Manchester City v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Dave Cooper please]

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.

So we just give up then, hand them the win and say "Well we wouldn't have won anyway, you're too good for the likes of us."?
Honestly, I think the worst over reaction to this capitulation is coming from those trying to defend Hotlips' team selection.

[holtepaul]

It is 1.21am - I have just walked in the door. I now have £70 left in my bank , £60 is my petrol money for the month, the last £10 has got to last me until March 28th when I next get paid.

And what did I get, for spending my (I was going to say last, but the truth is it was ALL) my money for this month on trying to support my side.

I tell you what I got - the manager took the piss out of me - thats what.

I am utterly utterly disgusted with what went on tonight. The performance isn't worth mentioning, as soon as the team walked out, you knew what was going to happen. Even if it was 1-0 loss to a fluky last minute goal, it wouldn't have masked the fact the manager, for second time this season (after Liverpool) took the piss out of the fans of Aston Villa Football Club.

I will be writing a letter to the club tomorrow asking for my money back and an apology.

I am outraged, I am ending it here, and I will be posting it on the Generals tab.

[villajk]

Ok, I haven't read this thread.  Got back about an hour ago and needed  glass of wine to warm up, it was so damn cold.

Was very disappointed when I saw the team sheet as I thought we were taking this cup seriously.  Then he goes and brings on the three players who should have been on from the start when we are 3-0 down.

I have backed Houllier all the way, but tonight I'm starting to think differently, very differently.

[b671]

so sad not only did we travel to mancland to witness abject surrender but had to have so called villa fans racialy abuse villa players then try to offer out fellow villa at3 to 1  outside eastlands wot the fuk is happing to our club

[luke25]

so sad not only did we travel to mancland to witness abject surrender but had to have so called villa fans racialy abuse villa players then try to offer out fellow villa at3 to 1  outside eastlands wot the fuk is happing to our club

Whats with the flurry of new members and the lack of spelling and punctuation?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Guess.

[holtepaul]

Well I am new coz I quit Villatalk as I was sick and tired of being censored more than a Libyan !

[luke25]

Guess.

I don't need too ;-)

[b671]

This new member has been at villa since early 80's and i think some idiot calling ashley young a black twat before he even got on pitch is a bit more important than spelling or amunt of post's .Also when the twat who said this can only offer out fellow villa fans who went to game when there is 2 mates backing him up and the person being abused is on there own dont you think that we need to ask what is going on at the club we all are suppose to love.                                       

[WALTERS WARRIORS]

Well done Delph, Bannan, Dunne, Herd and Clarke. Heskey, Gabby and Petrov have no future at Villa. These so called "senior" players are the one`s who let us down the most. Gabby is in a time warp and Heskey is slow and clueless. These players are on massive wages and if Houllier cannot play them and get a performance out of them, what should he do ??

[brontebilly]

To be honest I think Gerard Houllier has been on borrowed time at Villa Park since the Liverpool debacle. The man is clueless frankly. There was some signs of hope with the transfer window comings and goings but there is a lot more to being a football manager than buying and selling players. On tactics, man management, keeping the fans onside and practically every other facet of football management Houllier is struggling. Some of the performances this season have been disgraceful frankly. We can take the odd off day but players not trying and pathetic surrenders from the manager should never be accepted.

The team that should have started tonight:

Friedel
Walker, Dunne, Clark, Delph
Downing, Petrov/Bradley, Reo Coker, Bannan, Young
Gabby

City are weak at full back so we simply needed to play Young and Downing who could have had a lot of joy. Particularly with Walker bombing on behind Downing. With our back four and considering how strong City are in the middle, Reo Coker simply had to be first name on the teamsheet. He is our best midfielder anyway. I wouldnt have minded two from Petrov, Bradley and Bannan to support him.

Instead we weaken the defence further by putting in the untried Herd at right back. We take our only physical player out of midfield to give City a free hand to do what they liked. We remove our best two wide players, and the third best Albrighton to put in a frankly crazy combo of the Fonz, Heskey and Gabby. If this was horse racing there would certainly be a stewards enquiry into whether we actually threw the game.

My comments re the 4 players who seem to be getting the most abuse from tonight

Id give Bradley a bit of time. I thought his cameo at Blackpool was of the headless chicken variety too but he has proven himself at Dutch and German league level and international level. Houllier rotates the players willy nilly in the midfield so it is difficult for him. Lets judge at the end of the season.

Heskey is absolutely finished at this level. Has been one of the worst players I can remember at Villa Park to be honest. More than capable of not trying a leg either despite the cliche that he puts in a shift. Id prefer if we didnt see him play another minute this season. A one paced, lumbering fool with the touch of a horse and the heart of a mouse.

Petrov had some good times at Villa but is surely out the door in the summer. His legs have completely gone and without Reo Coker to cover next to him we are wide open. Where possible we should give Bannan, Bradley and Delph chances ahead of him until the end of the season too.

Gabby had a very good season last season. He was quality up top by himself but unfortunately is crap paired with anyone. He isnt the most intelligent of footballers but I keep thinking there must be problems behind the scenes with him. How you can go from giving the likes of Vidic the runaround at Wembley to resembling a disinterested overweight Linford Christie in the space of a year?

[PeterWithesShin]

Wasn't Heskey the only one to force Hart into a worthwhile save? And if Fonz had been more alert, he could have scored the rebound. I'm not claiming Heskey was great tonight by any stretch of the imagination, but for him to be one of the main ones singled out tonight as a failure and finished etc seems strange when he was the only fucker on the pitch who looked like scoring.

[PeterWithesShin]

Then again, the fact Heskey is the only one who looked like scoring is probably more down to the selection and performance tonight rather than any real praise for Heskey.

[eamonn]

I can see Ozzjim's point but I don't agree with him about the game being a foregone conclusion regardless of the line-up. They're in the middle of a tough schedule of games, could only draw at home to Fulham at the weekend, are starting to look lethargic and their best player by far was started on the bench tonight. They weren't there for the taking but we could have given them a run for their money.

As for those that played, well we continue to flatter to deceive. Plenty of possession in our own half but never really looking like hurting Man City and always a fuck-up away (in fairness none from Dunne tonight) from giving them the ball in a dangerous area. Heskey's shot in the first half was a reminder of the player he could be. But all too often we were all foreplay, stroking the ball in safe areas, but when it came to penetration our dick was floppy.

Bannan annoyed me a few times with that ''hooking the ball over his shoulder thing without looking thing'' he often does, invariably ceding possession but the kid never stopped trying and tends to make things happen. Fonz looked uncomfortable in the role he was playing. He has put on a bit of muscle and did well against the physical City players but never got into the penalty box much, where he's at his best. Heskey was largely anonymous especially in the second half. Bradley was on a different wavelength to the rest of the team at times, misreading passes, understandable given he's just got here. Petrov often looked lethargic and helpless. Delph, quality on the ball but takes a few risks with his tackling (still) and trying to get round a player. I don't think he has the discipline to play fullback but he can still be a top midfielder. Herd's crunching tackles were one of the highlights. He lost the ball for Ballotelli's goal high up the pitch, arguably there were enough players back to track Ballotelli though his finish was outstanding.

Just a very Villa under Houllier performance, patient possession football but not looking threatening nearly enough. Losing the directness of O'Neill's play seems to have meant throwing the babby out with the bathwater. Though maybe hitting it long against City's big defenders would have been pointless anyway. Just frustrating really.

[brian green]

I wonder.   If Notts County had hung on to their lead for a few minutes more and got the victory they richly deserved against Manchester City, would Houllier have made his team sheet a suicide note against them?   Yes he certainly would.   He would have considered County too weak to merit his best team using the same twisted logic that Citeh were considered too good to merit a decent shot at winning the game.

If it had been a horse race this morning Houllier would face the stewards charged under the Non Triers Rule