Aston Villa v Arsenal Post-Match Thread

[Oscar Arce]

Very embarrassing and one-sided first half, you could drive a truck through our midfield.
Bannan is just too lightweight, Carew was shocking, as was Warnock once again.
More injuries to Collins and Carew, we are a complete mess and look powder puff.
No positives, apart from Clark who tried manfully in a role that is not natural to him.
We are going to get battered on Wednesday on that showing, we need some more experience in midfield and I would be tempted to put Warnock in there midweek, at least he will put a tackle in and may not be such a liability there.
Freezing my nuts off, just thawed out.

[sfx412]

Houllier lost it in the first half with the team pick and tactics. To see a Villa side out harassed, at home, all through the half was a disgrace, its our one asset with all the kids.
Second half he saw the light but it was too late, a lucky first goal, made it interesting only for the likes of Dunne to be found ahead of Bannan and Arsenal to score another goal. Crazy.
My view is the hearts of the pre Houllier players aren't in it.
We can do it, we can score against anyone, if a cb playing out of position in midfield scores 2 why can't these stars fans keep promoting like Defounesco score?
I wonder how many of those returning, Collins, Dunne, Carew were fit let alone match fit and that's a problem, even when the injured players are fit, how long before they are match fit, too long.
Hopefully not.
Again in his post match interview GH sounds worried, defeated and down. We need a Villa manager with drive optimism and ideas, not a depressed fatalist who is so negative he puts out a team with a relegation attitude about them.
We are better than he believes, we have shown that time and again and keep losing, Houllier needs to get a grip on himself and the more experienced players and quick.

[Oscar Arce]

And Pires......an experiment that failed badly

[nick harper]

We are a fragile side at the moment - not surprising given the youngsters. I could understand the shape GH was trying to play in the first half but it relies on your centre forward holding the ball up and bringing players into the game. Ireland took some stick last week for his performance but Carew should hang his head in shame after today. The end of his time here is fast approaching.

Some spirit in the second half. Clark and Bannan did ok and stuck at it - and Delfounso looked bright when he came on. The full backs both struggled all afternoon and our passing was as poor as I've seen it since Houllier came.

I'm worried we will be in a relegation battle at the turn of the year - and I'm hopeful the blizzards due in the Midlands on Tuesday will postpone the game and give us a chance to get one or two back.

[garyshawsknee]

And Pires......an experiment that failed badly

 yeah,he hasn't got the legs to start,should only come on for last 20 mins to close a game out,or to try and create a goal.

[Phil from the upper holte]

And Pires......an experiment that failed badly

He's only been here two weeks give the man a chance

[Ads]

 We looked most threatening when Young moved in behind Del-Boy, as we finally had some mobility up top.

While we doubtless are missing out with injuries in the middle of the park through Petrov, NRC and Delph, its very evident just how much we need a fit Gabby and Albrighton in the side. We were nigh on unplayable going forwards in the second half against Man United. Carew and Pires will never offer that.

Percy is right about a nasty bastard in the middle. Somebody who can effectively shield the back-four, but whose also got the pace and passing to breakout when need be.

We’re limping along till January when hopefully we’ll get the above mentioned midfielders back in, along with some additions. Fingers crossed that Gabby can finally get a run of games together.

As for the game, a lot has already been said that is correct. We were playing a side who were on the verge of going top and you just cannot give them 45 minutes. That said, bar the first 5 or 10 minutes they were diabolical too. A lot of possession and nothing else. So when you’re getting away with a poor performance you don’t need your fullback to needlessly charge out of position and collide with your centre half.

I also thought our midfield looked very weak in that first 45- we didn’t press, we sat too deep and we recycled possession far too readily.

The second forty five was a lot better. We gave them a game and I think you can ignore the fourth goal given the circumstances. As I said at the top, with pace and movement up front instead of the Carerw and Pires, we looked more likely. They were certainly getting twitchy, and hacking the ball anywhere.  But then when you give a side like Arsenal a two goal head start, then you know you’ve got an uphill task ahead of you, particularly when you’re benches combined age is still less than your goalkeepers! 

[Bad English]

The only time we looked dangerous was Young on the rite

Yes, and he could have had somebody's eye out with that chinchilla pelt he had round his neck.

[mr-villa]

What is our heaviest ever defeat to SHA?

That comment is pathetic, defeatist, negative and deserves no place on this site; thank god you weren't around in the trenches in WW11.  We all know what we are going to get on Wednesday, an atritional and likely atrocious match where Blues will try to play the usual negative spoiling game, they score very few goals you know!!!!

[Stu]

What is our heaviest ever defeat to SHA?

That comment is pathetic, defeatist, negative and deserves no place on this site; thank god you weren't around in the trenches in WW11.  We all know what we are going to get on Wednesday, an atritional and likely atrocious match where Blues will try to play the usual negative spoiling game, they score very few goals you know!!!!

World War 11? Blimey.

Joking aside, it is a negative comment, although some people are worried and upset. I'd prefer not to have the cup match on the way when we need to concentrate on the league tbh.

[Ads]

Absolutely. Anybody who doesn’t believe that we’ll smash fuck out of those Bordesley Green troglodyte ****** on Wednesday night is either actually a said troglodyte or Blackcountry Villa.

[timeoutbigbar]

Percy is right about a nasty bastard in the middle. Somebody who can effectively shield the back-four, but whose also got the pace and passing to breakout when need be.

Show me one of those and i'll tell you which Champions League team he plays for.   It isn't that simple.  Reo Coker is on the books and if he was fit would be able to do that role well enough imo, he just needs someone to tell him to stop getting carried away in possession and keep playing the simple ball. 

[Ads]

Not necessarily. If you pay the money, then they’ll come. Everton and Spurs have managed to snaffle enough decent midfielders, so there is no particular reason that we cannot. Just because something is difficult, doesn’t mean its impossible and that we have to settle with what we’ve got. I’m confident that some hard work is currently underway in regards to potential acquisitions for January.

[Legion]

Also, was it just me thinking that Downing was lazy for a good portion of the match, especially when he lost or gave away the ball?

[Ads]

I don't know. I can recall one incident where he gave it away and chased back to intercept and then offloading it to Brad. He put in some dangerous crosses, which Ash just doesn't do when he's on the right.