Aston Villa v Manchester United Post-Match Thread

[richard moore]

Absolutely dismal, but who expected anything different.

However, in my opinion the biggest game of the season, so far, is next week.  We will be in a better position to judge after that performance/result. 

How bad is it when we now look down the table instead of up.

I've spent most of my Villa life looking down the table, even when we were good. Such is the uncertainty of following the claret and blue and knowing we are always on the edge of buggering things up...

[TimTheVillain]

.... desperate and collective shrug of the shoulders by Villa fans all game.

We all knew what was going to happen, and for once I don't think a hyperactive Holte End could have changed anything.

Pass me another prozac darling.

[Merv]

Awful. I liked the team AM had picked, too; thought the midfield trio was good. How they managed to get so outplayed by Carrick and Jones (I rate both though) was puzzling. We barely saw the ball, barely used it. The players look like they're performing with shackles on.

We seem to be sitting back for the first half of games, hoping to nick something late on with a set-piece. It's not going to work.

Two further thoughts:

I hope he persists with Albrighton, at least using him off the bench for 30 mins or so. First start in a long time, up against Patrice Evra. Not easy.

N'Zogbia. Apparently missed a treatment session. How serious is that? We can't be shooting ourselves in the foot like this.

[barrysleftfoot]

  It was'nt negative football last night, it was lack of ability.

  The faliure of footballing midfielders to hold onto the ball, the failure of defenders to pass the ball to Villa players, the failure of attackers to hold the ball up, the failure to beat a man, mark a man, move off the ball.Lack of ability.

  Is that the managers fault, partly, but not wholly.

  Some of them players should'nt pick up their wage packet this weel tbh.

[Dave Cooper please]

Highlights

Ha ha!
No, I'm not clicking on that, it'll be porn or one of them videos where it's all quiet and suddenly a monster jumps out to scare the shit out of you.
There were no highlights.

[Clampy]

Even Keegan and Barnes had a dig at us.

[Morten]

Why are all 11 players in the box when we defend corners ?? We kick it away and get it back straigth away because we have no one to put pressure on the defenders. Gabby should be up front as a threat with his pace.

PS: I have just seen Heskey´s attempt again that went for a throm in. Embarrassing. Maybe he was tired...

[devilla]

I'm watching ITV's FA cup programme. Andy Townsend and Gareth Southgate are on it. Get your boots out lads, we need you.

[Brend'Watkins]

That's the poorest Man U side I've seen for a while.  Even so  it didn't need to get out of 3rd gear such was our inability to put any pressure on them anywhere.  That's how bad we have become.

I was prepared to give AM time and a chance to build something up until last night.  It's clear that the players aren't doing what they're meant to be doing for what ever reason and that has to be down to him.  There are no signs of improvement, there seems to be no plan, we are rapidly going backwards. I would like to think that the board are lining up a replacement now but then I get to thinking they haven't got a clue where to start or the faintest idea about what is needed to take us forward. 

I fear we're in for a very difficult period in our history unless some decisive action is taken.

[pauliewalnuts]

We've gone the last 3 games without scoring, which is a worry but we were better in the second half apparantley, so that's ok then.

I'm sorry, but we really do look a piss poor team.

That's the thing, the "better in the second half" thing is utterly meaningless, given that the first half was so unwatchably bad.

It was exactly the sort of performance (yet again) that most of us foresaw when we appointed McLeish.

[Witton Warrior]

The fact we are going backwards at a rate of knots is worrying - we aren't just bad but getting worse game on game.
We appear almost ghost-like as teams just waltz around us.
Fading from the scene with scarece a whimper...

[LeeB]

We've gone the last 3 games without scoring, which is a worry but we were better in the second half apparantley, so that's ok then.

I'm sorry, but we really do look a piss poor team.

That's the thing, the "better in the second half" thing is utterly meaningless, given that the first half was so unwatchably bad.

It was exactly the sort of performance (yet again) that most of us foresaw when we appointed McLeish.

It's exactly the kind of performance I expected, but I'd been trying to convince myself with better players he could do more.

Yesterday was the third time I've been this season, a birthday present off my brother, and before half time we were both walking back down Trinity Rd.

I can count on one hand the number of times I've left before the final whistle in the last 25 years, but that was just fucking shit, and bravo to Kevin Keegan and John Barnes for telling it like it is.

I've seen poor teams, and poor players, but the utterly aimless shite I've witnessed this season is just stirring up horrible memories of Billy McNeill.

[olaftab]

I guess in our determination to condemn our own, quite rightly, did most of you realise how crap Ash was yesterday? Even when he took corners I sat there expecting our man at near post to clear or for the ball to  sail over the entire gathering and I was not disappointed!

[SteveD]

I'd like to see the stats for attempts at goal under both Houllier and now McLeish. I'm sure it's lamentable. It makes whinges about MON's direct "style" laughable. At least it was fast, counter-attacking football, while there was a better hit-rate at set-pieces. Now there are nosebleeds if we cross the halfway line and no tempo. I thought the team we put out yesterday was good enough on paper as an attacking force, but we were appalling at keeping the ball and Bent is currently a very under-used luxury item with the quality of service he gets.

[Chris Smith]

We've gone the last 3 games without scoring, which is a worry but we were better in the second half apparantley, so that's ok then.

I'm sorry, but we really do look a piss poor team.

That's the thing, the "better in the second half" thing is utterly meaningless, given that the first half was so unwatchably bad.

It was exactly the sort of performance (yet again) that most of us foresaw when we appointed McLeish.

Paulie, you're spending too much time with Risso, everything is now "totally", "absolutely" or "utterly".

*wink*