Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur Post-Match Thread

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I just don't buy the motivation line at all.

I look at how badly we defended at Stamford Bridge and last night and can only conclude that with a midfield as feeble as ours, a side as lacking in exprience as ours and critically a side (midfield) devoid of quality as ours, then we will continue to get run over by good sides.

A lack of motivation didn't give Bale all the room he wanted, it was the absence of a Vlaar screaming out an order to close him down and get tight.

Against the mid-table and lower sides; QPR, Stoke, Liverpool, Norwich etc, the energy and little quality we do have lets us get closer to them to pick up points.

I think we will beat Wigan on Saturday because they're a side that doesn't have much of the Q word. There is no Mata, Hazad, Lampard, Bale, Dembele, Defoe to expose our feeble midfield.

I think one or two of Lamberts remarks have been telling. He knows what we lack and I believe he will inject that into the spine of the team in January. Its never easy in the January window, but Carew and Young prove that quality can be found.

We have some critical gamea coming up and a chance to put Wigan and Southampton at arms length. We need to beat those around us and Lerner needs to make sure the funds are there for Lambert to make it more of a certainty.

One thing is for sure, I am very tired of us being shit.

[OzVilla]

I will defend my view that our potentially good players lack motivation.

Answer me this question if you think they are properly motivated ... My definition of that function is motivation.   To make the player do the right things at the right time DURING THE GAME.

A football manager has three primary functions.   To get the players.   To coach the players.   To direct the players how and where they will play in a game.   That third function I describe as motivation.   That is the way I see it.   I respect your views, please respect mine.

 (i) find and deploy the key to each player's personal motivation triggers; (ii) get the experienced players lifting the team in a more responsible manner; (iii) get some experience in the dressing room - even non-players like Vlaar and Petrov should be in there pre-game to lift the players and instill some confidence; (iv) ensure that the starting set of 11 players understands the formation, tactics and winning plan and sticks to it unless / until PL decides to change it.

Can you just explain what "find and deploy the key to each players personal motivation triggers" means exactly?  i don't mean to sound dense but that just sounds like management speak to me (and boy i've sat through plenty of those meetings to last a lifetime).  Please can you give me an example.

Get the experienced players lifting the team in a more responsible manner - Have I missed something, are they not at the moment then?

Get some experience in the dressing room - even non-players like Vlaar and Petrov should be in there pre-game to lift the players and instill some confidence; Again, they are probably already doing this, especially Vlaar.  Do you know different?

And the reason we couldn't "bounce back the way they did in the cup at Norwich and not against Tottenham" are because Tottenham have far more quality than us in every department - it's not really a fair fight anymore.

We can over analyse this all we like, truth is, we have an inexperienced team with players that particularly against top opposition are being outclassed.  Our squad isn't good enough and we have injuries to boot.  Lets just thank McGrath we don't play Chelsea and Spurzz every week.

[andyh]

Maybe our 'lack of motivation' stems from the fact that no one can understand a fecking word that Lambert says?

[danlanza]

I just don't buy the motivation line at all.

I look at how badly we defended at Stamford Bridge and last night and can only conclude that with a midfield as feeble as ours, a side as lacking in exprience as ours and critically a side (midfield) devoid of quality as ours, then we will continue to get run over by good sides.

A lack of motivation didn't give Bale all the room he wanted, it was the absence of a Vlaar screaming out an order to close him down and get tight.

Against the mid-table and lower sides; QPR, Stoke, Liverpool, Norwich etc, the energy and little quality we do have lets us get closer to them to pick up points.

I think we will beat Wigan on Saturday because they're a side that doesn't have much of the Q word. There is no Mata, Hazad, Lampard, Bale, Dembele, Defoe to expose our feeble midfield.

I think one or two of Lamberts remarks have been telling. He knows what we lack and I believe he will inject that into the spine of the team in January. Its never easy in the January window, but Carew and Young prove that quality can be found.

We have some critical gamea coming up and a chance to put Wigan and Southampton at arms length. We need to beat those around us and Lerner needs to make sure the funds are there for Lambert to make it more of a certainty.

One thing is for sure, I am very tired of us being shit.

I think we are all a bit tired of our current situation. It is time things were done to stop these mistakes that are costing us games. I just hope Lambert will be given the financial backing by the Chairman and there are actually some players around that can stop the rot. Will he go for seasoned, experienced players or " Young and hungry" players ? The latter would drop us further in the shite. Experience is what is needed and now.

[saunders_heroes]

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?

We are in the present not the past clampy,  two defeats with 12 goals conceded- you are only as good as your last game pal.

If you wish to dream about anfield go ahead , but one swallow doesn't make a summer- the table doesn't lie, lowest goals scored, worst goal difference , but hey we won at anfield so why worry.?

I was delighted with the win there but I have been asking the question is Lerners heart really in it anymore for well over 2 years now not just 2 games.

Wake up from your anfield dreams and smell the roses clampy- 8-0 and 0-4 is disgraceful.

It's not just Anfield though Eastie. We went to Norwich and put 4 past them the game before that. Before that we went on a decent run where we kept a few clean sheets and picked up a few points and things started to look a bit brighter.

The last two games have been abysmal but i like to look at the overall picture, not just trot out 'it's Lerner's fault' whenever we hit a blip.

This "blip" has lasted now for the last 3 seasons, and we're 3 points above the relegation zone going into the new year. When do you start to get worried?

[eastie]

Yes there is a gulf in class but we don't see other teams get turned over by the big boys so easily, tactically lambert got it Badly wrong at Chelsea and last night as soon as the 1st goal went in you could see heads drop - there is a soft side to us that makes us roll over easily , it happened at saints and city too and lambert needs to address this problem and add some steel to the side - we need a nasty get stuck in captain to organise things on the pitch .

[Chris Jameson]

Can we resurrect the General thread? Must admit I was never too comfortable with it as it seemed to consist of people kissing his backside or asking banal questions and when he was challenged on anything went strangely quiet or came out with some military analogy which made me think of the pilot in Airplane.

It could be quite cathartic to be able to ask questions with maybe a mod posting 'phone Nicky Keyes' as the answer to everything.

[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?

We are in the present not the past clampy,  two defeats with 12 goals conceded- you are only as good as your last game pal.

If you wish to dream about anfield go ahead , but one swallow doesn't make a summer- the table doesn't lie, lowest goals scored, worst goal difference , but hey we won at anfield so why worry.?

I was delighted with the win there but I have been asking the question is Lerners heart really in it anymore for well over 2 years now not just 2 games.

Wake up from your anfield dreams and smell the roses clampy- 8-0 and 0-4 is disgraceful.

It's not just Anfield though Eastie. We went to Norwich and put 4 past them the game before that. Before that we went on a decent run where we kept a few clean sheets and picked up a few points and things started to look a bit brighter.

The last two games have been abysmal but i like to look at the overall picture, not just trot out 'it's Lerner's fault' whenever we hit a blip.

This "blip" has lasted now for the last 3 seasons, and we're 3 points above the relegation zone going into the new year. When do you start to get worried?

When i decide it's worth worrying about.

[eastie]

Can we resurrect the General thread? Must admit I was never too comfortable with it as it seemed to consist of people kissing his backside or asking banal questions and when he was challenged on anything went strangely quiet or came out with some military analogy which made me think of the pilot in Airplane.

It could be quite cathartic to be able to ask questions with maybe a mod posting 'phone Nicky Keyes' as the answer to everything.

Yes too many falling over themselves to buy him a pie or a pint , quite funny really.

[saunders_heroes]

January is a huge month for us. Go out and spend real money on proven PL class and we'll pull away from the relegation zone. Continue this ridiculous policy of recruiting from the lower leagues and we could be genuinely looking at Championship football next season.
Lerner's obsession with employing young unproven players on relatively low wages will cost us our PL status. The man is completely out of his depth.

[eastie]

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?

We are in the present not the past clampy,  two defeats with 12 goals conceded- you are only as good as your last game pal.

If you wish to dream about anfield go ahead , but one swallow doesn't make a summer- the table doesn't lie, lowest goals scored, worst goal difference , but hey we won at anfield so why worry.?

I was delighted with the win there but I have been asking the question is Lerners heart really in it anymore for well over 2 years now not just 2 games.

Wake up from your anfield dreams and smell the roses clampy- 8-0 and 0-4 is disgraceful.

It's not just Anfield though Eastie. We went to Norwich and put 4 past them the game before that. Before that we went on a decent run where we kept a few clean sheets and picked up a few points and things started to look a bit brighter.

The last two games have been abysmal but i like to look at the overall picture, not just trot out 'it's Lerner's fault' whenever we hit a blip.

This "blip" has lasted now for the last 3 seasons, and we're 3 points above the relegation zone going into the new year. When do you start to get worried?

When i decide it's worth worrying about.

Well if losing 8-0 and 0-4 doesn't worry you then you should be safe to carry on thinking wistfully of anfield and the day we won at mid table Liverpool.

Funny you didn't take that approach last season when we won at Chelsea.

[saunders_heroes]

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?

We are in the present not the past clampy,  two defeats with 12 goals conceded- you are only as good as your last game pal.

If you wish to dream about anfield go ahead , but one swallow doesn't make a summer- the table doesn't lie, lowest goals scored, worst goal difference , but hey we won at anfield so why worry.?

I was delighted with the win there but I have been asking the question is Lerners heart really in it anymore for well over 2 years now not just 2 games.

Wake up from your anfield dreams and smell the roses clampy- 8-0 and 0-4 is disgraceful.

It's not just Anfield though Eastie. We went to Norwich and put 4 past them the game before that. Before that we went on a decent run where we kept a few clean sheets and picked up a few points and things started to look a bit brighter.

The last two games have been abysmal but i like to look at the overall picture, not just trot out 'it's Lerner's fault' whenever we hit a blip.

This "blip" has lasted now for the last 3 seasons, and we're 3 points above the relegation zone going into the new year. When do you start to get worried?

When i decide it's worth worrying about.

No offence, but you're deluded.

[Hampshire Villa]

We are at the moment without any experienced heads. Our midfield is very weak. Yesterday we saw in the first half a team without even a tiny bit of confidence we defended because we had to. We were standing off all the Spuds divers and frightened to go near them. In the second half we came out a little more physical. The second Goal was not right and should have been brought back for a foul. This of course resulted in the dropping of heads and calamity. Delph and El Ahmadi are just not good enough.
January may bring us something, we really need a bit of help for the youngsters. They are having a tough time right now and clearly against the bigger teams really lack. There is a massive gulf. but they are young enough can learn and Lambert is probably the right guy to get them there. he needs to break the love affair with Delph and Lerner needs to give him some of the $bn he got from the recent Browns sale! Lambert needs to get in a couple of strong experienced heads to steady the ship a little. A strong defender and a hard thinking midfielder , we have never replaced Stan.

Onwards and upwards we really have to beat those around us! 3 points against Wigan and three points against Saints and it will be a different picture.

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I don't think they need to be proven in the Premiership. Johnny Foreigner seems to have an ability to play the game and not cost as much as established Premiership players.

Look at Jacob, Mulumbu, Michu and Olsen. They'd have cost us less than £3 million and would have us competing in the top half.

[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?

We are in the present not the past clampy,  two defeats with 12 goals conceded- you are only as good as your last game pal.

If you wish to dream about anfield go ahead , but one swallow doesn't make a summer- the table doesn't lie, lowest goals scored, worst goal difference , but hey we won at anfield so why worry.?

I was delighted with the win there but I have been asking the question is Lerners heart really in it anymore for well over 2 years now not just 2 games.

Wake up from your anfield dreams and smell the roses clampy- 8-0 and 0-4 is disgraceful.

It's not just Anfield though Eastie. We went to Norwich and put 4 past them the game before that. Before that we went on a decent run where we kept a few clean sheets and picked up a few points and things started to look a bit brighter.

The last two games have been abysmal but i like to look at the overall picture, not just trot out 'it's Lerner's fault' whenever we hit a blip.

This "blip" has lasted now for the last 3 seasons, and we're 3 points above the relegation zone going into the new year. When do you start to get worried?

When i decide it's worth worrying about.

No offence, but you're deluded.

None taken.