Aston Villa v Manchester United Post-Match Thread

[Billy Walker]

Gutted to know that either Man.Utd or Man.City will buy Benteke of us for £30 million in 4 years

That will always happen to a club of our stature. Look at what has happened for the last few years. I think I've become immune to it - just hope we replace them well when they do go. The only positive about it is they have to be pretty consistently great for us to move to a bigger club.

Richer not bigger.

I hope Randy has the genuine appetite to start building once more now.  We have a window of about two years to build a team around the likes of Benteke, if we can get the players in and become a force again then who knows what could happen.   

[arnie66]

Immensely proud and massively disappointed

This 100%......

Praying we keep this spirit throughout the side for the rest of the season and we will be fine.  Feeling like Villa are on the verge of building a really good solid side.  I can see similarities between what Lambert is doing and the great job Moyes has done at Everton...a proper team built rather than bought.

Great support from the stands yesterday as well......lets keep it going.

[Billy Walker]

Really liked the shape of our team. We look so much better without KEA, Holman and dare I say it Bent. There was power and pace out there, the players looked like the understood the system. As for Westwood I thought he was exceptional, my MOM.

Yes things are takimg shape and I think lambert is getting a more settled side and style of play - Westwood looks a future captain one day if we can keep hold of him that long, the fear is that as our good players develop they will be snapped up by the so called bigger boys.

We just have to accept that, it's been like that for decades in reality - Yorke, Platt etc etc

It's the same for all clubs - all clubs are selling clubs.  It's all about when you sell.  If we do sell any player we have to make sure we do it on our terms and only when it is right for Aston Villa.  If there is a plan in place and we have a better replacement lined up then I am all in favour of selling any player.  Selling a player just to cash in and not build the club is the unforgivable crime.

[l_mckay]

Proud of the way we played,still gutted about them coming back at us,lucky bastards! Play like that against arsenal and we will beat them

[Clampy]

I thought we were great yesterday although you just knew deep down they were going to get back into it. Once again, Benteke was immense. He really looks a find. We'll be ok if we keep playing like that.

The two moments that cost us was that ridiculous free kick against Benteke leading up their first goal which Man Utd even took from the wrong place, and the sub Lambert made just before the free kick. It was a stupid time to make it, a similar thing cost us at Fulham when they made a sub just before the corner they scored from. We all switched off at the back and it happened again yesterday.

[olaftab]

Can we stop referring to other clubs as "bigger". They are richer loaded with dirty money or in debt to the tune of about a billion as in the case of manure. We are same as Arsenal a so called selling club. When £30m is dangled and players heads are turned there is f all we can do about it. If Benteke or any other of our youngsters leaves for £30m in 3 years time we would be doing well in any case.

[Karlos96]

I was so proud of the lads yesterday, all you could ask before the game was that they give their all and they certainly did that.  If we play like this for the rest of the season we'll be fine.  I thought Benteke was immense yesterday we have some player there.  I wish just once we could beat those tossers, even when we were two up I thought I bet we end up losing it's so depressing but I am used to it seen it so many times.

One other thing I thought it was a disgrace the Man Utd fans singing through the applause for Petrov, their fans are bloody scum.

[Brend'Watkins]

I still can't see a foul by KEA for their 3rd. What did he do?  The ref was overly generous to Man U all night.  He gave us nothing.

Still, very proud of our boys for the spirit they showed, we will be okay this season and we can push on next.

[silhillvilla]

They were singing "19" which I thought was in respect of stans shirt but got home to realise it was 19 titles.
Grade A wankers.

[pestria]

Nothing pisses me off more than the thought that if we'd played like that all season today would have been our first defeat.

Know what you mean.  But if we're looking for positives then. The major one for me is that we now know the bulk of our best team. 

I think the attack looks a real threat, the central midfield pairing of Westwood and Bannan is a big improvement on anything else we've seen and despite conceding three goals I don't think there's too much concern with the defence.

On that basis, in my opinion they're good enough to do. Ore than merely survive and it gives Lambert time and a platform to plan his improvements.

[Tom_Mc9?]

Richer not bigger.

I hope Randy has the genuine appetite to start building once more now.  We have a window of about two years to build a team around the likes of Benteke, if we can get the players in and become a force again then who knows what could happen.   

Man United are without bigger than us and most others. With Manchester City, although they haven't got our history, I doubt we will be winning any league titles soon or qualifying for the Champions League. Like it or not, at present they are infinitely more attractive for players so are much bigger than us at the moment.

[barrysleftfoot]

 In Jan then do we go short term or long term?

 An experienced CH, who will be here for 1/2 seasons, but see us through, or a younger, up and coming CH who might make mistakes.Same as central midfield, a Parker or a Capoue?

 A bit harsh on here regarding Stevens, not at fault for the 1st goal for me, Clark should probably do better, but hes not a bad goalscorer Hernandez is he.I really rate Valencia, but i thought Stevens kept him relatively quiet.Fell asleep for the last goal, but we was too deep on the free kick.

 For me the difference in the game was Bentekes chance, when Smalling got there before him, and Hernandez last goal.They defended it, they scored.Instead of us winning 3-2, we lost 3-2.

[Dante Lavelli]

It's a sad fact that Villa need to sell players in order to compete, as our income from commercial and through the gates (TV is pretty neutral for all clubs) is not enough.  We need need to accept that and make plans to ensure each sale does not fuck us up.

1.  Trust the young players (so we do not have another Cahill situation)
2.  Get the best price possible
3.  Have a scouting network in place so that replacements are already signed and within the club
4.  Reinvest the money

...and repeat, slowly the whole club can grow and the young players we can sign will improve.

[BILL DE VALL]

If Weimann stuck that header away we may have seen the game out (Ok I'm blocking the 2 'hit the bar' moments out-my therapist says I cannot handle too much stress/reality)
but as he didn't all I can say is "oh Bollocks"

[danlanza]

Nothing but positives for us from yesterdays game. We were fantastic and played the best football that i have watched for a long, long time.
If this is the signs of things to come then we are going to be knocking on the top six door very soon.
Fantastic performance Villa, fantastic.