Aston Villa v Stoke City Post-Match Thread

[wombat]

I know we've been playing loads of the younger players but half of them seem quite talented. I just don't think Eck can motivate them or provide any tactical nous at all... Time to go I think.

This for me, McLeish can point to injury's being a problem just like he did at Birmingham. We really have talented youngsters but they are being stifled by him and his negative approach.

I couldn't get my head round when Gardner came on why Bannan didn't go left and him right. It made sense surely? Bannan didn't really look comfortable on the right. To me it smacks of defensiveness as he wants those two to make sure the oppo full backs don't get down the outside (which the Stoke full backs had little or no intention of doing!) but doesn't really care what that loses us going forwards.

Also amusingly when the two teams lined up at the very start I thought I was in Lilliput!

[Legion]

[villanic]

Lichaj was toss. Warnock on right midfield for periods? WTF? He's shit at left back, so why put him there?

THought Ireland was good, always in space, but often over looked.

Gabby? Getting tired and bored of him.

Thought Lichaj played well myself.

As for everyone banging on about players being played out of posistion, need must at times, A lot of injurys to deal with at the minute and if bannan can't do a job out wide then maybe he ain't the player we all think he is.

[claret and blue blood]

It feels like we're watching a slow painful death every week. Our collective throat was slit two years ago and we've been bleeding ever since.

Randy wake up!!!!!!!!!!! We are on a one way train to the championship. Only luck and the incompetence of others will keep us up this year.

[mikeb1982]

What makes steam come out of my ears is that the one and only time we got it on the ground, passed and moved and strung 3 passes together at a decent pace we scored. We can do it when we try!!! So why do we not fucking try?!?! Aarrrghh!

We have the foundations of a fantastic team, some great youth, a couple of shrewd signings and a couple of seasons to bed it all in, and we could be great team. Under this tit, no chance.

I'm fed up of heading towards VP with a sinking feeling. Fuck off McLeish, just please, fuck off

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Anyone else notice at the end McLeish grinning, clenching fist and saluting someone in the Trinity in a gesture of victory?

Well done Alex. You grabbed a point at home to Stoke.

Don't worry, at least there are another 6 points this season to play for.

You think theres a point to play for at Old Trafford ? Lets call it 5 eh ?

[eamonn]

Beautiful goal, just like the one we scored on Saturday. How sad that we can't build around these young talents.

[Mazrim]

We can.

[Ian.]

A lot of effort today, they all worked very hard. The kids are willing and give their all but we do lack a certain belief and we are certainly lacking that quality on the ball. Some of our passing is so wayward, it's worse than my Sunday side.

In fairness to AM we do try and pass the ball at times but we just aint that good at it.

Great goal though.

[Nastylee]

You can't knock the work ethic and determination at the moment but we look nowhere near like winning a game. We simply do not shoot enough to score more than one goal in a game and unfotuantely our defence cannot keep clean sheets. We are lacking width and penetration and we're utterly predictable. Would have liked to have seen N'Zogbia come on instead of Gardner, was a negative substitution and playing Gardner out of position was of no benefit to team or player. Still don't think we'll go down but we do need a few players to get back fit and a return to form to some of our attacking players if our misery is to be prolonged.

[Villa in Denmark]

What makes steam come out of my ears is that the one and only time we got it on the ground, passed and moved and strung 3 passes together at a decent pace we scored. We can do it when we try!!! So why do we not fucking try?!?! Aarrrghh!

We have the foundations of a fantastic team, some great youth, a couple of shrewd signings and a couple of seasons to bed it all in, and we could be great team. Under this tit, no chance.

I'm fed up of heading towards VP with a sinking feeling. Fuck off McLeish, just please, fuck off

Its the apparently not trying that is so infuriating.  Even allowing for all the injuries we've got kids playing who look like they're all reasonable from a technical viewpoint and have been brought through an academy / reserve system playing decent football.  Surely they'd be more comfortable trying to play the game that way than this negative (as opposed to defensive) tripe.

[claret and blue blood]

just  got back very frustrated with the refereeing why are those henchmen who parade in that horrible club's kit get away with common assault every few minutes  while we get 2 bookings for getting a bit to close to them ? I thought Ireland was our best player, Lichaj was really good and so was Baker and Collins.Hutton is awful!

[nick harper]

We definitely defended 10 yards deeper from the start of the second half and therefore by the law of averages all Stoke's corners, throw ins, free kicks would eventually get them back in the game. They were there for the taking today but we just handed over the initiative.

I'm no fan of Heskey but he should have been on after an hour - to help the ball stick given the long ball crap we were playing, and to defend their set pieces.

And Ireland was pure class. The only player moving when he didn't have the ball.he will play those killer balls if there is movement around him but it's non existent.

[CJ]

Stoke. Horrible place, horrible people, horrible football team, horrible manager, horrible fans. Anti football at its most extreme. A point nearer safety with the downside that survival means we have to suffer that shit twice again next season. That's on top of the turgid dross that McLeish serves up - no width at all.

Crap officiating again - one foul by us = 1 yellow card, 90 minutes of physical abuse from them = fine by Mr Dean

Weimann took his goal well, but should have done better with his chance in the second half. Nathan Baker did well. Lichaj and Herd continue to impress. Gardner a bit naive to concede the free kick leading to their goal. Gabby's form worries me. Am I in a minority of 1 who thinks Ireland was MOTM?

Official attendance 30,100. Nowhere near that many in the ground and a sign of the times for next season.

[Legion]

I thought Collins and Ireland were excellent. Weimann's goal was quality. Officiating was poor. Getting a bit fed up of conceding from set-pieces. If our manager and coaching staff can see this is an issue then they need to sort it out.