Aston Villa v Bolton Wanderers Post-Match Thread

[Rip Van We Go Again]

As Chris has pointed out, it was ludicrous to leave us with only one central midfielder (petrov) and shoving Young there, KMAC has looked totally out of his depth with the first team.
It was very much like the Stoke game, score a goal and then take your foot off the gas.

[villa1]

Ireland didn't look interested to me. I put it down to him sulking because he wasn't being played in his favoured position.

[Deano's Mullet]

5 league games in and every single one of our goals has come from a midfielder or defender. Desperately need more firepower up front.

[Chris Smith]

Ireland didn't look interested to me. I put it down to him sulking because he wasn't being played in his favoured position.

I didn't think he was sulking he was just struggling in a position that he's not right for. If we want to get the best out of him then he has to be involved in the final third, as he showed with the run and shot in the second half he can be very dangerous when given the opportunity.

[JUAN PABLO]

well did I expect anything different when I saw the team .

Did well for 20 minutes , but the same old Villa always playing well for 20 minutes and then not having a bloody clue..

why NRC was dropped , thought he was one of the better players against Stoke..

Why Petrov gets a game ?

Why Ireland does not play in his natural position, we saw one glimpse of what he can do.

Why MON didnt play LY, he was one ( with Brad ) he earned his wage.

why Albrighton was switched to the left and why he was left on for long.

Warnock stop going in with those tackles in the box, you were very lucky with that non-penalty.

Dunne should never have started.

Ashley Young, great goal , but you have become  so overated at the moment ,a footballer who thinks hes better than he actually is , sort it out please...  Less bling and more Villa ....   

Goodbye Kmac, thanks for stepping in but you havent got a clue.....  MON hasnt possessed you has he?

NOW COME ON GH, AND SORT THIS MESS OUT.!!!!

[fredm]

Ireland didn't look interested to me. I put it down to him sulking because he wasn't being played in his favoured position.

I think Ireland also likes the ball played to him quickly, whether there is an opponent near him or not.  He then moves it first time into space where a colleague (should be) running into and moves so he can receive the return ball.

Unfortunately, we have players who stop the ball, look up, take a touch, look up again, then hoof it forward when Ireland is there waiting for the pass.  The other players who have been here a bit longer now know this is what is going to happen so don't bother to make any movement whatsoever in an attempt to make space/receive the ball.  They can do it, as shown for 15 minutes at Stoke and the first 20 minutes yesterday.  However, whether it is lack of fitness or lack of mental determination, they always go back to the basics that would appear to have been drummed into them over the last 4 years.  There is a decent side in there, and with persons like Gary Mc and Sid (who could both pass and move in their day) getting on their backs let's hope we can see 90 minutes of decent football rather than the few minutes here and there.

[barrysleftfoot]

  Have to agree with a lot of the comments on here about yday.Could'nt understand the substitution, not only did it unbalance the team, but we also stopped playing football.

  I like the look of Ireland tbh, good runs, and always looking to get goals.I don't think he was disinterested, just disillusioned.In the 1st half in particular he could have been played in 2 or 3 times with better awareness.

  Thought Ashley was a bit greedy yday, and not partic v good, too many poor balls to Gabby, had time, but failed to put the right weight on the pass.

  Agree we can't play Downing and Albrighton in the same team atm, i think Albrighton needs a rest anyway.

  Gabby...felt sorry for him yday, no protection, limited supply, and poor supply when he got it.Does'nt look fit to me either.

  Petrov, ok, but gone now.....Sidwell in for him?

  LYoung , i thought in distribution was very poor yday, how many touches does he need?

  We should be beating teams like Bolton at home, we should be annihialating defences with such players as Robinson, O'Brien and Knight.......not good enough.

  KMac...thanks, but for me a bit naive sometimes.

[Karl Bridges]

Go and watch the game. Fuck the stream on your little screen.

Oh dear. Not everyone can be a superfan like yourself.

[N'ZMAV]

5 league games in and every single one of our goals has come from a midfielder or defender. Desperately need more firepower up front.

We have for years now, can't believe we've still not got a quality forward in over the past half dozen transfer windows.

[Moorski]

Clearly we have a number of players who are not conditioned enough to be playing 90 mins and struggle with the pace of the game, like John Terry said we are knackered after an hour and every team know's it.

Warnock,Dunne,Gabby,Petrov & Downing for starters,hopefully GH will see the problem in Midfield, get our back 4 to mark the opposition  and find a striker because scoring goals will be a big problem for us.

[PaulTheVillan]

Ireland didn't look interested to me. I put it down to him sulking because he wasn't being played in his favoured position.

I don't think it's his game to have to come deep to get the ball. He made some brilliant runs into space in the 2nd half and Young only ever looks up at Gabby.

Ireland was frustrated as he he kicked the post twice after being totally unmarked and not even looked at.

I think once Delph is fit, he needs to be in the middle with NRC to do the leg work, whilst Ireland can support a striker. Hopefully a better performance from Gabby or a better striker.

[Drummond]

Go and watch the game. Fuck the stream on your little screen.

Oh dear. Not everyone can be a superfan like yourself.

Oh yeah, and where were you? (little winky man)

[olaftab]

The substitution yesterday was about the most inane I have ever seen, it caused us to spend the last part of the game hanging on and but for Brad Freidel (who I keep reading on here isn't all that good) again keeping us in it we'd have lost

Correct.. I really thought we were going to lose the match as soon as he reduced the midfield further by removing Ireland.  We needed two NRC and John on Albrighton and Ireland off.

[Drummond]

I agree with fredm.

I thought Ireland looked lost yesterday and our midfield were switching positions so much they lost each other rather than the opposition.

We had Albrighton, Young, Downing and even Gabby playing on the left, with Gabby probably producing the best cross (unfortunately with only Albrighton in the middle).

They switched positions a lot but unfortunately the movement off the ball was rubbish, players wait for their team-mate to find space to pass them the ball rather than moving and creating space to receive it. We're exactly the same at throw-ins too and it's so frustrating to watch.

[PeterWithe]

Clearly we have a number of players who are not conditioned enough to be playing 90 mins and struggle with the pace of the game, like John Terry said we are knackered after an hour and every team know's it.

Its probably not a coincidence that the fitness guy left along with MON, I think.

Its worth pointing out that a recent poll on here about what changes you would like the manager to make, the most popular was 'better football', well we had our technically best XI players out there yesterday and I think it was the right game to try such an experiment, shame it didn't come off.

Maybe, just maybe, MON wasn't so tactically inept as he was often accused of?