Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur Post-Match Thread

[damon loves JT]

Someone answer me this - who was the last better signing than Van Der Vaart?

Van der Vaart - the most annoying person in the world?

[olaftab]

We played well. Stats of 10 on target and 10 shots off target is very good. We were beaten by pure class, the class, that we don't posses. VDV was the main difference. There is no one more precise and clincal than him at the moment in the PL. The  sending off for Spurs was  not much help to us as they were  1-0 up and if you have to lose a player through a red card  than a forward is least damaging.
Rene's selection was a bit confusing. I can  not  see any good reason as to why NRC  did not play and why we did not adjust the team  either straight after the Defoe red card or atleast at half time.
We need to hold our nerve now.

[taylorsworkrate]

We won't be relegated under Houllier.

I think we'll JUST be okay.

But thats only because there are so many atrocious teams in the league.  We are very close to being one of them.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

League Table - 2 years ago

1 Liverpool 19  12 6 1 30 12  6 4 0 16 6  6 2 1 14 6  +18 42   
2 Chelsea 19  12 5 2 38 7  4 4 2 17 6  8 1 0 21 1  +31 41   
3 Manchester United 17  10 5 2 28 10  6 1 0 19 4  4 4 2 9 6  +18 35   
4 Aston Villa 19  10 5 4 32 22  4 5 1 16 11  6 0 3 16 11  +10 35   
5 Arsenal 19  9 5 5 32 23  5 2 2 16 11  4 3 3 16 12  +9 32   
6 Everton 19  8 5 6 24 25  1 4 4 9 15  7 1 2 15 10  -1 29   
7 Hull City 19  7 6 6 28 36  3 2 4 10 19  4 4 2 18 17  -8 27   
8 Fulham 18  6 7 5 16 12  6 2 1 14 6  0 5 4 2 6  +4 25   
9 Wigan Athletic 18  7 4 7 23 21  5 2 3 11 10  2 2 4 12 11  +2 25   
10 Bolton Wanderers 19  7 2 10 22 27  3 2 4 8 10  4 0 6 14 17  -5 23   
11 Portsmouth 19  6 5 8 21 32  4 2 4 14 17  2 3 4 7 15  -11 23   
12 Newcastle United 19  5 7 7 25 27  4 3 2 15 12  1 4 5 10 15  -2 22   
13 West Ham United 19  6 4 9 22 27  3 1 5 11 14  3 3 4 11 13  -5 22   
14 Sunderland 19  6 4 9 21 26  3 2 5 11 13  3 2 4 10 13  -5 22   
15 Manchester City 19  6 3 10 36 28  5 0 5 24 11  1 3 5 12 17  +8 21   
16 Tottenham Hotspur 19  5 5 9 20 23  3 3 4 7 7  2 2 5 13 16  -3 20   
17 Middlesbrough 19  5 5 9 17 28  3 3 4 9 14  2 2 5 8 14  -11 20   
18 Stoke City 19  5 5 9 17 31  5 2 3 12 11  0 3 6 5 20  -14 20   
19 Blackburn Rovers 19  4 5 10 20 34  2 2 5 8 15  2 3 5 12 19  -14 17   
20 West Bromwich Albion 19  4 3 12 14 35  3 2 4 11 16  1 1 8 3 19  -21 15   


I won't remind people of the league table today.

Spurs are club that are no bigger than us - many might suggest they or Everton are the most similar clubs in terms of stature, but in this time look how they've developed. We've simply gone backwards and today we got battered by them playing the majority of the game with a man more at home.

I'm all for giving the kids games, and i'm more than happy for Houllier to ship out some of the overpaid and overated tossers like Ireland, Carew, Sidwell, Dunne and Warnock but we look like a team with no leadership or organisation either on or off the pitch. Houllier doesn't instill me with a great deal of confidence, I hope that in January he'll be able to bring in some experienced, hungry players that want to help Aston Villa move forward. I appreciate it is hard in January, but I fear that if this is left until the summer we'll be planning trips to Ipswich and Preston. 

[damon loves JT]

I've just got back. Lichaj was our best player tonight. If anyone is pinning their hopes on Fabian Delph, they may be disappointed.

We look like a team without a leader. A few of them look like they don't really fancy it.

Oh, and my son still hasn't seen us win a competitive game.

[damon loves JT]

I was more pissed off at those who booed Pires when he came on to the pitch.

I thought that was a mixture of Villa fans seeing Delph replaced and Spurs fans seeing a former Gooner on the pitch.

I don't know, I was standing next to a couple. Unless Pires does something brilliant soon he will just become a stick with which to beat tha G-Dogg

[villa1]

How is fonz being seen as a plus today?
I like the lad but he doesn't look like he can hit a barn door in all fairness!

I like Hogg but we've dropped him into a really unfair position too soon

Lichaj deserves credit for a good game today

I'm sorry mate but Delfouneso was a massive plus today.

He was our only player who could dribble with the ball past someone today, the only thing he didn't do was score against a solid spurs side, yes they had 10 men but they still played as a team and crowded out our front men.

Delfouneso is going to be a top player!

Funny how people see things differently. I don't see him becoming a top player. At the moment I can only see him drifting away and signing for tye Albion in a few years time for £3 / 4m.

I really do hope i'm wrong.

[dorsetvillian]

Again just got back. Impressed by Lichaj and Delph on his first game back. Worried by the following:

1. The original midfield selection
2. Lack of forward focus once Heskey went off
3. How easy Heskey gets injured
4. Inability to score from free headers or even get them on target
5. Inability to score from a half chance
6. Inability to score
7. Who can GH buy that will make an immediate impact, as most foreign players need months to adjust to the English game 
8. Lack of gritting on minor roads around Salisbury (sorry just feel like moaning!)

Dorset Villa

[dave.woodhall]

League Table - 2 years ago...

In the other four teams in that top eight who are currently lower than they were then, you have three of the four managers who would have been the most popular choices to replace O'Neill. This appointing a new manager lark is a piece of piss.

[olaftab]

How is fonz being seen as a plus today?
I like the lad but he doesn't look like he can hit a barn door in all fairness!

I like Hogg but we've dropped him into a really unfair position too soon

Lichaj deserves credit for a good game today

I'm sorry mate but Delfouneso was a massive plus today.

He was our only player who could dribble with the ball past someone today, the only thing he didn't do was score against a solid spurs side, yes they had 10 men but they still played as a team and crowded out our front men.

Delfouneso is going to be a top player!

Funny how people see things differently. I don't see him becoming a top player. At the moment I can only see him drifting away and signing for tye Albion in a few years time for £3 / 4m.

I really do hope i'm wrong.

Delph is class potentially a great player. All he needs is application and good mentoring.

[DB]

We did OK today, when our first choice players are back and into the groove, we'll be fine. When I looked a the team-sheet today, I saw one team with quality in every area and the other with kids with potential - they are doing there best but can you expect Hogg to out do Modric, you saw that pass to Hutton for the 1st. The 2nd was a great finish from a world class player (if we'd had been as clinical as them we would have won. Yes, we've slipped behind them but with injuries and a new manager it's a time to take what we can..... I'll judge GH when he has his team.

[Pete3206]

Time to stop blaming O'Neill in every match thread. It seems to me that the current manager hasn't got a clue and Villa are falling fast.

[dave.woodhall]

Time to stop blaming O'Neill in every match thread. It seems to me that the current manager hasn't got a clue and Villa are falling fast.

The time to stop blaming O'Neilll is when nothing's his fault. That's a long way off.

[Pete3206]

Time to stop blaming O'Neill in every match thread. It seems to me that the current manager hasn't got a clue and Villa are falling fast.

The time to stop blaming O'Neilll is when nothing's his fault. That's a long way off.

Looking on the bright side, you'll have an extra 4 games to sell fanzines next season. There's something to thank MON for.

[Clark W Griswold]

If Petrov and NRC had started it still wouldn't alter Warnock being caught out week in and week out. People have blamed Collins for the first goal, but the danger arose from that Scouse tit being yet again, woefully out of position.

Tchoi battered him on the 11th too.

I think Collins was in the lavatory having a shit when the first one went in. Seriously though, I have just watched the Motd analysis and the bloke should never play for us again. Of all the shit centre backs we've had over the last 5 years or so, he is the worst. I would also take Warnock out and play Lichaj/Cuellar/Clarke/L Young, or better still make a couple of signings to come straight in.