Fulham v Aston Villa Match Thread

[eastie]

Can forgive Guzan for the goal as he rarely makes errors and saved a cert earlier but bacuna has been careless too many times at right back.

[Toronto Villa]

I'd like to see how Lambert will defend these stats if we end up losing today. It's all good and well playing poorly and being clinical. It's a whole other thing being 2-0 down to the team with the worst form in the league sat firmly in the bottom three.

[mattjpa]

Lambert is a shit tactician. Unless there are 50yards behind the defence we have no idea, no clue on how to open a team up. It's fucking depressing. And don't come back at me with the progress argument - most of our points this year have come from totally chancing it, city, Southampton we should have been twatted in both those games

[LeeB]

We'll win 4-2.

[Matt Collins]

Not a lot in the game in general play for me. We've looked capable of scoring but dodgy defensively without Vlaar. Fulham have played well but have had things go their way. We completely gifted them that 1st goal but I can see why the pen was given. We're not half as bad as some of the doom merchants on here make out though.

A measured opinion. Get off this thread!

[Axl Rose]

I wish we had a player that could pass the ball the way Berbatov did for that penalty.

All the people criticising Westwood, can I just ask what it is that you think he's doing badly.

We've only got two players who are looking to get on the ball and pass it forwards.

Come on then Bacuna. Smash this. Bit close for up and over the wall

Regarding Westwood-he rarely goes forward, rarely passes forward, hardly ever takes a good/different variety of freekick/corner. Can't beat a player, has no pace. I don't understand the support of him.

But why would you expect a holding midfielder to beat a man, have pace, or venture forwards too much? I think he's been looking to pass the ball forward a fair bit to be honest. As against West Brom, he's the only one who will pass it forwards on the deck under pressure.

That's fair enough, but he doesn't make any penetrating balls, has no real presence. A holding midfielder needs to be more dynamic in this day and age.

[andyh]

Merse has just said what most of us have been saying for 2 years.

[Goldie.7]

It always happens to us when they have a new guy in charge.

[JUAN PABLO]

shame merson has been eating the mince pies  , god how we need this type of player in our team

creativity   guile   give us that cutting edge

we look so limp

[eastie]

Fulham are way more organised in both attack and defence. A nothing showing from Villa; two down, no ideas going forward, totally out-foxed in defence time and again (although we have our central defenders out tbf) and Delph out for the United game. What a load of shit.

I also worry that this whole "counter attacking football" thing has sunk into their minds now, it's pretty fucking unimpressive watching a team fail to string more than two passes together, have no idea whatsoever when it comes to creativity, and to just lump it forward far too readily.

Results are improving but its a dreadful style of foootball to watch .

[mrfuse]

Id bring Weimann on for the 2nd half!

[DrGonzo]

Must do better.  We are clearly having too much possession.  However we've been better than the 1st half against West Brom.

[curiousorange]

I honestly think Lambert's plan is to try and get to half time in every game without conceding, and then see what happens. I can't think of any other reason he refuses to attack crap or out of form teams.

[Irish villain]

This is technically the worst villa side I think I have seen. Football was shit under McLeish but at least we had some players with a bit of ability.

Agreed. Smash and grabs are of course great but it would be nice to know we could play some football sometimes. All the posters down on anybody querying the stats during the week missed the point. Yes, three points in the bag but what happens in games like this when a team says 'ok, here have the ball we won't let you counter'? We lack the ability to do anything when the onus is on us. Eventually teams will put the onus on us. 

[ChicagoLion]

Confirms that we need a midfielder who can tackle and close down more than anything, there is no point in having a playmaker if you dont have the ball.

There are some very ordinary performances out there Bacuna Weiman KEA Benteke