Quote from: Nev on December 13, 2021, 10:10:47 AMQuote from: Abbeyfealeavfc on December 13, 2021, 09:31:29 AMQuote from: Nev on December 13, 2021, 09:13:21 AMFor this game alone the manager had to prioritise not losing. Had he played openly and we'd been dicked 4 or 5 can you just imagine the reaction from the fans? I think he was conscious of the behavior of Houllier and you could see that the way he handled himself on Saturday. That's without the gulf in class between the sides, and poor officiating.Should we approach games in such a fashion on a regular basis then I will call in question his tactics but for Saturday he gets a pass from me....but we did lose.Our goal led a charmed life and if it wasn't for Tyrone and Emi we could easily have lost by 2 or 3 goals even without the need for their penalty.I'd sooner have a go at teams, show little respect and lose trying (remember it's not that long ago we scored 8 goals against them).So would I but I can also see the Managers thinking. Gerrard is a pragmatist, that I think is obvious.I appreciate your comments Nev.It's early days and Saturday's performance never mind the result will hopefully be an exception to how we normally play.Like most Villa fans probably, I've been fed up with Villa 'knowing their place' when playing the sl6 and hardly laying a glove on them. It's been refreshing the last few years ruffling the feathers of the majority of these clubs and taking our place close to if not on the top table. Saturday was a frustrating throw-back for me and one that I hope is rarely repeated.
Quote from: Abbeyfealeavfc on December 13, 2021, 09:31:29 AMQuote from: Nev on December 13, 2021, 09:13:21 AMFor this game alone the manager had to prioritise not losing. Had he played openly and we'd been dicked 4 or 5 can you just imagine the reaction from the fans? I think he was conscious of the behavior of Houllier and you could see that the way he handled himself on Saturday. That's without the gulf in class between the sides, and poor officiating.Should we approach games in such a fashion on a regular basis then I will call in question his tactics but for Saturday he gets a pass from me....but we did lose.Our goal led a charmed life and if it wasn't for Tyrone and Emi we could easily have lost by 2 or 3 goals even without the need for their penalty.I'd sooner have a go at teams, show little respect and lose trying (remember it's not that long ago we scored 8 goals against them).So would I but I can also see the Managers thinking. Gerrard is a pragmatist, that I think is obvious.
Quote from: Nev on December 13, 2021, 09:13:21 AMFor this game alone the manager had to prioritise not losing. Had he played openly and we'd been dicked 4 or 5 can you just imagine the reaction from the fans? I think he was conscious of the behavior of Houllier and you could see that the way he handled himself on Saturday. That's without the gulf in class between the sides, and poor officiating.Should we approach games in such a fashion on a regular basis then I will call in question his tactics but for Saturday he gets a pass from me....but we did lose.Our goal led a charmed life and if it wasn't for Tyrone and Emi we could easily have lost by 2 or 3 goals even without the need for their penalty.I'd sooner have a go at teams, show little respect and lose trying (remember it's not that long ago we scored 8 goals against them).
For this game alone the manager had to prioritise not losing. Had he played openly and we'd been dicked 4 or 5 can you just imagine the reaction from the fans? I think he was conscious of the behavior of Houllier and you could see that the way he handled himself on Saturday. That's without the gulf in class between the sides, and poor officiating.Should we approach games in such a fashion on a regular basis then I will call in question his tactics but for Saturday he gets a pass from me.
Quote from: LeeB on December 13, 2021, 09:58:53 AMComparisons with Bruce are a bit off, not getting a shot on target against one of the best teams in the world is one thing but doing it against Cardiff or Sheffield Utd is a whole other thing entirelyNah, they're not. Our possession in other games (Brighton, Palace and Man City) has been really low too, we'll create chances against weaker teams playing that way, but against Liverpool the system was exposed.I'm pleased with everything Gerrard did (e.g. waving to our fans) and said (about the fuss around him being ex-Liverpool) and of course we need to tighten up the chances we gave conceded but I'm surprised at the line-up. effectively 4-5-1 and no width.
Comparisons with Bruce are a bit off, not getting a shot on target against one of the best teams in the world is one thing but doing it against Cardiff or Sheffield Utd is a whole other thing entirely
Liverpool 1-0 Aston Villa: Mohamed Salah penalty secures win on Steven's Gerrard Anfield return - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59529642
The ref also playing to the crowd helps too!
Quote from: Abbeyfealeavfc on December 13, 2021, 10:38:07 AMQuote from: Nev on December 13, 2021, 10:10:47 AMQuote from: Abbeyfealeavfc on December 13, 2021, 09:31:29 AMQuote from: Nev on December 13, 2021, 09:13:21 AMFor this game alone the manager had to prioritise not losing. Had he played openly and we'd been dicked 4 or 5 can you just imagine the reaction from the fans? I think he was conscious of the behavior of Houllier and you could see that the way he handled himself on Saturday. That's without the gulf in class between the sides, and poor officiating.Should we approach games in such a fashion on a regular basis then I will call in question his tactics but for Saturday he gets a pass from me....but we did lose.Our goal led a charmed life and if it wasn't for Tyrone and Emi we could easily have lost by 2 or 3 goals even without the need for their penalty.I'd sooner have a go at teams, show little respect and lose trying (remember it's not that long ago we scored 8 goals against them).So would I but I can also see the Managers thinking. Gerrard is a pragmatist, that I think is obvious.I appreciate your comments Nev.It's early days and Saturday's performance never mind the result will hopefully be an exception to how we normally play.Like most Villa fans probably, I've been fed up with Villa 'knowing their place' when playing the sl6 and hardly laying a glove on them. It's been refreshing the last few years ruffling the feathers of the majority of these clubs and taking our place close to if not on the top table. Saturday was a frustrating throw-back for me and one that I hope is rarely repeated. We haven't got the players to go toe-to-toe with Liverpool. When we played them last year, Grealish was head and shoulders the best player in the league at the time, and Barkley had one of his 1 game in 20 worldie matches, and Liverpool couldn't live with them at all. Norwich will be an interesting match, because it's the first game for Gerrard where we're playing a team below us, and one we're expected to beat, and beat well.
Quote from: baddowvillans on December 13, 2021, 01:24:08 PMThe ref also playing to the crowd helps too!That's the biggest deciding factor. 100%.