Aston Villa v Fulham Post-Match Thread

[Legion]

We didn't lose though Lee, we drew.

I know, mate. I was paraphrasing an after-match chat with Dave.

[The Situation]

With wolves having beat man u it means it's so tight between 8th and 20th- keep the faith!

Yea.

4 points either way.

I hope we go >>>>

[Legion]

To the right?

[The Situation]

To the right?

Forward? In the right direction?

[WikiVilla]

Blackpool all of a sudden is a real 6 pointer

[clogger]

Back from VP and a draw is disappointing.
 
Pros

Makoun looks a good signing - some really good balls and even when he made the odd error he did work hard to rectify it.
Kyle Walker and Downing linking up well and producing some nice moves and threats down the wing.
Great goal from Walker
Collins looked solid - on the whole

Cons
Ashley Young  - has undeniable potential (and always has) but wants to spend far more time working on his own game and less on throwing his hands in the air and moaning at his team mates and the ref/assistant ref. Thought he was largely invisible today and poor when he did get the ball.
Petrov - desparately poor today. Not good enough. Slows play down and lost the ball time after time. Got in Makoun's way on more than one occasion.
Gabby - won a lot in the air against Pantsil first half but his touch is still poor and he is ineffective out wide.
Friedel - big fan normally but 2 bad errors today
Gerard - I can see what he is trying to do. I agree with what he is trying to do on the whole but needed to sub Petrov and Gabby sooner.

Looking forward to seeing Bradley play.

Think we will be ok this season and can push on next.

[barrysleftfoot]

  Just got back.

  Friedel, should certainly done better with the 1st, not much to do really.

  Walker......great goal, a goal a midfielder should have scored, can't see Petrov doing that.Played well.

  Clark.....thought he was poor today, too slow with the passing, always turning to play the ball back, did'nt open the game up.

  Dunne and Collins......never in any trouble today for me , and yet the opposition score 2 goals.

  Petrov........too pedestrian, the 2nd goal came from him passing responsibility onto somebody else.His time has come and gone.Never been a big fan, but not getting any better.

  Makoun......quality player, always got a pass on, always an option.Great signing tbh.

  Downing.....typical Downing, some good parts, but never convinces me.Lacks a bit of consistency in the final 1/3rd for me.

  Gabby.......starting to worry about Gabby, Bent does'nt like a partner, so Gabby has to play more like an inside foward.Not sure he has the brains to do that.His movement off the ball is non-existant.

  AYoung.......runs a lot, works hard, has'nt got a killer final ball.No assists, no attempts again.Went on the wing, no decent crosses.Starting to question why he's ahead of Albrighton tbh.

  Bent,.......not sure he was offside tbh, apart from that should have done better with that chance in the 2nd half.Good movement off the ball, needs to be picked out better.

 
 We should have held on after going 2- 1 up, gave them far too much space in midfield, and did'nt create enough chances.Badly need a LB , and need to replace Petrov in midfield.

[PaulTheVillan]

I think Makoun is ahead of everyone in terms of his quick passing, I don't think half the players expect to get the ball played so quickly. He had a great game in terms of his passing and vision. I think we need NRC or Bradley along side him in the middle, who have got the legs & energy.

Thought Gabby was poor today, I know he was out wide, but he didn't really get involved much at all.

Downing was ok in spells. He had a 10 minute spell in which everything he done was shit. Especially when he cut inside in the box on his left and twatted the ball high and wide when there was better options.

Didn't think Dunne & Collins did that much wrong & thought Friedel could & should have done better for both the goals.

Ashley Young is really getting on my tits lately. Drop him.

Overall I'm pissed off we didn't win.

[madirishvillain]

make no mistake

we are still very much in a relegation battle, and most if not all below us have games in hand


very very worrying times


and

i would be okay with Ashley telling Houllier where he has to play, if he feckin could play there


Gaby on the left? seriously can Gary Mac not say something to Houllier? i think that is petty payback by the manager for Gaby saying no to laying off the weights



I SERIOUSLY HATE FOOTBALL AT TIMES

[Monty]

Gaby on the left? seriously can Gary Mac not say something to Houllier? i think that is petty payback by the manager for Gaby saying no to laying off the weights

You're right. You are mad.

[JJ-AV]

Without trying to get too technical, it seems to me Houllier is trying to set up in a sort of 4-2-3-1 system with Bent as the lone striker and Gabby and Ash supporting (from the left and centre), with Downing covering the right and coming infield to add an extra body to Makoun and Petrov.

Then in defence you’ve Walker who gets up to exploit the space on the right ahead of Downing, with Clark coming in on the other side to give us the third defender back there to stop the potential threat of the counter…

The signing of Adam made sense because he’d have played on the left side of the centre of midfield to feed Gabby (coming in from the left to exploit the space between the full-back and centre back), as well as Ashley and Bent through the middle. Adam would have given us the delicacy in the final third we lacked under O’Neill and don’t have anywhere in the team except from the inconsistent Downing, but more importantly would have enabled us to revert to plan B of the quick counter attack football (the ‘long passes’ into space for Gabby, Ash and Bent).

I really like how Houllier’s setting up, but there’s that one cog missing at the moment (centre halves need improving too but that’s not as urgent, IMO). Hopefully Bradley can bring what Adam would have.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

I thought Petrov was ok today, as good as Makoun. The problem is they're both square ball merchants

Downing had another very good game as did Walker

Petrov as good as Makoun? Really? That's the equivalent of saying Gabby is as good as Ronaldo wide left.

Makoun is the only player to pick the ball up and turn forwards. He is also the only player who is capable of first-time passing to a very high standard.

[Legion]

Makoun's passing and awareness in the first half especially was top quality.

[Brend'Watkins]

We could easily have lost that game.  I thought Fulham were very good, or, we let them appear good.  With the first fortunate goal we seemed to go into our shell instead of pushing on, that's frustrating. 

Makoun was good again, I only observed  a few mistakes from him towards the end of the match.  Gabby is a worry, he contributed nothing for 80 minutes.  The system clearly doesn't suit him, therefore, he shouldn't be played in that position.  Even when we reverted to a 4 - 4 - 2 he did little.  Bent was also poor but then, the service to him was poor overall and I thought before the game we'd excel in this area.

Hangeland had a brilliant game for them.

[brian green]

Just back from the game   I would say I am tired and weary but the expression gives me convulsions.   Agree with pretty much everything already said.   Friedel is not being put under any pressure for his place.   One on one he is still competent but it is the situations which require him to think and react quickly where age has caught up with him and he is not a shadow of the keeper he once was.

My main purpose of visiting the site is to ask if anyone knows what Johnson said to the linesman to make him and the referee reverse their decisions and then allow Fulham a free kick thirty yards upfield from where the Fulham player was flagged for a foul or did I dream it all?

Petrov was dire.   Right back to the strolling mardy arse he was when we first signed him.   I was hoping Makoun would smack him one.