Arsenal v Aston Villa F.A. Cup 4th Round Post-Match Thread

[Mazrim]

The mistake was coming out trying to hold on to what we had rather than play the way we were in the first half.
We are not a side who can hold sides, especially talentd sides like Arsenal. If you sit back and let them come at you they will, so why let them? It drives me up the fucking wall.

I'm not gutted though. Like or not, losing away to Arsenal, however good our record is there, is tough but not the shock of the century. I'm as encouraged by the first half as I am disappointed by the second. The goals we conceded were just pathetic.

Nothing has changed my opinion of this current Villa side. We can play but we're inconsistent and tactically naive.

[brontebilly]

Didnt see the game but from viewing the goals criticism of McLeish seems harsh. You really cant legislate for the stupid mistakes Dunne and Bent made for their penalties. Cuellar was dung for the first penalty too but there was no need for Dunne to dive in. Given was almost at Ramsey's feet and would have collected it. Bent's was even more madness. Cuellar was just about to intercept the run before that brainfart.

The second goal, much and all as Id like to blame Hutton was a fluke. Warnock was pathetic for it again. Going to ground when there was no need to but Hutton did the right thing coming across to try and clear it.

Ah well there is the glory of a top 10 place to fight for. Without a serious change of attitude at board level the outlook for the future is a bit dull.

There was some positives in our two goals. The first one, finally our second goal from a set piece this season. Good work from Keane and Petrov there. The second goal was a fine breakaway goal. Bent is in good scoring form at the moment but both our goalscorers undid their good work with crazy defensive mistakes.

Not sure why Collins was dropped after the Wolves game. How did the Ireland, Gabby, Keane, Bent quartet go? Thought we would be very open when I saw the teamsheet and would have preferred Albrighton protecting Warnock as he did in the second half at Wolves.

[Monty]

Didnt see the game but from viewing the goals criticism of McLeish seems harsh. You really cant legislate for the stupid mistakes Dunne and Bent made for their penalties.

This is a point though - without seeing the game, you didn't see how we just backed off and gave up in the second half. The manner of their goals is irrelevant because the way we played made them inevitable.

[Somniloquism]

When I thought about his assist to Bent today I realized that no one in our squad, with the exception of Bannan, can or would even consider that pass. And it's such an easy through up to a striker! Petrov would have stomped on it and passed it backwards, at which Hutton would get ahold of it and then to Dunney, a pass back to Given and a boot back to Arsenal.

The same Petrov who had a big hand in both our goals by playing the ball early to the most dangerously positioned Villa player at the time.

[DB]

Alves in Hutton swap? No...oh, well. Just get that over tattooed slap head out the team.

[Concrete John]

Yes they upped the ante in the second half but would they have scored three if Dunne hadn't dived in like a runaway (late) train to concede the first penalty, or if our two full backs hadn't shown their combined ineptitude to gift them the second?  The fact is our wounds were self inflcited rather than being a result of anything Arsenal did or didn't do, or them being better than us.  With just a modicum of composure and /or intelligence form our defenders, it was all so avoidable.

In some respects, just about every goal can be traced back to a defensive error.  Our first came because they only had one man come out to deal with a short coerner - can you imagine how we'd react if that were the other way round.

[Somniloquism]

Yes they upped the ante in the second half but would they have scored three if Dunne hadn't dived in like a runaway (late) train to concede the first penalty, or if our two full backs hadn't shown their combined ineptitude to gift them the second?  The fact is our wounds were self inflcited rather than being a result of anything Arsenal did or didn't do, or them being better than us.  With just a modicum of composure and /or intelligence form our defenders, it was all so avoidable.

In some respects, just about every goal can be traced back to a defensive error.  Our first came because they only had one man come out to deal with a short coerner - can you imagine how we'd react if that were the other way round.

Yes, but there is well worked and there is gifted. Only one man came out but there was still a lot of work to be done for us to score, the same with our second. With theirs, each one came from someone diving in needlessly, whether it was Dunne, Bent or Warnock to let Walcott get away from him, let alone Hutton then hitting it straight against him when it looked like he had fucked up the chance.

[Astral Weeks]

Do the playing staff have any idea how Villa fans feel about the FA Cup?

Do you think they care?

[joe_c]

Maybe it was the amount of Guinness I drank before the game, maybe it was the pleasant company, maybe it was the sad inevitability of it all, maybe it’s relief at not having to traipse up to the North East for what would almost certainly have been an absurd kick-off time and instead I have a free weekend, maybe it’s the knowledge that I can now book tickets for the concert I want to go to in March without the sixth round throwing a spanner in the works but I simply can’t get worked up about yesterday’s events. Sorry.

[Billy Walker]

Didnt see the game but from viewing the goals criticism of McLeish seems harsh. You really cant legislate for the stupid mistakes Dunne and Bent made for their penalties.

This is a point though - without seeing the game, you didn't see how we just backed off and gave up in the second half. The manner of their goals is irrelevant because the way we played made them inevitable.

I genuinely think Arsenal were there for the taking.  Why our players backed off I'll never know, we made Arsenal look far better than they actually are.  There's too many players in our team who are simply not winners.

[Pete3206]

There's no leader out there. The team shit themselves in the second half and lost their shape completely. It was depressingly inevitable.

[VILLA MOLE]

I did not see the game but listened to radio 5 on the way home from Liverpool . I am angry with the team for capitulation but I half expected that which softens the blow.  I am more angry with the coverage from Radio 5. It was like it was only Arsenal playing ( i know it seemed like it) but all the questions were about the Arsenal tempo the Arsenal shots the Arsenal formation.  No body questioned why Villa kept giving it way why we had no width and why Gabby went off.  It is like we just make up the numbers and this includes Sir Graham input (not blaming him) .  Everything was about how Arsenal stepped up nothing about how bad we were.  You do wonder why we bother 

[Hookeysmith]

Reading those tweety things
Are all footballers thick, illiterate chavs?

I actually dont blame Eck for that - what could he say in the dressing room (good or bad) that would result in total capitulation like we saw?

Everyone of our defenders are internationals and they collectively play like that FFS - nothing a manager can do other than fuck them all off and start again

[darren woolley]

I'm so disappointed with the result you would think at 2-0 we would go on and win it but we are the Villa and nothing goes to plan for us there goes another FA Cup dream.

[stuart r]

As the Arsenal player ran towards the box I was commending Bent for working hard in chasing back to defend and then... DOH!
I'll never have a go at Bent for not tracking back again