Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[sfx412]

and we always struggle at Bolton

Do we?  I don't think so.

Did we struggle today then?
Thought we walked it apart from them scoring 3 inane goals and we missing 5 golden chances.
Perhaps I'm an optimist

[pauliewalnuts]

People need to wake up and get over them selfs with all this anti houllier shit.
He turned Liverpool into a challenging team regulary in the CL, he has vastly improved us in a short time so let's give him a chance and we might have some success.

WIth all due respect, it's nonsensical to just put it down to "anti Houllier" shit.

It's not "love him or hate him" - a lot of us can see the good work he is doing in other areas of the pitch, and are happy to acknowledge it, but you can not just ignore the frailities which persist, especially as we get more results like today, and persist in lingering a tiny number of points off the relegation spots.

As for "vastly improved us" - obviously not that much, or we wouldn't be where we are right now.

So the injuries that led to that defensive line up are all his fault. The lack of cover in defence able to fill in his all his fault. The  need to play kids, because there's no one else is all his fault.
I despair.
The need to blame Houllier is so important for some they can't see the obvious. Just look at that defence.
Walker, Young, Clarke, Baker.
How many Villa fans would have put that as the best we could offer come 5 days before kickoff.
Would you have Pauli ?

You seem to have missed the entire season up until this point, for the entirety of which we've been shit at the back.

We've kept FIVE clean sheets all season.

[Blackcountry Villa]

On the way back now...

Arghhhhhhhhh! We must be the most frustrating team in the whole fucking league.

Goals conceded from corners? Check
Goal conceded in injury time first half? Check
Goal conceded late on in the 2nd half? Check

If i were an opposition manager against us i wouldn't bother trying to score from open play, i'd just tell my team to play for corners. Cross it in, and bingo 9 times out of 10 you'll score against us. Friedel is too old and is past it, simple as that. The defence can't mark anyone unless they're stood still and we don't put anyone on the posts. It would be annoying if it happened once or twice but it's almost every bloody game.
2 away wins all season at the mighty wolves and wigan and 0 clean sheets, we're missing easy chances and we can't defend, add all those together and we're in big trouble.

Ashley Young, fuck him off in the summer please. I've never been so frustrated by a player in my life, he can't take corners yet he takes them all, he can't take free kicks yet he takes them all, his penalties are usually shit even though he's scored a few yet he takes them all. WHY? Someone tell him he's shit and to stop taking everything. I honestly can't stand him.

I had to laugh when we brought Petrov and Agbonlahor on, neither of them would be anywhere near my squad. They're both shite.

It comes to something when our best player is a loanee who will be going back to Spurs at the end of the season.

As for the table, 3 points above Blues who have 2 games in hand, and Albion and West Ham playing well. Wolves is a massive game, lose that and it's squeaky bum time. I can't believe people are looking at teams above us, theres only one way we should be looking trust me and the only way we'll stay up is by being slightly less shit than the 3 who go down. And i've always said if we aren't safe before our last 3 games then i'll be worried, Wigan at home who never beat, Arsenal away and Liverpool at home, both of which we'll lose. If you aren't worried then you should be.

[Toronto Villa]

How big is the game next week vs the dogheads? Fuck me. This isn't how I thought the last 7 days would pan out.

[olaftab]

Every other week we either conceed a late goal, wether it be at the end of the first half or second, conceed from a corner, throw the lead away minutes after we've scored or conceed from a long ball, were so unprofessional its ridiculous, Bolton did'nt win that game, we lost it..... Again

We lost this game because the team was under mental pressure after Wednesday...simple.

[bob]

Houllier got it spot on today!

Ash Downing and Bent all missed sitters.
They let us down today not Houllier.

We had a very inexperienced defence that were under pressure because we kept missing easy chances.

Friedel NEVER comes for crosses or corners. Most goalkeepers will come for around 50% of crosses, this just adds more pressure to a defence.

People need to wake up and get over them selfs with all this anti houllier shit.
He turned Liverpool into a challenging team regulary in the CL, he has vastly improved us in a short time so let's give him a chance and we might have some success.

I'm certain our defence will be totally different next season.

But we might be in The Championship.

It remains to be seen the effect Wednesday's decisions will have on the rest of the season, but we ain't got long to find out.

Houllier can't be trusted. He's proven that much.

Ow right, so your not happy with Makoun, Walker and Bent?

Your angry Sidwell, Carew and Ireland aren't still here.

Yeah yeah he can't be trusted he is shit.

You just only see what you want to and drive the man out the club, we were so much better under Oneil... If we continue to progress at the rate we are the future is bright.

He isn't a magician, he can't make Friedel younger, he can't put the sitters away and he can only work with what he has.

Given what you've surmised from my post, it's quite clear that it is you who sees want you want to see.

[Brian Taylor]

So we depend on all the others failing to win and we'll be OK...plus ca change
Being out of the Cup hurts more. Those in charge don't have a clue how much!

[brontebilly]

Albrighton's goal was class, like. Lovely back heel from Delph, great run and cross from Downing and Marc hit the target. Yeah!

And our manager took both Delph & Albrighton - totally baffled!

Delph looked tired imo and experienced legs were called for. Petrov hardly got a kick when he came on though.

Definitely wouldnt have taken off Albrighton. It would have been Downing who seemed wrecked with Gabby to go up top not on the wing where he is shit. He has far too much weight on him anyway.

[koreanmeatballs]

'Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, animals of all species and Gary McCallister! Will you please welcome Sarah Brightman to the stage. This goes out to, everyones favourite French man...' 

[pauliewalnuts]

How big is the game next week vs the dogheads? Fuck me. This isn't how I thought the last 7 days would pan out.

It's the week after next.

[1_Pablo_Angel]

I thought we played very well, inability to convert our chances excepted. I'm afraid it is difficult to defend set pieces against Bolton at the best of times; having such an inexperienced and lightweight back four and geriatric goalkeeper that have never played together doesn't help.

I'm still thoroughly pissed off about Wednesday, but we did as well as could be expected today. It will exacerbate the criticism on Gerard for the FA Cup surrender regardless. Let's just fucking stay up and get to the end of this horrible, horrible season. The next one can't come fast enough.

[Steve R]

Our propensity to concede goals from corners is not bad play from the defenders as such. It's a tactical issue. The way Houllier sets us up is to string players along the six yard line with a few of other players man marking. The theory is that most corners are cleared from the edge of the 6 yard box. The problem comes when it isn't. Opponents who slip their marker have a run on a static defender who is doing nothing but mark space.

Houllier has previous for this at Liverpool, who also shipped goals by the bucketload from corners when he was there - for much the same reason. He needs to get his head out of his arse and think of something different*

The shame is, this apart, we played well - including the cobbled together defence. Elmander, Sturridge and Davies didn't look like doing us amy real harm. Np mean feat. Going forward we were excellent.

For all Young's missed penalty and the host of other spurned chances, we scored two and should not have been beaten.



* Anyone not wishing to blame Houllier can blame O'Neil for flogging Cahill in the first place.

[Villafirst]

Typical Villa conceding at the end of each half! I've lost count of how many times that's happened. Rubs salt in the wounds when Gary Cahill gets two goals.
I have a bad feeling about this season: MON leaving us in the mire from the word go, loads of injuries at vital stages of the season, conceding late goals all the time. The pattern continues and it could yet see us relegated. Collins and Cuellar have to play against Wolves - both should be ready. I would pair Gabby with Bent with Ash and Downing on the wings

I would go:

Friedel
Walker
Clark
Cuellar
Collins
NRC
Makoun
Downing
Bent
A Young
Agbonlahor

Do you agree?

Clark is suspended.

Sorry, didn't realise about Clark, but it kind of backs up my point about the in-form players being suspended or injured at vital times this season - perhaps play Luke Young at left back instead? It'll be a real scrap against Wolves - have we got the bottle and fight in us??

[sfx412]

People need to wake up and get over them selfs with all this anti houllier shit.
He turned Liverpool into a challenging team regulary in the CL, he has vastly improved us in a short time so let's give him a chance and we might have some success.

WIth all due respect, it's nonsensical to just put it down to "anti Houllier" shit.

It's not "love him or hate him" - a lot of us can see the good work he is doing in other areas of the pitch, and are happy to acknowledge it, but you can not just ignore the frailities which persist, especially as we get more results like today, and persist in lingering a tiny number of points off the relegation spots.

As for "vastly improved us" - obviously not that much, or we wouldn't be where we are right now.

So the injuries that led to that defensive line up are all his fault. The lack of cover in defence able to fill in his all his fault. The  need to play kids, because there's no one else is all his fault.
I despair.
The need to blame Houllier is so important for some they can't see the obvious. Just look at that defence.
Walker, Young, Clarke, Baker.
How many Villa fans would have put that as the best we could offer come 5 days before kickoff.
Would you have Pauli ?

You seem to have missed the entire season up until this point, for the entirety of which we've been shit at the back.

Quite possibly, just like all those ahead of me who blame today's defence as the reason to justify another inane Houllier out shout.
You are right of course we have been shit at the back all season and for a variety of reasons.
Good man

[Holtenderinthesky]

Same old story , 21 points dropped from leading positions now, another 2 goals from corners and again a chance to kill a team off and a missed pen and bang we lose .

Five yrs ago randy came and we began to dream of great days, 5 yrs later we have won nothing, are in a relegation battle , have a manager who has split the fans, have lost our best players , and have record debts.

Bright future?

We also have a fantastic training ground, a wonderful youth academy and have finished in the top 6 3 times.  Add to that the fact that we have come a lot closer to silverware since Lerner arrived than the 5 years before, smashed our transfer record to buy an international striker and have some of the most promising youngsters in the country and you get a more balanced view. 

We would have a fantastic training ground anyway. It was being built.
We have always had a wonderful academy
What has finishing 6th won us
Close to silverware ? Well, close but no banana.
Samshed our transfer record, but also sold players for more money than ever before.
Promising youngsters ? yes we do. But so does most clubs.

I'm not saying that I don't welcome RL and his involvement.
But, it seems to me that where it matters, on the playing side, we are no further foward than on day 1 of his tenure.

Well, actually Milner was bought for 12 mil in the first place and Randy has backed the club in many ways that don't seem to get a mention.  Look at our wage bill for a start, where does that money come from?  The club as a whole has most definitely benefited from his arrival and will continue to do so.  You can't blame Lerner for our England internationals missing chance after chance.