Aston Villa v Tottenham Hotspur Post-Match Thread

[BC54 VFC]

Couple of seasons ago at VP one of the chants from the other fans at a game (QPR/Fulham?) was "You're not famous anymore" which is clearly gramatically incorrect but I get what they meant. I lived in London for nearly 25 years and that is the general view of Villa from most football supporters I know down there. A sleeping lion no doubt but sleeping nonetheless.

Your spelling of grammatically is also grammatically incorrect.

[Navin R Johnson]

Just home.   Sunday night traffic very bad.   I thought that was a very disappointing game.   As I see it our games are the same as our seasons.   They go in fits and starts.   Our play is very fragmented.   We attack a bit then we defend a bit.   We attack some more and defend some more.   We are incapable of getting on top in a game and staying on top.
The biggest void which needs to be filled is a midfield general.   Not necessarily a ball winner or a play maker or a Hollywood passer, a general like Ray Houghton or Andy Townsend or Steve Staunton or Kevin Richardson.   An organizer.

I am too tired to read all the pages of this thread and apologies if it has been covered but the treatment we receive at the hands of Dowd is disgraceful.   The man has a provocative mindset towards Villa and you can see that his attitude is "you think that was unfair.   Have some of this".   He does just enough to stay onside with his masters at the FA and hides behind a front of not being afraid to make unpopular calls.   They are not unpopular calls Dowd, the crowd is angry because they are wrong calls.   I think Ron Vlaar as captain could have done more to mark Dowd's card.   Without being offensive or aggressive our captain should have  been demanding a more even handed approach from the referee, as he is perfectly entitled to do.

My final point is that if Benteke was only going to be risked for 45 minutes it should have been the first half not the second.   You cannot play catch up against a team as good as the London Queens.

[eric woolban woolban]

Gabby was in the media at the weekend talking aout his WC hopes. Ha ha. Not a chance.

What as? A Pundit?

[PaulWinch again]

Vlaar has been very good this year, Okore looked very promising and Clark has been very good. Baker occasionally looks good on camera because fans like last ditch tackles, but it's as a result of his poor positional sense. Top defenders don't have to make last ditch tackles every game, ask Paul McGrath.

[Legion]

Just home.   Sunday night traffic very bad.   I thought that was a very disappointing game.   As I see it our games are the same as our seasons.   They go in fits and starts.   Our play is very fragmented.   We attack a bit then we defend a bit.   We attack some more and defend some more.   We are incapable of getting on top in a game and staying on top.
The biggest void which needs to be filled is a midfield general.   Not necessarily a ball winner or a play maker or a Hollywood passer, a general like Ray Houghton or Andy Townsend or Steve Staunton or Kevin Richardson.   An organizer.

I am too tired to read all the pages of this thread and apologies if it has been covered but the treatment we receive at the hands of Dowd is disgraceful.   The man has a provocative mindset towards Villa and you can see that his attitude is "you think that was unfair.   Have some of this".   He does just enough to stay onside with his masters at the FA and hides behind a front of not being afraid to make unpopular calls.   They are not unpopular calls Dowd, the crowd is angry because they are wrong calls.   I think Ron Vlaar as captain could have done more to mark Dowd's card.   Without being offensive or aggressive our captain should have  been demanding a more even handed approach from the referee, as he is perfectly entitled to do.

My final point is that if Benteke was only going to be risked for 45 minutes it should have been the first half not the second.   You cannot play catch up against a team as good as the London Queens.

I agree with the vast majority of this Brian. Well said.

[silhillvilla]

Didn't think Dowd was that bad today. He could easily have given straight Red to Westwood for example first half.

[PeterWithe]

Not read the thread but thought the performance was a carbon copy of the Man City game, physically and technically inferior overall but we had spells on top but didn't create owt. Obviously one major difference.

Fair result really.

[mr woo]

Didn't think Dowd was that bad today. He could easily have given straight Red to Westwood for example first half.

<TBH I think he's lost weight too...>

[Monty]

Not read the thread but thought the performance was a carbon copy of the Man City game, physically and technically inferior overall but we had spells on top but didn't create owt. Obviously one major difference.

Fair result really.

I thought the game was similar to the City one as well. Spurs are a good team with the quality to suddenly create and score a chance like their second goal today even when not playing well. No shame today, I think.

[Somniloquism]

Garth Crooks has given Lloris the GK position in his team of the week because "Clean sheets are at a premium in football, and on that basis, I'm going for Hugo Lloris who provided a solid performance away at Aston Villa." He said he was going to give it to Ruddy but he shipped in four. He obviously never saw the match and just saw spurs had kept a clean sheet, not that Lloris had pretty much nothing to do but was pretty crap when pressured to take a kick.

Anyway, Brad still shows he is still the best keeper out there.

[edgysatsuma89]

I forgot to mention how shit our shooting was. And our lack of width is criminal.

[SoccerHQ]

Baker is fine in the physical games against the likes of Stoke and West Ham.

I'm not a huge fan of Clark but he has played well this year in fairness, today's game where it would've been all about reading Spurs's moves would've probably suited him more but I'd still have expected us to concede a couple.

[edgysatsuma89]

Oh, and (apologies if you are one) do you generally dislike all cockneys? Not just spurs, but all of 'em? They really get on my tits.

Disclaimer: Prem wise, never met a Fulham fan

[curlytailavfc]

we need to get this defence sorted or get rid ove Lambers simplies

[ozzjim]

The defence has shipped already what, 12 goals maybe less than in the corresponding games last season? So there is a marked improvement.

Got to agree with Paul and Soccer on Baker, he is ok if the side he plays against are not the most technically thoughtful. Spurs just pulled him about.

The biggest thing for me though is setting the tone in the attacking 3rd. Delph and Westwood are fine, if you then had Holtby, Townsend and Sigurdsson pulling the strings behind Benteke. Trouble is Gabby and Weimann are not creative in truth. Weimann is worth his place if he is scoring, but when not he offers little other than nuisance. Said it before but he reminds me of Paul Dickov without the nasty streak. Decent, but not brilliant.

Gabby is our best outlet by miles, but way better when Benteke is on.

And at home I am starting to think 4-4-2 with Kojak and Benteke up top, Bacuna and Bennett out wide might be worth a go.