WBA v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[amfy]

Maybe he reads H&V.

I'm also really surprised by this thread.

Knowing those 3 players were coming back from injury, but were named on the bench, I fully expected them to come on with around half an hour to go. I expected this before a ball was even kicked, so I think Lambert probably knew that too, and it is quite likely that they, and even the players they replaced, knew it too

It wasn't a strop, or a panic, or because the fans were screaming for it. It was because there were 3 players on the bench who would have started if fit, and who could be used most effectively in the closing stages of the game. I cannot imagine how anyone could think that he ever intended anything else.

They wouldn't have been as effective at the start, because they were half fit, so if they could only play part of the game, it was better to bring them on as others were tiring.

Anyway, I'd have taken a point before the game, and by half time, I think I would have been relieved to only lose by 2. So for me, it's a result I'm happy with.

We are mid table (8th -12th is what many would have put as a realistic expectation pre-season & there we are), after a tough opening set of fixtures, and without even starting to play well yet.

Of course it would appear I have just found the new lucky gloves. They went on at half time against Cardiff, and again last night (despite me being in the house!). My last pair of lucky gloves were lost on the way out of a 2-2 draw with Arsenal one Christmas during MON days. They brought us back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 that night. The last of many come backs they inspired. In that January transfer window we signed Emile Heskey - the rest is history. Our luck disappeared with the lucky gloves. I bought another pair but it was never the same. However, the pair I bought before the Cardiff game when it was unexpectedly nippy, might just have the magic. So PL doesn't have to worry about his tactics anymore anyway - I've got it covered!

[Kingthing]

O'Neill would never have hauled 3 players off, especially one of his biggest signings, on 57 minutes.

As has been said a number of times, why on earth would he start with 5 players who have been injured, 3 of whom did not train until friday? It would have been a suicidal gamble.

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. To sit on 15 points tonight, is a damned good effort and about what most of us would have expected at this stage.

Just reading the comments, you would think we were given a full on twatting tonight, not got a 2-2 draw away at a side full of confidence, well established in their squad that have finished above us the last 2 seasons.

This. Some posters seen to think we should be Barcelona by now.

I'd settle for Barcelona B right now.

I'd settle for the Barcelona Ladies right now.

[Chris Smith]

They wouldn't have been as effective at the start, because they were half fit, so if they could only play part of the game, it was better to bring them on as others were tiring.

That is so glaringly obvious I am amazed it has to be explained. Play not fully fit players from the start, when the opposition are at their strongest, and they'll struggle. Bring them on for half an hour when the opposition are tiring then they are more likely to have an impact.

Lambert 'managed' last night, rather than just pick a team.

[l_mckay]

Decent point after a dreadful first hour,just shows how much we need Delph gabby and weimann,looked a different team when they came on. Now for a big game Saturday

[Witton Warrior]

Of course it would appear I have just found the new lucky gloves. They went on at half time against Cardiff, and again last night (despite me being in the house!).

Time to turn the heating on Amfy!
We kept warm bouncing round in delerium when Westwood scored....

[Dr Butler]

They wouldn't have been as effective at the start, because they were half fit, so if they could only play part of the game, it was better to bring them on as others were tiring.

That is so glaringly obvious I am amazed it has to be explained. Play not fully fit players from the start, when the opposition are at their strongest, and they'll struggle. Bring them on for half an hour when the opposition are tiring then they are more likely to have an impact.

Lambert 'managed' last night, rather than just pick a team.

this for me.

great fight back from the Villa after a very poor opening 45 mins, didn't see anything from Albion to suggest that they are "miles ahead" of the Villa.

UTV
The Doc

[MoetVillan]

Derby matches are harder to predict.  They were right up for it, we looked a good yard off the pace.  They should have been out of sight by half time.  But they werent.  Big balls to subsitute three players at the same time (Mourinhoesque?) with the risk attached (although three wasnt enough for me at the time!).  Injected pace and desire and belief.  Disappointed after the equaliser we didnt push a bit more.  We have gone from the team most likley to lose points from winning positions (we may have held this for about four years) to the team most likely to gain points from losing positions.  The net result is teams will be more wary of us, and as a fan, coming from 2 nil down to snatch a point feels a lot better than being 2 nil up and the drawing, despite the points gained exactly the same.  And what a fucking goal Westwood.  pick that out!

[Matt Collins]

There was plenty wrong last night. But two key points:

1. We can only assume that the subs just weren't fit to start, ditto luna. Thus lambert had little choice on who to play.

2. We need to reserve judgement on the team till we've got more players back and have played more of our seemingly winnable games. We've played one of the bottom half teams at home so far, and beat them. Although there's abide that we're much better away from home this is partly a result of the way the fixtures have fallen.

Results wise I've very little cause for complaint. We've had one genuinely disappointing result - Newcastle at home. The rest have generally gone to form or been pleasant surprises (arsenal citeh and even Norwich)

Form wise we could be doing a lot better in some of our performances. But then hopefully with players coming back from injury, and also hopefully improving form from some of our key players last year - Lowton, Westwood, benteke, gabby, Weimann - we can continue a decent run.

[UK Redsox]

[avfcpg]

On a "are we progressing" note which seems to pop up (usually when we are losing) now and then.
Think we had 9 points after 12 games last year, and have had a much tougher run of fixtures this season.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Any news from Ads who I believe was in the Villa Rose Tavern before the game? It seems a couple of StripeyFilth went in there and started throwing bottles at the Villa fans before being nicked by two coppers who also happened to be in there.

Hope he's okay and just suffering a hangover.

[eastie]

I must admit I was surprised with the starting line up - I thought Lowton would have started at right back as we looked better with him there against Cardiff and bacuna more advanced - i didnt expect him to go with 3 players all returning from injury but I did expect him to perhaps start one of them and see how things went from there -

Regarding the game as I said last night - tale of 2 halves , we were poor 1st half and much better once the changes had been made - I felt lambert got this team selection wrong last night personally and we showed great character to fight back and get  a draw, which on balance of play was probably a fair result.

So many times his team has on poor half and one good half - if we could get consistency over 90 minutes things would be so much better .

[andrew08]

Great comeback. We are a hard to team to support! At one one point yesterday I said to the guy next to me that this is the worst Villa side since '86, then ten minutes later it was 2-2. What is for sure  for whatever they lack in ability this team does not give up. They have demonstrated on many occasions since Bradford that we can come back from being a goal or two down and however badly we are playing we still keep going. This is very much to Lamberts credit, a team with Ireland,N'Zogbia and Bent in it for example, clearly good players, wouldn't have shown the application of the guys last night. In that sense Westwood,Baker, Clarke etc while not  the greatest players we've ever had, are clearly 'fit to wear the shirt' and we should be pleased with their commitment to our cause really.

At some point, if we believe that we have the right manager, on financial muscle alone we will go past West Brom (and their likes) and sit nicely up in that top 8 again. Thats just the way it is when your ARE a big club, yes we would like for example a player like Olsen in our defence now, but he isn't the player we need to get back up the league long term. That player is Okore who will be part of our next step up.

The really sad thing is that our end goal is to compete with Everton and Spurs for the pleasure of finishing 5th !

[eastie]

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.

Well said mate - a fair result and decent game !

[Clampy]

I thought at times last night we were as poor as I've seen us. Sloppy passing, constantly giving the ball away and a non exsistent midfield three so i'm happy we came back from two down. That said, i don't think they were worthy of the two goal lead, they were just two really well taken goals. I kept saying to the lads, we just needed to a goal back and anything could happen.

As for the players he left out, i'll be honest I expected Delph to start and I had a feeling Gabby would play some sort of part.