Fulham v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[PaulWinch again]

How quickly things can change! Against Southampton just a few days ago most of the team played well. Today, nobody did apart from Guzan. The passing was appalling and Westwood's corners and free-kicks were straight out of the Barry Bannan manual (except that Bannan's got getter since he left us). Weimann was completely anonymous. As for Benteke - if he wants a big move in January he's hardly putting himself in the shop window.

The result on Wednesday was good, the performance definitely wasn't. Today was a similar performance without a couple of counter attacks.

[PaulWinch again]

How quickly things can change! Against Southampton just a few days ago most of the team played well. Today, nobody did apart from Guzan. The passing was appalling and Westwood's corners and free-kicks were straight out of the Barry Bannan manual (except that Bannan's got getter since he left us). Weimann was completely anonymous. As for Benteke - if he wants a big move in January he's hardly putting himself in the shop window.

We did well on Wednesday, yes, but let's not forget, on Wednesday our passing was truly abysmal, too. The first time in any of the top five European leagues that a side has managed to complete less than 50% of its passes in a match this season, apparently. The passing was awful today, too, but it's been going that way for a while now, we've just been either getting away with it, or making the most of the chances we do create (Southampton).

If we continue to give up possession of the ball so easily and to pass so poorly, we're going to have a lot more days like today. How many times today did we find ourselves in possession, in space, only for the player to look up and belt it aimlessly up-field?

Horrible to watch. I don't know what scares me most - our players being unable to do much better than that, or Lambert actually wanting them to do that.

The latter definitely, if this is Lambert's plan then we're set for ruin. I really hope it's the players struggling, because it's really poor.

[Villafirst]

Some people seem to think we're making progress - we're not! Shocking results at home in particular. We're going backwards with this regime. We've put up with this shit since MON walked in 2010. 

[silhillvilla]

Tonev looks terrible, like a poor mans Holman.

[Can Gana Be Bettered!?!?]

How quickly things can change! Against Southampton just a few days ago most of the team played well. Today, nobody did apart from Guzan. The passing was appalling and Westwood's corners and free-kicks were straight out of the Barry Bannan manual (except that Bannan's got getter since he left us). Weimann was completely anonymous. As for Benteke - if he wants a big move in January he's hardly putting himself in the shop window.

We were embarrassing against Southampton and 99 times out of 100 we would've been hammered (see also Man City). Add to this we were appalling against Cardiff and Sunderland, not to mention Spurs and Newcastle.

Based on how last season ended I was really looking forward to this season. However, it's turning out to be pretty crap as per usual.

[silhillvilla]

I also find it very frustrating to see Bowery on the bench every bloody week. No hard feelings but he should be nowhere near the premier league.

[pauliewalnuts]

We were embarrassing against Southampton and 99 times out of 100 we would've been hammered (see also Man City).

This gets missed a lot, I think. We did well to get three points from that Man City game, but that first half was the most embarrassingly one-sided half of football I have seen in a long time.

I'd rather we were 16th than 10th at the moment but showing some sign of the football improving, but whilst the results haven't been too bad, the football has been utterly horrible to watch.

I'm also starting to find the whole "only one place behind Man United" thing that gets trotted out a bit to be a bit small time, as well as utterly meaningless.

[PaulWinch again]

We were embarrassing against Southampton and 99 times out of 100 we would've been hammered (see also Man City).

This gets missed a lot, I think. We did well to get three points from that Man City game, but that first half was the most embarrassingly one-sided half of football I have seen in a long time.

I'd rather we were 16th than 10th at the moment but showing some sign of the football improving, but whilst the results haven't been too bad, the football has been utterly horrible to watch.

I'm also starting to find the whole "only one place behind Man United" thing that gets trotted out a bit to be a bit small time, as well as utterly meaningless.

Agree 100% the basking in the glory of the Southampton and Citeh results is ok, but it's short term thinking at its worst. We won't get good results consistently until we start playing well and keeping the ball. Also we won't be remotely entertaining.

[Ron Manager]

I for one would like to see a change of personnel just to see what they can do. Jack Grealish,Carruthers and in particular Callum Robinson should be on the bench. Something must be wrong when a player who is totally out of any kind of form can get picked week after week

That player is Andreas Weimann. Not his fault,of course, when Lambert selects him, but it is most certainly our manager's fault!

[Chipsticks]

We were embarrassing against Southampton and 99 times out of 100 we would've been hammered (see also Man City).

I'd rather we were 16th than 10th at the moment but showing some sign of the football improving, but whilst the results haven't been too bad, the football has been utterly horrible to watch.

For me personally, I couldn't disagree more. I'll take comfortably mid table over threatening relegation any day. Last season everyone was saying the same.

[citizenDJ]

We were embarrassing against Southampton and 99 times out of 100 we would've been hammered (see also Man City).

This gets missed a lot, I think. We did well to get three points from that Man City game, but that first half was the most embarrassingly one-sided half of football I have seen in a long time.

I'd rather we were 16th than 10th at the moment but showing some sign of the football improving, but whilst the results haven't been too bad, the football has been utterly horrible to watch.

I'm also starting to find the whole "only one place behind Man United" thing that gets trotted out a bit to be a bit small time, as well as utterly meaningless.

Agree 100% the basking in the glory of the Southampton and Citeh results is ok, but it's short term thinking at its worst. We won't get good results consistently until we start playing well and keeping the ball. Also we won't be remotely entertaining.

Keep playing this type of stuff and as well as the above, our players will be absolutely knackered. If we spend entire matches chasing the ball, like we are doing, then we shouldn't be surprised when things start to get worse, not better. It's not like we have the squad to rest players, either.

I think Lambert's crap, to be honest.

[eastie]

We were embarrassing against Southampton and 99 times out of 100 we would've been hammered (see also Man City).

I'd rather we were 16th than 10th at the moment but showing some sign of the football improving, but whilst the results haven't been too bad, the football has been utterly horrible to watch.

For me personally, I couldn't disagree more. I'll take comfortably mid table over threatening relegation any day. Last season everyone was saying the same.

I agree, I'd rather be 10th and playing crap that 16th and entertaining - but obviously the aim would be to be playing good entertaining football and getting results to match.

[Chris Smith]

We were embarrassing against Southampton and 99 times out of 100 we would've been hammered (see also Man City).

This gets missed a lot, I think. We did well to get three points from that Man City game, but that first half was the most embarrassingly one-sided half of football I have seen in a long time...

The Man City thing though is par for their season, we're not the only side who has spent a load of the game watching them go through their party pieces only to turn them over.

If we were consistently good we'd be near the top of the table; consistently bad and we'd be near the bottom. We're neither and our league position reflects that.

[Villafirst]

I think General Charles Krulak is still on our board as a Non-Exec Director - what use is he? What input or decisions? zero! The leadership is a joke.

[pauliewalnuts]

We were embarrassing against Southampton and 99 times out of 100 we would've been hammered (see also Man City).

I'd rather we were 16th than 10th at the moment but showing some sign of the football improving, but whilst the results haven't been too bad, the football has been utterly horrible to watch.

For me personally, I couldn't disagree more. I'll take comfortably mid table over threatening relegation any day. Last season everyone was saying the same.

I agree, I'd rather be 10th and playing crap that 16th and entertaining - but obviously the aim would be to be playing good entertaining football and getting results to match.

"At the moment", not finishing there.