Birmingham City v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[dl9]

Or just stop conceding so many soft bloody goals.

puts a lot of pressure on the defence if the forwards aren't mscoring mind you. The defence has got better each week, but we still can't score. We need to drastically improve the latter.

Agreed on both counts. Gabby's lethargy is really starting to do my head in, the only plus being the coins I was able to pick up from what was coming over from the inbreds....

[Drummond]

They have lost to Everton and Arsenal at home this season before that it was last season when they lost to us and then Bolton in September.

That is an impressive record and we were unlucky not to get another win there.

[BILL DE VALL]

We hit the bar 4 times!
on another day we might have nicked this game
Gabby on the left is madness-he cannot cross with his left
Bannan was brought on to play nice balls to the front men then was bypassed

It is clear that "the houllier way" is taking/will take a while to assert itself

[taylorsworkrate]

Lots of effort but lacking in quality up front.

If Houllier thinks we don't need to sign a striker then he is living on another planet.

[usav]

They have lost to Everton and Arsenal at home this season before that it was last season when they lost to us and then Bolton in September.

That is an impressive record and we were unlucky not to get another win there.

Absolutely, well said.

[eamonn]

We created more during this game than both derbies combined last season which we won. O'Neill's flattering to deceive routine was pretty impressive really.

[eamonn]

Good to see our Fanzone fella is still knocking around. Don't think I've seen him since, er, that game.

http://www.skysports.com/football/match_video/0,26719,11065_3293538,00.html

[Mazrim]

Lots of effort but lacking in quality up front.

If Houllier thinks we don't need to sign a striker then he is living on another planet.

He does think we need to sign a striker by all accounts.
But on another day, with a modicum of luck (yes, I know you make your own) we could have scored three or four, easily.

[Risso]

2) that Houllier got it right tactically today. I think this is complete nonsense myself. Whatever stream I was watching had David Pleat as co-commentator. He was practically having kittens at how Downing was playing in no mans land and Gabby out left. Gabby is a terrible wide player. He has no guile or intelligence to play in that position. He cant cross the ball, cant pass. He is up front playing off the last defender or on the bench. What a shocking level of ambition to play him on the left to counter the threat of Stephen Carr!!! While a point isnt a disaster it is only wins that will take us out of trouble. We have a great chance to win that game today. Granted Houllier isnt at fault for the complete lack of form of our strikers but there are some learning points.

Completely agree.

I really cannot for the life of me understand why we just didn't got for a bog standard 4-4-2, with Albrighton and Downing out wide, and Gabby and Carew up front.  Gabby was hopeless out wide, and Downing wasn't much better as he look lost in a role that was totally alien to him.  Carew did OK first half in his first match back for a while, but needed some help.  That's 1 win in 10 league games now, and I can't see us getting anything against City.  The Wigan game is looking like a huge must win game now, which isn't something I ever though I'd have to say.

[Brend'Watkins]

I thought the team battled well overall and on another day would have won quite handsomely.  We just need a little bit of the luck we had in abundance last season.

I was impressed with Walker again, he's 100% better than Warnock. Dunne and Collins are back to their near best and are again looking a threat to the opposition goal.  We do though have to stop this tendency we now have of giving stupid free kicks away in dangerous positions.  One cost us again and another nearly did right at the death.

[PeterWithe]

I think Marc Allbrighton has a touch of the Lee Hendries about him when it comes to tackling, he seems frustrated at his lack of physical presence so makes ill conceived challenges to make up for it. It needs to be coached out of him quickly.

[Mazrim]

I just think its over exuberance rather than any lack of physical presence. He'll learn.
Perfectly executed crunching tackles is not something they learn in winger 101 I think.
I'd much prefer him being over-eager anyway, you can easily work on that.

[PeterWithe]

I wouldn't expect him to make crunching tackles but he needs to learn when not to make any at all, some of the little fellas in Spain seem very good at simply positioning their bodies so the bigger opponents look like they are fouling them.

[Mazrim]

You mean go down like a tupenny whore at the slightest touch? I hope we teach him more virtuous techniques, but I take the point.

[DrGonzo]

I see that by hitting the woodwork 3 times yesterday we have become the leaders in at least this field!!  That's 13 for the season, as opposed to the 24 times we've hit the back of the net, when you consider the difference in the surface area between woodwork and net this is no small feat!