Post-match thread - Newcastle v Aston Villa

[andyh]

I wish I could look on 'the big picture' and just see it as a point dropped Troy.
But for me, it is even worse having slept on it.
We managed to play football for about 30 mins yesterday, and although the general concencus is that we were on top in that period, we didn't actually have shot on target and I don't recall even getting a corner.
After that initial 30 mins, it was the most total capitulation we have ever witnessed.
This was a batterering from a poor team, not Arsenal,Chelsea, Man U, Liverpool or even Man City.
It was from a team who probably will not finish top half this season and frankly, were not particularly impressive in any way yesterday.

My fear is that we are a rudderless ship while we wait for RL to make his decision on the new manager.
For all the talk we have heard about the team being 'released' and 'unshackled' after MON walked out, maybe there is also a loss of discipline ?
I think there may be an element of 'when the cats away........' at the club.
KM may be a great coach, but it does not make you a manager.
Everyone knows that the coach at a club is the 'mate' of the players whereas the manager is a bit aloof and distant (although we know that MON took this to the extreme).
I'm sure the players respect KM, but not in the way they would respect a top manager.
The majority of players nowadays a pampered prima donnas (ours are no exception) and they need to be kept inline.
For this reason I think its imperrative we get the right man in ASAP to prevent a malaise setting in.

[pauliewalnuts]

Honestly? That's a real opinion? It isn't made up just to make my eyes bleed and head hurt?

NEWCASTLE UNITED 6 - 0 ASTON VILLA

"So, a dropped point. No biggy" :shoots himself in the face thingy:

Absolutely.

Sorry but "a dropped point" does not even begin    to wash.

I went to bed last night feeling physically sick and woke up this morning feeling worse.

This was not even   comparable to losing 1-0 to Everton or something.

We lost 6-0 to a newly promoted side. Look at their teamsheet yesterday. If that isn't humiliation i don't know what is.

[JUAN PABLO]

I woke up and the scoreline hit me straight away , so I put my head back under the pillow...

Maybe these media experts are right when the say there is becoming a gap in the Prem with the big clubs annilihated these small clubs too often.  ;-cc

[Loxton01]

I think alot has been learned from yesterdays game.

1. At the start of the game my friend said he was concerned about the lack of physicality in the midfield and that we were too attacking. I think away from home it showed we were too open. We needed steel and grit when we went behind and too many heads dropped.

2. Albrighton and Clark are emerging prospects not starting 11 yet. We need balance under o'neill they would of got 2 mins a season now we are going too far the other way. They need cameo roles 20 mins here the odd start to bring them on. Albrighton looked tired yesterday.

3. We need 2 or at a minimum 1 new striker. Carroll showed what Carew needed to do yesterday. Carew on his day is still good enough but them days are few and far between. Heskey has gone and has to leave.

4. Randy has to make a decision. Like the general says one good game/ one bad game so far so KMc should not be hounded out but yesterday looked naive. We need direction urgently and randy is the only man who can decide that.

5. Stuart Downing is a luxury. With the ball at his feet he is a good player when its not he the most frustrating little wimp ever. He needs a damn good kick up the arse. We bought the wrong left winger from middlesborough.

6. Before the transfer window closes to have any hope of top six we need a striker and a winger.

[JUAN PABLO]

I agree we need a striker but would love to see a big nasty fooker in midfield....
or even a flamini

[Concrete John]

Couple of points:-

I always think you learn more from your defeats than your victories, so from that perspective this sort of thing can really sort some issues out.  The biggest is Petrov, as when we're under the cosh he really doesn't give you what you need from someone is his position.  Coupled with Ireland, who in hindsight probably shouldn't have started, we can clearly see we need better protection to the back four.  That should mean either a new player coming in or NRC playing more often.

Clark and Albrighton may be good young players, but we can now see that the 'young' bit is quite important.  They'll be good in games like West Ham, but we may need to be prepared to change them when we need a bit more experience and strength when things are tougher.

Team's tend to reflect their manager, so are we now faced with having a side that's technically quite good, but lacking some mental toughness, desire and a will to win?  If that's the case, then K-Mac isn't the man for the job.

As always, these things happen in football, so we need judge the side now by the result itself, but by the reaction to it.  After the Chelsea 7-1 game last season didn't we go on a longish unbeaten run until Man City away?  That's how we put things right!

[Stu]

K-Mac isn't the man for the job.

You got that spot-on. I really wish people would stop touting him for the job, he doesn't want it and is clearly not we need.

[Claret trim]

Yesterday was a blessing in disguise: at least we are now reasonably assured that the (perhaps understandable) wave of sympathy and support for the Board and KM will subside to reveal the situation as it really is, i.e., that the leadership has somehow managed to lose its key employee at a critical time.

If that had happened in my job under my watch, then my boss would be asking me why the hell I didn't have the risk covered. There is no hiding place for the Board I'm afraid, notwithstanding MoN's very poor judgement in terms of timing his departure.

So, we will not have KM as manager. Thank Christ (for us but also for him). We are Aston Villa; Ricky Sbragia type solutions are not for us.

We are beginning to look very naive in terms of our approach at executive level: slightly parochial, unconnected, rudderless, indecisive, out of control of events. We need a quality and experienced manager and very, very quickly and that manager needs to have a week or so to deal in the transfer market. That is so painfully obvious. If it has to be Sven for one year with a medium term plan behind that, then so be it. At least he would likely get the basics of the team setup and approach right. He'd also have an idea about one or two players he would like in, I imagine.

Bob Bradley, why not? Just not this year, it's not the right time.

Come on guys, get your acts together.

[frank]

6. Before the transfer window closes to have any hope of top six we need a striker and a winger.

And, sooner rather than later, a goalkeeper

[darren woolley]

After yesterday's totally inept performance i just hope  this is not a sign of thing's to come and it was just a one off.

[Concrete John]

K-Mac isn't the man for the job.

You got that spot-on. I really wish people would stop touting him for the job, he doesn't want it and is clearly not we need.

Just to be clear, I was raising that as a question/discussion point and not as a conclusion I had come to.  What yesterday might suggest is his lack of desire for the job, if that's right, might transmit to the players, giving us bit of a soft underbelly.   

[Stu]

K-Mac isn't the man for the job.

You got that spot-on. I really wish people would stop touting him for the job, he doesn't want it and is clearly not we need.

Just to be clear, I was raising that as a question/discussion point and not as a conclusion I had come to.  What yesterday might suggest is his lack of desire for the job, if that's right, might transmit to the players, giving us bit of a soft underbelly.   

I know, I was quoting you out of context on purpose because I'm upset and angry

In any case, you're probably right about KM - why some people thought he'd be the next man is utterly beyond me. We NEED someone to come in and steady the team, it's all up in the air atm.

[VillaZogmariner]

I've not read any of the thread, but here is my take.


I've seen us playing worse than we were in the first half yesterday, and be winning.

It was just one of them games I think. Had Carew scored that penalty, or that Young goal not been disallowed I think we'd be here now talking about how K-Mac should get the job and how brilliant we are. However, they never happened and we saw the result of that.

To give up the way we did though is a bit of a worry. As is the fact that after Newcastle got the first goal you could see that we were struggling down the middle, and that Clark was struggling with Carroll. (Who I must admit on the back of that performance can see why Mazrim was raving about him). The latter I blame Dunne for, as he is experienced enough to have been able to see that and should've taken the responsibility away from Clark.

I'm not going to criticise the starting line up, as that is the line up I'd have wanted us to play, and I genuinely think that Newcastle were there for the taking.

[Dave Clark Five]

K-Mac isn't the man for the job.

You got that spot-on. I really wish people would stop touting him for the job, he doesn't want it and is clearly not we need.

Just to be clear, I was raising that as a question/discussion point and not as a conclusion I had come to.  What yesterday might suggest is his lack of desire for the job, if that's right, might transmit to the players, giving us bit of a soft underbelly.   

Our worry was that there was rarely anybody out in the technical area yesterday.
That would have meant a lack of communication from bench to pitch, resulting in a load of loose cannons chasing around. 

[andyh]

6. Before the transfer window closes to have any hope of top six we need a striker and a winger.

And, sooner rather than later, a goalkeeper

I'm glad some else recognises this.
We only have 2 keepers as it is but I think Freidel is nearing the end and I'm not sure Guzan is upto the job.