WBA v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Meanwood Villa]

I'm in a good mood today which I am putting down to the fightback last night. Yes the first ten minutes, well more like the first 65, were chronic but we bounced back and got something from it. I certainly feel far better than I did following the identical result last season. It's a funny old game as I think someone once said.

[Boz]

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.

I thought Neville made a good point after the match, based on being a player. He said in his experience, managers (SAF?) don't make changes at half time if they can avoid it, because it can shatter confidence and be seen as a blame culture, so they give them some minutes in the second half and if no improvement, then make the change.

Interesting point of view for the keyboard managers to consider. 

[eastie]

I would certainly bring back Lowton at the weekend and move bacuna forward into midfield in place of sylla who seems to be some way short of the player he was last season.

I hope either Bennett or luna are fit soon as I think baker needs taking out of the team at the  moment.
Seems a lot of criticism for Kozak and tonev but it's too early to write either off yet. 

[Concrete John]

While people are slagging off the starting line up, which I wasn't a fan of myself, we should remember it was an unchanged side from the last game, which we won.  The team that finished the game was a much better side and much closer to our best 11, but the three that came on were coming back from injury, so who knows if they had 90 minutes of football in them.

So I suppose he got the team wrong and the subs right.  And when there's a mixture of good and bad you get what we got last night - a draw!

One thing I did note is that Benteke seemed livelier when Gabby and Weimann came on.  If he had the choice, I think he'd like to play in a front three with them either side of him every week.

[Dr Butler]

is the DVD of the first half in the Stripey's club shack yet ?

""45 mins of the impossible dream......made possible..""

[Boz]

I would certainly bring back Lowton at the weekend and move bacuna forward into midfield in place of sylla who seems to be some way short of the player he was last season.

I hope either Bennett or luna are fit soon as I think baker needs taking out of the team at the  moment.
Seems a lot of criticism for Kozak and tonev but it's too early to write either off yet.

I'd agree, if Tonev's first effort had gone in instead of Myhill's save, would he have had the same level of criticism for the rest of the game. Similarly with Kozak's shot on to the bar. The margins are so small between adulation and criticism.

[SamTheMouse]

Seems normal to me that he waited until around the hour mark to bring on the subs. Don't have an issue with that at all, there's no point starting them if they're just coming back from injury.

The problem was more the totally disjointed set-up that Lambert played from the kick-off. Fair enough, I get that his hand was forced by injuries, but it really showed how bare the squad is in certain areas. He was reduced to playing Kozak and Benteke together again, but they are ineffectual as a partnership. Benteke usually looks good when he's got Weimann and Gabby doing a lot of intelligent off the ball running and pressing for him to create a bit of space, but Kozak isn't going to do that in a million years, and Tonev has a lot of improving to do before he can be called Premier League class. Albrighton looks a better player to me.

The consensus seems to be that Kozak has been brought in as a long term replacement for Benteke, but I think it's equally important for Lambert to draft in like-for-like backup for Gabby, because if he isn't on the pitch, we look toothless.

[Concrete John]

I would certainly bring back Lowton at the weekend and move bacuna forward into midfield in place of sylla who seems to be some way short of the player he was last season.

I hope either Bennett or luna are fit soon as I think baker needs taking out of the team at the  moment.
Seems a lot of criticism for Kozak and tonev but it's too early to write either off yet.

I'd agree, if Tonev's first effort had gone in instead of Myhill's save, would he have had the same level of criticism for the rest of the game. Similarly with Kozak's shot on to the bar. The margins are so small between adulation and criticism.

Those were OK individual moments, but as a whole the attach looked unbalanced with them playing alongside Benteke.  It did against Cardiff as well, until Bacuna stuck that free kick in.

For me, they're both decent players who we need to find a way of fitting in, which Lambert hasn't done yet.

[UK Redsox]

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.

Was there also trouble down my the Metro pre-game ?

Quite a few police cars and riot vans went tearing down in that direction about an hour before the game

[PaulTheVillan]

Shocking team selection. Saved it with a good choice of subs.

[London Villan]

Until the changes vs Cardiff we were pretty poor, so it wasn't really the same team. I'd have played Lowton and pushed Bacuna up and dropped Al Hamedi... which throws up even more questions.

Saying that, he couldn't have gambled on putting three players in who were coming back from injuries, right from the start either.

Lambert appears to be a very lucky manager, by the time he made the changes last night we could have been dead and buried... but we weren't and in the end could have won.

[PaulTheVillan]

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

Spot on.

[Ron Manager]

Those of you watching on TV  may have got a much better view than those of us in the ground but I find a lot of criticism on here a bit unfair. We got caught out by a long punt and a silly mistake  and 2-0 at 10 mins or so. A lot of teams would have sunk without trace after that but we didn't. I still thought we were the better team in the FIRST half. Had more chances and more shots on and off target.  We started the second very well without getting close to scoring and Lambert did exactly what was required with 3 subs. Once  those  3 were on we had more precision and better drive. The goals  were well deserved and yes well done to our midfielders for scoring when the forwards failed to do so. Lot of positives tonight.
Negatives were form of Benteke and Baker. Benteke appears clumsy and slow at the moment and Baker got caught out for both goals by not being close to long.
As someone said I was surprised that he stayed on and Kozak went off. Need to sort out Tonev. Whilst his shooting was not wild tonight it was weak  and wasteful. I think he will be more useful next season.

Well I was there. The three subs were obviously not fit for a full 90mins thats why they didnt start. Gabby did raise our game on his arrival, considerably.Weimann showed enthusiasm. In the last two games we have picked up four points out of six which on paper looks very good.In reality we have been awful for about 133mins out of 180mins

I realise we all see our performances in different ways.All I want is for our players to pass the ball accurately to each other and keep possession, and then hopefully score. Last night, as is usual,we kept giving it away in midfield Sylla was spectacular at this aspect of his game. Nobody around us could see why Benteke had been instructed to play in a position he is not used to.

Paul Lambert is our manager and we have to stick with him. No we are not getting a tactically astute manager as most of us had been led to believe but look around there is no alternative at all.

Considering our best player and goalscorer is in dreadful form for club and country we are doing OK....but no more than that!

[UK Redsox]

The consensus seems to be that Kozak has been brought in as a long term replacement for Benteke, but I think it's equally important for Lambert to draft in like-for-like backup for Gabby, because if he isn't on the pitch, we look toothless.

If we brought in a "life-for-like" for Gabby, he'd be playing alongside Gabby in the first choice starting lineup.

I wonder what kind of contact Lallana's on ?

[Chris Smith]

I would certainly bring back Lowton at the weekend and move bacuna forward into midfield in place of sylla who seems to be some way short of the player he was last season.

I hope either Bennett or luna are fit soon as I think baker needs taking out of the team at the  moment.
Seems a lot of criticism for Kozak and tonev but it's too early to write either off yet. 

On last nights performance Bacuna could be left out, he seemed to really struggle both defensively and when going forward. That said, it would be harsh as he's been good recently but if you're going to make changes that's one position that is vulnerable. I also thought Sylla looked a little out of his depth, looked to constantly be in the wrong place and getting in the way of others and presumably it will be he who makes way for Delph.