Aston Villa v Chelsea Post-Match Thread

[Summers]

While I appreciate the sentiments of "The result doesn't matter because Petrov is ill" it's.. bullshit.

Yes, it's horrible and I'm one of the many who were rocked by the announcement.. but there are millions of people ill.. if Petrov was 100% healthy.. there's still people who have life threatening horrible illnesses.. and a defeat today would have mattered then - and it matters now.

The result matters. AND Petrov matters. We're complex creatures and we can care about Stan and our club at the same time.

Those worried about relegation and the result have every right to, you can't take that away from us because someone has a severe illness. It doesn't mean we don't care about Stan as much as the rest of you - it means that we're also well aware our club is in a very, very, shit situation. Relegation is indeed a very real possibility. Our squad is thread bare, our manager is clueless and the teams below us are battling and picking up results.

We, Aston Villa, are in trouble.

[PaulWinch again]

Lerner, Mcleish has to go or all your genius efforts at money saving will evaporate into the black hole of relegation.

[Steve kirk]

Our result didnt matter but the resuts of the other strugglers did, we all want Stan to get well but at the same time we are also allowed to shit ourselves.   

[myf]

Thought Ireland,Baker,Gabby and Lichaj played well. Asking a lot of a very young inexperienced team to get anything today. Very proud of the applause for Petrov and the fact we had so many youth team players in squad. 12 must be a prem record?

baker played well. eh?

[Hoppo]

100% agree Summers..

[Hadley83]

Myf- only my opinion,but I thought considering who he was up against he did well. He will make mistakes and we need to except that. But he was committed and at the moment its what we need.

[andyh]

Respect to absolutely everyone for the 19th minute.

Absolute shite for all but 10 mins. Chelsea will never get an easier 3 points away from home.
Considering the circumstances, there was little or no fight or passion until about 75 mins. Then we played for 10 mins, then their quality took over.
The twat should have sent them out so fired up they would have run though brick walls, instead we were totally powderpuff.
It was the perfect storm in terms of results today, we are in the shit.

[Greg N'Ash]

Predictable result i guess and like others i'm starting to get worried we may not survive.  I hope Lerner or any of those other idiots running our club took a good look at our bench today. Would shame a Championship side in strength and they really need to decide whether they want to run a Premiership club or Walsall with a big ground

[richard moore]

100% agree Summers..

Seconded. The two sentiments are not mutually exclusive as some seem to be suggesting. Many of us had what is happening to us in perspective due to other equally sad things going on in our lives before poor old Stan became ill

At least we have some excitement at last, if not the sort we craved. I frequently have days now where I wonder if I wouldn't prefer a season in the Championship (as long as it was only one!) even though all the logic makes that an utterly stupid idea. At least it would guarantee things happening for better or for worse

[MarkM]

Just home from the game, we were not really in it for long periods and had it not been for some last ditch defending we could have lost by allot more.

The comeback was great if not a bit unexpected, but our defending is poor, Gabby is well off the pace and is not the player he was a few seasons ago.

I am concerned about our PL status as I am not sure we have the fight in us to keep out of trouble.

And I can't see next season being any different even if we do stay up

[Chipsticks]

Here's an audio clip the club released on their Facebook page of the 19th minute applause. We really did Stan, and ourselves proud with this.

http://audioboo.fm/boos/736613

[villadelph]

Thought Ireland,Baker,Gabby and Lichaj played well. Asking a lot of a very young inexperienced team to get anything today. Very proud of the applause for Petrov and the fact we had so many youth team players in squad. 12 must be a prem record?

baker played well. eh?

I don't think Gabby played particularly well. Stephen Ireland on the other hand is our only player that has a developed/Prem quality touch on the ball. Hard luck today but good fight in the boys. They'll do well in the championship either way. I'm not happy with our current situation by any means, I realize today was to appreciate Stan but damn we were so close. In three weeks I could see us in the drop zone, but we'll scrap out of it. I can't believe it's even come to this. Misguided misfortune.. but you make your own luck Randy.

[JJ-AV]

A win or a couple of draws from the next three should see us OK.

However, if we go into that Sunderland game on the back of nothing it'd be very difficult.

[SoccerHQ]

Why oh why can't we defend corners? Seriously whichever back 4 combination we put out it's cost us all season.

The two goals Chelsea scored were identical, Torres makes a near post run and flicks it on and Ivanovic is standing in the middle of the 6 yard box with wind marking him.

I thought Mcleish throwing on Heskey at 2-2 would stop this as we normally put him on the near post so he can flick away any corners but he ended up at the back post?

Disappointed we didn't get anything, it was a bit like Arsenal at home last season. Chelsea were well on top for an hour, we suddenly got a goal and they retreated but I never felt we'd hold the 2-2.

I still maintain the teams will stay up on 35 points this season so hopefully we can scramble two draws from somewhere and end this miserable season.

[SoccerHQ]

Our remaining fixtures look fucking rock. Liverpool and Man U with Stoke in between as our next three. This is going to be a rough ride.

The crucial week is going to be Sunderland and Bolton at home and West Brom away (who themselves are slowly getting drawn into this battle). We need to scramble 5 points from that and we can rest easy.

Probably best to get at least a point off Stoke otherwise we'll be going into that group of games on 5 straight defeats.