Bradford City v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Morten]

How can Clark be captain of Aston Villa ? He and Bennett were so poor today, words fail me. They got past Bennett and crosses in so many times, when he was not giving away corner kicks.

Every time the camera focused on Lambert, he just sat there looking like a man without a glue. Get up and give the players som guidance !

In the first half Bannan kept playing one-two with the central defenders, whats the point ?

We started the second half playing direct - and it worked ! Then we stopped after 10 minutes - why ? Game after game we seem to be so poor tactically, I do not understand it.

But as some has mentioned, maybe this safes us from getting slaughtered by Chelsea in the final. Imagine this defence against Chelsea again...

I do not know about sacking Lambert, do not think it will help. But I would really want Lerner or just Faulkner to come out and say something - acknowledge that we need to invest. How can this club believe that these young players are good enough ?

I am so upset tonight, I really have not been this for a long time watching Villa, not even during the Christmas games. Not only was today an embarrassment, but we look like going down playing like this, which scares me.

[CT]

I never thought I'd ever say this, but Stephen Warnock has to come back into that team.

Joe Bennett is an utter liability. He is simply not good enough.

That would be part one of the plan, not sure where we go next.......

[Billy Walker]

The players didn't play with the freedom that they have done in previous rounds and  they really looked weighed down with the pressure and expectation - that is what happens with young players in their first senior semi-final.  Positive support back at Villa Park can get us through - even if we go an early goal down (which would not surprise me). 

People calling for Lambert's head after we lose the first leg of a semi to a team that has already beaten a couple of Premier League sides?!  Why?  The frustration here is that a whole load of our fans totally underestimated Bradford and, more importantly, cup football.  Where you are in the table goes out the window in games like this. It's a cliche, we all know it yet half our mob were rubbing their hands thinking we were already through.  That's a burden for young players.

In the words of Big Ron: We've dug ourselves into a hole...we're gonna have to dig ourselves out. 

[dl9]

Is it just me or is there a lot of overreaction. Bradford must be doing well to get this far and they have have just knocked Arsenal out. Bradford's keeper wins man of the match and the majority are saying how crap we were.

We weren't entirely crap, we created lots of chances, and didn't take them.

The problem is the defending. I look at their second and third goals, and I'm not thinking "oh ono, we're not going to Wembley", I'm thinking "much more of that, and we're going down, without a doubt".

Horror story, we are spineless and clueless. Terrible defending. We are an say touch. lambert and Culverhouse were average as players and we're not even that good.  Not fit to wear the shirt any of the bastards. Fuckin wankers all of them.

[Tom_Mc9?]

Fuck Lambert! Fuck Lerner! Fuck this fuck that fuck the other.

That'll show them.

We don't have McGrath anymore!

We don't have this we don't have that.

I'm going to throw caution to the wind and say balls to the lot of you, we're still going through!*









*'though the less said about our defence the better.

[Apyadg]

I'm really pissed off with Lerner and what he's done to thic club over the past few years. I'm very disappointed with Lambert so far, even if he's only had one window, I expected better than this.

But for everything the pair of them have done wrong, what is wrong with these players? We weren't exactly thrashed, but it certainly wasn't an undeserved win from Bradford, and our players looked genuinely clueless about what to do. They clearly have some ability, they show it once every couple of months or so, but I've never seen any team, in any sport, at any level, professional or otherwise, that seem to just give up on the game and want to go home as soon as they concede a goal.

I'm amazed any of these players made it this far and didn't just give up on their career as soon as they have a bad day.

We shouldn't need millions of pounds spent on the squad to beat Bradford, we shouldn't need a manager who outwits the other teams manager, we just need our players to have some self respect, they're pathetic.

[Villain1874]

We've become the laughing stock of the football league. It's an absolute disgrace. I don't know where to start to be honest, we aren't good enough at board level, managerial level or playing level. The whole lot can just f*ck off tomorrow as far as I'm concerned.

As a side note the players didn't even applaud the 4,600 Villa fans there tonight at the end of the game. Wankers.

Have to agree with you, I don't know who to blame or rage at, a lot of people have come and gone over the last few years at Villa but the one constant is Lerner, I'm starting to realise Lerner is not the best owner and I'm starting to lose patience with him....
Lambert was not my first choice as manager but I backed his appointment, but saying that I'm starting to question his leadership..

[avfcpg]

Can't see us keeping a clean sheet in the second leg...yes we could have been out of sight but for the keeper but the midfield and defence just isn't good enough, and that was on show in all it's glory tonight.

Get Vlaar back, sign a sentre back and a left back then two decent mdfielders and we may stay up...don't and I reckon we've had it.

[curiousorange]

I'm just tired of being a Villa fan. I'll always be one, but it's just so draining.

[citizenDJ]

The players are poor, no doubt, but they don't appear even remotely organised, either. They're all over the place, all over the pitch. That's a coaching issue, and that's Lambert's responsibility. They're not improving in any way I can see, and in fact are getting markedly worse. That's Lambert's responsibility, too.

I don't think he's a very good manager.

[brian green]

There is nothing complicated about it.   Our players are not good enough and our manager is not good enough.   We have deluded ourselves into thinking that the players which have come up from our academy are better than they are and we have deluded ourselves into thinking the young players Lambert has signed are better than they are.

[NorthYvillan]

Going forward we can create chances and if the Bradford keeper hadn't played out of his skin we would probably have won 4 or 5 - 3.

But we need to fix the defence - and quickly, because we are far too fragile far too often.

[hawkeye]

Is it just me or is there a lot of overreaction. Bradford must be doing well to get this far and they have have just knocked Arsenal out. Bradford's keeper wins man of the match and the majority are saying how crap we were.

We weren't entirely crap, we created lots of chances, and didn't take them.

The problem is the defending. I look at their second and third goals, and I'm not thinking "oh no, we're not going to Wembley", I'm thinking "much more of that, and we're going down, without a doubt".

The problem is that we were taken apart by a 4th Division team on an OK pitch. They had players that looked better than our players, now that is seriously wrong.
The reason we cant defend is that most of our midfield and defenders are about league 2 or 3 level and that is why Bradford looked a better team

[DB]

Is Vlaar back for sat?

[Louzie0]

iT'LL BE DIFFERENT AT HOME.