Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur Post-Match Thread

[jeowje]

Had a few beers for the first time in a while whilst 'enjoying' the match last night, damn what an awful hangover to wake up to this morning!

We were extremely poor last night, for me no positives to take from that really. Lambert is apparently claiming that the scoreline flattered Spurs or words to that effect. Not how i saw it.

Hope we get Delph back in on Sat, and Gabby.

[saunders_heroes]

It's fine if we're just waiting to clear the remaining big earners off our wage bill before spending again, so next summer I expect us not to be signing drek from shit foreign leagues, or making our one expensive-ish signing in a position that we don't need. I'm not holding my breath though.

I'm getting fed up with Lambert to be honest. I'm getting fed up with shite home results interspersed with the odd battering here and there (we've played Spurs twice at home in the last nine months and conceded 8 with no reply), I'm getting fed up of the tacit approval of our decline in status that comes with the lowering of expectations. I see above that we should be looking up to Swansea as a way to run our club.

Aston Villa should be emulating Swansea City.

Good post.

[Monty]

First of all, Benoit Assou-Ekotto said in 2010, as I'm sure we'll all remember: 'if we [Spurs] are not careful, we'll end up like Villa.' They were careful, and struck gold with Gareth Bale into the bargain. We appointed Alex McLeish, and it's difficult to think of a more retarding decision made in Villa's history.

However, we need to keep the ball better. Swansea have busted the myth that it's all about having better players - though that obviously helps - but if you can get the right players to play pass-and-move and drill them pretty hard in it, then you will keep a lot of the ball and thereby deny the opposition opportunities. We just play a billion miles an hour with, apparently, no thoughts. It's not good enough, not at all.

[Irish villain]

We won major trophies in the 1990s, 1980s, 1970s, 1960s, 1950s not to mention our illustrious history up to that point. We flirted with honours at times in the 2000s but made some horrendous decisions that have held us back (under Gregory, GT mark II, O'Leary and MON).

We got off to the worst possible start in the new decade with three pretty poor campaigns, it's still remarkable to think we actually managed ninth in 10/11 after such a poor season.

We started from scratch, our year zero if you will, last season and nearly got relegated. We seem to have made a little progress this year but when you compare it to where Spurs and Everton are, not to mention Man fecking City, you just feel we are further away than ever. Plus, we have to be realistic and acknowledge that for all our progress, any star performer we get will just be bought by a 'big club', like bloody Spurs.

My gripe about all this is that we find ourselves in this vortex because of several unforced errors. This is all our own fault. Yes, modern football is crap, we all hate the ceiling it has put on what we can achieved but we HAD plenty of money and several other things the likes of Swansea, don't have: history, a world class stadium, top training facilities, top academy and a large, fanatical fanbase. We are underachieving massively, we have fucked ourselves over. We had some of the most expensive players in the league over the past few years and they were scarcely kicking a ball for us. How did we end up squandering so much money for no return? How did we end up in a situation where we are now having to work on the basis of: right, lets avoid a relegation struggle this season and put it down as progress and hope that we can replicate that the following year when we more than likely lose Benteke.

I'm not trying to be dramatic, I am fully behind Lambert and what he is trying to do. I just feel that the club's idiocy, when compared to the way several other clubs have been run, has unnecessarily held us back by several years. We are now light years away from where we were even five years ago. When will we be beating the likes of Ajax in European competition again?

[David_Nab]

We won major trophies in the 1990s, 1980s, 1970s, 1960s, 1950s not to mention our illustrious history up to that point. We flirted with honours at times in the 2000s but made some horrendous decisions that have held us back (under Gregory, GT mark II, O'Leary and MON).

We got off to the worst possible start in the new decade with three pretty poor campaigns, it's still remarkable to think we actually managed ninth in 10/11 after such a poor season.

We started from scratch, our year zero if you will, last season and nearly got relegated. We seem to have made a little progress this year but when you compare it to where Spurs and Everton are, not to mention Man fecking City, you just feel we are further away than ever. Plus, we have to be realistic and acknowledge that for all our progress, any star performer we get will just be bought by a 'big club', like bloody Spurs.

My gripe about all this is that we find ourselves in this vortex because of several unforced errors. This is all our own fault. Yes, modern football is crap, we all hate the ceiling it has put on what we can achieved but we HAD plenty of money and several other things the likes of Swansea, don't have: history, a world class stadium, top training facilities, top academy and a large, fanatical fanbase. We are underachieving massively, we have fucked ourselves over. We had some of the most expensive players in the league over the past few years and they were scarcely kicking a ball for us. How did we end up squandering so much money for no return? How did we end up in a situation where we are now having to work on the basis of: right, lets avoid a relegation struggle this season and put it down as progress and hope that we can replicate that the following year when we more than likely lose Benteke.

I'm not trying to be dramatic, I am fully behind Lambert and what he is trying to do. I just feel that the club's idiocy, when compared to the way several other clubs have been run, has unnecessarily held us back by several years. We are now light years away from where we were even five years ago. When will we be beating the likes of Ajax in European competition again?

Great post

We fucked ourselves and each year we have fallen further and further behind.

[Simon Ward]

Just seen the penalty that wasn't given! I suppose I shouldn't be shocked at the referee ignoring it! Nothing else in the game worth commenting about!

[Witton Warrior]

I've waited until now to post as I wanted to be sure I was not just reacting to the result.

Basically I'm just bored and fed-up of turning up to see this dross. The Season Ticket feels like a millstone this morning and I was kicking myself for actually shelling out an extra £20.

Best bit of last night was at 0-2 when we (back of the Holte) just kept singing the C&B Army tune - felt like a desperate attempt to entertain ourselves - which is basically what it has come to.

I go to VP for a laugh, some action and incident, the odd great performance and some entertainment - most of these have been sadly lacking for 3-and-a-bit seasons.

This "development" lark is all well and good but it's damned boring...

[Dave Clark Five]

Harping on about what choice Lambert had with team selection does not excuse the fact that our passing and ball control was appalling, as it was against Newcastle. Professional footballers should do better.

We cannot continue dreaming about the next transfer window.

Losing 4-0 at home is not acceptable against any opposition in the same division, in my view, regardless of it being 'only the League Cup'.

How many of those who are remaining so wonderfully composed about it came out of the ground last night with any thoughts other than that they had just witnessed a load of rubbish again? 

[Irish villain]

We cannot continue dreaming about the next transfer window.

 

I'm dreading it. I expect a bid for the beast. Especially if Man U are struggling.

[supertom]

We cannot continue dreaming about the next transfer window.

 

I'm dreading it. I expect a bid for the beast. Especially if Man U are struggling.

Chelsea and Arsenal could also be sniffing. Spurs may well want another crack if Soldado has been quiet. The only positive is that being January, we'd be able to demand silly money.

[Clark W Griswold]

I think the biggest irritation for me at the moment is that the squad has not been strengthened in the right areas this summer. Never mind bringing in supposedly decent back up for performing players, how about bringing players to replace players that were not performing last season. We didn't have a decent CB in the club last season and he brings in 1 new player, a 21 year old never played in the PL before. He's now injured (which obviously isn't Lambert's fault) but we are now in a position where we have to use the same shit as we did last season. We were dubious to say the least at 'holding' Central midfield and he doesn't bother with that position at all. For me, Bacuna is a stand in for Weinmann, even though once fit we already have N'Zogbia, Tonev is a stand in for Gabby, and we bought 2 stand in's for Benteke. The only thing we did address was the left back position, although that wasn't as desperate as the others mentioned. No experience or leadership bought in. This is what needs sorting and has done for way too fucking long now.

[Ads]

How many of those who are remaining so wonderfully composed about it came out of the ground last night with any thoughts other than that they had just witnessed a load of rubbish again? 

*shrugs*

I drove down the motorway expecting to see a load of rubbish.

By and large, League Cup games and early round FA Cup games at home are awful matches.

[supertom]

Whats really chuffing annoying too is that Richard Dunne has been excellent for QPR so far. I'd been taking the piss out of my R's supporting mate, but Dunney's been rock solid apparently and a class apart. Exactly the sort of presence they lacked last season, and indeed what we lack this season. There's something painfully ironic about that. I'm not sure he had quite the injury problems publicized last season. I figured he'd got to a stage where he'd be like Ledley King and play every other week and barely train. That hasn't been the case. He's played most of their games thus far and looked excellent.

Not that I'm saying we should have kept him! But we could do with a proven premier league center half at the moment. Vlaar isn't good enough IMO. He's improved but he's just not reliable enough and doesn't stamp his authority on a game as well as being disappointingly un-concrete.

[Dave Clark Five]

How many of those who are remaining so wonderfully composed about it came out of the ground last night with any thoughts other than that they had just witnessed a load of rubbish again? 

*shrugs*

I drove down the motorway expecting to see a load of rubbish.

By and large, League Cup games and early round FA Cup games at home are awful matches.

Unfortunately so are most of our home league matches.

[adrenachrome]

How many of those who are remaining so wonderfully composed about it came out of the ground last night with any thoughts other than that they had just witnessed a load of rubbish again? 

*shrugs*

I drove down the motorway expecting to see a load of rubbish.

By and large, League Cup games and early round FA Cup games at home are awful matches.

Unfortunately so are most of our home league matches.

An incontrovertible fact, sad to say.