Manchester City v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Dave P]

Ridiculous team selection.

We've gone from one Manager who wears down the same 11, to one who can't stop fucking about with the squad.
A real slap in the face to the poor fuckers that travelled up there.

Bradley was utterly shit, as were most of the others.
Bannan looked lively.

I can't believe he was saving players for the world beating Bolton.


It's been a terrible week.
Blues winning a trophy, revelations of a wage bill to turnover that matches Portsmouth and now this.

It's really not a good time to be a Villa supporter.

Bradley was shit but it was his full debut.  To me, Petrov and Gabby are turning into absolute wasters and Heskey can work as heard as he likes but he can't do much if he hasn't got anyone along side him !

With Bent, Makoun, Collins, Cuellar and L Young out, we had enough problems but dont leave A Young, Downing, Albrighton and NRC out, especially when they played so well on Saturday.

Herd at RB?  Delph at LB?  Playing kids is one thing, playing them out of position when they dont need to is quite another.

[LeeB]

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.

With a wage bill that equates to nearly 90% of turnover, getting relegated would probably see us in administration.

Which pretty much explains last nights motivation.

Yup. It's not nice but it is what it is.

[Small Rodent]

Would the 2/3rds who voted that Villa would not win in the pre-match thread, be happier if it was a 3-0 loss against a full team?

And by a full team, I mean Young, Downing, and Albrighton starting. The defence, it appears, was "injury-forced". I'm not sure about L Young's fitness and the willingness of Beye and Warnock.

To me, midfield, it seems, was the pivotal area. We definitely would have created more chances starting with the three mentioned, but would still have lacked bite.

The forwards seemed to lack a bit of urgency and movement too.

[WikiVilla]

Bolton next, a very tough game which we will lose

I'll remember that.

You do that Paul, Bolton are a tough well organised team with a good manager. They made it to the QF
I can see nothing but defeat on Saturday teeing up a nervy home game against wolves

[Merv]

Ach, how strange. We've said before we really cannot predict a Houllier line-up, and so it proved again. With all the defensive re-shuffling required anyway, I'd assumed everything else would be full strength: the starting line-up really threw me.

I can understand resting the odd player but we could still have done that and put out a strong side - leaving Young, Downing, Albrighton, Reo-Coker and Walker out when Bent, Makoun, Collins, Cuellar and Baker were already unavailable means we were beaten right from the start, IMO.

The problem I had last night was with the front three. Back four? Well, couldn't do much about that, though obviously sticking Herd in at RB considering we were already having to play Delph at LB seemed very naive. However, I guess with Walker wearing a cast and our defensive options very limited, I could understand GH's thoughts on protecting him ahead of the weekend.

Midfield three, okay: although none of the trio had started many games recently and there was bound to be rustiness. Bradley looked okay, reasonably composed, a couple of poor passes - a tough first start (which was why I was calling for him to make his full debut at home v Blackburn, very different to pitching him in v City!).
Bannan was good; I like him. Quick feet, brain, very comfortable on the ball, lively. Ran out of steam middle of the second half.
Petrov looks tired now. Obviously dripping with sweat after 15 mins, that's the norm, but now he's making those late challenges which signify he's off the pace. Very laboured.

But the front three was my big issue. Never ever going to work! There's a massive difference between playing Albrighton/Downing/Young in those wide attacking roles off a centre-forward and sticking three strikers in there and asking two to play as widemen; Gabby and Nathan never looked comfortable. If Gabby's going to play wider, at least play him wide right, where he can use his pace to go past a player, and he can put a reasonable ball over. But left? He hasn't got the technique or the footballing brain to do that - too often he had to stop, check in and pick a pass, and he couldn't do it. Richards is stronger, as fast, and smarter - Gabby was never going to get any change out of him.

I do think, even if we'd started with Albrighton and Downing wide alongside Heskey or Gabby at centre-forward, we'd have seen a better balanced side, and a better performance.

[London Villan]

He'd could have just packed the midfield NRC, Petrov and Bradley in the middle, Young and Downing out wide with Gabby playing up front on his own.

Bored them to tears and got them back to Villa Park three days before a big game for them.

Still p*ssed off.

[WikiVilla]

Was that a cast on walker or just some sort of protection over a new tatoo job ?

[JUAN PABLO]

agree with Merv .  At least we know we need to get rid of Heskey and Petrov A.S.A.P.   

[CJ]

Usually after a bad result a good night's sleep tempers my frustration and anger.  It hasn't.  Still find that team selection and the surrender of our chance to win something this season absolutely incredulous. And I'm still haunted by the fact that Bloose could do a cup double

[midlandjohn]

Houllier must go now not just because of last nights team selction but his comments before about winning silverware and his comments afterwards about all the internationals playing. It show contempt for the fans and the Club. Nothing against any of the players as individuals but the team was set up wrong and with 8 changes it would never gel especially when playing against City. Fans arn't stupid and his comments were glib. Just analyise the internationals mostly either inexperienced, hardly played lateley so lacking match fitness or in the autumn of their careers and Gabby on the wing. We just never competed and far too many inexperienced players. The 3 best players on the bench then brings em on at 0-3 down, ridiculous. Houllier out!

[PaulTheVillan]

Houllier must go now not just because of last nights team selction but his comments before about winning silverware and his comments afterwards about all the internationals playing. It show contempt for the fans and the Club. Nothing against any of the players as individuals but the team was set up wrong and with 8 changes it would never gel especially when playing against City. Fans arn't stupid and his comments were glib. Just analyise the internationals mostly either inexperienced, hardly played lateley so lacking match fitness or in the autumn of their careers and Gabby on the wing. We just never competed and far too many inexperienced players. The 3 best players on the bench then brings em on at 0-3 down, ridiculous. Houllier out!

Just wondering..... Was you saying Houllier out after Saturday?

[WikiVilla]

Lets not forget the first 45 mins v Blackburn was shockingly poor

[fredm]

Haven't bothered to read all of this, just a bit to get a flavour!

Listening to R5 on the way home they made the point that GH was backed by RL in January and without a doubt will continue to be backed by him.  Martin Keown went on to say that maybe this was GH's way of showing Randy that some of the senior players left behind by MON simply aren't good enough and will need to be replaced.  (and personally I think that Keown is generally straight and level headed with what he says - unlike some).

As mentioned the 3 worst players were Petrov, Heskey and Gabby, both by their ability and effort.  It is ok trying to defend Gabby by saying that he shouldn't be playing wide left but there were periods last night when he was in the centre and on the right and he still didn't do anything of note.

I think GH could have helped himself by selecting NRC alongside Petrov and blooding either Bannan or Bradley.  Playing both of them against the midfield City have was just too much.

The other thing that struck me was the physique of the City players.  Take out Silva and is there one below 6 foot and 15 stone?  They just seemed to outmuscle us all over the park.  Add in their total experience at this level (how many international caps do they jointly have?) and it was men against boys in lots of areas.

[TimTheVillain]

Embarrassing.

Houllier is a liability - last night was our opportunity to keep the season alive, and what does he do ? - play a team of players either out of position or making debuts ( or both).

Bannan ( God bless him) against Veirra in midfield was a complete joke.

Everything's been said really, and I am really not sure that Houllier is the man to take our club forward.

Embarrassing.

[Meanwood Villa]

Utter, utter garbage. Houllier is a liar for making out he was bothered about the cup. The goodwill built up the last couple of months has completely evaporated. He can f*** off