Blackburn Rovers v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[dave.woodhall]

I think there was alot more expected of Ireland than what he's shown and his performance today was an utter disgrace. Allardyce's football's fucking boring and as of yet he's won nothing has he? And i disagree with season of transition, we should still have been pushing on..

The League of Ireland in 1992. And there's a reason or 14 why we're not pushing as quickly as we might like.

I know theres reasons, but it sounds more like excuses. We lost today cus we werent at our best, simple as that

And the main reason we weren't at our best was???

[Salsa Party Animal]

So we need
1 new goalkeeper to take over aging Brad.
2 Left Back - Sell Warnock
1 right back to replace Young or Beye
1 powerful defensive midfielder
1 winger to replace Ashley Young if he don't shape up.
3 stirkers to replace Heskey, Carew
Sell Ireland, Davies

Stuart Downing is only player make me happy today. Not good enough.

[taylorsworkrate]

Just back.

Dire.

If the team were praised for their inability to hold on to a two-goal lead this week, then they should be rightly castigated for this afternoon's display.

Blackburn are not great, but you know with a Big Sam team they are going to be big and strong and hold the line.  Tippy-tappy football is not going to break that down once they're back in position.

To give away the free kick from which they scored the first goal on the stroke of half time was naive.  Oh, and Stephen Ireland is a complete waste of a place.  You may as well have given it to me. I'd be just as shit, but at least I wouldn't ask for £70K for being so.

Pluses?  Downing was positive, albeit without much end product, I thought Clark had a reasonable game and Pires showed some good intent, although we'd just gone two down when he came on.

It wasn't naive, it was stupid and selfish on behalf of Warnock.  His petulance at getting back at Diouf cost us.

[dave.woodhall]

I just find it amazing that some people think everything will be rosy when the injured players are back. The fact is Warnock and Dunne will still be playing and they're liabilities, Young will still be playing who is massively overrated and predictable and a whingeing little shit, Friedel will still be playing who looks suspect under any pressure, and we still won't have a striker who is any good. We've got Arsenal and Liverpool coming up with Spurs, Man City and Chelsea over christmas, injuries or not we're going to be in trouble come january.

And I find it amazing that you never stop whinging. So that's two of us who are amazed.

[villa for life]

if only villa would amaze us all

[Shrek]

Before all the injuries were we performing better? No nothing has changed with our injuries apart from abit more excitement from our young lads.

The facts are that it is going to take time and money for Gerrard to improve us.

[oldham_villa]

My review for what it's worth;

We started passing it around well, however we began to mirror Blackburn's style in the first half, and there is no way we are going to win any headers against that lot, either up front, or in midfield. The second half reverted back to our passing game, which (with a bit of luck), could have given us something. If you have BB in the team, you have to use him, as he has such vision.

I was a bit bemused as to why Downing was stationed on our right for all of the match - they normally swap a few times during a match, but not today. Could this have been for them to come in more and shoot, rather than cross it (food and drink to Samba and Nelson) ?!? Shame really, as I think Givet was the weak link in that back four. Albrighton would have been in his element there today.

Warnock's performance is always going to be tainted by that challenge. You cannot continually give any team successive free kicks and get away with it.

Hogg: Not sure why some people are saying he isn't good enough after today's performance. I thought today was the best he has played for the first team. From the first game i saw him play, I wasn't convinced. I quite liked what I saw of Herd, though that was the first i had seen him.

Gabby on his own was out bullied today. Blackburn sat deep, preventing us from getting behind them. The only way of beating this is with good movement, good shooting (and a bit of lady luck). Our team is gradually getting better at pass and move but there is clearly a long way to go. Delfouneso showed more movement in 10mins, than Gabby did all game.  Pires will only come into his own with passing and moving, so it's something that needs working on.

Ireland.....hmmmm What on earth do you do with him?!?! Here is a bloke who is clearly very talented, is used to working with good movement, i.e. Robinho. He won't get that in our team for some time yet, sadly. He looks like he has withdrawn into his shell, which isn't good when you need him to show more application and desire. Can't really trust him in a midfield 2, wouldn't get the best out of him wide, very lacking in that "hole" position.......I can only see him being moved on.

Ashley Young looked like he'd had a bollocking at half time, as he was a lot brighter second half. There was a period in the first half, when he twisted and turned on the left hand side, and then went down the left and shot, which Robinson parried. If only he would look up when he began his twisting. If he had of done, he'd have spotted BB free and in yards of space on the edge of the area. If AY has aspirations of playing for a club in the Champions League, he had better begin to learn to look up and spot players in space.

All in all, it just wasn't our day. Blackburn are very good at home, and we encouraged them with poor decision making. It will be great to get our injured back, and giving GH more options.

[Blackcountry Villa]

I just find it amazing that some people think everything will be rosy when the injured players are back. The fact is Warnock and Dunne will still be playing and they're liabilities, Young will still be playing who is massively overrated and predictable and a whingeing little shit, Friedel will still be playing who looks suspect under any pressure, and we still won't have a striker who is any good. We've got Arsenal and Liverpool coming up with Spurs, Man City and Chelsea over christmas, injuries or not we're going to be in trouble come january.

So these are the same players - bar Milner - who have finished in the top six for three seasons running?  They can't be that bad, particularly when supplemented by a few excellent youngsters and an in form Downing who is twice the player he was last year.

Thats in the past, we're on about this season when we weren't very good at the start of the season with a fully fit squad. The fact is even when everyone is fit we still haven't got a half decent striker.

[Simba]

Bloody annoying. BR are currently a survival team and yet above us.

But for Christ's sake. The mood on here is up and down like a bridegrooms bum.

Are we moving forward or not? I thought the intelligent insight was that we are running light of players and yet  beginning to play good football. Look at their home record. I expected this. A lot of posters did.

Yes I watched the game and I am pissed off but I still think we are "work in progress". And positive.

[Nastylee]

For those moaning about wingers, there's never anyone in the box to cross it to anyway, which is why we keep passing it across the edge of the box with no end product. Gabby rarely got in threatening positions and everyone else showed for the easy pass rather than gambling in the box. We need to accept they'll be no top 6 this season, that results will remain inconsistent until January and we need players back and signings to see an improvement in the second half of the season. We all know what's wrong but GH is powerless at the moment so we just need to stay as close to the top6 as is possible and hope we can have a good run in.

[Blackcountry Villa]

I just find it amazing that some people think everything will be rosy when the injured players are back. The fact is Warnock and Dunne will still be playing and they're liabilities, Young will still be playing who is massively overrated and predictable and a whingeing little shit, Friedel will still be playing who looks suspect under any pressure, and we still won't have a striker who is any good. We've got Arsenal and Liverpool coming up with Spurs, Man City and Chelsea over christmas, injuries or not we're going to be in trouble come january.

So these are the same players - bar Milner - who have finished in the top six for three seasons running?  They can't be that bad, particularly when supplemented by a few excellent youngsters and an in form Downing who is twice the player he was last year.

Thats in the past, we're on about this season when we weren't very good at the start of the season with a fully fit squad. The fact is even when everyone is fit we still haven't got a half decent striker.

Gabby has been out injured all season so straight away the area you are highlighting as being our biggest problem has been weakened from the outset by being short of its first choice player.  Heskey was clearly bang in form before he got injured.  Yes, Carew was poor but who know he might have played himself in to form if he had stayed fit, it wouldn't be the first time.  We now have four central midfielders out, one of which is our Captain and another of which is our Vice Captain and crucial to the way we have been trying to play.

The only three matches where Houllier has had anything like a full strength team to pick from were Wolves, Spurs and Chelsea and yes I think we were pretty good in all three of them.

But thats the whole point, Gabby is our first choice striker and he isn't very good. He hasn't got the football brain to know when and where to run to exploit his pace, and he has zero technical ability.

Our captain is rubbish aswell, Petrov slows everything down and offers nothing going backwards or forwards. I wouldn't even have him in the first 11.

Oh and i thought we were dire at Wolves and were very lucky to win.

[villa for life]

so Blackcountry Villa, do you think we are going to go down? I think we are good enough to stay up, do you?

[tarzansbrother]

I really fukin hate allardyce. Shove your fukin towell drying long ball tactics up your arse. I like Houllier and will accept inconsistent performances as he is giving our youth a chance and trying to play football the right way. Gabbys fitness will be key to us getting some decent results over the next month.

[Blackcountry Villa]

so Blackcountry Villa, do you think we are going to go down? I think we are good enough to stay up, do you?

No i don't think we will go down, but we definitely need to become a tougher nut to crack on the road. Whenever the opposition get a free kick around our box i think they're going to score, and whenever the game enters injury time i think they're going to score. Do i believe we could get into a relegation battle though? Yes. Arsenal and Liverpool coming up with Spurs, Man City and Chelsea over christmas, realistically we could be right down there by january.

[villa for life]

well, chill then...