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

[Percy McCarthy]

There have been positive signs that we are finally getting somewhere since (and including) Bolton away. Last night there were lots. Consistency please.

[Mazrim]

I often agree with you Percy but not on this one. I wouldn't want to lose Bent under any realistic circumstances.
We can tweak (well, rebuild) the defence in the summer (hopefully). Natural and prolific goalscorers are not so easy to come by. We've been crying out for one for so long, I'd be furious to lose our now.

I love Gabby and I want to see him play for us for the rest of his career, but he doesn't make those kind of runs that Bent does (last night's first goal for example). He loves scoring goals but doesn't have the single minded hunger for it like Bent. So different cars.
I want to keep them both and sort out the pile up at the back, then we'll be going somewhere.

[Percy McCarthy]

Fair enough Maz, I was with you as a big fan of Bent for years before he came. I'd love to see him and Gab forge a partnership, but as long as we're playing one up front I'd go with Gabby.

[Neil Hawkes]

The academy kids plus an additional 3 really good pros, to add to the below, (apart from the shite that don't bear mentioning, I've left out some of the oldies that need replacing, i.e. Stan); would see us good.

Bent
Given
Ireland
Gabby
Nzogbia

[Villanation]

I thought the difference between winning and not winning last night was Gabby Agbonlahor, to use a loose expression, Guarantee if he was out there last night they wouldn't have come at us half as much and they would have had to stick the usual 2 on Gabby at the back to keep him quiet. It all counts and IMO we would have got all 3. 

[Mazrim]

Not so simple. Firstly they didn't come at us much anyway. Secondly you put Gabby in and take Bent or Keane out and one or both goals may not have happened, maybe Gabby would have score 6 against them who knows?
It's good to have options but Gabby is no silver bullet. It would have been great to throw him on against them with half an hour to go for sure.

The point is that the team who played should have had all three points anyway. It was only some form of witchcraft, devilment or supernatural intervention which allowed this.

[JUAN PABLO]

If Warnock ever pulls a Villa shirt on again I swear I will break his legs, he is a useless streak of piss. Other than that I thought we played well and deservered 3 points. 

He was excellent second half defensively and more so attacking down left overlapping a number of times. The above comments are utterly stupid - have you never made a mistake in your job?

yes Malc , but not every time I go in to work .         and he made TWO massive ones .  But I dont want to break the guys legs .

[Steve R]

... have you never made a mistake in your job?

There's making a mistake at work, and then there's accidentally pissing down your bosses leg in the bog week in week out for the thick end of three years.

[ktvillan]

So who would tuck away all these chances Gabby would create if he replaces Bent? He's quick but not quick enough to get on the end of his own crosses.  Heskey? None of our midfielders are exactly prolific. Goals win games, and Bent = goals, more goals than Gabby will get.

Our playing it out from the back second half last night probably had a lot to do with QPR deciding to sit in their own half rather than pressing further up the pitch.  The defenders had acres of time and space to receive from Given.  They won't get that every game.

[Villanation]

Not so simple. Firstly they didn't come at us much anyway. Secondly you put Gabby in and take Bent or Keane out and one or both goals may not have happened, maybe Gabby would have score 6 against them who knows?
It's good to have options but Gabby is no silver bullet. It would have been great to throw him on against them with half an hour to go for sure.

The point is that the team who played should have had all three points anyway. It was only some form of witchcraft, devilment or supernatural intervention which allowed this.

Villa should have had all 3, no question, in fact, I still don't understand how QPR got the 2.

As for Gabby, I thought we lacked pace, there was a lot of movement and passing around the last third which was great to see from N'zogbia, Ireland, keane, but we lacked that extra that Gabby provides when he turns a defender and runs into the channels causing mayhem.

But , who knows, we may have lost with him in the side, its always a difficult one to call, my feeling is that he would have been the difference, all that said and as I pointed out earlier in the week before I had it rammed down my throat, for me I can see Gabby increasingly becoming sidelined, wouldn't surprise me in the slightest to see him dropped for the Newcastle game.

[Simon Ward]

Warnock and Dunne's defending for the second QPR goal was disgraceful.

[TimTheVillain]

Warnock and Dunne's defending for the second QPR goal was disgraceful.

They weren't even 'defending' - more 'fucking about' I'd say.

It really was Sunday Leaguesque.

[Percy McCarthy]

Kt: I think Gabby's better hold up play, better running of the channels, better passing andx better unsettling and pulling around of defenders would enable others, like N'Zogbia, Ireland and Albrighton, to be a greater goal threat. Also, Gabby would get more than his usual 12/15 if he was consistently played on his own up front. He's better in the air, on the break and from distance too. And the team has never been set up to provide tap-ins for him as many are advocating it should be for Bent. So, I think that the extra goals Bent scores would be more than compensated for by improved attacking in general, and the improvement in the defence provided by quality replacements for Warnock and at least one of our centre-halves. 

[Chris Smith]

Had to drag mysrlf from my sick bed last night and at half time I was tempted to go home but the second half made it worth the effort, really classy football that if there was any justice would have brought us 3 points.

Keane us a far better player than I ever imagined, he's given licence to play where he wants but really does dictate it all - however I can't help but feel it's like having a ringer, that's not really ours.

Get that defence sorted out and we'll be pushing for top 6 again.

[kippaxvilla2]

Isn't it a tad ironic that McLeish came with a reputation (evidenced by the shit's games) of turgid, defensive crap football, now has an abundance (in relative terms) of attacking prowess and yet the defence has turned into Newcastle's under the stewardship of Keegan.  To my mind it kind of shows that no matter how hard you try you cannot polish a turd (the shit) with the resources available to you at any one time.  I hope he gets the defence sorted as there would be genuine cause for optimism for the first time since he arrived although I remain a sceptic generally.