Post-match thread - Newcastle v Aston Villa

[Toronto Villa]

One of the reasons we lost so heavily today, is because our owner decided to sell our midfield engine and replace him with a player who clearly doesn't have the capacity to fill that role.

You can't say that after one game where everyone around him fell to pieces


I'm not particularly having a go at Ireland he may turn out to be a decent player for us. However on the basis of today's game he was not able to get round the pitch and close players down in the way that Milner did.

So the team was obviously weakened from the first game of the season and the decision to do that was not taken by the football people at the club. I find that worrying.

He hasn't played a full game in good number of months. Give him a chance to get himself match fit because's a lot better than what we saw today. So are the rest of our lot to be honest.

[andrew08]

On my way back. Difficult to understand the game and why we just didn't play.An average performance should get us a win here but we didn't even get close to below average.after such a positive week its dificult to fathom. Congrats to Newcastle though...enjoy the day.I'm stunned that's was just so unVilla

[SteveD]

I'm able to rationalise last week's uplifting 3-0 with today's abysmal 0-6 as two freak results. But in the last two weeks, if Ellis had lost a well regarded manager in those still mysterious circumstances, we'd sold our best player with no guarantee all the money will be spent on replacements (and we still don't know what if anything of the c£16m left will be available) and then we'd turned in a performance like that, we'd be marching down Trinity Road next weekend asking him in no uncertain terms what, the ****'s going on.

[Toronto Villa]

Looking at things positively, despite the loss we're still ahead of Man City and Liverpool, only a point behind Arsenal and Spurs, and three behind Chelsea.

Right?

[JJ-AV]

Just saw Kev Mac on SSN talking, sounded like he'd be offered the job...

'After the next set of games I've got to sit down and decide if it's what I want to do or not what I want to do'.

How did Nige not start?

[spangley1812]

I blame Randy Lerner as he sold James Milner and decided he wanted Ireland to replace him

I blame Randy Lerner as we do not have a new manager

I blame Randy Lerner as Kevin Mac has just said on national TV that he will decide after the Everton game wether he will apply for the job. therefore no new manager will be appointed until after 01/09/10

[Eigentor]

To me, today's defeat was mostly down to:

1. Naive tactics. We cannot beat Newcastle away the same way as West Ham at home. Newcastle controlled the midfield completely. We should have played with three central midfielders, because with only Petrov and Ireland we had no chance of containing them.

2. Poor defending in our own area. Clark's inexperience showed. Dunne and Warnock seems to be out of form. Thus, Newcastle scored almost whenever they had an opportunity. We miss Cuellar, who is our best defender tactically.

3. No attacking threat. Carew is totally out of form and hasn't had a decent pre-season. Heskey is over the top. Agbonlahor is injured.

[5ft811st2 Durham]

I'm able to rationalise last week's uplifting 3-0 with today's abysmal 0-6 as two freak results. But in the last two weeks, if Ellis had lost a well regarded manager in those still mysterious circumstances, we'd sold our best player with no guarantee all the money will be spent on replacements (and we still don't know what if anything of the c£16m left will be available) and then we'd turned in a performance like that, we'd be marching down Trinity Road next weekend asking him in no uncertain terms what, the ****'s going on.

Totally agree. 

[mattjpa]

I blame Randy Lerner as he sold James Milner and decided he wanted Ireland to replace him

I blame Randy Lerner as we do not have a new manager

I blame Randy Lerner as Kevin Mac has just said on national TV that he will decide after the Everton game wether he will apply for the job. therefore no new manager will be appointed until after 01/09/10

Oh dear. the first real anti-randy post ive read. could this be the start of the tide turning? things need sorting out and quick, villa fans are known to be quite fickle! 

[spangley1812]

I'm able to rationalise last week's uplifting 3-0 with today's abysmal 0-6 as two freak results. But in the last two weeks, if Ellis had lost a well regarded manager in those still mysterious circumstances, we'd sold our best player with no guarantee all the money will be spent on replacements (and we still don't know what if anything of the c£16m left will be available) and then we'd turned in a performance like that, we'd be marching down Trinity Road next weekend asking him in no uncertain terms what, the ****'s going on.

Totally agree. 

Well said some people need to wake up and see whats going on around them

[eamonn]

Hindsight makes everything easier and all that but KMac should have realised that

(a) this was Newcastle's first home game back in the Premier League and somewhere where they haven't lost in nearly a year and a half

(b) Collocini, Enrique, Smith, Nolan and Carroll are all tough tacklers or big bruisers. So you put a physical side out to counter it. A midfield/flank of Petrov, Ireland, Albrighton, Downing and Young is piss weak. Not one of them can tackle and break-up play effectively.

Desperately naive.

And yet up until their second goal we were playing some very probing football against their high defensive line.

The first goal was a bit of a fluke but Barton should have been closed down. Friedel parried Nolan's header straight back to him for the second, he really should have been srong enough to turn it to the side. Dunne swung and missed a clearance for the third but our defence was too static and we had  no one on the back post. We were outmuscled for the 4th, the fifth we lose the aerial ball from a corner again, and despite having four Villa shirts around the ball, Nolan is quickest to react. Warnock was awol for the sixth where a simple through ball had us breached all too quickly.

I think a lot of our lads were scared of Newcastle after the third. Young and Warnock were constantly tied in knots on the wings. Carew was so slow to react to the outlet ball all through the game. It was the type of game where Milner would have been more effective than Ireland but we really missed Gabby, Cuellar and Collins. especially. MON had the blueprint for away-day success, and whatever about his many shortcomings, KMac should have mirrored something to how we've played so successfully away from home over the past two years.

[Percy McCarthy]

lets not dwell on the negatives,
 lets take the positives out of the performance and move on !

What were they??? We didn't lose 10?

The only positive we can take from today is it's bloody obvious where we need to strengthen.

The boardroom?

Yep, it is definitely their fault.

Might be, we'll see. Not definite though.

[eamonn]

I blame Randy Lerner as he sold James Milner and decided he wanted Ireland to replace him

Milner wanted to go. Lerner did everything he could to keep him.

[eamonn]

They've not all become bad players inside a week but 9 goals shipped in 2 matches is a worry. 

Eh?

[spangley1812]

I blame Randy Lerner as he sold James Milner and decided he wanted Ireland to replace him

Milner wanted to go. Lerner did everything he could to keep him.

You know that for a fact do you ?? did he offer him £100,000.00 a week, did he offer him the captaincy