Bolton Wanderers v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Lobsterboy]

Three points, two good goals and one very happy Villa fan!

Hope this will give the team some confidence going into a tricky run of fixtures, same team next week with Emile in for Gabby please

[adrenachrome]

I very much like this photo in The Daily Heil:

[Louzie0]

Noticed both yellows came in injury time and to our wingers.  Was this the result of desperation on behalf of Bolton's defenders, trying to get free kicks or were they just fed up of watching the lads cruise past and threw themselves dramatically over their feet?  And can Marc and Gabby appeal?

Albie's was for a lunge - youthful enthusiasm rather than anything - and was bound to attract a yellow. Gabby's was bizarre: the Bolton keeper, Jussi, kicked the ball from his hands and into the nearby Gabby, who was booked for obstructing the kick-out. No way was it a card!
But then Dowd is a joke.

Thanks.  There seemed to be a lot of injury time - but like the other posters on here I'm really pleased at the resurgence of the Villa attacking play and dead pleased we hung on at the last and won!  Also, the 'away win hoodoo' has been broken at last so, onwards and upwards!

Didn't realise yellows couldn't be appealed!  Still, it's only Liverpool.

[Irish villain]

Three Points!!!! yipeee!

The win is the most important thing, and the first half was quite impressive. Albrighton and N'Zogbia should start now on. They need to get a run to get the rhythm...

[john e]

Dunne and Collins have played exactly the same way under every manager including Houlier,
 so i dont know what people are expecting when they keep saying 'dont hoof it' all the time,

i think they do take the easy option far to much, but they will not change now, not for anyone, thats the way they play and defend, they probably cant do it any other way if they tried, so if we want more of a ball player in at centre half, we will have to look elsewhere.

having said that, i thought they both did good today.
MOM - Petrov

[VillaSpen]

It was never going to be one for the purists but coming away from there with three points is a huge relief.At 2-0 up I'd have liked to have seen us more in control of the game and actually playing a bit.

I thought Albrighton showed some of the desire that we've been demanding from him for the best part of 12 months and that should be applauded. Herd was really impressive again - the run he made into the corner deep into stoppage time followed by a tackle and a sprint back up the pitch after putting the ball out for a goal kick showed incredible fitness levels and commitment.

I would, however, like to know exactly what a football has done to offend Richard Dunne. On almost every occasion that they find themselves in close quarters Dunne attempts to murder the thing with his foot. We need to have a bit of composure in situations like 2-1 up with a few minutes to go against a very ordinary side.

I whinge enough after defeats and I don't want to start doing the same thing after a good win so I'll just be happy with a performance that displayed some passion at last.

[KRS]

Villa win.
Baggies lose.
Wolves lose.

...not a bad weekend at all!

[Dave Clark Five]

Dunne and Collins have played exactly the same way under every manager including Houlier,
 so i dont know what people are expecting when they keep saying 'dont hoof it' all the time,

i think they do take the easy option far to much, but they will not change now, not for anyone, thats the way they play and defend, they probably cant do it any other way if they tried, so if we want more of a ball player in at centre half, we will have to look elsewhere.
having said that, i thought they both did good today.
MOM - Petrov

I would ask anyone 'would you like to play against them'?
Dunne has also shown some good ball control this season. I judge them on my own yardstick. They will do for me.

[kippaxvilla2]

Great result. Promising play by N'Zogbia. Albrighton back to form. Shame for those who wanted us to lose.

No one on here wants us to lose.  That is a ridiculous statement.

Unfortunately, DC5 is correct. There are a few muppets on here who would have liked us to lose in order to add fuel to the fire regarding McLeish. See the Pre-Match and the McLeish threads for examples.

WM Interviewed members of the North West Supporters club after the game and one of them said he had wanted us to lose.

[The Left Side]

Three points, lots of positives in Zog, Marc and Guzan... lets build on this and if poss can we sell Heskey to Sunderland.

[TonyD]

Didn't see or hear most of today's footy.  But good work to the lads.  An away win is an away win.

[Dave Clark Five]

Great result. Promising play by N'Zogbia. Albrighton back to form. Shame for those who wanted us to lose.

No one on here wants us to lose.  That is a ridiculous statement.

Unfortunately, DC5 is correct. There are a few muppets on here who would have liked us to lose in order to add fuel to the fire regarding McLeish. See the Pre-Match and the McLeish threads for examples.

WM Interviewed members of the North West Supporters club after the game and one of them said he had wanted us to lose.

Whoever it is should be banned from that club.

[Ger Regan]

WM Interviewed members of the North West Supporters club after the game and one of them said he had wanted us to lose.

I can, sometimes reluctantly, accept other people's opinions on certain players and managers, even if I often don't agree with them. But anyone who wants us to lose is an arsehole in my book, and I will never take their views on any villa-related topic seriously.

[villa `cross the mersey]

First 30 minutes was an affront to football from both sides - when we played some decent stuff on the deck we scored.
We sat back too much in the second and invited them to hit us - fortuntaley they were very poor.
Petrov, Herd Nzogbia and Albrighton all did well.
Ref was an absolute joke as were the linesmen.
Since when is it a booking when someone kicks a ball into your back?

Biggest disappointment was finding The Bromilow Arms shut !!

Oh and by the way, Heskey really is a useless ****

[paul_e]

Dunne and Collins have played exactly the same way under every manager including Houlier,
 so i dont know what people are expecting when they keep saying 'dont hoof it' all the time,

i think they do take the easy option far to much, but they will not change now, not for anyone, thats the way they play and defend, they probably cant do it any other way if they tried, so if we want more of a ball player in at centre half, we will have to look elsewhere.
having said that, i thought they both did good today.
MOM - Petrov

I would ask anyone 'would you like to play against them'?
Dunne has also shown some good ball control this season. I judge them on my own yardstick. They will do for me.

That's far too simplistic.  1 or the other would be fine but 2 centre halves who win the ball and then belt it long just means that we invite pressure back on us.  Against the better sides winning the ball back is difficult at times, the cardinal sin therefore is to award it straight back to them by whacking it to their keeper.  If you haven't got the ball you can't be a threat and if you're not a threat good sides can toy with you.

Our back 4 in general are all guilty of thinking once the ball gets into midfield their work is done.  Warnock looked better today than he had for about 2 years, the main reason for it was that he actually went forward in support and helped make space for the midfield and attack.  There's no good reason why 1 of the defenders can't step into midfield and help give the player in possession options.  The best sides all do this (watch how Pique plays for Barca or how Rio plays for Man U) as it means either their attackers have to track back and work hard or you pull their midfield about and create space, both of which are preferable to the way we play.

Aside from that today was a good performance and they did a good job of keeping the ball in the first half, just needed to be more composed at the start of the 2nd half and slow the tempo and play keep ball.  We didn't do this and if they'd been better we'd have paid for it.