Aston Villa v Everton Post-Match Thread

[TheSandman]

The period between the goals was the best football I've seen us play this season. Unfortunately our confidence is easier to shatter than a Ming vase. The best football we played was instigated by the Ireland-Gabby-Clark axis in midfield, and moving Clark to left back didn't help things (even though he was replaced in those areas by a link player in Keane). Bent scored, but today was all about Ireland from a Villa perspective.

I think that you've hit on the key issue Monty. Confidence is our biggest problem. If you ignore the players who are genuinely shite (Hutton, Warnock and Collins being the standouts) a lot of our better players suffer from a lack of it. As soon as he got the assist for the goal Ireland started to fly. Albrighton is another one who suffers a confidence issue and I think after today he might start to flag again. The last time he dropped out of form followed an error like the one today.

[VillaAlways]

We nearly always draw with Everton.It's the law

[DB]

With the way he has got us playing, I can't think of a team we can say...'we can beat them'. The squad yes, but his dire tactics will get us into trouble, we need to pick up points.

[Toronto Villa]

A first half whicih was trully shite, absolutely not good enough. Everton are shit as well, and we made them look far better than they are for 45 minutes.

Twenty minutes of good stuff, but our piss poor defence let us down again for their goal, and then it was back to utter mediocrity.

Turning up for 20 mns of the 90 is nothing like enough. I'm now starting to get very worried.

Ireland was very good. Gabby worked hard.

Warnock was terrible again.

we'll bore ourselves to safety Paulie. I think we'll be ok on the road because it suits us. But this disaster might continue at VP for a bit yet.

[phantom limb]

Both teams were so error-prone, insipid and guileless I'm having trouble trying to convince myself that it wasn't a complete waste of time watching the whole game.

We must be the only team in the division where neither fullback can defend or cross without bollocksing it all up every single time, and the midfield continues to look as wrong as it has all season. The only plus points I can think of is Bent scoring, Ireland playing well and us not losing at home again.

[VancouverLion]

Hope this Stevens kid can play, cos Warnock has to go! Shocking player these days.

Positives : Bent scored. That's it.

[Rigadon]

Oh, and somebody please tell James Collins to stay at the back when we have a corner.  He is utterly useless at anything other than clutching his bone head in despair as he trundles back to his own half after yet another header sails 8 meters over the bar.   

Ireland was once again our best player.

The Collins bit made me laugh out loud.

As opposition defenders must do when they see big James screaming for it to be pinged towards his anti-goal magnet.

[Nastylee]

Not woo worried with regard to relegation but it's not pretty and it's certainly not entertaining. Apparently, we're losing on average £1.5m from game revenue due to the decline in crowds.

[kippaxvilla2]

The thing we should remember is that we were (most of us anyway) saying that once the Chelsea game was out of the way we would have a run of winnable games.  We got more points against Chelsea away than the next two so called winnable games.  I just don't think this bloke is good enough to inspire these players into winning and breaking sweat.  They all seem to be running at half pace.

[Toronto Villa]

The period between the goals was the best football I've seen us play this season. Unfortunately our confidence is easier to shatter than a Ming vase. The best football we played was instigated by the Ireland-Gabby-Clark axis in midfield, and moving Clark to left back didn't help things (even though he was replaced in those areas by a link player in Keane). Bent scored, but today was all about Ireland from a Villa perspective.

I think that you've hit on the key issue Monty. Confidence is our biggest problem. If you ignore the players who are genuinely shite (Hutton, Warnock and Collins being the standouts) a lot of our better players suffer from a lack of it. As soon as he got the assist for the goal Ireland started to fly. Albrighton is another one who suffers a confidence issue and I think after today he might start to flag again. The last time he dropped out of form followed an error like the one today.

Having a dour Scot at the helm doesn't help either. Sometimes it helps for the man at the top to be a little more enthusiastic. MON had it in abundance as does Redknapp. When you need a pick me upper, McLeish doesn't strike me as being yer man. It's like joke telling. If Chris Rock tells a joke, and then the bloke who reads the 10 o'clock news tells it, I'm guessing I'm laughing at Chris Rock. McLeish might be saying the right things, but his delivery isn't inspiring anyone.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

The period between the goals was the best football I've seen us play this season. Unfortunately our confidence is easier to shatter than a Ming vase. The best football we played was instigated by the Ireland-Gabby-Clark axis in midfield, and moving Clark to left back didn't help things (even though he was replaced in those areas by a link player in Keane). Bent scored, but today was all about Ireland from a Villa perspective.

I think that you've hit on the key issue Monty. Confidence is our biggest problem. If you ignore the players who are genuinely shite (Hutton, Warnock and Collins being the standouts) a lot of our better players suffer from a lack of it. As soon as he got the assist for the goal Ireland started to fly. Albrighton is another one who suffers a confidence issue and I think after today he might start to flag again. The last time he dropped out of form followed an error like the one today.

If only we could buy confidence in the January transfer window. There's a good footballing side in there just too scared to come out and play.

[Toronto Villa]

I've got to go put up some shelves lads. It's going to be a lot more exciting than the last 90 minutes. Have a good afternoon and evening everyone.

[PaulWinch again]

The period between the goals was the best football I've seen us play this season. Unfortunately our confidence is easier to shatter than a Ming vase. The best football we played was instigated by the Ireland-Gabby-Clark axis in midfield, and moving Clark to left back didn't help things (even though he was replaced in those areas by a link player in Keane). Bent scored, but today was all about Ireland from a Villa perspective.

I think that you've hit on the key issue Monty. Confidence is our biggest problem. If you ignore the players who are genuinely shite (Hutton, Warnock and Collins being the standouts) a lot of our better players suffer from a lack of it. As soon as he got the assist for the goal Ireland started to fly. Albrighton is another one who suffers a confidence issue and I think after today he might start to flag again. The last time he dropped out of form followed an error like the one today.

If only we could buy confidence in the January transfer window. There's a good footballing side in there just too scared to come out and play.

Unfortunately it doesn't show many signs of coming out and playing.

[brontebilly]

As good as Ireland has been and was today, he would never get into one of the top teams because he's just too slow. Technically very good, and a very good brain. Either that or you'd have to find very quick players to play with him. We might have the slowest midfield in world football between Clark, Ireland and Petrov, and Albrighton's not exactly lightning either.

true, nzogbia isnt a flyer either.

Two poor teams really. We did well just after half time. Scored and should have made our superiority count with the second goal. Once Everton equalised we had nothing though. Our confidence is that brittle at the moment. Both teams could well be drawn into the relegation battle I feel. Everton have a better manager than us but very few decent players. We have a crap manager and a couple of injuries would leave us down to only a few decent players too.

Given was decent. Dunne solid at the back. Ireland had a good spell after half time that coincided with our best football. Clark too after the break. End of the road for Warnock at Villa Park after that performance. Hutton muck again too. Petrov as bad as either of them.

Given 7
Hutton 4
Collins 5
Dunne 7
Warnock 3
Albrighton 5
Petrov 4
Clark 6
Ireland 7
Gabby 6
Bent 6

Keane 6

Evidence again I'm afraid that the club is on the fast track to oblivion on the pitch and off it - 31k worrying times

[Nastylee]

We seem to stand off opposition players too much, lack confidence and rarely try to get into attacking areas. We'll stay up but it's depressing to watch.