SHA v Aston Villa LCQF Post-Match Thread

[Deano's Mullet]

We lost - and i hate losing to these - but rather it be a cup game and at theirs than seeing their idiots strol out of Villa Park with all three points. We did better than i thought we did but it still a pisser to lose. But the behaviour of their fans - and this after their team had actually won the game - says a lot about their club. Had we won it would have been a bit of bragging and then focus on the next game. No doubt they will make 1st Dec a key day in their history and have the game out on dvd by the end of the week.

[Risso]

http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/aston-villa-fc/2010/12/02/richard-dunne-this-is-the-lowest-point/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Yes Richard and a lot of it is your fault with your new defensive tactic of just running into people.

Spot on, statements like that really piss me off.

“We’re just not getting the rub of the green at the moment. We’re playing quite well but not getting the result.”

Like it's all bad luck and not the blunders he makes match after match.  You make your own luck, and ours would improve by giving fatso a few games off, and ordering him to undertake a strict fitness regime to get himself back in shape.

[pauliewalnuts]

Losing to that lot is never pleasant but if you put aside the result (I know) there is a lot to be optimistic about. We outplayed them for long periods of the game with 3 kids in midfield one of who is a centre half. We're getting there; we play clever, inventive football but aren't quite making the most of it although I think that will come when Heskey and Albrighton are available again to give us more options. Reo Coker, Petrov and Delph will also all offer something additional in the middle. Also, whisper it quitely but Ireland is starting to show signs of what he can do.

It's defensively that we're struggling but then again we have Cuellar coming back now and Davies to return from loan. I'm not sure than itself will be enough but with a bit more experience in front of them it might tighten things up a little. It's definitely the area that needs most attention.

On top of that we have the chance to add to the squad in January.

Comapre that to the Noses where that is the best they can play; I wouldn't swap places for anything.

Read and digest.
This is spot on.

Agreed.  It's probably Chris's best ever post!

Absolutely agreed.

Well said, Chris.

[PaulTheVillan]

Good post Chris.

[pauliewalnuts]

I feel surprisingly less bothered about it this morning than I thought I would.

We battered them throughout the second half, we played all the football. They were really all about keeping it level and trying to hit us on the break.

Zigic is one of the worst strikers I've ever seen play in the PL, and last night he was absolutely piss poor by even his own, shockingly low standards.

The fact they got a lucky break with it cannoning off him and one of our defenders and past Friedel is probably a price worth paying, given all the fortunate, last few minutes of game situations we've had. What goes around comes around.

As Chris said, for us, there were plenty of positives to take from the game, and we can see what we're moving towards.

For them, it really doesn't get much better than that - in football entertainment terms, they're the equivalent of a night out in 1970s East Germany, and that's all they're likely to be.

[Merv]

We lost - and i hate losing to these - but rather it be a cup game and at theirs than seeing their idiots strol out of Villa Park with all three points. We did better than i thought we did but it still a pisser to lose. But the behaviour of their fans - and this after their team had actually won the game - says a lot about their club. Had we won it would have been a bit of bragging and then focus on the next game. No doubt they will make 1st Dec a key day in their history and have the game out on dvd by the end of the week.

My thoughts roughly five minutes after the final whistle, when it was all kicking off as their fans stormed the pitch, were that the phrase 'class is permanent, form is temporary' has never been more applicable.

Blues: they'll just never have it. And they don't realise why.

[Jockey Randall]

Agree with everything Chris said, this latest crop of kids can really play. It's probably some of the best possession football I've seen from a Villa side. I love the way they always look for a pass now as well and only give it the big hoof when absolutely nothing else is on. I'm very optimistic regarding the future and at least we'll see some entertaining football if nothing else.

Does anyone think we're struggling because we have central defenders whose strengths lie in MON's style of play and not the new style though? To me they look like they are much more comfortable being under the cosh for 75% of the game and having lots to do rather than playing high up the pitch and only having to defend a couple of times a game. I don't have anything against the guys currently playing at the backas players but I just don't think they're cut out for the way we play anymore. They're much better players defending deep and having balls pumped into the box to head clear, much like the noses play now. I'd expect Ged to address these positions either in Jan or the summer.

[Grande Pablo]

We lost - and i hate losing to these - but rather it be a cup game and at theirs than seeing their idiots strol out of Villa Park with all three points. We did better than i thought we did but it still a pisser to lose. But the behaviour of their fans - and this after their team had actually won the game - says a lot about their club. Had we won it would have been a bit of bragging and then focus on the next game. No doubt they will make 1st Dec a key day in their history and have the game out on dvd by the end of the week.

My thoughts roughly five minutes after the final whistle, when it was all kicking off as their fans stormed the pitch, were that the phrase 'class is permanent, form is temporary' has never been more applicable.

Blues: they'll just never have it. And they don't realise why.

The class/form analagy was my Facebook status from around 10 last night.

[Blackcountry Villa]

You do all realise that flare was thrown by our fans first? Don't believe the press, it definitely came from our end. Yes they goaded us but it was ours throwing flares and seats and smashing everything up in sight.

As for the game, we had all of the ball but created very little and the one chance we did create Ashley Young decided to try and tap it over the line, all he had to do was put his foot through that.

Our keeper and defence cost us again, 3 of them couldn't clear that piss poor cross and Friedel dived in slow motion, i know it took a deflection but someone like Given would have saved that.

[glasses]

Ok. I'm not condoning the throwing of a flare at all, but its a flare, not a firework. Its not going to explode, it just gives off coloured smoke? They are banned from football stadia due to causing visibility issues, not for risk of harm to anyone.

Am I wrong? Im happy to be corrected if so.

[villajk]

Not wishing to keep the quotes going, could I just add my support for Chris's excellent post which I fully agree with.

[Walmley_Villa]

As many have said - gutted about the result but pleased with the performance especially second half. I loved the fact that we were more physical than them - Clarke and Hogg were tackliing hard and to see Bowyer black and blue was a joy. The kids will have learnt a hell of a lot last night.
Take it on the chin and remember class is permanent and you still can't polish a turd! The whole of Europe have now seen Small Time Small Heath in action.

[usav]

Ok. I'm not condoning the throwing of a flare at all, but its a flare, not a firework. Its not going to explode, it just gives off coloured smoke? They are banned from football stadia due to causing visibility issues, not for risk of harm to anyone.

Am I wrong? Im happy to be corrected if so.

It could have an eye out.   Then again, so could anything that came within 3 feet of your eyes, according to my mother.

[Matt C]

Didn't much enjoy my evening at that place and in no rush to be going back, the moment when a glass bottle narrowly missed my face was the moment that I thought 'I don't really need this' but enough has been said about that nonsense already.

I thought we played well overall and exceeded my expectations. Hogg & Clark were excellent. We looked impressively comfortable in possession (particularly in light of the occasion) and promising in attack with some variance to our play. However, we suffer from being defensively fragile at the moment - not just the back four in my view, its how we defend as a team when we lose the ball - and a lack of killer instinct up front. Both problems are solvable. It strikes me that we're very close but Houllier perhaps hasn't quite got the players he needs to play the way he wants. I'd remain hopeful that with some players returning to fitness and a January transfer window, things could look very different.

[Rob Gee]

Picking up on Chris' point ref Ireland I agree, the glimpses were there and it wasn't his "not bothered" approach of late.

There was a moment after he came on where he got the ball with two Blues players bearing down, one dived in to try and clatter him and he simply dinked the ball in the air, stepped back, allowing the Blues player to slide through missing man and ball, took back possession and played a simple pass. My mate and I turned to each other at the same time and just said "class".

Links back nicely to class vs form. If (big if) we can get our best players playing their best, together as a team, we'll still be up there as an excellent Top 6 side, the same most defnitely cannot be said for the Noses.