Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[avfcpg]

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.

This...

Lot of emotion on here today, understandably so...

[monkeyboy]

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.

It isn't just about creating chances, though, it is about defending, and unless you defend, you get fuck all.

Losing that match was criminal, but it was far from a rare occurrence this season. To lead twice but throw it away and end up with nothing, almost entirely due to shite defending is just pathetic.

This unfortunately

How long has GH had to work with our defenders - in whatever form they take, however you look at it we are awful (another 6 conceded in the last 4 days) and previously good players look as nervous as kittens - this can only be down to the way they are coached - either it doesn't make sense, they don't buy into whatever they are being coached or they have no faith - whatever it plainly doesn't work - whatever the issue the management team seem have no clue about how to arrest the situation.

We are shipping crap goals for fun, our set piece defending has got to be the worst in the league - and sorry those defending GH for today is madness, ultimately he calls the shots, sure we missed chances - but if you can't defend for toffee your fucked from the first whistle - and we can't - Friedel certainly plays like he doesn't have confidence in them - which in turn shreds his.

Can me a twat i you like - in my humble opinion GH has to go, now or end of season who cares - this season is over anyway, and we will only stumble through to a bottom half safety position with him - what a depressing state of affairs. give it to Sid for the rest of the year - at least he gets it!

[Jimbo]

I still don't get what Geoff bloody Capes has anything to do with it.

Capes would get Ashley Young into a bear hug, or perhaps a half-nelson, while someone who can strike a dead ball takes our free kicks / corners. It's the only way we can stop him.

[Mac]

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.

Total bollox. Warnock and Beye should have been used today.

Now that is stupid. 

[andyh]

oh well, at least the lads have got a couple of weeks off.
I hope they enjoy it.

[TimTheVillain]

2 points ahead of West Ham, a team who were racing certainties to go down  -  ffs, this is going to the wire.

[sfx412]

Last season our defence tended to be Friedel, Cuellar, Dunne, Collins, Walker.

How many times this season has that combination played together, due to injuries, disaffections etc ?

How many times have we played the same defence set up for more than 2 consecutive games this season.

Not many
You can coach all you want if you keep chopping and changing your defensive unit you will concede goals, especially if you have inexperienced kids playing in PL matches against experienced forwards in well used formations.

At least I think so.

[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.

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.

Luke young was actually ok today.

The point is last season we sat back and had 10 men behind the ball and counter attacked, we are now alot more open and creating alot more.

What do we do differently to last season? Have we gone from zonal to man marking or visa-versa? (that's a genuine question)

Houllier can't help that Dunne was shocking and overweight, or that Collins hasn't performed aswell.

We are improving step by step, maybe the defence will be improved come the summer.

[The Left Side]

I knew we had blown it when Young missed the penalty, Bent should be on those now and we certainly had the chances to put the game to be but we didn't.

[5ft811st2 Durham]

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 ?

The injuries to key defenders are clearly not Houllier's fault however his ability to fall out with players including Beye and Warnock who could have been of some use today certainly is.

[spangley1812]

Last season our defence tended to be Friedel, Cuellar, Dunne, Collins, Walker.

How many times this season has that combination played together, due to injuries, disaffections etc ?

How many times have we played the same defence set up for more than 2 consecutive games this season.

Not many
You can coach all you want if you keep chopping and changing your defensive unit you will concede goals, especially if you have inexperienced kids playing in PL matches against experienced forwards in well used formations.

At least I think so.

I presume u mean Warnock instead of Walker

[tarzansbrother]

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.

Total bollox. Warnock and Beye should have been used today.

Now that is stupid. 

Why?

[PeterWithesShin]

Last season our defence tended to be Friedel, Cuellar, Dunne, Collins, Walker.

How many times this season has that combination played together, due to injuries, disaffections etc ?

How many times have we played the same defence set up for more than 2 consecutive games this season.

Not many
You can coach all you want if you keep chopping and changing your defensive unit you will concede goals, especially if you have inexperienced kids playing in PL matches against experienced forwards in well used formations.

At least I think so.

You sure?

[The Situation]

THat's football sometimes. I thought we played really well, and judging by way we dominated the second half completely I thought we deserved the 3 points. But alas, our defending of corners. And also the A Young ego roadshowshould end today, Bent to take penalties from now on. In fact if Bent, Downing and Young had all scored from the chances they had, as they should have, we would have been talking about an excellent away performance that brought 5 goals.

Can't fault the manager or the majority of the players today, but we have to change the way we defend corners, change the penalty taker, and start putting away the chances we create.

Delph, Walker NRC, Clark and Baker (except for the corners) and Downing were all excellent.

We should sell Young in the summer if we get a good offer and he doesn't sign a new contract (obviously I know) and Friedel should not be our first choice goalkeeper any more, but for the lack of alternatives.

I'd usually agree with your first sentence except this happens far too often... nearly every game it seems.

The thing is, I don't mind making costly mistakes if it makes us stronger and better in the long-term after learning from our mistakes.

We don't seem to be learning though. It's the same fatal mistakes time and time again. Corners feel more like Ronaldo is stepping up to take a freekick just on the edge of the box. Long balls feel like eternity.

I understand that it's quite hard to have a great attack and great defence... I'm not really asking us to be in a world of Baresi's, Maldini's and Nesta's for our defence; just to not panic, lose our heads and be really fragile in the most crucial of moments. I'd just like to see us defend better from set-pieces, crosses and long balls. I'm hoping we'll learn but it's just becoming such a frequent thing it feels 'normal'.

[Jimbo]

Albion under Mowbray played good football and created lots of chances but didn't take them and couldn't defend to save their lives and look what happened to them.

2 away wins, 0 away clean sheets, missing easy chances, can't defend. Add all those together and you're in trouble.

It does make me laugh when people say Houllier's got us playing good football. So, we can now string a couple of passes together outside of the danger zones. But what on earth is good about continually blowing leads, conceding from set pieces, late goals, draws and defeats? Get the basics right, then start developing our passing game, because otherwise we'll be playing like Brazil 1970 at Doncaster next season. And then losing it in the last minute.