Aston Villa v Norwich City Post-Match Thread

[mr underhill]

there might well be 87 points still to play for but we are not going to obtain very many of them. Our form since January has been that of a relegation side under two different managers playing various different formations with the same ammount of success, i.e. very little. if we cannnot beat norwich at home i would not bet against us going down, but very much want to be proved wrong

[john e]

Delph is a very poor player and if Lambert can't see that I'm very worried.

I had the impression you liked him ?

[Holtenderinthesky]

Awful, we are shit.

I repeat what I said weeks ago.  We are CERTAIN to go down if we don't buy well in January.  Now, lets see if I get as attacked for saying that THIS time.

[nornironvillain]

anyone else get the feeling that we are only playing Bent to keep him in the shop window for a January sale?

we bought him to keep us up, now it looks like we are trying to sell him to keep us up!!!!

i dont know why we are all up in arms about being in relegation trouble, Randy gave Lambert 20 million in the summer to change the WHOLE team - why are we shocked?

2 years flirting with relegation and this year we will be in the dogfight - bad management from the very top

[ez]

Montbert: spot on, especially about Bannan and Ireland. The annoying thing is they've been part of our best midfield performances this season, but Lambert seems to have missed it.

The passing game we played at Newcastle and at home to Swansea could reap greater rewards with Benteke and Gabby finding a bit of form.

Glad Herd did well, along with Guzan, Vlaar and Benteke. They've grabbed their opportunities and now others have to follow suit or we're in the shit.

Why did he ditch the passing game? Those two games are starting to look like fluke performances.

[hilts_coolerking]

Desperately short on quality and confidence so I don't know how much of a difference changing tactics will make.  We need some better players first and foremost.  Even when it was 11v11 Norwich looked more inventive than us, albeit less threatening in the penalty area.

We could be in the bottom three come teatime and we've got some very tough games coming up.  Worrying times but we have no alternative other than to stick with Lambert.  All we can do is hope that Lerner realises how low on quality the squad is and frees up some cash in January to address it.

Bent is the biggest sellable asset we have and if he's just going to be sitting on the bench we might as well cash him in if the money would be made available to Lambert.

[David_Nab]

Albrighton was poor looks so slow for a winger and gives the ball away cheaply.

Overall the team in general has no confidence at all

[Monty]

Week after week we play two up front and get dominated by teams with bodies in midfield and between the lines. In fact, scrap that, year after year this has been happening. Lambert has made the best attempt to play two up front and still play good football but it's not worked, it can't work, it's over. Play the one up front and keep the ball with greater numbers in midfield. It is so unbelievably obvious and has been ever since MON bought Heskey so we could play 4-4-2 again and we started playing worse.

[Malandro]

So bad at passing and keeping the ball, we could almost be England.

Actually, add the fact that we are scared shitless when the opposition have the ball - this could be England at a World Cup .

[Californian Villain]

We can't blame everything on the manager, but nobody else is responsible for:

- 442/team selection.....we need five in midfield.

- bring on Bent....most ridiculous substitution this season.

- taking off Gabby....second most ridiculous substitution this season.

Relegation looms.

[pbavfckuwait]

Watched from afar as I have all the discussions on here since PL took over, not to worried prior to to last week, as I thought we were trying to go in the right direction, now after today and last week officially worried. We seem to have no sense of direction on the pitch, it is as if the players are winging it, out played by a Norwich team that will keep us company at the wrong end of the table all season, a substitution that I am still scratching my head about (Bent) and as has been said already a midfield that does nothing, but more worrying that can be said about any midfield we put out with the players we have got.
In Lambert we trust but for how much longer and Randy the cameras kept on going to Delia today, obviously not here yourself, yeah great you being here all week, but the important part of a football club is what happens on a Saturday afternoon, thats the only time it matters. UTV

[AvFc4eVeR]

I really fear we will still be in single figures, points wise, come Christmas. I hope I am wrong and something will click, but really can't see it. Woeful performance, naive decision making, poor tactics and substitutions. Lucky to get a point.

Guzan was our best player, closely followed by Benteke. The rest were poor at best. I don't know how Delph is anywhere near the first team. KEAs game suffers because of Delph IMO. Albrighton is much better than he is letting on, but we are not in a position to play him into form. Bent did nothing. Vlaar and Herd were decent, apart from switching off for their goal. Bennett shouldn't be in a PL team, he looks in over his head, physically and mentally.

Lambert has questions to answer, poor formation, no midfield to speak of, strange substitutions. And im afraid "we go again" ain't gonna cut it!

[Steve R]

We definitely need an overhaul in midfield. Ineffective and lightweight. We don't have too many players at the club to change that.

There are encouraging signs up front with the acquisition of Benteke and the continued development of Weimann and good options from Bent/Agbonlahor. Similarly at the back with Vlaar added to Clark/Baker. Guzan has to be the best re-signing in many a year.

Midfield there is absolutely nothing.

When he's had enough of playing centre back, Herd should be in there. January can't come soon enough.

[eastie]

Very poor display , benteke and Guzan were good but the team display was poor, midfield shocking again and albrighton was an embarrassment - totally inept.

To be outplayed at home by Norwich is not good and although the defence tried hard it was only a matter of time, Bennett looks out of his depth and the honeymoon for lambert ends now- its time he got to grips with things and sorted out some kind of system of play that works -totally unacceptable today.

[hawkeye]

Can someone tell me what KEA actually does except pass the ball 5 yards back or sideways.
Cant tackle, cant shoot, cant head the ball, cant create and cant defend.
He is only marginally worse than the rest of that midfield.