Aston Villa v Newcastle United Post-Match Thread

[PeterWithesShin]

And how Weimann stayed on the pitch so long is beyond me. He was awful again. Has to be dropped  in my opinion

[PaulWinch again]

I can't remember the last time I  saw us give the ball away so much. Overall that was shit. Delph motm again. Got away from the ground quick mind.

Our ball retention and accuracy was about Blue Square Premier level. Lambert has a lot of work to do. Sylla needs to be back in the midfield.

[PeterWithesShin]

Another thought. If we had a Ben Arfa type player we'd still be unbeaten. 

[SamTheMouse]

The defence is poor, but it's the midfield that's the real problem. It just ain't good enough. Midfielders can do one of two jobs principally: either they sit back and defend, or they make forward runs and create/score.

Which of those categories do our midfielders fall into exactly, because I seriously cannot see what their main purpose is.

[PaulWinch again]

Another thought. If we had a Ben Arfa type player we'd still be unbeaten. 

Yep creative midfield is desperately lacking.

[taylorsworkrate]

6 wins in 34 home games.

No clean sheet in 26 league games.

Those two stats show you everything you need to know about how poor this group of players are. Benteke must be cursing himself for withdrawing his transfer request.

[PaulWinch again]

And how Weimann stayed on the pitch so long is beyond me. He was awful again. Has to be dropped  in my opinion

Him and Lowton, they were both horrendously poor.

[pelty]

Why has Sylla made way for KEA when he was a vital cog in our resurgence last spring?!?! I know he was injured for a bit, but he should be fit now. Strange.

[Jarpie]

Sylla MUST start when he's fit, we need his physicality in our midfield. I really hope this was just due not playing for couple weeks  or we're gonna have a really long season ahead. Why the hell didn't he take off Weimann at 50-60min is beyond me, he had his worst game for us I've seen.

[supertom]

Crap. No playmaker. No formation. No width. Defensively ropey.

My major worries after today:
-Who do we have in midfield who you could call even close to being a decent ball player? I'm talking someone who can dribble with it, and comfortably, good touch and can pick a pass? Newcastle had Ben Arfa. We have no one. Westwood is a tidy player but average in every aspect bar using the ball nicely (when he's on form, which is not at the moment). Delph has great energy, but lacks a first touch. KEA is mediocre and Sylla's more athletic. We've got N'Zog on the books but he's injured, and probably won't figure in PL's plans anyway.
-Our defending. It's awful. The gaps left by the fullbacks are massive and when they are in position defensively, they're isolated.
-Lamberts persistent failure to address issue within a game. Ben Arfa destroyed our fullbacks, mostly Luna, all game. He did nothing about it. He didn't double up, he didn't instruct Luna to get tighter. Nothing.
-Lamberts tactical nous, or thorough lack of. This 4-2-4 madness has to end. This lack of width has to end. Strange substitution choices. 
-Wiemann as a wideman. I think he was initially a stop gap there, but he's found out now. He cannot be a long term solution as a right sided forward.

I like Lambert but there's still major problems with the way hes organising things on the pitch. The guy can spot talent. He's got the right ethos, but I think he needs a good number 2 who can fine tune us tactically, and perhaps someone more experienced at this level.

I think we're much the same as last season in all honesty. We also need to realise that our goal to play football the "right" way, or perhaps the Arsenal way, is a long way off. Players like Gabby, Wiemann, Delph, and KEA who started today aren't technically gifted enough.
We passed it poorly. Our movement was poor. We often had four strikers (particularly when Kozak came on) all crammed into central positions up top, isolating our two man midfield.

I think at home we should be looking at a different formation, or at least playing with more width. If Gabby would have stayed wide he could have had some joy.

Man of match today: Delph again. Vlaar also did quite well today.
That said, Arfa was a class apart today from anyone on the pitch.

[Matt Collins]

It sounded like we played well for twenty five minutes at the start of the second half - we seemed to miss some great chances?

But then let in a bad goal and went pretty long ball 442? And Newcastle seemed to have a fair few more chances than us too?

Was Guzan at fault for the second? Sounded like Ben Arfa had Luna on toast?

Disappointing. Very disappointing. We don't look a top ten contender at the moment, do we?

[eamonn]

Once again, Villa season-ticket holders are being made complete and utter mugs of. Spending all that cash for another 20 games a year of insipid, uninspired dross. This has been going on for years!

You'd have much more fun at a Miley Cyrus concert and save a fortune.
Villa, get twerking you useless bunch of muppets.

[PeterWithesShin]

And another random thing while sitting on the 7. Newcastle fans are utter twats. If they had come at me like that I'd have twatted them as well. Wankers.

[Monty]

The defence is poor, but it's the midfield that's the real problem. It just ain't good enough. Midfielders can do one of two jobs principally: either they sit back and defend, or they make forward runs and create/score.

Which of those categories do our midfielders fall into exactly, because I seriously cannot see what their main purpose is.

They're meant to do both, or at least share those jobs between them. They're main job is to keep the ball - and they didn't really do that either, and they didn't have a chance when Lambo went 4-2-4.

[KevinGage]

Some random thoughts:

1. Newcastle were first to every 50/50 and their players were always first to react
2. The number of times we gave the ball away from restarts (free kicks, throw ins) was unacceptable
3. The number of times we gave the ball away from simple passes, when the passer had time on the ball, was unacceptable

(1-3 suggests our players were not concentrating 100% - maybe they also saw this as an easy win?)

4. The number of times our players made bone-headed decisions (Luna not shooting, Gabby cutting in and running straight into a group of players, allowing Ben-Arfa to cut inside...) was unacceptable.

(4 suggests we lack "football brains" on the pitch)

5. Despite their league position last year, Newcastle have better players than us in most positions.

Agree on that last point.  And whose fault is that?   Lambert has had the freedom to shape the team pretty much how he wants 1 to 11. And with £23 million spent last year and £17 million this, the sums have not been insignificant either.

This is now his team, playing his way and yet we still look garbage defensively and garbage at home.