Aston Villa v Rapid Vienna Post-Match Thread

[Phil from the upper holte]

Especially those selling alone after the match. Some lovely abuse was encountered.

Why what happened?

[stevenjos]

m) and finally.......... resting players for last week cost us the game the most. We should have got more at their ground.

Only thing that cost us was last night's shambolic performance. As someone who travelled to Vienna, I'll attest that the atmosphere was intimidating and the team put out that evening did incredibly well, especially having taken the lead so early on and done the traditional Villa thing of retreating into defence. The kids did us proud. Some of the so-called professionals that played last night let us down.

orrrr we could have played people that were rested and maybe nicked one more goal and then gone to extra time last night...

Why would a "stronger" team last week faired any better then the "Stronger" team this week. If we had played the without the kids then you have to discount the goal we actually scored as at least one of the players involved wouldn't have been playing. As  i have stated before, hindsight is 20-20 and very subjective. If Albrighton hadn't have been greedy during his bursting run and played Ash in we might have had an earlier goal. If the cross from Heskey had hit NRC slightly differently it could have been a goal or deflected in to Ash's path for an open goal 2 yards out. If Curtis hadn't have played we would have been through. All subjective and only clear in hindsight.

ok why would a stronger team be better then? Why do we want "better" players? Lets just play the kids and what will happen will happen eh? lets rely on luck!

[myf]

m) and finally.......... resting players for last week cost us the game the most. We should have got more at their ground.

Only thing that cost us was last night's shambolic performance. As someone who travelled to Vienna, I'll attest that the atmosphere was intimidating and the team put out that evening did incredibly well, especially having taken the lead so early on and done the traditional Villa thing of retreating into defence. The kids did us proud. Some of the so-called professionals that played last night let us down.

orrrr we could have played people that were rested and maybe nicked one more goal and then gone to extra time last night...

Why would a "stronger" team last week faired any better then the "Stronger" team this week. If we had played the without the kids then you have to discount the goal we actually scored as at least one of the players involved wouldn't have been playing. As  i have stated before, hindsight is 20-20 and very subjective. If Albrighton hadn't have been greedy during his bursting run and played Ash in we might have had an earlier goal. If the cross from Heskey had hit NRC slightly differently it could have been a goal or deflected in to Ash's path for an open goal 2 yards out. If Curtis hadn't have played we would have been through. All subjective and only clear in hindsight.

Quite.  The decision to play a young team last week and come away with a score draw was a masterstroke by KMac.  Don't forget we got beat there last year with a decent line-up.  It was the shocking performance last night on home turf against an average side which cost us.

[stevenjos]

a draw, a masterstroke, think a bit of sick just popped in my mouth....

[pablopicasso_10]

while i could not give two shits about this actual match in terms of europe, the continuation of our piss poor form from last sunday was concerning...

absolutely shocking defending, no protection in front of the defence, players out of position, and generally appalling work rate and effort...

dont get me wrong, there were some signs that there is a good side in there somewhere... even better than the one martin o'neill vindictively and selfishly left 5 days before the season started so to cause maxiumum damage to our season, so that his media knobend mates like oliver holte can then proclaim that we were wrong not to allow him to spunk more money on shite like cuellar, heskey, sidwell, petrov, beye, etc, (at the same time, criticising the likes of portsmouth and leeds for financially gambling), and in the process, protect his own reputation that is largely built down to morons from the sun and the mirror... all respect for that cowardly self absorbed cretin disappeared the day he picked his timing to cause maximum damage and left us right in the shit...

but the signs are there that we could have a good passing side that attack with creativity and fluidity, however, at the moment, we are making the most fundamnetal mistakes that are costing us...

for starters, putting emile heskey within five miles of a football pitch... the guy is utter utter wank... even his goal last night was a rebound that he had no knowledge or control over off his useless fat arse... apart from that, he did absolutely nothing all game... nothing other than fall over (never a penalty), or give the ball away...

secondly, carlos cuellar... how that useless bellend can be called a footballer is beyond me... he is shit at centre back, so to then use him at right back is just the most baffling decision since signing heskey... and to think we paid nearly 9 million for him! no wonder randy lerner didnt want to give o'neill any more money... cuellar is an utter embarressement... so slow, can not pass, can not get forward, can not cross, and last night, could not tackle.. a waste of a shirt, and not the only one...

thridly, stiliyan petrov... no mobility, the bite and agility of a toothless comatose 97 year old woman... partnering him with ireland in the centre is just like sticking a huge neon flashing sign with arrows shouting "ATTACK US HERE", and just moving out of the way letting them straight through... utter garbage.... again, to think we paid nearly 7 million for him...

fourth, curtis davies.. looks a shadow of the player who showed great promise before his injury.... not the same player any more, and its time to cut the nearly 10 million loss we paid for him... utter waste of space last night and at fault for at least 2 of their goals, and christ knows how many other mistakes that could have resulted in goals from a better side...

overall, it was disjointed, again... players were out of position, a right back at left back, a centre back at right back, a central defensive midfielder at right wing, a right winger at left wing, and a left winger as a striker, and emile heskey on the pitch... i thought we had seen enough of cuellar at right back and players out of position when o'neill ran away, but the pressure was on the caretaker, so he reverted to o'neills picks and we got what we deserved...

i dont blame him, as its not his job, and he has been left in the shit by o'neill and his backroom staff running away, but if kevin macdonald gets the job, then we are well and truly fucked...

[Somniloquism]

ok why would a stronger team be better then? Why do we want "better" players? Lets just play the kids and what will happen will happen eh? lets rely on luck!

I wouldn't have called it a masterstroke but 1-1 away from home is a good result in Europe. 3-2 loss for Spurs was a good result in Europe. When you have the advantage (which we did due to away goals) then you need to make the home game count. We failed to do that in an utterly atrocious fashion. I'm only asking why you believe a similar team as last night would have gotten a better result when we were beaten 3-2 on our home turf.

[Fingers]

Should have known how it was going to go when the team ran out to the fucking Black Eyed Peas.

[Lambert and Payne]

Should have known how it was going to go when the team ran out to the fucking Black Eyed Peas.

I thought that, i knew the second goal was going in when we sang its all gone quiet over there, far too soon!

[TheTimVilla]

Should have known how it was going to go when the team ran out to the fucking Black Eyed Peas.

Just the very beginning bit that sounds like a cat inside a metal bin.

[dave.woodhall]

Three of theirs arrested inside the ground, over a hundred seats damaged. Lovely people.

[jembob]

All in all, a truely disappointing, humiliating night. Villa are fast becoming the laughing stock of English football.

What utter rubbish. We've been dumped on, had a couple of bad games but will regroup and come back strong. I'll give you the benefit of being tired and emotional about referring to us becoming a 'Laughing Stock'.

We are Aston Villa FC.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Looking at the shirtless Rapid fans, they reminded me of thin Geordies.

I did like the kit though

 

[peter w]

What's the point of resting your players for league games and trying to qualify for Europe, if all you do when you're in Europe is rest players for the league games to try and get us into Europe?

[cheltenhamlion]

Another naff performance last night.

I don't expect much better on Sunday.

Oh dear.

[Clampy]

What's the point of resting your players for league games and trying to qualify for Europe, if all you do when you're in Europe is rest players for the league games to try and get us into Europe?

Good point. One or Two changes is fine.  Personally, i'd have played the same side that embarrassed themselves at Newcastle, instead of letting them have their feet up in the stand.