Aston Villa v Bolton Wanderers Post-Match Thread

[BannedUserIAT]

I'll be shitting myself when we come across some quality opposition.

Why play Stephen Ireland so deep? On the couple of occassions that he did get forward, he looked like he could create something.
Why leave Albrighton on the left for so long? Both he and Downing simply disappeared from the game.
Why try to hoof the ball up to Gabby when Knight is at least 2 foot taller than him?
Why to to play football at break-neck speed all the time rather than having a little bit of patience? It's Bolton FFS! They're shit. Utter shit. We could have, and should have, been parked outside their penalty box for 80 minutes.

How K-Mac has done so well in the reserves I'll never know. I'll just have to conclude that other teams really don't give a flying fuck about reserve football. If he can't engineer a result - and I mean a very convincing result - against poor opposition like that, then he's no right to be anywhere near our first team.

I thought some of the pre-match predictions ( 5-0, 8-2) were a little bit optimistic but we should be able to completely bury teams like Bolton at home....without getting out of 2nd gear.

I'm fuming!  And Houllier must be wondering what he's got himself into. If he's not yet signed his contract, I'm sure he'll be having doubts.

[sfx412]

Outplayed by Bolton's reserve side, amazing stuff.

At least we managed a point in the fight for relegation and most of the other results went our way. If KM is a Premiership manager Mon is the Messiah.
What a total waste of 14 players in a Villa shirt.

What are you talking about?

I'll make it simple, just for you. That was a performance right out of the relegation battle draw. It was a well earned point against a side who will be down there come May. It was a total waste of some great talent ruined by awful tactics and team changes.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Drop one of Downing, A Young or MA, play RC with Petrov and Ireland further forward supporting the striker. I'm sure that Ireland could thread some great balls through onto Gabby's runs.

Exactly, it's hardly rocket science. Our midfield has absolutely no structure. Sort that out and the defence will look more solid and with so many creative players in the team, we will create the chances.

Today, once again, we played like headless chickens.

[sfx412]

I'll be shitting myself when we come across some quality opposition.

You are the smart arse who criticised my opinions in the Generals thread when I said KM was no more than a reserve team coach, amongst others.
Seems you have changed your mind of late, good for you.

[PaulWinch again]

Ireland has to be played in an advanced position. Petrov needs to be dropped, he is  just a passenger now.

[BannedUserIAT]

Outplayed by Bolton's reserve side, amazing stuff.

At least we managed a point in the fight for relegation and most of the other results went our way. If KM is a Premiership manager Mon is the Messiah.
What a total waste of 14 players in a Villa shirt.

What are you talking about?

I think he meant the fight AGAINST relegation.
And, as painful as it is to even think it, I'm not sure if he's wrong! We've played teams that are shit. SHIT. And, with the exception of West Ham, we've looked worse than them. I'm not sure at the moment which teams are actually worse than us (I can't imagine even the Kit Stealers will let us get away with pounding them again).

[Somniloquism]

Outplayed by Bolton's reserve side, amazing stuff.

At least we managed a point in the fight for relegation and most of the other results went our way. If KM is a Premiership manager Mon is the Messiah.
What a total waste of 14 players in a Villa shirt.

What are you talking about?

I'll make it simple, just for you. That was a performance right out of the relegation battle draw. It was a well earned point against a side who will be down there come May. It was a total waste of some great talent ruined by awful tactics and team changes.

Why their reserve side? They were missing two first teamers tops from what I could see and both of them were in defence so wouldn't have made much difference as we never troubled them (although Jussi might have saved the FK).

Agree with you for the rest though

[supertom]

I sense one of our CB's needs shifting up into a defensive midfield position. Be that Collins, I don't know. Clearly, we're got at too easily, and Houlliers first order will be tightening the ship. Had we played better teams in our opening fixtures, we may have been twatted a few more times. Playing 3 wingers is suicide. Nowadays some teams are reluctant to play 2 ffs.

[brontebilly]

There was a lack of honesty of effort from the players on show today and that disgusted me. Some players are in awful condition - Dunne, Carew, Gabby. Some in awful form - Petrov and Warnock. Bar Friedel and Luke Young the rest of the Villa side were horrible. Pre season seems to have been a bit of a shambles, the team looks demotivated, unfit, unorganised and just damn poor. Our tactics were 12 year old football manager esque but we have huge problems now. There seems to be a complete lack of leadership in the side, never once did it look like someone was going to stand up and make an impact in the second half. The amount of individual errors leading up to the Bolton goal were unforgiveable. Ireland showed nice touches but he is not a central player in a 442. Petrov needs to be dropped frankly but we still lack a midfielder with balls to take the ball off the back four. The likes of Ashley Young hid again today when the going got tough. We looked bottom tier EPL this afternoon. Bolton were comfortably the better side.

M Petrov looks a great signing, Lee made bits of Warnock while Davies and Elmander made fools of the three central defenders we tried. The loss of Milner seems incalculable at this stage. Petrov is hopeless but who else do we bring in - Reo Coker and Sidwell - ffs. Ashley Young needs to be put back out wide, Albrighton back to the bench. Downing is a nothing player really, Gabby was awful today a real one trick pony etc etc. Houllier needs to come in and make an impact immediately, I just hope he can organise the side because in set pieces today both attacking and defending we were an absolute rabble - thank f*ck Kevin McD wasnt appointed or we would be heading for the championship

[sfx412]

Houllier will concentrate more on defence with his team selection, I doubt we'll be seeing too much of Albrighton, Young, Downing in the same team for a while, not that there is much in the defensive midfield department at the club.
I'd guess when the midfield is being over run he'll strengthen it up in a game not weaken it as our recent manager has done in the last 5 games. I hope so anyway.
Thought Mon's favourite caste off Luke Young had another good game, and his favourite Ashley still hasn't learnt how to take corners. He took the goal well mind.

[Somniloquism]

Ireland has to be played in an advanced position. Petrov needs to be dropped, he is  just a passenger now.

Who would you put in for him though? Delph is injured. Reo? but then we lose the passing aspect and Petrov does more then most give him credit for. Just that without adequate help he gets overrun/ knackered out. First choice should be Reo / Petrov in partnership unless you want to play Osbourne or Salifou in there.

[sfx412]

Outplayed by Bolton's reserve side, amazing stuff.

At least we managed a point in the fight for relegation and most of the other results went our way. If KM is a Premiership manager Mon is the Messiah.
What a total waste of 14 players in a Villa shirt.

What are you talking about?

I'll make it simple, just for you. That was a performance right out of the relegation battle draw. It was a well earned point against a side who will be down there come May. It was a total waste of some great talent ruined by awful tactics and team changes.

Why their reserve side? They were missing two first teamers tops from what I could see and both of them were in defence so wouldn't have made much difference as we never troubled them (although Jussi might have saved the FK).

Agree with you for the rest though

The Keeper has less experience than Guzan, they had a replacement cb in who went off early, and was replaced by another who has yet to play in the PL this season, and they never do well against us at VP.

[Toronto Villa]

I'll be shitting myself when we come across some quality opposition.

You are the smart arse who criticised my opinions in the Generals thread when I said KM was no more than a reserve team coach, amongst others.
Seems you have changed your mind of late, good for you.

Now engage a little intelligence here. It's going to difficult for you, so I'm typing a little slower. Do you honestly believe that was Bolton's reserve side? And more importantly, do you honestly believe we'll be fighting "against" relegation this season? We're lying 8th, a new manager who has a reputation of his teams almost always being top 6, and a transfer window in January to make some changes. Or are you just being the drama queen you always are?

[sfx412]

Ireland has to be played in an advanced position. Petrov needs to be dropped, he is  just a passenger now.

Who would you put in for him though? Delph is injured. Reo? but then we lose the passing aspect and Petrov does more then most give him credit for. Just that without adequate help he gets overrun/ knackered out. First choice should be Reo / Petrov in partnership unless you want to play Osbourne or Salifou in there.

What's wrong with Petrov (did I say that), Coker, Ireland and Downing in a stable mid four, leaving Coker to do the break up and defensive priority, Ireland to help but concentrate on moving the ball and pushing on, then Downing to hold and play it wide, with Petrov to just be there.

[Somniloquism]

The Keeper has less experience than Guzan, they had a replacement cb in who went off early, and was replaced by another who has yet to play in the PL this season, and they never do well against us at VP.

The keeper has more PL experience then Guzan, and looks a decent prospect. Ok, the defender was out but that means they had two players out that from their normal first eleven, hardly a reserve side.

They never normally do well against us at VP but then we have already covered that. Maybe because Cahill wasn't playing he didn't have his normally atrocious game against us we have had the last two seasons.