Aston Villa v Q.P.R. Post-Match Thread

[Greg N'Ash]

Have to say on a positive note we didn't fold after the 1st half self-destruct which sort of hints we'll stay out of trouble. i know QPR are bobbins but a blackburn or wigan would have caved in.

To me anyway its been evident for some time that AM has been trying to find some temporary bandage for the midfield so the shite defence isn't so exposed and he just hasn't got the personell so we're going to stumble along with him tinkering like this at least till the end of the season when hopefuly Lerner gets his arse in gear and releases some money. Keane looks good but as i said when he signed he's pointless because we'll be back to square one in March. I don't think we can hope for a new defence in the summer (too expensive), but we might just get somone to replace Petrov or partner him in midfield to take the pressure off the defence.and allow clark at least to go back there which would be a start. what we're gonna do about hutton and warnock is anyone's guess

[ozzjim]

We will miss Keane terribly when he goes, he gives us a totally different outlook going forward. Plus his age is not against him, he plays a little like Merson used to for us, dropping deep and just spawning the attack.


All the people feeling sorry for 60k a week Warnock, reputed shit stirrer last season and frozen out for a damned good reason, are a bit thin skinned. If he were a race horse, the vet would have engaged a shot gun a fair while ago. Can't stand him.

[TimTheVillain]

Excellent 2nd half ( must be if Joseph Barton thought so).

Great to see N'Zog scoring - missed Gabby mind you and Bannan not at his best when he came on.

Enjoyed the 2nd half, less said about the first the better.

UTV

[eamonn]

Sad thing is that the most motivated player on the pitch was a semi-retired 31 year old from Hollywood...

Tallaghtfornia even.

[usav]

70% possession - that's unheard of in the premiership.  On another day we would have murdered them.

[pooligan]

Good comeback and we should have won in the end. Why oh why do we seem incapable of playing for 90 minutes. Game after we seem to have spells when we are either pretty good or bloody awful.Should'nt really be surprised that we did'nt win ,as QPR are one of the teams we never seem to beat.

[oldtimernow]

Sad thing is that the most motivated player on the pitch was a semi-retired 31 year old from Hollywood...

They all seem pretty motivated to me.

at least Keane looks for the ball whilst some of them seem to want to hide away and are ready to shift it rapidly onto another as soon as they can. Also noticed how the hoof from the back was missing too, hence an increase in possession  stats.

[PaulTheVillan]

I dont care what anybody says, that was some of the best football I've seen at Villa Park in a long time.
If we could only start and finish games like that and cut out the .... *sigh* defensive abominations.
Even still (and I am so very fucking sick of giving teams 2 cheap goals in every game)I can hardly believe we didn't take all 3 points. We're having absolutely no luck at all this season.

Given 6
Hutton 7
Cuellar 6
Dunne 5
Warnock 5 (I actually felt sorry for him. He's having a mare)
Ireland 8 MOTM
Petrov 7
Clark 6 (he's a good player who had a couple of heavy touches, leave him alone)
N'Zogbia 7
Keane 7
Bent 7

Essentially I'm of the opinon I had before he game. We're a defensive shake up away from a bloody good side.
Getting Keane full time would be nice too.
I thought he's be a Deano type player for us and that's how it's turning out.

I would agree with this, but I'd give Keane an 8.

I thought the attacking front 4 of Keane, Ireland, Zoggy & Bent were superb, especially in the 2nd half.

If only Bent was slightly better at timing his runs.

Ireland is one of the best readers of the game I've seen at VP for a while. He was unlucky tracking back to knock the ball into Cisse for their first.

I felt sorry for Warnock. Where was our captain when Warnock scored the OG? Why wasn't he putting his arm around him, rallying him to keep his head up.

Keane was the only leader on that pitch today.

[cheltenhamlion]

We played some great stuff second half. Warnock finally pulled off what he couldn't against Everton. Gave Given the eyes and knocked it in the other corner.

Cuellar was very good at the back. We should have battered them. Need to start picking up home wins.

The ref was a ******.

[PaulWinch again]

We played some really good stuff in the second half and Ireland, Keane and N'Zog really came into the game. However in the summer the entire defence has to go, they have been holding us back for a long time now.

[Mazrim]

We actually played some pretty good stuff in the first half too including one of the best team goals we've scored since Patrik Berger's against Sheffield Utd in 2007.

[Dave Clark Five]

Warnock finally pulled off what he couldn't against Everton. Gave Given the eyes and knocked it in the other corner.

I had to laugh at that and still continue to laugh.
Have you ever seen so many handballs turned down? The spineless linesman must take a share of the blame.

[PaulTheVillan]

We actually played some pretty good stuff in the first half too including one of the best team goals we've scored since Patrik Berger's against Sheffield Utd in 2007.

Was a good goal & I fear if we didn't score then the 2nd half might not have been as good as it was.

[Rick_avfc]

What a game it runed out to be.  1st half was pants and only Warnock knows what he was doing when he scored that amazing own goal!  I just dont understand these players.  1st half they play crap and as if they cannot be bothered and 2nd half they come out all guns blazing.  Why can they just play like that for 90mins?  It made me think that maybe its not Mcleish and his tactics but the personnel he has to work with.

Also, during half time, I went to visit the mens room in the North Stand and there was a group of fans smoking away and saying Bent is a luxury etc etc.  I didnt hang about to listen to all of their conversation but i was thinking to myself, "his goal at the end of the 1st half has given us a life line and got us back into the game - what more do you want from the guy".  I thought Bent had a decent enough game but the stand out player for me was Robbie Keane.  He was everywhere on the pitch was trying to make stuff happen.  We are definitely going to miss him come the end of Feb.  It was like he was encouraging the players to do stuff out of their comfort zone and be a bit more adventurous.  He is definitely captain material.

Haven't seen any of the higlights but heard that we should have had a penalty?
Also, glad Nzogbia scored.  Hopefully he can go on a little run like he did with Wigan last season.

UTV!

[ktvillan]

I can only imagine Warnock's family is being held hostage by a gang of spread betters with a shedload riding on when he will hit the back of his own net.  The gift to Swansea, the bold attempt against Everton, and then last night, it's way way beyond incompetence.

Only saw second half, and although QPR looked as bad as we normally do defending a 1 goal lead, a lot of that was down to the tempo and spirit with which we attacked tthem.  There is a good front 6 or 7 in there somwhere, but it's always going to be uphill if you gift the opposition 2-3 goals, which we are making an unfortunate habit of.  The goals conceded  against Liverpool, Arsenal twice, Swansea, Wolves and QPR could all, at least in part, be put down to personal errors, rank stupidity, and piss poor defending as much as any attacking acumen of the opposition.  If AM is allowed to buy a new defence in the summer we could start to push on again.

For those saying we should have sold Bent - have a word with yourselves.