WBA v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Goldie.7]

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

Tell me exactly what Long did other than benefiting from bad mistakes from us twice?
Brunt was useless all night. Immobile and wasteful gobbing at the ref and not much else.

I've never rated Long much, but those were two exceptionally classy finishes. We did make mistakes leading up to it, but the way he put them away was excellent, and he kept our back line on their toes for a good hour. He worked the channels well and won a few free kicks.
Martin O Neill probably got through a whole box of kleenex watching the game.

What did Benteke do all game?

[JUAN PABLO]

I'm not buying this Lambert is ok cos of the 3 subs.
It was a monumental fuck up on his part leaving those guys out + Lowton.
The guy is very very naive.

Don't you think he did well with the substitutions?

Regardless of you don't think he should have started with that line up, don't you reckon he did well to get us a point out of that? Given that we were two goals down after 11 minutes?

bloody Robbie Mustoe said exactly the three subs for the three players at HT to be changed , you didnt need to be no expert to make those changes .   

[Rudy Can't Fail]

IT is becoming more and more fashionable to bash Lambert at the moment, despite him having been here less than 18 months and had to completely build a squad on genuine peanuts, while losing an extraordinary amount of players to injury and being dealt to be fair, the fixture list from hell at the start of this season.

It is becoming more and more fashionable to use it as an excuse. Yes he needs time, yes he's had a few injuries but let's not pretend we look anything close to the team that finished last season. For me, there are major doubts about Lambert's tactics. Right now, judging from our performances this season, I really don't think he has any. That for me is a major concern, as unfashionable as it may be.

I think he has tried the same as last term, but Benteke being injured, losing Okore, and more importantly Gabby and Weimann taking dips in form has rendered it significantly less effective than the closing 3 months of the season. Plus teams worked out what to expect. Since he has tried 3-4 systems, changed things around, and is clearly looking for a formula that can get us going again. Having none would be trotting out the same side and formation and hoping for the best, which he clearly does not do.

And looking about tonight, I think you are clearly in the winter chic selection of posters fashion wise.

I'd say Lambert is absolutely hoping for the best as there doesn't appear to be a plan whatsoever. Rarely do you see a team so disjointed and incapable of stringing a few passes together. The less said about his formations the better. I'm still prepared to give him time, at least until the missing key players return but he's taken a huge gamble on buying players that aren't ready for the first team. He's just about getting away with it by the skin of his teeth. Tonight was just another example.

I've been concerned about Lambert's tactics since the Rotherham game, so fashion wise, like under MON, I'm a trend setter, not like these winter chic wannabes.

[brontebilly]

As said. A carbon copy of last seasons game but this time the Baggies let the game slip. They should have been 4-0 up by the time KEA scored.

Fucking dire. I'm not gonna pretend Westwood and KEA are suddenly good enough. I don't think they are for this level. Sylla hasn't lived up to the promise of last season, and certainly his on the ball ability, which needed to improve, hasn't.

Benteke needs to hit form quick, because we're struggling all too often in front of goals. It fell nicely to us a couple of times and we got a result, but that might not always happen.

The difference for me today was taking off 3 players who at this current time are not premiership quality, and replacing them with 3 players who are. Simple as that really.

The starting 11 was bloody awful.

Baker is a nightmare waiting to happen. Bacuna was disappointing.

For me Vlaar and Clark did well today. Vlaar just about held it together single handed at times. Guzan was okay. Gabby and Weimann were lively when they came on. Delph was energetic. Everyone else was bobbins. Tonev started brightly, but he always fades. He's got one trick in his locker and a shoot on sight policy. Full have his number pretty early and he has no answer.

Agreed with the most of this. Thought we were in the main shocking today and some of the players we had playing were so poor it was untrue. The subs improved things but more so because we removed two players who were woeful beyond belief, Sylla and Tonev. I dont rate Kozak but didnt think he was as bad. Gabby gave the crowd a lift and forced West Brom to defend a bit deeper. Gave some badly needed mobility up front. Delph did ok at left back but I never want to see him playing there again, we need him in midfield as we were hammered in there without him. Vlaar and Clark were the only players who held their own so considering that we did well to dig out a result.

Long was outstanding for West Brom but you the defending for both goals was criminal. A 50 yard punt downfield caught Baker horribly square, thought Clark was trying to push him up to play offside but Baker got caught in two minds. The second was farcical, Bacuna obviously the main culprit but Guzan only encouraged the chip and Baker's last ditch efforts to clear were poor. Brunt and Mulumbu dominated midfield. Sessegnon should have put them 3-0 up but kind of went missing after as he tends to do. They were miles better than us in truth.

Guzan 5 - shit for second goal, didnt have many other saves to make.
Bacuna 4 - had a nightmare with second goal and never recovered. Been one of our better players this season but occasion may have got to him. Crossing was deplorable.
Vlaar 8 - held things together on his own at times, tried to play out with the ball too but wasnt helped by a non existent midfield.
Baker 4 - yikes, a defensive Andy Carroll. Thought he might struggle with Long before the game and so it turned out. A liability.
Clark 7 - thought Clark had a decent game and was one of our better players on the ball. Amalfitano is a good player but thought he was held well. Yellow card was harsh on him but he keeps picking them up.
Sylla 3 - gave ball away repeatedly, fouled regularly and lack of footballing ability makes him look like a poor man's Isiah Osbourne. Really struggling this term.
Westwood 5 - great goal saves a very disappointing performance where I felt he hid for large parts of the game from showing for the ball. Vlaar and Clark were forced to play the ball far too much with the net result of Guzan launching punts down to McAuley's head. I like Westwood but he needs better players around him in midfield. It was men against boys in there for most of the game.
KEA 5 - nice finish for goal so credit to him for that. Not sure what other credit could be given as he was another midfield passenger.
Tonev 4 - nothing just absolutely nothing. Like many of our players tonight, lightweight and completely ineffectual. Kid has ability but blew a decent chance to stake a claim tonight.
Kozak 5 - wasnt bad in the first half I felt. Held it up well on occasion and cracking shot tipped the top of the crossbar. About as mobile as a pissed Peter Crouch so formation didnt give him a hope.
Benteke 5 - Poor workrate, shocking touch, selfish and beaten up a stick. Touch of the Ashley Young's in his last season about him this term. Wouldnt be surprised if he has been tapped up. The speedy physical beast from last season is now comfortably getting beaten in 50/50s and pace has disappeared.

Gabby, Weimann, Delph - all did improve things but both Gabby's and Weimann's touch seems miles off. Without Delph in midfield we went too direct I felt at times towards the end. Gabby and Delph will start the next day but I think Lowton needs to come back in at right back and Bacuna ahead of him.

Lambert 6 - poor team selection, cant afford to select a midfield in a derby that isnt able to physically compete. The early triple change did give the Villa crowd a big life. Ive been critical of Lambert's substitutions but this was early and bold. Not sure at all about bringing Delph into left back as that wasnt necessary. Clark was doing fine there and we needed Delph in midfield.

[ciggiesnbeer]

Some additional stats from Opta

Pass Completion
StripeyFilth 74% 319/432
Aston Villa 71% 303/426

Attacking third
StripeyFilth 81/144
Aston Villa 82/133

Defensive Third
StripeyFilth 70/74
Aston Villa 64/71

Pretty much a toss up in terms of passing. With Westbrom's passing it around at the back boosting their numbers a hair.

[Matt C]

Always different watching from a distance but the tone of this thread surprises me

[avfcpg]

Always different watching from a distance but the tone of this thread surprises me

Depressingly, it doesn't surprise me at all.

[Matt Collins]

I know it's a game of opinions but there are as ever some ridiculous ones on here:

- Shane long did nothing but score two soft goals
- Westwood was poor all game
- lambert deserves no credit for the subs (formation change  also important)
- Guzan at fault for the second

We were pretty shit for much of the game and woeful for some of it. The team selection and shape we're wrong. And there are signs that irritate me about lambert. Too much chopping and changing shapes isn't helping give us fluency for example

But we did have half a team out. West brom were pretty much at full strength.

But mulumbu and yacob must have cost less than half a million between them and would both be straight in our team. Sylla was absolutely hopeless wasn't he? Baker wasn't much better.

I thought Tonev was bright for twenty minutes and then disappeared. It's hard to see why we've relegated n'zogbia to the bomb squad for him (I know he's injured but his shirt number suggests as much)

Just hope Luna can resume left back duties and the three who came on last night are good enough to start on Saturday

[brontebilly]

are any of our youth/reserve players ready to come in to the first team? gary gardner in a three man midfield perhaps?

[Matt Collins]

Gardner has been out for so long. I'd put him on loan.

I really think we could do with someone like nzonzi or ideally Leroy fer

[Phil from the upper holte]

Well done lads, well done Lambert. Subs made the difference.

Happy with the draw, especially from 2 down.

Lots of negatives but can't be arsed with that for now, other than to say it proves our squad is not strong enough and you cannot play Benteke/Kodak without wingers.

Don't agree, good delivery is all it needs, we didn't play with wingers last season and Benteke did perfectly well, he just needs a goal, he's looked out of sorts since his injury

[walsall villain]

If we were passed off the park and were so woeful how did we have 49% possession? And more shots and more shots on target than Brazil 1970?

Agree, I sat with the Albion fans who were getting increasingly irate through the second half at the number of times Albion gave the ball away. Both teams ball retention was poor in what was a scrappy typical derby but didn't think we were passed off the park, no way.
Team selection was disappointing but it sounds like it had to be done to avoid risk of further problems. Yes we defended poorly to say the least for both the goals but I didn't think Long had the ability to do what he did and I don't think Guzan was at fault as has been suggested.
I don't understand why the general consensus seems so negative. I think they showed great resolve to get back I to the game from a very difficult position.
I don't normally see villa away, I was surprised at the high line we were playing, is that our normal style?

[Phil from the upper holte]

I really was gutted/furious at half time, if we'd have conceded a 3rd I think I'd have left. Glad we pulled it back felt really elated on way back even though spent over an hour locked outside the train station. The organization was a nightmare.

Came back switched on ssn and Lambert was saying something about being slagged off by some? Anyone know what that was all about?

[Dixiedeane]

Well done villa for your part in an excellent game, longs first and westwoods goal were worth the entrance fee alone.
FYI, at 2-0 up, I hit the neat rum, convinced you'd still win 4-2.
Both teams will finish mid table.

[damon loves JT]

Albion really need to win games like that if they're going to avoid relegation. I'm concerned for you.