Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[JJ-AV]

Gabby wasn't fit and it showed. We need a front man so much, we've no outlet without Gabby.

We've alot of creativity and imagination in midfield, but we're just not clinical enough and our shape isn't holidng because there's no centre forward.

We need a holding player urgently too. Or to get Stan fit.

[eric woolban woolban]

Warnock = MORON.

Enough said.

[VillaZogmariner]

Friedel - Fucked up for the first goal and never looked comfortable 5
L.Young - Steady 6
Warnock - Turning into a liability, needless free kicks. 4
Dunne - Good covering tackle and slowly getting back to last years form 6
Clark - Other than the yellow card I can't think where he put a foot wrong 6
Downing - Our best player, looking very lively 7.5
Bannan - A couple of cracking passes, but needs to learn the simple ball too 7
Hogg - Got a bit of stick but don't think he was that bad. 6
A.Young - Set pieces are letting him down again, but looked lively 6.5
Ireland - Oxygen Thief 2
Agbonlahor - Still not fully fit and it shows. If Heskey/Carew were fit I doubt he'd have started 6

Pires - Some nice touches and did more in that time on the pitch than Ireland has all season 6
Delfouenso - Didn't get much chance to be honest 5
Herd - Not afraid to get stuck in to be honest, would like to see him start ahead of Hogg maybe 6

On another day I think we could've won this, a couple of very good saves from Robinson, and Ash was unlucky with his header on the bar (fantastic leap and strength in the head). Only annoyance for me is that we all know that Blackeye rely on the set piece, but we still gave away far too many needless fouls.

Considering our injury crisis it's the older heads that are letting us down at the moment.

[PaulWinch again]

Weirdly I think we are currently much better suited to playing Arsenal next week than we were Blackburn today.

[Deano's Mullet]

No bite up front, our best chances were all from distance pretty much and when there was a rebound on Blackburn always had someone there to clear. Ireland not at the races, Ashley Young is a creator and not a scorer and should be put back on the wing, 2 strikers up front if we want to score goals. Bit worried about Dunney. We could have played out there until Xmas on that pitch and not have scored.

[pauliewalnuts]

Blooming heck here we go.

Why should we expect to beat Blackburn away with ten yes TEN players out injured including five midfielders? This is a Blackburn side with 6 defeats in 35 or so home games?  Seriously, why?

We played all the football, any neutral would say we were the better side.  The word "naive" gets banded around all the time and is being here because we lost a couple of goals to set pieces.  It's not naivety, I'm sure we knew what was coming and were prepared for it.  It's just that our only two players over 6 ft are centre halves and one of them is a kid still developing physically.  They have about 6 or 7 players as tall or taller than our biggest.  Sometimes it's not naivety, it's just another team being bigger than you.

If Usain Bolt beat me in a 100 metre sprint, would it be because of my naivety?

The first goal was nothing to do with them having bigger players than us. It was to do with an experienced player acting in a brainless, utterly stupid, petulant manner and gifting them a goal.

Everyone is fully aware of our injury list, and that this was always going to be a difficult game for us with so many inexperienced kids playing, and pretyt much everyone has acknowledged that, but today wasn't about them failing, it was about experienced players who should know much, much better, letting us down

[JJ-AV]

Dunne, Warnock, Petrov and Carew are first team players that need replacing beforoe we'll see the best of this system and team, I think.

[AVFCRob]

Yeah, but Gypsum, if you are aware, as presumably Villa are that Blackburn's strength is in free kicks, corners and throw ins, that it's perhaps a teensie weensie bit naive to constantly give away stupid, stupid free kicks? Is that not a trifle foolish in your view?

[pauliewalnuts]

Dunne, Warnock, Petrov and Carew are first team players that need replacing beforoe we'll see the best of this system and team, I think.

I suspect Houllier knows that, or that certain players need replacing, it is going to take time to do it, though.

[sfx412]

Very poor performance even allowing for the excuses. Again the more experienced players failed to do themselves justice.
Ireland is a disgrace.
Every time Diouf gets on the pitch Friedel shits himself, crazy.
No idea what GH can do, there's nothing left even half fit until after Xmas as alternatives.
I still reckon there ought to be an investigation into what has changed from last season to this in the fitness stakes.

[supertom]

We've lost our defensive resolve from last season and can't grind out results at the moment. That's largely due to Dunne's drop in form, having been immense last season, not to mention a catalogue of injuries in the middle. Warnock is also a source of concern.

Okay we played some good stuff at times, but without any cutting edge. I think Houllier is on the right tracks, he just needs players. We're lacking an experienced head in the middle, and a shit em up sort of player. Nigel was doing the job, but even he, given how lightweight the rest of our midfield is, needed more help.

Roll on January. We need a couple of solid central midfielders and a top quality striker. Gabby's not fit, and I'm also not entirely sure he's got enough ability to play how Houllier wants us to play, if he's up front alone. He suited O Neills style well.

Can't really complain too much, because there's no way in hell under normal circumstances, with all due respect, that we should be playing the likes of Hogg, Herd, even Bannan to be honest (but thankful none-the-less he's had the chance to shine). We shouldn't be in a position where we've had to go out and sign Robert Pires at 37! Is it bad luck or is it partly the training regime as well? Something doesn't add up to be honest.

We controlled most of the game, but possession only gets you so far. I'd have preferred the O Neill days of having 40% possession and nabbing a result ugly to be honest.

Sadly we'll have more days like this. The kids and stiffs can only get us so far. Can't fault the effort or intent though, they're giving it their all.

Downing played okay, and looked like he was trying to pull strings. Ashley Young just had one of his desperate days when it wasn't going right. Headless chicken to be honest. BB played well, but I don't see him as a 90 minute player. I still think you lose something having him in the centre of midfield. He's too lightweight, and doesn't have a strong enough engine. He should be playing where Ash or Ireland have been, but he'll never get a game there, and in the long run, we would want better in any case. Sad but true. Hogg was out of his depth. Herd won't make it though fair dues, he put himself about well.

[dorsetvillian]

If we had only taken our chances when on top early in each half, the game would have been so different. Taking chances is once again our big problem. Robinson made some excellent saves at crucial times of the game. We have to be dissapointed with both our goals. Can't believe people are so critical of such a young team.   

[taylorsworkrate]

Blooming heck here we go.

Why should we expect to beat Blackburn away with ten yes TEN players out injured including five midfielders? This is a Blackburn side with 6 defeats in 35 or so home games?  Seriously, why?

We played all the football, any neutral would say we were the better side.  The word "naive" gets banded around all the time and is being here because we lost a couple of goals to set pieces.  It's not naivety, I'm sure we knew what was coming and were prepared for it.  It's just that our only two players over 6 ft are centre halves and one of them is a kid still developing physically.  They have about 6 or 7 players as tall or taller than our biggest.  Sometimes it's not naivety, it's just another team being bigger than you.

If Usain Bolt beat me in a 100 metre sprint, would it be because of my naivety?

We don't have to lump long balls up to gabby like we did for much of the first half do we?

Warnock doesn't have to give away a needless freekick because of his stupidity / selfishness does he?.

[BannedUserIAT]

And I really wish commentators would get over Bananaman's stature.

David Pleat: "...he's only 5'5'' or 5'6''. He's about the smallest player in the premiership. He's built like a schoolboy. A primary-school boy."

Wanker!

[brontebilly]

That was pretty diabolical. Hard to even know who was our worst player! A couple of moans about the tactics why was Downing on the right? I hate when he plays there. We had noone on the left it seemed just everyone getting in each others way in the centre. Clark has a bit to learn at centre half yet, Bannan kept trying to do the right thing but forced it too much at times. Another thing, granted Gabby didn't try a leg, if he was injured he shouldn't have been playing but at 2-0 with twenty mins to go surely we should have gone with two up top and taken Warnock off?

Stephen Ireland will be gone in January- some nice touches at times but he is one coward on the pitch. Thought the two Youngs and Dunne were the only decent players we had. Hogg unfortunately is way out of his depth at this level yet he was far from our worst player today which kind if says it all.