Aston Villa v Newcastle United Post-Match Thread

[DC Fontana]

As much as I'd love to feel a dash of optimism from an improved second half you got to say that relegation looks assured now....defeats to the teams around us with games drip dripping away leaves us needing to bear teams who are FAR superior to us and without any reinforcements tomorrow (& let's face it there are none coming in) I think we are having to rely on miracles happening & they very rarely do at this level of football. I think we've gone.

[VillaAlways]

Thompson saying PL got tactics completely wrong

[ez]

Into the bottom 3. I wonder if we will get out again.

[mattjpa]

Wigan's draw puts us in the bottom 3 on goal difference, Reading are one point behind us with a game in hand. It sounds bad, but I still firmly believe we'll beat the drop.

Deluded. Maybe you think we will pick points up against Everton away? I don't. Maybe you think we will pick up points against the set piece specialists west ham and allardyces Hail Mary brigade. Their strength is our weakness and for all his weaknesses Collins will bully this lot into submission, so I don't. By then it could be too late. How do you presume we will stay up because I'd love some positivity now

[ROBBO]

He had options so why start Bennet whos been proven to be sadly lacking? Bannon got better because he was under no pressure. Neither of our backs can play the wingback role. I also think Bent should be sold and the money used to strengthen midfield.

[Lobsterboy]

We have now lost 'must win' home games v Wigan, Southampton and Newcastle.

We are sinking fast and have a manager at the helm that doesn't appear to have a clue

5 at the back at home in a game we had to win reeks of being shit scared to concede and by the time he switched it to 4-4-2 it was game over. Spirited second half performance but the damage was already done and we are now in the bottom 3, have no new signings in January and nothing apparently imminent.

Doomed.

[Boz]

We can still stay up but only if the manager learns from his mistakes.

Anyway, we go ag.....oh fuck it.

he hasn't so far

[Monty]

It's ironic that having sacked McLeish who was as conventional and conservative as it's possible to be, and having appointed a manager who can mix it up tactically, we only ever look good when we go back to meat-and-potatoes 442.

Well McLeish seems to actively discourage players from passing along the ground to each other.

The point is that they're both stuck in the '90s, but while for McLeish that's the British '90s for Lambert it's German. Either way, it's old hat we're getting.

[VillaAlways]

Into the bottom 3. I wonder if we will get out again.

Not under this manager we won't.Thompson saying we're down

[Apyadg]

The problem is we're now so buried that we need amazing form to save us and I don't know where that comes from.

We don't need amazing form, the bottom 6-7 positions are balanced on a knife edge. It won't take something incredible to save ourselves this season. We just need to be competent. Sadly I think that's also beyond us.

[hilts_coolerking]

There's positives to take from that second half. We're only in relegation zone on goal difference, it could be worse.

How?

[Mortimer's Bear]

Fucking hell I'm sitting here agreeing totally with Phil Thompson, what is going on?!?!

[richtheholtender]

There's positives to take from that second half. We're only in relegation zone on goal difference, it could be worse.

Its the games remaining though. Thats when it will go to points.

[onje_villa]

No doubt some will say it was ok because we of the second half. Well it wasn't. We should never have gone 2-0 down in the first place! Lambert started Bent and proved to everyone it was the wrong decision by taking him off. He is clueless and should go now. Truly awful manager who makes McLeish look like Mourinho. Lambert out! Lerner Out!

Oh and we're going down 100% now.

Plenty of people have been slagging Lambert for not playing Bent. So he plays him and gets slated. There are times when, whatever he does, unless it works perfectly someone will give him stick.

Which fans? Fans that don't watch any games? Fans who listen to clueless pundits who go on reputation instead of form? If you read the beginning of the match thread you will see I was against Bent starting anyway. He was awful at Millwall, why did he deserve a start here? We have lost to three relegation rivals in three consecutive home games (not to mention Bradford) and people think the manager should keep his job? Standards of acceptability have really dropped among some Villans.

Agreed, mainly the media and part-timers who've been calling for Bent. Most fans can see that the one who should be starting up top with Benteke is Weimann.

And unfortunately Benteke's head dropped in the last 15 minutes, he was in on numerous occasions but didn't gamble.

[adam#1]

Shall we go again?

Good second half, all a bit hit and hope for the last 15 minutes again.

But we're down, let it be swift and merciful, but we are so going down.