Aston Villa v Norwich City Post-Match Thread

[Tony]

Extremely poor display, we don't close down, we don't mark, we don't concentrate and we can't pass. How we can have so many professional footballers who find the concept of passing to a team mate such a difficult task is mind boggling.

Their goal came from a short corner, we weren't even watching what was happening, a Sunday league manager would be embarrassed for his team doing that even if they were down to ten men.

Taking off Gabby seemed an odd decision as his pace would help us on the break when down to ten men. Replacing Bentenke with Bent was an absurd decision, unless Bentenke had taken a knock. Bent does not win headers or hold the ball up well, which is what we needed when down to ten men.

This is going to be a very long season if we keep playing like this, the team lack passion and spirit.

I said to my mate in the first half that Bennett would get sent off, he'd already been booked and looked like another booking wasn't far away, he was struggling anyway, he should have been subbed.

Phil Dowd was his usual awful self when he refs Villa games, but the sending off was the correct decision, one of the few he got right all afternoon.

[SashasGrandad]

IMO Lambert panicked when we went to 10 men. I could not understand why he took Gabby off. He should have sacrificed a midfield player and and pulled Gabby back to Left Mid where he could have supported Lijhai and been available to take the ball forward into the corners - it would have offered an out ball in addition to Benteke.  Gabby's pace was worrying Norwich and he could have distracted the Norwich defence rather than let them have free rein to build attacks.

Benteke should have been fit enough to have stayed on as the lone striker. He had his best game so far and was tracking back and helping out when he could.

Bent did nothing when he came on and could never win a challenge for a long ball so Norwich kept getting it back for another attack.

Delph offers nothing at the moment when we get our Centre halves back I'd move Herd back into midfield to add a bit of muscle.

[VillaAlways]

Wigan 2-0 up now

[olaftab]

Norwich reporter tweeted " villa easily the worse team we've played this season and that includes Scunthorpe and Doncaster".

On the other hand Norwich are easily the worst team we have played. A more competent team would ave won easily.

[tarzansbrother]

Championship wages,championship players,championship manager. Take a bow Randy you will have a championship club next season.

[Ads]

We can talk about systems until we are blue in the face, but the root to us being poor boils down to the midfield being at its worst in 25 years. Possibly ever.

The likes of Delph and Albrighton are nowhere near good enough to play in the top flight. Holman lacks quality and KEA doesn't have it in him to drive the game on.

I would lile to see Herd come central when Baker or Clark is fit to try and add some steel as we are so light weight.

We need to try as best we can to pick up points between now and January where seriois money, £15-20 million, must be spent on a pair of midfielders. Somebody who can win the ball and another who can push the game forwards.

In the end today turned into a decent point given the sending off, but this was a game we should be winning. We were poor first half, Norwich no better, with Benteke thankfully showing his class. I actually thought we started tje se ond half brightly until the red card. Two great saves from Brad. Anybody else bar three or four other teams would have beat us. Thankfully Norwich are as chronic as we are.

Its going to be a real struggle until January and if we do not make the right signings and real struggle all season.

[eastie]

And we less equipped for the battles that are ahead.

When we've had poor seasons over the years I've always been positive we'll pull away from trouble because we've always seemed to have 3 or 4 top players you knew would eventually come good and drag us to safety. This time feels different. There's no one in that team with much class and leadership, only kids from the vastly overrated youth system and lower league rubbish. Lerner is responsible for our decline.

Sad but true.

[Andy_Lochhead_in_the_air]

Paul Lambert hails "unbelievable spirit" of his team.

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2961940,00.html

[Meanwood Villa]

Another rubbish game. When they scored I thought they'd get another so the fact they didn't is a positive of sorts but it's scraping the barrel. When are we going to win and who against?

[mrfuse]

Who played that long hopefull ball to the forward when we had a good chance to break away? It was just before they scored. Annoyed me that did.

I think it was Albrighton

[eastie]

Norwich reporter tweeted " villa easily the worse team we've played this season and that includes Scunthorpe and Doncaster".

On the other hand Norwich are easily the worst team we have played. A more competent team would ave wonf easily.

I thought Norwich were the better team throughout to be honest , we looked awful .

[nii_lamptey]

The central midfield is so poor that I would say based on his performance at home to Bolton last season Stephen Warnock is probably the player at the club best equipped to play there.

This

[PaulWinch again]

Paul Lambert hails "unbelievable spirit" of his team.

http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2961940,00.html

Forget spirit he should be looking at tactical ineptitude and zero quality.

[mal]

Can't understand the relentless uninformed criticism of the midfield. I was worried at half time when we were only a goal to the good - but we had started the second half brightly before Bennett went. A poor decision from Dowd - didn't need the red card but we would have screamed for one the other way around. The substitutions though were incomprehensible. Beneteke had to come off as Gabby is very functional as a lone striker...Holman was clearly knackered Weimann for him fair enough - but the closest Bent got to touching the ball was headbutting Bassong. Had we not switched off at the corner we'd be celebrating a win.
The other thing of not was the complete dissection of Norwich for the goal. We haven't scored a goal like that for YEARS. Which is not downplaying Benteke's delicate and unstoppable finish. Top half finish and I feel sorry for Swindon...

[nornironvillain]

Championship wages,championship players,championship manager. Take a bow Randy you will have a championship club next season.

nail on head