Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Mac]

People blaming Houllier for the result today are fecking clueless or just too wrapped in their emotion to know better. We had the chances, when leading, to put the game firmly to bed. We didn't which then invites pressure on a very young and shaky defence, which to top it culminates in us missing a penalty. Stomping feet at the manager is simply futile, and the players need to take a bit of flak, Friedel as the experienced man does nothing to inspire in goal, while Young insisted on taking the pen when Bent and Reo Coker tried to dissuade him.

Might take a week or so away from the site, as the hysterics will start now about GH and be so boring.

We've not been able to defend ALL season.  Who's fault is that? 

Are we trying to zonal fucking mark or some shit, but we never get close to players?  If it is zonal fucking marking Houllier can piss right off.  Space never scored a goal.

We've gone from having a tight defence to shipping two goals a game.  With the same players

[olaftab]

Well there we go Moscow all over again. Yes we played well however the team selected today was under lot of pressure to deliver just as the team against Stoke post Moscow. So under pressure they panicked and allowed a donkey team to win. Who is responsible for  putting our team under that sort of pressure?
It's the man who thew in the towel at Eastlands on Wednesday. Mr Houllier there was no need to do what you did.

I am  gutted. We gave up the FA cup for what?

[Kent Villian]

People blaming Houllier for the result today are fecking clueless or just too wrapped in their emotion to know better. We had the chances, when leading, to put the game firmly to bed. We didn't which then invites pressure on a very young and shaky defence, which to top it culminates in us missing a penalty. Stomping feet at the manager is simply futile, and the players need to take a bit of flak, Friedel as the experienced man does nothing to inspire in goal, while Young insisted on taking the pen when Bent and Reo Coker tried to dissuade him.

Might take a week or so away from the site, as the hysterics will start now about GH and be so boring.

Delph & Albrighton where the stand out players for us - GH decides it would be good to take both off with us winning 2-1 & guess what we lose - the chant 'you don't know what your doing' was made for games like this!

[sfx412]

Young is a cock, and Friedel should retire at the end of the season, he has nothing left to offer.

Young has one good game in 6.  If he's not winning pens for throwing himself to the floor he's no use.  Billy Big Bollocks. Get rid.

Like we did Cahill you mean

[NorthYvillan]

The one common denominator in the defense this season has been Friedel. He used to dominate his box - now he hardly comes off his line even when the ball is there to be claimed. He inspires no confidence in his defenders and leaves us open to the knock-down /2nd ball. He should have been replaced in the January window and must be replaced in the summer. He has almost become another Peter Schmeichel - once a keeper worth having but now well past it.

[VillaZogmariner]

Had Ashley buried that penalty we'd be on here now praising a fantastic win and 3 points. Instead a couple of lapses of concentration and we're not. I've seen us play a hell of a lot worse than today though and win matches, and (defensive mistakes aside) I've seen enough from our midfield/attacking play to say that we're not going to go down.

Anyway, my ratings -

Friedel - Should've done better with 2 of the goals. 5
L. Young - Don't remember seeing much of him to be honest 6
Walker - Excellent assist for the first, and played well. 7
Clark - Unlucky to be booked, played well 7
Baker - Lost Cahill for his goals and seemed to struggle 5
Reo-Coker - Broke up play well and full of energy 7 (MOTM)
Delph - Anonymous, had that been Sidwell we'd be slagging him off to high hell 5
A. Young - The sooner someone takes him off set pieces the better. Corners, Free Kicks and the Penalty were all terrible 4
Downing - Should've scored, but was a threat throughout the game 7
Albrighton - Did well with his scuffed goal and was quite threatening too 7
Bent - Scored one but should've had at least another. On another day he'd have had a hat trick 6

Petrov/Gabby - Not on long enough to have impacts

[The Situation]

Today was the day I believe we could of really got out the relegation propersition and have genuine hopes of finishing in the top 8. What a fine line.

Why are making things so difficult for ourselves? So fucking frustrated.

[hawkeye]

We are without doubt in a relegation battle and with a defence that will concede goals every game it looks like it will go to the wire

[Karl Bridges]

People blaming Houllier for the result today are fecking clueless or just too wrapped in their emotion to know better. We had the chances, when leading, to put the game firmly to bed. We didn't which then invites pressure on a very young and shaky defence, which to top it culminates in us missing a penalty. Stomping feet at the manager is simply futile, and the players need to take a bit of flak, Friedel as the experienced man does nothing to inspire in goal, while Young insisted on taking the pen when Bent and Reo Coker tried to dissuade him.

Might take a week or so away from the site, as the hysterics will start now about GH and be so boring.

This.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

We got what we deserved

That is just plain stupid, did you see the game because I did.  We absolutely murdered that Bolton team on possession and chances created.  A missed penalty at the crucial time in the game was the turning point.  We did not "get what we deserved" because an easy victory is what we deserved based on the clear chances we created in both halves.

jesus wept


this is what is wrong with us

this shite

we had loads of chances

BOLTON 3 VILLA 2

stick your fucken chances up your fucken hole

Yeah shit like you mate who supposedly support the club

yea shit like me

bottom line is Villa lost

now i hope the fact we made loads of chances but got 0 points dosent come back to haunt us

anyway what a fantastic week for my club

thank you Randy and thank you Gerard

We are at the business end of the season and still in the mire. How we play and how many chances we create are irrelevant compared with the only thing that matters. Fashioning a way of playing matches where we get more goals than your opponents, or failing that getting as many. Today Houllier failed on both counts

[Holtenderinthesky]

We actually played well today with the team that Houllier put out so despite the result he can't be the one to point the finger at here.  Ok, we need to defend corners but we missed a hatfull of chances to win that game and could have done so even if we'd conceded 4 or 5.

[ktvillan]

I honestly cannot remember being so fucking angry after a Villa game, even under the previous two managers who drove me nuts at times.  My wife has just done a runner from the house to escape my raging fury.  I think it's because we actually play some good stuff and have some good players, but somehow we contrive to repeat the same errors over and over again. And nothing is done about it.  GH you can play all the pretty passing football you like but if you can't get your forwards to bury easy chances and can't get your defenders to perform the most basic of defensive duties then you aint going to win many games.   

I've supported GH but today has taken me very close to calling for his head.  If he he can't or won;t see that Ashley Young can't take a set piece to save his fucking life he needs shooting.   If he can't see the defence, whoever is playing, don;t know how to mark or organise themselves then he needs his eyesight testing. 

And it's the last straw for me with Ashley Young, the sooner he fucks off and we get 20 m or so for him the better.  It was obvious a mile off he was going to miss that pen - Jaskelainen offered him the left side of the goal and he fell for it hook line and plonker, sleepwalked right into it.  He had the chance to kill the game and put an end to any relegation fears in one fell swoop and the over rated, snood wearing, tumbling tosser blew it massively.   FUCK RIGHT OFF YOU ****** and take that useless piece of shit Freidel with you..

[KevinGage]

At the moment conceding a corner is almost like conceding a pen, guaranteed goal chance. It hasn't been rectified all season, so either GH and co are trying to work on it and the players just aren't responding or they aren't even bothered or concerned about it. Genuinely not sure which one of the two it is.

At the moment we need to score 3/4 to have any hope from winning.
But then, we can't be expected to beat a team above us, that's the new mindset. isn't it?

Fine (though that type of defeatism will hopefully depart when GH does). I'll play ball until the end of the season. If it means maximum points against all the sides below us -  or who spend less than us. Only fair, right?

[Kent Villian]

Delph - Anonymous, had that been Sidwell we'd be slagging him off to high hell 5

Look again at our second goal - great pass from Delph to start the move!

[Nev]

It is a brave and admirable stance to defend the manager, but having sacrificed the FA Cup for a league game and then lost (however unfortunate) the bloke looks like a pratt.

What a shame for man so dignified and respectful, but the mirror of GT Mk2 screams from every angle.

He and his assistant never moved on Wednesday but never sat down today, but the result was the same and I fear that the result of his reign will echo around Aston Villa for years to come, and not in a good way.