Aston Villa v Wigan Athletic Post-Match Thread

[LeeB]

What we need is a 6 foot 5, built like a brick shitehouse midfielder who gets stuck in. Our midfield is too lightweight. A leader at the back wouldn't do any harm  either.

Three players, right up the middle of the pitch.

Yes, and we also need to bring the likes of Bent, N'Zogbia and Wanrnock back. We may not be their biggest fans but we need their experience in the team. We look like someone lifted a League 2 outfit and placed them into Villa shirts

Bent and Zog have been injured, and I'd play Neil Warnock before Stephen.

Our fullbacks are woeful. Warnock would be an improvement even if it's just for his experience alone.

Whatever our many problems, the answer doesn't lie with the likes of Warnock, Hutton etc.

Stephen Ireland provided a fine example of that today.

[Monty]

For what it's worth, my theory is that Lambert's way of using young players has been to appeal to their emotions: he's got them all worked up, pressing, giving it everything, going mad - and we score first, they get fired up, it's great. However, this emotionalism means when we go behind, that really is it. Their heads drop, they get down on themselves, they run out of ideas, they stop playing the ball. They need to be more calm, have a bit more of the Jedi about them. We need a player like Danny Murphy was for Fulham the last few years, a been-there-done-that player who simultaneously has good technique and can calm down these young guys desperate to make up for going behind. There's no calm there, however, and 'seniors' like Gabby Agbonlahor and Darren Bent wouldn't help because they're hardly going to put their foot on the ball and help the younger guys settle down.

We do miss Vlaar, who'd have never made a mistake as tragic as some of the ones we've seen in these last two home games. We miss Petrov like a missing limb but there's no good waiting for that, he has somewhat bigger fish to fry. We also miss an attacking midfielder who actually poses a threat to the opposition, a nippy winger who can cut inside and score goals - like Zog is in theory, but obviously not Zog.

[saunders_heroes]

What we need is a 6 foot 5, built like a brick shitehouse midfielder who gets stuck in. Our midfield is too lightweight. A leader at the back wouldn't do any harm  either.

Three players, right up the middle of the pitch.

Yes, and we also need to bring the likes of Bent, N'Zogbia and Wanrnock back. We may not be their biggest fans but we need their experience in the team. We look like someone lifted a League 2 outfit and placed them into Villa shirts

Bent and Zog have been injured, and I'd play Neil Warnock before Stephen.

Our fullbacks are woeful. Warnock would be an improvement even if it's just for his experience alone.

Whatever our many problems, the answer doesn't lie with the likes of Warnock, Hutton etc.

Stephen Ireland provided a fine example of that today.

Experience is what we need.  The problems with our team this season is due to the lack of it.

[phantom limb]

Abysmal. I also really hope that someone is stupid enough to buy Ireland from us in January, what a waste of fucking space that man is. As a senior, highly paid player all he does is give the air of complete indifference.

[eastie]

What we need is a 6 foot 5, built like a brick shitehouse midfielder who gets stuck in. Our midfield is too lightweight. A leader at the back wouldn't do any harm  either.

Three players, right up the middle of the pitch.

Yes, and we also need to bring the likes of Bent, N'Zogbia and Wanrnock back. We may not be their biggest fans but we need their experience in the team. We look like someone lifted a League 2 outfit and placed them into Villa shirts

Bent and Zog have been injured, and I'd play Neil Warnock before Stephen.

Our fullbacks are woeful. Warnock would be an improvement even if it's just for his experience alone.

I don't really think Lowton has been woeful.

Benteke aside there's not a single player in that team worthy of Aston Villa FC. I've been saying it for months - this team is worse than 86-87.

I think Westwood , Vlaar, Lowton , benteke have all been decent signings, Bennett and Bowery may prove to be in time , Holman and kea lack quality in my opinion.

Lamberts insistence that going with young players rather than experience is a recipe for disaster and I fear the transfer window will be very dissappointing.

[Stu]

The majority of people on here bought in to the appointment of Lambert and his policy regarding replacing experienced players on the way down with inexperienced players with potential.

I don't think that's true; as I remember it, most people thought it was far too much of a gamble, and so it has proved. Which leads me on to my next point:

There was a gamble taken with the squad strength in that the thought was that it was good enough to get through the season and build off for the future.  The gamble has not come off, both due to injuries and some of the players brought in not being up to the task when things have started to go wrong.  The one error that I thought the manager made was not bringing in an extra experienced midfield player.

Why are we having to gamble with the clubs Premier League status? Just to save a few quid? If so, then it's ridiculously short sited from the board, considering the new Sky tv deal money would (and still will, hopefully) earn us loads more cash.

I have seen some poor Villa teams over the last 35 years but to say this team is the worst misses the point that a few players of quality and experience can lift the younger players to play at a far higher level than at present.

Get ready for this worrying news then; Lambert's already said he won't be buying Prem quality players - we'll be looking towards youth and players from the lower leagues.

To say that we need to replace the defence, midfield and forward line is an extreme comment which loses credibility of anything constructive that the poster may say.  It would be great to have a magic wand but football doesn't work like that.

I'm not having a go, but how should it work? The team is an absolute shambles from top to bottom, the defence is utterly and completely useless, they are cut through like butter and ball watch. Worst defence I've ever seen at Villa Park, this used to be one of the things we were good at.

[steffo]

Chelsea v Aston Villa 27th December1986 L 1-4 (the last time we were relegated)

Team; Spink, Williams, Dorigo, Keown, Elliot, Stainrod, Birch, Thompson, Gray, Hunt, Walters.

We are doomed.

[saunders_heroes]

What we need is a 6 foot 5, built like a brick shitehouse midfielder who gets stuck in. Our midfield is too lightweight. A leader at the back wouldn't do any harm  either.

Three players, right up the middle of the pitch.

Yes, and we also need to bring the likes of Bent, N'Zogbia and Wanrnock back. We may not be their biggest fans but we need their experience in the team. We look like someone lifted a League 2 outfit and placed them into Villa shirts

Bent and Zog have been injured, and I'd play Neil Warnock before Stephen.

Our fullbacks are woeful. Warnock would be an improvement even if it's just for his experience alone.

I don't really think Lowton has been woeful.

Benteke aside there's not a single player in that team worthy of Aston Villa FC. I've been saying it for months - this team is worse than 86-87.

I think Westwood , Vlaar, Lowton , benteke have all been decent signings, Bennett and Bowery may prove to be in time , Holman and kea lack quality on my opinion.

I don't think Westwood is anything special, Vlaar's mistakes has cost us goals this season and Lowton looks average. We could debate this all night but it'll just be about opinions, but the fact remains that we have an absolutely appalling team. That isn't up for debate.

[levico]

Sorry if this has already been said but Lamberts interview on BBC WM does not fill me optimism. He inferred that he is sticking to his young and hungry approach including in the transfer market. So no experienced PL players for us in January. Things are bad now but they are going to get a whole lot worse IMO.

[eastie]

What we need is a 6 foot 5, built like a brick shitehouse midfielder who gets stuck in. Our midfield is too lightweight. A leader at the back wouldn't do any harm  either.

Three players, right up the middle of the pitch.

Yes, and we also need to bring the likes of Bent, N'Zogbia and Wanrnock back. We may not be their biggest fans but we need their experience in the team. We look like someone lifted a League 2 outfit and placed them into Villa shirts

Bent and Zog have been injured, and I'd play Neil Warnock before Stephen.

Our fullbacks are woeful. Warnock would be an improvement even if it's just for his experience alone.

I don't really think Lowton has been woeful.

Benteke aside there's not a single player in that team worthy of Aston Villa FC. I've been saying it for months - this team is worse than 86-87.

I think Westwood , Vlaar, Lowton , benteke have all been decent signings, Bennett and Bowery may prove to be in time , Holman and kea lack quality on my opinion.

I don't think Westwood is anything special, Vlaar's mistakes has cost us goals this season and Lowton looks average. We could debate this all night but it'll just be about opinions, but the fact remains that we have an absolutely appalling team. That isn't up for debate.

The tactics , team selection and formation along with his substitutions worry me very much about lambert, his signings haven't been that bad but you need a balance and a mixture of youth and experience- not just young lads learning their trade.

Lambert now worries me and Lerner has worried me for years.

[Ads]

The battle that broke us.

We are on our way down.

The midfield is appalling, Lambert got the selection and system so badly wrong.

[McGraths Dry Cleaning]

Well that's great, that's just fuckin' great, man. Now what the fuck are we supposed to do? We're in some real pretty shit now man. At least thats what Private Hudson from Aliens would say.

I would say that is probably one of the least enjoyable afternoons at VP I've spent for a couple of decades. The thing for me is the ease in which Wigan went through us. They didnt really have to try too hard at all and to be honest didnt create an awful lot but brushed us aside easily.

We need some quality and experience in January.

[jembob]

The battle that broke us.

We are on our way down.

The midfield is appalling, Lambert got the selection and system so badly wrong.

After today's match it's difficult to argue with any of this. Our midfield is piss poor but our best player so far this season was stuck on the bench. Much as I'd like to see Bannan and Albrighton succeed, neither are good enough. Ireland is a luxury player and the net result is that we are crap. Couple that with the fact that we seem to be so mentally fragile, it looks rather worrying.
We need a couple of tough midfield players to lead on the pitch to come in during January otherwise we'll really struggle.

[midnite]

Benteke looked lazy today too. Like he couldn't be arsed. There was no movement from him at all to get in front of defenders for headers. Or get in the box for crossed. Really poor from him as well as everyone today.

[PeterWithesShin]

Must admit i'm worried now. I'm starting think we may not make the Champions League.