WBA v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Kingthing]

Popped into the bookies en route to watching the game at the pub to put a quid on 2-2 based on a gut feeling. Tidy 15 quid to go towards my beer money for the month!

That would be close to 3 pints in my local.

[eastie]

The biggest surrender since Villa surrendered the three points in January.

Bitterly disappointed to have thrown the game away but really not surprised. It was evident that once Villa got their first that the equaliser was going to come at some point - I'm just glad that our bottlers didn't give it away completely and give them a third.

I thought we was very good in the first half although I think Villa being totally abject may somewhat have enhanced our performance in my view. I certainly feel we could play better. I've been a critic of Shane Long over the past couple of months but he was very good in the first half, he caused them endless amounts of problems and took both goals extremely well. We should really have put the game behind you in the first half.  Stephane Sessegnon missed a sitter and then did exactly the same in the second half.

The second half was a total calamity. Clarke didn't react to Villa making the three subs and we tended to play Villa's game of kick and rush rather than our own. They got in our faces, made life difficult and therefore our ball retention became very poor.

Mulumbu and Long were the stand out performers for me. Extremely disappointed in Goran Popov who was at fault for both goals. The first he stood in no mans land forcing Brunt into a one on one situation with Bacuna and the second he headed the ball into the wrong area - a good striker from Westwood, however.

Fair play to Villa for turning round - the changes were obvious and I'm surprised all three weren't made at half time.

Disappointed but not surprised, either.

Fair enough comments mate .

[tomd2103]

Can I just add that some of the criticism of the manager, his tactics and the line up are ridiculous, and indeed arrogant.
Most fools would follow conventional wisdom, ie. if he's fit enough for the bench, he's fit enough to start etc. but that is plainly one of those football truisms that's just bollocks.

Had they all started, then there's a good chance they would have faded, and in the back of their mind they'd be thinking of saving themselves a bit to go 90 minutes.

What we instead saw was them come on knowing they could go flat out for 30 mins against tiring legs.

It's a judgement call, but to pillory for him when he probably got it spot on is just crap

And also, he moved Delph out to left wing back, and that completely locked that side up when we were getting murdered down there, so kudos again.

Did you see the Cardiff game?  If you had then you would have seen the starting line up last night struggle badly against a very ordinary outfit and the performance only improve when changes were made. 

That's because we're a very ordinary outfit ourselves, which is a vast improvement on the very poor outfit of January. This time next year I expect similar improvement.

Accept that Dave, but I felt there were clear areas of improvement during the Cardiff game when changes were made.  Bringing Lowton on and moving Bacuna further forward made a big difference in that game and I think PL could have started with that combination on the right last night.  Of course we are not made aware of the fitness levels of returning players and if there were any doubts over Delph, Gabby and Weimann then I can understand why they were held back.  Quite why PL waited so long to change things is questionable though.

 

     

[Ron Manager]

In the paper tonight Lambert is quoted as saying about Westwood. 'He's a really clever footballer and he was outstanding.'

Westwood in my opinion is not 'a really clever footballer' not at all. He passes well over 20yards  but does not create. He keeps possession well but not for most of this current season. And apart from last night does not offer a goal threat.

What in Gods sake is clever about him?

[john e]

Popped into the bookies en route to watching the game at the pub to put a quid on 2-2 based on a gut feeling. Tidy 15 quid to go towards my beer money for the month!

That would be close to 3 pints in my local.

4.68 in mine

[cheltenhamlion]

That spank from 25 yards last night is your starting point.

[tomd2103]

In the paper tonight Lambert is quoted as saying about Westwood. 'He's a really clever footballer and he was outstanding.'

Westwood in my opinion is not 'a really clever footballer' not at all. He passes well over 20yards  but does not create. He keeps possession well but not for most of this current season. And apart from last night does not offer a goal threat.

What for Gods sake is clever about him?

He is good in a three man midfield.  He can get on the ball and start moves in that formation and if he played in a team with an attacking midfielder in front of him, he would be able to pick him out.  He is, however, not mobile or strong enough to play in a two man midfield and is probably a bit too similar to KEA for them both to be playing in the same team.   

[Monty]

When Westwood played well last season you could see what was clever about him very easily. In possession, he'd always find a teammate and often one in space, including the odd very valuable creative pass. Out of possession he can read the game terrifically well - at times last season he was almost Petrovesque in his ability to be in the right place at the right time in midfield to intercept the ball.

[Hoppo]

Tim Westwood is what we have at the moment. Lambert is managing him by bugging him up. That is his job. Progress is painful, its slow. Its progress though.
Some of the comments on here defy logic. For the first time in years were having stability. We needed it.

[Mazrim]

I'm still not sure what to make of Westwood but there up much to admire there.

[pauliewalnuts]

The biggest surrender since Villa surrendered the three points in January.

Bitterly disappointed to have thrown the game away but really not surprised. It was evident that once Villa got their first that the equaliser was going to come at some point - I'm just glad that our bottlers didn't give it away completely and give them a third.

I thought we was very good in the first half although I think Villa being totally abject may somewhat have enhanced our performance in my view. I certainly feel we could play better. I've been a critic of Shane Long over the past couple of months but he was very good in the first half, he caused them endless amounts of problems and took both goals extremely well. We should really have put the game behind you in the first half.  Stephane Sessegnon missed a sitter and then did exactly the same in the second half.

The second half was a total calamity. Clarke didn't react to Villa making the three subs and we tended to play Villa's game of kick and rush rather than our own. They got in our faces, made life difficult and therefore our ball retention became very poor.

Mulumbu and Long were the stand out performers for me. Extremely disappointed in Goran Popov who was at fault for both goals. The first he stood in no mans land forcing Brunt into a one on one situation with Bacuna and the second he headed the ball into the wrong area - a good striker from Westwood, however.

Fair play to Villa for turning round - the changes were obvious and I'm surprised all three weren't made at half time.

Disappointed but not surprised, either.

Fair enough comments mate .

I'd take issue with the reference to "Villa's game of kick and rush".

[olaftab]

Tim Westwood is what we have at the moment. Lambert is managing him by bugging him up. That is his job. Progress is painful, its slow. Its progress though.
Some of the comments on here defy logic. For the first time in years were having stability. We needed it.

Spelling error...surely you mean buggering

[Legion]

Tim?

[Liam_Baggies]

I'd take issue with the reference to "Villa's game of kick and rush".

It came forward quickly from the back, and your whole side ran as far up the pitch as possible to trap us in.

Hence the expression kick it, and then rush after the ball - you very rarely had moments of continued, sustained possession.

We stupidly started doing the same thing and kept gifting you possession.

It turned into a pin ball game at one point in the second half.

[Clampy]

I'm still not sure what to make of Westwood but there up much to admire there.

I thought he was great in the second half.