Aston Villa v WBA Post-Match Thread

[JD]

Why do we turn to mush on 87 minutes? Strange.

Overall, reasonably comfortable. Warnock still frightens me. Collins started shaky, but grew into it.

We looked untroubled once Coker came on a solidified the midfield. Until their goal anyway.

Carlos, that one mistake aside, was good. Lichaj impressive.

Albrighton man of match closely followed by Downing and Heskey. Ash was piss poor first half, good 2nd half.

That's more like it. Get some of the key players fitter, and sort out the weak middle and we'll improve our position. We need to win the next game for sure.

Could be better, but a wins a win and we played some good stuff in spells.

Pretty much how I saw it as well Tom. Other thing I wanted to mention was the commitment of the players supporting each other. Hogg I thought did a great job, covering others and harrassing the Baggie players.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

Lihaj, Cuellar, Hogg, Albrighton and Heskey were excellent, but Ashley Young was the difference between the sides, all they could do was kick him...dirty ollbeyun bastards.
 
Listening to them lot from Smethwick after the game it was exactly the same as it has been for the last 25 years, whinge, moan, complain, "it ay fair".

I'm actually looking forward to work on Monday as they're all ollbeyun bastards.

[martyn ellis]

You've got to hand it to Ash. Yes he whinges; yes he goes down a bit too easily; yes he sometimes makes the wrong decisions, but he seems to me the kind of player who would always put in a solid shift simply because he loves playing the game. As usual he was up and down the pitch today, tackling, finding space, beating opponents - and he's a lot tougher than a lot of people think for someone who O'Neill described as having to run round in the shower to get wet. He gets a lot of heavy challenges and in the main manages to avoid nasty injuries - when was the last time Ash had to miss a march through injury? I really thought he might have a nasty one today with the Sharmer challenge, but up he popped. Good for him and let's hope he stays and fights for the test of the year. We really noticed his absence against Liverpool.

[Toronto Villa]

Ash was named MOTM by sponsors...I  sometimes  think they are  pissed when they do this!
Surely , Downing, Cuellar and Hogg were in front of him?

maybe because for the blokes sitting in those boxes, that didn't watch the game, sipping champers and eating cucumber sarnies, he's the only player they've heard of.

Must admit, I too thought Ash was the best player on the pitch second half.
You'd have expected them at one down to come out all guns blazing after the break but straight away we played to ball to Ash out left, he got taken down - then like an old pro, made the most of being injured and getting treated, delaying the game etc.
Afterwards whenever the ball was played to him he kept it, held play up and totally frustrated them because they just couldn't get the ball off him without giving a foul away - and he just kept drawing them into conceding a foul every time. Coupled with the likes of Hogg closing them down quickly in the middle of the park the Albion just couldn't get any rythym going at all.
Very pleased with Heskey too.

Please don't take my comments as a slight against Ash. I thought he was excellent. Just that you have to wonder sometimes about sponsor's awards when they often go to the most popular or obvious players. While Ash played well, I think most would have been delighted had Albrighton or Downing got it. Not really that important though in the grand scheme of things.

[dave.woodhall]

Please don't take my comments as a slight against Ash. I thought he was excellent. Just that you have to wonder sometimes about sponsor's awards when they often go to the most popular or obvious players. While Ash played well, I think most would have been delighted had Albrighton or Downing got it. Not really that important though in the grand scheme of things.

Merson Syndrome. They give it the player they want their photo taken with.

[ROBBO]

We needed that. I saw some things different to most, i thought Lichaj was well beaten in the first half but grew as the game went on, Heskey was enormous yes he mucked up a couple of times but his effort was first rate and doesn't he look a happier player under GH. Wee Barry is the weakspot in midfield love his skills but needs to be action man to make it. Commentator said Ash to Liverpool in January this cannot happen.
We need to hang on to our good players how long before they're sniffing around Albrighton.

[CJ]

Forgot to mention earlier - Lichaj has a hell of a throw on him

[peter w]

Please don't take my comments as a slight against Ash. I thought he was excellent. Just that you have to wonder sometimes about sponsor's awards when they often go to the most popular or obvious players. While Ash played well, I think most would have been delighted had Albrighton or Downing got it. Not really that important though in the grand scheme of things.

Merson Syndrome. They give it the player they want their photo taken with.

That would sound more like the anti-Merson syndrome.

[hawkeye]

Forgot to mention earlier - Lichaj has a hell of a throw on him

Yes I noticed that, could be a usefull weapon although i dont want us to turn into stoke

[Tony]

Forgot to mention earlier - Lichaj has a hell of a throw on him

Yes I noticed that, could be a usefull weapon although i dont want us to turn into stoke

There's nowt wrong with how Stoke use throw ins, nobody complains about teams who take corners well, just because throw in takers who can deliver like that are in short supply, doesn't make it wrong.

[adrenachrome]

Forgot to mention earlier - Lichaj has a hell of a throw on him

Yes I noticed that, could be a usefull weapon although i dont want us to turn into stoke

There's nowt wrong with how Stoke use throw ins, nobody complains about teams who take corners well, just because throw in takers who can deliver like that are in short supply, doesn't make it wrong.

As a tactic, I agree, but when it becomes a strategy you end up kicking for position, like in the game with the egg-shaped ball.  That's fucked up innit.

[The Left Side]

Phew... I had to go out for the last few minutes as I couldn't take it. Still we hung on and the injured players are coming back!

Positives... the kids are playing well and Cuellar should keep his place now!

Negatives... The next 5 games or so, can someone show Warnock video's of last season and show him what he can do?

[OzVilla]

However, listening to them on WM on the way home, what a bunch of whingey, pompous c***s they are. All this "irrayfair, we wuz the best soide in the first half" bollocks and going on about what great football they play, and how quiet Villa park was etc etc.

They really are a bunch of deluded fuckwits.

And they've never been any different, you could replay that after every game we've played against them since 1985 and they'd be saying the same thing, over and over and over zzzzzzzzzzzz.

It gives us a good laugh though.

[Scott Nielsen]

Sweet win.

Dean Sturridge is annoying.

[Matt Collins]

Everything Albion supporters said after the match was the sort of thing litle club supporters say after they've played a big club - ref was against us, played well, really proud, they was all quiet

Hmm, a bit like us after the Chelsea semi-final!

Didn't see the game. But I think there's probably something in others' views that going back to basics, and trying to manage the transition over a bit more time, is going to be more sensible.

Am I right to think Bannan has started to struggle a tad in centre midfield? Perhaps Hogg and NRC should be the central partnership until Delph and Petrov are fit.

Downing has been easily our best player this season, rivalled only by Heskey and Albrighton. Emile hasn't played enough games, but if he can actually score goals he's well suited to the lone frontman role.