Tottenham Hotspur v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[mrfuse]

I've been rowing with some reporter from the sun all game on twitter.

We are shit, the players and manager are shit.

Collins, Hutton, Heskey should be dropped.

Clark, Gardner, Weimann, Should get more game time and Bannan and Delph should start next week.

We'd be even worse with all the kids in.

Would we though? at least they would give it a go yeah we might lose but how could it be worse than that display tonight?  I reckon Gardner would have least got a shot on Goal which is more than Heskey did

[AV82EC]

I've just got through half a bottle of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, it was crap, just like us and I've a mind to pour the rest of it down the sink.  Abject, gutless and lacking in any sort of will to win.  I've been following the Villa for 20 years and I can remember us being crap or being outclassed but I honestly can't remmeber a performance more lacking in interest or ambition.  McLeish has now lost my goodwill towards him and needs to turn it around fast, that was unacceptable.

[martyn ellis]

This is what I don't understand. Why leave every single ball-playing footballer in the club on the bench? Why cram the defence with 6 foot plus hoofers who couldn;t hit a barn door? And worse, when it's obviously not working, why wait until the 64th minute to bring on someone who can at least pass the football to someone in his own team? I hate to say this, but you bet your life Blackburn Rovers would have fought tooth and nail to claw something out of that match tonight and it wouldn't surprise me to see us down there with them come January. Tonight was a lost cause from the start. They just didn't seem to have any belief at any stage. It was a case of 'oh well, we've lost this - let's keep the score down lads' and that has to come from the manager. I've never criticised McLeish before, but tonight he made two big mistakes - first by selecting that team, second by somehow convincing the players that they didn't stand a chance anyway.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I thought Herd was good again, shame about the way the team was set up. Suicidal selection. Playing two right backs gave us nothing down the right wing and as for Collins, hoofing the ball, losing his marker for the first and pretty much knocking the ball out of Given's hand for the second, useless tosser.

Agree with that. Add to that the miss from Bent, we really were poor. As much as I hate Spurs, they're light years ahead of us and know how to play some good, solid, entertaining football. We are still stuck in the dark ages.

There are plenty of teams in the Premier League who know how to play football, Swansea being one of them. If you thought this was ugly, wait until Sunday. Another repeat performance like tonight and Swansea will rip up a new one.

[villadelph]

Post-match presser, will McLeish blame his tactics or the execution?

[SheffieldVillain]

You can moan about McLeish's team selection as much as you want (and to be fair, it was crap), but these are the players now who weren't at fault throughout the Houllier era, and the players who weren't responsible for the turgid crap of the second half of MoN's last season. At what point do Richard Dunne, Stephen Warnock, James Collins and others actually get to shoulder the blame for what is actually their shite performances? You know, in return for their £50k a week, that kind of thing.

We have been told in numerous interviews with Dunne, Warnock and Collins that the defensive problems last year were because Houllier made us change things, Houllier was a nasty man, Houllier made us train when we wanted to go for a pint (I might be paraphrasing a little here). So why now that Houllier has gone can't we clear a simple ball from the box without falling over it, and why, every time one of our defenders passes the ball, does it end up with the opposition.

Yes, McLeish got things wrong, yes Houllier got things wrong, but the fundamental problem at Villa is that we desperately need to get rid of the core of our squad. I really can't ever remember a Villa team before so packed with so many players I despise.

[Somniloquism]

WTF was that? The team selection was a virtual white flag given their midfield  I give AM to mid-december latest at this rate.

1 shot on target. pffttttttttttt.........

Haven't you heard, AM is a very nice man and Randy keeps a letter from Fergie in his safe that tells him he made such a good choice. Can't see him leaving unless Randy goes at the moment.

[bertlambshank]

Between now and the FA cup weekend I can see us getting 2 points if we are lucky.
Happy Christmas everybody.

[atomicjam]

Awful, just awful. I hate Spurs and just watched them have the easiest 90 minutes for as long as I can remember. We were set up to sit back and spoil. Thats the way of Stoke & Birmingham fucking City. Hutton and Heskey in midfield, what the hell did AM expect would happen?! It was defeatist and so, so depressing to watch. 

[gervilla]

When AM watches that game back I hope he has Danny Murphys commentary to listen to as  he was spot on what he kept saying about us. No desire, no fight and just letting Spurs do whatever they wanted.
Another masterclass from James Collins and as for Emile, well I just won't bother as it's been said a thousand times over.
Clueless and heartless.

[midnite]

Yep, time to give the kids ago... WHats the worst that can happen???
I want to see Clarke, breaking up the collins, Dunne partnership. Where's Lichaj? give him a go too.
 Albrighton and or N'Zogbia. We'll have Jenas too for sunday.
I dont want to see, warnock, collins or heskey

[mrfuse]

but you bet your life Blackburn Rovers would have fought tooth and nail to claw something out of that match tonight and it wouldn't surprise me to see us down there with them come January.

Yeah my thoughts even Wigan would have had a go and any of the promoted teams would have done better than us. I feel sorry for the traveling fans having to watch such a performance!

[Mark H]

It looked to me that we were happy to "only" lose 2-0 - we never looked like we believed we would ever get anything from that game and played like it.

I am not even annoyed anymore I have just got that feeling of I cannot be bothered if they cannot be bothered

[Villanation]

I've just got through half a bottle of Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, it was crap, just like us and I've a mind to pour the rest of it down the sink.  Abject, gutless and lacking in any sort of will to win.  I've been following the Villa for 20 years and I can remember us being crap or being outclassed but I honestly can't remmeber a performance more lacking in interest or ambition.  McLeish has now lost my goodwill towards him and needs to turn it around fast, that was unacceptable.

Saying this with all due consideration, its not to early to start thinking that AM is just not the right manager for us, Villa is not a club that mediocrity sits well with for long periods, we at least have to compete, RL must start to consider his options, we need players in Jan and AM is not the man to make these decisions.

We must think of other options or sink.

[Goldie.7]

we are still 8th in the Premier League not 18th

Only because we've had a really easy start to the season, wait till the New Year.

Really easy? We haven't won away all season and it's nearly Christmas!