Aston Villa v Swansea City Post-Match Thread

[Jimbo]

Normally you can pull out a couple of positives in defeat. Today you can't from really any player or part of the game. Let's hope this is just a massive let down or just one of those days, and that we can find a way of pulling ourselves up from this. We don't half make it hard on ourselves.

We've had enough just-one-of-those-days to fill just-one-of-those-months-of-Sundays.

[Matt Collins]

I had a debate with Ozzjim and some others on the post-Chelsea thread about Bent, and that game illustrated everyyhing I was saying. I won't say that it was Bent which made the negative difference, but Gabby up top offers movement down the channels, even for fairly hopeful balls. He shows more, has more physical presence and works harder.

Bent can play lone man, as he does with England. But your midfield needs to be good enough to dominate without having a front man to 'hit' in the traditional sense. Ours just isn't.

Let's not go overboard though. We've started playing better football, but the combination of after the lord mayor's show, a real lack of freshness, giving away two stupid - and one outrageously stupid - goal really didn't help today.

I'm still happy to give Mcleish time to build on recent improvements.

I will repeat that I was so, so, impressed with Swansea too. I thought they were wonderful to watch - they played like a Spanish side. Great to see teams coming out of the championship, having peanuts to spend, and knocking the ball around like that. Brendan Rogers had a very strong reputation and may well be one to keep an eye on for the Villa manager's job I hope.

[KevinGage]

Hopefully it's just a bad day at the office.

Three decent performances prior to this.

In one of those infamous 'seasons of transition' I can wear the odd horror show or six, providing we scale the heights as per the Chelsea game more than once too. Or at least deliver encouraging performances on a fairly regular basis.

That very much depends on what we are transitioning to, I suppose...

[SamTheMouse]

We're crap at playing 'lesser' teams at home, and have been since the MON days. I can remember us huffing and puffing and being turned over at home without creating much on numerous occasions in recent seasons.

The squad was originally moulded by MON to defend deep and counter at speed.

Then in came Houllier who wanted us to play more keep-ball in the opposition half, which was why he bought Bent.

Now we have McLeish, who doesn't seem to know quite what to do with the players he has. I think if you gave him the time and funds to hand pick his own squad, he'd probably do better than he is right now. Although perhaps not so much better that I'd want Randy to trust him with the cash.

[Toronto Villa]

Gabby works very hard and while he won't score as much as Bent, he does the dogs work that make others better. While today seemed to be the right formation, might it have been better to have kept the same starting system as against Chelsea because we would have been more balanced. Bent needs everything to work for him for him to be effective. Gabby is more creator than finisher. Mind you, whatever system we played, you cannot account for stupid defensive errors at the start of each half. That derails everything.

[PaulWinch again]

I'm not sure it was Bent's fault, he was given nothing at all. Gabby was really poor against Arsenal in the lone role. It's about creating opportunities for the front man. I think Gabby probably should have come off for Albrighton rather than Ireland.

[Shrek]

I said before game, they would be fresh and we wouldn't.

Bent has to be sold, he is shit and we play shit when he is on the pitch.

[ktvillan]

Very poor.  Just as Mcleish and the team seemed to be getting a clue they go and take a bath in clue repellent.

Attack - One shot on target at home against Swansea is not acceptable.  Woeful from corners and other set pieces.  Gabby or Bent up front, not both. Bent is getting stick from some but  he’s  a better finisher than Gabby and better at losing his marker, but we aren’t playing to his strengths. That’s not his fault.   He picks him today and then doesn’t play Albrighton who played in several crosses against Arsenal that Bent would have thrived on.  Albrighton and N’Zog wide and Ireland in the middle makes sense in that regard

Defence - Several times I noted 4 of our players converging on the Swansea player with the ball, leaving his passing options in acres of space.  Does it really need 4 players to close down one of theirs?  It’s sub-schoolboy defending.   They may be good at pass and move but did we have to make it so easy for them?

And that’s the third early goal we’ve gifted the opposition in the last four games, two needless penalties and a horrendous back pass.  Shooting yourself in the foot regularly won’t get you very far.   

[midnite]

The holte end wasn't a nice place to be today. They seemed to turn when Ireland came off. Did seem an odd decision since he's been playing well and Petrov looked bloody knackered.

People will moan saying we're fickle but I just think its passion. Passion in that we want the team and the manager to do well. So when a result like Chelsea comes in we cling onto that small speck of light in the hope it's the end of a very dark tunnel. So yes the optimisum is high for today's game against opponents yet to win away. And then this happens. And we're all left feeling deflated and that the Chelsea result wasn't the start of things to come but maybe just a freak accident.

We looked poor today. Excuses of tiredness will be used. Rightly so. Two games in 48 hours is a lot. But Swansea have had the same schedule and they seemed very lively today.

Two massive clangers have let us down. So, so disappointed.

[garyfouroaks]

We were rubbish.

Brenda's team played well.

[Matt Collins]

I've been very supportive of him but Clark was really poor today, possibly due to tiredness. Gardner should have come on.

I disagree, I thought he played quite well until the last 20 minutes. We just didn't need him and Petrov holding.

Albrighton was a threat, although there remains something about him that just doesn't convince. I think it's that his technique when receiving the ball can be a little odd, when he's not on the right touchline at least. Not sure.

[PaulWinch again]

I'm not sure I've seen a poorer individual full back display than Warnock's today.

[Toronto Villa]

I said before game, they would be fresh and we wouldn't.

Bent has to be sold, he is shit and we play shit when he is on the pitch.

He's not shit at all. He's a certain type of player that needs service. Stick him in the Arsenal team, or Chelsea and he'll score boat loads. Like we was when Ash and Downing were supplying him.

[Matt Collins]

We looked poor today. Excuses of tiredness will be used. Rightly so. Two games in 48 hours is a lot. But Swansea have had the same schedule and they seemed very lively today.

Swansea made 6 changes for Spurs and 7 for today. Hard to argue that this paid off!!

[ktvillan]

I said before game, they would be fresh and we wouldn't.

Bent has to be sold, he is shit and we play shit when he is on the pitch.

Yes that makes perfect sense.  We're struggling so let's sell the guy who's our top scorer despite being starved of good service and having missed a few games. Genius.