Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[The Situation]

ppl need to calm down. It's very annoying to lose how we did, we shouldn't of lost and we've handed the 3 points to Bolton and at the same time we're still down there fighting at the bottom.

It always feels shit initially after losing, especially in the circumstances we lost but some of the stuff that's being posted is a bit OTT.

As a footballing team Houllier HAS improved us. We're playing some really good football. On the other hand our defence is pretty frail. Very frail compared to how great our defence was. We can't seem to defend in the most important moments. We lose our heads and ultimately pay for it.

Every week it changes. In terms of who looks like they're going down, what the points total will be, how many points will be enough to survive etc...

[Toronto Villa]

I understand Houllier is ultimately responsible, but we should have been out of sight. With our fragile and depleted defence, we need to put away our chances. Bolton had some fight at 2-1, but at 3-1 that mountain is that much harder to climb. If we point the finger at GH for the collapse, he should be recognized that the team played well enough to win by a hatful, and that the highly paid players royally blew it.

[eastie]

Malcolm , it's all well and good saying the defenders were just young lads today but the defence has been shit all season , not just today.

[Charlie8182]

Don't know why anyone is surprised by today - look at the date! we never win in March and we always struggle at Bolton, add the patched up defence and this was a home banker.

True about March, but we havent lost at Bolton (in the league) since 2002.

[Shrek]

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.

Yep, so what's he been working on with the defence?

Are you being sarcastic?

Our defence is injured, we had full backs at centre back and reserves at left back, it was a make shift defence.

As much as we all like Clark he isn't top notch yet, Baker is average, Young is not a CB and Walker is very attacking and our keeper is shite.

[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.

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

I genuinely can't even begin to make out what you're trying to say there

[sfx412]

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.



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

Thing is if your inexperienc3ed defender, playing only his second PL game leaves the goalscorer alone to run in for a  free header, twice it matters sweet fa what tactics you employ.

[andrew08]

What a mad season. Every time I think we're moving on we kick ourselves in the tads. I don't know how we could play any better yet we still lost. Sickening. Get this season over with and go again. New goalie and a new centre back pairing and we'll be fine.

[Blackcountry Villa]

ppl need to calm down. It's very annoying to lose how we did, we shouldn't of lost and we've handed the 3 points to Bolton and at the same time we're still down there fighting at the bottom.

It always feels shit initially after losing, especially in the circumstances we lost but some of the stuff that's being posted is a bit OTT.

As a footballing team Houllier HAS improved us. We're playing some really good football. On the other hand our defence is pretty frail. Very frail compared to how great our defence was. We can't seem to defend in the most important moments. We lose our heads and ultimately pay for it.

Every week it changes. In terms of who looks like they're going down, what the points total will be, how many points will be enough to survive etc...

Our defence is pretty frail? Understatement of the century.

We've won 2 away games all season at the footballing powerhouses Wigan and Wolves and we have kept zero clean sheets away from home. Our defence is shit no matter who plays in it and we can't defend corners.

[Nev]

The football has improved, of that there is no doubt.

The results have got worse though.

[madirishvillain]

RANDY  (and his mates) SHOULD CARRY THE CAN

since MON done one on us


we have been an utter shambles


the first few months...understandable


but its now March, and we are beginning to look like West Ham..... 3 months ago!!!


fuck off Randy and your mates

you only have to look at this site when "the general" fucked off when results werent going our way

anyway


we made loads of chances today, a game we should have won etc etc (west brom anyone)

0 points

[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

I genuinely can't even begin to make out what you're trying to say there

So you always say.

[pauliewalnuts]

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.

Yep, so what's he been working on with the defence?

Are you being sarcastic?

Our defence is injured, we had full backs at centre back and reserves at left back, it was a make shift defence.

As much as we all like Clark he isn't top notch yet, Baker is average, Young is not a CB and Walker is very attacking and our keeper is shite.

No, I'm not being sarcastic - what has he done with the defence? What work has he done with it? The same players, by and large, who were solid last season and the season before, so what work has he been doing with what he has there?

My point is that we were shit defensively and had exactly the same weaknesses WITH our best players available.

Have you seen much of Richard Dunne this season? He's hard enough to miss, and fuck only knows how big he'll be after a four week lay off.

I'm happy to credit Houllier where I think he's done good work, and I spend enough time on here doing precisely that, but our rank cluelessness at the back, which has degenerated now to the point where conceding a corner is like conceding a penalty, has been there all season, and wasn't just something new which came out of today as we had injuries.

Incidentally, Luke Young was originally a centre back. He's hardly a newcomer to that role.

[ktvillan]

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

That's up there with GH saying on Wednesday "take away the two goals and the first half was even".  Like a boxer saying "I was way ahead on points until he knocked me out cold".   I hated MON and his football but results are what come first and he got them.  I like GH's style of football but it isn't getting results and therefore needs a re-think..

[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.

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

I genuinely can't even begin to make out what you're trying to say there

So you always say.

And I'm not the only one, either.