Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: pauliewalnuts on November 08, 2014, 04:52:49 PM
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There you go
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guzan
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A heroic point. Wonderful memories made today.
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Desperate at the end, but at least we showed some bottle. Massively important to stop the run of defeats.
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defended well
no quality going forward or creativity
big point but we wasnt that good.
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Lucky to get a point.
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how in the feck did we not lose that
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Some incredible hanging-on at the end there.
A first half in which we had absolutely no shape, no energy and looked like we were trying to get Lambert sacked.
A second half in which we at least showed the minimum commitment and intensity, but not a great deal else.
In all, pretty fucking poor.
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We'll play worse, we'll play better. Benteke's stupidity continues to cost us.
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Guzan kept us in it.
A point.
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I think we defended really badly, actually. An excess of last-ditch stuff is not a sign of quality defensive work, it's a sign of its absence.
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lambert owes guzan a big drink with that save at the end
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Championi Championi Oway oway oway
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Baker was very good again today.
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Radio 5 - 'sign of the times that they are celebrating in the away end'
Fucking too right mate
Is there a more boring team in the whole of the football league?
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Listening to the commentary on some London station the commentator (with Paul Mortimer alongside) made the last 3 or 4 minutes sound like ZULU. Stirring stuff actually and seemingly we pulled off a miracle to come away with a 0-0. So credit where's it's due today to the defenders but the less said about our attack the better.
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Ron Vlaar played very well.
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I didn't think we were good enough to get a point against West Ham. I was wrong. Heroes to a man.
Will do us good to have got the clean sheet. Kudos to Guzan and the defence.
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I think we defended really badly, actually. An excess of last-ditch stuff is not a sign of quality defensive work, it's a sign of its absence.
i thought vlaar and baker earned their wages
we defended like this early on in the season too
going forward we are hopeless
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Get the fuck in. 0-0!
*punches the air*
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Stopped the rot against an in form side away from home
That's the most important thing tonight
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Aston Villa very poor according to Jackie Oakley on BBC 1. A point is better than nothing but from all accounts it was desperate stuff. Nothing has changed except that this week we managed to keep a clean sheet. Negative tactics, negative substitutions, Lambert out!
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The goose has kept the lamb alive.
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We'll play worse, we'll play better. Benteke's stupidity continues to cost us.
Being so reliant on one player is Lambert's fault.
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A 0-0 victory. Was Lambert fistpumping at the Director's box at the end?
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Aston Villa very poor according to Jackie Oakley on BBC 1. A point is better than nothing but from all accounts it was desperate stuff. Nothing has changed except that this week we managed to keep a clean sheet. Negative tactics, negative substitutions, Lambert out!
It was awful again. The only difference between the first and the second half was that in the first, we didn't show anything even resembling the appropriate work rate. In the second, we did, which made it harder for West Ham, but we just look so wretched week after week.
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Stopped the rot against an in form side away from home
That's the most important thing tonight
who said we cant get results against the top 4 ;)
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next game is going to be a hard one to get a point thou
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What a prick Lambert is. Jotting down god knows what on his notepad. I'm sick of the sight of him and that gum munching testicle, Keane.
A point is nice, but a little bit of ambition please Paul, you absolute scrotum.
Some good defending and Brad was brilliant. Weimann and Gabby were atrocious, the midfield was very one dimensional-but we already knew that. Sanchez is the classiest of the three and should be the only one left in there for the next game. Westwood does nothing, Cleverley is drab and as boring a midfielder I've ever seen in a Villa shirt. Lowton can pass, but can't defend, Cissohko did ok, as did Vlaar. Baker is wreckless, but got the job done.
All in all, stressful.
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I think we defended really badly, actually. An excess of last-ditch stuff is not a sign of quality defensive work, it's a sign of its absence.
i thought vlaar and baker earned their wages
we defended like this early on in the season too
going forward we are hopeless
I disagree. Earlier in the season opponents would get one-on-ones, or space in the channels, very very seldom. Today, it happened every time West Ham attacked. I agree with you to the extent that Baker and Vlaar did well to atone for the huge inadequacies at full-back and in midfield (and for their own positional mistakes), but there was a lot of luck in that draw today.
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Better. West Ham will feel they should have had 3 points today but their finishing wasn't very good. 0-0 was probably fair despite us hanging on.
We still look wretched in possession of the ball.
Positives- We look better with Vlaar (obviously). Lowton did okay today. Sanchez looks a player. N'Zog worked hard and Gabby looked vaguely interested. Guzan was MOTM by a distance.
Negatives- the usual in terms of passing, movement, ball retention. Retreating and inviting pressure at key times. Not making changes quick enough.
Westwood and Cleverley just kind of being there without really doing anything good offensively, or offering a huge deal defensively. All fart and no shit the pair of them. One has to be dropped and we need a switch up in midfield.
Another injury.
A solid point but still not enough in my book for Lambert to warrant keeping his job. I think he needs canning next week, because I can't see us holding on against Southampton, who are better than WH.
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Get in, well done chaps.
Now Lerner, pop an extra year on Lamberts contract.
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We'll play worse, we'll play better. Benteke's stupidity continues to cost us.
Being so reliant on one player is Lambert's fault.
Everything is Lambert's fault. End of.
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*makes note in diary*
Remember where you were at 4:52 Saturday 8th November 2014.
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Well it'll keep Lambert in a job. The misery continues.
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Heroic and thrilling again...
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With Burnley getting their first win today, that makes me less worried about playing them.
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Well that fucking showed everyone didn't it! Get in there Lambert.
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No doubt Lambert will be weeping tears of pride and joy in his post match interview.
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No doubt Lambert will be weeping tears of pride and joy in his post match interview.
the rest of us just weep
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The boys were fantastic today.
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Just like watching Brazil
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Two poor teams share the points.
Guzan made a few important saves. Sanchez seems to be getting used to the PL.
We go again.
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I am going to put a tenner down now that the word 'excellent' gets mentioned in the post match interview.
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No doubt Lambert will be weeping tears of pride and joy in his post match interview.
Highlight of the day, supertom.
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Well done Brad. We limp on...
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I dont give a shit,
WE got a POINT
By the sound of it, we all owe Brad a big thank you
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Decent result against World Cup winners.
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Clean sheet....oh my.
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Desperate stuff - a point is a point - but what is the point?
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Teams who struggle to create clear chances in open play normally have to become reliant on set pieces. It said it all today when we got our first corner of the game after about 67 minutes. Sadly, like most of our corners, it was typically shit. Westwood is an appalling deliverer of set pieces. Absolutely bloody awful.
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You can all mock. But remember one Graham Taylor having a terrible start to the season in 89-90 - one dour result I can't remember who it was against and it was the start of a run that culminated with us finishing 2nd.............no me neither.
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Credit to our fans for some great support, they deserve so much better.
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One goal and one point in seven games. I'm fucking bursting with pride.
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For a side with no confidence away to a side that is full of it, and that 65% on here expected us to lose to, i'm satisfied with a point. It's stopped the rot and we showed some bottle even if going forward was lacking as usual.
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I am going to put a tenner down now that the word 'excellent' gets mentioned in the post match interview.
I'll go with 'tough'.
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One goal and one point in seven games. I'm fucking bursting with pride.
we're revolutionising football.
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Not looking forward to facing Southampton and Shane Long next up. I think we'll come crashing down to Earth with that game. We'll have to enjoy the heady high and buzz from drawing against West fucking Ham.
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I am going to put a tenner down now that the word 'excellent' gets mentioned in the post match interview.
I'll go with 'tough'.
I'll go with not understanding one word the jibbering idiot mumbles into his tie and V neck sweater
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Not looking forward to facing Southampton and Shane Long next up. I think we'll come crashing down to Earth with that game. We'll have to enjoy the heady high and buzz from drawing against West fucking Ham.
Crashing down to Earth? Where do you think we are recently??? It would be business as usual if Soton beat us.
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Gonna order a takeaway tonight and settle down and watch us on match of the day.
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We managed to thwart the liquid football of Big Sams mighty West Ham and incredibly come away with a point.
What a time to be alive!
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Graveyard slot on MOTD i think, that makes a change.
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Proud history bright future?
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Have to say, for portions of the game I thought we looked alright.
But still offered absolutely zilch as an attacking threat, people can go on about missing Benteke all the like but when are they going to question Weimann & Gabby's contributions ?
Last time I checked they're both strikers earning a load of money
I'd have Bent on because if nothing else you'd know he'd be in or around the box and give you something to aim at at least
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1 goal in 7. 1 point in 7 games. Without Guzan today the second stat, though hard to imagine it being worse, would have been.
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No doubt the club's Facebook account will be wetting itself over this. We've fallen a long, long way. Still, stops the immediate rot in terms of points.
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Proud history bright future?
Proud history. What future.
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Have to say, for portions of the game I thought we looked alright.
But still offered absolutely zilch as an attacking threat, people can go on about missing Benteke all the like but when are they going to question Weimann & Gabby's contributions ?
Last time I checked they're both strikers earning a load of money
I'd have Bent on because if nothing else you'd know he'd be in or around the box and give you something to aim at at least
To be fair they both take a regular bashing.
Gabby is on easy street and finds every fuck up amusing, I'd have moved him on after this season not gave him another lucrative contract.
Weimann up top with Benteke I think could work better.
The usual 4-3-3 doesn't work and hasn't done since May 2013.
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The only reason Lambert didn't do a McLeish style fist pump in the direction of the directors box after claiming that mighty point was because you're more likely to find rocking horse shit at one of our games than you are one of our directors these days.
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Have to say, for portions of the game I thought we looked alright.
But still offered absolutely zilch as an attacking threat, people can go on about missing Benteke all the like but when are they going to question Weimann & Gabby's contributions ?
Last time I checked they're both strikers earning a load of money
I'd have Bent on because if nothing else you'd know he'd be in or around the box and give you something to aim at at least
Bent is too fat to even get to the box these days. I'd be stunned if he was fit or bothered enough to get close to his new wife's box.
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Have to say, for portions of the game I thought we looked alright.
But still offered absolutely zilch as an attacking threat, people can go on about missing Benteke all the like but when are they going to question Weimann & Gabby's contributions ?
Last time I checked they're both strikers earning a load of money
I'd have Bent on because if nothing else you'd know he'd be in or around the box and give you something to aim at at least
With the amount of timber he is currently carrying they would have plenty to aim at.
Have to say, for portions of the game I thought we looked alright.
But still offered absolutely zilch as an attacking threat, people can go on about missing Benteke all the like but when are they going to question Weimann & Gabby's contributions ?
Last time I checked they're both strikers earning a load of money
I'd have Bent on because if nothing else you'd know he'd be in or around the box and give you something to aim at at least
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The only reason Lambert didn't do a McLeish style fist pump in the direction of the directors box after claiming that mighty point was because you're more likely to find rocking horse shit at one of our games than you are one of our directors these days.
I'll fly over and buy you a pint if Lambet doesn't say in post match interview that "I thought we were excellent, I really did". You can fist pump to that if he doesn't.
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We're one win away from the top half.
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1 goal in 7. 1 point in 7 games. Without Guzan today the second stat, though hard to imagine it being worse, would have been.
Yep.
We are a dreadful side both statistically and qualitatively - just awful.
What annoyed me most in the first half is that we didn't even work. In the second, we did, but there is just next to no quality about us.
If I didn't support us, I would want us to go down. No quality, no goal threat, can't get even the basics right.
I just can't see it getting consistently better under this bloke. It isn't even Christmas yet, loads of time left, but I can see m taking us down this season. One goal and one point from last seven matches is horrendous.
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We're one win away from the top half.
and 7 games away from one win
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I'm pretty sure it is harder to score 1 in 7 than score more than that.
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Well at least it's stopped the rot but it's just bloody awful to watch. Seeing us desperately clinging onto a 0-0 draw is a bit depressing. No ambition whatsoever and now only 1 goal one 7 scored. Time to go, Lambert.
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Status quo maintained.
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Gonna order a takeaway tonight and settle down and watch us on match of the day.
You eat late, how very European
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Gonna order a takeaway tonight and settle down and watch us on match of the day.
You eat late, how very European
You mean we're not the main game?
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Far better teams have got nothing there so its a good point.
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Mumble mumble mumble
Thought lads were fantastic
Mumble mumble mumble
Tough fixtures , injuries
Mumble mumble scratch
Gabby was unplayable
Mumbling
Go again
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Even without Kozak, Benteke, Delph, Senderos & Hutton, how shit of us to get a point at West Ham who are luckily where they are in the league.
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Gonna order a takeaway tonight and settle down and watch us on match of the day.
You eat late, how very European
You mean we're not the main game?
Given that they will hard pressed to pad out our attacking moments to much above a minute, and factoring in Super Brad's save, your take away will need to be on the scale of a small samosa.
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Just watching QPR vs Citeah. They have had more shot's on target in the opening 15 mins than we did in the entire game against them at VP. Oh we couldn't beat QPR either!
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Has the route for the open top bus parade been announced yet?
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Gonna order a takeaway tonight and settle down and watch us on match of the day.
You eat late, how very European
You mean we're not the main game?
Even I don't want to watch us
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I thought the defence did very well and that save at the end from Guzan world class.
In front of them there is no creativity, threat, movement just safe boring football.
In isolation this was a decent result but it is 1 point and 1 goal in seven.
The ref was shit.
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The way that was going at the end i was glad they only gave Carroll a few minutes. He was causing havoc.
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I'm thinking about getting a Lambert statue commissioned, can I use this site for donations?
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I'm thinking about getting a Lambert statue commissioned, can I use this site for donations?
We could put it in charge of first team affairs. It would be an upgrade on the current incumbent.
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A game would have lost last season. Massive props to Guzan for earning us that point.
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I thought the defence did very well and that save at the end from Guzan world class.
In front of them there is no creativity, threat, movement just safe boring football.
In isolation this was a decent result but it is 1 point and 1 goal in seven.
The ref was shit.
I don't understand why we play both Cleverly and Westwood. Neither are good enough defensively OR going forward, and they just strike me as two players effectively failing to do the same job.
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A little perspective, the mighty West Ham offered nothing until the last 5 mins, when they went even more route one. Guzan pulled off some great saves to keep the point.
We offered nothing going forwards, but I guess the main objective was to stop the rot.
With regard to our forwards, N'Zogbia is a liability, Weimann is never in control of the ball or in a position to receive it & Gabby is limited.
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Glad to have stopped the rot. Confidence was a big issue, especially in the first half, where players seemed afraid to take the ball forwards and into space. I thought we came into it more in the second half, but we didn't create much.
The problem comes from our method of attack coming from our full backs only. There is so much room in front of them that you would hope to see a wide player occupy. Lowton did well I thought considering he has nobody in front of him.
The midfield also sit in a line where you need to have somebody breaking on and getting in support of the forwards. We didn't pressure Song enough in the first half for example.
All that said and as frustrating as were, West Ham didn't force a save from Guzan until they reverted to type. The best chance was the free header they had about twenty minutes to go that went a mile wide. I haven't see much of West Ham, but I am not sure who they're kidding with their footballing revolution; Collins route one hoofing was as effective as they got.
On Downing watch, I saw him bottle a 50/50 with Sanchez and hit the first man with all of his crosses second half. Gutless weasel.
Collins and Reid are a pair of paceless donkeys, but Gabby only threatened them first half. The movement up front is poor, we don't get players close enough to Gabby and the system we play makes it a lot harder for us than it should.
I understand why we retreated in the last three or four minutes and injury time given what had happened previously. A point is always a good result away from home, but to draw two conclusions; one being we look no more likely to score. Two, if West Ham are as high as they are, it shows how utterly devoid of decent sides this league is.
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Even without Kozak, Benteke, Delph, Senderos & Hutton, how shit of us to get a point at West Ham who are luckily where they are in the league.
Senderos was sub, and came on for Baker near the end.
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Lerner: Just sack Lambert! Complete rubbish, again.
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Even without Kozak, Benteke, Delph, Senderos & Hutton, how shit of us to get a point at West Ham who are luckily where they are in the league.
Senderos was sub, and came on for Baker near the end.
Yes, but was not fit enough to start.
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I need cheering up, so I'm going to listen to a couple of hours of Leonard Cohen.
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Even without Kozak, Benteke, Delph, Senderos & Hutton, how shit of us to get a point at West Ham who are luckily where they are in the league.
Senderos was sub, and came on for Baker near the end.
Yes, but was not fit enough to start.
Which is not the same as ..."without...Senderos.."
So we weren't without him. Just saying.
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laughing Len's soothing me now with the darkness and feels just like the blues
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Gonna order a takeaway tonight and settle down and watch us on match of the day.
You eat late, how very European
You mean we're not the main game?
You'd just better eat it quickly, that's all I'm saying.
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I win.
But, despite this last-gasp surge from Sam Allardyce's men, boss Lambert felt his team thoroughly deserved their point.
He said: "I thought we were excellent, resolute, everything you need to get anything from here.
"West Ham have been on a rich vein of form. They beat Man City and Liverpool here not so long ago.
"They have been playing really well. So to come here and get something is a big result for us.
"It's a great point, a really great point.
"To come here and play the way we did and be resolute the way we were, I thought we were first class. It was a massive point for us.
"I thought in the second half we looked comfortable up until the last five minutes or so when they put their big lads on. Guzan has made a world-class save towards the end.
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On Downing watch, I saw him bottle a 50/50 with Sanchez and hit the first man with all of his crosses second half. Gutless weasel.
By the way I was delighted to see the away support giving him dogs abuse at corners. Very good.
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I thought the defence did very well and that save at the end from Guzan world class.
In front of them there is no creativity, threat, movement just safe boring football.
In isolation this was a decent result but it is 1 point and 1 goal in seven.
The ref was shit.
I don't understand why we play both Cleverly and Westwood. Neither are good enough defensively OR going forward, and they just strike me as two players effectively failing to do the same job.
Precisely. I don't understand why we play either of them.
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This is how bad runs end. They never end by the team coming out and overnight playing like men reborn. They claw their way back to confidence.
Ads is completely right about how our backs when they do go forward look like Captain Scott searching for the south pole.
The way I see it is we are a week nearer getting Delph and Benteke back and who knows, possibly a week nearer the great Okore mystery denouement.
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I win.
But, despite this last-gasp surge from Sam Allardyce's men, boss Lambert felt his team thoroughly deserved their point.
He said: "I thought we were excellent, resolute, everything you need to get anything from here.
"West Ham have been on a rich vein of form. They beat Man City and Liverpool here not so long ago.
"They have been playing really well. So to come here and get something is a big result for us.
"It's a great point, a really great point.
"To come here and play the way we did and be resolute the way we were, I thought we were first class. It was a massive point for us.
"I thought in the second half we looked comfortable up until the last five minutes or so when they put their big lads on. Guzan has made a world-class save towards the end.
House!
I want to give him credit and I do for the point it would be unfair to give him stick for it.
But coming away with what 40% possession versus west ham? Not the best.
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Cracking atmosphere in the away end. Heard nothing from the home support all 90 minutes. And very thankful to report that the minute's silence was impeccably observed, with the late arrivals cottoning on very quickly and keeping schtum.
Other than that, not much to report. We could still be playing now without scoring. The most damning thing was that after 70 minutes nobody could think of how we could change things to nick a win. The starting eleven are just too comfortable.
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how in the feck did we not lose that
Guzan
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It was horrible to watch but for a team on a sequence of 6 straight defeats, and all that does to confidence, and missing the two best players, then a draw at a club on a great run of form should not be taken lightly.
To chuck together a couple of clichés; we've stopped the rot and given ourselves something to build on.
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I'm at the point where I think this is about as good as it gets, and it probably makes me more angry than a defeat.
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The way I see it is we are a week nearer getting Delph and Benteke back and who knows, possibly a week nearer the great Okore mystery denouement.
You mean we're going to actually find out where Okore is?
Ooooh it's like a Cliffhanger from Lost.
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I thought the defence did very well and that save at the end from Guzan world class.
In front of them there is no creativity, threat, movement just safe boring football.
In isolation this was a decent result but it is 1 point and 1 goal in seven.
The ref was shit.
I don't understand why we play both Cleverly and Westwood. Neither are good enough defensively OR going forward, and they just strike me as two players effectively failing to do the same job.
I am not sure what the midfield plan is, I doubt there is one. There is no discernable shape ahead of the defence. All I can see is 4 at the back and one up front, the rest are just wondering around in a vague formation. Piss poor
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(http://d2hatremgvh27k.cloudfront.net/cms_media/images/920x1090_fitbox-aston-villa-diecast-model-bus-c13001322_h.jpg)
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Guzan's save: https://vine.co/v/OeEu20vFOLt
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I thought the defence did very well and that save at the end from Guzan world class.
In front of them there is no creativity, threat, movement just safe boring football.
In isolation this was a decent result but it is 1 point and 1 goal in seven.
The ref was shit.
I don't understand why we play both Cleverly and Westwood. Neither are good enough defensively OR going forward, and they just strike me as two players effectively failing to do the same job.
Precisely. I don't understand why we play either of them.
I said this when Cleverley first arrived. Especially as Westwood was looking like an improved player, covering much more of the pitch, and tracking runners more diligently.
Now we have a physical presence with Sanchez, but two midfielders alongside him who see plenty of the ball but rarely actually do anything with it.
Lambert has far, far too much faith in Gabby and Weimann for my liking. He should have signed players to put pressure on them, instead.
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At full time Paul Lambert would kill us and dance about on our graves singing "Hallelujah".
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Lambert plays 4 3 2 1 or 4 5 1 NEVER 4 3 3 (as reported in the press)
There must be a minimum of 7 defensive minded players on the pitch at any time. Full backs will provide width as and when. Other than the '1' upfront. The two play either out of position, awaiting a mistake from the opposition or covering the advancing oppostion full back.
Totally negative manager.
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Lambert unsurprisingly thinks we were excellent today. He seems as happy as PWS would be at Christmas getting a Kaley Cuoco nude calender.
I wouldn't go as far as the easily pleased Lambo in describing us as excellent. We've simply moved up from pretty shit to mediocre having moved up from complete shite to pretty shit the week before. That's a bit of progression I suppose but I also think we've probably reached our pinnacle at mediocre.
Lambert's just so small time. We come away with a fortunate point against West Ham. In form yes, but still West Ham. We barely troubled them so were never remotely worthwhile winners potentially. To me that's not excellent. At best for the sake of the cameras he could come out and say we did "quite well." Lambert just seems (and genuinely, which is the worrying part) to be too easily pleased. Sometimes you can tell if a manager is giving it the spiel a bit. With Lambert we could come off the back of a hiding and he'll with all seriousness (unless he's a bloody good actor) will be satisfied with the performance.
There's only been 2-3 games this season where he admitted we were poor. But the reality is we've been shit in all but 3 of them.
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I thought the defence did very well and that save at the end from Guzan world class.
In front of them there is no creativity, threat, movement just safe boring football.
In isolation this was a decent result but it is 1 point and 1 goal in seven.
The ref was shit.
I don't understand why we play both Cleverly and Westwood. Neither are good enough defensively OR going forward, and they just strike me as two players effectively failing to do the same job.
Precisely. I don't understand why we play either of them.
I said this when Cleverley first arrived. Especially as Westwood was looking like an improved player, covering much more of the pitch, and tracking runners more diligently.
Now we have a physical presence with Sanchez, but two midfielders alongside him who see plenty of the ball but rarely actually do anything with it.
Lambert has far, far too much faith in Gabby and Weimann for my liking. He should have signed players to put pressure on them, instead.
Gardner seems to be doing well for Brighton, perhaps he would have been a better option when delph got crockef
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Lambert unsurprisingly thinks we were excellent today
And there you go, that is the whole problem, in a nutshell.
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Lambert unsurprisingly thinks we were excellent today
And there you go, that is the whole problem, in a nutshell.
He's come away from 3-0 defeats thinking we were good. The guys a clown.
The sadder reality of today is, he's probably bought himself another half a dozen games with that result.
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I very rarely comment on the post match thread. Mostly because emotions are running high. But after that, I just have to. Gabby and Nzogbia....what's the point? Baker was good, but the rest? If Vlaar wants to go in January, then fine. As a leader, he's dreadful. And as for Lambert....we seem incapable of passing, moving, showing real fight..
.oh, but we'll give him a 4 year contract.....we're sleepwalking towards relegation, but Lambert and Lerner don't see it....perhaps we'll sign Cleverly in January for £6-8 million, with 6 months left on his contract....
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I thought the defence did very well and that save at the end from Guzan world class.
In front of them there is no creativity, threat, movement just safe boring football.
In isolation this was a decent result but it is 1 point and 1 goal in seven.
The ref was shit.
I don't understand why we play both Cleverly and Westwood. Neither are good enough defensively OR going forward, and they just strike me as two players effectively failing to do the same job.
Precisely. I don't understand why we play either of them.
I said this when Cleverley first arrived. Especially as Westwood was looking like an improved player, covering much more of the pitch, and tracking runners more diligently.
Now we have a physical presence with Sanchez, but two midfielders alongside him who see plenty of the ball but rarely actually do anything with it.
Lambert has far, far too much faith in Gabby and Weimann for my liking. He should have signed players to put pressure on them, instead.
Gardner seems to be doing well for Brighton, perhaps he would have been a better option when delph got crockef
We're very short on options at the moment. 1-2 more injuries and we'll definitely have to call GG back early.
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I thought the defence did very well and that save at the end from Guzan world class.
In front of them there is no creativity, threat, movement just safe boring football.
In isolation this was a decent result but it is 1 point and 1 goal in seven.
The ref was shit.
I don't understand why we play both Cleverly and Westwood. Neither are good enough defensively OR going forward, and they just strike me as two players effectively failing to do the same job.
Precisely. I don't understand why we play either of them.
I said this when Cleverley first arrived. Especially as Westwood was looking like an improved player, covering much more of the pitch, and tracking runners more diligently.
Now we have a physical presence with Sanchez, but two midfielders alongside him who see plenty of the ball but rarely actually do anything with it.
Lambert has far, far too much faith in Gabby and Weimann for my liking. He should have signed players to put pressure on them, instead.
Gardner seems to be doing well for Brighton, perhaps he would have been a better option when delph got crockef
We're very short on options at the moment. 1-2 more injuries and we'll definitely have to call GG back early.
Saw GG recently for Brighton and although it was great to see him playing he looked average. Not sure he would improve us to be honest, but then again thats one game
Joe Bennett was typically lightweight in the same game
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https://vine.co/v/OeEu20vFOLt (ftp://vine.co/v/OeEu20vFOLt)
Imagine Benteke throwing himself at crosses where he is attacking the ball, rather than deep crosses from full backs.
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Today was a particularly sad day for me today as I found myself missing Stewart Downing. It's been the first time since he left and I don't like the feeling. He didn't even have the best game particularly but he was their creative focal point and kept creating space for himself and trying to create chances. We've got nobody in the side who does that, who'll keep on plugging away and finding space and trying to make things happen.
Are we as a club that far gone that we can't find another Stewart Fucking chinless wonder Downing? He was doing exactly the sort of thing you'd want a playmaker to do. Lamberts had five windows and hasn't rectified a problem he identified the day he arrived. Pathetic.
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Lambert unsurprisingly thinks we were excellent today
And there you go, that is the whole problem, in a nutshell.
Exactly
Am I the only one who feels instant anger when I see Lambert, which is multiplied ten fold when he is talking absolute bollocks in his interviews. Even TSM never had that affect on me.
As someone else said he is so small time.
Finally I dont get the anger toward Downing. He was good for us and £20m was good money. Some of the fans doing wanker signs behind his back when he is taking the corners look like absolute tossers themselves. I bet their mothers are proud
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A very well earned point. The suspensions and injuries meant was always going to be extra tough against the form team of the league. Guzan had clearly been prepared well to command his area and was outstanding . Also the defence was resolute in stopping the West ham attacks. Nathan Baker and Ron Vlarr were especially good today. It seemed there was excellent support from the Villa fans and taking a point and a clean sheet is a big plus. The match itself was entertaining and Villa really had periods of control if not exactly threatening. I think a lot of credit has to be given considering the circumstances and the next few game weeks can be built on from this finding form.
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Vlaar.
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If our form was better a superb point.
On it's own you have to say well played as West Ham are in brilliant form so a point down there isn't to be sniffed at but on the downside another game where we barely created anything.
Thought that was the best the middle three have played in a long time, Sanchez and Cleverley probably had their best games for the club and Westwood was excellent.
Where it falls down is the front trio simply aren't reliable in possesion so too many moves break or slow down. That's one of the areas where we miss Benteke.
Still at least this point breaks the horrible run so hopefully we can get something off Southampton and beat Burnley and the table will look a bit more comfortable.
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I very rarely comment on the post match thread. Mostly because emotions are running high. But after that, I just have to. Gabby and Nzogbia....what's the point? Baker was good, but the rest? If Vlaar wants to go in January, then fine. As a leader, he's dreadful. And as for Lambert....we seem incapable of passing, moving, showing real fight..
.oh, but we'll give him a 4 year contract.....we're sleepwalking towards relegation, but Lambert and Lerner don't see it....perhaps we'll sign Cleverly in January for £6-8 million, with 6 months left on his contract....
Oh yes.
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I personally cannot think of any reason why we should buy Cleverley. He has played quite a few games for us now without showing anything
other than an excellent workrate. No goal threat,no through balls of class. The stark fact is that he is (like Westwood) an average Championship midfielder. Which means of course Lambert will tell us 'He's absolutely excellent Tom' when we can see with our own eyes he is very far from that.
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I didn't actually think we were that bad, we got a point against a team in good form and didn't crumble when they were bulldozing us at the end. However we've been so shite the last few weeks my standards and expectations are now pretty low.
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Stopping West Ham scoring and gaining a deserved point translates some finding of form into points. Last time out v Spurs competed well in the match up until the Benteke decision and were leading and comfortable. Today again reasonably comfortable till the final few minutes which we held out and saw a world class save by Brad Guzan to inspire to the end. Keeping a clean sheet today shows ability and character and that's something that can be appreciated by all of us.
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There is no doubt in my mind that if we had had Benteke and Delph on the pitch and we could have kept hold of Milner, Barry, Young and Bannan
We would have won that game
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Lambert unsurprisingly thinks we were excellent today
And there you go, that is the whole problem, in a nutshell.
He's come away from 3-0 defeats thinking we were good. The guys a clown.
The sadder reality of today is, he's probably bought himself another half a dozen games with that result.
That's the problem. I hate us being awful and losing, but you're right, getting a point today gives him the opportunity to produce some other unwanted records before the year is out.
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Ugh, another depressing post match interview then. I'd much rather hear something like this from Lambert:
'First of all the fans were incredible today, you wouldn't think we'd lost six games in a row. I am sorry we didn't manage to win the game for them but I hope they at least appreciate the determination from the players to make sure we didn't lose again. I am disappointed that we failed to score and this is something we have to have to urgently put right, you can't always rely on your keeper making world class saves every game, although I wouldn't put it past Brad as he is first class. I accept that there is still room for improvement but today gives us a platform to build on.....'
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You just know that Lambert can't take this team any further forward, I reckon even he knows it, the whole thing is in a gigantic rut of which there is no escape while Lambert remains
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What I hate most is that we don't look like we are trying to win. We look like we are trying to get out with a point and if we get a win so be itX it isn't part of the plan. Even though other teams might lose more games they all seem to try and create chances and try to score goals. We don't and we got very lucky today that they were both wasteful and came up against a keeper in top form.
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I'm not sure anyone under the current ownership could take us forward. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't try.
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Today was a particularly sad day for me today as I found myself missing Stewart Downing. It's been the first time since he left and I don't like the feeling. He didn't even have the best game particularly but he was their creative focal point and kept creating space for himself and trying to create chances. We've got nobody in the side who does that, who'll keep on plugging away and finding space and trying to make things happen.
Are we as a club that far gone that we can't find another Stewart Fucking chinless wonder Downing? He was doing exactly the sort of thing you'd want a playmaker to do. Lamberts had five windows and hasn't rectified a problem he identified the day he arrived. Pathetic.
Tom it's taken him 5 windows to partially solve the fullback problem, with a player that we already had. Don't ask too much from him.
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I personally cannot think of any reason why we should buy Cleverley. He has played quite a few games for us now without showing anything
other than an excellent workrate. No goal threat,no through balls of class. The stark fact is that he is (like Westwood) an average Championship midfielder. Which means of course Lambert will tell us 'He's absolutely excellent Tom' when we can see with our own eyes he is very far from that.
Possibly a bit early to judge that wouldnt benefit especially as team is looking to find form. TC is an established premier league player and adds experience as well as energy to the midfield. Delph has developed and Cleverly can continue to . He certainly shows signs of being capable in the premier league before so considering current situation at the Villa having a title winner and some one who has represented England is an additional plus to the squad. By Tom own admission there was a pressure on him at Man Utd which he struggled with . I certainly don't think the negativity towards him from the Utd fans helped his development. He's pretty single minded and made it clear he plays for the manager here so hopefully can get fans onside too. From what I've seen he gives 100% effort and is very happy of the opportunity to be playing top level football at a top level club.
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You just know that Lambert can't take this team any further forward, I reckon even he knows it, the whole thing is in a gigantic rut of which there is no escape while Lambert remains
What is the point in this kind of post after a decent performance and result today? There are lots of other general threads for those comments.
A draw was about right tonight. West Ham were the better team in the first half, but didn't really create much. We did well to stay in the game and slowly grew in confidence and played better football second half but again didn't create enough to deserve a win. We had our luck at the end, but deserved it and got a decent point. The last two games we have played better. Lets hope we can build on this result with hopefully four points from the next two.
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He (Lambert) like so many others in the game is coining it despite being very mediocre at his job.If a result of wining promotion from league one and the championship you can end up with tens of millions if pounds in the bank he will keep on talking bollocks for as long as anyone is daft enough to employ him.
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
Couldn't agree more.
We're sub-McLeisian in our lack of ambition.
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
But isn't the point that today given the run we have been on than it was important to be hard to beat and then see anything else as a bonus. I agree that Lambert is too negative, but today it was important to try and scrap for at least a point and we did that, and even played decent football in spells so why not talk about that?
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
But isn't the point that today given the run we have been on than it was important to be hard to beat and then see anything else as a bonus. I agree that Lambert is too negative, but today it was important to try and scrap for at least a point and we did that, and even played decent football in spells so why not talk about that?
The point is welcome of course, but feck me how horrible was it to watch, and what about the backs to the wall stuff that we always seem to do whenever we're not losing? Is this the Villa you want to see and do you truly honestly think we'll ever get any better under Lambert?
It's bloody soul destroying.
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What I hate most is that we don't look like we are trying to win. We look like we are trying to get out with a point and if we get a win so be itX it isn't part of the plan. Even though other teams might lose more games they all seem to try and create chances and try to score goals. We don't and we got very lucky today that they were both wasteful and came up against a keeper in top form.
See that's the killer for me, the lack of ambition to try and win the game.
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
But isn't the point that today given the run we have been on than it was important to be hard to beat and then see anything else as a bonus. I agree that Lambert is too negative, but today it was important to try and scrap for at least a point and we did that, and even played decent football in spells so why not talk about that?
The problem is we are nearly always on a shit run. So that excuse always holds true, we are trying to find our form, the 0-0 was fine because we've been so bad lately, players are lacking confidence etc etc.
On it's own a 0-0 at West Ham who have been playing well is a decent result. It's the consistently poor attempt at football we produce that is more worrying. Again today it's the same personel, the same tactics and the same bluntness going forward which makes me think even if we then win a game or two it's going to be back to another terrible run and that is life under Lambert.
It's always the same and i'm fucking sick of him to be honest.
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
But isn't the point that today given the run we have been on than it was important to be hard to beat and then see anything else as a bonus. I agree that Lambert is too negative, but today it was important to try and scrap for at least a point and we did that, and even played decent football in spells so why not talk about that?
The point is welcome of course, but feck me how horrible was it to watch, and what about the backs to the wall stuff that we always seem to do whenever we're not losing? Is this the Villa you want to see and do you truly honestly think we'll ever get any better under Lambert?
It's bloody soul destroying.
I don't want to see long term, and I agree that it is starting to look that we will not improve under Lambert. But sometimes to make progress you just have to do worry about getting a result no matter what. We needed to stop the run of defeats and because of West Ham's form at home this season this was always going to be a tough fixture, so I think we should accept that a point is a good result and take positives from the performance.
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"We broke them down several times apart from their goalkeeper" . Big Sam is not exactly saying we were hard to beat.
We were infact saved from a hiding by Guzan .
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
But isn't the point that today given the run we have been on than it was important to be hard to beat and then see anything else as a bonus. I agree that Lambert is too negative, but today it was important to try and scrap for at least a point and we did that, and even played decent football in spells so why not talk about that?
The problem is we are nearly always on a shit run. So that excuse always holds true, we are trying to find our form, the 0-0 was fine because we've been so bad lately, players are lacking confidence etc etc.
On it's own a 0-0 at West Ham who have been playing well is a decent result. It's the consistently poor attempt at football we produce that is more worrying. Again today it's the same personel, the same tactics and the same bluntness going forward which makes me think even if we then win a game or two it's going to be back to another terrible run and that is life under Lambert.
It's always the same and i'm fucking sick of him to be honest.
But in the second half today I actually think we played some decent football. For a 0-0 I don't think it was a bad game today.
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"We broke them down several times apart from their goalkeeper" . Big Sam is not exactly saying we were hard to beat.
We were infact saved from a hiding by Guzan .
Then I disagree with Big Sam because over the 90 minutes I don't think they did create much. Yes they could have won it at the end, but you have to give Guzan credit for his save, and I don't think West Ham would have deserved that win.
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The smartest thing Lambert did was getting Guzan back, he has saved us numerous times and today he probably saved Lamberts job.
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
But isn't the point that today given the run we have been on than it was important to be hard to beat and then see anything else as a bonus. I agree that Lambert is too negative, but today it was important to try and scrap for at least a point and we did that, and even played decent football in spells so why not talk about that?
The point is welcome of course, but feck me how horrible was it to watch, and what about the backs to the wall stuff that we always seem to do whenever we're not losing? Is this the Villa you want to see and do you truly honestly think we'll ever get any better under Lambert?
It's bloody soul destroying.
I don't want to see long term, and I agree that it is starting to look that we will not improve under Lambert. But sometimes to make progress you just have to do worry about getting a result no matter what. We needed to stop the run of defeats and because of West Ham's form at home this season this was always going to be a tough fixture, so I think we should accept that a point is a good result and take positives from the performance.
The only positive is that we didn't lose, but there was nothing from that performance to suggest we won't be struggling all season with diabolical football and mainly horrible results. It's utterly unnacceptable for Aston Villa to have a team this poor for so bloody long.
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First half they created a lot.
Second half I agree we had the measure of West Ham and were much more in their half without doing much bar a few scrambles.
I left right on injury time as I wanted to get the 5.40 home from Euston so I was bemused why all the Hammers on the tube were going on about Carroll missing headers as he hadn't even have come on at the point I left.
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I take solace in the fact that in 10 years time I shall be at Villa Park and Lerner and Lambert won't
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The problem is that this sort of backs to the wall performance is the best that Lambert appears capable of delivering.
Worse still is the impression that as long as this is enough to keep us in the Premiership Lerner is perfectly satisfied.
It is an appalling way for any club to be managed and run least if all a club the size if the Villa.
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The smartest thing Lambert did was getting Guzan back, he has saved us numerous times and today he probably saved Lamberts job.
This is something I'll always agree with. People forget he was effectively a Lambert signing, and I personally think he's been more pivotal than Benteke and Vlaar.
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I take solace in the fact that in 10 years time I shall be at Villa Park and Lerner and Lambert won't
I wonder what the fruitcake will be doing with his money in ten years time.
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The problem is that this sort of backs to the wall performance is the best that Lambert appears capable of delivering.
Worse still is the impression that as long as this is enough to keep us in the Premiership Lerner is perfectly satisfied.
It is an appalling way for any club to be managed and run least if all a club the size if the Villa.
Well said
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I take solace in the fact that in 10 years time I shall be at Villa Park and Lerner and Lambert won't
Please God it will be a lot sooner than that.
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Before I go to bed Mal, I need to know whether this statue we are putting up to Lambert will be of him sitting down with his notepad or standing up clapping his hands? It must be something of quality as befits the man.
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While Lerner is responsible for Lambert having a job, what is happening on the pitch is entirely down to Lambert. Somehow he manages to take a bunch of reasonable players and coach the football out of them.
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Before I go to bed Mal, I need to know whether this statue we are putting up to Lambert will be of him sitting down with his notepad or standing up clapping his hands? It must be something of quality as befits the man.
He will have one hand raised showing four fingers and a thumb to commemorate the five goals we have scored this season, the least in all divisions.
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Before I go to bed Mal, I need to know whether this statue we are putting up to Lambert will be of him sitting down with his notepad or standing up clapping his hands? It must be something of quality as befits the man.
He will have one hand raised showing four fingers and a thumb to commemorate the five goals we have scored this season, the least in all divisions.
We haven't scored a single goal at the Holte End this season and we're well into November. Blimey.
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Hi guys, first post.
I have mixed feelings about today's game, obviously important to get something out of it but being so pleased with a point shows where we are. We are not in a good place.
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Before I go to bed Mal, I need to know whether this statue we are putting up to Lambert will be of him sitting down with his notepad or standing up clapping his hands? It must be something of quality as befits the man.
He will have one hand raised showing four fingers and a thumb to commemorate the five goals we have scored this season, the least in all divisions.
We haven't scored a single goal at the Holte End this season and we're well into November. Blimey.
So those in the Witton End should be over the moon to have seen 3 !
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The only reason Lambert didn't do a McLeish style fist pump in the direction of the directors box after claiming that mighty point was because you're more likely to find rocking horse shit at one of our games than you are one of our directors these days.
Well at least our 90 year-old President Emeritus was there; I overtook him on the M25 on the way to the game.
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That's a good point today under the circumstances and west hams rich vein of form. The goals for column though is of massive concern now. Almost a third of the season gone and we've scored a measly 5 goals !!
That's the most shocking stat of all and will be hard to stay up with that goal ratio.
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Before I go to bed Mal, I need to know whether this statue we are putting up to Lambert will be of him sitting down with his notepad or standing up clapping his hands? It must be something of quality as befits the man.
He will have one hand raised showing four fingers and a thumb to commemorate the five goals we have scored this season, the least in all divisions.
We haven't scored a single goal at the Holte End this season and we're well into November. Blimey.
I think it was last season where we didn't score in front of the North Stand for even longer. Which of course was where my ST was. We did score that end in the LC, but typically I was in the Holte for that game.
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. The goals for column though is of massive concern now. Almost a third of the season gone and we've scored a measly 5 goals !!
That is truly fucking hideous.
Still, the chairman loves him, so there you go.
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What a prick Lambert is. Jotting down god knows what on his notepad. I'm sick of the sight of him and that gum munching testicle, Keane.
A point is nice, but a little bit of ambition please Paul, you absolute scrotum.
Some choice words there Nik. Can disagree with any!
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
But isn't the point that today given the run we have been on than it was important to be hard to beat and then see anything else as a bonus. I agree that Lambert is too negative, but today it was important to try and scrap for at least a point and we did that, and even played decent football in spells so why not talk about that?
The problem is we are nearly always on a shit run. So that excuse always holds true, we are trying to find our form, the 0-0 was fine because we've been so bad lately, players are lacking confidence etc etc.
On it's own a 0-0 at West Ham who have been playing well is a decent result. It's the consistently poor attempt at football we produce that is more worrying. Again today it's the same personel, the same tactics and the same bluntness going forward which makes me think even if we then win a game or two it's going to be back to another terrible run and that is life under Lambert.
It's always the same and i'm fucking sick of him to be honest.
But in the second half today I actually think we played some decent football. For a 0-0 I don't think it was a bad game today.
Really?
I honestly thought we, at the most, did the minimum acceptable, and that is probably exaggerating, if anything.
We didn't look like scoring.
1 goal in 7 games, 1 point from 21
That would be bad enough, but what is 10x as bad is that the manager is under absolutely zero pressure.
I genuinely think we will go down this season, that is how bad we look. The fact we're desperately scrabbling around to take positives after such a piss poor performance says it all.
If this bloke stays in the job all season, we're going down, I think.
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. The goals for column though is of massive concern now. Almost a third of the season gone and we've scored a measly 5 goals !!
That is truly fucking hideous.
Still, the chairman loves him, so there you go.
5 in 11 almost certainly suggests relegation. I say we all pray to whoever we believe in for invisible support.
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I think it's a nailed on loss next time. Southampton are brilliant at the moment, and correct me if I'm wrong but isn't our record post-international breaks dreadful?
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I have said it on the Lambert thread, but 29 points from 30 league games since the turn of the year. That is relegation form.
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Just home. I'd have taken a point before the game and thought we did well defensively, however we wouldn't look dangerous up front if we gave them all a flick knife. Utterly hopeless as an attacking threat. This must change and quickly.
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The absolute worst thing in all this is the feeling that the chairman thinks everything is OK, and is one of a handful of people who still believe in this manager.
I can handle being shit over an extended period of time, if I at least feel there is hope for things to get better. There isn't, though. The crushing incompetence that led to Lerner giving Lambert that new deal hangs over us, no matter how much we think he deserves the sack, he is going nowhere.
We have a chairman who is either too stupid to realise how bad things are, or who doesn't care enough to do something about it.
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Sometimes I wish the fans at the match would chant for the manager's head a bit more. I know we should be getting behind the team but Christ the more we sit there saying nothing the more the chairman thinks he can get away with employing such a disaster like Lambert.
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Before I go to bed Mal, I need to know whether this statue we are putting up to Lambert will be of him sitting down with his notepad or standing up clapping his hands? It must be something of quality as befits the man.
He will have one hand raised showing four fingers and a thumb to commemorate the five goals we have scored this season, the least in all divisions.
We haven't scored a single goal at the Holte End this season and we're well into November. Blimey.
We haven't scored in front of the Holte since 5th April - Fulham at home (Grant Holt) - we lost. (If you discount Bowery's own goal at home to Hull).
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If you add in the Orient game and the last 2 games of last season (0-4 and 0-3) it's actually 5 in the last 14 competitive games. Woeful is not a harsh enough word .
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I agree with you Paulie - the root issue is Lerner and until he goes nothing will change. I just hope Mr Fox knows this AND understands it.
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I take solace in the fact that in 10 years time I shall be at Villa Park and Lerner and Lambert won't
Wanna bet on that
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I take solace in the fact that in 10 years time I shall be at Villa Park and Lerner and Lambert won't
Wanna bet on that
Lamberts probably gonna get a 7 year extension after todays result. He'll be able to get us back in the conference at the first time of asking perhaps.
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Did someone say they left Upton Park on 90 mins and get back to euston to make the 1740 ? That my friends is truly impressive !
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I take solace in the fact that in 10 years time I shall be at Villa Park and Lerner and Lambert won't
Wanna bet on that
I'll bet I am ;-)
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"To come hare and get something is a big result for us" Yes that is what he said. Unbelievable.
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I've just seen Lambert's post match interview which has convinced me that the guy is delusional.
Apparently we were "excellent all over the pitch". This presumably includes our midfield and strikers which was plainly not the case. The only player to emerge with any credit from those areas of the pitch was Sanchez. The defence, especially Brad were worthy of praise I would say.
"We'll be fine this year, that's for sure" is another gem that he came up with. Really? On what basis does he make this statement because I don't think it's based on any kind of reality.
He laughed off questions about whether the point takes the pressure off him. The reply was "The only pressure I put on myself is from myself". He even laughed off a suggestion that he may be under pressure from the owners. That sums up the club at the moment. If it is true that such a poor performing manager is under no pressure that is scandalous.
I feel utterly demoralised with the way he's dragged us down to the level where we're over the moon with a point away to West Ham. Ok, it's better than nothing but I really fear this could finally be the season where he takes us down
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I take solace in the fact that in 10 years time I shall be at Villa Park and Lerner and Lambert won't
I wonder what the fruitcake will be doing with his money in ten years time.
He'll still be going down the Villa as his post clearly states.
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
But isn't the point that today given the run we have been on than it was important to be hard to beat and then see anything else as a bonus. I agree that Lambert is too negative, but today it was important to try and scrap for at least a point and we did that, and even played decent football in spells so why not talk about that?
The problem is we are nearly always on a shit run. So that excuse always holds true, we are trying to find our form, the 0-0 was fine because we've been so bad lately, players are lacking confidence etc etc.
On it's own a 0-0 at West Ham who have been playing well is a decent result. It's the consistently poor attempt at football we produce that is more worrying. Again today it's the same personel, the same tactics and the same bluntness going forward which makes me think even if we then win a game or two it's going to be back to another terrible run and that is life under Lambert.
It's always the same and i'm fucking sick of him to be honest.
But in the second half today I actually think we played some decent football. For a 0-0 I don't think it was a bad game today.
Really?
I honestly thought we, at the most, did the minimum acceptable, and that is probably exaggerating, if anything.
We didn't look like scoring.
1 goal in 7 games, 1 point from 21
That would be bad enough, but what is 10x as bad is that the manager is under absolutely zero pressure.
I genuinely think we will go down this season, that is how bad we look. The fact we're desperately scrabbling around to take positives after such a piss poor performance says it all.
If this bloke stays in the job all season, we're going down, I think.
i've supported lambert through 3 seasons of shit, bar a slight wobble towards the end of last season. Looked like we'd turned the corner this season after a decent start, so our run of 6 losses was gutting for me. Last straw was the loss at loftus rd.
We are going down this season, no two ways about it. Remove the emotion and the stats don't lie. Dire. Absolutely fucking dire.
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A point gained when I thought we would get beat, praise for Brad, Baker and Sanchez, that's about it player wise. Cleverly I think is having a adverse effect on Westwood, he looked at times last year as if he was improving, now his confidence seems to be wavering.
N-Zog and Gabby must be the two most hopeless attacking players in the prem and the championship, Andi last week played more through the middle looked at least half decent, today to accommodate Gabby he is sent back into his twigh light zone and looked useless again.
I would not sign Cleverly on a free never mind 7.5 mill, we do not need that type of player in the midfield because we already have one, he is not an upgrade on what we have.
Said before say again, no ambition, no tactical awareness and quite happy to settle for a style of football that must drive the neutral to turn the tele off, we are a mirror reflection of our manager.
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What a prick Lambert is. Jotting down god knows what on his notepad. I'm sick of the sight of him and that gum munching testicle, Keane.
A point is nice, but a little bit of ambition please Paul, you absolute scrotum.
Some choice words there Nik. Can disagree with any!
Haha. Hello Aftab, how is life mate? Any planned trips to Tokyo in the pipeline?
Lambert and his tactics are enough to drive me to the brink of insanity. So far, an abysmal season.
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"The goals will come" says the clueless one. When Paul ? Not looking likely any time soon
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There is a lot of negativity considering this was "an easy three points for West "hoof" Ham".
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I take solace in the fact that in 10 years time I shall be at Villa Park and Lerner and Lambert won't
Nobody is promised tomorrow let alone a decade.
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I think so much of the negativity, and I am as guilty of this as anybody, is generated by the secrecy which now surrounds the club.
We used to criticize Doug Ellis and God knows he deserved it, but you always felt that the club was open and accessible to the supporters.
Randy Lerner in his lack of first hand experience went through the motions, I believe sincerely, of engaging with the supporters but when O'Neill struck and critical voices were raised the shutters went up at Villa Park and they have never come down.
Instead of engaging with the fans the club seeks to manage and manipulate us.
I do not want us to be massaged by spin about what a great and glorious club we are. I knew that before they were born.
What I want to know is what is the matter with Jores Okore, what progress has been made to find a new owner for us, does Lambert's lunatic new contract have a performance clause, why are so many of our players unfit, will Libor Kozak ever play again.
When you are kept in the dark and treated on a need to know basis it ferments negativity and cynicism.
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Spot on Brian,but you forgot to add why have we allowed two of our best players to be in the situation that they can leave for free at the end of the season
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An example of how we were managed and manipulated as Krulak came on this and other sites.
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Exactly what input does Krulak have these days? I doubt that he's set foot in Villa Park for 3 years. Someone like Graham Taylor would be far more beneficial, a proper football man.
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I don't like the fact we're shit or had to be grateful for a lucky 0-0 against West Ham
But do I care if Lambert is writing in a notepad? No
Do I think our players aren't trying? No, it's nonsense
Was it a good result? Yep
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Exactly what input does Krulak have these days? I doubt that he's set foot in Villa Park for 3 years. Someone like Graham Taylor would be far more beneficial, a proper football man.
I doubt he's ever had any apart from his brief of keeping us on message. He probably decided he just didn't want to do it any more and retired to the US to do something cosier and that he understood.
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An example of how we were managed and manipulated as Krulak came on this and other sites.
He's another tosser to set alongside the two charlatans we are already encumbered with. I was certainly taken in him and feel quite ashamed and dirty when I think about it. He will be off ingratiating himself on some other gullible fools like myself now.
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There is a lot of negativity considering this was "an easy three points for West "hoof" Ham".
Yes, because it's much much much bigger than about getting a point at West Ham; in fact, there's way too little negativity
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How many were like me yesterday hoping for a win but not that bothered if we lost if it meant that Lambert was shown the door. Christ i was born in to the Villa and was taken to my first game in 49 and have never felt so negative about the club. The draw only prolongs the agony, i watched the QPR- City game and i give Rednap his due they were chasing the win til the final whistle, we would have had nine players guarding the penalty box.
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How many were like me yesterday hoping for a win but not that bothered if we lost if it meant that Lambert was shown the door. Christ i was born in to the Villa and was taken to my first game in 49 and have never felt so negative about the club. The draw only prolongs the agony, i watched the QPR- City game and i give Rednap his due they were chasing the win til the final whistle, we would have had nine players guarding the penalty box.
Precisely Robbo. Yesterday changes nothing really in the bigger scheme of things. And I first went in 72 and like you, was born into the Villa. My only consolation these days, and it's not much of a one, is that I suspect a lot of other teams' fans feel just as disengaged. Liverpool fans must constantly wonder what the point is anymore and I even know old school Man City fans who will readily admit they much preferred the old way of things rather than the plastic, false world they now live in where Aguerro et al would bugger off the moment the money dried up or someone came along with a better offer.
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There is a lot of negativity considering this was "an easy three points for West "hoof" Ham".
Yes, because it's much much much bigger than about getting a point at West Ham; in fact, there's way too little negativity
There is too little negativity and that is because it is turning to apathy instead. As was pointed out earlier in this thread the club have put the shutters up and as fans we are starved of information. Yesterday the result was better than I expected but the performance was exactly what I expected, they are in the top four and are not a great deal better than us but our game plan is totally based around not conceding and is unsustainable at this level. Yesterday cost me around £120 to go, ticket/train/couple of pints and it is becoming harder and harder to justify. I actually feel sorry for certain players like Weimann and N'Zogbia who are being asked to play in positions where basically they are defending, if we are going to play this way he may as well start with Bacuna and Richardson who can actually do that job, the amount of running we ask the "forwards" to do totally blunts their attacking threat but I believe that he (Lambert) picks them to give the impression that we are an attack minded team. It may be viewed as negative but we are a wretched side as a direct consequence of being part of what is currently a wretched organisation, I honestly believe that the players are better than the level of performance (both results and being better to watch) than we are currently delivering, but they have to play the way they are told and the fact that it is clear that nothing is about to change that is driving the apathy both on and off the pitch. Sadly until the club is sold nothing will change.
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Exactly what input does Krulak have these days? I doubt that he's set foot in Villa Park for 3 years. Someone like Graham Taylor would be far more beneficial, a proper football man.
I doubt he's ever had any apart from his brief of keeping us on message. He probably decided he just didn't want to do it any more and retired to the US to do something cosier and that he understood.
Remember that bizarre statement he came out with around the same time as Lerner's shunnamite drivel? Made it sound like Randy was off to spy in North Korea or something. I couldn't believe he was still knocking around given we'd seen hide nor hair of him for about five years.
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Sad isn't it? To think that I am so pissed off with the Villa when my mother carried me in her arms on foot from Ladypool Rd to Aston so that I did not have to have the word "Birmingham" on my birth certificate. She would be ashamed of me.
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the most depressing thing is nothing will change until we have a change of owner. I was clinging to the hope that seven or eight straight defeats would see this imposter off but I'm beginning to think that even relegation won't do it. The next four years will like listening to Leonard Cohen non-stop, on some continuous aural loop from hell whilst reading the Daily Mail.
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That's a good point today under the circumstances and west hams rich vein of form. The goals for column though is of massive concern now. Almost a third of the season gone and we've scored a measly 5 goals !!
That's the most shocking stat of all and will be hard to stay up with that goal ratio.
So true, its a damming statistic and if we dont vastly improve goals for we wil be sunk.
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I am apathetic
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Fewest goals scored in a season record is held by Derby 07/08, 20 goals . Lambert is on to smash this with flying colours.
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What a prick Lambert is. Jotting down god knows what on his notepad. I'm sick of the sight of him and that gum munching testicle, Keane.
A point is nice, but a little bit of ambition please Paul, you absolute scrotum.
Some choice words there Nik. Can't disagree with any!
Haha. Hello Aftab, how is life mate? Any planned trips to Tokyo in the pipeline?
Lambert and his tactics are enough to drive me to the brink of insanity. So far, an abysmal season.
We are being ground down in to accepting survival season after season should be good enough for us and there is not much we can do about it and that's hard to fathom.
No plan for Japan until after first quarter next year I am afraid. China and Korea are priority these days.
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I love Guzan, he's been my favourite player for the last couple of seasons now,
he had a good game yesterday and never put a foot wrong apart from coming out for a ball in the first half and missing it fortunately the header went wide of the post
But he only had to make two proper saves, one of which was truly brilliant at the end of the game, he gained the point for us because of them, but he wasn't pulling off save after save yesterday, a lot of their chances went wide or straight into his arms
I sat with the West Ham supporters yesterday, there pick of our team was Sanchez, who looks like a decent signing, and would be a lot better I feel with a bit more quality around him
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Decent point yesterday considering not many were giving us a chance before the game. It's a shame we didn't test their keep a bit more and that's a concern. I know we're missing Benteke but we can't rely on him forever.
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As a stand alone result a point at away against a team doing well is fine however our manager celebrating that is a sad state of affairs.
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Can't believe it's another international break again now .
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"The goals will come" says the clueless one. When Paul ? Not looking likely any time soon
They will as usual for the other team, he's a complete cock haggis of a man.
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An example of how we were managed and manipulated as Krulak came on this and other sites.
That patronising tosser with his ''be there through the thick and thin'' bullshit and ''we know what we are doing''. Crazy as batshit the pair of them.
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An example of how we were managed and manipulated as Krulak came on this and other sites.
That patronising tosser with his ''be there through the thick and thin'' bullshit and ''we know what we are doing''. Crazy as batshit the pair of them.
He sucked the majority of us in. That ''we know what we are doing'' quote is actually very disturbing in hindsight, when it's apparently clear that none of them seem to have a Scooby Do
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I love Guzan, he's been my favourite player for the last couple of seasons now,
he had a good game yesterday and never put a foot wrong apart from coming out for a ball in the first half and missing it fortunately the header went wide of the post
But he only had to make two proper saves, one of which was truly brilliant at the end of the game, he gained the point for us because of them, but he wasn't pulling off save after save yesterday, a lot of their chances went wide or straight into his arms
I sat with the West Ham supporters yesterday, there pick of our team was Sanchez, who looks like a decent signing, and would be a lot better I feel with a bit more quality around him
Home too late and hungry to post last night...
There's no doubt Guzan saved us the point yesterday, and some pretty resolute defending and blocking of shots kept the number of on-target attempts down to single figures.
Why the f**k can't we keep the ball? Lost count of the number of times N'Zog had the ball at his feet and it was suddenly with a WHam player, and some really poor passing early on by Westwood and Lowton. Thought Cleverley had his best game for us and at least showed a bit of grit that I hadn't seen in him before...and Sanchez looks the business in a pretty poor side. Still think Gabby can be more of a threat, esp against a hoofer like Collins, and too much pointless running/standing still waiting for the ball by Weimann.
Interesting(???) that most of their threat came from S Downing esq....other than Song (possibly Noble), without him they created very little. We created less, obviously. Obvious that Sam would refer to route 1 stuff with the big blokes available to him.
With a bit more composure both Gabby and Cleverley could have scored with the excellent chances they had.
Stopped the run of bad results and a valuable point but, call me Barbara, we've got a lot of work to do!
UTV!
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In all the years i have been following Villa,it is hard to remember any of our previous managers getting so excited about scraping a goal less draw .Listening to the match on radio,there was only one team likely to score and it certainly was not Villa.
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An example of how we were managed and manipulated as Krulak came on this and other sites.
That patronising tosser with his ''be there through the thick and thin'' bullshit and ''we know what we are doing''. Crazy as batshit the pair of them.
He sucked the majority of us in. That ''we know what we are doing'' quote is actually very disturbing in hindsight, when it's apparently clear that none of them seem to have a Scooby Do
I was sucked in too, I thought it was the beginning of something big and these guys were going to show us how the Americans run a pro sports team, unfortunately he was a bullshitter and a blagger and like Lerner gave up as soon as the going got tough because his heart wasn't in it. Embarassing for him all the times he would leap at dissenters and give them the ''wouldn't want to fight in a trench with you'' speech.
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Sometimes I wish the fans at the match would chant for the manager's head a bit more. I know we should be getting behind the team but Christ the more we sit there saying nothing the more the chairman thinks he can get away with employing such a disaster like Lambert.
Spot on. The penny didn't seem to drop with Lerner that McLeish was not only useless but hated until people started protesting at, I think, the Bolton game. Maybe Lerner is happy go keep going until it starts to get publicly, vocally, and visually embarrassing for him. I cannot imagine fans of other clubs being so apathetic, and this excuse of affecting the team is a total red-herring. It didn't stop the ManYoo fans hiring a plane to express their feelings about Moyes, and people understood why they did it. And anyway, I doubt our lot could play any worse even if the entire crowd turned their backs, and remained silent in between bouts of "Lambert out Lerner out".
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I love Guzan, he's been my favourite player for the last couple of seasons now,
he had a good game yesterday and never put a foot wrong apart from coming out for a ball in the first half and missing it fortunately the header went wide of the post
But he only had to make two proper saves, one of which was truly brilliant at the end of the game, he gained the point for us because of them, but he wasn't pulling off save after save yesterday, a lot of their chances went wide or straight into his arms
I sat with the West Ham supporters yesterday, there pick of our team was Sanchez, who looks like a decent signing, and would be a lot better I feel with a bit more quality around him
Home too late and hungry to post last night...
There's no doubt Guzan saved us the point yesterday, and some pretty resolute defending and blocking of shots kept the number of on-target attempts down to single figures.
Why the f**k can't we keep the ball? Lost count of the number of times N'Zog had the ball at his feet and it was suddenly with a WHam player, and some really poor passing early on by Westwood and Lowton. Thought Cleverley had his best game for us and at least showed a bit of grit that I hadn't seen in him before...and Sanchez looks the business in a pretty poor side. Still think Gabby can be more of a threat, esp against a hoofer like Collins, and too much pointless running/standing still waiting for the ball by Weimann.
Interesting(???) that most of their threat came from S Downing esq....other than Song (possibly Noble), without him they created very little. We created less, obviously. Obvious that Sam would refer to route 1 stuff with the big blokes available to him.
With a bit more composure both Gabby and Cleverley could have scored with the excellent chances they had.
Stopped the run of bad results and a valuable point but, call me Barbara, we've got a lot of work to do!
UTV!
I think a major reason we cannot keep the ball is that neither Gabby or Andi can play with their back to goal. That means we don't have the opportunity to get people forward in numbers and so our only option is to sit deep and try to break on teams, which worked in the first few games of the season. Yesterday, taken in isolation, could be seen as a slight return to that but on the back of a dreadful run it doesn't offer much cheer.
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The problem comes from our method of attack coming from our full backs only. There is so much room in front of them that you would hope to see a wide player occupy. Lowton did well I thought considering he has nobody in front of him.
Couldn't agree more with this. Lambert's omission to even have a winger on the bench is just baffling. Especially when you think that his 2 biggest signings have been 6ft 3" strikers. In yesterday's team, Lowton was effectively our best chance of someone providing an assist, and therefore our 'playmaker'. Shocking.
Things are so bad, I've actually spend most of the last week yearning for Tony Pulis.
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I remember the cold chill than ran thru me when I heard on Radio 5 Live that MON had resigned. I live in constant hope that I will hear the news that Lambert is gone. Infact I will do a dance of delight.
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The problem comes from our method of attack coming from our full backs only. There is so much room in front of them that you would hope to see a wide player occupy. Lowton did well I thought considering he has nobody in front of him.
Couldn't agree more with this. Lambert's omission to even have a winger on the bench is just baffling. Especially when you think that his 2 biggest signings have been 6ft 3" strikers. In yesterday's team, Lowton was effectively our best chance of someone providing an assist, and therefore our 'playmaker'. Shocking.
Things are so bad, I've actually spend most of the last week yearning for Tony Pulis.
Lambert thinks the idea of having a winger is lost in the realms of time. He has said so.Thinks they are outdated.Mr Lambert is a hive of free thinking ideas.
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he brings me out in hives every time I think about him
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the most depressing thing is nothing will change until we have a change of owner. I was clinging to the hope that seven or eight straight defeats would see this imposter off but I'm beginning to think that even relegation won't do it. The next four years will like listening to Leonard Cohen non-stop, on some continuous aural loop from hell whilst reading the Daily Mail.
An example of how we were managed and manipulated as Krulak came on this and other sites.
That patronising tosser with his ''be there through the thick and thin'' bullshit and ''we know what we are doing''. Crazy as batshit the pair of them.
He sucked the majority of us in. That ''we know what we are doing'' quote is actually very disturbing in hindsight, when it's apparently clear that none of them seem to have a Scooby Do
Please stop reminding me guys how fucking gullible I was to be sucked in by this fraud. Jesus, how bloody naive was I to think this tosser had our best interests at heart when he was really just an ingratiating little shit
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Sometimes I wish the fans at the match would chant for the manager's head a bit more. I know we should be getting behind the team but Christ the more we sit there saying nothing the more the chairman thinks he can get away with employing such a disaster like Lambert.
Spot on. The penny didn't seem to drop with Lerner that McLeish was not only useless but hated until people started protesting at, I think, the Bolton game. Maybe Lerner is happy go keep going until it starts to get publicly, vocally, and visually embarrassing for him. I cannot imagine fans of other clubs being so apathetic, and this excuse of affecting the team is a total red-herring. It didn't stop the ManYoo fans hiring a plane to express their feelings about Moyes, and people understood why they did it. And anyway, I doubt our lot could play any worse even if the entire crowd turned their backs, and remained silent in between bouts of "Lambert out Lerner out".
Wigan away was where the mutiny against McLeish started properly. A 0-0 draw against bottom of the league at the time IIRC.
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I got the party poppers out last night. Nice buffet, bunting out. Guzan, i will happily cup your balls.
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The absolute worst thing in all this is the feeling that the chairman thinks everything is OK, and is one of a handful of people who still believe in this manager.
I can handle being shit over an extended period of time, if I at least feel there is hope for things to get better. There isn't, though. The crushing incompetence that led to Lerner giving Lambert that new deal hangs over us, no matter how much we think he deserves the sack, he is going nowhere.
We have a chairman who is either too stupid to realise how bad things are, or who doesn't care enough to do something about it.
The chairman has demonstrated his stupidity time and time again, but there's also the problem that nobody is advising him about how bad things are and what needs to be done to put them right. It would appear he's surrounded himself with yes men, who are well rewarded for their loyalty, irrespective of their suitability for the job in hand.
He's rarely at the match, but even if he was, the crowd has grown so apathetic that he'd fail to notice much was wrong. He bought himself plenty of goodwill at the club in his first few years, and the fans - who have repeatedly been told by the media that they are fickle - haven't got it in them to demand change from the very top down. Just as Lerner hasn't got the stomach to sack Lambert and embark on another manager search, the fans haven't got the stomach to protest.
Villa are such an irrelevance that the national media simply ignores our plight. It's as if it were almost expected of us, and that the fans should simply accept what and where the club is. If this were happening at Tottenham, it would be all over the back pages until the chairman was hounded out. But this is boring Villa; who cares?
So we have to look to the local press to call out Lerner's many failures, but they don't. I'm not quite sure why this is. Perhaps they'll be denied the few scraps of information and interviews they currently get for their sports pages / programmes? Perhaps they've enjoyed so much hospitality at the club, they feel guilty about criticising it?
The result of all this is that Lerner remains in a bubble. With no pressure from colleagues, fans or the media, he will continue to bounce along aimlessly until it bursts. And it will burst.
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The absolute worst thing in all this is the feeling that the chairman thinks everything is OK, and is one of a handful of people who still believe in this manager.
I can handle being shit over an extended period of time, if I at least feel there is hope for things to get better. There isn't, though. The crushing incompetence that led to Lerner giving Lambert that new deal hangs over us, no matter how much we think he deserves the sack, he is going nowhere.
We have a chairman who is either too stupid to realise how bad things are, or who doesn't care enough to do something about it.
The chairman has demonstrated his stupidity time and time again, but there's also the problem that nobody is advising him about how bad things are and what needs to be done to put them right. It would appear he's surrounded himself with yes men, who are well rewarded for their loyalty, irrespective of their suitability for the job in hand.
He's rarely at the match, but even if he was, the crowd has grown so apathetic that he'd fail to notice much was wrong. He bought himself plenty of goodwill at the club in his first few years, and the fans - who have repeatedly been told by the media that they are fickle - haven't got it in them to demand change from the very top down. Just as Lerner hasn't got the stomach to sack Lambert and embark on another manager search, the fans haven't got the stomach to protest.
Villa are such an irrelevance that the national media simply ignores our plight. It's as if it were almost expected of us, and that the fans should simply accept what and where the club is. If this were happening at Tottenham, it would be all over the back pages until the chairman was hounded out. But this is boring Villa; who cares?
So we have to look to the local press to call out Lerner's many failures, but they don't. I'm not quite sure why this is. Perhaps they'll be denied the few scraps of information and interviews they currently get for their sports pages / programmes? Perhaps they've enjoyed so much hospitality at the club, they feel guilty about criticising it?
The result of all this is that Lerner remains in a bubble. With no pressure from colleagues, fans or the media, he will continue to bounce along aimlessly until it bursts. And it will burst.
I am pretty the reason we are up for sale is that he has recognised his failings. We will bounce along until a buyer can be found.
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I'm sure you are pretty, Chris, and I hope a buyer does come soon. But a buyer will be even less likely to materialise if the club is in a lower division than it is currently, and that is a distinct possibility with Lambert in charge. Only one man can change that.
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West Ham Villa next on Goals on Sunday. Let's see how bothered they are about any of these two clubs?
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An example of how we were managed and manipulated as Krulak came on this and other sites.
That patronising tosser with his ''be there through the thick and thin'' bullshit and ''we know what we are doing''. Crazy as batshit the pair of them.
He sucked the majority of us in. That ''we know what we are doing'' quote is actually very disturbing in hindsight, when it's apparently clear that none of them seem to have a Scooby Do
To be fair, the "we know what we are doing" was in reference to the finance, all said before the banks collapsed and no doubt Randy lost a large fortune.
On the footballing side I've never been convinced they had a clue what they were doing.
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By the way I didn't think either penalty was. For the Cole one he didn't even go down it was just contact it definitely wasn't a free-kick our way but not sure where a penalty is even a consideration.
didn't see who the last one was against but the player went down looking for it. i think because of that the referee didn't give it because he couldn't be too sure of the contact, but the theatrical fall convinced him there couldn't have been too much. Too many pundits have forgotten that contact IS actually allowed.
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the most depressing thing is nothing will change until we have a change of owner. I was clinging to the hope that seven or eight straight defeats would see this imposter off but I'm beginning to think that even relegation won't do it. The next four years will like listening to Leonard Cohen non-stop, on some continuous aural loop from hell whilst reading the Daily Mail.
An example of how we were managed and manipulated as Krulak came on this and other sites.
That patronising tosser with his ''be there through the thick and thin'' bullshit and ''we know what we are doing''. Crazy as batshit the pair of them.
He sucked the majority of us in. That ''we know what we are doing'' quote is actually very disturbing in hindsight, when it's apparently clear that none of them seem to have a Scooby Do
Please stop reminding me guys how fucking gullible I was to be sucked in by this fraud. Jesus, how bloody naive was I to think this tosser had our best interests at heart when he was really just an ingratiating little shit
Can you please knock this level of debate on the head? Thank you.
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The problem comes from our method of attack coming from our full backs only. There is so much room in front of them that you would hope to see a wide player occupy. Lowton did well I thought considering he has nobody in front of him.
Couldn't agree more with this. Lambert's omission to even have a winger on the bench is just baffling. Especially when you think that his 2 biggest signings have been 6ft 3" strikers. In yesterday's team, Lowton was effectively our best chance of someone providing an assist, and therefore our 'playmaker'. Shocking.
Things are so bad, I've actually spend most of the last week yearning for Tony Pulis.
Lambert thinks the idea of having a winger is lost in the realms of time. He has said so.Thinks they are outdated.Mr Lambert is a hive of free thinking ideas.
Thou the only goal we have scored in the last seven games come from nzogbia on the wing.
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I remember that 'we know what we're doing' comment from Krulak. I think it was after we posted our second year of very significant losses and while we were busy signing the likes of sidwell, beye, luke Young, Warnock etc
Fair to say we were right and he was talking out of his bottom. Financial crisis or no financial crisis we were running a massive deficit and weren't even buying very good players for the most part
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The problem comes from our method of attack coming from our full backs only. There is so much room in front of them that you would hope to see a wide player occupy. Lowton did well I thought considering he has nobody in front of him.
Couldn't agree more with this. Lambert's omission to even have a winger on the bench is just baffling. Especially when you think that his 2 biggest signings have been 6ft 3" strikers. In yesterday's team, Lowton was effectively our best chance of someone providing an assist, and therefore our 'playmaker'. Shocking.
Things are so bad, I've actually spend most of the last week yearning for Tony Pulis.
Lambert thinks the idea of having a winger is lost in the realms of time. He has said so.Thinks they are outdated.Mr Lambert is a hive of free thinking ideas.
Thou the only goal we have scored in the last seven games come from nzogbia on the wing.
And many of our few goals last season, whilst we were struggling for goals, came when we actually expanded our play and went wide.
Yet he can't see it.
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If you think about it Tony Morley would have hardly got a look in under our esteemed manager.
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Well in all honesty I'm not sure how West Ham didn't manage to win that. There were plenty of chances, but they were all either spurned, sent straight down the 'keeper's throat, or else were met by a world class save from Guzan.
I think credit to both sides is due. Credit to West Ham for keeping the good play from recent games going and carving plenty of chances out of a side resolute on keeping it tight, and full credit to Villa for working hard for the clean sheet.
Someone said on commentary that it isn't the mark of a good defence to have to make that many last ditch blocks, but nonetheless when you are struggling at the bottom and not scoring goals you have to make a change to the run of defeats any way you can - and when a team isn't playing well the very least you can demand is the players give their all and try their hardest. I think you lot got that from your players yesterday afternoon.
If the desire is there each game, eventually the results will come. Clean sheets are vital when you're struggling for goals, and at the least this Villa team has clean sheets in it.
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If you think about it Tony Morley would have hardly got a look in under our esteemed manager.
It also makes me wonder just why on McGrath's green earth he decided to sign Tonev? I don't wonder just because Tonev is bobbins, but because he's a pure winger. A real head scratcher.
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Krulak lost all my respect when he jumped ship.
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Well in all honesty I'm not sure how West Ham didn't manage to win that. There were plenty of chances, but they were all either spurned, sent straight down the 'keeper's throat, or else were met by a world class save from Guzan.
I think credit to both sides is due. Credit to West Ham for keeping the good play from recent games going and carving plenty of chances out of a side resolute on keeping it tight, and full credit to Villa for working hard for the clean sheet.
Someone said on commentary that it isn't the mark of a good defence to have to make that many last ditch blocks, but nonetheless when you are struggling at the bottom and not scoring goals you have to make a change to the run of defeats any way you can - and when a team isn't playing well the very least you can demand is the players give their all and try their hardest. I think you lot got that from your players yesterday afternoon.
If the desire is there each game, eventually the results will come. Clean sheets are vital when you're struggling for goals, and at the least this Villa team has clean sheets in it.
I agree with the point on defending. I've felt that all season in certain games. Even when we weren't conceding goals it wasn't particularly down to fantastic organisation or disciplined defenders, it was more a case of strength by numbers. To me that doesn't equate to good organisation. That to me suggests not having an idea of how to organise and trying to drown the opposition out with numbers.
Inviting a constant stream of pressure on your defence is also tactically inept too. We came very much unstuck for 6 games, and but for Guzan, it would have been 7.
West Ham should have won yesterday to be honest. I actually think they were below par. Just a little rushed in the final ball and a little sloppy at times. Had they been up to the standard of recent weeks, Sakho in particular, they'd have scored.
It was good for us to get a point but we rode our luck, not just because West Ham created a lot more, but because we caught them on a day they were a little lacklustre up top.
I'm glad Carroll didn't get more than 3 minutes too. He had the beating of us in the air. Quite easily.
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Missed the kick off by 10 minutes because of tube trouble at Mile End and there being just 1 turnstyle open in the Villa end. Queued up for an hour in the pissing rain outside Upton Park tube afterwards. We might have ended a shit run of 6 defeats but I'm fucked if I'm celebrating a nil nil at West Ham.
Good pub in Mile End though. Very strange boozer. Bumped into Darren Woolley too, which is always a bonus.
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I remember that 'we know what we're doing' comment from Krulak. I think it was after we posted our second year of very significant losses and while we were busy signing the likes of sidwell, beye, luke Young, Warnock etc
Fair to say we were right and he was talking out of his bottom. Financial crisis or no financial crisis we were running a massive deficit and weren't even buying very good players for the most part
That's a point I have raised a few times in recent years, that whole attitude that we shouldn't worry our little heads about the finances and they knew fully what they were doing.
In fact, people weren't just discussing the money spent on fees with him, but also mentioned the wage bill.
Then overnight, he disappears.
I never really liked the Krulak thread. I think he's clearly a good man who was trying to help, but I don't think it really did help. However, having said that, the way they abruptly disengaged overnight without so much as a two line note saying he was off was very, very poor.
It made me think two things. One was that, despite telling us they'd be here through thick and thin, they were off at the first hint of "thin". Two, that given the "who cares" manner of his disappearance from here, the minute that whole "engaging with the fans" thing became more about us than them, they knocked it right on the head in a manner which suggested they didn't really give much of a shit what we thought about it.
It's a shame.
It isn't, and shouldn't all be about just throwing money at it. Randy can point to the huge sums he has spent. The problem is, it is also about having some real nous and making sure it gets spent properly, and that is the reason why he's never going to get that money back, and is a contributing factor to our transformation into a more glamorous Wigan in the last three or four years.
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Is there really such a person as Darren Woolley? I thought he must be a made up character to be so clever and minimalist.
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I think the most worrying part about Villa under Lerner/Lambert is that we go into games without a single intention of trying to win. Instead we surrender possesion from the off, sit back and defend for our lives and hope we hit them on the break at some point. That's why whenever we're not losing a game we're on tenterhooks waiting for the final whistle.
It's absolutely dreadful to watch and depressing to think this is Aston Villa under Randy Lerner and Paul Lambert. It can't end quick enough for me.
Couldn't agree more.
We're sub-McLeisian in our lack of ambition.
Had to laugh at Lambert saying we started on the front-foot defending strongly. Sone front foot is that.
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Missed the kick off by 10 minutes because of tube trouble at Mile End and there being just 1 turnstyle open in the Villa end. Queued up for an hour in the pissing rain outside Upton Park tube afterwards. We might have ended a shit run of 6 defeats but I'm fucked if I'm celebrating a nil nil at West Ham.
Good pub in Mile End though. Very strange boozer. Bumped into Darren Woolley too, which is always a bonus.
Same as me Chico. I got there at about 20 past 3. Then I was with me 5 yr old when the heavens opened trying to get Upton Park tube.
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I was in that significant queue at the tube after last years 0-0 and remember thinking kin hell this is one long queue.
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Didn't get it....queue for 30 mins and get on a train that's half empty!
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not in the least defending what has happened but it is still a bit nuts that after losing 6 of 7, scoring only once we are 3 points back of Liverpool
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not in the least defending what has happened but it is still a bit nuts that after losing 6 or 7, scoring only once we are 3 points back of Liverpool
I think that's more a measure of how shit Liverpool are without Suarez and Sturridge
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not in the least defending what has happened but it is still a bit nuts that after losing 6 or 7, scoring only once we are 3 points back of Liverpool
I think that's more a measure of how shit Liverpool are without Suarez and Sturridge
no doubt that plays into it. But given their expenditure that's an abysmal return on their part.
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I got on the tube pretty quickish...but I did leave right on injury time and before the Carroll and Guzan show.
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not in the least defending what has happened but it is still a bit nuts that after losing 6 or 7, scoring only once we are 3 points back of Liverpool
I think that's more a measure of how shit Liverpool are without Suarez and Sturridge
no doubt that plays into it. But given their expenditure that's an abysmal return on their part.
You could say the same about Ci£y and their almost vulgar spending spree yet pathetic showing in the "champions" league.
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not in the least defending what has happened but it is still a bit nuts that after losing 6 or 7, scoring only once we are 3 points back of Liverpool
I think that's more a measure of how shit Liverpool are without Suarez and Sturridge
no doubt that plays into it. But given their expenditure that's an abysmal return on their part.
Indeed the scousers are calling for Rodgers head mere months after he almost took them to the league title. Imagine him getting the boot in the coming weeks not long after finishing second and Lambert remains safe as houses now, and probably will do until the day Lerner sells up.
Unless Rodgers turns it around, undoubtedly the fans will end up contributing to him getting the boot. I don't think we have that power any more.
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not in the least defending what has happened but it is still a bit nuts that after losing 6 or 7, scoring only once we are 3 points back of Liverpool
I think that's more a measure of how shit Liverpool are without Suarez and Sturridge
no doubt that plays into it. But given their expenditure that's an abysmal return on their part.
Indeed the scousers are calling for Rodgers head mere months after he almost took them to the league title. Imagine him getting the boot in the coming weeks not long after finishing second and Lambert remains safe as houses now, and probably will do until the day Lerner sells up.
Unless Rodgers turns it around, undoubtedly the fans will end up contributing to him getting the boot. I don't think we have that power any more.
To be fair, the Liverpool fans you're referring to are clearly bellends.
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To be fair, the Liverpool fans you're referring to are clearly bellends.
Of course they are, they're Liverpool fans.
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not in the least defending what has happened but it is still a bit nuts that after losing 6 or 7, scoring only once we are 3 points back of Liverpool
I think that's more a measure of how shit Liverpool are without Suarez and Sturridge
no doubt that plays into it. But given their expenditure that's an abysmal return on their part.
Indeed the scousers are calling for Rodgers head mere months after he almost took them to the league title. Imagine him getting the boot in the coming weeks not long after finishing second and Lambert remains safe as houses now, and probably will do until the day Lerner sells up.
Unless Rodgers turns it around, undoubtedly the fans will end up contributing to him getting the boot. I don't think we have that power any more.
To be fair, the Liverpool fans you're referring to are clearly bellends.
Very true.
It was always going to be a struggle without Suarez and losing Sturridge to injury and Balotelli has been incredibly disappointing. I don't think those fans had the sense to realise they punched above their weight last season, largely carried by one player. He turned a lot of games single handed.
What they're seeing is a side that minus one player aren't really top 4 standard, and have suffered injuries on top which has left them drifting round mid-table. They'll still end up finishing around 5th-7th this season in the end though.
I think even Saurez knew that this season would be more difficult, even if he was still with them. And it would have been. Last season they benefited from Utd's fall from grace, Spurs losing Bale and Chelsea not signing a top goalscorer in their prime.
Granted they've blown a lot of money in the last window on average players though so I understand the frustration, but they could have spent even more and been no closer. They can't attract another Suarez standard of player, which ultimately, to push them into the fighting class of title contenders again, they need. Much like Everton finishing 4th under Moyes. One season doesn't make u a top 4 side. Likewise one title challenge doesn't make Liverpool a top 2 side.
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Hang on a minute, I was lead to believe Liverpool was the most knowledgeable city in the galaxy on football ?
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Thou the only goal we have scored in the last seven games come from nzogbia on the wing.
True. But N'zogbia was playing up front in that game with Weimann and Cleverley narrow in midfield. I thought it worked well and I'd like to see it again when Benteke is back. And possibly v southampton.
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Missed the kick off by 10 minutes because of tube trouble at Mile End and there being just 1 turnstyle open in the Villa end. Queued up for an hour in the pissing rain outside Upton Park tube afterwards. We might have ended a shit run of 6 defeats but I'm fucked if I'm celebrating a nil nil at West Ham.
Good pub in Mile End though. Very strange boozer. Bumped into Darren Woolley too, which is always a bonus.
Same as me Chico. I got there at about 20 past 3. Then I was with me 5 yr old when the heavens opened trying to get Upton Park tube.
Not much use to you today but if we get to go to Upton Park again it is so much quicker and easier to get the tube at East Ham, I stayed in right until the end and walked back (15 minutes) and was back at St Pancras by 5.40.
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If we stay up I think it's 2 more visits. Then Olympic stadium
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Well in all honesty I'm not sure how West Ham didn't manage to win that. There were plenty of chances, but they were all either spurned, sent straight down the 'keeper's throat, or else were met by a world class save from Guzan.
I think credit to both sides is due. Credit to West Ham for keeping the good play from recent games going and carving plenty of chances out of a side resolute on keeping it tight, and full credit to Villa for working hard for the clean sheet.
Someone said on commentary that it isn't the mark of a good defence to have to make that many last ditch blocks, but nonetheless when you are struggling at the bottom and not scoring goals you have to make a change to the run of defeats any way you can - and when a team isn't playing well the very least you can demand is the players give their all and try their hardest. I think you lot got that from your players yesterday afternoon.
If the desire is there each game, eventually the results will come. Clean sheets are vital when you're struggling for goals, and at the least this Villa team has clean sheets in it.
I agree with the point on defending. I've felt that all season in certain games. Even when we weren't conceding goals it wasn't particularly down to fantastic organisation or disciplined defenders, it was more a case of strength by numbers. To me that doesn't equate to good organisation. That to me suggests not having an idea of how to organise and trying to drown the opposition out with numbers.
Inviting a constant stream of pressure on your defence is also tactically inept too. We came very much unstuck for 6 games, and but for Guzan, it would have been 7.
West Ham should have won yesterday to be honest. I actually think they were below par. Just a little rushed in the final ball and a little sloppy at times. Had they been up to the standard of recent weeks, Sakho in particular, they'd have scored.
It was good for us to get a point but we rode our luck, not just because West Ham created a lot more, but because we caught them on a day they were a little lacklustre up top.
I'm glad Carroll didn't get more than 3 minutes too. He had the beating of us in the air. Quite easily.
Agree with you pretty much on the last-ditch blocks and tackles supertom, but against Stoke and 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' away this season we did actually defend well, ie: we didn't let them create openings/chances and I felt pretty confident that neither were going to score because of our new-found defensive organisation and strength.
Since then it has definitely been last-ditch-throwing-bodies-on-the-line kind of stuff, fans thinking it's just a matter of time before one (or more) of those attempted blocks/tackles don't come off. It felt like that's the way it was going yesterday, esp after WHam's big lads came on. Overjoyed that we held on to stop the run of crap results, gained a point and depression lifted slightly.
Not holding my breath though!
UTV!
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Well in all honesty I'm not sure how West Ham didn't manage to win that. There were plenty of chances, but they were all either spurned, sent straight down the 'keeper's throat, or else were met by a world class save from Guzan.
I think credit to both sides is due. Credit to West Ham for keeping the good play from recent games going and carving plenty of chances out of a side resolute on keeping it tight, and full credit to Villa for working hard for the clean sheet.
Someone said on commentary that it isn't the mark of a good defence to have to make that many last ditch blocks, but nonetheless when you are struggling at the bottom and not scoring goals you have to make a change to the run of defeats any way you can - and when a team isn't playing well the very least you can demand is the players give their all and try their hardest. I think you lot got that from your players yesterday afternoon.
If the desire is there each game, eventually the results will come. Clean sheets are vital when you're struggling for goals, and at the least this Villa team has clean sheets in it.
I agree with the point on defending. I've felt that all season in certain games. Even when we weren't conceding goals it wasn't particularly down to fantastic organisation or disciplined defenders, it was more a case of strength by numbers. To me that doesn't equate to good organisation. That to me suggests not having an idea of how to organise and trying to drown the opposition out with numbers.
Inviting a constant stream of pressure on your defence is also tactically inept too. We came very much unstuck for 6 games, and but for Guzan, it would have been 7.
West Ham should have won yesterday to be honest. I actually think they were below par. Just a little rushed in the final ball and a little sloppy at times. Had they been up to the standard of recent weeks, Sakho in particular, they'd have scored.
It was good for us to get a point but we rode our luck, not just because West Ham created a lot more, but because we caught them on a day they were a little lacklustre up top.
I'm glad Carroll didn't get more than 3 minutes too. He had the beating of us in the air. Quite easily.
Agree with you pretty much on the last-ditch blocks and tackles supertom, but against Stoke and 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' away this season we did actually defend well, ie: we didn't let them create openings/chances and I felt pretty confident that neither were going to score because of our new-found defensive organisation and strength.
Since then it has definitely been last-ditch-throwing-bodies-on-the-line kind of stuff, fans thinking it's just a matter of time before one (or more) of those attempted blocks/tackles don't come off. It felt like that's the way it was going yesterday, esp after WHam's big lads came on. Overjoyed that we held on to stop the run of crap results, gained a point and depression lifted slightly.
Not holding my breath though!
UTV!
Yep we got Stoke and Pool right. Liverpool in particular, what I like about the way we defended was, that beside the second half, we didn't invite too much pressure, and we also defended up the pitch and took Gerrard out the game. That to me was considered. You stop them at their source before they get near your box.
We need to do that more. Camping 9-10 men on the edge of the box will only invite pressure and delay the inevitable.
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If we stay up I think it's 2 more visits. Then Olympic stadium
No, just the one now; they will move in Summer 2016.
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Well in all honesty I'm not sure how West Ham didn't manage to win that. There were plenty of chances, but they were all either spurned, sent straight down the 'keeper's throat, or else were met by a world class save from Guzan.
I think credit to both sides is due. Credit to West Ham for keeping the good play from recent games going and carving plenty of chances out of a side resolute on keeping it tight, and full credit to Villa for working hard for the clean sheet.
Someone said on commentary that it isn't the mark of a good defence to have to make that many last ditch blocks, but nonetheless when you are struggling at the bottom and not scoring goals you have to make a change to the run of defeats any way you can - and when a team isn't playing well the very least you can demand is the players give their all and try their hardest. I think you lot got that from your players yesterday afternoon.
If the desire is there each game, eventually the results will come. Clean sheets are vital when you're struggling for goals, and at the least this Villa team has clean sheets in it.
I agree with the point on defending. I've felt that all season in certain games. Even when we weren't conceding goals it wasn't particularly down to fantastic organisation or disciplined defenders, it was more a case of strength by numbers. To me that doesn't equate to good organisation. That to me suggests not having an idea of how to organise and trying to drown the opposition out with numbers.
Inviting a constant stream of pressure on your defence is also tactically inept too. We came very much unstuck for 6 games, and but for Guzan, it would have been 7.
West Ham should have won yesterday to be honest. I actually think they were below par. Just a little rushed in the final ball and a little sloppy at times. Had they been up to the standard of recent weeks, Sakho in particular, they'd have scored.
It was good for us to get a point but we rode our luck, not just because West Ham created a lot more, but because we caught them on a day they were a little lacklustre up top.
I'm glad Carroll didn't get more than 3 minutes too. He had the beating of us in the air. Quite easily.
Agree with you pretty much on the last-ditch blocks and tackles supertom, but against Stoke and 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' away this season we did actually defend well, ie: we didn't let them create openings/chances and I felt pretty confident that neither were going to score because of our new-found defensive organisation and strength.
Since then it has definitely been last-ditch-throwing-bodies-on-the-line kind of stuff, fans thinking it's just a matter of time before one (or more) of those attempted blocks/tackles don't come off. It felt like that's the way it was going yesterday, esp after WHam's big lads came on. Overjoyed that we held on to stop the run of crap results, gained a point and depression lifted slightly.
Not holding my breath though!
UTV!
Yep we got Stoke and Pool right. Liverpool in particular, what I like about the way we defended was, that beside the second half, we didn't invite too much pressure, and we also defended up the pitch and took Gerrard out the game. That to me was considered. You stop them at their source before they get near your box.
We need to do that more. Camping 9-10 men on the edge of the box will only invite pressure and delay the inevitable.
Last sentence is spot on supertom!
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Problem is we can do it with our best players in defence once the injuries come we are stuffed. The really annoying part of our inability to score is Lamberts pig headed belief that you don't need wingers,when we were in trouble a few Januarys ago Bent was bought in to feed of our quality wingers and it worked, once the wingers were sold Bent was obsolete. Now we have Benteke but we don't have wingers only forwards playing out of position.
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Problem is we can do it with our best players in defence once the injuries come we are stuffed. The really annoying part of our inability to score is Lamberts pig headed belief that you don't need wingers,when we were in trouble a few Januarys ago Bent was bought in to feed of our quality wingers and it worked, once the wingers were sold Bent was obsolete. Now we have Benteke but we don't have wingers only forwards playing out of position.
It's the future don't you know.
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Problem is we can do it with our best players in defence once the injuries come we are stuffed. The really annoying part of our inability to score is Lamberts pig headed belief that you don't need wingers,when we were in trouble a few Januarys ago Bent was bought in to feed of our quality wingers and it worked, once the wingers were sold Bent was obsolete. Now we have Benteke but we don't have wingers only forwards playing out of position.
I was watching the Brighton v Blackburn highlights vid on another thread, to see Gary Gardners goal. Anyway, Blackburns goal stood out. A quality cross coming in and a fantastic header from their front man. It's frustrating because we should be having someone attacking fullbacks and delivering crosses into the box for Benteke. But we've barely given him anything to attack since he's come back. The best ball he's had, Joe Cole got in the way.
Again though, if we're putting all our hopes on defenders to deliver the crosses, we're doomed.
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We only ever cross from deep - 20 or 30 yards from the by-line. Probably because the full-back is knackered by the time he's trundled that far up the pitch.
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We only ever cross from deep - 20 or 30 yards from the by-line. Probably because the full-back is knackered by the time he's trundled that far up the pitch.
And inevitably has no one supporting and no other choice. We never attack fullbacks two on one. We can't expect players like Aly, Lowton and Hutton to be taking on and beating opposition midfielders and fullbacks. They're not tricky wingers, they're fullbacks. But Lambert still persists flogging a dead horse.
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Well in all honesty I'm not sure how West Ham didn't manage to win that. There were plenty of chances, but they were all either spurned, sent straight down the 'keeper's throat, or else were met by a world class save from Guzan.
I think credit to both sides is due. Credit to West Ham for keeping the good play from recent games going and carving plenty of chances out of a side resolute on keeping it tight, and full credit to Villa for working hard for the clean sheet.
Someone said on commentary that it isn't the mark of a good defence to have to make that many last ditch blocks, but nonetheless when you are struggling at the bottom and not scoring goals you have to make a change to the run of defeats any way you can - and when a team isn't playing well the very least you can demand is the players give their all and try their hardest. I think you lot got that from your players yesterday afternoon.
If the desire is there each game, eventually the results will come. Clean sheets are vital when you're struggling for goals, and at the least this Villa team has clean sheets in it.
I agree with the point on defending. I've felt that all season in certain games. Even when we weren't conceding goals it wasn't particularly down to fantastic organisation or disciplined defenders, it was more a case of strength by numbers. To me that doesn't equate to good organisation. That to me suggests not having an idea of how to organise and trying to drown the opposition out with numbers.
Inviting a constant stream of pressure on your defence is also tactically inept too. We came very much unstuck for 6 games, and but for Guzan, it would have been 7.
West Ham should have won yesterday to be honest. I actually think they were below par. Just a little rushed in the final ball and a little sloppy at times. Had they been up to the standard of recent weeks, Sakho in particular, they'd have scored.
It was good for us to get a point but we rode our luck, not just because West Ham created a lot more, but because we caught them on a day they were a little lacklustre up top.
I'm glad Carroll didn't get more than 3 minutes too. He had the beating of us in the air. Quite easily.
Agree with you pretty much on the last-ditch blocks and tackles supertom, but against Stoke and 'The Mighty Reds YNWA' away this season we did actually defend well, ie: we didn't let them create openings/chances and I felt pretty confident that neither were going to score because of our new-found defensive organisation and strength.
Since then it has definitely been last-ditch-throwing-bodies-on-the-line kind of stuff, fans thinking it's just a matter of time before one (or more) of those attempted blocks/tackles don't come off. It felt like that's the way it was going yesterday, esp after WHam's big lads came on. Overjoyed that we held on to stop the run of crap results, gained a point and depression lifted slightly.
Not holding my breath though!
UTV!
Yep we got Stoke and Pool right. Liverpool in particular, what I like about the way we defended was, that beside the second half, we didn't invite too much pressure, and we also defended up the pitch and took Gerrard out the game. That to me was considered. You stop them at their source before they get near your box.
We need to do that more. Camping 9-10 men on the edge of the box will only invite pressure and delay the inevitable.
Last sentence is spot on supertom!
I also agree with supertom , with the advantage of being able to watch the game live on TV and get a better overall view of the Play I thought that in the 2nd half particularly our passing was much improved and as supertom implies , we did,nt invite them to attack us as we have done in previous games . Cleverly improves with every game and despite his shortcomings N'Zogbia worked his socks off , as in fact did their whole team . Charlie Nicholls on Sky best summed up the Game for me
" In the initial 20 minutes, Villa looked really nervous at the back and managed to get away with a lot of situations but they gradually crept into the game. The big problem for Villa is expressing themselves. They have got to have better quality when they get the ball because it’s hard enough to get it. They had no Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor never really threatened much, but he should have scored in the first half. In the second half they had great spells in the game.
West Ham made plenty of opportunities. Sakho didn’t get many opportunities until the final 20 minutes and Guzan had an absolutely outstanding day. It was a thoroughly enjoyable 0-0, it really was. It was a very exciting game with plenty of chances created and Aston Villa should take a lot of credit. It was an enjoyable point for Paul Lambert, but Sam Allardyce will be frustrated " ..............Godzvilla!
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Problem is we can do it with our best players in defence once the injuries come we are stuffed. The really annoying part of our inability to score is Lamberts pig headed belief that you don't need wingers,when we were in trouble a few Januarys ago Bent was bought in to feed of our quality wingers and it worked, once the wingers were sold Bent was obsolete. Now we have Benteke but we don't have wingers only forwards playing out of position.
It's the future don't you know.
The problem with this is that he's right, out and out wingers are a dying breed and the changes to the game have caused that, mainly because fullbacks are so much better on the ball now than was normal previously. The problem is what has replaced them are players like Bale, Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar (I'm purposely picking the best ones because they're players that have perfectly adapted to the new breed of inside forward that bosses the game now) who play in between the lines, not attacking midfielders but not strikers, not central but not wide. Lambert is trying to replicate those players by getting a couple of out and out strikers to play out of position. What you need now is a player that makes the fullback cautious and holds them a bit deeper.
As for Saturday the underlying issues there were the same as they have been for the last 2 months, you just can't allow yourself to be so little threat going forward, the longer that continues the bolder the opposition become. The reality is Sam left it 10minutes too late to bring Carroll on, if he'd made that change on 80minutes I don't think we'd have held out and our only hope of getting anything from the game was to do just that.
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I heard Kevin Kilbane criticizing Guzan last week (presumably as he keeps Given out of the side), but he was immense on Saturday. Still think its a position which needs strengthing though, especially if he gets injured
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We are a team with no personality basically. There is no style or attitude to impose on games and we are so one dimensional with only the star picks from Football Manager 2007 on the bench.
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I heard Kevin Kilbane criticizing Guzan last week (presumably as he keeps Given out of the side), but he was immense on Saturday. Still think its a position which needs strengthing though, especially if he gets injured
To be honest for a couple of games I thought the Goose was looking a little like he needed a kick up the arse, potentially temporarily having Given come in.
However he was immense saturday and I hope he keeps it up.
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The smartest thing Lambert did was getting Guzan back, he has saved us numerous times and today he probably saved Lamberts job.
This is something I'll always agree with. People forget he was effectively a Lambert signing, and I personally think he's been more pivotal than Benteke and Vlaar.
I can see this point because you can pin point certain saves he has made in crucial games which have played a important role in keeping us up. And Guzan has remained consistent no matter how bad the team have been playing. Benteke is still a young player, and has injury problems, and sadly we may not have him long enough to see the best of him.