Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[eastie]

The coaching staff needs a shake up, we have no striking coach or defensive coach and it needs addressing sooner rather than later , although that's been the case fron day one, I don't see what Gary mac brings to the team whatsoever, he's been a flop at every club he's coached or managed and lacks passion .

[CJ]

I am so tired of reading posts from people knee jerking, blaming houllier for bad luck and poor finishing, having a go at randy a few weeks after he has just smashed our transfer record. Sometimes you have to sit back and say it just wasnt our day....the media is unanimous in saying we deserved to win.

the night is darkest just before the dawn. see you all in two weeks
UTV

Everyone knows we deserved to win.  Unfortunately that doesn't put any points on the board. Two wins and 34 goals conceded on the road means it 'just wasn't our day' quite a lot this season, and it's relegation form especially when you aren't doing brilliantly at home either.  Wolves is now a 'must win' game - how sad is that? 

[Rip Van We Go Again]

Here's some Villa style football from other teams.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/9415796.stm

[Dave Cooper please]

The way its looking I would rather have someone who hadnt invested £250m and hadnt employed  this French idiot.

Doug still in charge and Nigel Clough leading us to Championship mid-table perhaps?

[tarzansbrother]

I actually think Nigel Clough could do a better job.

[Bottom Right 89]

I am so tired of reading posts from people knee jerking, blaming houllier for bad luck and poor finishing, having a go at randy a few weeks after he has just smashed our transfer record. Sometimes you have to sit back and say it just wasnt our day....the media is unanimous in saying we deserved to win.

the night is darkest just before the dawn. see you all in two weeks
UTV

"it just wasnt our day"

thank fuck for that, we will be okay now


cheers mattjpa

have a look at the table

just the one day?

You need a lie down Irish this is no time for faint hearts - only 3 go down last time I checked.

[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.

We seem to be engaged in some half arsed form of zonal marking nowadays.

Our counter attacking style of play of last season doesn't really have a lot to do with the way we defend corners, though, does it?

As for Richard Dunne - no, he can't help the fact that Dunne returned from the summer looking like the fat bloke you see in the local every night of the week, you're right there. The fact he still looks like that seven months later, though, that's a different matter.

True, although i think Dunne has improved since Christmas.

For me we have missed Cuellar the most, he broke into the team then got injured, also due to injuries we have been unable to say swap Walker for a CB for the last 10 minutes, which would make a massive difference.


We are going to have one of the most exciting summers in memory i think.

[madirishvillain]

The way its looking I would rather have someone who hadnt invested £250m and hadnt employed  this French idiot.

Doug still in charge and Nigel Clough leading us to Championship mid-table perhaps?

Dave i dont think you are far off with that smart arse remark

unfortunatley

[Risso]

I am so tired of reading posts from people knee jerking, blaming houllier for bad luck and poor finishing, having a go at randy a few weeks after he has just smashed our transfer record. Sometimes you have to sit back and say it just wasnt our day....the media is unanimous in saying we deserved to win.

the night is darkest just before the dawn. see you all in two weeks
UTV

We've had a lot of days which haven't been ours then.

[Dave Cooper please]

I actually think Nigel Clough could do a better job.

I don't, he's a whinging cunt.

[Toronto Villa]

1) I'm still confident we'll do enough to stay up. 2) I'm also sure that Houllier will be here next season. Given scenarios 1 and 2, I can guarantee that aside from our kids, our more experienced defensive players (inc goalkeeper) will not be here in August. I won't believe for a second that the coaching staff have not been trying to implement the fundamentals to them. They either cannot do it, or won't do it. Get rid and start again.

[Jimbo]

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.

We seem to be engaged in some half arsed form of zonal marking nowadays.

Our counter attacking style of play of last season doesn't really have a lot to do with the way we defend corners, though, does it?

As for Richard Dunne - no, he can't help the fact that Dunne returned from the summer looking like the fat bloke you see in the local every night of the week, you're right there. The fact he still looks like that seven months later, though, that's a different matter.

True, although i think Dunne has improved since Christmas.

For me we have missed Cuellar the most, he broke into the team then got injured, also due to injuries we have been unable to say swap Walker for a CB for the last 10 minutes, which would make a massive difference.


We are going to have one of the most exciting summers in memory i think.

Cuellar was dropped by Houllier after a great game at Wolves.

[Irish villain]

I must say I am bricking it for us right now. We're in freefall again it seems. We just can't shake that stench of crisis can we?

[dave.woodhall]

I must say I am bricking it for us right now. We're in freefall again it seems. We just can't shake that stench of crisis can we?

Freefall = lost one league game in a row.

[pauliewalnuts]

1) I'm still confident we'll do enough to stay up. 2) I'm also sure that Houllier will be here next season. Given scenarios 1 and 2, I can guarantee that aside from our kids, our more experienced defensive players (inc goalkeeper) will not be here in August. I won't believe for a second that the coaching staff have not been trying to implement the fundamentals to them. They either cannot do it, or won't do it. Get rid and start again.

Hmm, all of them? Cant do it or won't do it, I mean? Maybe the issue is that the manager / coaching staff can't do it?

I don't think GH will be there next season. It'll be a shame, as there is real improvement in other areas of the pitch, but I think a mixture of our defensive frailties pushing us unacceptably close to the relegation zone come May, plus his consistent stream of media fuck ups which seem to have alienated him from the fans (two textbook examples this week alone)  to increasingly O'Learian levels will do for him.

It's a shame, really, because the gaffs have all been largely avoidable, and self inflicted. On their own, they're not enough to do for a manager, but when you're struggling to do your job to a convincing level, they will drag you down.