Ashley Westwood - Sold to Burnley

[Risso]

Judging from the crowd's reaction yesterday, I think things have passed the point of no return for Ashley.  Things will start to get ugly if he continues to be a starter.

[Ian.]

Oh for a Gareth Barry, an Ian Taylor or a Paul Birch.

Or a Jimmy Milner who's really doing the business under a proper manager again.

[ASHTONVILLA]

Judging from the crowd's reaction yesterday, I think things have passed the point of no return for Ashley.  Things will start to get ugly if he continues to be a starter.

Yeah, a lot of booing when his name was read out. I was flabbergasted when I realised Tsibola was on the bench whilst that useless waste of a skin was selected.

[aj2k77]

But in reality it shouldnt ever be allowed to get to this point, where players and managers are kept lingering around for so long that the atmosphere and feeling against them turns venomous. We've got a player here who, sentiment aside, he's a decent lad, doesn't cause any trouble but has looked out of place on the football pitch against almost everyone he's played against for 3 years at least. We still find him in the team, it's a bad joke, whilst we're spending £30m up front on players we can't fit in the team we've got a hopelessly out of his depth bloke in the engine room. He should have been canned years ago, I can understand it under Lerner and Lambert because neither gave a flying fuck but why when we are supposed to be progressing forward in a new era have we kept on someone who quite obviously to most people who have watched any Villa is shit.

[SoccerHQ]

In a bit of fairness to him, it does look the first challenge attempt at a tackle is just a kick at his ankles and that's why his arms go up after the second attempt takes the ball. He's also the only one attempting to block the goal as the defence are wank as usual. Having said that I really wish we had better and he was at best an option from the bench, that he's still pretty much a guaranteed starter is ridiculous.

What pissed me off more than him losing the ball...just pass it back to Elphick who was in yards of space. Instead he hung onto it for ages and then predictably lost it given how lightweight he is.

Just play it simple and it stays 1 nil and maybe we could've turned it around....instead our players try to be superstars on the ball and we lose yet another game.

[Tom_Mc9?]

I feel sorry for him. He's not unprofessional like Gabby and seems to try hard. He's just not very good.

[aj2k77]

I feel sorry for him. He's not unprofessional like Gabby and seems to try hard. He's just not very good.

Dont feel too bad for the little lamb, we've made him a millionaire.

[Exeter 77]

I feel a bit sorry for Westwood.  His confidence is completely shot after being the only player who links all of our managerial disasters together. He made a decent start under Lambert but any self-belief he may have had has finally drained away and he needs to be out of the squad, at least for a while, for the sake of his own mental health.

[nick harper]

He's a neat and tidy player but needs strong players around him. He will never work in a two which is why he is looking particularly poor this season.

He needed to have gone in the summer but the period where he was playing in a narrow three with Delph and Cleverly, he generally did ok.

Can't understand why the manager keeps thinking the shape of the midfield he has used all season is ever going to work.

[tomd2103]

He's a neat and tidy player but needs strong players around him. He will never work in a two which is why he is looking particularly poor this season.

He needed to have gone in the summer but the period where he was playing in a narrow three with Delph and Cleverly, he generally did ok.

Can't understand why the manager keeps thinking the shape of the midfield he has used all season is ever going to work.

Agree with this, but the lack of investment in the midfield area means we can only really play with a two in midfield.

[nick harper]

He's a neat and tidy player but needs strong players around him. He will never work in a two which is why he is looking particularly poor this season.

He needed to have gone in the summer but the period where he was playing in a narrow three with Delph and Cleverly, he generally did ok.

Can't understand why the manager keeps thinking the shape of the midfield he has used all season is ever going to work.

Agree with this, but the lack of investment in the midfield area means we can only really play with a two in midfield.

Yes, agree. Overloaded with forward types but only four midfield options and that includes Bacuna.

He needed to find an energetic box to box midfielder instead of Adomah who seems to be another option we don't need.

[tomd2103]

He's a neat and tidy player but needs strong players around him. He will never work in a two which is why he is looking particularly poor this season.

He needed to have gone in the summer but the period where he was playing in a narrow three with Delph and Cleverly, he generally did ok.

Can't understand why the manager keeps thinking the shape of the midfield he has used all season is ever going to work.

Agree with this, but the lack of investment in the midfield area means we can only really play with a two in midfield.

Yes, agree. Overloaded with forward types but only four midfield options and that includes Bacuna.

He needed to find an energetic box to box midfielder instead of Adomah who seems to be another option we don't need.

Think Adomah was bought because Di Matteo had pretty much decided on the 4-2-3-1 formation and needed another wide option.  We definitely left ourselves short of midfield options though.

[OzVilla]

I've absolutely no idea why we bought Adomah. Didn't at the time and certainly don't now.

[saunders_heroes]

Judging from the crowd's reaction yesterday, I think things have passed the point of no return for Ashley.  Things will start to get ugly if he continues to be a starter.

Yeah, a lot of booing when his name was read out. I was flabbergasted when I realised Tsibola was on the bench whilst that useless waste of a skin was selected.

When I saw Westwood on the team sheet I thought Tshibola was out injured but then I saw he was sub. Just what on earth was RDM thinking leaving him on the bench for the lamentable Westwood? I think he's lost the plot and it's time for him to go.

[JUAN PABLO]

Not replacing him in the summer and persevering with him in the team was RDM's first and biggest mistake at Villa in my opinion. The midfield was always our weakest area and why we never had a complete overhaul is staggering considering how bad we were. Looks like it's gonna cost RDM his job and I have no sympathy for him. 

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