WBA v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[ChicagoLion]

Our best 11 is  just about OK, shows the signings of Kozak and Tonev were poor decisions.

I think those two players might turn out to be decent signings - let's not forget, Kozak was within an inch of scoring a very good goal tonight - but I'd like us to be in a situation where we had a strong enough squad to be able to blood them slowly.

I have no problem with Kozak as a stand in centre forward but Tonev is incredibly frustrating.
It is not helped by Bentekes loss of form, confidence and comitment

I imagine that was the plan but a frustrating succession of injuries has meant that they have had to step up. It looks as though we're getting a few back now so hopefully we'll have some options.

[olaftab]

did lowton play any part?

No. He was on the bench and stayed there.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I would flip it. How many of the west brom team would get into our side?

Olsson? Maybe. None of their attackers are as good as ours (including shane long). Their midfielders are solid but nothing beyond KEA level players imho.

[PeterWithesShin]

Mulumbu is a cracking player in my opinion.

[silhillvilla]

Is Lambert an idiot or a genius? Answers on an Irn Bru beer mat

Why does he have to be either?

What ? Did you watch the game ? The guy is clueless
That opening line up and tactics were a disgrace. We were very lucky not to be 5 down by HT.

In that case what he did in the second half was the work of a genius.

Nope. He did what the fans screamed for.
Crap manager, crap tactics, 2 points dropped.

[dave.woodhall]

we've just come back from two down against a team who, all joking aside, are more experienced than us and are at least two years further down the team-building path. Anyone who can criticise that should ask themselves what more we can do.

[silhillvilla]

I would flip it. How many of the west brom team would get into our side?

Olsson? Maybe. None of their attackers are as good as ours (including shane long). Their midfielders are solid but nothing beyond KEA level players imho.

Mulumbu, Morrisson, Long, Brunt. All would walk into our team.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Incredibly naive team selection and strange tactics from Lambert, but I'm glad he had the guts to finally make the necessary changes. Until the subs we were utterly dire. I think the enthusiasm of Gabby, and his understanding of what a derby match really means, helped to galvanise us in the second half. I'm thankful for the draw, and full credit to the players for pulling it back. But the complacent attitude prior to the fight back still worries the hell out of me.

As it should, James. Tonight's result will no doubt paper over the cracks of what is a tactically clueless manager. At times it was embarrassing. Still, he lives to live another day and let's pray he starts to learn a few basics, passing would be a great place to start. Tonight he gets no credit from me, we drew despite him, not because of him.

Our squad is very limited and he shouldn't pretend otherwise.

Decent post.

They used to say the measure of a decent team was how many players you had would get into the Man Utd side. I look at our squad these days and struggle to find any. Benteke included.


Now the counter argument is, are you surprised.......considering we can no longer compete with half arsed clubs like West Brom financially.

So you could say Lambert is doing a good job keeping us on a par with them while spending less than Clarke.

I'd be interested to see the numbers on transfers. It's well known Albion don't pay more than 30k a week for anybody, which is why Long wanted out from there. Obviously he had another thousand reasons, and who can blame him.

What's more important right now is our confidence. A defeat tonight could have put our club in free fall. Being humiliated by that rabble would not have been taken lightly. Coming back from 2-0 down papers over the cracks but hopefully the players are buzzing and we can go on and produce a great home victory against Sunderland, not that I think we will. We'll probably beat them but I've little faith in our play. We don't seem to do tactics, which always plays into the opposition's hands.

[pauliewalnuts]

Is Lambert an idiot or a genius? Answers on an Irn Bru beer mat

Why does he have to be either?

What ? Did you watch the game ? The guy is clueless
That opening line up and tactics were a disgrace. We were very lucky not to be 5 down by HT.

Yes I did.

Did you watch the bit where he made three substitutions at once, and we scored twice to take a point? In a match we'd been two down after 10 or so minutes, away to a club who were clearly playing their cup final?

If you're going to use words like "clueless" have a good think about what has just happened first.

My point was not that he's a genius. It was that "genius" and "clueless" are two absolute extremes which are of no use whatsoever.

He's not a genius and he's not clueless - which is the exact description that you could give every manager in the top flight at the moment.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

we've just come back from two down against a team who, all joking aside, are more experienced than us and are at least two years further down the team-building path. Anyone who can criticise that should ask themselves what more we can do.

Start passing the ball would be a start. Even at non-league level, it's not asking that much.

[Dave Clark Five]

Lambert got out of jail tonight though, I mean I've always supported him and backed him even through the shitness of last season
but when you pick a line up that from the off is bloody rubbish, then at half time think the best thing you can do is send the same lot out again, its pretty piss poor in my view

we could have easily been out of the game by half time had WBA took there chances that sausage bloke missed the sitter of the season, so why wait when its obvious something has to change

lost a bit of faith in the manager tonight if i'm honest,
 he wasn't pro active enough earlier on, the fact his subs are being lauded as inspired is just nonsense, at least one or two should have been on a lot earlier, and the likes of Sylla and Tonev should never have made the half time whistle

While I know exactly where you're coming from, I think you still have to appreciate the balancing act of management means you can't always be as mercenary as you'd like when it comes to making certain decisions.

He put three subs on together to make it look like the performance was completely the fault of the team. Lambert is too much like O'Neill. He should have changed it much earlier. He is also no better than Alex McLeish, who suffered dogs abuse.

[pauliewalnuts]

I have no problem with Kozak as a stand in centre forward but Tonev is incredibly frustrating.

Tonev looks to me like a player who is absolutely desperate to do well and, if anything, trying too hard to do so (hence the shots from anywhere within sight of goal, for example).

[pauliewalnuts]

He should have changed it much earlier. He is also no better than Alex McLeish, who suffered dogs abuse.

Oh, please. Really?

At the very least, Lambert's base instinct is to go for the win. McLeish's is to go for a point, or to keep the score down if he can't get that.

Lambert is ten times the manager McLeish is, on the basis of that alone.

I can't imagine ever seeing Lambert fist pumping the air after leading 1-0 at home to Stoke, conceding on 80 mins and seeing the game out to take a point.

[mr woo]

we've just come back from two down against a team who, all joking aside, are more experienced than us and are at least two years further down the team-building path. Anyone who can criticise that should ask themselves what more we can do.

Exactly.

They definitely bossed us for the first half using knowhow as much as anything.

But if you took these two sides - hypothetically - and replayed this game in 3 years time man for man, I reckon there'd be only one winner.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I have no problem with Kozak as a stand in centre forward but Tonev is incredibly frustrating.

Tonev looks to me like a player who is absolutely desperate to do well and, if anything, trying too hard to do so (hence the shots from anywhere within sight of goal, for example).

I've mentioned before that Tonev reminds me of when Tony Morley first joined us from Burnley. You could see the raw talent was there but he hadn't a clue how to use it. Give him time and hopefully like Tony it will come. Saying that, he shouldn't be anywhere near the first team right now.