Aston Villa v Stoke City Post-Match Thread

[Chris Harte]

Chris, even those pandas from Edinburgh Zoo get their rocks off once a year.

That's not what I heard.

[damon loves JT]

Yes, but when it happens you can't get the smile off their stupid faces

[damon loves JT]

Useless endangered raccoon twats.

[brian green]

Just back from the game.   Dropped Damon's boy off after we had a long talk about refereeing.   His basic question to me and his uncle was the very topical one - Why do referees make so many bad decisions?  I tried to answer him as honestly as I could.   I said it was all about referees making preconceptions about games and tailoring their decisions to fit those preconceptions.

We listened to R5L on the way home talking about officials mistakes and they had Dermot Gallagher (sp?) voicing the officials line.   He said before a game the referee would meet with the other officials and the referee would set out what the approach to the game would be.   This is what I call preconception.   A game is a game.   The rules of football are precisely the same whether it is cup tie, a local derby or opposing catholics and protestants.

A classic case of preconception was Howard Webb in the WC final.   He wanted to showcase himself so he accepted the blatantly obvious intention of Holland to kick Spain into submission.   If Webb had had the balls to send off De Jong a ten man Holland against Spain would have been a better and more honourable game.

In my opinion today the referee had decided that it would be a physical game because it was Stoke and because we are scrapping for points.   That was his preconception and every decision he made was coloured by it.

A referee should have no more latitude for personal interpretation of the rules than a speed camera has for the highway code.   You grab a player round the neck and hip throw him to the ground it is a foul.   The fact that it is Stoke and it is the way they play has no bearing on the matter.   Time wasting and yards stealing up the touchline are offences regardless of whether it is Stoke and that that is the way they have become allowed to play. Cheating is cheating and fouls are fouls.

The fact that officials have pre match meeting to decide how the game is going to be officiated tells you why there is no consistency whatsoever in present day refereeing.

As to the match itself, Gabby seems to have something wrong in his head.   In his prime he would chase down a back pass to the goal keeper to the very toe of the goalie's boot, today he would give up his charge ten yards short of the keeper.   Given has morphed into a shot stopper.   He was being knocked from pillar to post in set pieces by the Stoke bully boys when a simple jump in the air which landed on a Stoke instep or a set of studs up the calf of a red and white sock would get him a bit of respect.   We need a bigger more dominant keeper urgently.

Pretty dull fare and I saw nothing to make me change my mind that next season will start where this one leaves off and he will be gone by Christmas.

[jembob]

I think today my frustration with things has reaching boiling point.

I've missed two home PL games all season - Norwich and Fulham - so I've not seen us win in the flesh since the start of October. I've been a VP regular for 28 years and I've never known anything like this in all that time.

One of our number has been a season ticket holder for over 30 years but has stopped going since Christmas. We were season ticket holders together in the Third division, the McNeill season and all between but this has been one too far. I can't say I can blame him but it takes something special to put an end to three decades of commitment. Also the two longe term season ticket holders who sit behind us in the Upper Trinity haven't turned up recently either.

Well done Messrs Lerner, Faulkner and Mcleish

[PeterWithesShin]

Panda FC, I wonder if we could beat them?

[ROBBO]

Ireland was the only one on the pitch that could be classed as a skilled footballer to say he was rubbish is ridiculous. The young kids gave their all but really need time to develope not be thrust into a relegation battle. It's really hard to judge them because they are playing along really poor senior players who they should be learning off. I was puzzled that McCeish didn't bring Cuellar on at the same time that Stoke brought Crouch on it was a bit much expecting Collins to take them all on. We really are a crap side with a crap manager.

[brian green]

No, because we are hopeless at set pieces and they invented the Panda Crossing.

[Lizz]

Like Brian, I heard Dermot Gallagher's comments on R5. I thought it sounded like Dermot was in a pub, based on the background noise. Regardless, it was telling that he spoke about deciding how to referee a game.

[CJ]

Just saw their goal again on MOTD - Huth held Collins down with both hands. Even Hansen said it was a foul. Incompetent officials yet again

[Legion]

Just saw their goal again on MOTD - Huth held Collins down with both hands. Even Hansen said it was a foul. Incompetent officials yet again

Completely agree.

[Legion]

Well said, Brian.

[Somniloquism]

What was their second disallowed for? I didn't have sound on the stream and MOTD didn't even cover it even though there wasn't much to show in the match.

[Legion]

The ball went out of play from the corner-kick.

[hawkeye]

I think today my frustration with things has reaching boiling point.

I've missed two home PL games all season - Norwich and Fulham - so I've not seen us win in the flesh since the start of October. I've been a VP regular for 28 years and I've never known anything like this in all that time.

One of our number has been a season ticket holder for over 30 years but has stopped going since Christmas. We were season ticket holders together in the Third division, the McNeill season and all between but this has been one too far. I can't say I can blame him but it takes something special to put an end to three decades of commitment. Also the two longe term season ticket holders who sit behind us in the Upper Trinity haven't turned up recently either.

Well done Messrs Lerner, Faulkner and Mcleish

Not Surprised by this Jembob but saddened. These comments are becoming more frequent. Unfortunately our leaders seem oblivious to the effect they are having on our club. UTV