Villa 3-0 West Ham: Post Match Thread

[NorthYvillan]

with Collins and Cuellar still to come, the competition for the defence is going to be fierce.

petrov ireland midfield combo looks good but its a bit lightweight. We need another hard tackling midfielder. Reo Coker looks unfit.

With Gabby Weimann and the Fonz, maybe its best to wait till we move for a new striker. I think Heskeys days are numbered.

Of the big wage earners i reckon Davies, one of Sidwell/Reo Coker, Heskey should be released.

Luke Young has to stay, specially since we need backup for warnock as well.

I think Curtis Davies is another player who was short changed by MON. I think he deserves another chance to see what he could do. Otherwise I agree with you.

[old man villa fan]

It was great to see movement from players that didn't have the ball.  It makes it so much easier to play a flowing type of football and take weaker teams apart.

Although Luke Young is not the best fullback in the world, he does understand how to create space by moving off the ball.

Some very good performances and there was plenty of energy all over the pitch.

We did lapse into some of our bad habits at times but that is for another day.

Great to see Kevin Mac taking off 3 players who had played well to receive standing ovations.  He had the presence of mind to do that in the heat of the match so that the players could take the plaudits rather than him.  Would MON have done the same.

[Edvard Remberg]

Oh and another good thing - Weimann came on, and not Heskey. Which i from now on will call hesgo

[alan_clarke]

I bet Randy enjoyed that today too

[Rudy Can't Fail]

The only doubt I have after today is whether or not we should let Legion start a Match Thread again?

[Edvard Remberg]

I bet Randy enjoyed that today too

I bet he had to change shorts after. I would have.

I say KM for boss

[Somniloquism]

We are Game of the day on Sky Sports for anyone interested in seeing the whole 90 mins.

[Mr Diggles]

I haven't enjoyed a league game and felt as positive about the Villa like this since the Sheffield United game in 2006.

Caveat - West Ham were shite, BUT it was great to see the movement the Villa players had, loads of invention and skill. The performance of them all was good (except for Carew who should have had a hattrick), but as others have mentioned, the team seemed to be played with a freedom and joy completely absent from MON teams. Petrov was fantastic, Milner was great (fair play to him for a performance like that - classy guy), Ash excelled, it was great to see L Young do things Cuellar can't even dream of at RB, Downing looked good, Warnock back to good form.

But Albrighton and Clarke stood out for me, especially Albrighton. Not only does he look 'ready' for this level, he looks like he is going to be a future England international. If he is this good now, he must have been ready most of last season - did MON even watch the reserves?

It also feels so good to think we've got Gabby, Delph, Collins and Cuellar to come back into the squad too, and maybe the addition of Ireland (allbeit at Milner's expense).

I'd feel quite confident letting Kevin Mac have the rest of the season as manager, if he wanted it, even though I know there will be far tougher games ahead, and then the Villa directors looking at the situation next summer when some of those more famous and better managers may be more available than they appear to be right now. At least in a KM team we'll show a tactical fluidity that MON did not possess, and see some of the youngsters get some experience and hopefully progress a little.

It also backs up the claims by some of us who claimed that the squad was far more technically gifted than MON's tactics allowed them to show. Without those shackles and tactics based on fear and kick-and-rush the lads demonstrated today a possible vision of the future.

It should have been 5 or 6 - 0.

MON is a footballing neanderthal.

[Edvard Remberg]

Never!

The only doubt I have after today is whether or not we should let Legion start a Match Thread again?

[deero83]

Absolutely fantastic game. The best one I've been to since the Blackburn 6-4. What an inspired decision by me to get a season ticket for the first time this year!! ha ha

Seriously, it was like a cloud had been lifted from the players. It was so refreshing to see some free-flowing slick football for once. Albrighton was immense, the lad is going to have a great season I reckon. Nice to see a player take people on, and the majority of the time, skin them. Clark did a great job at the back, and Milner played very well. Very professional performance by him. Will be a shame to see him go, but if we get someone of the ilk of Ireland, I suspect they can fill his shoes.

[ozzjim]

Wow. Performance and a half from Villa.


Stand outs for me.

Luke Young - got forward well and helped Albrighton have such a good game.

James Milner - felt quite sad as he went off to his deserved ovation. Industry was superb, passing range was a notch above the rest of the side, spotted and played Albrighton in early a number of times, and he took his goal brilliantly. Ireland certainly won't replace his workrate, tenacity and ability to cover behind Petrov. Showed exctly why we wil mis him so much, and having seen City earlier, he will walk into their team.

Ash - Great game and refreshing - played well there a couple of years ago and looks very effective now.

Star - Albrighton. Crossing great, workrate good, control superb and his technique for the volley to create the first was exceptional.

Clarke - struggled in the mad rainstorm, but otherwise looked great.

[Ads]

Let’s not go mad about beating a very poor West Ham side.

But let’s celebrate the fact that we didn’t just beat them, we really beat them. We’re in a different league to them and boy could you tell today! Passing, movement off the ball, width, Young floating everywhere, full backs bombing on, Petrov not being knackered, Big John completing the 90 and looking like a beast. How didn’t he get a hat-trick?! Clacker at the back looking as steady as a veteran. Superb.

I was entertained today.

Viva Albrighton!

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Let’s not go mad about beating a very poor West Ham side.

I was entertained today.

True but we also made them look poor.

You should have read my warning in the pre-match thread Ads - "Be prepared to be entertained". (winky)

[London Villan]

Most convincing win at Villa Park for a good few years. No panic at the end, no stupid goals conceded, great attractive football.

Onwards and upwards!

UTV

[Big Dick Edwards]

We have to be careful not to get carried away after one game, and West Ham may have been woeful but that was the best passing and moving I've seen from a Villa team since the days of Ron Atkinson. The football was scintillating at times. Without exageration it could have been double figures. We hit the woodwork four times and Green made several good saves. Well done to Kevin MacDonald for being so tactically brave, and to every player for justifying his decisions. I've not felt so upbeat about a Villa performance for a long, long time.