Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine

Heroes & Villains => Heroes Discussion => Topic started by: SoccerHQ on December 14, 2016, 10:49:18 AM

Title: Mentality in away games.
Post by: SoccerHQ on December 14, 2016, 10:49:18 AM
So in the early games under SB we played very defensively at Reading and SHA but got points.

I thought at the time that approach was correct as we were still brittle mentally so we just needed to learn to pick up poiints.

2 months on though and we're still playing that way and it's costing us now, hardly any shots at Norwich and Leeds in the first hour.

It's a problem with momentum as finally we're winning at home regularly so we then need to go away and win straight after if we want to finish top 6.

Constantly winning at home and then losing the next away game isn't going to push us in the top 6 anytime soon.

Loftus Road is usually a terrible away ground for us but I want to see on Sunday us being positive v QPR from the first minute, pushing players on and getting shots in.

Not starting Agbonlahor might help aswell.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: olaftab on December 14, 2016, 10:50:52 AM
It's not mentality it's tactics.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: OzVilla on December 14, 2016, 10:56:34 AM
I don't think they are mutually exclusive. We need to change both.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: Gareth on December 14, 2016, 11:08:04 AM
For me it's about team selection not mentality, in the early games we played three players in middle with energy i.e. Bacuna but lately the same trap as RDM fell into has been done, trying to shoe horn 4 'attackers' into line up when you don't have enough in the middle to win / retain the ball...that renders those 4 attackers blunt.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: SoccerHQ on December 14, 2016, 11:52:48 AM
It's a bit of both.

Think Eamonn mentioned it on here after one of SB's interviews after an away game recently when he said any point away from home in this league is a good one.

If Steve Bruce thinks that then the players will be sub consciously thinknig when they go out on the pitch "yeah a point will do us here." That and the tactics meaning we don't really want to cross the halfway line for an hour.

Fair enough our home form is very good atm but I wouldn't really want to rely on that for the rest of the season to fire us into the top 6. We need to start winning away.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: Bad English on December 14, 2016, 12:52:46 PM
So i In the early games under SB
Fixed for speakers of British Engerlish.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: olaftab on December 14, 2016, 02:38:02 PM
It's mandatory for anyone under 30 to start  every sentence with "So".
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air on December 14, 2016, 03:18:57 PM
So it's so uncool we are so negative in so many away games.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: PeterWithesShin on December 14, 2016, 03:23:56 PM
So glad u done that.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: adrenachrome on December 14, 2016, 03:28:59 PM
Doh!

A deer, a female deer.

So a needle pulling thread.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: Jon Crofts on December 14, 2016, 03:42:14 PM
It's mandatory for anyone under 30 to start  every sentence with "So".

Surely that's like rather than so.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: Jon Crofts on December 14, 2016, 03:43:35 PM
Maybe add on the telly box into the equation as well.  When was the last time we put in a shift on TV?  FA Cup semi?  Before that you'd need to check your VHS video collection.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: Bad English on December 14, 2016, 04:04:27 PM
Not having Agbonlahor on the coach would be a plus.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: old man villa fan on December 14, 2016, 11:09:12 PM
Not having Agbonlahor on the coach would be a plus.

I wonder how the other players feel about having him back in the side/on the bench.
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: preston28 on December 14, 2016, 11:14:55 PM
So I think the problem is a poor midfield and front players who aren't intelligent so miss the obvious pass then try and beat 3 defenders on their own...
Title: Re: Mentality in away games.
Post by: garyfouroaks on December 21, 2016, 10:56:27 AM
Momentum, a word that can be used to describe movement upwards, and downwards.
Post MON, our momentum had been inexorably downwards. Of course there are explanations, some obvious, some hindsight driven. But what strikes me is that once downwards momentum gathers pace, it is so difficult to stop, let alone reverse.
Lerner had his merits, as did several of our failed managers and players, but all seemed helpless against this irresistible force.
And then Steve Bruce arrives, and everything changes, perhaps it was that simple? Appoint Brucie. Perhaps not. Maybe he is just the right man, at the right time.
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