Manchester City v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[5ft811st2 Durham]

Honestly I am amazed. Man City are a team we invariably lose at away from home, and often in an abject gutless manner, no matter who we put on the pitch. Their team had a world and european cup winner who was sensation IMO at times, a 30 million forward, a 20 million left back, the England keeper, a man they signed from being a starter at Barca etc etc... these are a class above putting Walker Downing and Young into the side that started (that is about all that would have been different) and getting a win.

Our biggest non performers were probably Gabby, Petrov and Heskey. I just think people are throwing toys out of the pram at the first thing GH does that upsets them following his tough start, but not seeing the bigger picture that Delph had to start at left back as there was no alternative in reality, Clark had to play centre half and if you are telling me that the first team players further forward would have prevented their team, with their delivery scoring against our defence you are on more drugs than many are accusing GH of being on tonight! We lost to a better team. It would have happened whatever side we had put out, fact is he chose to rest a few or save them the mental scarring of being battered by city. Oh and got 90 minutes out of Delph and Bannan looking like good players. Next season will be different. He is just assembling the tools and working out what the ones he has are capable of at the moment. Give him some time rather than jumping about with pants on fire. Struggling in 2 years time sack him, but no side prospers from cutting their manager after 6 months, especially one that looks capable of bringing good players to the club!

Spurs did. Houllier is useless. Get rid (In May)

[Stu]

i sat n watched it for 90 mins i saw us second to evry ball and tevez was on the bench , it was boys v men , we couldnt string passes together gabby was woefull hesky needs shootin, i dont know how we can fix this without breaking up an otherwise excellent team and whats more gh  is only part of the peoblem we got over priced over rated player underperforming, young should have gone last summer he's not right for the job

This is how we can tell there's a blue on the board. Poor grammar, spelt badly.

[cdward]

The day that the manager of Aston Villa Football Club decided that it wasn't worth trying to win the FA Cup is quite possibly my saddest day as a fan. Still, I look forward to 6th-16th in the league and not being relegated being added to our honours list.

And i'm left feeling, if they can't be bothered any more, why should I?

My thoughts exactly, well said. So I suppose we should all look forward to reminiscing about the great day we beat Bolton or drew with Wolves. If this is the future it's rubbish. Just ask our neighbours how much a cup run means compared to 3 points.
For what it's worth I would rather see Villa win the FA Cup and be relegated, at least I would have the memories and a sense of achievement.

[Toronto Villa]

I just got on, and saw the result. I don't need to know how things went because it's quite evident from the tone and mood on here. Like everyone, I really hoped we'd go after it today, and on seeing the team it was going to be a masterstroke or a complete disaster. It turned out to be the latter.

Clearly survival in the PL takes priority over everything, but even going out 2-1 with as full a strength team as possible would at least have left a "we gave it a proper go" feel. It doesn't and it's very empty right now. I get why he did it, I just don't agree that he needed to cut so deep. He has really helped his credibility with us in the last few weeks. With a lot of people, he will have lost a lot of it tonight.

[pauliewalnuts]

Honestly I am amazed. Man City are a team we invariably lose at away from home, and often in an abject gutless manner, no matter who we put on the pitch. Their team had a world and european cup winner who was sensation IMO at times, a 30 million forward, a 20 million left back, the England keeper, a man they signed from being a starter at Barca etc etc... these are a class above putting Walker Downing and Young into the side that started (that is about all that would have been different) and getting a win.

Nobody is surprised we lost. Nobody would have been surprised if we'd lost having played our strongest team. We'd just have liked to have tried.

However, we were doomed from the start, so weak was our starting line up - we gave up on the FA Cup whilst 12th in the league. That's the long and short of it, and there's really not much getting away from it.

I heard GH say post match "it was a team of internationals .. some of them are U21 internationals ... Delfouneso will be going to the tournament in the summer ... Herd is an Australian international ..."

To be quite honest, that just makes it worse.

[Pete3206]

Honestly I am amazed. Man City are a team we invariably lose at away from home, and often in an abject gutless manner, no matter who we put on the pitch. Their team had a world and european cup winner who was sensation IMO at times, a 30 million forward, a 20 million left back, the England keeper, a man they signed from being a starter at Barca etc etc... these are a class above putting Walker Downing and Young into the side that started (that is about all that would have been different) and getting a win.

Our biggest non performers were probably Gabby, Petrov and Heskey. I just think people are throwing toys out of the pram at the first thing GH does that upsets them following his tough start, but not seeing the bigger picture that Delph had to start at left back as there was no alternative in reality, Clark had to play centre half and if you are telling me that the first team players further forward would have prevented their team, with their delivery scoring against our defence you are on more drugs than many are accusing GH of being on tonight! We lost to a better team. It would have happened whatever side we had put out, fact is he chose to rest a few or save them the mental scarring of being battered by city. Oh and got 90 minutes out of Delph and Bannan looking like good players. Next season will be different. He is just assembling the tools and working out what the ones he has are capable of at the moment. Give him some time rather than jumping about with pants on fire. Struggling in 2 years time sack him, but no side prospers from cutting their manager after 6 months, especially one that looks capable of bringing good players to the club!

I thought that by playing Gabby instead of Bent up front with the rest of the team, the same as Saturday, we would then be playing the best team available. That would have given Man City a game. As it was, Mr Houllier decided to throw in players like Herd, Delfounso, Bradley, Bannan and fucking Heskey into a team formation that baffled everybody.

Bigger picture? Houllier won't see out next season.

[olaftab]

In total agreement with peterwitheshin and cward.
Tonight Aston Villa football club surrenders in the FA cup. I am a mug for going to Manchester tonight. I am seething.I hate I hate him. I don't care what he does from now on I hate him

[luke25]

Just got home and still fuming, One of the greatest football teams on the planet shows such disregard for the worlds most famous cup competition, simply unacceptable

[PeterWithesShin]

Honestly I am amazed. Man City are a team we invariably lose at away from home, and often in an abject gutless manner, no matter who we put on the pitch. Their team had a world and european cup winner who was sensation IMO at times, a 30 million forward, a 20 million left back, the England keeper, a man they signed from being a starter at Barca etc etc... these are a class above putting Walker Downing and Young into the side that started (that is about all that would have been different) and getting a win.

Our biggest non performers were probably Gabby, Petrov and Heskey. I just think people are throwing toys out of the pram at the first thing GH does that upsets them following his tough start, but not seeing the bigger picture that Delph had to start at left back as there was no alternative in reality, Clark had to play centre half and if you are telling me that the first team players further forward would have prevented their team, with their delivery scoring against our defence you are on more drugs than many are accusing GH of being on tonight! We lost to a better team. It would have happened whatever side we had put out, fact is he chose to rest a few or save them the mental scarring of being battered by city. Oh and got 90 minutes out of Delph and Bannan looking like good players. Next season will be different. He is just assembling the tools and working out what the ones he has are capable of at the moment. Give him some time rather than jumping about with pants on fire. Struggling in 2 years time sack him, but no side prospers from cutting their manager after 6 months, especially one that looks capable of bringing good players to the club!

Shall we just give up on entering cup competitions then? Because for us to win a cup, we will invariably have to at some stage play a side that on paper at least, is better than us.
Man Utd when we were in Div 3 were on paper, better than us, Bayern Munich were better than us. So were Inter. And Man Utd in 57 and 94 etc Maybe we should do what we did all those years ago and just scratch from the FA Cup as soon as we come up against anyone good. Just in case they beat us.

[stroud green villa]

I can't believe there are fans defending the selection tonight. He didn't have much choice at the back - although how Walker didn't get in is a mystery - but if I had the Villa to play a game to save my life today - Young, Downing, Albrighton and Reo would all have played. Everyone (ie Wolves) has shown they can't take teams getting at them at home.
We could give up 3 points on Sat and still have plenty of opportunities to stay up - it's a complete misjudgment of the club and the situation. This is the widest open FA Cup in memory - one hard tie vs Man Utd/Arsenal and as we know from VP this season and on Sunday they're fallible.
I was willing to give him time until tonight. He has to go. Utter shambles.

[BC54 VFC]

If you're the bald headed twat in Row D, Seat 366 read on.

You access your seat at the start of the second half by walking down aisle 114, looking for the letter 'D' on the floor and then walking along that row to your seat, NOT by going along the wrong row several rows back and then climbing over seats and knocking people out of the way. Just because you're in a seat number equating to the number of days in a leap year doesn't entitle you to leap over seats in this manner. Next time you won't get an empty coffee cup thown at your Nautica coat; it'll be a full one!

[KevinGage]

The worst of it is if we have a new manager on board next year -or even GH himself- and we actually give it a go, it's by no means nailed on that we'll go further than we did this season.

A dodgy draw or performance and we're out in the 3rd.

You really have to take your opportunities when you're this far into the comp -and a tie against an injury hit Citeh side, facing their fourth game in the last 10 days or so- is an opportunity.

You have to at least give it a go.

[cumgetus]

i was one of them who saiid  give gh  time he been in the game a long time
 maybe he been in the game to long after tonight .... can,t belive what he said quote
  if it was not for the 2 goals we was as good as them
well thats it for me...no more season tickets and i buy 3 and last anyway game will be bolton
fuck it i am out of here till he gone not wastein time and money anymore
and can the last one out turn the light off

[PeterWithesShin]

The worst of it is if we have a new manager on board next year -or even GH himself- and we actually give it a go, it's by no means nailed on that we'll go further than we did this season.

A dodgy draw or performance and we're out in the 3rd.

You really have to take your opportunities when you're this far into the comp -and a tie against an injury hit Citeh side, facing their fourth game in the last 10 days or so- is an opportunity.

You have to at least give it a go.

For me, just as big a factor is Reading at home in the QF, and with the Mancs V Arsenal in another QF means one of those go out. It really was a real chance this year.

Our best 11 may have lost anyway tonight, but at least we would have given it our best.

[D.boy]

I was at work all night so didn't see the game (thankfully). I don't mind being beaten if we have a good go at it but from reading the thread it sounds like a weakened team was picked with capitulation being the outcome. I wonder when (and this applies to other teams as well) football clubs will see the supporters say "if you can't be arsed with trying why should we spend our hard earned week in week out."