Aston Villa v Rapid Vienna Post-Match Thread

[Captain Trips]

We have enough (ex) leaders in the team. Reo Coker, Davies, Dunne all have been captains in the past but none seem to want to step forward and take up the baton. Personally I would give it to Dunne but at the moment we are leaderless off and on the pitch.

[dave.woodhall]

That old Asian bloke was good at half time.

[olaftab]

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?

Yes baffling to say the least. Assuming Coach has some direction from Management on  priorities  and if  Europa  is last  than yes what was the point of qualifying? How the hell are we goping to improve if we don't compete in Europe and learn.

[Fingers]

We'd have had Porto, Besiktas and CSKA Sofia

Our co-efficient meant we'd have been in a higher pot than Rapid.  Think we'd have got AZ, Dynamo Kiev and (Rusty) Sheriff ('s badge).

[b23]

Can any of you computer/you tube boffins upload the goals from last night please ?

Can you also add the hoof over the crossbar by Davies ? When he did it people sat by me just stared at each other in amazement. 

Can you also add the flag juggling linesman and the comedy ballboy/Rapid goalie incident please ? I just need a good laugh and ive read all the jokes now. Thanks.

[deero83]

That old Asian bloke was good at half time.

Was he? What was the idea of him running (very slowly) around the pitch?
Mind you, when I'm 99 I'd be well pleased to be able to run round a football pitch, and secondly, to grow a beard like that. Perhaps that could be my ambition now I'm too old to be a mascot....?! lol

[Meanwood Villa]

A day later hasn't helped. I think last night was more depressing and damaging than the 6-0 even. Haven't read all the posts so probably some repitition in these thoughts but:
Davies and Beye- I was among those who thought they perhaps didn't get a fair crack of the whip but after their displays in both legs it would appear MON was right not to play them more often (whether he was right to buy them in the first place is another matter) Davies gving away that corner for the crucial 2nd goal is one of the most woeful pieces of ineptitude I've ever seen on a football pitch.
Which brings us nicely on to Heskey- what this useless lump of s*** is still doing getting anywhere near the pitch I don't know. I don't care if he's on lots of money, I don't care how many England caps he's won or how many more honours he's got than the rest of our sqaud, the man cannot play football and should definitely not be attempting to do so for Aston Villa. What the Fonz has to do to get a game I don't know. I know Carew gets knocked on here and justifiably so given some of his more lacklustre efforts but I'd pick him any day of the week over Emile. I really hope Gabby's knocks don't become more recurrent otherwise we are really in the brown stuff with our attcking options.
I think the playing of the reserves last week (including the aforementioned donkey) is equally to blame for our woeful exit despite the fact they achieved a better result than the "first" team. We should have played the same team that trounced West Ham, injuries permitting, on a crest of a wave and put the tie to bed. Then even a horror show like last night might have seen us through.
I really hope we can bounce back but I'm scared. Leeds Utd, relegated 2 seasons after finishing 6th with a squad too good to go down. I hope this isn't us in a couple of years.

[sfx412]

I really hope we can bounce back but I'm scared. Leeds Utd, relegated 2 seasons after finishing 6th with a squad too good to go down. I hope this isn't us in a couple of years.

were they not selling their squad though due to money issues.

Ahh I see your point

[jembob]

I've just seen the highlights on TV for the first time and Guzan was woeful. It's hard to tell from the Holte at the time but I didn't realise their goals were so soft. We need to pray that the aging Brad Senior makes it through the season unscathed.

Messrs Beye, Guzan and Davies were all given a shot against mediocre opposition and came up short. Really quite shameful.

[john e]

I really hope we can bounce back but I'm scared. Leeds Utd, relegated 2 seasons after finishing 6th with a squad too good to go down. I hope this isn't us in a couple of years.

were they not selling their squad though due to money issues.

Ahh I see your point

one league game lost, and a poor showing in a Europa qualifier and we are the new Leeds Utd.

i cant believe some of the stuff posted on here the last couple of days

[Ads]

I really hope we can bounce back but I'm scared. Leeds Utd, relegated 2 seasons after finishing 6th with a squad too good to go down. I hope this isn't us in a couple of years.

were they not selling their squad though due to money issues.

Ahh I see your point

one league game lost, and a poor showing in a Europa qualifier and we are the new Leeds Utd.

i cant believe some of the stuff posted on here the last couple of days

Aye it’s a little bit premature to say the least and a tad on the hysterical side to boot. Patience is not a common virtue.

[Meanwood Villa]

I really hope we can bounce back but I'm scared. Leeds Utd, relegated 2 seasons after finishing 6th with a squad too good to go down. I hope this isn't us in a couple of years.

were they not selling their squad though due to money issues.

Ahh I see your point

one league game lost, and a poor showing in a Europa qualifier and we are the new Leeds Utd.

i cant believe some of the stuff posted on here the last couple of days

Aye it’s a little bit premature to say the least and a tad on the hysterical side to boot. Patience is not a common virtue.

I'm not saying we are the new Leeds Utd, Im using them as an example to show that teams established in the top 6 can slip and slip alarmingly. As I said I hope this doesn't happen to us and I'm pretty sure it won't but that's a couple of real shockers this week. We have been shambolic and we need to sort it out quick.

[Ads]

The set of problems that faced Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday are not the same problems we have now. You’re comparing an apple with an orange.

[atomicjam]

That old Asian bloke was good at half time.

Sadly in a race around the pitch, he would have probably beat me. I am 39. His stalling towards the end would have been my shame as he still made the lap before me.

[Guy M]

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...

Been out all day and others have continued the general discussion with you, but just wanted to point out that had we won the first leg 2-1 (as you suggest) and lost the 2nd leg 3-2 (as we did), we'd still not have made it to extra-time as away goals count after 90 minutes in Europe, not after extra-time.

Other than that, your analysis is spot on. The team that got a draw away let us down. The team that lost at home despite leading 2-1 with about 15 minutes to go did us proud *ahem*