0) Luna (1) Bacuna (1.5) Westwood (1) Delph (6) Tonev (3.5) Weimann (0) Gabby (0)
Total: 14.5
Tremmel (free) Tiendalli (free) Davies (free) Canas (free) Chico (2) Williams (free) Hernandez (5) De Guzman (loan) Shelvey (5) Bony (12) Lamah (free)
Total 24 (but half on one player, whereas Villa's more expensive players not playing)
Lots of free or very cheap players in there. It would be a fairly even balance of costs if both sides had their first choice players (Vlaar, Benteke, Michu in for Bony).
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The only positive apart from our goal was keeping it to 1-1
Appalling shit.
But we've managed to somehow claw 1 point from a 'must get 6' two match stretch, so i guess that'll do for some.
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20 points after 19 games?
Not nearly good enough. Especially when there are 10 dire teams other than us in the league. I don't trust Lambert either tactically or in the transfer market to turn this sinking ship around.
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HOW is this acceptable?!!!
It is not. Randy, do something about it please.
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So lightweight in midfield no one is able to hold onto the ball for a second.Lack of ability on the ball throughout the team everything is hurried, the passing was in general appalling.
No Clark for next game leaving us just Baker and Herd if the later is fit.
Point was more than we deserved and in some ways this was worse than Palace as we were completely showed up for what a awful team we are.
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Total utter garbage. Sunderland and Sheffield United must be rubbing their hands with glee, one at a certain 3 points and a chance to dish out revenge following their tonking at Villa Park last April, the other at what would be the most expected cup upset ever.
The only positives we can take out of it was that for once we scored at home in the first half, and it is a point. But the team are playing poorly. We look like a relegation side at the moment.
If Lerner had any balls Lambert would arrive at work to find a P45 on his desk on Monday and a cardboard box.
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So that means Luna is less shit than the shittest full back including Hutton, he should never be allowed to put a Villa shirt on ever again, as someone said in the match thread, if there is not a reserve player who can do better than that clown, we may as well close the gates to Bodymoor Heath, because all that money spent on making it great has been wasted.
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Radio 5 just said " honours even at Villa Park". Have to disagree, there's no honour in drawing at home to a team who have 73% possession on your turf and pass you to death from front to back, even their keeper would walk into our midfield. Absolute rubbish, it's just heartbreaking.
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Lambert didn't clench his fist and punch the air in celebration of a point while looking up at the directors by any chance did he?
We're that gesture away from him becoming McLeish because we certainly don't play any better than we did under that other Scottish manager.
We've stripped it out and started again. Noble but useless when most of the current squad are not up to scratch.
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Entirely no chance of a managerial change now.
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1 point from 15 and 4 off the drop. fucking garbage. enough is enough
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Is Clark out for the next game? Oh dear.
I imagine Ron is out for another month or so.
We must get a centre back in January, even just on loan. We just have to.
And if we can get more quality in midfield that would be very welcome.
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20 points after 19 games?
Not nearly good enough. Especially when there are 10 dire teams other than us in the league. I don't trust Lambert either tactically or in the transfer market to turn this sinking ship around.
Are there? I'm not sure over the last 10 games on current form if there are 3 worse teams , never mind 10.
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HOW is this acceptable?!!!
It is not. Randy, do something about it please.
He will probably look at the table see us in 13th and nod approvingly :(
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But the team are playing poorly. We look like a relegation side at the moment.
The team are not playing poorly. They are just very poor players.
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dreadful , it sounded like we were the away team
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Yep.
Same old shit.
Building something? I don't think so.
No doubt Lambert will laud the effort. Bollocks. There isn't any.
Collectively poor in possession. Eternally powderpuff in midfield, once again naive in defence.
Chasing shadows, men against boys.
Team selection and substitutions are irrelevent, we don't have any quality that could make a difference.
I've never seen a Villa side so devoid of ideas, as unpassionate, as slip shod and as bedraggled as this one is, week after week after week after week.
If you add Benteke, Vlaar, Okore and NZogbia to this side, plus whatever we can get in January, we might survive but please please don't kid me everything's fine and we're on a fantastical journey back to the big time.
I've been watching football just as long as you have Mr Lambert. I'm not an idiot.
If it looks like shit and smells like shit......
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I don't buy this poor players stuff. Westwood coached by Laudrup would be in the Swansea side, the difference being those around him would move and allow him to pass and move, not just have to hit space. Lowton is a decent player, so is Bacuna, but there is something really amiss with the coaching and movement
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I don't buy this poor players stuff. Westwood coached by Laudrup would be in the Swansea side, the difference being those around him would move and allow him to pass and move, not just have to hit space. Lowton is a decent player, so is Bacuna, but there is something really amiss with the coaching and movement
This is my view. We've seen these players play well - something has got worse over time.
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20 points after 19 games?
Not nearly good enough. Especially when there are 10 dire teams other than us in the league. I don't trust Lambert either tactically or in the transfer market to turn this sinking ship around.
Are there? I'm not sure over the last 10 games on current form if there are 3 worse teams , never mind 10.
Didn't say they're worse than us, but there are 10 other really poor teams in the league this season and if we didn't have a wally in charge we would (and should) be comfortably in the top half this season like Southampton.
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20 points after 19 games?
Not nearly good enough. Especially when there are 10 dire teams other than us in the league. I don't trust Lambert either tactically or in the transfer market to turn this sinking ship around.
Are there? I'm not sure over the last 10 games on current form if there are 3 worse teams , never mind 10.
I'm just glad Fulham got royally twotted today. They've look marginally better under the new man, but they got destroyed today. I think barring some good signings, they'll struggle to beat the drop.
We'll see what Poyet brings to the table in the next game.
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HOW is this acceptable?!!!
It is not. Randy, do something about it please.
Don't hold your breath.
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I don't buy this poor players stuff. Westwood coached by Laudrup would be in the Swansea side, the difference being those around him would move and allow him to pass and move, not just have to hit space. Lowton is a decent player, so is Bacuna, but there is something really amiss with the coaching and movement
This is my view. We've seen these players play well - something has got worse over time.
Same for me - I would settle for steady progress but all I can see is regression.
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Who did the players run to celebrate the goal with ?
Are these players playing for the manager or has he lost the dressing room - the spirit seems to have gone.
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Villa 27% Swansea 73% possession in a home match .Embarrassing
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But the team are playing poorly. We look like a relegation side at the moment.
The team are not playing poorly. They are just very poor players.
Are they playing worse than they were in the last third of last season? Yes, they undeniably are. So they are capable of more. Not enough to be a good top half team, they just fundamentally aren't good enough as a group. But player for player are they fundamentally worse than Hull? What would you think if we brought in: Rosenior, Chester, Elmohamady, Sagbo, Koren or Boyd this winter? I think we'd all say they weren't good enough and were worse than what we have (or certainly no better).
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It really is incredible that Lambert is still in a job.
Its because our board have recognised that building an entirely new squad requires longer than a few months and that knee-jerk reactions may do well short term but ultimately get you nowhere.
Good point, glad to see Gabby scoring one-on-ones again.
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Decent point, but absolutely terrible performance.
Gutless, clueless, useless.
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I would like posters to say something other than "same old shit". Swansea are a good team and in context of where we are now this is a good result. We just need to get some confidence back into out team.
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Agree that something is dreadfully wrong with the coaching.
You only have to look at the performances of Bannan, Ireland and Hutton since moving on.
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Have to say if Lowton and Luna are both being picked at FB then Hutton is worth a place too.Pair of them have been woeful for ages now
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It really is incredible that Lambert is still in a job.
Its because our board have recognised that building an entirely new squad requires longer than a few months and that knee-jerk reactions may do well short term but ultimately get you nowhere.
Good point, glad to see Gabby scoring one-on-ones again.
It also requires good players not a bunch of lower league and foreign cheap recruits.
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What a great point. The tide is turning now. We gave up that possession football nonsense and rested the forward line for the next game by barely employing them. Benteke, the leading contender for European player of the year will be back soon. Lambert once again kept things interesting for the lads by not restricting them to any particular formation or set way of playing. Wonderful stuff. Lerner get over to VP quick, you're missing a treat.
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I must have missed something as the team that played the first 20 mins was not the same team that played the other 70.
Weimann really needs to be dropped and I would love to see Carruthers, Grealish, Gardner and even Helenius given a chance...and it also strikes me that not getting Barry in was a big mistake - he would have settled the midfield and at a push could have filled in at left back.
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I would like posters to say something other than "same old shit". Swansea are a good team and in context of where we are now this is a good result. We just need to get some confidence back into out team.
I suggest you close your eyes or partake in a stiff one affers , I doubt there will be much positive posting tonight .
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Decent point I'll give you but surely the bigger picture here is just how appalling we are at playing football. That's not a good sign and not something worth being patient with.
If we were losing but starting to develop a way of playing and certain composure on the ball that would be worthy sticking with.
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Kudos to the plus 35k crowd. You guys have my complete admiration. I wussed out when tsm came and haven't been since. Sad as it was my life for so long.
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It has to be something to do with the coaching. You could see Swansea closing down and moving into space all game. I thought this was the plan for us as well, but it's just not happening. We looked very very bad today, but I welcome the point.
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It is the lack of movement that drives me nuts.
Several times I saw Delph run the width of the pitch, in possession looking for someone to pass to, and the rest were just stood there.
They seem to think that, if they have no space where they are at any point, there is no point trying to find some.
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It really is incredible that Lambert is still in a job.
Its because our board have recognised that building an entirely new squad requires longer than a few months and that knee-jerk reactions may do well short term but ultimately get you nowhere.
Good point, glad to see Gabby scoring one-on-ones again.
It also requires good players not a bunch of lower league and foreign cheap recruits.
Unlike the players Swansea had out there today who were mostly home grown, lower league or cheap foreign imports (with one or two exceptions)
What's that? Eh?
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Kudos to the plus 35k crowd. You guys have my complete admiration. I wussed out when tsm came and haven't been since. Sad as it was my life for so long.
Depends what you go down for innit?
Some want to see a winning side, some want a laugh with their mates, some are doing what they've always done. I don't think anyone wants to see the Villa do badly, but everyone's priorities are different.
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Fantastic support for the team today especially in the second half. I would suggest that supporters played their part in us not losing the game . Well done to all of us at VP today.
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I would like posters to say something other than "same old shit". Swansea are a good team and in context of where we are now this is a good result. We just need to get some confidence back into out team.
I think it's the 'context of where we are now' that's the issue. We shouldn't be saying that a 1-1 draw at home to the mighty Swansea where we only managed 27% possession is in any way acceptable.
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I didn't watch today, took my son to a U10s handball tournament, but it sounds like you could have written the script before the game, with the only surprises we scored and didn't lose.
I guess there were lots of us looking forward to this season based on how finished last season, where we really looked like a promising team that could really give anyone a game.
Either something is really amis on the training ground, or it's looks more and more like a fluke ala DOL, but starting from a lower base.
The comments about lack of effort, combined with the lack of performance are worrying. That's usually a sign that to use a cliche "he's lost the dressing room"
I've gone from looking at the calendar to work out how many times I could get over, to looking at the calendar to make sure I'm not around a TV or computer while we're playing, just check the score on the Beeb at fulltime.
Really feel for those who invest so much time, money and effort into going to witness such turgid performances. It's amazing that the crowds have held up like they have.
The last 3 years have put my son off watching the Villa and no amount of cajoling and bribery will bring him back "it's so boring dad"
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Stats mean nothing, the result is all that matters.
We're on 20 points, a good position for this stage of the season.
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
It was you chanting 'Lambert Out' wasn't it, Pat?
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Lack of movement is often associated with poor confidence. They WERE showing movement last season. That's why I've found the performances so disappointing this season.
One problem may be that Lambert didn't recognise this as a problem even when we were getting reasonable results. It's harder to start playing pass and move when your confidence has gone.
But I do think we've had less of the ball than the opposition in every game bar one this season; played more long balls than anyone and at least three times had less than 25% possession. It is gonna take a fair bit of turning around.
And we desperately need Vlaar back, and Benteke fit again.
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Just back. Absolute garbage. Lamberts got to go.
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I would like posters to say something other than "same old shit". Swansea are a good team and in context of where we are now this is a good result. We just need to get some confidence back into out team.
Sorry me old mate, but Sunderland last year aside, I can't remember a single dominant home performance since he came here. Even when we win we are generally outposessed and win by a solitary goal desperately clinging on by our fingernails for the last ten minutes.
I don't think it's good enough, because it hasnt improved in 18 months.
In other words it's shit. And it's the same.
So ner ner, ner ner ner.
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Lambert's interview with Pat Murphy -
happy with 20 pts after 19 games
lot of big teams below us
he's just 18 months into 'the project'
supporters need to get with the modern day programme, the past is the past
To me he's complacent, deluded and very fortunate to be in a job at my club.
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Stats mean nothing, the result is all that matters.
We're on 20 points, a good position for this stage of the season.
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
It was you chanting 'Lambert Out' wasn't it, Pat?
snap!
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It really is incredible that Lambert is still in a job.
Its because our board have recognised that building an entirely new squad requires longer than a few months and that knee-jerk reactions may do well short term but ultimately get you nowhere.
Good point, glad to see Gabby scoring one-on-ones again.
It also requires good players not a bunch of lower league and foreign cheap recruits.
Unlike the players Swansea had out there today who were mostly home grown, lower league or cheap foreign imports (with one or two exceptions)
What's that? Eh?
True but the key word being good!
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Lambert's interview with Pat Murphy -
happy with 20 pts after 19 games
lot of big teams below us
he's just 18 months into 'the project'
supporters need to get with the modern day programme, the past is the past
To me he's complacent, deluded and very fortunate to be in a job at my club.
He's starting to get very defensive. Didn't thank the fans for turning out in numbers again and the great support. Get him out.
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Stats mean nothing, the result is all that matters.
We're on 20 points, a good position for this stage of the season.
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
It was you chanting 'Lambert Out' wasn't it, Pat?
Is it just me or is that bit dangerously close to DOL territory?
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Lambert's interview with Pat Murphy -
happy with 20 pts after 19 games
lot of big teams below us
he's just 18 months into 'the project'
supporters need to get with the modern day programme, the past is the past
To me he's complacent, deluded and very fortunate to be in a job at my club.
Laughable wan't it, still at least he didn't come out with the 'we'll be fine' line. Yeah because were Villa it's what we all aspire to, being fine.
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I would like posters to say something other than "same old shit". Swansea are a good team and in context of where we are now this is a good result. We just need to get some confidence back into out team.
I suggest you close your eyes or partake in a stiff one affers , I doubt there will be much positive posting tonight .
Mate there is no point in posters repeating the aftermath of the Palace game. We know we are not playing well and some stuff today was laughable however we kept a pretty decent Swansea team at 1-1 so that's a positive. We are not going to turn into Bayern Munich anytime soon.
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What does "the past is the past" really mean in this context?
If he's suggesting being unhappy at giving Swansea 73% possession at home! barely stringing two passes together and just lumping it long all the time is some sort of delusion on our part then he must be nuts.
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
That sounds worryingly O'Leary-esque.
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I'm sorry, if he's in some way saying we have to put up with fannying about, tentative horrible football he can fuck off. Modern day or not, we are Aston Villa and we expect and demand better than letting every other fucking team in the league keep the ball more than we do because we don't want it and don't know what to do with it when we do have it.
Do better, much better, or fuck off.
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Unfortunately stats do mean something Paul. Our possession stats are why most of the time we get beat.
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What big or bigger teams are below us?
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
That sounds worryingly O'Leary-esque.
So it wasn't just me who thought it
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I would like posters to say something other than "same old shit". Swansea are a good team and in context of where we are now this is a good result. We just need to get some confidence back into out team.
Sorry me old mate, but Sunderland last year aside, I can't remember a single dominant home performance since he came here. Even when we win we are generally outposessed and win by a solitary goal desperately clinging on by our fingernails for the last ten minutes.
Cardiff at home this season; after we scored their arses fell out of it.
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If he can't handle being manager of a club our size, I suggest he step aside.
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I'm sorry, if he's in some way saying we have to put up with fannying about, tentative horrible football he can fuck off. Modern day or not, we are Aston Villa and we expect and demand better than letting every other fucking team in the league keep the ball more than we do because we don't want it and don't know what to do with it when we do have it.
Do better, much better, or fuck off.
This.
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
That sounds worryingly O'Leary-esque.
I think he means: you're not a big club any more, deal with it.
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I would like posters to say something other than "same old shit". Swansea are a good team and in context of where we are now this is a good result. We just need to get some confidence back into out team.
Sorry me old mate, but Sunderland last year aside, I can't remember a single dominant home performance since he came here. Even when we win we are generally outposessed and win by a solitary goal desperately clinging on by our fingernails for the last ten minutes.
Cardiff at home this season; after we scored their arses fell out of it.
For the last 20 minutes maybe but the rest of the game was dire turgid stuff.
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Apologies Mr Lambert. I'll stop expecting Aston Villa to score goals, win at home now and again, string a few passes together and have more than 27% possession at home. No idea why I set my expectations so high.
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He's right, football has changed, pity his hoof-ball tactics aren't part of the new world.
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What big or bigger teams are below us?
Crystal palace and Fulham :(
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first ten minutes ok then the plan died
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'but this is modern football, things have changed'
Well if this is modern football or your version of it you can take it somewhere else.
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Lamberk is all well and good saying were 18 months into a project if we were showing any signs what so ever that were 'developing' and 'progressing'
*Our style of football is atrocious and shows no sign of change
*His signings on a whole are nowhere near good enough for us let alone the PL
*Our players can't manage 3 passes between them
*His coaching is clearly not developing anyone in our squad
*We needed a number 10, centre midfielder, wide player and centre half yet he spent £7m on a totum pole
And now he's saying stats don't mean anything and basically us fans are living on past successes. Give me a break. PL is unravelling and out his depth.
Up next, Sunderland away with a makeshift back4
Liverpool, arsenal and west brom
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If he can't handle being manager of a club our size, I suggest he step aside.
I've voiced that concern on other threads. I think he underestimated the job. He might have been the right man in 2-3 years time, but right now he looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights.
Same reason I don't want OGS. Too big a jump to soon.
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
That sounds worryingly O'Leary-esque.
So it wasn't just me who thought it
You beat me to it!
The past may well be the past, but the reason our average attendance this season is over 36,000 for watching this current dross Paul, is because we are a big club. If he can't handle it, he needs to have a think about how to make performances better.
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
That sounds worryingly O'Leary-esque.
I think he means: you're not a big club any more, deal with it.
That's exactly what I read into it, which is why I compared it to O'Leary's old shit.
If he thinks that, then we're on a hiding to nothing.
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
That sounds worryingly O'Leary-esque.
So it wasn't just me who thought it
You beat me to it!
The past may well be the past, but the reason our average attendance this season is over 36,000 for watching this current dross Paul, is because we are a big club. If he can't handle it, he needs to have a think about how to make performances better.
What next - a half arsed club that used to be famous?
Maybe he should be admonishing his assistant for swearing at fans in front of children - rather than coming out with this sort of comment.
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First ten minutes were good.
We scored a first half goal and didn't lose.
Oh dear.
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I'd take the point all day long. After the 1st 15 minutes it was all Swansea and we looked like we we're having a Christmas longest hoof training competition.
Good point considering. Dispiriting performance.
Luna, Tonev, El Ahamadi, Baker are woefull bordering on 3rd division players. Lowton is weak and can't defend. Guzan needs to be instructed if he carries on hoofing he will be docked wages.
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Apologies Mr Lambert. I'll stop expecting Aston Villa to score goals, win at home now and again, string a few passes together and have more than 27% possession at home. No idea why I set my expectations so high.
That's the point. I accept that modern football makes it difficult for us to keep up with clubs like Man City and Chelsea. It is a total non-sequitur, however, to say that, because of this, we have to play football which is boring to the point of nihilism.
The team we were against today won't win the league any time soon, but they maintain their reason to exist because they entertain their fans and try to do something each week. Why do we exist? We're not winning, we're not entertaining, we're not trying to do anything, we're just wasting space. If Swansea (Christing Swansea!) can play good football then we can too, but if Lambert can't produce better than 26% possession at home, that's no modern football's doing - it's the doing of his own incompetence.
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Stats mean nothing, the result is all that matters.
We're on 20 points, a good position for this stage of the season.
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
In other words, as long as I get 40 points, don't get us relegated and we get another 37k crowd, the boss is happy.
Confirmation that modern football is indeed rubbish.
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Sorry Ciggie Luna looks better , better than what???
As effective as a crisp packet floating across the pitch.
I'd love to see the 30 page dossier on Luna.
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I wonder if we'll ever score a goal at the North Stand again. Be nice to see at least one Villa goal close up this season.
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O'Leary - 'Villa fans are fickle'
Lambert - 'There are too many Villa fans, don't they realise they aren't a big club anymore?'
I can accept not competing with the likes of Man City but treating Swansea like they are Real Madrid is an utter disgrace. I can't wait till Lambert takes his brand of 'football' elsewhere. We were absolutely woeful today and don't resemble anything like a football team. 18 months into the project and it looks more like 18 minutes.
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You can imagine Lambert trotting out the same shit to Lerner on his transatlantic telephone call.
The sad fact is that Lerner will swallow it.
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Unfortunately stats do mean something Paul. Our possession stats are why most of the time we get beat.
I also don't remember hearing "all that matters is the result" from him much last season when we were sticking behind him despite week after week of utter shite performances.
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This is 'modern football', what the feck is that meant to mean?
Mr Lambert i would seriously consider that 'modern football' means that even managers with less resources, that have done worse than us points wise, though with actual better overall football performances, would normally have been given the sack by now.
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All through the game cheif Moron was giving him loads of stick about being in the wrong position, but it had zero effect. He was constantly about 5 yards too far away from the winger they kept pinging the ball out too. If he is pissing the bench off that much, why has he not been dropped...
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I wonder if we'll ever score a goal at the North Stand again. Be nice to see at least one Villa goal close up this season.
Baker is almost certain to oblige you. OG.
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The words spoken by Lambert are worrying and tone is dreadful. I am sure he will explain himself in the next few days.
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Look, I know it's a bit trite and is the sort of thing people often come out with after a few bad results or iffy performances, but the thing is, it's actually true: the squad we currently have is Championship standard. Literally. Vlaar, Gabby and Benteke are guaranteed Premier League level players, maybe Delph too, but nobody else is. Quite simply, Lambert needs to buy some more talented footballers. If he can't find them, then he should be held responsible, and if Lerner won't pay for them, then he should be held responsible.
Either way, something needs to happen in this transfer window, because the powers that be are playing Russian roulette with the club's future and sooner or later they will lose and we'll end up playing league games at places like Oakwell and the Keepmoat fucking Stadium.
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Stats mean nothing, the result is all that matters.
We're on 20 points, a good position for this stage of the season.
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
It was you chanting 'Lambert Out' wasn't it, Pat?
We are nearly into the ''can't compete with the ''insert shite football club who are currently outperforming us'' category.
I sense he knows he's been found out and the excuses will start to flow.
Injuries.
We can't compete.
Downplaying transfer fee's.
Lauding of the Chairman.
The fat lady is preparing herself. Thank god.
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The only big club below us he could possibly mean is sunderland .
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Positives: scored a goal, didnt lose, we're not Fulham
Negatives: everything else
On the face of it that's not actually a bad result considering, and that's what's so depressing.
Pretty much what I was going to say. The worrying thing is some of the players in the swansea side have touched the ball over a hundred times and the player that's had the most touches in our side is Guzan and he's the fucking keeper
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I can't help but think that when your assistant starts trading insults with fans, and you start coming out with stuff like that interview tonight, we are approaching the beginning of the end.
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The words spoken by Lambert are worrying and tone is dreadful. I am sure he will explain himself in the next few days.
He is a prickly one - i remember him having a go at the press at Norwich once and didn't he ban kendrick last season for criticising at one point - he doesn't handle criticism well.
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See, I think the opposite. I think his words are the words of someone who is completely safe. 'Only 18 months into the project' implies that he and the chairman have had long chats about how long it would take. Good for them. I just don't want to watch another performance like this. It's too horrible. We have no reason to exist as a football club at the moment.
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The words spoken by Lambert are worrying and tone is dreadful. I am sure he will explain himself in the next few days.
He is a prickly one - i remember him having a go at the press at Norwich once and didn't he ban kendrick last season for criticising at one point - he doesn't handle criticism well.
He'd better get used to it then.
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You can imagine Lambert trotting out the same shit to Lerner on his transatlantic telephone call.
The sad fact is that Lerner will swallow it.
Lerner: Ok, thanks, goodbye, Paul.
General Krulak: What did he say this time, sir?
Lerner: Gee, you know what, I haven't the slightest idea. I'm cold, throw another $million on the fire, General.
General Krulak: Yes Mr Lerner, Sir.
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I can't help but think that when your assistant starts trading insults with fans, and you start coming out with stuff like that interview tonight, we are approaching the beginning of the end.
Much rather we were approaching the end rather than the beginning of it.
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Absolute garbage. It's heart breaking to see what we've become after 7 years of the joker Lerners tenure. Bright future? I can't believe some posters on here trying to be positive about such crap.
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The only bigger club below us he could possibly mean is sunderland and if he thinks they are a bigger club than villa i find that quite sad.
Didn't he say big clubs rather than bigger? Either way it's a shit thing to say mind.
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Lambert is fast becoming the new DOL oh dear
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I can't help but think that when your assistant starts trading insults with fans, and you start coming out with stuff like that interview tonight, we are approaching the beginning of the end.
I hope 'the end' doesn't come too late to save us.
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I would like posters to say something other than "same old shit". Swansea are a good team and in context of where we are now this is a good result. We just need to get some confidence back into out team.
Sorry me old mate, but Sunderland last year aside, I can't remember a single dominant home performance since he came here. Even when we win we are generally outposessed and win by a solitary goal desperately clinging on by our fingernails for the last ten minutes.
Cardiff at home this season; after we scored their arses fell out of it.
I'm honestly not trying to be a smart arse but we we're actually outposessed 56-44 in that one too. From what I remember, we only looked safe when we got the second....with 6 minutes left.
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As the pressure mounts, the curtain seems to be pulled back further on Randy's real plan and purpose, via Lambo's comments. Spend little, stay in the league, collect the TV money. OK, but as the coach he must have promised that he could mould a bunch of lower league cheapsters into a decent side. Like Swansea or Southampton or even Everton.
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Look, I know it's a bit trite and is the sort of thing people often come out with after a few bad results or iffy performances, but the thing is, it's actually true: the squad we currently have is Championship standard. Literally. Vlaar, Gabby and Benteke are guaranteed Premier League level players, maybe Delph too, but nobody else is. Quite simply, Lambert needs to buy some more talented footballers. If he can't find them, then he should be held responsible, and if Lerner won't pay for them, then he should be held responsible.
Either way, something needs to happen in this transfer window, because the powers that be are playing Russian roulette with the club's future and sooner or later they will lose and we'll end up playing league games at places like Oakwell and the Keepmoat fucking Stadium.
You have to add Guzan into that list.
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I thought PL said that whilst the fans have high expectations they also need to be realistic and that times have changed. He also mentioned that the first 2 years would be very tough and that we are not yet through that period.
If he did indeed say this then at least he is being honest. He could after all mean that we aren't going to be spunking cash like O'Neill did, at least in the foreseeable future.
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The only bigger club below us he could possibly mean is sunderland and if he thinks they are a bigger club than villa i find that quite sad.
Didn't he say big clubs rather than bigger? Either way it's a shit thing to say mind.
Yes you are correct pws , just edited.
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How long it will take for what? If this is 18 months into the project, what are the ultimate aims of this project? To ruin Aston Villa completely and utterly? To make match days at Villa Park totally joyless? If it's not either of these thing I fail to see progress.
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When people say 'the players are all Championship standard' then give a list of quite a few good players we have (in which they leave out players who have done well in the past), they're really saying that 'we have good players, the coaching's just inadequate.'
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I've now dared to come within viewing range of a TV and am watching Cardiff v Sunderland. 2 desperately mediocre teams at best. But at meat you can see, there is some sort of coherent plan to their play. Players who can find space in the middle and final third. Players who don't shit themselves whenever they receive the ball within 2 yards of another player.
Depressed.
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I've now dared to come within viewing range of a TV and am watching Cardiff v Sunderland. 2 desperately mediocre teams at best. But at meat you can see, there is some sort of coherent plan to their play. Players who can find space in the middle and final third. Players who don't shit themselves whenever they receive the ball within 2 yards of another player.
Depressed.
This is an interesting point. Maybe Randy does watch all our games - he just doesn't watch any football outside of us, so doesn't know what it's really meant to look like.
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Everything I thought would happen only we didn't lose.
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I can't help but think that when your assistant starts trading insults with fans, and you start coming out with stuff like that interview tonight, we are approaching the beginning of the end.
Hope so. Just can't see him being given the boot. Even if we lose every game until Feb I can't see him going :-(
Liverpool and Arsenal are going to have a field day.
Sunderland will see it as must win
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God this is depressing. Those comments are incredibly defensive. I don't want to hear our manager playing down our chances, our future. I want to hear fighting talk. I want to be looking up and not down.
Since when has it become acceptable for Aston Villa to be bottom feeders in the premier league? Hearing it from the managers mouth is incredibly upsetting.
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I've now dared to come within viewing range of a TV and am watching Cardiff v Sunderland. 2 desperately mediocre teams at best. But at meat you can see, there is some sort of coherent plan to their play. Players who can find space in the middle and final third. Players who don't shit themselves whenever they receive the ball within 2 yards of another player.
Depressed.
This is an interesting point. Maybe Randy does watch all our games - he just doesn't watch any football outside of us, so doesn't know what it's really meant to look like.
He just needs to watch our opponents .
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What I would like to hear from Lambert after yet another piss poor performance is something that reflects the truth. Something along the lines of accepting that we are playing poorly and the fans rightly expect more. Just some recognition of just how bad we are and some realistic positivity in how he is attempting to address it.
Instead we are just fed more trite nonsense about big clubs, modern football, living in the past and stats meaning nothing. Meaningless bullshit from someone who takes no responsibility, doesn't even seem to acknowledge the problems, clearly has no idea of what is wrong and is equally clueless on how to address the current situation.
Time to go.
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When people say 'the players are all Championship standard' then give a list of quite a few good players we have (in which they leave out players who have done well in the past), they're really saying that 'we have good players, the coaching's just inadequate.'
I'm not sure. Maybe if they were better coached they would look more convincing, but let's put it this way: if we were to find ourselves in the Championship next season, with that squad, do you think we would dominate the division? I don't.
It's fine for a Premier League side to have a few players like that in its squad, but we simply have far too many, and not enough confirmed talent.
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"Eighteen months into the project"? What is the objective of this project? Villa doing a Wolves and ending up in League One?
The calls Lambert is making to Lerner must be like those of a deranged First World War General with enemy troops totally surrounding him, having lost all of his best men.
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Unfortunately stats do mean something Paul. Our possession stats are why most of the time we get beat.
This is the crux of it. I was astounded when Everton came to VP on the opening day the other year - we were completely smashed and it hasn't been the odd game since, its been the majority.
I have never, ever seen a Villa team this bad (I'm only 37, so didn't see relegation) Without Vlaar and Benteke we are probably the weakest side in the division.
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When people say 'the players are all Championship standard' then give a list of quite a few good players we have (in which they leave out players who have done well in the past), they're really saying that 'we have good players, the coaching's just inadequate.'
I'm not sure. Maybe if they were better coached they would look more convincing, but let's put it this way: if we were to find ourselves in the Championship next season, with that squad, do you think we would dominate the division? I don't.
It's fine for a Premier League side to have a few players like that in its squad, but we simply have far too many, and not enough confirmed talent.
Again, if we had a better manager I thought we would.
In general, Lambert has just said 'I knew the first few years would be tough.' Sorry, I thought he said that about just the first year, now he's telling us that there's more of this next season? Fuck me, we might as well give up then.
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I would like posters to say something other than "same old shit". Swansea are a good team and in context of where we are now this is a good result. We just need to get some confidence back into out team.
Sorry me old mate, but Sunderland last year aside, I can't remember a single dominant home performance since he came here. Even when we win we are generally outposessed and win by a solitary goal desperately clinging on by our fingernails for the last ten minutes.
Cardiff at home this season; after we scored their arses fell out of it.
I'm honestly not trying to be a smart arse but we we're actually outposessed 56-44 in that one too. From what I remember, we only looked safe when we got the second....with 6 minutes left.
Fair enough, it's only my opinion as well. I remember we matched them until Lambert moved Bacuna into midfield ahead of Lowton, and we started to worry them. Got the free-kick and basically went on from there. It felt like only a matter of time until we got the second as well, and I haven't felt like that for a while.
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Unfortunately stats do mean something Paul. Our possession stats are why most of the time we get beat.
This is the crux of it. I was astounded when Everton came to VP on the opening day the other year - we were completely smashed and it hasn't been the odd game since, its been the majority.
I have never, ever seen a Villa team this bad (I'm only 37, so didn't see relegation) Without Vlaar and Benteke we are probably the weakest side in the division.
Sadly true. I was there for that game. You could see the gap between the sides. That gap has seemingly widened this season.
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I can't help but think that when your assistant starts trading insults with fans, and you start coming out with stuff like that interview tonight, we are approaching the beginning of the end.
Hope so. Just can't see him being given the boot. Even if we lose every game until Feb I can't see him going :-(
Liverpool and Arsenal are going to have a field day.
Sunderland will see it as must win
Sadly this i think is the situation - I cannot see randy firing him and I think survival is maybe the ambition , randy probably looks at the table sees us in 13th place and is maybe satisfied with things.
I can't see Faulkner playing a role in any sacking either as if he has been involved in recruiting players and managers it would not look good on him to see another of his choices fail in the job.
I expect us to lose to sunderland , arsenal and Liverpool and concede a lot of goals in those games but I doubt very much that lambert will go even then and that saddens me .
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Lack of movement comes from too many players hiding for me.
Best bloke on the pitch by a country mile was their number 21 , Jose Canas . He was superb.
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At what point in the project will our players learn to take a throw-in, or a free kick in the middle of the pitch without giving it back to the opposition, or be within 20 yards of the big target man, or stay close enough to a winger that you are able to challenge them...
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O'neill's choice of full backs may have been more than odd, but that has nothing on Lambert buying Kozak and Helenius if we are short of money
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Or switch on at a short corner .....
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murphy implied before kick off that Lambert was fire proof, management were 100% behind the guy, and were determined to buck the trend of hiring and firing. No question of him being shown the door anytime soon.
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At what point in the project will our players learn to take a throw-in, or a free kick in the middle of the pitch without giving it back to the opposition...
My gf and I have a running joke with throw-ins; we're pretty certain that villa still haven't made more than two passes from a throw-in until we concede possession all season.
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Or switch on at a short corner .....
Oh come on, that only happened three times today...
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The point about the style of play is really important. An oft-cited criterion for sacking Eck was that Villa deserved a 'compelling' style of play. If this is compelling then Lerner must be watching the wrong sport.
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Or switch on at a short corner .....
Oh come on, that only happened three times today...
We bring every player back to defend corners and they still manage to the the piss with those short corners. I really do wonder at times.
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These home games really are turgid, aren't they? Passing, possession and tactics once again defy belief. If we stay up this season on this form I will be amazed.
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Lambert: "I knew the first few YEARS were going to be tough".
Christ alive just how much misery and boredom have us fans been consigned to? I think its time to prepare the protest banners for Randy and Lambert.
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Our passing is dreadful, our movement none existent. The players have no confidence and generally look afraid to receive the ball. Our shooting is poor, our defenders are frequently out of position. Our only leader is injury prone. We have only one good striker. We have no creative midfielders. We have no adequate full backs. We don't have a ball winning midfielder. We are incapable of controlling or even coming close to dominating a game no matter who the opposition.
If all this is just a consequence of 'modern football' being different we may as well just turn Villa Park into a museum and withdraw from the football league.
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Under the circumstances I was happy with our starting line-up. Tonev and Backuna providing width and it proved to be a fantastic start. Then Swansea scored and Lambert bottled it.
I have a theory that defenders - defend, midfield players attack and defend, and guess what? Strikers score goals. So Gabby (a striker) scores a goal! Can anyone explain why him and Wiemann at times in the second half were wide wing backs? In all they both played in three different positions!
Does a train driver,drive the train and collect the tickets? No! If the player ain't doing it in their rightful position then they shouldn't start.
One up front in the second half was criminal, lumping it up to the new Cascarino was priceless. Is it a scottish thing to have such negative managers?
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Lambert: "I knew the first few YEARS were going to be tough".
Christ alive just how much misery and boredom have us fans been consigned to? I think its time to prepare the protest banners for Randy and Lambert.
Been there, done that. I think the only thing that was ever accomplished was the signing of Angel.
The Doug protests were always a bit cringeworthy too.
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Not for the first time the team played reasonable football for the first 10 minutes or so, then completely forgot what they were supposed to be doing. I've never quite seen anything like it and I was around in the 1969-70 season. The difference is that today we do have some players who are at least capable of good football. The mystery is why they don't perform, it just seems that their confidence is completely shot.
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What does PL think when he sees his team outclassed on our own pitch like that? Does he think it's OK? Surely he must be embarrassed..we'll he should be. He clearly has very bad judgement because way too many of his signings are clearly not good enough at this level.
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Bizarrely, scoring it seemed scoring early made us lose confidence as we played progressively worse after that. How can we do it so right for 10 minutes, see it is working and then just stop doing it.
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Whatever happened to this paul?
[PAUL Lambert wants to bring the good times back to Villa Park and is determined to do it in style.
The newly-appointed boss will channel all his thoughts towards transforming Villa into an exciting attacking unit and establishing them as a Premier League force to be reckoned with once again.
Outlining his plans to guide Villa up the table, Lambert showed no signs of fear that the notoriously high expectation levels at the club will thwart his progress.
Instead he said a club of Villa’s stature should be aiming to achieve big things and insisted he will do everything in his power to make it happen.
“There is a lot of expectancy at the club and it is not something I’m going to shy away from,” he said.
“It’s something I will thrive on.
“We will try to get results as quickly and as best as we can. We have to play football the right way.
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I am in Glasgow for the weekend so missed the game.
The stats look dreadful and the comments suggest another pitiful performance and a team going backwards. I wish we had a lovely passing game. All that huffing and puffing to put a mere 20 points on the board after 19 games?
On the plus side, surely we can win another six games from the 17 that remain? Surly that and a few draws would see us safe? But we must get some quality players in asap. The project implied patience as we watched our hungry youngsters improve over time. Instead they are regressing before our very eyes.
I think we need to stick with Lambert for the simple reason that I am not sure another man could work with the tools we have. A few weeks ago, after the Fulham game, I was leaning towards sacking him but on reflection these are his players and I don't think this is a normal situation where a new man can suddenly inspire good performances. Lambert is probably the only person I would trust to get this particular group to scrape the points together to keep us up.
Odd logic perhaps but I hope yee see where I am coming from. Fulham and Sunderland look fucked which is a real bonus for us.
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Can someone please clarify who the players celebrated the goal with when they ran past lambert near the dugout?
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Bizarrely, scoring it seemed scoring early made us lose confidence as we played progressively worse after that. How can we do it so right for 10 minutes, see it is working and then just stop doing it.
I thought Swansea started sloppily, giving the ball away a few times and we seized the initiative. Then they settled down and we couldn't get the ball off them for most of the rest of the game, and when we did we either panicked or just hoofed it aimlessly upfield.
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Bizarrely, scoring it seemed scoring early made us lose confidence as we played progressively worse after that. How can we do it so right for 10 minutes, see it is working and then just stop doing it.
I thought Swansea started sloppily, giving the ball away a few times and we seized the initiative. Then they settled down and we couldn't get the ball off them for most of the rest of the game, and when we did we either panicked or just hoofed it aimlessly upfield.
I thought they were sloppy because we were pressurising them. And then for some reason we stopped doing it and gave them space and time to waltz through us.
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Can someone please clarify who the players celebrated the goal with when they ran past lambert near the dugout?
Well according to R5 and Pat Murphy it was Lambert they all ran to as a 'public vote of confidence'
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I am in Glasgow for the weekend so missed the game.
The stats look dreadful and the comments suggest another pitiful performance and a team going backwards. I wish we had a lovely passing game. All that huffing and puffing to put a mere 20 points on the board after 19 games?
On the plus side, surely we can win another six games from the 17 that remain? Surly that and a few draws would see us safe? But we must get some quality players in asap. The project implied patience as we watched our hungry youngsters improve over time. Instead they are regressing before our very eyes.
I think we need to stick with Lambert for the simple reason that I am not sure another man could work with the tools we have. A few weeks ago, after the Fulham game, I was leaning towards sacking him but on reflection these are his players and I don't think this is a normal situation where a new man can suddenly inspire good performances. Lambert is probably the only person I would trust to get this particular group to scrape the points together to keep us up.
Odd logic perhaps but I hope yee see where I am coming from. Fulham and Sunderland look fucked which is a real bonus for us.
That just makes our results against them even more worrying, although I must confess I think Sunderland might dig their way out of it, particularly if they can sign a half decent striker.
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I have never, ever seen a Villa team this bad (I'm only 37, so didn't see relegation) Without Vlaar and Benteke we are probably the weakest side in the division.
This isn't really helpful is it? Take the 2 best players out of any team in the bottom half and they'll probably be the weakest side in the division. It's a completely meaningless comment.
Especially as over the last few games you could probably make a reasonable argument for us being the worst side in the division anyway! At least we have some hope that these players coming back might improve us.
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Can someone please clarify who the players celebrated the goal with when they ran past lambert near the dugout?
Well according to R5 and Pat Murphy it was Lambert they all ran to as a 'public vote of confidence'
When they replayed the goal on the screens they all went past him. No idea to who though.
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We were attacking last season though. It just appears there has been a massive retrenchment in this style in favour of forming some sort of defensive solidity. Looking at the signing of Okore, and the appointment of a defensive coach, then there's a pretty strong case to say this where his priorities were at the start of this season. If this is the case, then he has been desperately unlucky with injuries.
This does not explain the alarming drop in offensive performances however, which is something that we all knew we were good at.
*this was in reply to eastie*
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The point about the style of play is really important. An oft-cited criterion for sacking Eck was that Villa deserved a 'compelling' style of play. If this is compelling then Lerner must be watching the wrong sport.
The only thing compelling about our style of play is in the same way you rubberneck when driving past a motorway accident. You're compelled to look to see how bad it is and are thankful it isn't you. Only it is us and it's everyone else rubbernecking.
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The point about the style of play is really important. An oft-cited criterion for sacking Eck was that Villa deserved a 'compelling' style of play. If this is compelling then Lerner must be watching the wrong sport.
The only thing compelling about our style of play is in the same way you rubberneck when driving past a motorway accident. You're compelled to look to see how bad it is and are thankful it isn't you. Only it is us and it's everyone else rubbernecking.
It's really awful. Just heard Lambert's MOTD interview and he's practically celebrating the point. It's too much. I cannot believe he can stay with all this.
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The stats look dreadful and the comments suggest another pitiful performance and a team going backwards. I wish we had a lovely passing game. All that huffing and puffing to put a mere 20 points on the board after 19 games?
What stats? If you're pointing to possession it's utterly irrelevant against Swansea. Everyone knows that Swansea are a passing team and have massive possession stats, however they don't turn that in to points. Swansea have 'out-possessed' everyone this season - in the six games they've played against both Manchesters, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs they've had the majority of possession in every game and picked up 1 point out of a possible 18.
Despite all their possession today other than the goal their next best opportunity was a weak free kick that Guzan easily tipped over. They had 3 shots on target to our 3 on target. They had loads of corners and with the exception of the one early doors which they somehow managed to head down so hard it bounced over the bar they did nothing with them.
I'm certainly not saying it was a vintage performance but in the context of the run we've been on it's a decent point. As for those booing at the end again, I think for some people they think that's just part of the matchday experience now. It becomes meaningless if you do it after every game.
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I have never, ever seen a Villa team this bad (I'm only 37, so didn't see relegation) Without Vlaar and Benteke we are probably the weakest side in the division.
This isn't really helpful is it? Take the 2 best players out of any team in the bottom half and they'll probably be the weakest side in the division. It's a completely meaningless comment.
Especially as over the last few games you could probably make a reasonable argument for us being the worst side in the division anyway! At least we have some hope that these players coming back might improve us.
It may not be helpful, but its close to the truth. Vlaar could very well be injured for another ten games, if its anything like his last problem.
God help us against that Arsenal team
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At what point in the project will our players learn to take a throw-in, or a free kick in the middle of the pitch without giving it back to the opposition, or be within 20 yards of the big target man, or stay close enough to a winger that you are able to challenge them...
I have just looked at the project chart and the EET (earliest event time) for the Active Nodes you request are:
1. 30/5/20114
2. The Aquarius-Pisces Cusp of 20th Vertical
3. When hell freezes over
4. The twelveth of never
Thank you for your support and don't forget to get your tickets for The Blades, The Arse and The Tesco Bags.
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At what point in the project will our players learn to take a throw-in, or a free kick in the middle of the pitch without giving it back to the opposition, or be within 20 yards of the big target man, or stay close enough to a winger that you are able to challenge them...
I have just looked at the project chart and the EET (earliest event time) for the Active Nodes you request are:
1. 30/5/20114
2. The Aquarius-Pisces Cusp of 20th Vertical
3. When hell freezes over
4. The twelveth of never
Thank you for your support and don't forget to get your tickets for The Blades, The Arse and The Tesco Bags.
20114? I'm not sure I can wait that long...
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Villa are at a real crossroads aren't we? Like, more of a crossroads than we have been at in a while McLeish just had to go, MOn had run his course, Houilier was a few years too late....this is a real crossroads.
Do we tick with the Lambert project in the hope he gets it right and we finally grow with stability and realise that we have finally found our Moyes? Or do we pack it in because things seem to be getting worse.
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The stats look dreadful and the comments suggest another pitiful performance and a team going backwards. I wish we had a lovely passing game. All that huffing and puffing to put a mere 20 points on the board after 19 games?
What stats? If you're pointing to possession it's utterly irrelevant against Swansea. Everyone knows that Swansea are a passing team and have massive possession stats, however they don't turn that in to points. Swansea have 'out-possessed' everyone this season - in the six games they've played against both Manchesters, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs they've had the majority of possession in every game and picked up 1 point out of a possible 18.
Despite all their possession today other than the goal their next best opportunity was a weak free kick that Guzan easily tipped over. They had 3 shots on target to our 3 on target. They had loads of corners and with the exception of the one early doors which they somehow managed to head down so hard it bounced over the bar they did nothing with them.
I'm certainly not saying it was a vintage performance but in the context of the run we've been on it's a decent point. As for those booing at the end again, I think for some people they think that's just part of the matchday experience now. It becomes meaningless if you do it after every game.
But who has created that terrible run? Who masterminded it? To say 'in the context of how shit he's made us it wasn't bad' is in fact the kneejerk reaction. It's much more accurate to say that we continue to get worse and worse and it could be forgiven even having this little possession if: a) we were rapier-like on the counterattack when we did get the ball (which we weren't, it was lump it and lose it stuff again) or b) it was a one-off against a strong possession side, except that we've had majority possession in two games this season, and lost both of them.
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Can someone please clarify who the players celebrated the goal with when they ran past lambert near the dugout?
Well according to R5 and Pat Murphy it was Lambert they all ran to as a 'public vote of confidence'
When they replayed the goal on the screens they all went past him. No idea to who though.
The guy who criticised culverhouse :) ?
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The point about the style of play is really important. An oft-cited criterion for sacking Eck was that Villa deserved a 'compelling' style of play. If this is compelling then Lerner must be watching the wrong sport.
The only thing compelling about our style of play is in the same way you rubberneck when driving past a motorway accident. You're compelled to look to see how bad it is and are thankful it isn't you. Only it is us and it's everyone else rubbernecking.
It's really awful. Just heard Lambert's MOTD interview and he's practically celebrating the point. It's too much. I cannot believe he can stay with all this.
Any link please monty?
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We can't win, we need investment. The buck has to lie at the chairman's door
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Who did the players run to celebrate the goal with ?
They began by running towards the bench. But I think that on their way there it must have become obvious to the players that both Lambert and Culverhouse were too busy being assessed on their BTEC customer communications module to allow for any outside interference. The players then I think . unable to deal with the emotions involved in scoring a goal at Villa Park, ran towards the offices to collect their match-drawing bonuses. Luckily for all involved they have never been trained, nor given sufficient drugs, to run that far in one day.
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The stats look dreadful and the comments suggest another pitiful performance and a team going backwards. I wish we had a lovely passing game. All that huffing and puffing to put a mere 20 points on the board after 19 games?
What stats? If you're pointing to possession it's utterly irrelevant against Swansea. Everyone knows that Swansea are a passing team and have massive possession stats, however they don't turn that in to points. Swansea have 'out-possessed' everyone this season - in the six games they've played against both Manchesters, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs they've had the majority of possession in every game and picked up 1 point out of a possible 18.
Despite all their possession today other than the goal their next best opportunity was a weak free kick that Guzan easily tipped over. They had 3 shots on target to our 3 on target. They had loads of corners and with the exception of the one early doors which they somehow managed to head down so hard it bounced over the bar they did nothing with them.
I'm certainly not saying it was a vintage performance but in the context of the run we've been on it's a decent point. As for those booing at the end again, I think for some people they think that's just part of the matchday experience now. It becomes meaningless if you do it after every game.
When the other team has the ball for 70%+ of the time there is damn little villa can do with it. I know Swansea are a great passing side. When Lambert joined us I expected to see us develop along such lines but we have been very direct this season and stand just a point better off than we were at this stage last season, the one where we came perilously close.
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Jordan Bowery?
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We were attacking last season though. It just appears there has been a massive retrenchment in this style in favour of forming some sort of defensive solidity. Looking at the signing of Okore, and the appointment of a defensive coach, then there's a pretty strong case to say this where his priorities were at the start of this season. If this is the case, then he has been desperately unlucky with injuries.
This does not explain the alarming drop in offensive performances however, which is something that we all knew we were good at.
*this was in reply to eastie*
Cheers , stu.
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The point about the style of play is really important. An oft-cited criterion for sacking Eck was that Villa deserved a 'compelling' style of play. If this is compelling then Lerner must be watching the wrong sport.
The only thing compelling about our style of play is in the same way you rubberneck when driving past a motorway accident. You're compelled to look to see how bad it is and are thankful it isn't you. Only it is us and it's everyone else rubbernecking.
It's really awful. Just heard Lambert's MOTD interview and he's practically celebrating the point. It's too much. I cannot believe he can stay with all this.
Any link please monty?
Just on the match report on the BBC website.
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Here is his interview to the Beeb. He's delighted!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25536574
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First game this season I haven't bothered to watch. Instead I spent a delightful afternoon on Corby beach admiring Antony Gormley's life size, cast iron statues looking out to sea. It was just like watching the Villa but with a vision, more movement and better positioning.
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Can someone please clarify who the players celebrated the goal with when they ran past lambert near the dugout?
Well according to R5 and Pat Murphy it was Lambert they all ran to as a 'public vote of confidence'
When they replayed the goal on the screens they all went past him. No idea to who though.
They seemed to be heading for someone in the back of the dugout. They ran behind Lambert as he had to turn to pat them on the back.
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Objectively in the context of where we currently are that was a good point, unfortunately from a paying and entertaining perspective that was utter shit!
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I don't think we're direct it's just more hit and hope
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I am even tempered but watching the Villa at the moment is really testing my resolve. I will only say that I believe Lambert is a good man manager and what is needed is to do a root and branch overhaul of the coaching system, defence apart.
I really do wonder what they do all week between matches as I doubt if it is fitness or stamina work, basic skill development, set piece organisation, systems and tactics all of which appear to be non existent on match day. Be brave Lambert and wield the axe and get someone who knows how to develop players and methods of winning games.
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Not that fussed about the football. Just walked up witton lane to get the bus and some poor fucker is fucked on the floor. Hope he's ok he looked in a bad way.
Hope the chap is ok.
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Not that fussed about the football. Just walked up witton lane to get the bus and some poor fucker is fucked on the floor. Hope he's ok he looked in a bad way.
Hope the chap is ok.
Beaten up or pissed?
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Here is his interview to the Beeb. He's delighted!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25536574
How can anyone be delighted with that - that really is depressing , about as inspiring as a stale pork pie :(
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I am glad we managed to stop the rot. If they awarded points for keeping the ball, then we would have been down and out, thankfully Swansea created Jack (geddit?) after they scored.
Three points and maybe even more crucially, some midfielders now required.
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Not that fussed about the football. Just walked up witton lane to get the bus and some poor fucker is fucked on the floor. Hope he's ok he looked in a bad way.
Hope the chap is ok.
Beaten up or pissed?
Beaten up, I believe.
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Can someone please clarify who the players celebrated the goal with when they ran past lambert near the dugout?
Well according to R5 and Pat Murphy it was Lambert they all ran to as a 'public vote of confidence'
When they replayed the goal on the screens they all went past him. No idea to who though.
I hope it wasn't that prick Culverhouse ? Is this turning into a them vs us scenario? Again lambert has booted the fans post match with his condescending remarks - leave you twat!
Also the cheers when Weimann was subbed won't have gone unnoticed I'm sure. He was Blues again and deserved to be subbed off.
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Objectively in the context of where we currently are that was a good point, unfortunately from a paying and entertaining perspective that was utter shit!
The "where we are at the moment" line is the cherry on the top. Just how have the likes of Swansea, Everton, Southampton and now even Hull overtaken us?? They haven't spent close to the amount of money we have spent.
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I am even tempered but watching the Villa at the moment is really testing my resolve. I will only say that I believe Lambert is a good man manager and what is needed is to do a root and branch overhaul of the coaching system, defence apart.
I really do wonder what they do all week between matches as I doubt if it is fitness or stamina work, basic skill development, set piece organisation, systems and tactics all of which appear to be non existent on match day. Be brave Lambert and wield the axe and get someone who knows how to develop players and methods of winning games.
Having seen the he froze out the likes of given , bent and others I'm not sure man management is one of best assets .
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Not that fussed about the football. Just walked up witton lane to get the bus and some poor fucker is fucked on the floor. Hope he's ok he looked in a bad way.
Hope the chap is ok.
Beaten up or pissed?
Beaten up, I believe.
By Swansea fans?
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The stats look dreadful and the comments suggest another pitiful performance and a team going backwards. I wish we had a lovely passing game. All that huffing and puffing to put a mere 20 points on the board after 19 games?
What stats? If you're pointing to possession it's utterly irrelevant against Swansea. Everyone knows that Swansea are a passing team and have massive possession stats, however they don't turn that in to points. Swansea have 'out-possessed' everyone this season - in the six games they've played against both Manchesters, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs they've had the majority of possession in every game and picked up 1 point out of a possible 18.
Despite all their possession today other than the goal their next best opportunity was a weak free kick that Guzan easily tipped over. They had 3 shots on target to our 3 on target. They had loads of corners and with the exception of the one early doors which they somehow managed to head down so hard it bounced over the bar they did nothing with them.
I'm certainly not saying it was a vintage performance but in the context of the run we've been on it's a decent point. As for those booing at the end again, I think for some people they think that's just part of the matchday experience now. It becomes meaningless if you do it after every game.
When the other team has the ball for 70%+ of the time there is damn little villa can do with it. I know Swansea are a great passing side. When Lambert joined us I expected to see us develop along such lines but we have been very direct this season and stand just a point better off than we were at this stage last season, the one where we came perilously close.
So today we didn't have very much possession at home and drew.
We had as little possession away at Southampton & won. We had the majority of possession against Palace & lost.
It'd definitely be nice to see us keep the ball more, but we really need to get over the idea that it means anything.
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Objectively in the context of where we currently are that was a good point, unfortunately from a paying and entertaining perspective that was utter shit!
The "where we are at the moment" line is the cherry on the top. Just how have the likes of Swansea, Everton, Southampton and now even Hull overtaken us?? They haven't spent close to the amount of money we have spent.
True , there are clubs above is who have spent far less than lambert has done .
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We were attacking last season though. It just appears there has been a massive retrenchment in this style in favour of forming some sort of defensive solidity. Looking at the signing of Okore, and the appointment of a defensive coach, then there's a pretty strong case to say this where his priorities were at the start of this season. If this is the case, then he has been desperately unlucky with injuries.
This does not explain the alarming drop in offensive performances however, which is something that we all knew we were good at.
*this was in reply to eastie*
Cheers , stu.
I messed up the quote. I was in the bath, using my phone to post - risk taker that I am.
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Not that fussed about the football. Just walked up witton lane to get the bus and some poor fucker is fucked on the floor. Hope he's ok he looked in a bad way.
Hope the chap is ok.
Beaten up or pissed?
Beaten badly. He looked pretty fucked up. I thought he was a Swansea fan as there was a bloke by him with a Welsh accent who was very angry and upset arguing with the policeman treating him, on the bus people were saying it was a lone Villa fan jumped by a bunch of Swansea. As I walked past he wasn't moving and the police had a bunch of people handcuffed. Some women was a bit hysterical and saying she saw someone stabbed with a bottle. Looked very nasty and I really do hope he is okay whoever he supports.
As an aside the medical treatment poor. He was lying just on Witton Lane by the island, the policeman treating him was telling the Welsh bloke an ambulance was on the way, a woman at the bus stop said she'd seen an ambulance pull onto Witton Lane form the NS car park and it turned right towards the Holte. Was a good 15 mins later that it came past the bus stop with sirens blaring and turned back onto Witton Lane.
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I don't think we're direct it's just more hit and hope
My thoughts aswell. Direct football is normally long ball into channels or at a target man and looking for a stream of on running midfielders to feed off of it.
Ours is an aimless punt 90% of the time not even in the vicinity of our carthorse which is picked up by their defence and they come again.
It is not long ball football, it's not any kind of football.
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Not that fussed about the football. Just walked up witton lane to get the bus and some poor fucker is fucked on the floor. Hope he's ok he looked in a bad way.
Hope the chap is ok.
Beaten up or pissed?
Beaten badly. He looked pretty fucked up. I thought he was a Swansea fan as there was a bloke by him with a Welsh accent who was very angry and upset arguing with the policeman treating him, on the bus people were saying it was a lone Villa fan jumped by a bunch of Swansea. As I walked past he wasn't moving and the police had a bunch of people handcuffed. Some women was a bit hysterical and saying she saw someone stabbed with a bottle. Looked very nasty and I really do hope he is okay whoever he supports.
As an aside the medical treatment poor. He was lying just on Witton Lane by the island, the policeman treating him was telling the Welsh bloke an ambulance was on the way, a woman at the bus stop said she'd seen an ambulance pull onto Witton Lane form the NS car park and it turned right towards the Holte. Was a good 15 mins later that it came past the bus stop with sirens blaring and turned back onto Witton Lane.
Oh dear, oh dear. That sounds awful. Fingers crossed he's ok.
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Not that fussed about the football. Just walked up witton lane to get the bus and some poor fucker is fucked on the floor. Hope he's ok he looked in a bad way.
Hope the chap is ok.
Beaten up or pissed?
Beaten badly. He looked pretty fucked up. I thought he was a Swansea fan as there was a bloke by him with a Welsh accent who was very angry and upset arguing with the policeman treating him, on the bus people were saying it was a lone Villa fan jumped by a bunch of Swansea. As I walked past he wasn't moving and the police had a bunch of people handcuffed. Some women was a bit hysterical and saying she saw someone stabbed with a bottle. Looked very nasty and I really do hope he is okay whoever he supports.
As an aside the medical treatment poor. He was lying just on Witton Lane by the island, the policeman treating him was telling the Welsh bloke an ambulance was on the way, a woman at the bus stop said she'd seen an ambulance pull onto Witton Lane form the NS car park and it turned right towards the Holte. Was a good 15 mins later that it came past the bus stop with sirens blaring and turned back onto Witton Lane.
How very sad that this should happen to someone going to a football game - this puts things into perspective and whoever he is lets hope he has a speedy recovery and that the culprits are brought to justice .
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The stats look dreadful and the comments suggest another pitiful performance and a team going backwards. I wish we had a lovely passing game. All that huffing and puffing to put a mere 20 points on the board after 19 games?
What stats? If you're pointing to possession it's utterly irrelevant against Swansea. Everyone knows that Swansea are a passing team and have massive possession stats, however they don't turn that in to points. Swansea have 'out-possessed' everyone this season - in the six games they've played against both Manchesters, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Spurs they've had the majority of possession in every game and picked up 1 point out of a possible 18.
Despite all their possession today other than the goal their next best opportunity was a weak free kick that Guzan easily tipped over. They had 3 shots on target to our 3 on target. They had loads of corners and with the exception of the one early doors which they somehow managed to head down so hard it bounced over the bar they did nothing with them.
I'm certainly not saying it was a vintage performance but in the context of the run we've been on it's a decent point. As for those booing at the end again, I think for some people they think that's just part of the matchday experience now. It becomes meaningless if you do it after every game.
That's a fair enough point that Swansea get the lions share of possession against most clubs, however, two issues
Firstly, 77% of possession at our place
Secondly, how often do we get more than 50% possession? Almost never.
Today was another demonstration that we can't get the basics right. Swansea are blunt up front and didn't offer the goal threat you'd expect from a team so much on top, but watching us run around aimlessly, failing to complete even the most simple of passes, lumping it long every time we had a chance, whilst they played a crisp passing game was about as depressing a view of where we are now as you are likely to find.
And, let's not forget, a couple of days ago, it was Crystal Palace totally outplaying us on our own pitch.
I am happy we got a point, but really, what I wanted to see today was something to suggest that we are starting to make little improvements in the basics of the game, and there was pretty much nothing to hint at that - again.
Last season, there was plenty of evidence of us at least harrying the opposition when they had the ball, trying to get it back, and when we had it, attempting - at least - to keep it.
This season, there has been almost none of that in evidence. When we don't have the ball, our natural instinct is to fall back and defend, not to win it back. When we do get the ball back, we either pass it straight back to the opposition, or aimlessly lump it long.
I was glad when Lambert was appointed, and supported him unflinchingly last season, but I can not stand to watch any more of this failure to complete the most basic of simple tasks.
Under McLeish, we turned into the sort of horrible side that, if I were a supporter of another club, I would want to get relegated. We are rapidly turning into that again this season.
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I am glad we managed to stop the rot. If they awarded points for keeping the ball, then we would have been down and out, thankfully Swansea created Jack (geddit?) after they scored.
Three points and maybe even more crucially, some midfielders now required.
This. We had 65% possession v Palace bug created nothing. Possession is overrated.
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On the positive side we are now no longer on a losing streak. Swansea must be kicking themselves!
If we tried to kick ourselves we'd probably miss.
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In the context of the run we've been on I can see why Lambert is content with the point and find very little wrong with what he has said. A safe mid-table finish this season will represent progress and I back the manager to steer us there.
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Pravda
Paul Lambert hailed the effort and application of his team as they ground out a 1-1 draw with Swansea.
Gabby Agbonlahor opened the scoring for the hosts early on but Roland Lamah equalised for the visitors just before the break.
Lambert was happy with the point because it put a stop to a bad run of four defeats on the trot.
He said: "It's a game where you'd love to win, no two ways about it.
"But a point stops that sequence of losing. It was vital for us.
"Swansea are a good side. They pass the ball really well. But Brad Guzan hasn't had many saves to make at all.
"They came here and played nice football. But I was happy with the effort and commitment of the lads. I couldn't fault them for that.
"I have seen my team play really well in some games and come away with nothing, really well and you look at it afterwards and think 'we did really well in that.'
"Sometimes you have to fight tooth and nail to get something. They certainly did that. Their commitment was really pleasing."
Lambert admitted he's keeping an eye on the long-term vision for the club aswell as the short-term need to get results to push Villa into a healthy position in the Barclays Premier League.
He is confident of developing this group of players aswell as making a dart up the table when the likes of Christian Benteke, Ron Vlaar and Jores Okore return.
He added: "We are missing big players. It's a lot for us to carry with a young squad.
"When you lose Benteke, Vlaar and Okore, it's a big chunk from the spine of our team.
"We have only been here 17 months or so. I knew the first few years would be really, really tough.
"We're a million miles away from where I want to be. But I am building something, developing it and making it go in the right direction.
"The table is really tight. It's a big point.
"We're on 20 points - we're halfway there. If we can get one or two back, it will make us stronger."
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I don't think we're direct it's just more hit and hope
My thoughts aswell. Direct football is normally long ball into channels or at a target man and looking for a stream of on running midfielders to feed off of it.
Ours is an aimless punt 90% of the time not even in the vicinity of our carthorse which is picked up by their defence and they come again.
It is not long ball football, it's not any kind of football.
Tony Morley was very critical on AVTV - he slammed the defence and Guzan for hoofing the ball forward and said Lowton and luna can't defend and he hoped new full backs would arrive in January .
He wasn't too enamoured with the rest either but he spoke with a passion for the club that showed how much he cares.
Totally dismissed a suggestion Gardner might make a difference when fit and said he was no better than those already in the team .
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Whilst I agree the performances recently have been far from acceptable, it appears there are a number of posters on here who are delighted with what is happening at the moment so they can vent their spleen at Lambert. Plus if you think that Clapping Weiman being subbed is going to help then you are sadly mistaken.
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Lets face it, under this manager with this owner sooner rather than later we will go down. We need to start buying proper players and paying premiership wages or there is very little chance we will improve.
Agreed the manager has his failings but just look at what he has to work with, and look at what he has put in a Villa shirt.
Something needs to change.
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Well i went today, and it was probably one of the worst performances i have seen from a Villa team at VP.No movement, no support from other players, no tactics, poor technique, poor pass selection, poor quality.
Baker and Clark defended well, apart from that it was truly awful.Time for PL to go otherwise i can't see us staying up tbh.
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It was a LOT better than the garbage served up on Thursday.
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Whilst I agree the performances recently have been far from acceptable, it appears there are a number of posters on here who are delighted with what is happening at the moment so they can vent their spleen at Lambert. Plus if you think that Clapping Weiman being subbed is going to help then you are sadly mistaken.
Rubbish mate. There isn't a single person on here who wants us to do bad so we can hammer Lambert.
I'd rather he proved me a complete numpty and lead us to a European Cup and me be ridiculed forver and never taken seriously again.
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Whilst I agree the performances recently have been far from acceptable, it appears there are a number of posters on here who are delighted with what is happening at the moment so they can vent their spleen at Lambert. Plus if you think that Clapping Weiman being subbed is going to help then you are sadly mistaken.
Nobody on here is delighted with what is happening - we all love the club are care deeply about the situation!
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I was almost certain at half time that we would lose today. But the support lifted the players visibly after half time. We were no more effective but at least the effort and a little more belief was there.
There are lots of signs of a side low on confidence particularly in not taking time on the ball and rushing things. It can only get better.
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Here is his interview to the Beeb. He's delighted!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/25536574
Lambert is 18 months into a project? This is the first I have heard of a project, what timescale is this project and why has he only mentioned it now?
I am just wondering how many more years we have got of this drival?
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I messed up the quote. I was in the bath, using my phone to post - risk taker that I am.
Happy birthday Stu.
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It was a LOT better than the garbage served up on Thursday.
Honestly it wasn't. We had 27% possession and were awful after the first 10 mins. Painful to watch again . Jose Canas man of the match .
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Possession is over-rated people are saying again? I've got hammered for going on about this before but look at all the great sides around Europe. They are decent passing sides who try to keep the ball.
Yes, teams like villa can play good on the counter and nab five or six smash 'n grabs a season but we really should be looking to develop a style of play centred around better use of the ball and better ball retention. Instead we give it away and invite excessive pressure on a backline which is fragile.
I sometimes think the whole culture of the club, terraces to pitch, needs to change.
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The miss by the Swansea bloke when he managed to head it down and over the bar in the first half was amusing. How he managed it from that close with a near open goal is a rare talent.
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Not that fussed about the football. Just walked up witton lane to get the bus and some poor fucker is fucked on the floor. Hope he's ok he looked in a bad way.
Hope the chap is ok.
Beaten up or pissed?
Beaten badly. He looked pretty fucked up. I thought he was a Swansea fan as there was a bloke by him with a Welsh accent who was very angry and upset arguing with the policeman treating him, on the bus people were saying it was a lone Villa fan jumped by a bunch of Swansea. As I walked past he wasn't moving and the police had a bunch of people handcuffed. Some women was a bit hysterical and saying she saw someone stabbed with a bottle. Looked very nasty and I really do hope he is okay whoever he supports.
As an aside the medical treatment poor. He was lying just on Witton Lane by the island, the policeman treating him was telling the Welsh bloke an ambulance was on the way, a woman at the bus stop said she'd seen an ambulance pull onto Witton Lane form the NS car park and it turned right towards the Holte. Was a good 15 mins later that it came past the bus stop with sirens blaring and turned back onto Witton Lane.
There was a chap collapsed in the road on Trinity Road as I came out, so might explain the ambulance direction. Here's hoping everyone's okay
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Whilst I agree the performances recently have been far from acceptable, it appears there are a number of posters on here who are delighted with what is happening at the moment so they can vent their spleen at Lambert. Plus if you think that Clapping Weiman being subbed is going to help then you are sadly mistaken.
Nobody on here is delighted with what is happening - we all love the club are care deeply about the situation!
Try posting something positive for a change then
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Ah it may well do. Thanks LFS.
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Whilst I agree the performances recently have been far from acceptable, it appears there are a number of posters on here who are delighted with what is happening at the moment so they can vent their spleen at Lambert. Plus if you think that Clapping Weiman being subbed is going to help then you are sadly mistaken.
Nobody on here is delighted with what is happening - we all love the club are care deeply about the situation!
Try posting something positive for a change then
I will post it as I see it - I have never been short of praise when deserved .
This a forum to express opinion , not to have everyone agree with you.
Please don't come here saying people are delighted with the situation - nobody is!
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Not for the first time the team played reasonable football for the first 10 minutes or so, then completely forgot what they were supposed to be doing. I've never quite seen anything like it and I was around in the 1969-70 season. The difference is that today we do have some players who are at least capable of good football. The mystery is why they don't perform, it just seems that their confidence is completely shot.
In 1969/70 we had Bruce Rioch,Chico Hamilton,and Pat MacMahon. I think they were capable of very very good football.
This lot are uniformly abysmal.
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The miss by the Swansea bloke when he managed to head it down and over the bar in the first half was amusing. How he managed it from that close with a near open goal is a rare talent.
That seamed to be the point when the players lost there confidence, it was downhill from that point on
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Lambert is talking shit. A few weeks ago he was talking about how confident he was that we wouldn't be involved in another relegation fight and now he wants to look 'up the table' (can't remember the exact quotes)
Now he's counting the points to the magical 40 point total for survival! Lamenting losing a couple of players to injury etc
Think he is beginning to unravel
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The Villa team that beat Swansea last season.
Aston Villa
22 Guzan
04 Vlaar
06 Clark Booked
30 Lichaj Booked
34 Lowton Booked
07 Ireland (Westwood - 70' )
08 El Ahmadi
25 Bannan
09 Bent
14 Holman (N'Zogbia - 79' )
26 Weimann (Benteke - 71' )
£43 million quid on, is it any better this season?
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The Villa team that beat Swansea last season.
Aston Villa
22 Guzan
04 Vlaar
06 Clark Booked
30 Lichaj Booked
34 Lowton Booked
07 Ireland (Westwood - 70' )
08 El Ahmadi
25 Bannan
09 Bent
14 Holman (N'Zogbia - 79' )
26 Weimann (Benteke - 71' )
£43 million quid on, is it any better this season?
We haven't spent £43m since then.
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I was marvelling at how quickly we gave away possession and then how easily Swansea held onto it - and I don't even think they were really firing on all cylinders.
I nearly, NEARLY, walked on 65 minutes when Ciaran Clark just whacked the ball high and long when he had time and space - I always thought there was a potential midfielder there - it's just mind numbing how bad so many of them have become.
Lack of movement at throw ins, everyone back at corners - nothing new today, but this is really going to start costing us soon.
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Well we missed the first ten minutes and our goal (car problems) but its hard to be positive when you dont see anything to be positive about.
I suppose getting a point rather than no points is a positive. And that fellow posters is about it.
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Lambert is talking shit. A few weeks ago he was talking about how confident he was that we wouldn't be involved in another relegation fight and now he wants to look 'up the table' (can't remember the exact quotes)
Now he's counting the points to the magical 40 point total for survival! Lamenting losing a couple of players to injury etc
Think he is beginning to unravel
No, he's not unravelling, he's simply managing a football club and trying to keep things upbeat and positive. It's what good managers do.
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Whilst I agree the performances recently have been far from acceptable, it appears there are a number of posters on here who are delighted with what is happening at the moment so they can vent their spleen at Lambert. Plus if you think that Clapping Weiman being subbed is going to help then you are sadly mistaken.
Nobody on here is delighted with what is happening - we all love the club are care deeply about the situation!
Try posting something positive for a change then
The crowd sounded fantastic second half. Hats off to everyone there today.
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The Villa team that beat Swansea last season.
Aston Villa
22 Guzan
04 Vlaar
06 Clark Booked
30 Lichaj Booked
34 Lowton Booked
07 Ireland (Westwood - 70' )
08 El Ahmadi
25 Bannan
09 Bent
14 Holman (N'Zogbia - 79' )
26 Weimann (Benteke - 71' )
£43 million quid on, is it any better this season?
We haven't spent £43m since then.
He's spent that amount since he joined. There's about £7.5m of it in that team there so maybe I should rephrase it then. £35.5m spent is the team any better than that one there?
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The miss by the Swansea bloke when he managed to head it down and over the bar in the first half was amusing. How he managed it from that close with a near open goal is a rare talent.
That seamed to be the point when the players lost there confidence, it was downhill from that point on
Yeah, that happened on Thursday as well; we started brightly but Puncheon completely skinned Lowton, did it again a few minutes later, and then their other winger came over to join in the fun and the confidence and shape drifted away. To be fair to PL, he tried to address that today by providing more protection for Lowton and Luna.
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The Villa team that beat Swansea last season.
Aston Villa
22 Guzan
04 Vlaar
06 Clark Booked
30 Lichaj Booked
34 Lowton Booked
07 Ireland (Westwood - 70' )
08 El Ahmadi
25 Bannan
09 Bent
14 Holman (N'Zogbia - 79' )
26 Weimann (Benteke - 71' )
£43 million quid on, is it any better this season?
We haven't spent £43m since then.
He's spent that amount since he joined. There's about £7.5m of it in that team there so maybe I should rephrase it then. £35.5m spent is the team any better than that one there?
He bought 5 of those players. Six if you include Guzan. That game was after the transfer window closed last season.
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Possession is over-rated people are saying again? I've got hammered for going on about this before but look at all the great sides around Europe. They are decent passing sides who try to keep the ball.
Yes, teams like villa can play good on the counter and nab five or six smash 'n grabs a season but we really should be looking to develop a style of play centred around better use of the ball and better ball retention. Instead we give it away and invite excessive pressure on a backline which is fragile.
I sometimes think the whole culture of the club, terraces to pitch, needs to change.
This is absolutely bang on. Yes, Swans didn't have the cutting edge to make better use of the ball they had, but they were missing arguably their two best offensive players in Dyer and Michu today. No one is suggesting we have to adopt a Spanish model of suffocating teams with possession, but like Irish says the best teams in the PL and Europe have a style that is centred around controlling the ball, and thus the game. Most if not all also have an identity, a game plan that stems predominantly from the manager - the strides Everton have made under Martinez (a man we could possibly have captured not too long ago) this season is a great example of how a CLEAR footballing philosophy, coming from an intelligent and astute manager, can enhance a side with not too many big names (obviously one or two exceptions, Barkley, Lukaku, Deulofeu etc.)
Now I thought that when PL took over we might look to develop a philosophy, a way of playing, that we could carry through matches against any side, and over time with young, impressionable players mould a side capable of doing damage at the right end of the league. There have been times when we've seen this, pressing high, breaking fast, and playing football not too bad on the eye. But today, with aimless hoofs ANYWHERE on the pitch, marked a complete regression in our development as a team... Westy and Delph were none-existent today, and a lot of our team were taught how to play football by Swansea's midfield, constantly wanting the ball, not panicking and moving intelligently. On another day they could've had 3 or 4.
The team need a clear mentality and game plan, and this all stems from the coaching staff. They also need someone to instill some confidence in them, because too many went missing today. Is Lambert the right man to do this and take us forward?
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The Villa team that beat Swansea last season.
Aston Villa
22 Guzan
04 Vlaar
06 Clark Booked
30 Lichaj Booked
34 Lowton Booked
07 Ireland (Westwood - 70' )
08 El Ahmadi
25 Bannan
09 Bent
14 Holman (N'Zogbia - 79' )
26 Weimann (Benteke - 71' )
£43 million quid on, is it any better this season?
No, it's far worse. Don't give this man a penny more to spend, just sack the mumbling buffoon.
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If you think about it the last two sets of coaching staff taken on by Alec McCleish and Lambert are probably the two worst in our history.
They are to blame for the shambles this club has become.
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Apologies for the pedantry, but it's McLeish.
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Yes you are right and I apologise.
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Apologies for the pedantry, but it's McLeish.
What about my antry?
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The crowd sounded fantastic second half. Hats off to everyone there today.
Thank you. I honestly think the noise generated halfway through second half gave the team an uplift. They were not playing very well and could have lost the game quite easily but the fans were not prepared to allow that and raised the tempo to a fantastic level.
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Apologies for the pedantry, but it's McLeish.
and Alex or Alec? Or is it same?
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It was a LOT better than the garbage served up on Thursday.
You think? After Boxing Day, I was expecting a reaction, not an encore. I posted in the pre-match thread that if we scored early for once, we'd win with some comfort. But having witnessed today's performance, forgive me for finding myself going into the new year with an impending sense of doom. We're going backwards from last season. Where are the green shoots, straws to clutch at, any signs of progress? At times it was like watching schoolboys. And not the organized U16 type, more like 9 year olds running round the park playing 30-a-side.
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All I heard at the end of the game was a lot of people booing.
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It was a LOT better than the garbage served up on Thursday.
You think? After Boxing Day, I was expecting a reaction, not an encore. I posted in the pre-match thread that if we scored early for once, we'd win with some comfort. But having witnessed today's performance, forgive me for finding myself going into the new year with an impending sense of doom. We're going backwards from last season. Where are the green shoots, straws to clutch at, any signs of progress? At times it was like watching schoolboys. And not the organized U16 type, more like 9 year olds running round the park playing 30-a-side.
Yes. I'll admit it wasn't great today by any stretch of the imagination barring the first 10 minutes or so but it was still an improvement on the abject drivel served up on Thursday.
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The crowd sounded fantastic second half. Hats off to everyone there today.
Thank you. I honestly think the noise generated halfway through second half gave the team an uplift. They were not playing very well and could have lost the game quite easily but the fans were not prepared to allow that and raised the tempo to a fantastic level.
It gave me a lift hearing just hearing it sitting here. In fact I think it stopped me moaning for 5 minutes!
As the atmosphere rised i'm sure it coincided with us harrying them all the way back to the keeper a few times.
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All I heard at the end of the game was a lot of people booing.
(http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/1523147/boo-urns-o.gif)
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Apologies for the pedantry, but it's McLeish.
and Alex or Alec? Or is it same?
Alex.
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I don't need Lambert to start attacking the excellent support the team have been receiving at VP to find reason for wanting him gone. His utter managerial ineptitude has been more than sufficient all season. Yes the quality of our squad is undoubtably the worst we have had for generations but that withstanding any manager of even modest proportions would be able to push out a team with some semblance of footballing adequacy. Whatever this plan is I lack more confidence in it than your average Tommy on the front line in WWI. Most of the players look completely shot (I saw the pun there). I know there are better players in there somewhere. Most of them are shadows of last season. Why? How is that progress? I don't have any answers to it except to say something is wrong with this picture. Lerner won't shake things up as he will feel it will be counter devisive to his aims of saving money if he has to sack and recruit. For me lambert has shown he isn't the man we hoped would take this club forward.
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
You're done here, Lambert. Time to go.
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Whilst I agree the performances recently have been far from acceptable, it appears there are a number of posters on here who are delighted with what is happening at the moment so they can vent their spleen at Lambert. Plus if you think that Clapping Weiman being subbed is going to help then you are sadly mistaken.
Nobody on here is delighted with what is happening - we all love the club are care deeply about the situation!
Try posting something positive for a change then
I will post it as I see it - I have never been short of praise when deserved .
This a forum to express opinion , not to have everyone agree with you.
Please don't come here saying people are delighted with the situation - nobody is!
The original post was a personal observation rather than a discussion point and I fail to see where it requires everyone to agree with me.
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The supporters have been superb and a credit to this great club - there are few clubs who would pull these gates with such a home record - full credit to everyone of you .
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Shall we take a look at the pre-match thread and the number of people who said we were going to get a right tonking.
I believe the percentage was quite high.
Well, the tonking never happened. A good thing isn't it. Or should we have lost so we could give Lambert some more hammer.?
The football is not good at the moment, granted. Does that mean Lambert has to go ? I think that would be a mistake personaly, at the moment.
His coaching staff on the other hand need to take a good look at themselves, they are the ones who are not good enough.
If Lambert were to go now we would be relegated for sure.
Lets see what happens in January, if anything does happen for us in the transfer market.
If the glaring frailties are not addressed then we should be very worried about our status in the Premier League and very worried about the " Plan" that Lambert has.
I may be in the minority on this issue but i would give him a bit longer and i would be encouraging him to change his coaching staff.
Just my view on this subject.
We are all mad Villa fans on here, lets not be to hasty in pulling the trigger on something that could come good.
We knew we were in for a rough ride when O"i want more fecking money to spunk up the wall" Neil fucked us over. As a business this cost cutting is absolutely needed, or we will not exist at all.
If Lambert had the amount of cash that the Irish manager had we would be flying high now, sadly the cash was never available but one day soon it may be.
We are having to watch the total rebuilding of the club we love. It's not pretty, it's not pleasing to the eye, but it has to be done, absolutely has to be done.
I am in the mindset of again surviving, finishing in the top half would be nice but with some good quality experience added to this young squad in January.
If this does not happen i may change my mind on the whole Lambert "Plan."
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
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Can understand people not being happy with that performance. It was poor, and in the circumstances - Swansea could and possibly should have won - a point is ok.
But I can't fault the effort the players put in. Clearly they are very low on confidence. We need leadership on the pitch. Clark and Baker looked pretty solid to me, but we miss Vlaar as captain. We are playing without one at the moment.
Hoping that we have bottomed out now. If we can avoid defeat for the next few games it would be good.
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On a completely random note, the ref whoever he was had an excellent game, don't think he made one decision I disagreed with all afternoon. First time I've thought that for ages.
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On a completely random note, the ref whoever he was had an excellent game, don't think he made one decision I disagreed with all afternoon. First time I've thought that for ages.
I thought he was OK, but inconsistent.
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Can understand people not being happy with that performance. It was poor, and in the circumstances - Swansea could and possibly should have won - a point is ok.
But I can't fault the effort the players put in. Clearly they are very low on confidence. We need leadership on the pitch. Clark and Baker looked pretty solid to me, but we miss Vlaar as captain. We are playing without one at the moment.
Hoping that we have bottomed out now. If we can avoid defeat for the next few games it would be good.
Based mainly on the first half when he playing right in front of me I thought Baker was decent as well. Showed a few moments of intelligence as well as he blocked a runner off for Clark to clear, showed an understanding between the two as well.
I still want Vlaar back sharpish mind, just thought it worth mentioning after the stick he has, rightly, received at times.
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Just home from the game. The great SGT once said very wisely "if you are going backwards you have to stop before you can start to go forward". I do not know if that was a halt to the backward slide but it certainly was a slowing of the backwards momentum.
Not that I think we played any better than we did against Palace (although Hart had to play out of his skin against them today so perhaps under Pulis they are not the gimme we took them for). We showed more grit and character in the second half and they deserve credit for that and most importantly they responded to the crowd who were magnificent.
I still have issues with Guzan who did not make a throw out or a direct pass to one of his own men until the forty first minute of the game despite it being clear from the outset that Swansea were winning everything in the air.
Not that I care but that point could have saved Lambert.
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We improved slightly in the 2nd half or was it that Swansea weren't as good?
I'm totally bemused as to why Luna doesn't mark his man, he must be coached not to as he's been doing it now for at least the last 5 games.
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I would argue that Guzan does as he is told.
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Yeah he is Lambert's bitch! Don't diss the G-Man!
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
What's wrong with laughing at them? It's better than getting angry.
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We improved slightly in the 2nd half or was it that Swansea weren't as good?
I'm totally bemused as to why Luna doesn't mark his man, he must be coached not to as he's been doing it now for at least the last 5 games.
To be fair to Lambert on my stream every few minutes I could hear loud screams of 'LUNA LUNA' so someone is telling him what to do, the plank is just not doing it enough.
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I would argue that Guzan does as he is told.
Yep and whether he kicks it up the middle in a hit and hope or rolls it out our lot are so poor at ball retention it doesn't really make any difference.
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
What's wrong with laughing at them? It's better than getting angry.
I have been laughing for three years at their crazy antics - it has been the only saving grace in several games.
You see I don't blame the players for not being very good, they are what they are - they try but mostly it is beyond their skills.
If anyone ever calls us fickle again you can laugh in their faces - we are sticking with this team despite the dross we have to watch
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We improved slightly in the 2nd half or was it that Swansea weren't as good?
I'm totally bemused as to why Luna doesn't mark his man, he must be coached not to as he's been doing it now for at least the last 5 games.
Swansea miss Michu. They'd be a really, really top side if they had proper options up front.
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....clip......
I am in the mindset of again surviving, finishing in the top half would be nice but with some good quality experience added to this young squad in January.
If this does not happen i may change my mind on the whole Lambert "Plan."
Good post. And wholeheartedly agree with this closing statement.
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We were extremely shit. As bad as Southampton but we didn't fluke the win.
Lambert on 5Live said he's 18 months into a project that is going to take many, many years. Also played down the fact we had no possession by stating we got a point, though as Pat Murphy was insinuating, that was more through luck than judgment. However, as Lambert also said, Guzan didn't really have an awful lot to do, especially second half.
Still, the players have no confidence whatsoever and nobody wants the ball so there's nobody to pass the ball to. Rubbish. I'd give the young and fringe players a game as they haven't played to have their confidence shot.
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Was his reaction at the final whistle akin to TSM when we drew with Stoke?
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Brad Guzan is what he is, a Villa man, one of very few we have had in recent times. If he is being told to make Kevin Poole/Jimmy Rimmer/Budgie style swinging, spinning kicks into the opposition half whenever he has possession of the ball whoever is telling him to do it should cease forthwith. If he is doing it of his own volition he should be told to stop doing it because he is making the season ticket holder in Holte Lower RR114 very angry indeed.
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Can we have some details of "The Project" please?
Targets by date and outcome, projected percentage success rates, costings etc...
I am assuming this has replaced "The 5-Year Plan"?
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Apologies for the pedantry, but it's McLeish.
You are not really sorry are you :)
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Still, the players have no confidence whatsoever and nobody wants the ball so there's nobody to pass the ball to. Rubbish. I'd give the young and fringe players a game as they haven't played to have their confidence shot.
I'd also be looking at recalling Grealish.
He's not played at this level, but he is at least already our player, and he's an option. If Bowery can get pitch time, i don't see why Grealish shouldn't
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Apologies for the pedantry, but it's McLeish.
You are not really sorry are you :)
No... we all have our hobbies...
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Still, the players have no confidence whatsoever and nobody wants the ball so there's nobody to pass the ball to. Rubbish. I'd give the young and fringe players a game as they haven't played to have their confidence shot.
I'd also be looking at recalling Grealish.
He's not played at this level, but he is at least already our player, and he's an option. If Bowery can get pitch time, i don't see why Grealish shouldn't
Or Gary Gardner for that matter.
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Can we have some details of "The Project" please?
Targets by date and outcome, projected percentage success rates, costings etc...
I am assuming this has replaced "The 5-Year Plan"?
No such thing.
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Apologies for the pedantry, but it's McLeish.
You are not really sorry are you :)
No... we all have our hobbies...
This is Legion when he saw it.
(http://img.pandawhale.com/80054-South-Park-orgasm-meme-Randy-M-DWge.jpeg)
Love ya really Leeg x
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I don't think we were extremely shit. We had spells at the start of each half where we got in Swansea's faces and refused to let them play. It's not unfair to give the players credit for that.
They showed a bit of courage and a bit of fight today. Sadly the quality is not there, for whatever reason.
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Apologies for the pedantry, but it's McLeish.
You are not really sorry are you :)
No... we all have our hobbies...
This is Legion when he saw it.
(http://img.pandawhale.com/80054-South-Park-orgasm-meme-Randy-M-DWge.jpeg)
Love ya really Leeg x
I'm a poor man's Bad English.
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Also, on the subject of possession statistics: we had the majority of the ball against palace and didn't look any better.
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I fully expected a routine Swansea win so a point is a nice surprise no matter how we played, Gabby scoring may hopefully see him score a few more, better performance from Delph, we have stoppred the rot, in this horror run our goal difference hasn't been damaged to badly, just trying to be positive in these worrying times.
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Not for the first time the team played reasonable football for the first 10 minutes or so, then completely forgot what they were supposed to be doing. I've never quite seen anything like it and I was around in the 1969-70 season. The difference is that today we do have some players who are at least capable of good football. The mystery is why they don't perform, it just seems that their confidence is completely shot.
In 1969/70 we had Bruce Rioch,Chico Hamilton,and Pat MacMahon. I think they were capable of very very good football.
This lot are uniformly abysmal.
That's true, all on their day good players, but that season they were rarely "on their day." We also had the likes of Lionel Martin, Barry Hole, Jimmy Brown and Dave Simmons trying their best to keep us from dropping into the 3rd division.
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Also, on the subject of possession statistics: we had the majority of the ball against palace and didn't look any better.
So we're are pretty poor with or without the ball.
Is that progress?
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Also, on the subject of possession statistics: we had the majority of the ball against palace and didn't look any better.
So we're are pretty poor with or without the ball.
Is that progress?
I don't know. I thought it was worth pointing out. Maybe you disagree.
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4 of us were going to do the 1874 lounge for the Sheffield Utd game as it's only £87.50 each. However we made a unanimous decision now that Lerner lambert Culverhouse the players , really not worth it. Will go for the £10 north lower. Would boycott but can't turn my back on the club.
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I think if I was dying and only had £350 to spend before I shuffled off I cannot think of anything I would want more to spend my money on than to see a Villa game, however shit.
I think I would prefer never to have lived than have said of me "what did your dad/brother/grandad spend his last £350 on? - Oh he bought a new DFS sofa - a blue and white one."
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I don't think we were extremely shit. We had spells at the start of each half where we got in Swansea's faces and refused to let them play. It's not unfair to give the players credit for that.
They showed a bit of courage and a bit of fight today. Sadly the quality is not there, for whatever reason.
I agree with this. Considering the quality of our last four performances, today's wasn't too bad. We seemed to have a desire to fight our way out of our current misery, and that's good. We can moan about the lack of quality, but we're in a catch 22 of poor performances and low confidence, and there is no easy way out of that. But today we at least saw evidence that the players are trying.
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Also, on the subject of possession statistics: we had the majority of the ball against palace and didn't look any better.
So we're are pretty poor with or without the ball.
Is that progress?
I don't know. I thought it was worth pointing out. Maybe you disagree.
So as several other people have pointed out, having the greatest amount of possession doesn't necessarily mean that you will a) win the game, or b) actually even play that well with the possession and create many meaningful chances. All that tells us, is that statistics taken in isolation aren't very useful. I'm sure most people know the old quote "There's lies, damn lies, and then there's statistics". For instance a stat rolled out about Villa the other week was that we had one of the best records in the league of going on and winning a game when in a winning position. Seems like a great stat until you realise we have very rarely led games in the first place. We might have only ever led one game, the first game of the season, where we scored in the 94th minute and only led for a minute, but the stat on its own won't tell you that.
So no, the possession stat on it's own doesn't necessarily mean much, but hey, try putting it in the context of a whole raft of other stats to see the bigger picture, like: games won, games won at home, goals scored at home, long ball passing stats, pass completion rates, number of chances etc etc., the picture that builds up is a pretty accurate and damning one.
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If you play 10 matches and have an average of 30% possession for example I would imagine that you'd lose most of them. Possession isn't everything but the more ball you have, the less the opposition have, and they can't hurt you without the ball.
At home, to have 30% possession isn't good enough at all.
We might have had slightly the better against Palace but we did fuck all with it.
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I can't believe no one is impressed with the way we out-thought Swansea today. If I were Laudrup, one thing I wouldn't have expected us to do with our two forwards who are least good in the air was to get Guzan to lump the ball 60yards up the pitch constantly for the 85minutes after we scored....
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If you play 10 matches and have an average of 30% possession for example I would imagine that you'd lose most of them. Possession isn't everything but the more ball you have, the less the opposition have, and they can't hurt you without the ball.
At home, to have 30% possession isn't good enough at all.
We might have had slightly the better against Palace but we did fuck all with it.
Also as the season wears on which set of players will be fitter -
The ones chasing a ball 65% of games or the ones passing it to each other .
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To many players just don't want the ball when we have possession.
Clarke still persists in hoofing the ball ( I used to think Clarke would one day be good enough to play in midfield).
KEA and Tonev have the luxury of being Lamberts buys, so get chance after chance dispite poor displays.
I know its easy to say chuck in some of the kids/fringe players , but Gardner has got to be a better option in midfield than Westwood and KEA.
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Not for the first time the team played reasonable football for the first 10 minutes or so, then completely forgot what they were supposed to be doing. I've never quite seen anything like it and I was around in the 1969-70 season. The difference is that today we do have some players who are at least capable of good football. The mystery is why they don't perform, it just seems that their confidence is completely shot.
In 1969/70 we had Bruce Rioch,Chico Hamilton,and Pat MacMahon. I think they were capable of very very good football.
This lot are uniformly abysmal.
That's true, all on their day good players, but that season they were rarely "on their day." We also had the likes of Lionel Martin, Barry Hole, Jimmy Brown and Dave Simmons trying their best to keep us from dropping into the 3rd division.
Barrie Hole if you don't mind, and he was a Welsh international. Better than anything we've got in our midfield right now.
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Re the debate on possession stats.
I would generally agree that too much can be read into them. I would argue that as long as the balance lies within 45% / 55% then it implies a reasonable balance and the possession in the final 3rd, or possession leading to chances is more interesting.
However as you get towards a 40% / 60% split it's starting to imply one team genuinely dominating, but again the possession by position on the pitch is still a valuable qualification, as was mentioned after Southampton if all the possession is in their half it's not really a problem, especially if it's a definite tactic to counter someone like Arsenal.
When you start getting down to 30% it's starting to sound like you can't string 3 passes together.
For me it's not that we're constantly under 50%, it's that we struggle to get over 35%.
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Other than the obvious well documented problems of not enough quality / experience / leadership, there are some very very basic problems.
On the rare occasions when we get the ball, the opposition chase our players until we give it back. Some of this is down to a lack of quality & possibly down to confidence.
We all now by know that Swansea play the ball out from the back, goalkeeper to defender & they build from there. At no point today or in any previous home games this season have we ever forced the opposition goalkeeper to kick the ball out, which would at least give us a 50/50 chance of getting it back. We are effectively giving the opposition the ball & saying keep it as long as you like. We seem obsessed with getting everyone back into position without ever putting teams under any pressure when they have the ball. We then spend our time chasing around after the ball, for any of our forwards that must be soul destroying. It's a basic error in the way we are setup that simply gives control of the game to the opposition. For me this this is basic coaching.
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This mentioned plan that we are 18 months into, must be to get the high earners off the books (Hutton, Bent, Ireland, Given still left), recruit younger players that cost less on lower wages, so they have a sell on value, and remain in the PL.
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This mentioned plan that we are 18 months into, must be to get the high earners off the books (Hutton, Bent, Ireland, Given still left), recruit younger players that cost less on lower wages, so they have a sell on value, and remain in the PL.
Thanks Sherlock ;)
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A few more stats to ignore because they don't mean a thing.
Pass completion 57%
cross completion 6%
passes long 23%
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Here's some more
Shots 7 v 17
Corners 2 v 8
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Frustrated supporters 100%
The statistics don't tell us anything we don't already know, ie we are not very good.
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Here's some more
Goals 1 v 1
Shots on target 3 v 3
Shots 7 v 17
Corners 2 v 8
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My half time Balti pie contained more chicken than was expected and the sauce was fine.
We were pretty good for the first ten mins.
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
With a username like he has, what else can you expect?
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Match stats don't mean a thing in "modern football",get used to it. Remember the Deloitte top 20? Obviously as fans we should now be cheering spreadsheets with profits and losses, and projected profit forecasts and whatever else Randy looks at.
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Re the debate on possession stats.
I would generally agree that too much can be read into them. I would argue that as long as the balance lies within 45% / 55% then it implies a reasonable balance and the possession in the final 3rd, or possession leading to chances is more interesting.
However as you get towards a 40% / 60% split it's starting to imply one team genuinely dominating, but again the possession by position on the pitch is still a valuable qualification, as was mentioned after Southampton if all the possession is in their half it's not really a problem, especially if it's a definite tactic to counter someone like Arsenal.
When you start getting down to 30% it's starting to sound like you can't string 3 passes together.
For me it's not that we're constantly under 50%, it's that we struggle to get over 35%.
Well put sir. We often struggle to string 5 passes together and not just in phases, through the majority of matches. You cannot get away with that at this level and expect to be comfortable.
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The most important statistic for me today is that we got another point. For a while after Swansea equalised it looked like we were going to lose by two or three goals. So forgive me if I don't slash my wrists.
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I'd love to watch a team like Swansea every week. Some of their football was great today.
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You see these sort of possession stats when the majority of teams play Barcelona.
You shouldn't be seeing anywhere near this against the likes of Southampton and Swansea.
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For the Palace game when we had most possession the toilet cubicles were all occupied by men smoking. For the Swansea game when we had least possession the cubicles were occupied by men throwing up.
Possession without goals makes you nervous and in need of a cigarette. Lack of possession and hanging on to a point makes you sick.
Discuss. Use both sides of the paper.
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The most important statistic for me today is that we got another point. For a while after Swansea equalised it looked like we were going to lose by two or three goals. So forgive me if I don't slash my wrists.
If I was a Swans fan I'd be gutted. We were ready to be rolled over today. But after about the 70 minute mark, Swansea just seemed content with the point, despite totally dominating possession. They're a bit of killer instinct and a good CF away from being a really quality side.
Conversely, we've been linked with Bony in the past, and he'd been billed as potentially the next Benteke over the summer, but he's looked a bit bobbins so far.
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It's now exactly 3 months since we scored a home league goal against an English team.
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It's now exactly 3 months since we scored a home league goal against an English team.
It's a shame Wrexham or Newport County aren't in the Premiership.
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Yes, Bony looked cack, didn't he. I'd like to give Clark and baker a bit of the credit for that
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If you play 10 matches and have an average of 30% possession for example I would imagine that you'd lose most of them. Possession isn't everything but the more ball you have, the less the opposition have, and they can't hurt you without the ball.
At home, to have 30% possession isn't good enough at all.
We might have had slightly the better against Palace but we did fuck all with it.
Also as the season wears on which set of players will be fitter -
The ones chasing a ball 65% of games or the ones passing it to each other .
That is probably the most insightful points made during the current December malaise.
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Yes, Bony looked cack, didn't he. I'd like to give Clark and baker a bit of the credit for that
Baker did okay to be fair to him. He gets a shiteload of stick but he was solid today. Clark was alright defensively too. Both struggled when it came to distribution. More down to the woeful movement in front of them than anything. The sight of Clark or Baker chuffing it long in hope is all too common at the minute.
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The most important statistic for me today is that we got another point. For a while after Swansea equalised it looked like we were going to lose by two or three goals. So forgive me if I don't slash my wrists.
If I was a Swans fan I'd be gutted. We were ready to be rolled over today. But after about the 70 minute mark, Swansea just seemed content with the point, despite totally dominating possession. They're a bit of killer instinct and a good CF away from being a really quality side.
Conversely, we've been linked with Bony in the past, and he'd been billed as potentially the next Benteke over the summer, but he's looked a bit bobbins so far.
It's incredible to think Swansea are only 1 point better than us over half the season. Think they've only won 2 at home all season aswell.
I think it's an example of Europa league taking too much out of them otherwise they'd probably have 5 more points on the board and be pushing likes of Southampton and Spurs.
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Yeah it was amazing support again today and like someone else mentioned over 36k average for the shit we've been watching over a good few years is absolutely top draw. The away support is even better. The thing that bothers me is does the club appreciate it? I think not
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The most important statistic for me today is that we got another point. For a while after Swansea equalised it looked like we were going to lose by two or three goals. So forgive me if I don't slash my wrists.
If I was a Swans fan I'd be gutted. We were ready to be rolled over today. But after about the 70 minute mark, Swansea just seemed content with the point, despite totally dominating possession. They're a bit of killer instinct and a good CF away from being a really quality side.
Conversely, we've been linked with Bony in the past, and he'd been billed as potentially the next Benteke over the summer, but he's looked a bit bobbins so far.
It's incredible to think Swansea are only 1 point better than us over half the season. Think they've only won 2 at home all season aswell.
I think it's an example of Europa league taking too much out of them otherwise they'd probably have 5 more points on the board and be pushing likes of Southampton and Spurs.
Yep. They started the season really badly, but have been a bit more stable in the last couple of months. I think they'll probably finish fairly strongly in the second half. They're not far off. A tweak here and there and a signing or two and they'll be laughing.
Us on the other hand, we've got a hell of a lot of work to do to sort this mess out. I think come the end of the season Swansea will be solidly in mid-table, probably have a good scrap with Southampton.
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I'd like to have seen gabby celebrate with the holte rather than that tool Culverhouse.
Says it all really.
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Also, on the subject of possession statistics: we had the majority of the ball against palace and didn't look any better.
So we're are pretty poor with or without the ball.
Is that progress?
I don't know. I thought it was worth pointing out. Maybe you disagree.
It would be nice to see us develop an effective passing game like Rodgers at Liverpool. We aren't very good with possession because we aren't good with the ball and don't seem to be getting better. Remember the pass Westwood laid on for Gabby at Norwich last season. More possession with end product like that is what I would like to see us develop.
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I'd like to have seen gabby celebrate with the holte rather than that tool Culverhouse.
Says it all really.
I thought it was with Lambert and the subs?
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I'd love to watch a team like Swansea every week. Some of their football was great today.
I saw the game 2 years ago the culmination of a succession of imaginative coaches - Jackett-Martinez-Rogers and remember telling my Cardiff supporting work colleague the next day what an absolute pleasure Swansea were to watch. He didn't and still doesn't disagree.
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I'd like to have seen gabby celebrate with the holte rather than that tool Culverhouse.
Says it all really.
I thought it was with Lambert and the subs?
From the replay on the screen it didn't appear to be Culverhouse or Lambert. It looked as though they ran past them. Lambert appeared to have to turn round to give pats on backs.
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Ok thanks thought he'd gone to Culverhouse.
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Yeah it was amazing support again today and like someone else mentioned over 36k average for the shit we've been watching over a good few years is absolutely top draw. The away support is even better. The thing that bothers me is does the club appreciate it? I think not
Seconded
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27% possession at home is a joke, I feel totally depressed. 1st 8min we looked very good, 442 was working well then wtf happened? For the remaining 88min we were a joke, Swansea controlled every aspect of the game, the players were again clueless going forward or even just finding a forward pass, the substitutions were wrong, Albrighton should of came on earlier for worst villa player ever tonev, how many more chances does el ahmadi need? Luna caught out over and over again, wiemann was awful apart from goal but to be honest I could go on about nearly every player.
Very lucky to get a draw and Lambert is way out of his depth....
We need a change now.
P.s great support again
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Yeah it was amazing support again today and like someone else mentioned over 36k average for the shit we've been watching over a good few years is absolutely top draw. The away support is even better. The thing that bothers me is does the club appreciate it? I think not
In what way do you want the club to appreciate it?
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The most important statistic for me today is that we got another point. For a while after Swansea equalised it looked like we were going to lose by two or three goals. So forgive me if I don't slash my wrists.
You're quite right Damon, and at the end of the season who knows how important that point might be.
But in the wider context of our recent performances, and struggles to put points on the board, it doesn't bode well.
Still grateful for our blessings , however small.
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Walking down Witton Lane after the game a Swansea fan commented (on their team) 'they were poor but we were utterly shite.'
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Walking down Witton Lane after the game a Swansea fan commented (on their team) 'they were poor but we were utterly shite.'
I didn't think Swansea were that great either.
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I'm consoling myself with two things
I suspect fans of at least eight clubs are tonight saying "we're definitely going down this season" which can't be true
Lambert seems to be suggesting benteke and vlaar may be back for Sunderland. That would be welcome, to say the least
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The most important statistic for me today is that we got another point. For a while after Swansea equalised it looked like we were going to lose by two or three goals. So forgive me if I don't slash my wrists.
You're quite right Damon, and at the end of the season who knows how important that point might be.
But in the wider context of our recent performances, and struggles to put points on the board, it doesn't bode well.
Still grateful for our blessings , however small.
You're right, it doesn't bode well. In so many important respects we appear to be going backwards. Players who were promising last season are playing terribly, or not playing at all.
I'm not blind to that, I don't think any of us is. The fact that we had 37,000 there today was astonishing, really.
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Not for the first time the team played reasonable football for the first 10 minutes or so, then completely forgot what they were supposed to be doing. I've never quite seen anything like it and I was around in the 1969-70 season. The difference is that today we do have some players who are at least capable of good football. The mystery is why they don't perform, it just seems that their confidence is completely shot.
In 1969/70 we had Bruce Rioch,Chico Hamilton,and Pat MacMahon. I think they were capable of very very good football.
This lot are uniformly abysmal.
That's true, all on their day good players, but that season they were rarely "on their day." We also had the likes of Lionel Martin, Barry Hole, Jimmy Brown and Dave Simmons trying their best to keep us from dropping into the 3rd division.
Barrie Hole if you don't mind, and he was a Welsh international. Better than anything we've got in our midfield right now.
Not strictly true. His name was actually Barrington. You're right about our current midfield though.
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I'm consoling myself with two things
I suspect fans of at least eight clubs are tonight saying "we're definitely going down this season" which can't be true
Lambert seems to be suggesting benteke and vlaar may be back for Sunderland. That would be welcome, to say the least
He seemed more positive about Benteke. Not sure about vlaar. I suspect if Benteke makes it he'll be on the bench.
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The Villa team that beat Swansea last season.
Aston Villa
22 Guzan
04 Vlaar
06 Clark Booked
30 Lichaj Booked
34 Lowton Booked
07 Ireland (Westwood - 70' )
08 El Ahmadi
25 Bannan
09 Bent
14 Holman (N'Zogbia - 79' )
26 Weimann (Benteke - 71' )
£43 million quid on, is it any better this season?
On what planet have we spent £43m since that game?
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I'm consoling myself with two things
I suspect fans of at least eight clubs are tonight saying "we're definitely going down this season" which can't be true
Lambert seems to be suggesting benteke and vlaar may be back for Sunderland. That would be welcome, to say the least
Probably a more out of desperation quote than hope. Don't rush them back too soon.
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Yeah it was amazing support again today and like someone else mentioned over 36k average for the shit we've been watching over a good few years is absolutely top draw. The away support is even better. The thing that bothers me is does the club appreciate it? I think not
In what way do you want the club to appreciate it?
I would like them to put an ad front page of the mail stating we are greatest fans in the world . ok with you?
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Paul Lambert is hopeful of seeing Christian Benteke and Ron Vlaar back available again for the New Year's Day clash with Sunderland.
Talismanic striker Benteke [knee] has been absent for Stoke, Palace and Swansea matches.
Reliable defender Vlaar [calf], meanwhile, has missed the Fulham, Man Utd, Stoke, Palace and Swansea games aswell as the second half at Southampton.
Lambert is anticipating welcoming Benteke and Vlaar back at the Stadium of Light.
Asked about the availability of the pair, he said: "Benteke and Vlaar will hopefully come back pretty quick.
"Hopefully there's a good chance [against Sunderland].
"These aren't fringe players, these are big, big players for us.
"It's the spine of the team.
"Everyone knows that when you lose the spine of the team it can be a big hit.
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No pressing, hardly any accurate passing, little movement and certainly little or nothing to get you on the edge of your seat. What kind of 'project' does Lambert have in mind?
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Paul Lambert is hopeful of seeing Christian Benteke and Ron Vlaar back available again for the New Year's Day clash with Sunderland.
Talismanic striker Benteke [knee] has been absent for Stoke, Palace and Swansea matches.
Reliable defender Vlaar [calf], meanwhile, has missed the Fulham, Man Utd, Stoke, Palace and Swansea games aswell as the second half at Southampton.
Lambert is anticipating welcoming Benteke and Vlaar back at the Stadium of Light.
Asked about the availability of the pair, he said: "Benteke and Vlaar will hopefully come back pretty quick.
"Hopefully there's a good chance [against Sunderland].
"These aren't fringe players, these are big, big players for us.
"It's the spine of the team.
"Everyone knows that when you lose the spine of the team it can be a big hit.
Where the fuck is Talismania?
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If you look at a map of Australia, it's the bit that looks like a piece of dried shit hanging off a sheep's arse. I think Glenn McGrath is from there
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I'd love to watch a team like Swansea every week. Some of their football was great today.
Yes and they have 21 points from 19 games.
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Cheers, Damon. Gotta love The Pidgeon.
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Makes a change from iconic. Odd use of English. Traditionally a talisman is something small. Neither of those two gents fits that description.
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Fuck me, this is a Talismanian Devil:
(http://rateeveryanimal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/tasmanian-devil-jaw.jpg)
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Another turgid, boring, embarrassing home display.
First 20 mins ok with Gabby and Weimann down the middle, we actually moved the ball around and had good pace upfront and chased and harassed Swansea's back four.
After that bloody hell !!! We got a real lesson in how to keep the ball and pass to your own players !
I actually thought Clark and Baker defended well today but the full backs are woeful, our midfield is embarrassing, Delph seems to have retreated back to his old ways of turning backwards and our so called strikers were woeful.
At half time Lambert changed the formation again with just Gabby upfront and it looked like he wanted to hold on to what we had !
As I have said before all his buys are the same, there is no one on the bench that offers any difference, 7m for Libor (wow) I honestly believe we are in serious trouble this season and if we don't go down it wont be thanks to Lambert it will be that amazingly there are three teams shitter than us.
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For the Palace game when we had most possession the toilet cubicles were all occupied by men smoking. For the Swansea game when we had least possession the cubicles were occupied by men throwing up.
Possession without goals makes you nervous and in need of a cigarette. Lack of possession and hanging on to a point makes you sick.
Discuss. Use both sides of the paper.
Excellent observation. Maybe you should write a paper and submit it for consideration in The Costa Coffee Short Story Awards?
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re Delph turning backwards, I noticed that, too but thought it was because he'd find himself with the ball and absolutely nobody would move in to space to take it off him.
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Talismanians eat those for breakfast. It's the jack jumpers that scare them shitless.
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I'm more worried about why Brian is hanging around the toilets so much!
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I honestly believe we are in serious trouble this season and if we don't go down it wont be thanks to Lambert it will be that amazingly there are three teams shitter than us.
Fortunately, there are several really poor sides this season.
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With regards Delph turning backwards all the time, it could well be that there is no movement ahead of him, but earlier in the season he was driving forward and taking players on. I wonder if Lambert has told him to stop doing that as he seems to be playing deeper as well.
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Thanks olaftab. I am promised to Channel 4 but it has a really subtle layering. I shit my pants while waiting for a vacant cubicle and the man in front of me had some sort of chemical withdrawal seizure. The joke of the week was the guy who sits two seats along from me and my kids said the Palace game was so boring he found reading the prostate cancer adverts in the toilets was the most interesting thing he had done all day. My son the king of drollery said he was saving that pleasure for half time.
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My half time Balti pie contained more chicken than was expected and the sauce was fine.
Please express the total content in percentage terms for it to make any sense to us?
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re Delph turning backwards, I noticed that, too but thought it was because he'd find himself with the ball and absolutely nobody would move in to space to take it off him.
This also noticeably improved in the last 15 minutes when it appeared more players were willing to leave their rigid positions and Albrighton tried the amazing thing of being in space.
Not once through the game did we release Tonev on the left, and only a couple of times early did we see Bacuna wide and threatening. After that neither were ever on as a ball, and Westwood and Delph looked up to literally no forward pass available at all. It was horrific, and short of the move for the goal Weimann did nothing either. I feel for the central midfielders I really do, apart from KEA, who even with a pass on gives the ball away inviting them back on to us.
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I'm more worried about why Brian is hanging around the toilets so much!
Some weeks he's smoking, some being sick.
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Fuck me, this is a Talismanian Devil:
(http://rateeveryanimal.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/tasmanian-devil-jaw.jpg)
Reminds me the mother in law is over for Sunday lunch tomorrow. Oh joy.
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I'm more worried about why Brian is hanging around the toilets so much!
Some weeks he's smoking, some being sick.
He's on a radical new detox diet which involves out-of-date Cornish pasties
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PWS I hang around the toilets quite a lot because I ate some of my daughter in law's home made biscuits.
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No one sent any of these biscuits or pasties to the club for the players to eat did they?
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Wild horses will not drag that story out of me but it is the funniest true story I have ever heard.
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Get Teckers and Ron back into the team, loan a right and left back and sign Milner and we will be fine.
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At times it was like watching schoolboys. And not the organized U16 type, more like 9 year olds running round the park playing 30-a-side.
I must say it did look exactly like that in patches.
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PWS I hang around the toilets quite a lot because I ate some of my daughter in law's home made biscuits.
She has discovered a constipation remedy. Time for Green's to make loads of money.
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I'm more worried about why Brian is hanging around the toilets so much!
Some weeks he's smoking, some being sick.
He's on a radical new detox diet which involves out-of-date Cornish pasties
I had a mate who contracted a severe case of food poisoning from eating some hippie vegetarian shit at the Elephant Fayre rock festival in Cornwall back in the early 80's. He was off work for weeks as he would recover for a day or so but then it would recur, and he swears to this day that the cure was 8 pints of Guiness and a Vindaloo. I should mention in passing that the headliners of the festival were The Cure in their Pornography period.
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You first. As a constipation remedy my wife's homemade biscuits are a bit drastic. Like reversing your car over a jar of pickled onions to get the lid off
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The highlight of the day was meeting Chris Nicholls in The Holte. I asked for an autograph and we had a chat about his four goals at Leicester. He said not to tell anyone about those goals.
Edit: that's not true the real highlight was buying H&V from PWS.
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
With a username like he has, what else can you expect?
What's that supposed to mean? No idea why you felt like you had to reply to that but whatever.
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At times it was like watching schoolboys. And not the organized U16 type, more like 9 year olds running round the park playing 30-a-side.
I must say it did look exactly like that in patches.
It did actually. At one point Tony Moon tried to clear the ball and volled it across his own box. I remember doing exactly that at 14 years old in P.E and getting bollocked by the teacher, who explained to me carefully that under no circumstances as a defender do you cross the ball across your own penalty box. Lol. That moment did make me chuckle I have to say. Tony Moon playing like a pudgy 14 year old oik whos been forced to play in defence because he's a bit shite, but at least not quite shite enough to have been given goalkeeping duties.
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One thing we can be sure of is Lambert will never lose the dressing room, if it wasn't for him there would only be 3 or 4 playing Premiership football.
Was 'better' than Thursday but it does have to be said that its soul destroying watching one team popping the ball round at will and one practicing the 100mph, 2 touch and then heave it technique - actually felt for Clark & Baker who were doing their jobs of defending but the ball was coming back immediately.
I've said before that success in a project is quite often acknowledging that is gone wrong and abandoning ship - is it time??
The crowd were great today, booing was largely saved for the end which is how it should be, the poor little lambs shouldn't be supported unconditionally....during the game it seemed to me from the Herbie Upper that we stayed with them.
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
With a username like he has, what else can you expect?
What's that supposed to mean? No idea why you felt like you had to reply to that but whatever.
I think he's trying to point out that you've chosen three of the most laughingly poor players ever to wear a Villa shirt as your username. As well as finding Villa playing badly hilariously funny.
And once again, if you don't want people to reply to your points, a discussion board is really the wrong place for you to express them.
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
With a username like he has, what else can you expect?
What's that supposed to mean? No idea why you felt like you had to reply to that but whatever.
You don't seem to get this.
It's a discussion board. That's how it works.
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
With a username like he has, what else can you expect?
What's that supposed to mean? No idea why you felt like you had to reply to that but whatever.
I think he's trying to point out that you've chosen three of the most laughingly poor players ever to wear a Villa shirt as your username. As well as finding Villa playing badly hilariously funny.
And once again, if you don't want people to reply to your points, a discussion board is really the wrong place for you to express them.
Well, we can't all have original usernames like SheffieldVillain, can we? I just picked those three because they formed a nice combination.
So what if I found it funny? Would you rather I shouted "sort it out, Lambert"?
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
With a username like he has, what else can you expect?
What's that supposed to mean? No idea why you felt like you had to reply to that but whatever.
You don't seem to get this.
It's a discussion board. That's how it works.
Don't patronise me. His post was a subtle dig at me, we weren't discussing anything.
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
With a username like he has, what else can you expect?
What's that supposed to mean? No idea why you felt like you had to reply to that but whatever.
You don't seem to get this.
It's a discussion board. That's how it works.
Don't patronise me. His post was a subtle dig at me, we weren't discussing anything.
What a load of nonsense.
It wasn't subtle!
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I was actually laughing at our players today. They're so shit, it's unreal.
Words fail me.
With a username like he has, what else can you expect?
What's that supposed to mean? No idea why you felt like you had to reply to that but whatever.
I think he's trying to point out that you've chosen three of the most laughingly poor players ever to wear a Villa shirt as your username. As well as finding Villa playing badly hilariously funny.
And once again, if you don't want people to reply to your points, a discussion board is really the wrong place for you to express them.
Well, we can't all have original usernames like SheffieldVillain, can we? I just picked those three because they formed a nice combination.
So what if I found it funny? Would you rather I shouted "sort it out, Lambert"?
Yes, it was a complete coincidence that out of all the players in the history of Villa you picked three awful ones. Of course it was.
You crack on with finding Villa playing badly funny, I really couldn't care less. Sit giggling to yourself all you like.
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It's a username, get over it FFS.
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Calm down everyone. Have one of these biscuits
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It's a username, get over it FFS.
I'm sure if you ask a mod nicely they'll change it for you.
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I think the username HodgeCallaghanGlover is available.
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Calm down everyone. Have one of these biscuits
Discos?
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I think the username HodgeCallaghanGlover is available.
I was thinking BannanHuttonHodge.
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I think the username HodgeCallaghanGlover is available.
Look, if I want that username and then proceed to cane the Villa team at every available opportunity, it does not mean ANYTHING.
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Troll, troll, troll, troll.....
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I think the username HodgeCallaghanGlover is available.
Or even worse, LambertLernerCulverhouse?
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I think the username HodgeCallaghanGlover is available.
I was thinking BannanHuttonHodge.
What about TurnerMcLeishOLeary?
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A few thoughts from today:
We started ok and Bacuna and Tonev actually got wide and made 3 decent crosses. Gabby up front gave us mobility. And we scored. In the first half. Yay!
At 1-0 we then went timid - we were dawdling to take free kicks, throw ins etc after 20 minutes FFS. We couldn't keep possession due to poor technique, no movement, players too far apart, nothing new there. Our throw ins are now ridiculous - like BosckoDjemba I actually laughed at a few of them.
Seeking for positives, we did limit Swansea to few direct shots and Guzan was not our MOM for once. A team with a true forward would have beaten us today. And lambert sending on KEA to give us 3 in midfield made us more solid. Also the Holte played a good role in the second half in supporting the team when they needed it.
One bleeding obvious point for Lambert though - this experiment of our goalkeeper also being our playmaker just isn't working. Swansea fans shouting "hoof" when we had the ball was embarrassing but true.
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Better in defence. Showed next to nothing going forwards. The opposition always seem to have two more players on the pitch than us due to better movement. I thought that by playing Tonev and Bacuna he was planning to get crosses in. So surely starting Kozak and Bowery would have worked better. But, as a glass half full person I suppose it was a small step in the right direction in a game that was always going to be particularly difficult after Boxing Day.
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to me that game summed up everything about aston villa football club right now. and it wasnt good but the result makes it just about passable for some.
25% possession at home to a side a point ahead of us in the table is humiliation really. did we complete four passes in a row once during the second half? lambert made a good point during the week that bravery wasnt flying into a tackle but looking for the ball when the crowd is against you. on the basis of that reasoning most of the Villa players were cowardly in the extreme yesterday. Villa is a big club and you need to have character to play successfully at the club. Too many of our players lack it not to mention lack technical ability.
Im not sure how players at this level are unable to disguise a pass, show for a pass, move for a pass and keep possession for more than 3 passes. Obviously confidence is on the floor but the easy option is taken routinely. Pass to an isolated player or Guzan and hoof it forward.
As others have said these players arent kids but in their early 20s and going nowhere. These players are badly coached but getting rid of Lambert is only the start. A complete re-evaluation of coaching at the club from u-10s onwards is urgently needed and reform is required.
Watching the Swansea keeper pass every ball to a teammate, it was like they were playing a different sport to us. Hernandez and De Guzman were outstanding. There is a player in Shelvey somewhere and I think he will come good. Ben Davies played football the right way at left back. Bony looks out of place for them, doesnt seem anywhere near mobile enough for the football they play.
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I ran a business with a 5 year business plan. After 14 months it was obvious it wasn't going to work so I shut it down before it got me in all sorts of trouble. I restructured it and started again. Took me a while but it's doing ok now....
This is how I see us. Injuries or no injuries something has gone horribly wrong since the end of last season. Continued horrendously low possession stats is gonna see us flirting with disaster. Assuming Lambert is to stay and be given funds, January should be his restructure time. And if he has to unload Benteke so add to those funds to develop us then so be it. I don't want him to go but if it's for the greater good, then so be it.
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I'm all for sacrificing one player for the greater good but the guy is both injured and out of form which will either greatly reduce his worth or render him non-saleable during the next month, even if we wanted to try and cash in now. The other problem is, I wouldn't trust Lambert with a bean at the moment. A few judicious loans would appear to be the best way forward next month , at least that way, anyone coming in during the summer should Lambert go will at least have a transfer pot of their own plus any cash from sales. Assuming we have anyone by then who has played themselves into the market.
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The revelation I had yesterday was that Shelvey looks a lot like the lead character from Despicable Me.
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Shelvey looked bad enough to play for us.
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Those two occasions near the end where he mis controlled the ball and let it out for a throw near our corner flag were real highlights for me. Sadly.
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Just watched motd- lambert seemed to think they were running to him at 1st when they ran past and went to the bench .
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I honestly believe we are in serious trouble this season and if we don't go down it wont be thanks to Lambert it will be that amazingly there are three teams shitter than us.
Fortunately, there are several really poor sides this season.
This is true but a few of them are picking up wins recently whereas we are in an awful run against teams in the lower half - we have some really tough games coming up and could well be in the bottom 3 within the next 3 games.
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The revelation I had yesterday was that Shelvey looks a lot like the lead character from Despicable Me.
Harry Potter, he's coming for you.
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Those two occasions near the end where he mis controlled the ball and let it out for a throw near our corner flag were real highlights for me. Sadly.
I thought he did it deliberately knowing they'd regain possession directly from our resultant throw-ins
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Shelvey was our best midfielder yesterday.
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Those two occasions near the end where he mis controlled the ball and let it out for a throw near our corner flag were real highlights for me. Sadly.
I thought he did it deliberately knowing they'd regain possession directly from our resultant throw-ins
Bloody hell, you're right. Our throw-ins were unbelievably bad, weren't they
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This throw in deficiency has been there all season. We lose the ball from our throw ins 9 times out of 10. So what I don't understand is why our players always let the ball go out when it could be kept in play. Again I think it's to do with players taking the easier option rather that the responsibility of doing something positive by keeping the ball in and ending up making a mistake. If it goes wrong from throw in you can ake collective blame!
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We can't even pass to each other when we pick it up. It really is ground zero.
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This throw in deficiency has been there all season. We lose the ball from our throw ins 9 times out of 10. So what I don't understand is why our players always let the ball go out when it could be kept in play. Again I think it's to do with players taking the easier option rather that the responsibility of doing something positive by keeping the ball in and ending up making a mistake. If it goes wrong from throw in you can ake collective blame!
I agree with that. There are a lot of players hiding right now.
With regards to the throw ins, surely they could spend half an hour after training and work on a few routines. Nothing too elaborate but some sequences beyond 'throw it to the big guy who might win the header and flick it on'. It takes them so long to take them too. There's no urgency.
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This throw in deficiency has been there all season. We lose the ball from our throw ins 9 times out of 10. So what I don't understand is why our players always let the ball go out when it could be kept in play. Again I think it's to do with players taking the easier option rather that the responsibility of doing something positive by keeping the ball in and ending up making a mistake. If it goes wrong from throw in you can ake collective blame!
I agree with that. There are a lot of players hiding right now.
With regards to the throw ins, surely they could spend half an hour after training and work on a few routines. Nothing too elaborate but some sequences beyond 'throw it to the big guy who might win the header and flick it on'. It takes them so long to take them too. There's no urgency.
That's because the person taking the throw normally has zero options.
I can only assume in training that they don't challenge at throw ins because we never challenge the opposition at throw ins. That then just leads our lads to be confused when the opposition do challenge ours and we inevitably give away possession.
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Shelvey was our best midfielder yesterday.
One thing I did notice yesterday was for the first half hour or so, he was playing out wide. When he moved into the centre, it was then they started to have their good spell of possession which led to them scoring.
As for us, we were a bit better than we have been, a bit more solid but still overall poor. At least it's a point that stops the rot and might give the players a bit of confidence going into the Sunderland game, especially if Vlaar and Benteke come back in.
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A throw in crisis. This has to be a first.
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A throw in crisis. This has to be a first.
It's a new low. It's a symptom of none of the players wanting the ball. They all try and get marked rather than making a move to find space.
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Did Dortmund ever play like this in their project?
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Did Dortmund ever play like this in their project?
In 2007 they were 1 point above relegation?
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A throw in crisis. This has to be a first.
I know, but given so many people are picking up on it, it is a real problem.
We have been saying for a while, we take an age over everything we do, including throw ins. It gives time for all of our players to be marked, giving little or no option for the thrower.
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Too many poor players on the pitch for yesterday.
Luna - hopeless and laughable; just not good enough.
Lowton - terribly out of form and low on confidence. I do think he'll come good, though.
Baker & Clark - both C'ship players IMO. They both get pulled out of shape, dive in unnecessarily and seem to lack a good communication with Guzan.
Tonev - what is his point, really? Really poor.
KEA - hopeless, really.
We looked better with Westwood in MF, and Gabby and Weimann looked reasonable without getting much decent possession.
This is a really poor squad of players and It should be as bleedin' obvious to PL and RL as it is to us.
We don't even have the guile at set pieces to make the opposition think: throw-ins are bad but so too are corners and free kicks. We don't need the best players to cause problems but we do need good coaching and some intelligence ...
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Just seen the Swansea goal on tv.
What the FUCK was Luna doing to defend that!!
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See i think Westwood is the worst of a bad bunch.Two good passes yday does not constitute a good player.He never wants the ball, he is very rarely positive, he does'nt close down the opposition quick enough, hes not physical enough, hes not quick enough.I don't think hes even a Championship player.
We made Swansea look like Barca yday, our ootball was incredibly poor, and completely unacceptable for a club like AVFC.
Would'nt trust him to buy another player tbh, and this time next week i think he might be gone.I can't see us getting anything at Sland, and who knows against Sheff U, 2 teams about the same level of ability i suppose you could say.
Yday was the final straw for me, awful football, no tactics, for me no positives, apart from another 37k crowd , who again was very supportive and patient.I'm not sure i want to go to any more games after yday with him in charge.
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As we dont seem to like conflicted opinions let me just say what I believe - no offense intended to anyone who doesnt agree :
1. Possession. I completely agree it isnt everything BUT generally the sides which finish higheidea in the league and do well in cups have majority possession OVER A SEASON.We rarely have more than 50% and when we do have no idea how to use it. On balance keeping the ball IS advatageous.
2. Lambert. Any suggestion that I or anybody else on here doesnt want him to do well is ludicrous. Support 'en masse' during games has been positive with frustration only really boiling over in recent games. If things were as they were a month ago I.e. 9/10 points over relegation and with a benign fixture list ahead I would be 'happy' to see him continue. Then I was very confident that there were at least three teams worse than us. I apologise for admiting that I would accept staying up as acceptable but I was being pragmatic. A month on we have wasted the opportunity that those 'winnable' games offered and at the moment I honestly cant see a team worse than us. I fear cannot see that this manager has any idea how to change that or have any confidence that even if guven money he woukd soend it wisely, Defeat at Sunderland anf he MUST go.
3. The players. Whilst I accept that some are not up to it there are others who are no worse than many in other teams in the bottom half. With coaching and a game plan (look it up Paul) I believe Lowton, Westwood, Weiman, Gabby, Clarke and Bacuna can look like Premier league players. Baker I will accept as back up but to me he appears to be in receipt of no coaching whatsoever. These need to ge supplemented with some experience
4. Expectations. I have three season tickets for the family with a 280 mile round trip oer game, Not the longest by any means but not just round the corner. I know that a Champions league place is no longer possible (for now) and accept that. I do not expect us to be flirting with relagation every season and playing kick and rush football but would settle for a level of football style with ability tobthreaten in cups - kets call its the Everton approach. Give me that and then ill get greedy.
Everybody who takes the time to read and post on here cares about Aston Villa and EVERYBODY deserves a brighter 2014. Happy New Year folks!
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Those two occasions near the end where he mis controlled the ball and let it out for a throw near our corner flag were real highlights for me. Sadly.
I thought he did it deliberately knowing they'd regain possession directly from our resultant throw-ins
Bloody hell, you're right. Our throw-ins were unbelievably bad, weren't they
Our throw ins have been unbelievably bad from day one under Lambert. This is training ground stuff. Lambert can't even get the basics right.
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When Swansea had players in space down the wing they were found with a ball quickly.
When we had someone in space out wide for example, the player on the ball in midfielder would take way too long to get the ball to them. Delph did this a few times in finding Luna. Instead of controlling, looking up and banging over a pass, he took an age to get the ball under control. Dribbled himself to within 5 yards of Luna and then passed the ball to him, by which time they had plenty of defensively cover and any hope of get one of our players offensively one on one with someone was gone.
Poor movement off the ball is costing us. Poor ball control and passing is killing us. A total lack of composure is also a problem. One sniff of something and our players will generally snatch at the delivery or the chance. The ironic thing is that our goal came from having Gabby clean through, one in one. I was all set to put my money on him scuffing it straight at the keeper, but he finished it fantastically. It was the one piece of composed play we had in the entire match. The rest of the time our players seem to treat the ball like a hand grenade. The person on the ball looks incredibly awkward dribbling with it. They look up and almost everyone ahead of them is hiding behind a marker because they don't want to get blown up. It's the definition of Anti-Football and it's even sub-McLeish. At least Big Eck was fairly unapologetic in his style. We knew what we were getting. Someone who'd put teams out not to lose and hope to nick the odd winner. It might have been shit but it was a plan.
What is Lamberts plan? There never appears to be a clear one.
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As we dont seem to like conflicted opinions let me just say what I believe - no offense intended to anyone who doesnt agree :
1. Possession. I completely agree it isnt everything BUT generally the sides which finish higheidea in the league and do well in cups have majority possession OVER A SEASON.We rarely have more than 50% and when we do have no idea how to use it. On balance keeping the ball IS advatageous.
2. Lambert. Any suggestion that I or anybody else on here doesnt want him to do well is ludicrous. Support 'en masse' during games has been positive with frustration only really boiling over in recent games. If things were as they were a month ago I.e. 9/10 points over relegation and with a benign fixture list ahead I would be 'happy' to see him continue. Then I was very confident that there were at least three teams worse than us. I apologise for admiting that I would accept staying up as acceptable but I was being pragmatic. A month on we have wasted the opportunity that those 'winnable' games offered and at the moment I honestly cant see a team worse than us. I fear cannot see that this manager has any idea how to change that or have any confidence that even if guven money he woukd soend it wisely, Defeat at Sunderland anf he MUST go.
3. The players. Whilst I accept that some are not up to it there are others who are no worse than many in other teams in the bottom half. With coaching and a game plan (look it up Paul) I believe Lowton, Westwood, Weiman, Gabby, Clarke and Bacuna can look like Premier league players. Baker I will accept as back up but to me he appears to be in receipt of no coaching whatsoever. These need to ge supplemented with some experience
4. Expectations. I have three season tickets for the family with a 280 mile round trip oer game, Not the longest by any means but not just round the corner. I know that a Champions league place is no longer possible (for now) and accept that. I do not expect us to be flirting with relagation every season and playing kick and rush football but would settle for a level of football style with ability tobthreaten in cups - kets call its the Everton approach. Give me that and then ill get greedy.
Everybody who takes the time to read and post on here cares about Aston Villa and EVERYBODY deserves a brighter 2014. Happy New Year folks!
There wouldn't be much point in having a discussion board if we all agreed on everything. Conflicting and differing opinions are welcome and encouraged. Here's to a brighter, better 2014.
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He has'nt got a plan supertom, thats the point.He won't sign anyone decent, if he is still here, because he will be found out.The basics yday were significant by their absence.No support for the player with the ball, no movement off the ball, no closing down, no structure, no pattern of play.
I think we need to realise, that game yday was a relegation battle, yet look at the way Swansea played, they had a style, a purpose, a resolve, and lets be honest deserved to win.I can't see us getting anything against Sland, who i don't think will go down, then we have Arse and Lplop and Boggies, probably nothing there as well then.
For the sake of our great club, he needs to go.
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Just seeing the 'highlights' on MOTD this morning drives home how poor we are.
Swansea were creating space at will because we get drawn to the ball instead of picking up a man, and that's just when they're static. Once the opposition start actually moving off the ball it seems to fuck with our heads.....like no one is sure which man they should be following.
You could say it's inexperience but more likely it's poor preparation and coaching.
Other posters are spot on with regards to throw ins. It's most apparent at a set piece but it happens throughout open play too, we collectively won't show for the ball. I've noticed players stick with their marker deliberately - I can only assume that's a confidence issue.
You know things must be bad.
Even Alan Hansen spoke in a sombre, apologetic tone when summarizing our game.
Still, it's seems Lamberts going nowhere. Let's see what Randy pulls out of the hat in January.
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I'm overweight, very slow and can't do much but when I play football on a Monday I always make 2 very good passes during the game which even surprises myself....
Does this mean I'm as good as Westwood?
Anyhow woke up this morning and just watched highlights on sky from last night and now matter how many times you watch it, you can't say anything other then atrocious, inept and useless.
If Lambert does not get the sack then I'm dreading any signings he will sign. Experience needed, everyone can see it so should he.
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If there was a MOTD table based on game order, we'd have to be bottom of it wouldn't we?
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I'm overweight, very slow and can't do much but when I play football on a Monday I always make 2 very good passes during the game which even surprises myself....
Does this mean I'm as good as Westwood?
Anyhow woke up this morning and just watched highlights on sky from last night and now matter how many times you watch it, you can't say anything other then atrocious, inept and useless.
If Lambert does not get the sack then I'm dreading any signings he will sign. Experience needed, everyone can see it so should he.
Are you andi Weimann ?
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Even our ball boys/girls are shit.
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I'm overweight, very slow and can't do much but when I play football on a Monday I always make 2 very good passes during the game which even surprises myself....
Does this mean I'm as good as Westwood?
Anyhow woke up this morning and just watched highlights on sky from last night and now matter how many times you watch it, you can't say anything other then atrocious, inept and useless.
If Lambert does not get the sack then I'm dreading any signings he will sign. Experience needed, everyone can see it so should he.
Are you andi Weimann ?
Ha!
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I'm not that bad!
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Yes, he definitely needs to strengthen with experience. We have plenty of youth and experimental purchases already.
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Oh for the days when we looked at players to'take us to the next level'. Now we want players who might give us some steel and help keepus in the division.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. I still think Lambert is the only manager that can get anything from these players because he did last season.
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All the action! (49 seconds long) (http://www.101greatgoals.com/gvideos/aston-villa-1-swansea-1-all-goals/)
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Lamberts not got much out of them this season.
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Got to say, really impressed with Bella's rave like gyrations
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Didn't Lambert say stats don't give a true reflection of things and possession isn't a great indicator?
Well Laudrup obviously doesn't agree......
"Sometimes possession can give you an idea how the game has been. The possession in the first half was followed up by chances and good play and we should have scored more than once."
So that's 37000 laymen and one premiership manager who apparently don't know what they're talking about.
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He has been hampered by injuries to key players. Vlaar, Okore and Benteke.
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Oh for the days when we looked at players to'take us to the next level'. Now we want players who might give us some steel and help keepus in the division.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. I still think Lambert is the only manager that can get anything from these players because he did last season.
Last season we hit on a style a play that worked well for us and with results comes confidence - however teams have worked out how villa played and combatted that style to a large extent and lambert doesn't seem to have a plan b which works .
We are a point better off than last season but we had a storming final 3 months and several players on fire - I'm not confident we will see that happen again .
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Lamberts not got much out of them this season.
I know, but this is a villa side that I just cannot imagine with another manager. Can you see another manager rating Tonev, KEA, Bowery etc?
They really are his players.
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Bowery... Jordan Bowery... "If Bowery plays for Villa so can I!"
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Omg possession, 27% still can't get over, remember when Lambert took over saying I want to play the right way, good passing football, then 1st game against West Ham we all chanted over and over "were passing the ball" how times have changed.
Lambert has tried, he's been stubborn and bought in "his" signings, now is the time we get some experience, never thought I'd say it but if we had a Barry or a Huddleston, someone to take the young lads, help them in a match tell them where to play. We have still not replaced Petrov.
Things can turn quickly in football and hoping 1 or 2 experienced players could do that.
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I would like to see him solve the midfield coaching issue in the way he has addressed the defending from set pieces. If that means getting rid of Culverhouse, then so be it.
Whatever other problems we have, I didn't have my heart in my mouth every time we conceded a corner yesterday.
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Yes, the cornalty problem seems to have been solved.
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Oh for the days when we looked at players to'take us to the next level'. Now we want players who might give us some steel and help keepus in the division.
It wasn't supposed to be like this. I still think Lambert is the only manager that can get anything from these players because he did last season.
Last season we hit on a style a play that worked well for us and with results comes confidence - however teams have worked out how villa played and combatted that style to a large extent and lambert doesn't seem to have a plan b which works .
We are a point better off than last season but we had a storming final 3 months and several players on fire - I'm not confident we will see that happen again .
I am not sure teams have worked us out, most sides (barring the obvious few) go away and stick 10 men behind the ball regardless of who they are playing. It's not designed specifically for us.
Yesterday we at least showed a bit of spirit in the second half, it wasn't great but better than Thursday.
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He has been hampered by injuries to key players. Vlaar, Okore and Benteke.
I'm not sure that the style of play would have been much better judging by things from before they got injured, but having those three fit and in form would've had us playing badly but getting results (like this season prior to the Fulham game). Without them......
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Omg possession, 27% still can't get over,
Try to get over it. It's quite easy just take a deep breath and relax.
Swansea have had majority possession in almost all of their matches this season however they have 21points from 19 games.
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Other teams working us out...no chance. The way we play is difficult to write down and explain to anyone else.
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I'm struggling to believe that the possession stats are even up for discussion. This is football, isn't it? The object of the game is to put the ball in the goal with your foot. The longer the ball spends at your players' feet, the greater the chances are that this will occur. Keep the opposition from having possession, and you greatly reduce their chances of scoring a goal. It's not astro physics.
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Omg possession, 27% still can't get over, remember when Lambert took over saying I want to play the right way, good passing football, then 1st game against West Ham we all chanted over and over "were passing the ball" how times have changed.
Lambert has tried, he's been stubborn and bought in "his" signings, now is the time we get some experience, never thought I'd say it but if we had a Barry or a Huddleston, someone to take the young lads, help them in a match tell them where to play. We have still not replaced Petrov.
Things can turn quickly in football and hoping 1 or 2 experienced players could do that.
It's an unbelievable stat. 27% possession is unacceptable! and I don't care how much Lambert plays it down, it won't wash with me. It proves these players are out of their depth. If we don't significantly strengthen in January it'll be touch and go if we stay in this league.
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When your goalkeeper gets your top posessions says it all really.
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I would like to see him solve the midfield coaching issue in the way he has addressed the defending from set pieces. If that means getting rid of Culverhouse, then so be it.
Whatever other problems we have, I didn't have my heart in my mouth every time we conceded a corner yesterday.
But its very difficult to get rid of someone you have worked with for sometime, someone who may be a personal friend. Even if he has shown to be not up to the job. Still as you say the defence has improved recently at corners.
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Is it the same coaching staff as last year or was a defensive coach brought in?
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I am somewhat surprised to see that no one as realised why Gabby and the other players came over to the dugout to celebrate the goal with the other squad members.
They completely ignored the Holte and the supporters as they are fed up of being booed[Rightly or wrongle after every match] by them and by that action we can assume that a rift between supporters and players now exists and when that happens there is only one outcome.
This is the beginning of the end. :(
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I am somewhat surprised to see that no one as realised why Gabby and the other players came over to the dugout to celebrate the goal with the other squad members.
They completely ignored the Holte and the supporters as they are fed up of being booed[Rightly or wrongle after every match] by them and by that action we can assume that a rift between supporters and players now exists and when that happens there is only one outcome.
This is the beginning of the end. :(
Or one of the subs had a tenner on Gabby as first goalscorer.
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Yesterday was a 90 min attack vs defence exercise.Our players spent the best part of 90 mins chasing the ball around.We got a draw out of it as Swansea are a bit toothless with no Michu but against City or Liverpool we are going to be embarrassed.With the ball you can dictate play let the ball do the work where as our players are running round chasing for 90 mins they are wearing themselves out.
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Omg possession, 27% still can't get over, remember when Lambert took over saying I want to play the right way, good passing football, then 1st game against West Ham we all chanted over and over "were passing the ball" how times have changed.
Lambert has tried, he's been stubborn and bought in "his" signings, now is the time we get some experience, never thought I'd say it but if we had a Barry or a Huddleston, someone to take the young lads, help them in a match tell them where to play. We have still not replaced Petrov.
Things can turn quickly in football and hoping 1 or 2 experienced players could do that.
It's an unbelievable stat. 27% possession is unacceptable! and I don't care how much Lambert plays it down, it won't wash with me. It proves these players are out of their depth. If we don't significantly strengthen in January it'll be touch and go if we stay in this league.
Get over it. Swansea have greater possession than every club they play against yet have only one point more than us.
Everyone gets that the more possession you have the more time you have to score and the less time the opposition have to score but we could've told you yesterday that Swansea would have significantly more possession, just like they will in every game to the end of the season. Bleating about that stat in isolation after the game is absolutely pointless and meaningless.
Lots of other criticisms of yesterday are fine (except the apparent lack of closing down - I thought we closed down better than we have done for weeks) but focussing on a stat which is meaningless when you play Swansea just smacks of desperate, over the top negativity.
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Omg possession, 27% still can't get over, remember when Lambert took over saying I want to play the right way, good passing football, then 1st game against West Ham we all chanted over and over "were passing the ball" how times have changed.
Lambert has tried, he's been stubborn and bought in "his" signings, now is the time we get some experience, never thought I'd say it but if we had a Barry or a Huddleston, someone to take the young lads, help them in a match tell them where to play. We have still not replaced Petrov.
Things can turn quickly in football and hoping 1 or 2 experienced players could do that.
It's an unbelievable stat. 27% possession is unacceptable! and I don't care how much Lambert plays it down, it won't wash with me. It proves these players are out of their depth. If we don't significantly strengthen in January it'll be touch and go if we stay in this league.
Get over it. Swansea have greater possession than every club they play against yet have only one point more than us.
Everyone gets that the more possession you have the more time you have to score and the less time the opposition have to score but we could've told you yesterday that Swansea would have significantly more possession, just like they will in every game to the end of the season. Bleating about that stat in isolation after the game is absolutely pointless and meaningless.
Lots of other criticisms of yesterday are fine (except the apparent lack of closing down - I thought we closed down better than we have done for weeks) but focussing on a stat which is meaningless when you play Swansea just smacks of desperate, over the top negativity.
We get just 27% possession at home to the mighty Swansea and you think criticism so it is "over the top"? Ha!
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Omg possession, 27% still can't get over, remember when Lambert took over saying I want to play the right way, good passing football, then 1st game against West Ham we all chanted over and over "were passing the ball" how times have changed.
Lambert has tried, he's been stubborn and bought in "his" signings, now is the time we get some experience, never thought I'd say it but if we had a Barry or a Huddleston, someone to take the young lads, help them in a match tell them where to play. We have still not replaced Petrov.
Things can turn quickly in football and hoping 1 or 2 experienced players could do that.
It's an unbelievable stat. 27% possession is unacceptable! and I don't care how much Lambert plays it down, it won't wash with me. It proves these players are out of their depth. If we don't significantly strengthen in January it'll be touch and go if we stay in this league.
Get over it. Swansea have greater possession than every club they play against yet have only one point more than us.
Everyone gets that the more possession you have the more time you have to score and the less time the opposition have to score but we could've told you yesterday that Swansea would have significantly more possession, just like they will in every game to the end of the season. Bleating about that stat in isolation after the game is absolutely pointless and meaningless.
Lots of other criticisms of yesterday are fine (except the apparent lack of closing down - I thought we closed down better than we have done for weeks) but focussing on a stat which is meaningless when you play Swansea just smacks of desperate, over the top negativity.
We get just 27% possession at home to the mighty Swansea and you think criticism so it is "over the top"? Ha!
What exactly did they do with all that possession? They had as many shots on target as we did. When the Premier League change the rules so you get league points for possession I'll get as upset as you do about it.
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A positive for me is that we started well with pace and did what we used to do and closed/pressed the opposition. For whatever reason we stopped doing that after the goal and went into our shells which is due IMO to confidence. The team we started with would cause Sunderland problems I believe providing Vlaar is fit enough to replace the suspended Clark.
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Just seen Swansea's goal again and our two fullbacks were appalling. Lowton out of position yet again and Luna shoved off the ball like a little kid. He really is a poor player. No wonder he spent the previous two seasons out on loan.
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He has been hampered by injuries to key players. Vlaar, Okore and Benteke.
Not sure if this is your comment or Lamberts, Legion.
What I would say is that although we all hope and pray that Okore is every bit as good as we believe he is, there is no way he can be considered a key player for us given he played no more than a couple of games before his injury.
He didn't even start the first 2 games of the season!
I can't stand hiding behind the injuries excuse.....mind you, the total lack of movement amongst the 10 outfield players weekly, leads me to think most are carrying broken legs anyway.
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I am somewhat surprised to see that no one as realised why Gabby and the other players came over to the dugout to celebrate the goal with the other squad members.
They completely ignored the Holte and the supporters as they are fed up of being booed[Rightly or wrongle after every match] by them and by that action we can assume that a rift between supporters and players now exists and when that happens there is only one outcome.
This is the beginning of the end. :(
I can only presume that was meant as a joke.
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27% possession at home against anyone is completely unacceptable. Anyone saying that the fact they didn't produce much is missing the point. At home you need to be able to stamp your authority on the game and if you don't you'll lose most games. Our possession stats at home are a massive reason as to why we've for terrible results.
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I can understand those disregarding the possession stats if we carved out chance after chance using the long ball and wing play. We didn't though, we seemed to have the worst of both worlds, a smallish team lacking the physicality to play long ball effectively yet also without the movement required to play a possession game.
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Absolutely astonished people do not see a problem with 27% possession. That's forgetting we are at home and against a mid table side.
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27% possession at home against anyone is completely unacceptable. Anyone saying that the fact they didn't produce much is missing the point. At home you need to be able to stamp your authority on the game and if you don't you'll lose most games. Our possession stats at home are a massive reason as to why we've for terrible results.
Yet we had more possession against Palace and came away with zero points. Too much store is put by these stats, for a start I am not convinced you can take their accuracy at face value and they really only tell part of the story.
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I am guessing there is nothing wrong with your Goalkeeper being your playmaker and having more possession?
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Take a look at the reports on the BBC website for Swansea's games, they have had more possession in every game I've loked at so far, including games at Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City. That's how they play.
27% is bad, but we were never going to out-possess Swansea if the likes of the above can't do it on their patch are we?
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27% possession at home against anyone is completely unacceptable. Anyone saying that the fact they didn't produce much is missing the point. At home you need to be able to stamp your authority on the game and if you don't you'll lose most games. Our possession stats at home are a massive reason as to why we've for terrible results.
Yet we had more possession against Palace and came away with zero points. Too much store is put by these stats, for a start I am not convinced you can take their accuracy at face value and they really only tell part of the story.
Exactly.
I'm not ignoring the possession stats, we absolutely need to keep hold of the ball much better or we'll struggle, but people seem to jumping on the possession stats against Swansea when it was obvious before the game they would be like that. It's a meaningless way of assessing yesterday's game.
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Take a look at the reports on the BBC website for Swansea's games, they have had more possession in every game I've loked at so far, including games at Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City. That's how they play.
27% is bad, but we were never going to out-possess Swansea if the likes of the above can't do it on their patch are we?
Agreed if it was a one off for us.
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It's not so much the possession stats but do we really want to see our players chasing shadows as the other team passes that ball - to create chances and score goals you need the ball .
Our players do so much chasing they will be totally knackered late this season.
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When we do seem to achieve some kind of possession it is mainly in our own half. Against Palace we had a throw in on their 18 yard box. Albrighton with the option of 2 on 3 chose to throw it to midfield who passed it to Clark who passed it to Baker to Luna to Baker etc. Not saying possession is everything as I have just shown but along with how they are being coached is killing us.
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I'm not bothered about the stats.It was the complete lack of any kind of quality football.We all know that Swansea pass for passings sake sometimes, but i bet the stats are know where near 73% against the afore mentioned team
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I wonder if it's a confidence issue as well, where you have players so scared of giving the ball away they're just taking the easier option and passing it back to Clark/Baker/Guzan, who then inevitably boot it upfield and back to the opposition.
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I wonder if it's a confidence issue as well, where you have players so scared of giving the ball away they're just taking the easier option and passing it back to Clark/Baker/Guzan, who then inevitably boot it upfield and back to the opposition.
That's how it looks to me. I don't believe it is fear of the crowd as they seem to be behind the team to me. It makes me wonder what they are coaching them at Bodymoor.
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The crowd are awful. It was like a pantomime wih all the booing and whinning.
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Blimey, another match to forget but whilst I've still got a season ticket (not sure about next year) I can see a number of (some already posted) issues;
I think our biggest issue is confidence. Everyone seems happy to berate the defence and guzan for hoofing but with no options and a midfield who seem to hide then the choices are limited. I've actually got some sympathy (only a littel bit) for Luna, Baker, Clark and Lowton as they get fuck-all support/protection/help from the midfield which is why they always look on the back foot.
Whoever had the idea of playing Weimann on the "left-wing" needs to watch that match again. How many times did this happen....Luna recevies ball, looks up for ball down line, no player there so back to baker....this isnt his fault.
Other assorted moans - Throw-ins. Why do we take so fucking long and then do nothing, especially in their last third. You cant be offside and any player can throw the ball more than 10ft (even at under 16 level) so why not try and create...
Free kicks - Again if theres a plan then fine but to watch our centre halves trot from one end to the other for a free kick which then goes sideways followed by loss of possession and everyone out of position is disgusting. If I was Baker or Clark I'd have ripped the midfielders head off. If youre not going to try and give me a chance fucking tell me and I wont bother.
The pressing game - worked great for 10 mins, we scored and then stopped WHY!!!!!
Drop Weimann and give Helenius a game
play 4-4-2.
Bring in some of the reserves or fringe players, if you keep doing the same thing with the same players you'll get the same results. Losing wouldnt be so bad if we at least tried some different players/tactics
subs before 70 mins please
Phew, possibly my longest post ever, goes away to lie down and contemplate getting a ticket for the cup game......
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The crowd are awful. It was like a pantomime wih all the booing and whinning.
Blame it on the baddie .
I'd like to see Grealish recalled and given a run in the team .
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Absolutely astonished people do not see a problem with 27% possession. That's forgetting we are at home and against a mid table side.
One of those people is Paul Lambert :(
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Was you there? Crowd was very supportive yday, if a bit quiet.But then again 7 home goals this season, and how many wins?, what do you expect?
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The crowd are awful. It was like a pantomime wih all the booing and whinning.
Blame it on the baddie .
I'd like to see Grealish recalled and given a run in the team .
I really don't think it's the time to blood more youngsters, they need to be introduced into a settled environment not thrown in in desperation.
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The crowd are awful. It was like a pantomime wih all the booing and whinning.
Blame it on the baddie .
I'd like to see Grealish recalled and given a run in the team .
I really don't think it's the time to blood more youngsters, they need to be introduced into a settled environment not thrown in in desperation.
The voice of reason.
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The crowd are awful. It was like a pantomime wih all the booing and whinning.
There were some irate reactions to specific incidents but the crowd were patient, if quiet for a lot of the game.
I was in the North Stand - which I hate- and it was just very quiet up there until anger settled in on a few occasions. No booing, and in the second half you couild hear a marked increase in noise from the Holte supporting the team when they were under the cosh.
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The crowd are awful. It was like a pantomime wih all the booing and whinning.
There were some irate reactions to specific incidents but the crowd were patient, if quiet for a lot of the game.
I was in the North Stand - which I hate- and it was just very quiet up there until anger settled in on a few occasions. No booing, and in the second half you couild hear a marked increase in noise from the Holte supporting the team when they were under the cosh.
a 37k attendance against a middling club like Swansea, the way we've been playing at VP for years? I think every Villa fan who turned up deserves a bloody knighthood (minus anyone involved in the unfortunate post match fracas). Every one of them to a man deserves to be able to have a whinge and a boo for what they've forked out to be there.
Awful is a word for describing our play on the pitch, but most certainly not the fans.
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The Holte was loudest when we were defending a corner, under serious pressure at 1-1. We weren't on their backs.
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I wonder if it's a confidence issue as well, where you have players so scared of giving the ball away they're just taking the easier option and passing it back to Clark/Baker/Guzan, who then inevitably boot it upfield and back to the opposition.
It seems to me that the team are coached in playing counter attack football and not much else. This shows when we are in possession around the half way line and our forwards just seem to stand by the opposition's back line waiting for a killer through ball. It's very easy to defend against but the real result is that our 3 forwards show no inclination to drop deeper in any meaningful way which, in turn, means that the midfield don't have many options. If you were a midfielder playing for Villa at the moment, you wouldn't real want to be given the ball if you weren't going to be able to do anything worthwhile with it.
It was the same under the Scottish manager and MON. What is it about our managers and coaching staff over the last few years that has resulted in the Club seemingly adopting dire-quality hoofball as the house style. Our standard of football has been risable for a number of years while teams with inferior squads play with so much more style and composure.
I would be willing to accept our crap style of play if it yielded decent results, but it doesn't and we end up with worst of both worlds. While we clearly don't have players capable of playing intricate football, it's difficult to understand why we can't to even the most basic of things. Lambert makes the point that football has 'moved on', but as a club we are stuck with an outdated, tedious and failing style of play which again will see us languish at the wrong end of the league.
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3 goals score in the last 7 games... I'm amazed they haven't had more stick from the crowd...
Another basic point was the lack of urgency in our play, we amble around at free kicks and corners, there is no energy in the team, keeping the tempo up. This is something that can be drilled into the players... imagine how a lower league team goes at a premiership team in the cup... we never ever do that... that is down to the management.
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I wonder if it's a confidence issue as well, where you have players so scared of giving the ball away they're just taking the easier option and passing it back to Clark/Baker/Guzan, who then inevitably boot it upfield and back to the opposition.
It seems to me that the team are coached in playing counter attack football and not much else. This shows when we are in possession around the half way line and our forwards just seem to stand by the opposition's back line waiting for a killer through ball. It's very easy to defend against but the real result is that our 3 forwards show no inclination to drop deeper in any meaningful way which, in turn, means that the midfield don't have many options. If you were a midfielder playing for Villa at the moment, you wouldn't real want to be given the ball if you weren't going to be able to do anything worthwhile with it.
It was the same under the Scottish manager and MON. What is it about our managers and coaching staff over the last few years that has resulted in the Club seemingly adopting dire-quality hoofball as the house style. Our standard of football has been risable for a number of years while teams with inferior squads play with so much more style and composure.
I would be willing to accept our crap style of play if it yielded decent results, but it doesn't and we end up with worst of both worlds. While we clearly don't have players capable of playing intricate football, it's difficult to understand why we can't to even the most basic of things. Lambert makes the point that football has 'moved on', but as a club we are stuck with an outdated, tedious and failing style of play which again will see us languish at the wrong end of the league.
Believe it or not, Lambert is setting the team up in a very modern way, he just doesn't have the players to play that style.
The current trend is to have a defensive unit of two/three centre halves and a defensive midfielder sitting in front of them and breaking up anything that comes through. That then frees up the fullbacks to join in the attack and can effectively give you eight attacking players when going forward. That's how all the top clubs in Europe play nowadays.
The trouble is our centre halves aren't good enough to cope without the protection of our fullbacks. Our fullbacks, who if the system works shouldn't really need to be able to defend, end up being pegged back and then their lack of defensive ability is blatant, and we don't have the defensive midfielder to cover either (Westwood doesn't cut it in that role).
Then, further up the pitch we don't keep the ball well enough to make sure we don't get caught out of position nor do we have the technical or creative ability to open up teams when we get in to their half.
Arguably, the system isn't the problem, it's that the players aren't good enough. This is what I think the project is, it's a long term plan to develop a more modern style of play with the right players involved. It doesn't happen overnight though. The trouble is, do you play a style to suit the players you currently have (and that didn't work for TSM) or do you build an ethos, bringing in players in a sustainable way, and run the risk of it all blowing up in your face? Currently we're doing the latter.
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The "project" is all well and good, but where do you start when the players struggle with the basics of the game, like passing under no pressure to the same colour shirt, or taking a throw-in so the player receiving it doesn't have to struggle to control it, or picking up a player at a short corner..
These are fundamental things that kids learn to do on a football pitch... things which our millionaires struggle to do time and again.
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
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if someone had offered a point before the game , n]based on Boxing day I would have taken it. However on the day, frankly Swansea were there for us to beat! Yes they had a a lot of possession, yes they passed it sweetly, why? because we allowed them to! They didn't actually create much finished product, not many real chances! We on the other hand sat back , gave them too much room and allowed them to play their football on the ground! We did have short periods when we closed them down and harried them which got the Vill Park faithful fired up and cheering effort!! It also forced Swansea to make errors! We seemed to do this for a few minutes and then just sit back again and allow the to play!
If we could show the effort and aggression we would show for a couple of minutes throughout the game we would have had a much better chance to win.
Our Players look so nervous, no one wants to make a mistake! for fear the Crowd will turn on them.. I would urge everyone , please stop the booing, please support the team, Their confidence is already low don't sap it any more! I know the old cliches of " these players are earning a fortune etc etc" Well yes they are but they are still human beings! If you were trying hard but made a couple of mistakes in your job and your Boss humiliated you infront of 37000 do you think you would perform better or would it make you even more nervous! Would your confidence improve or reduce!
Does booing help????? No it doesn't! Please support the team!, We are all fans and we have one thing in common - a love for Aston Villa, this is something we cannot change, we are stuck with it, through good and bad. We therefore must support it! and especially those 11 young men who represent it! Keep the faith!
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if someone had offered a point before the game , n]based on Boxing day I would have taken it. However on the day, frankly Swansea were there for us to beat! Yes they had a a lot of possession, yes they passed it sweetly, why? because we allowed them to! They didn't actually create much finished product, not many real chances! We on the other hand sat back , gave them too much room and allowed them to play their football on the ground! We did have short periods when we closed them down and harried them which got the Vill Park faithful fired up and cheering effort!! It also forced Swansea to make errors! We seemed to do this for a few minutes and then just sit back again and allow the to play!
If we could show the effort and aggression we would show for a couple of minutes throughout the game we would have had a much better chance to win.
Our Players look so nervous, no one wants to make a mistake! for fear the Crowd will turn on them.. I would urge everyone , please stop the booing, please support the team, Their confidence is already low don't sap it any more! I know the old cliches of " these players are earning a fortune etc etc" Well yes they are but they are still human beings! If you were trying hard but made a couple of mistakes in your job and your Boss humiliated you infront of 37000 do you think you would perform better or would it make you even more nervous! Would your confidence improve or reduce!
Does booing help????? No it doesn't! Please support the team!, We are all fans and we have one thing in common - a love for Aston Villa, this is something we cannot change, we are stuck with it, through good and bad. We therefore must support it! and especially those 11 young men who represent it! Keep the faith!
The trouble with how we play though, is that all that aggressive pressing which unsettled Swansea works up to a point. It's also impossible for a team that spends 70% of the game chasing the ball, to apply that kind of pressure consistently. They'd have to be cyborgs to press like that for 90 minutes. As it happens some players are also getting very tired right now too.
What we need is an actual game plan to help us see out a 90 minutes with a fair share of the ball and on our own patch at least, the lions share of chances, especially against sides below the top 8.
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
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. Luna looked better.
really ??? he was awful
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
It would confirm a rift between the management and players and the fans. Lambert has been having subtle digs at the support for weeks now. He did again yesterday.
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
It shows that at leas the players are with the management. It might not be rosy on the pitch but if they are united as a group there is hope for it to get better.
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Long-time reader, first-time poster.
Like all of us, I’m massively downhearted about the Villa at the moment and the standard of football we’re having to watch (West Ham away in November was the most subdued set of travelling fans I can remember in 30 years of going to games), but while I’m inevitably questioning PL’s suitability, I desperately want him to succeed -not just because that obviously makes for a successful Villa, but because I was so confident he would breathe new life into the club and would hate to have that “What if” feeling if he goes now. I know that’s no basis for deciding whether he’s up to the job or not – and current form says he clearly isn’t – but we have seen from the tail-end of last season that he can produce results. I thought that would give him enough just enough credit this season if things got tough again, especially factoring in the two years that preceded him, but that notion is fading fast. I think the lack of experience in the team last season was ultimately overcome by a lack of fear. Recently, it seems like fear is the overriding factor.
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I would like posters to say something other than "same old shit". Swansea are a good team and in context of where we are now this is a good result. We just need to get some confidence back into out team.
I suggest you close your eyes or partake in a stiff one affers , I doubt there will be much positive posting tonight .
Mate there is no point in posters repeating the aftermath of the Palace game. We know we are not playing well and some stuff today was laughable however we kept a pretty decent Swansea team at 1-1 so that's a positive. We are not going to turn into Bayern Munich anytime soon.
yes we made them look very decent even like barcelona compared to our rubbish , yet Swansea hadnt won a game in 5 matches so well out of form.
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Lambert's just been on 5Live with Pat Murphy:
Villa has a great fanbase based on past success, but this is modern football, things have changed.
That sounds worryingly O'Leary-esque.
I think he means: you're not a big club any more, deal with it.
bye bye Lambert
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
It would confirm a rift between the management and players and the fans. Lambert has been having subtle digs at the support for weeks now. He did again yesterday.
I heard his interview after the match and I felt quite positive that he still is the right man for the job. I never heard him have a dig at the fans, if anything he was proud to be a part of Villa and the support we had.
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Long-time reader, first-time poster.
Like all of us, I’m massively downhearted about the Villa at the moment and the standard of football we’re having to watch (West Ham away in November was the most subdued set of travelling fans I can remember in 30 years of going to games), but while I’m inevitably questioning PL’s suitability, I desperately want him to succeed -not just because that obviously makes for a successful Villa, but because I was so confident he would breathe new life into the club and would hate to have that “What if” feeling if he goes now. I know that’s no basis for deciding whether he’s up to the job or not – and current form says he clearly isn’t – but we have seen from the tail-end of last season that he can produce results. I thought that would give him enough just enough credit this season if things got tough again, especially factoring in the two years that preceded him, but that notion is fading fast. I think the lack of experience in the team last season was ultimately overcome by a lack of fear. Recently, it seems like fear is the overriding factor.
Welcome to the forum, and I very much agree with you, particularly the last 2 sentences.
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Long-time reader, first-time poster.
Like all of us, I’m massively downhearted about the Villa at the moment and the standard of football we’re having to watch (West Ham away in November was the most subdued set of travelling fans I can remember in 30 years of going to games), but while I’m inevitably questioning PL’s suitability, I desperately want him to succeed -not just because that obviously makes for a successful Villa, but because I was so confident he would breathe new life into the club and would hate to have that “What if” feeling if he goes now. I know that’s no basis for deciding whether he’s up to the job or not – and current form says he clearly isn’t – but we have seen from the tail-end of last season that he can produce results. I thought that would give him enough just enough credit this season if things got tough again, especially factoring in the two years that preceded him, but that notion is fading fast. I think the lack of experience in the team last season was ultimately overcome by a lack of fear. Recently, it seems like fear is the overriding factor.
Welcome, and excellent post.
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Long-time reader, first-time poster.
Like all of us, I’m massively downhearted about the Villa at the moment and the standard of football we’re having to watch (West Ham away in November was the most subdued set of travelling fans I can remember in 30 years of going to games), but while I’m inevitably questioning PL’s suitability, I desperately want him to succeed -not just because that obviously makes for a successful Villa, but because I was so confident he would breathe new life into the club and would hate to have that “What if” feeling if he goes now. I know that’s no basis for deciding whether he’s up to the job or not – and current form says he clearly isn’t – but we have seen from the tail-end of last season that he can produce results. I thought that would give him enough just enough credit this season if things got tough again, especially factoring in the two years that preceded him, but that notion is fading fast. I think the lack of experience in the team last season was ultimately overcome by a lack of fear. Recently, it seems like fear is the overriding factor.
Welcome and good first post .
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
It would confirm a rift between the management and players and the fans. Lambert has been having subtle digs at the support for weeks now. He did again yesterday.
Oh, please. How would it?
Culverhouse has an exchange with a fan, Lambert gets a bit ratty, and this is Gabby saying "we're on his side"?
I think it's far more likely to show their shared relief at us actually scoring a first half goal at home.
Much as i think Lambert is on extremely thin ice if he starts criticising us, given the unprecedented support he has had from the fans, I would be very happy if that celebration was about kinship between players and coaching team, because right about now, the absolute last thing we want or need is a "he's lost the dressing room" style situation.
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
It would confirm a rift between the management and players and the fans. Lambert has been having subtle digs at the support for weeks now. He did again yesterday.
Have I stumbled into the conspiracy thread by mistake?
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Didn't post yesterday as would have ended up banned abusing fellow posters.. Some on here just thrive in this situation.
I'm sure certain posters want to reach 20,000 posts and just put on drivel.
Statistics are done to death and basically are there for armchair managers.
Were in this together and need to calm down and get through a really bad patch.
All managers buy players that don't work out, our leader is not immune from this.
Hopefully investment arrives in January, Sylla might be shit this season but played his part in us staying up.
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
It would confirm a rift between the management and players and the fans. Lambert has been having subtle digs at the support for weeks now. He did again yesterday.
Have I stumbled into the conspiracy thread by mistake?
Ha, no just my gut feeling.
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
It would confirm a rift between the management and players and the fans. Lambert has been having subtle digs at the support for weeks now. He did again yesterday.
Have I stumbled into the conspiracy thread by mistake?
It's the competition thread for who can offer the most paranoid post of the day. Chicken Licken has nothing on some of this stuff
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
It shows that at leas the players are with the management. It might not be rosy on the pitch but if they are united as a group there is hope for it to get better.
I would be untied with my boss , If my work was shite but I am getting paid big wages .
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
It shows that at leas the players are with the management. It might not be rosy on the pitch but if they are united as a group there is hope for it to get better.
I would be untied with my boss , If my work was shite but I am getting paid big wages .
Do you mean united?
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Interesting that they blanked lambert in the celebration too. Maybe I'm reading too much into this but there's not much else to analyse about our game yesterday.
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Gabriel Agbonlahor can celebrate a goal however he likes.
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I may be wrong but I am sure Gabby and TSM2 exchanged reasonably high fives when he scored. At least I thought I saw it this morning on MOTD.
It was a bit strange though as it was when Delph scored his wonder goal and brushed past Benteke when he was first to offer congratulations.
As long as they score they can do whatever they want as long as it doesnt result in a booking.
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I've re-watched Gabbys bizarre goal celebration and he does appear to make a bee line for Culverhouse . Worrying.
Why is that worrying?
It shows that at leas the players are with the management. It might not be rosy on the pitch but if they are united as a group there is hope for it to get better.
I would be untied with my boss , If my work was shite but I am getting paid big wages .
Do you mean united?
no Ron . shes always sticking blindfolds on me and cuffing me to the office chair ;)
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Didn't post yesterday as would have ended up banned abusing fellow posters.. Some on here just thrive in this situation.
I'm sure certain posters want to reach 20,000 posts and just put on drivel.
Statistics are done to death and basically are there for armchair managers.
Were in this together and need to calm down and get through a really bad patch.
All managers buy players that don't work out, our leader is not immune from this.
Hopefully investment arrives in January, Sylla might be shit this season but played his part in us staying up.
Yeah, too right, Hoppo.
Oh, hang about, who's this?
After watching that.. I don't need posters claiming to be clever because they 'told us so' your as irratating as Lamberts after match interviews.
I want to hear what Ian Culverhouse does.
I want to know what Gary 'feckin' Karsa does.. Is he actually Lamberts brother in law?
I'm in The Social intending to get ratted then sneaking back in and shitting on Randys seat.
You know what Toronto. Thats the big problem for me, we just dont work hard enough.
I always thought Lamberts teams would.
You can get away with not being good enough at times if you work hard enough but we dont do that anymore.
I just don't get our style of play. That's my problem.
If all of our teams from youth upwards played the same way I would buy into 'the project' but we have no real way of playing.
We have a number of out of form players it seems to have been all season in some cases.. I'm waiting for Lambert to turn these players round.
The longer the season goes on the less optimistic I am that it is going to happen.
I'm not saying sack him by any means but managers get sacked for less.
I'm still a Lambert fan (just about) but we were shit again today. Sylla has been found out, Luna is shocking, Baker a last resort, Kea is shite, Westwood a passenger. Please don't get me started on 'The Beast.'
A malaise is hanging over our club and we will fall down the trap sooner or later unless we invest correctly.
We need to stop talking about 'the project' and wages and realise the fans need to be entertained. I dread home games.
And best of all:
Im a Lambert fan. He isn't the messiah though. He deserves criticism, he gets it. I haven't enjoyed a game of football at Villa park all season (2nd half v MCFC) aside.
I pay alot of money to go down and i expect some entertainment. We need something extra in the final third.
So, basically, stop all the moaning. Except for you.
Oh and all of those are from your last 13 posts alone.
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Didn't post yesterday as would have ended up banned abusing fellow posters.. Some on here just thrive in this situation.
I'm sure certain posters want to reach 20,000 posts and just put on drivel.
Statistics are done to death and basically are there for armchair managers.
Were in this together and need to calm down and get through a really bad patch.
All managers buy players that don't work out, our leader is not immune from this.
Hopefully investment arrives in January, Sylla might be shit this season but played his part in us staying up.
Nobody thrives on this. It is fecking awful. It's a discussion forum if people want t raise a point about certain aspects of our game to generate discussion/debate they should be well entitled to.
I harp on about possession a lot. I admit that. Maybe if we were top of the league with those poor possession stats every week I wouldn't bother.But we are not. We are hovering a few points above the relegation zone so I do raise it because maybe it is part of the problem with our lack of goals and defensive mistakes.
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Hoist with your own petard there Hoppo
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Go Hoppo, Go Hoppo, Go Hoppo. Say what you mean pal, always. UTV.
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Gabriel Agbonlahor can celebrate a goal however he likes.
Exactly. It's so rare it doesn't really have much impact.
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Gabriel Agbonlahor can celebrate a goal however he likes.
Exactly. It's so rare it doesn't really have much impact.
Naughty!
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"Statistics are there for armchair managers"
Brilliant.
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Gabriel Agbonlahor can celebrate a goal however he likes.
Exactly. It's so rare it doesn't really have much impact.
Arse****.
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Unless I'm missing an in-joke you need to retract that and apologise.
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I am somewhat surprised to see that no one as realised why Gabby and the other players came over to the dugout to celebrate the goal with the other squad members.
They completely ignored the Holte and the supporters as they are fed up of being booed[Rightly or wrongle after every match] by them and by that action we can assume that a rift between supporters and players now exists and when that happens there is only one outcome.
This is the beginning of the end. :(
Clearly a joker has joined the forum.
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Unless I'm missing an in-joke you need to retract that and apologise.
I am sorry for my last but one post. No offence was intended and would like the forum to ignore the A word.
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When KEA scored he ignored the Holte, the crowd, the away fans, the manager, the fourth official and all the subs except one who he hugged and kissed - Lowton. I think they are trying to outdo each other with the bizarreness of their goal celebrations. If Tonev ever scores he will probably run outside and celebrate with the owner of the burger van by the swings. That is where most of his shots at goal finish up anyway.
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When KEA scored he ignored the Holte, the crowd, the away fans, the manager, the fourth official and all the subs except one who he hugged and kissed - Lowton. I think they are trying to outdo each other with the bizarreness of their goal celebrations. If Tonev ever scores he will probably run outside and celebrate with the owner of the burger van by the swings. That is where most of his shots at goal finish up anyway.
If Tonev scores, I think we can expect an airborne pig to descend over the North Stand, perform a victory roll, and shoot star-wards over the Holte roof.
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Talking of fan-excluding goal celebrations, surely they're all made up for by the sheer brilliance of Kozak's celebrations - diving into the crowd as if he's just scored the winning goal for Lazio in the Rome derby.
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With a clear lack of anything else going on in training and the amount of the goals we score at home I reckon they should be able to come up with a five minute Diversity style routine for each one.
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Kozak is like an eastern european version of John Carew. Big, slow, enthusiastic and determined but none of Big John's brio and bravura. Would like to see Tonev's pig though.
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With a clear lack of anything else going on in training and the amount of the goals we score at home I reckon they should be able to come up with a five minute Diversity style routine for each one.
It's getting to the point where we can realistically expect NASA to put on a space display for each one.
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The Red Arrows would be good. Vapour trails in claret and blue doing that dive down and starburst upwards over the centre circle would be nice and understated.
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A fly past by Halley's Comet.
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Let's get Danny Boyle in to direct.
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With a clear lack of anything else going on in training and the amount of the goals we score at home I reckon they should be able to come up with a five minute Diversity style routine for each one.
Who would be the little one getting flung about like a rag doll?
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Let's get Danny Boyle in to direct.
Let's get Danny Boyle in to coach.
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Regarding the booing, my guess is that most of it is aimed at Lambert/Lerner. Personally I think the players are doing their best but they need help in the form of better coaching and tactics along with some experienced players to work alongside.
Take Tonev for example, the guy is being asked to make a massive step up to the premier league and is clearly trying, but it isn't happening for him so far. If it was just him we'd be ok but most of the team seems to be in the same boat at the moment.
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What slightly puzzles me is why some of the young kids like Robinson hav'nt been given a couple a cameo appearances maybe 15 minutes at the end just to test them out, can't be any worse than some we have running around now.
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Regarding the booing, my guess is that most of it is aimed at Lambert/Lerner.
The trouble with booing is that the players don't know that. They're the guys in the middle while the boos ring out around them. Their confidence already looks rock bottom and many on here are suggesting that's a big part of the reason they're not performing as well as we know they can. Booing is hardly going to improve that situation.
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How about someone dressed as Santa parachuting in next time we score.
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When KEA scored he ignored the Holte, the crowd, the away fans, the manager, the fourth official and all the subs except one who he hugged and kissed - Lowton. I think they are trying to outdo each other with the bizarreness of their goal celebrations. If Tonev ever scores he will probably run outside and celebrate with the owner of the burger van by the swings. That is where most of his shots at goal finish up anyway.
This is just plain stupid.
IF Tonev ever scores...come on !!
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Kozak is like an eastern european version of John Carew. Big, slow, enthusiastic and determined but none of Big John's brio and bravura. Would like to see Tonev's pig though.
Talking of John Carew, he was on one of the Sky Sports programmes yesterday morning, along with John Barnes. Didn't hear what he had to say.
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Can booing make things worse?
To quote the guy about to be stoned to death in the life of Brian...
"Worse! How can it be worse?"
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How about someone dressed as Santa parachuting in next time we score.
Sorry mate but I think that's in particularly bad taste given what happened last time someone parachuted in dressed as Santa
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Regarding the booing, my guess is that most of it is aimed at Lambert/Lerner.
The trouble with booing is that the players don't know that. They're the guys in the middle while the boos ring out around them. Their confidence already looks rock bottom and many on here are suggesting that's a big part of the reason they're not performing as well as we know they can. Booing is hardly going to improve that situation.
I suppose when fans have witnessed 11 home wins in the last 48 games , eventually they have had enough . That's a lot of money for that diabolical statistic . I think the fans have been supportive and I've only heard boo's at the end of the last two games . I can understand it now to be fair.
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Regarding the booing, my guess is that most of it is aimed at Lambert/Lerner.
The trouble with booing is that the players don't know that. They're the guys in the middle while the boos ring out around them. Their confidence already looks rock bottom and many on here are suggesting that's a big part of the reason they're not performing as well as we know they can. Booing is hardly going to improve that situation.
I suppose when fans have witnessed 11 home wins in the last 48 games , eventually they have had enough . That's a lot of money for that diabolical statistic . I think the fans have been supportive and I've only heard boo's at the end of the last two games . I can understand it now to be fair.
Exactly, something's got to give. I think the fans on Saturday did rally behind the team, and then vented their frustration at full time. If the players are naive enough to think it's aimed at them for a lack of effort, Lambert should explain the truth.
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I think most players are clued up enough to know that booing is done out of frustration.
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I think most players are clued up enough to know that booing is done out of frustration.
You're probably right but it's hardly a morale or confidence booster!
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I've heard booing at a lot of clubs this season and some of them are far better placed than we are - its nothing for anyone to get worked up about, part of the game.
Some of the old slow handclaps in the trinity were quite something in their day and deafening - coupled with the old foot stamping .
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I think most players are clued up enough to know that booing is done out of frustration.
You're probably right but it's hardly a morale or confidence booster!
Players get well paid to do their jobs , if they perform so poorly they can expect criticism .
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I think most players are clued up enough to know that booing is done out of frustration.
You're probably right but it's hardly a morale or confidence booster!
Players get well paid to do their jobs , if they perform so poorly they can expect criticism .
That's the equivalent of asking a footballer with depression what he's got to worry about given how much he earns for doing something we would do for free.
It doesn't matter how much someone earns, if the reason they're underperforming is because they're short on confidence a public barracking/humiliation in front of 37,000 people isn't going to make things better.
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I think all this bollocks about the crowd on their back is rubbish - these players have been very very poor , the crowd have been fantastic with their support - there are many things wrong at this club and the crowd are not one of them .
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I think all this bollocks about the crowd on their back is rubbish - these players have been very very poor , the crowd have been fantastic with their support - there are many things wrong at this club and the crowd are not one of them .
Well thank you for that constructive argument!!!
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I think all this bollocks about the crowd on their back is rubbish - these players have been very very poor , the crowd have been fantastic with their support - there are many things wrong at this club and the crowd are not one of them .
Well thank you for that constructive argument!!!
I'm sorry but I think the fans deserve a medal for what they've put up with in recent times and the support has been fantastic - all this criticism of the fans really angers me .
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It irks me whenever Lamber talks about how much bravery it require to "take the ball in front of 40,000 fans" as surely that's the exact reason not to omit any kind of top-flight experience from your team.
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I think all this bollocks about the crowd on their back is rubbish - these players have been very very poor , the crowd have been fantastic with their support - there are many things wrong at this club and the crowd are not one of them .
Well thank you for that constructive argument!!!
So what exactly are we "supposed" to do Ad@m? This smacks of being passive cash-cows who turn up to be part of the entertainment. I am an active participant in this club and as I can't get on the pitch try and be involved as much as possible.
Do I boo? On 2 occasions in the last 20 years - 4 minutes from the end of the Bolton match when we let TSM know how we felt about the most disastrous home campaign in Villa history and on Boxing Day when we lost again to a terrible side who could have beaten by 3 clear goals easily - I'm only human FFS!
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I think most players are clued up enough to know that booing is done out of frustration.
You're probably right but it's hardly a morale or confidence booster!
I thought the fans really tried to pick them up through the second half but when a player cant pass to another player , Im afraid its the managers fault and not the fans.
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It's the players fault.
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It's the players fault.
Players managers and coaches fault - not the fans!
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I must admit, the booing argument is really starting to piss me off (see todays write up in the Meaning evil).
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/aston-villa-1-swansea-city-6451776
The reporter makes it seem that the crowd spend every minute of every game booing, which as we know, is bollocks.
That said, what is wrong if people want to boo what they perceive is poor quality football, topped off with abysmal results?
People are a lot more discerning that they were years ago.
People are far more clued up and switched on to the fact that MOST footballers in the game are merely employees of the club they are playing for with little or no deep felt attachment to the club.
Most footballers (at any club) would move at the drop of a hat for more pay or better prospects.
The days of unconditional love and support from the man in the stands has gone.
We will always love and support the club, but the team needs to realise that they need to deliver performances and results that the fans demand.
Why should players be immune from criticism, individually or collectively, just because they play for our club ?
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I must admit, the booing argument is really starting to piss me off (see todays write up in the Meaning evil).
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/aston-villa-1-swansea-city-6451776
The reporter makes it seem that the crowd spend every minute of every game booing, which as we know, is bollocks.
That said, what is wrong if people want to boo what they perceive is poor quality football, topped off with abysmal results?
People are a lot more discerning that they were years ago.
People are far more clued up and switched on to the fact that MOST footballers in the game are merely employees of the club they are playing for with little or no deep felt attachment to the club.
Most footballers (at any club) would move at the drop of a hat for more pay or better prospects.
The days of unconditional love and support from the man in the stands has gone.
We will always love and support the club, but the team needs to realise that they need to deliver performances and results that the fans demand.
Why should players be immune from criticism, individually or collectively, just because they play for our club ?
Spot on !
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I've never booed at a game. I understand why people do it out of frustration though, despite what good it does.
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I don't like booing individual players, not least as if someone makes a mistake getting on their back won't help anything, and think that during the match itself you should get behind the team for the duration. I don't even find it very constructive to boo at half time. At the end of the game though I do think that if people want to vent their spleen they are entitled to.
Whilst I don't generally join in after some of the dross we have put up with in recent years I am to be honest a bit past caring whether the players like it when people boo or not.
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It irks me whenever Lamber talks about how much bravery it require to "take the ball in front of 40,000 fans" as surely that's the exact reason not to omit any kind of top-flight experience from your team.
Yep. Clearly feeling the pressure as his post match interviews make less sense each week. Dead man walking IMHO.
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I've said for a while we need experience and a greater physical presence - since before xmas last year. One other element to this is that Lambert needs to ensure we have a sufficient number of strong characters in the club, players who will seek the ball and not hide even when playing badly. We don't have enough of them.
Re the booing, I think there has been very little this season. There was an outbreak against Palace on 80 mins when Baker just hoofed a ball 50m to their keeper with no Villa player within 25m of the ball and again after their goal. Against Swansea what sounded like booing from where I was sat in the North Stand was their fans shouting "hoof" when one of our playmakers launched a speculative punt upfield..
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Booing before or during the game inlcuding half time is counterproductive.
By all means do it at the end of the game if you feel the efforts of players and coaching team has been sub standard.
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I don't like booing individual players, not least as if someone makes a mistake getting on their back won't help anything, and think that during the match itself you should get behind the team for the duration. I don't even find it very constructive to boo at half time. At the end of the game though I do think that if people want to vent their spleen they are entitled to.
Whilst I don't generally join in after some of the dross we have put up with in recent years I am to be honest a bit past caring whether the players like it when people boo or not.
I agree with all this. If it's been shit, boo at the end. I couldn't understand why there was booing at the final whistle on Saturday though, we'd got a point against a decent team who probably should have won.
Having said that, there's only one way to stop people booing; stop playing like shit and getting poor results.
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I've said for a while we need experience and a greater physical presence - since before xmas last year. One other element to this is that Lambert needs to ensure we have a sufficient number of strong characters in the club, players who will seek the ball and not hide even when playing badly. We don't have enough of them.
Re the booing, I think there has been very little this season. There was an outbreak against Palace on 80 mins when Baker just hoofed a ball 50m to their keeper with no Villa player within 25m of the ball and again after their goal. Against Swansea what sounded like booing from where I was sat in the North Stand was their fans shouting "hoof" when one of our playmakers launched a speculative punt upfield..
We have playmakers???!!??
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If people aren't allowed to boo, then the cheering is meaningless. Wearing a Poppy in November would be meaningless if it were compulsory.
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If people aren't allowed to boo, then the cheering is meaningless. Wearing a Poppy in November would be meaningless if it were compulsory.
Its getting to the point where wearing a poppy in November is compulsory given the opprobrium that gets heaped on anyone in the public eye who does not. Good point - if you're allowed to cheer but not boo it is like (in a very very minor way) being in North Korea.
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I've said for a while we need experience and a greater physical presence - since before xmas last year. One other element to this is that Lambert needs to ensure we have a sufficient number of strong characters in the club, players who will seek the ball and not hide even when playing badly. We don't have enough of them.
Re the booing, I think there has been very little this season. There was an outbreak against Palace on 80 mins when Baker just hoofed a ball 50m to their keeper with no Villa player within 25m of the ball and again after their goal. Against Swansea what sounded like booing from where I was sat in the North Stand was their fans shouting "hoof" when one of our playmakers launched a speculative punt upfield..
We have playmakers???!!??
Guzan, Baker and Clark to name but three.....
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I boo'd them onto the pitch against Swansea in an attempt at an ironic statement of my personal blind loyalty.
In the same way I put a bet on Bowery and Tonev to score first,last or at all.
I will do the same at Sunderland as my new 'lucky' gesture seeing as we didn't lose.
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I'm on a self-imposed exile from starting pre-match threads.
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I boo'd them onto the pitch against Swansea in an attempt at an ironic statement of my personal blind loyalty.
In the same way I put a bet on Bowery and Tonev to score first,last or at all.
I will do the same at Sunderland as my new 'lucky' gesture seeing as we didn't lose.
Did they appreciate the irony after you explained it to them?
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I don't think they can hear me from the Upper Holte, but I'm sure Culverhouse would!
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It's the players fault.
and the managers
hes bought them and hes suppose to motivate them and get them to pass the ball.
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Booing is fine with me as long as it's warranted. Ironic cheers are ok too (see Weimann substitution on Saturday). There are 2 blokes near where I sit who are currently trying to out do each other in terms of Luna venting. I've found it quite entertaining as there generally hasn't been much else to chuckle about during the home games.
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Re the booing, I think there has been very little this season. There was an outbreak against Palace on 80 mins when Baker just hoofed a ball 50m to their keeper with no Villa player within 25m of the ball and again after their goal. Against Swansea what sounded like booing from where I was sat in the North Stand was their fans shouting "hoof" when one of our playmakers launched a speculative punt upfield..
We had a free kick on the halfway line, facing the Holte End. Baker did not know what to do with it as he had been told to cut down the hoofing. Problem was, it needed hoofing straight into the Swansea area.
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If people aren't allowed to boo, then the cheering is meaningless. Wearing a Poppy in November would be meaningless if it were compulsory.
Sorry don't get that logic at all!