Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur Post-Match Thread

[Stu]

We're already in big trouble bro, Bradford must be licking their lips...

They'll be licking their wounds afterwards though, the northern chimps.

[olaftab]

Well it's no more than expected and its only 3 point. This and Chelsea loss will be made up against Wigan and Southampton. No worries.
Today Paul tried to stem Spurs in the first half by filling defence and midfield to the hilt. This worked to some extent with HT 0-0 however when he opened up to attack them in the second it was repeat of Chelsea game. There has been lot of rubbish posted on  here tonight with words like garbage, shit, abysmal etc and both Lambert and players taking awful criticism. Please don't forget this manager and team were there in the two games before Chelsea and Spurs.
Today we started the second much better than Spurs but went one down after in-attentive play by Herd when he lost Defoe however straight after their goal with a little luck Benteke could have got his head to the floated cross from the left and it would have been 1-1. Soon after Benteke only had to release the ball a little earlier and anyone of out two players in the box could have tapped it in but as Luke would have it they broke from that and scored. Even than the ref could have blown for a free kick to us but  didn't. These things change the game one way or another when the cookie crumbles.
We have a semi final and probable final to look forward to and will no doubt pick up the necessary points from remaining games to avoid the unmentionable.

[Rotterdam 82]

Nobody would ever accuse you of not being fully behind Lerner, Dave.

Some of us can see a bit further than the end of our nose.

So what is it that you actually see Dave?

At the moment all that I can see is a long hard slog and a very high possibility of relegation after all the early promise of Lerner's tenure.   

It's a genuine question from a life-long supporter who is really hurting at the moment.

What I see is the same position we're in regularly. A few good years, a couple of bad ones, same as every other club of our size. I see a manager who was the popular choice six months ago and was backed with a fair chunk of money in the summer. Or are we going to spend the rest of our lives saying "(Insert name of chairman here)  Out" every time things go wrong?

Thank you for your honest reply Dave.

What worries me is that we're not just suffering "a couple of bad years"; we're now into our third consecutive year of decline and I see no sign of that ending any time soon. Indeed as injuries and suspensions gather, I just see the spiral of decline gathering pace.

I am 100% (110% in Sir Ron's money) behind Paul Lambert to do the best job that he possibly can to halt our decline but I do worry that Lerner has genuinely lost interest in us as a 'project' and that the will/expertise/passion to regenerate our ailing team is no longer there. I so hope that I am wrong but I have seen little to convince me otherwise.

[olaftab]

I left on 83 mins in disgust, walked past two exits then walked back in, and watched from a different seat. I just can't leave early very well no matter how bad it is.

Same. In my case I don't know whether its a matter of blind faith or just wanting to get my money's worth each & every time. Probably both.

Well done both.
Never leave early no matter what the score is. We are supporters and we are there to support.

[ozzjim]

I think going out and getting Lambert who's stock was very high when we got him, followed by giving him 23 million or so to spend showed he is still taking an interest somewhat, there was not much more last summer the board could have done. They had a couple of horrible years, but IMO did not do much wrong last summer. In January, I am sure the importance of the new TV deal, coupled with some pointing of where Bolton and Blues are at the moment should ensure some decent money is made available. It is up to Lambert to get the right players in then that can help us improve.

[PeterWithesShin]

I left on 90 minutes. In my defence I had been at the ground since 3pm and my feet were starting to go numb!

[PeterWithesShin]

I think going out and getting Lambert who's stock was very high when we got him, followed by giving him 23 million or so to spend showed he is still taking an interest somewhat, there was not much more last summer the board could have done. They had a couple of horrible years, but IMO did not do much wrong last summer. In January, I am sure the importance of the new TV deal, coupled with some pointing of where Bolton and Blues are at the moment should ensure some decent money is made available. It is up to Lambert to get the right players in then that can help us improve.

Indeed, they've made some right balls ups the previous 2 seasons but hard to complain about their actions this season. Including wasting no time ditching McLeish.

[Clampy]

If one word sums up this season so far, it's 'Frustration'. We've flickered from looking average, to bloody great ( at times againt Man Utd,Liverpool, Man City and Norwich) and to, well Southampton away and the last two games. Throw in some decent draws against Stoke and Arsenal (and not so decent against QPR) and i honestly don't think we're that far away. It's the frustration of seeing us go to Anfield and win one week then letting in 12 goals in two games a week later. It's hard to get your head round, but i think we'll be ok.

[Stu]

There has been lot of rubbish posted on  here tonight with words like garbage, shit, abysmal etc and both Lambert and players taking awful criticism.

They deserve it though, I'm afraid. 0-12 over two games is unacceptable to any side.

[Dave Clark Five]

I doubt that we will get any new players in midfield apart from Clark who may go there if the injury prone Vlaar and Dunne come back. Not saying that is what I want. But I can just see it happening. The thing with Clark is he is bothered and puts his neck on the line. He would improve midfield but it isn't the answer. It needs an old hand in there who leads by example and fights for the cause. KEA is crap and Ireland bottles tackles. Delph is a loose cannon but at least he can get stuck in. Herd is another honest player. How the genuinely good lads will thrive if we bring some quality in; about 6 of them very quickly.

[timeoutbigbar]

Herd - stop fucking lunging in on the edge of the box.  Villa as a whole? fuck knows, certainly isn't an easy solution. I think we need Jim to fix it for us to hammer Wigan or I really will start to worry.

[sirlordbaltimore]

There has been lot of rubbish posted on  here tonight with words like garbage, shit, abysmal etc and both Lambert and players taking awful criticism. Please don't forget this manager and team were there in the two games before Chelsea and Spurs.

Or the three awful performances before those, Reading, QPR & Stoke where we managed to get 5 points but the performances were as bad and as uninspiring as anything dished up in the last two seasons. I guess they've been forgotten now though.

Were Norwich & Liverpool the exception or the norm ?. I guess we may disagree

[OzVilla]

I think going out and getting Lambert who's stock was very high when we got him, followed by giving him 23 million or so to spend showed he is still taking an interest somewhat.

Unfortunately, that 23 million is about 23 million short of what needed to be spent though, especially considering the player sales over the last 2 seasons.

I'm prepared to put that down to blind optimism the Board have in some of our Academy crop but if we don't spend at least that amount in January then we'll be in deep shit.

[sirlordbaltimore]

Delph is a loose cannon but at least he can get stuck in. Herd is another honest player.

Sadly they're both a potential red card in the making. Not to mention they're all effort and very little quality (as per Holman)

[Clampy]

I wonder how Lerner is really feeling now about the state of things , in fact I wonder if he even knows what the result was tonight

Yes i'm sure he does know the result. Were you asking the same thing after the win at Anfield?