Aston Villa v Wolves post-match thread

[Chipsticks]

Looks like the decision to appoint AM has hit the attendance quite hard...any other explanation how we can be 8000 down on last season for the same game?

I think the fact that it's a morning kick-off live on Sky Sports whereas last season's game was 3 o'clock also might have something to do it. Not that I disagree with your point, just there are other factors to consider.

The OS really needs to stop marketing this as a derby.

[MarkM]

I think there are positives and negatives from this game...

Positives: the defence is far better than it has been, the overall effort put in seamed to me to be better than last season.

Negatives: lack of creativity, Heskey although he played ok at times we really need to be looking for a flair player to play in this position.

We need to either play the players we have, Ireland Bannan etc... More than we are or get rid and bring in players that can perform a more creative role.

As for the attendance, 30K on a bank holiday weekend shown live on sky, and with everyone feeling the economic pinch is no surprise. Our attendances have always fluctuated with the performance of both the club and the economy.

I would describe this game in one word... Frustrating.  We could of and should of won 

[TheSandman]

I wonder how many people looked at the e-mail from the club yesterday and were surprised to arrive at Villa Park today as everyone else was streaming out of the ground? I bet there was at least someone.

[Eigentor]

The last twenty minutes reflected AM's realisation that fans would be unhappy with a 0-1 defeat, but merely not happy with a 0-0 draw. Heskey's inclusion makes sense considering the amount of goals we conceded on defensive set-pieces last season, but I question the sense in keeping Makoun out of the side alltogether as he probably is the player most likely to get the ball to Bent somehow. We should at least try to find a way to score against teams that are less shit than Blackburn. The game certainly wasn't great, but we've all seen much worse.

[olaftab]

Dont forget with our 2 best players we lost this game last season

Good point and Wolves are not complete numpties they were about two seasons ago.

[Archie]

We didn't play bad imo, AML is doing quite a good job.
Gabby and Delph and the newbie Herd  were particularly good.
But Heskey behind Bent is useless and so Warnock on the left.
And it's a pity to see SuperMark and BB on the bench.
So, in order to gain a bit of effectiveness and creativity, I'd try this formation:

Given
Herd - Collins - Clark - N'Zogbia
Delph- Petrov
Albrighton - Bannan - Agbonlahor
Bent     

[russon]

Strikes me that our players just play for themselves, as long as they're  fairly neat and tidy and don't do anything daft they're happy with that. No invention, just lay the easy pass off and stand back leaving responsibility to somebody else.  While we're disappointed with a draw at home to Wolves they'll be glad to have chalked another game off and now they're off to the Mailbox for couple of sherberts. Easy street it's called.

[eastie]

lack of creativity and bent feeding on scraps , we look more solid and harder to beat but this formation is creating little in the way of good chances -heskey is not the answer although gabby and petrov have both impressed me this season-could be a season of grinding out 1-0 wins i feel and not too pleasing on the eye football.

[olaftab]

We didn't play bad imo, AML is doing quite a good job.
Gabby and Delph and the newbie Herd  were particularly good.
But Heskey behind Bent is useless and so Warnock on the left.
And it's a pity to see SuperMark and BB on the bench.
So, in order to gain a bit of effectiveness and creativity, I'd try this formation:

Given
Herd - Collins - Clark - N'Zogbia
Albrighton - Bannan - Agbonlahor
Bent     

Good suggestion however I think we should have 11!

[john e]

Randy can't be that worried about crowd attendances in the short term or he wouldn't have appointed AM in the first place

[eastie]

We didn't play bad imo, AML is doing quite a good job.
Gabby and Delph and the newbie Herd  were particularly good.
But Heskey behind Bent is useless and so Warnock on the left.
And it's a pity to see SuperMark and BB on the bench.
So, in order to gain a bit of effectiveness and creativity, I'd try this formation:

Given
Herd - Collins - Clark - N'Zogbia
Albrighton - Bannan - Agbonlahor
Bent     

only 9 men -no thanks!

[TonyD]

Heard EH was playing so turned off the wireless.  It beggars belief the guy is considered a football player.  AM wise up or fuck off.

[olaftab]

edited

[phantom limb]

I didn't think it was that bad a game and we generally played ok, I've certainly seen us play a lot worse. It's frustrating that we couldn't score during the second half when we were absolutely battering them.

[Tuscans]

We controlled the game.

Wolves are a better team than last year with Johnson at the back.

I like Gabby out Wide and think he's started better there than I thought.

N'Zog is trying a little too hard to get his first goal, but saying that I think he's started better than Downing did.

I would like to see Gab and N'Zog swap side for 45 to get crosses in first time to Bent.

We need to feed Bent more often and accurately. Bannan, Ireland or even Makoun can slide a through ball.

The team look lore like a "TEAM" than last season, organised and a unit all singing from the same hymn sheet.

Dunne and Warnock will never be able to pass.

Delph and Petrov is better than Reo-Coker and Petrov.

Petrov looks more energised this season.

Heskey does good things...then sloppy things.

Herd had a very tidy game at RB, especially going forward.

All in all I'm not to unhappy. We lost our 2 best players in the summer so surely we're going to struggle with creating chances but I did see us struggle a hell of a lot over the last 2 odd seasons creating good chances even with Downing, Young and Milner in the team.

This is Mcleish 4th game in charge and he has done well in my opinion. Identified our weakness which was organisation, leadership, worth ethic and team spirit which we lacked big time.

We look ok and started well compared to others who have either pinched all our players and spent millions on their teams.

MON finished 11th in his first season, MacDonald,Houllier,Mcallsiter finished 9th....anywhere there or there abouts and he's done a good job considering his lack of funds and circumstances compared the previous managers mentioned. Wish people wouldn't judge after 2 minutes into the season.