Manchester United v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Dave Cooper please]

Exactly.  Taken from an interview from today's Independent with Martinez:

"When you are playing the biggest teams, going to Stamford Bridge or the Emirates, playing Manchester United, you need to be yourself. The opposition will have real quality and will have the ball for long periods, but that does not mean you do not be yourself when you get the ball."

"It means", he added, "to reject the old philosophy of keeping the score down, taking the top teams on instead".

"Away from home, convincing players they can beat top teams has been a target," said Martinez, "not just stopping the opposition, but playing yourself too".

"There is a real feeling of being brave, of trying to win the game, not settling for damage limitation".

And the team Martinez manages are where in the league?
It's easy to say stuff like that when you've beaten a top side, the boring, negative, complete bag of shite Aston Villa are still above them though.

[Vanilla]

In The Guardian match report, it states Villa were 'cooperative' in Manures victory. I think that kind of says it all.

I'm not sure why the manager was ranting so much at the penalty decision though. I think he was putting on a bit of a show as he could say were in the game, right up until the 8th minute.

[Steve R]

If I were McLeish I'd rant about that penalty until there were no other headline. The FA fine would be well spent.

[Toronto Villa]

Exactly.  Taken from an interview from today's Independent with Martinez:

"When you are playing the biggest teams, going to Stamford Bridge or the Emirates, playing Manchester United, you need to be yourself. The opposition will have real quality and will have the ball for long periods, but that does not mean you do not be yourself when you get the ball."

"It means", he added, "to reject the old philosophy of keeping the score down, taking the top teams on instead".

"Away from home, convincing players they can beat top teams has been a target," said Martinez, "not just stopping the opposition, but playing yourself too".

"There is a real feeling of being brave, of trying to win the game, not settling for damage limitation".

And the team Martinez manages are where in the league?
It's easy to say stuff like that when you've beaten a top side, the boring, negative, complete bag of shite Aston Villa are still above them though.

I agree with you to an extent Mr Cooper however, we'd be a lot further ahead had we employed that same strategy against teams at our level, let alone against the big teams. There are some managers who try to win first. There are others who see victory in avoiding defeat. We have one of them.

[KevinGage]

In defence of those quotes (and I can't believe I'm attempting to defend him)  it seems he's just taking his cue from Faulkner and co who -when asked about the Ashley Young transfer last summer- said something along the lines of "When SirAlex comes calling there is not much you can do."    (vomit emoticon)

[bones.]

I sat amongst their lot today underneath where our supporters were. I never got from my seat once, didn't applaud anything, didn't say anything just sat there in blind resignation that we would roll over and die, which we dutyfully did. 

I think the place is more theatre than theatre of dreams. The play is about good and evil with the audience expecting the good to win through in the end.  We did't play the evil part very well at all today, we were too nice or hadn't rehearsed sufficiently to play the part properly.  Still, the audience got what they expected from the days play and left happy brandishing their half and half scarves as they took endless photos of everything and anything.

 

Its a tourist attraction first and foremost, and their welcome to it , I hate the f*cking place, and didnt you just know that sooner or later our manager would come out with the 'young lions' bollocks, even with senior pros sat on the bench, and Lee Dixon can stick his 'doing an alright job' up his arsenal, I doubt very much he'd be saying the same if his beloved Woolwich were in our position, and whos the muppet comentating for sky who came out with the news that Caruthers passes the ball well because he originated from Arsenals academy as if no-one at the Villas academy could ever pass a ball that well?  Theres never been a better passer of a ball than Gordon Cowans you sadfawningasslickingunimaginativetwat.
Im a bit pissed off.

[bones.]

And another thing....how much longer are we going to have to listen to pundits chuckling about Saint Scholes's inability to tackle? How is it funny in any way at all when he's running around doing his best to cripple opposing players?
Animal.........Bastard.........Animal.........Bastard.......Animal.....
as the saying goes.

[Jockey Randall]

On the subject of commentators did anyone else hear Alan Parry say something along the lines of Ashley Young could have learned his diving antics from his time at Villa? Followed by an awkward silence from Alan Smith?

[supertom]

We've given some teams the easiest games they've had all season. It's disgusting. Not once, but in a number of bloody games. Utd have had it ridiculously easy against us.

Also, Ash Young is a disgrace. Persistent diving just winds me up no end. He did it far too much for us, and he's now even worse playing for Utd where decisions are even more likely to go his way. I don't actually miss seeing him play for us. Last season he was comparitively poor for us to previous years, so I spent more time groaning at his diving than celebrating anything decent he might have done. Someone should give him a bloody good kick up the arse next time he does one of his Gold Medal Olympic dives. I'd love to see that.

We're bloody awful though. We cannot go on with such a lack of any sort of organisation and decent leadership. If not for Given it would have hit double figures.

The sad thing about the way we're playing is, that if we were a horse or a dog, we'd have been taken out back and shot in the head by now. Mind you if it were Heskey pulling the trigger, he'd miss and shoot himself in the bloody foot!

[Brend'Watkins]

On the subject of commentators did anyone else hear Alan Parry say something along the lines of Ashley Young could have learned his diving antics from his time at Villa? Followed by an awkward silence from Alan Smith?

How can you learn diving antics, isn't it just something you decide to do? 

Even Alan Greene tore into him last night on 606 and when one caller a Manu fan stated that if he did the same in the Euros he'd bee lauding him up for being clever.  Greene to his credit was having none of it.

One thing is for sure though, had Young still been waring a Villa shirt and the same incident occurred would Halsey have given the pen?  Not a chance, Young would have been booked.  Halsey is a totally useless big team supporting tosser and always has been.  The sort of ref who will give the big decisions for the big teams to ensure he's given the big games until he's retired from the game.  His decisions will help the sky 4, his decisions will not help the individual players as they will be found out on the international stage where the refs have no impartiality.

[Hookeysmith]

Up until the appalling penalty - i really thought Halsey blew quickly to identify the dive and to book the little cheating ****** - how wrong was i??
I thought we started well - we pressed high up the pitch and some great defendeing by baker at times.
The goal gave them the sniff they needed and then it was men against boys so the pen really did change the game

I too heard the claim the Young leant the skill of diving at VP - such biased wankers

Oh and Scholes - has been sent off for less in his illustrious career - ginger cnut

[Dave Cooper please]

Nice ranting Bones!

[Breezeblock]

If we are re-living 1987 I suppose i'd better go and crack one out to Sabrina.

regrettably I was too young to do that then what would be the equivilent now?   

Sabrina:

The modern equivalent would be Jessie J I suppose. But with less nipple showing

[DesBremner]

If we are re-living 1987 I suppose i'd better go and crack one out to Sabrina.

regrettably I was too young to do that then what would be the equivilent now?   

Sabrina:

The modern equivalent would be Jessie J I suppose. But with less nipple showing

Bloody Hell
Glad I brought some tissues into work today

[john robsons sideburns]

We were set up to lose, and lose by the bare minimum possible, and I think we did that.  Manu Utd could have had 10 if they really fancied it.

Midfield was poor, why McLeish keeps playing Gary Gardner against the best teams, and sitting him on the bench for the weaker teams is beyond me, is he totally trying to destroy the lad?  I have to say on yesterdays evidence he has succeeded. Gardner was woeful and I feel sorry for the lad.  He has potential, serious potential, but is not being nurtured in any way.

Barry Bannan proved yesterday that he is just not good enough, his set piece delivery is poor, his positional play is poor, cannot fault his work rate, and admittedly he's playing out of position, but where he's concerned I think that he's just going to fall short.

Ciaran Clark is going to be a good squad player, but I've yet to see anything to convince me that he's going to become a Villa regular or has the ability to command a starting place in any position.

Stephen Ireland i still think could be ok, but as he does not have a set position, and is not quite good enough to demand a team built around him, then I'm struggling to think of a good reason to keep him.  He doesnt score enough goals to play 'in the hole', cannot play on the wing as looks lost.  The only place for him to play is in one of the two centre midfield places, but we'd have to have wide midfielders tucking in to help out in the middle....not our style, and as I say, he's not good enough for us to build things around him

Little Samir Carruthers, now there looks a player.  He showed something that we've been missing since Gareth Barry left.  He was demanding the ball, supporting the man in possession, always making himself available, and he gives me real hope.  I don't think I've seen a lad impress me so much in 10-minutes as he did yesterday.  A real talent, absolutely no doubt in my mind.  Next season could be a big one for him.