Sunderland v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Summers]

I'd have Clark and Cuellar start next game. They couldn't do any worse.

[Rigadon]

Level on points after about a third of the season gone with QPR, Swansea, Norwich and Stoke. 

Having played only one decent side.

I'm not screaming relegation or anything like that, but I do think that's the thing that is going to catch us out, unfortunately.

Aye.  But I'm not sure just how many decent sides there are in this league Paulie.  3 or 4 based on the evidence so far, the rest are cannon fodder as far as I can tell. 

[Witton Warrior]

So we get in a manager who all fear will turn us into a dull, boring, defensive unit and we get two out of three of these.

Had us down to lose today so a point to the good...

[oldtimernow]

so many times did we pass back to the back 4 only for one of the clowns to cockup ....any one of them is a mistake waiting to happen...just to lump the ball forward to be lost to the otherside allowing them to regain the attacking momentum.

Utter rubbish

[Percy McCarthy]

Positives

- second half much better than first
- Gabby was excellent again
- N'Zogbia played well
- Herd did well

Negatives

- no confidence in attack, too often move forward promisingly but somehow end up passing ball around edge of our own area
- defence looks fucked.
- we failed to win, yet again.
- we are simply unable to close a game out
- no movement off the ball
- we are largely shapeless and hoof the ball far too often.

Oh, and the squad is nothing like deep enough.

I'll just stick with your positives paulie, and hope the negatives fade a bit with time.

[johncvilla88]

Ignore

[TonyD]

Bugger I thought we had this in the bag.   As per previous posts I would like to see Clark and Carlos  start next week.   They could have started today but our manager is kak.

Also like to see Bazza and Ireland in the mix.  He will of course play the donkey.

[citizenDJ]

Houllier was never the problem, the players he clearly wanted rid of were the problem.

Yeah, this is an interesting point and one that I agree with. I went from blaming the players wholly, to thinking Houllier was just not able to work with them (after the players all came out and bitched) to where I am now, which is that actually, I trust my initial feeling about it - I just don't think the defenders are any good, and I don't think they're professional enough to develop (old dogs and new tricks, maybe?).

[villadelph]

Can we talk about Albrighton coming on to secure our three points.. Albrighton?! What in the hell are you thinking McLeish?

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

Just before they equalised for the second time Worncock gave away a stupid free kick, I thought they would score then because we looked incredibly deep, defending from the penalty spot as opposed from the 18 yard line. When Dunne gave away his stupid free kick we done the same again.

Is it the players or is it the coaching they're getting?

[Matt C]

I'd have taken a point before the game but still inevitably sickening to lose it late again. If we could defend properly we'd be sitting comfortably in the top 6-8 now.

[Rigadon]

Houllier was never the problem, the players he clearly wanted rid of were the problem.

Yeah, this is an interesting point and one that I agree with. I went from blaming the players wholly, to thinking Houllier was just not able to work with them (after the players all came out and bitched) to where I am now, which is that actually, I trust my initial feeling about it - I just don't think the defenders are any good, and I don't think they're professional enough to develop (old dogs and new tricks, maybe?).

The players we had didn't fit with Houllier and vice versa.  Unless they were going to give him another £200m to build a new side he was the wrong choice. 

[oldtimernow]

good job Bolton Wigan and Blackburn fill the bottom three places because this load of wasters will contrive to do their best to screw us .

Ireland looked totally disinterested on the bench, only Herd & Given can come away with any credit from that performance

[villadelph]

good job Bolton Wigan and Blackburn fill the bottom three places because this load of wasters will contrive to do their best to screw us .

Ireland looked totally disinterested on the bench, only Herd & Given can come away with any credit from that performance

What do you want Ireland to do.. he's sitting watching dross football for an hour and a half.

[Rigadon]

good job Bolton Wigan and Blackburn fill the bottom three places because this load of wasters will contrive to do their best to screw us .

Ireland looked totally disinterested on the bench, only Herd & Given can come away with any credit from that performance

Gabby was head and shoulders our best player.  Petrov second.  Those two are the only reason we're not in the bottom 3.