Aston Villa v West Ham United Post-Match Thread

[rob_bridge]

I dont understand why Bowery was on the pitch....just dont understand Lamberts thinking.

Personally I thought him, Lowton and Charles linked up well on the right although maybe over elaborated. He also helped at set pieces and gave Lowton some cover. When West Ham broke from our corner in the first half, Bowery ran the player down.

I thought Bowery had a fine first half, tracked back well, linked up well, showed some nice touches but the game was starting to pass him by in the second half when he went off, he looks ok to me.

I thought Bowery did ok for his first start. Helped out a lot defensively and was calm on the ball. One good through ball to NZog who was fouled. Not an attacking threat on the day but encouraging.
West Ham were extremely negative first half and just got behind the ball. From start of the second half they went very direct which caused us to struggle a bit, lots of corners yet again.
But come on, haven't won at home in League for ages, it was always going to be nervy.
I just want them to have a go, and today the effort from all was clear. hope has returned!

Bowery put a shift in for the team. Like Fenton did all those years ago in the League Cup final. Nowt spectacular just not bad for what he was asked to do.

[Lky]

Performance irrelevant.

3 Points was all that mattered.

Having said that :
Guzan superb as he has been all season (maybe apart from last week when Everton seemed to target him stopping him coming from crosses)
We drop so deep when under pressure. Keep the forwards up the pitch to hold onto the ball and retain possession.
I'm a big advocate of adding height to the team for set pieces both attacking and defending. ie Baker at left back. Yes Clark is much better at centre half. O'neill did it with Cueller when we had a decent team. We need it know we have a poor team.
I've been impressed with Delph over the last 6 games or so. He has quick feet and creates space / time which the others can't. He also drives forward which the other midfielders don't although his touch let him down today and lost possession.
Bowery - can't see any qualities at all.

Anyway 3 points and we go again.

[Jockey Randall]

To be fair to Allardyce, him and the even more anti football Tony Pulis have implemented a style that will always get results. It's the sort of football that can only take you so far but it works and keeps them in jobs. It's the fans who watch it I feel sorry for, especially at Stoke. I can't believe someone has actually managed to create a side so reliant on set pieces. I remember when they came to Villa last season, it was almost as if they were going out of their way to get yardage down the touchline for a long throw in. It's not that bad with Allardyce but it's not far off. They won't get relegated though.

I actually feel we're quite lucky that we have a manager that wants get it down, pass it and score goals, but also have enough in the side that means we can mix it up when we have to. It was great to see some positive intent with the subs at 0-0. I can think of more than a few managers that wouldn't have risked the gamble.

[Walmley_Villa]

Allardyce is just a Dudley born bitter Albion bastard, end of.

Thought he was a Wolves fan?

He was, I was referring to his 1 game Albion career....

[Merv]

Only just read Allardyce's comments. Thinking now I didn't watch that game at all. Maybe I imagined those 90 minutes.

[PaulWinch again]

Basically we've played a lot better and lost, I'm delighted for us not to play well and win.

[rob_bridge]

Delph had a great game. It was a toss up between him and N'Zogbia who also had a fantastic match for man of the match. Shame it's took us a year and a half to play N'Zogbia in his best position. No coincidence he's had his best matches in a villa shirt the last 5 or so games where we've been playing him behind Benteke.

Still hate the shit support chant. Makes me cringe. Especially when I was sitting in a holte end full of empty seats and looking out upon a villa park full of empty seats where as the west ham corner seemed to have been sold out...

But anyways. Great win, fantastic free kick. It's Ben a long time since I've seen a free kick like that at the holte end.

Well deserved. Finally out the bottom three!!

I have been a big critic of his. Big time Charlie. Boom boom. However he has  started to pick up a lot - coincides with Bannan and Ireland  being nowhere near the team and  not sticking him out on the wing where he becomes Charles-de-sac

[DrGonzo]

Enjoyed the first West Ham fan on 606 saying that Clattenburg was awful and that the pen and freekick were both terrible decisions.  Oh, 3 points!!!  3 fucking big, beautiful bastard points!

[OzVilla]

Well thank fuck for that.  A happy start to the week for a change.     

[berneboy]

I am going to kidnap allardyce and reverse over him in my car

What a good idea. Hang, draw and quarter too.

I think the vision of the knife tearing up and down his torso and then showing him his own innards is very satisfying. A little excessive perhaps but satisfying.

[Mister E]

Mr Allardyce, Aston Villa contributed 2 goals, one of which was a stunner, while your hapless outfit managed a lucky goal via a deflection off a Villa player.

Your "tactics" for this match consisted of one up front and hope for the best. Strange when you consider you playing the worst defence in the league. You came for a draw and got what you deserved.

You also have a comically fat head.

Pretty much sums it up. That game was there for the taking for West Ham but Allardyce seemed to have no intention of allowing his team to attack. Too much concentration on not conceding, not enough on scoring goals.

All the more annoying given where Villa are in the league. Get at them, make them nervous, put them under pressure. Why no Jarvis to run at the full backs?

Far, far too easy.

Still, good luck to you lot. I thought you played some nice football in patches. Belting free kick from N'Zogbia. I don't know why opposition players always seem to spank in worldys against us.

Bizarre not playing a winger against our FB; most wingers tear us a new one.

[Mister E]

I dont understand why Bowery was on the pitch....just dont understand Lamberts thinking.

Personally I thought him, Lowton and Charles linked up well on the right although maybe over elaborated. He also helped at set pieces and gave Lowton some cover. When West Ham broke from our corner in the first half, Bowery ran the player down.

I thought Bowery had a fine first half, tracked back well, linked up well, showed some nice touches but the game was starting to pass him by in the second half when he went off, he looks ok to me.

I thought Bowery did ok for his first start. Helped out a lot defensively and was calm on the ball. One good through ball to NZog who was fouled. Not an attacking threat on the day but encouraging.
West Ham were extremely negative first half and just got behind the ball. From start of the second half they went very direct which caused us to struggle a bit, lots of corners yet again.
But come on, haven't won at home in League for ages, it was always going to be nervy.
I just want them to have a go, and today the effort from all was clear. hope has returned!

Bowery put a shift in for the team. Like Fenton did all those years ago in the League Cup final. Nowt spectacular just not bad for what he was asked to do.

Yep - the match thread was stufffed with critical comments about bowery. I thought he did okay. He's not a world-beater, but he put in a shift and showed more determination than the likes of Ireland. Players making a nuisance of themselves, not being phased and chasing lost causes will give us more than the laconic, occasional-brilliance players.

[sendô WHU]

Cheers. Good luck to you un all. Any ideas why you seem so different away from home? You seem to have more possession away yet create fewer chances? Is it just because he's scared to over commit?

Allardyce. Today was a perfect example. Had we been at home we'd have pressed high up the pitch, worked the channels, put crosses into the box, harried the opposition and put the pressure on. Instead as we're away he tells them to sit back, defend the final third only, and concentrate on not conceding, like Villa are going to somehow crumble if it's 0-0 at half time.

It's all in their heads, it shouldn't matter if we're home or away, you can't win if you don't attack, and the less you attack the less likely you are to score.

I feel really sorry for West Ham. I know that sounds a bit nuts when we are the club in the relegation struggle, but I'd rather stop watching football altogether than watch Allardyce manage my team. I know we have been largely awful this season, but we're at least trying to play football, whereas Allardyce's tactics are only just "football".

A mate of mine is a Hammers fan, east end born and bred type, seen it all before, no Johnny Come Lately, and he was telling me he's pretty much through with football as a result of Allardyce.

I've no idea how you or we played today, BTW, I didn't see the match, but I was just reading a minute by minute thing on one of the broadsheet websites, and the first thing West Ham did from the start of the second half was whack a diagonal ball upfield and in to touch, which made me think of my my mate's sad face watching it.

To be fair we've played some pretty good football at times this season, but it's all came at home. The Man Utd cup game, Fulham at home, Chelsea at home were all games when we played well, bossed the other team, knocked it about well, mixed it up. I've nothing against being solid defensively and looking dangerous from set pieces - in all my years watching West Ham I've never really fancied us scoring from free kicks until Allardyce came along - but I don't see why being good from set pieces and playing good football need to be mutually exclusive.

Enjoyed the first West Ham fan on 606 saying that Clattenburg was awful and that the pen and freekick were both terrible decisions.  Oh, 3 points!!!  3 fucking big, beautiful bastard points!

Nailed on penalty and a definite free kick. Both stupid fouls to give away. I thought Clattenburg did alright, barely noticed he was there which is always a good sign for a ref.

[Legion]

Excellent analysis there.

[olaftab]

Why they didn't play Jarvis is bizarre to be honest.

They're the first team in a while not to target one of our full backs.

I thought Diame did exactly that for most of the second half. He was glued to their rh touch line having a run at our lh side.