WBA v Aston Villa Match Thread

[PaulWinch again]

Benteke playing so deep isn't working.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

No subs? Now Lambert can fuck off.

[Jon Crofts]

No subs, clearly there must be a plan.

[glasses]

Tonev is one of the worst players I've ever seen. Hate to just pick one out, but I just cannot abide him

[mr woo]

Very poor all round - which is something we can go into after the game. The question is what can we do to salvage something out of this game which still has a whole half still to play...

At two-down we can't afford to carry three non-goalscoring midfielders. So take one off (KEA imo) get Lowton on, push Bacuna up to wide right with instructions to cross from deep to hit the big men. Give that 25 minutes then take a chance with Gabby/Weimann and Delph.


COME ON LADS - THIS AINT OVER

[Rigadon]

Oh dear Lambert.  That is criminal.

[SamTheMouse]

I was hearing Charlie Nicholas on Saturday talking about how much he liked midfielders running beyond the strikers and it got me thinking when was the last time a Villa midfielder linked up the play with the intention of running beyond the strikers? It's but one of the reasons why Westwood and El Ahmadi are a complete waste of time.

This has been maybe our biggest problem for years. Ian Taylor was probably the last midfielder we had who'd drive into the opposition box and score goals. Frustratingly, Petrov had just started to do it when he became ill.

[Tayls_7]

Sylla and Bacuna don't like being in possession of a football which is often a major disadvantage for a football team. Not good enough, nor will they be.

Bacuna is fine but the mistake has affected him, you don't go from scoring a belter like he did after a great burst through the middle to never being good enough in an hour of football.  Sylla looks well short of fitness and skill, if he's been training like this I can understand why KEA has played so often.

Yeah I get that Bacuna has that in his locker but he isn't comfortable on the ball in a typical situation. It isn't good to lack that standard level of technical ability.

[supertom]

We've looked like McLeish's Villa far too many times this season to be honest. It's not good enough. Lambert needs to wise up, he needs to bring in better (proven) quality, and he could certainly do with a good number 2 to sort out how tactically clueless we look.

Also, we've got good kids coming through who can play football. Why has he bought in some of the shite he has? I'd rather see the likes of Johnson, Robinson, Grealish etc over players like Westwood, KEA, Bowery, Sylla etc.

We might say we've spent well and got great value on cheap players from lower leagues, but why buy them when we've got a decent academy producing players as talented if not more? Cannot fathom it sometimes. Not all those kids will make it of course (Baker of the established academy players isn't good enough), but a lot of them have as much chance as players like Westwood etc.

KEA is one of the worst players we've ever had. He's not even insultingly inept like some, he's just the total, utter definition of "Meh."

[PaulWinch again]

No subs good jesus.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Paul, err subs?

[VinnieChase84]

No changes as I said. PL can fuck off now. Absolute dross and lack f changes shows exactly how
Clueless he is

[Matt Collins]

No subs? Confused

[Morten]

Hard to blame the players - the general set-up of the team is as clueless as I can remember seeing for a while.

Benteke, our biggest weapon, dropping deep? He's not a creative mid ffs, his strength is outmuscling the last man and getting on the end of things.
Kozak playing ahead of him, with no support? He needs a nippy forward to play around him, that's 'big lanky immobile striker 101'.
No wide men? With two big strikers on the pitch? Eh?
The slowest midfield in Christendom with three players who are unbelievably shite in the opposition half?
Clark on the left? Again? Hasn't Lambert bought TWO left backs? Where are they?

I like Lambert, but you have to call a spade and spade, and this is a really shit spade so far.

I really can not figure out what our tactics are ? pass it sideways a few times, then Westwood dropping deep to make a few sideways passes, and then finally back to Guzan, who kicks it long ?! There is no movement in midfield from KEA and Sylla, there is no balance at all in that midfield. They have all been bougth by Lambert. And I too do not understand the line up. When it was changed against Cardiff, it worked, not before. And now it is the same 11 again. 9 of the 11 players (including Guzan) are bought by Lambert.

Well, I will be more positive when it is 2-2...

[PeterWithesShin]

No subs really is shocking. I defend Lambert a lot but fuck me, is he on a crack pipe or something?