Aston Villa v Swansea City Post-Match Thread

[James]

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...

We're transitioning into a Championship club, hence the managerial appointment! Down to 12th again and Swans above us now. Thank fuck we got four points away over Christmas! Should we really be trusting Ginger McTwat with any money this month?

[ktvillan]

Can I just add that our defence seems to have the collective IQ of a toilet brush?

[Matt Collins]

I thought Dunne played well. The other lot didn't however!

[midnite]

We're where Newcastle were 3 years ago. There's a lot right with the club but there's an awful to wrong too. It's whether we sort those issues out or we suffer the same fate as the gordies

[ozzjim]

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.

The mentality of people saying he is shit is beyond my comprehension I have to say. Almost 1 in 2 for the club, 9 in 14 last to keep us up and Englands number 9. Really fucking shit ain't he!?


He was totally starved of service today. Gabby can't play on the right for some reason but is effective down the left, which took until the second half, but we gifted them 2 of the poorest goals we will ever concede today, and I would bet if the first had not been, we would have won the game comfortably.


I feel sorry for Eck tonight, as it was the right team, and they huffed a lot but could not break down a side who are excellent defensively at their own place, and once a goal up had something to cling on too.

The Gabby/ Bent debate will go on, but think it will have to be one or the other at the moment, but the former is not consistent enough in front of goal to take us forward playing as the top man IMO.

The substitutions let us down most though. Cuellar going off could have seen another creative mid and go 3 across the back, Bannan in the 85th minute is way too late and Gardner deserved a run out, could not have been worse. Maybe a game too far for some after the Christmas games, so much effort at Chelsea and Stoke.

[PeterWithesShin]

Although unlikely given the fixtures, if results go against us we could go down to 15th.

[bertlambshank]

Comes to something when Swansea have more strength in depth than we do.

[Stu]

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.

We all knew this was going to happen, as McLeish's shit football would basically make him a passenger.

[Matt Collins]

For the sake of clarity, I'm not arguing for one second that Bent is shit. he clearly isn't. I just think we have a bit of a challenge to integrate him successfully into the team and I worry that he hampers our game

[London Villan]

Bent thrives on crosses, but McLeish dropped our player of the month winger to accommodate him and changed a winning team.

Crazy decision.

5 losses in 6 at home, pathetic.

[Walmley_Villa]

Well played Swansea. Would love to see us play football like that. Considering they are a small team I thought their centre halves were excellent as was Britton in midfield. We didn't help ourselves today but it was a poor show. I really hate 1 striker at home. Ultimately we played a successful away formation at home and it doesn't work as proven by our appalling home record.
McLeish will never win over the home majority unless we can dominate the 'non-elite' teams at home.

[KRS]

We're crap at playing 'lesser' teams at home, and have been since the MON days.

Is this the same "lesser" team that have played Spurs and numerous other teams off the park this season?

Bent should not be sold; he is not a "luxury" and the manager should have the basic common sense and tactical awareness to play to a system that utilises his abilities to stick the ball in the back of the net and that is by providing him with service. How many more times are we going to have so few shots on goal this season with so many attacking players in our squad? Its truly pathetic.

Fairplay to Swansea...just think how good they could be if they had the "luxury" of having Bent in their team.

[caster troy]

So... four consecutive home defeats, 1 goal scored and about 5 meaningful shots on target in total.

Utterly abysmal, I feel sick that I spent so much money on a season ticket to be served up this drivel. Not a chance in hell I will renew if McLeish is still here in June.

Warnock... geez, to think I used to moan about Alan Wright, hopeless.

Fair play to Swansea, they play football we can only dream of.

[ktvillan]

Bent thrives on crosses, but McLeish dropped our player of the month winger to accommodate him and changed a winning team.

Crazy decision.

5 losses in 6 at home, pathetic.

Yes Albrighton should have played - but Gabby should have made way,  not Bent.   Gabby has had some good games out wide this season and works hard, but for me Albrighton is a a better crosser, and Bent is always more likely to tuck any chances away consistently, as their respective goals to games ratios show.   

[PeterWithesShin]

We're crap at playing 'lesser' teams at home, and have been since the MON days.

Is this the same "lesser" team that have played Spurs and numerous other teams off the park this season?

Bent should not be sold; he is not a "luxury" and the manager should have the basic common sense and tactical awareness to play to a system that utilises his abilities to stick the ball in the back of the net and that is by providing him with service. How many more times are we going to have so few shots on goal this season with so many attacking players in our squad? Its truly pathetic.

Fairplay to Swansea...just think how good they could be if they had the "luxury" of having Bent in their team.

Maybe Sam meant the lesser team that had managed 3 points and 6 goals in their previous 9 away games?