Aston Villa v Norwich City Post-Match Thread

[saunders_heroes]

I was definitely impressed with Herd today. Only he, Benteke and Guzan can hold their heads up high.

[eastie]

I was definitely impressed with Herd today. Only he, Benteke and Guzan can hold their heads up high.

Played well but very lucky not to be sent off for the dreadful tackle leading up to holts miss.

[Whiney MacWhineface]

Vlaar did well. Despite doing a good job, Herd was incredibly lucky not to be sent off.

[eastie]

Slumberland 3 points ahead of us. 1 win in 16. The battle of the bollocks next week.

We need Herd in the midfield and Ireland along with Bannan needs to start. We have to mask the deficiencies.

Sunderland 2 wins in 21 games and villa 1 win in 19- I get the feeling a 0-0 draw .

[PaulWinch again]

Said before that KEA looks like a Dutch Reo-Coker and been slated for it.

I'm now going to revise that opinion. I think Reo might be better.

He's better than Delph.  What a miserable excuse for a footballer he is.

Indeed I get the impression KEA might be alright if he could rely on his midfield partner. I've said before I like him and Ireland in the midfield.

[levico]

Guzman was deserved man of the match today (for once the sponsors got it right) but it says it all when your goalkeeper is MoM against Norwich at home.

How did we get to here?

Most depressing thing for me today was that I think the players did their best, it's just that most of them are not up to it.

I just hope we are not too adrift by the time January comes around. I also hope that RL is as interested in staying up as he was when he bought Bent. I get the impression that his interest has waned somewhat.

[ktvillan]

Can't understand the relentless uninformed criticism of the midfield.

In what way is it "uninformed"?.  Most posters agree our midfield is the weak link, mainly because it is.  We have some decent strikers who are starved of chances and support.  We have some decent defenders who are often under constant pressure.  If the fault isn't with the midfield, where does it lie?

[Ads]

I cannot prove my theory, but the way we started in the second half, I think we would have won with XI on the park.

[tarzansbrother]

Guzman was deserved man of the match today (for once the sponsors got it right) but it says it all when your goalkeeper is MoM against Norwich at home.

How did we get to here?

Most depressing thing for me today was that I think the players did their best, it's just that most of them are not up to it.

I just hope we are not too adrift by the time January comes around. I also hope that RL is as interested in staying up as he was when he bought Bent. I get the impression that his interest has waned somewhat.

Guzman was deserved man of the match today (for once the sponsors got it right) but it says it all when your goalkeeper is MoM against Norwich at home.

How did we get to here?

Most depressing thing for me today was that I think the players did their best, it's just that most of them are not up to it.

I just hope we are not too adrift by the time January comes around. I also hope that RL is as interested in staying up as he was when he bought Bent. I get the impression that his interest has waned somewhat.

Guzman was deserved man of the match today (for once the sponsors got it right) but it says it all when your goalkeeper is MoM against Norwich at home.

How did we get to here?

Most depressing thing for me today was that I think the players did their best, it's just that most of them are not up to it.

I just hope we are not too adrift by the time January comes around. I also hope that RL is as interested in staying up as hue was when he bought Bent. I get the impression that his interest has waned somewhat.

Where is Randy? Fishing?

[Witton Warrior]

I have said before that we need to be effective at the moment - not clever, not world-class - just effective and we simply aren't.

To be effective you have to move the ball from one end of the pitch to another with a modicum of pace and accuracy - passing to a player wearing the same shirt as yourself with the midfield acting as the delivery system to the forwards - happened twice today and we scored once. The midfield create chances, ours doesn't. Bannan and Ireland please.

When we went forward down the left in the first half with full-back overlapping it looked interesting - then it stopped!

If Norwich weren't so shit (and they are) and without Guzan's heroics we would have lost easily. Thought the back 4 were OK to be honest but anyone decent will tear us a new one.

Felt sorry for Bent today he was never going to see the ball.

Where on Earth we get a win from I do not know.

And agree that the referee was always going to do something "exciting" - deny or give a penalty or send someone off - and he did.

 

[Lambert and Payne]

I don't think Bennett is that bad, certainly not as people are making out. Today he was poor, but then again, so was just about everyone with the exception of Guzan and Benteke.

Today the problem was our passing was a yard short every time. Albrighton was absolutely dire and looked like a pub player, as I said nobody was really that good, but Albrighton really did stand out as truly woeful. I'd like to see Gabby given a run on the wing and start Bent and Benteke up front. Benteke looked unplayable and won every single header

We looked dire today, really really poor. Last week we missed a goalscorer, this week we lacked a lot of things. Seriously worried about Tuesday night now, got a nasty feeling it will be like Donny 2005

[PaulWinch again]

I was definitely impressed with Herd today. Only he, Benteke and Guzan can hold their heads up high.

Although he should have been sent off for a stupid tackle.

[Chris Jameson]

Can anyone explain why so many people thought PL was the savior? It's a genuine question, because I never got it...

I get the impression it's because he isn't the other Scottish manager, people did seem to think he was the saviour for reasons I can't fathom, comparisons to Ron Saunders in particular.  I know it's early days but the spectre of Graham Turner and Billy McNeill looms large. Or possibly George Burley. Or maybe Alex Ferguson.

[PeterWithesShin]

Well that was frustrating. We were average at best in the first half and found ourselves 1 up at HT. Start the second half a bit better and if i'm honest I felt we'd score again and take all 3 points. Then the sending off. And from then on we put in the effort and commitment but boy were we under the cosh. The way things went that last half hour i'm glad we held on for a point.

One thing I don't get is putting Bent on when he did. Down to 10 men and defending a one goal lead is the worst scenario to play Bent as far as i'm concerned. Leave Benteke on to hold the ball up so as midfield can catch up to play, leave Gabby up on his own so as they have to defend deeper and leave at least 2 back because of his pace, or stick Weimann on and let him run all day after the long balls. Bent does none of those up on his own.

And finally, should Bennett have been sent off? Some twonk in front of me stood up just before the challenge so I haven't seen it.

[PaulWinch again]

Well that was frustrating. We were average at best in the first half and found ourselves 1 up at HT. Start the second half a bit better and if i'm honest I felt we'd score again and take all 3 points. Then the sending off. And from then on we put in the effort and commitment but boy were we under the cosh. The way things went that last half hour i'm glad we held on for a point.

One thing I don't get is putting Bent on when he did. Down to 10 men and defending a one goal lead is the worst scenario to play Bent as far as i'm concerned. Leave Benteke on to hold the ball up so as midfield can catch up to play, leave Gabby up on his own so as they have to defend deeper and leave at least 2 back because of his pace, or stick Weimann on and let him run all day after the long balls. Bent does none of those up on his own.

And finally, should Bennett have been sent off? Some twonk in front of me stood up just before the challenge so I haven't seen it.

I don't think we can have complaints on Bennett and Herd should have gone as well.