Aston Villa v Manchester United Match Thread

[curiousorange]

Just one point - do you think sacking Clarke is suddenly going to transform the Stripeyfilth?

Depends entirely on who they replace him with doesn't it?  If it's someone better, then it's possible.

Anyone out there, likely to come, who will do it for us?

Steve Clarke! He'll get us playing like Barcelona.

I'd have him if he wanted to join us as a coach.

[PaulWinch again]

Of course Baker isn't good enough to start week in week out. It's why he's 4th choice CB, how many clubs have a 4th choice who is good enough?

Right but we know Vlaar's injury record. You'd hope he could be competent if he's 4th choice and he just isn't.

[hilts_coolerking]

Anyone out there, likely to come, who will do it for us?

Now you see when I asked why keeping Lambert was such a genius move I was hoping for 'He's doing this, he's doing that, he's doing the other'.  What I was expecting, and got, is 'There are no alternatives', 'They won't come.'

This is what worries me.  Even Lambert supporters can't, or won't, point to anything he's doing as a reason to keep him.

[garyshawsknee]

Midfield is so narrow, not getting close to three up top, letting Utd players run off them, they are running around a lot, thats about all.

[Dave Cooper please]

I don't care what anyone else says ,this clueless idiot in charge has got to go.Since he has been our manager every other premier manager with the same kind of record has been sacked

Might be why most of those teams are either a few places or even a division below us.

[Jimbo]

I've been wondering for a few weeks now if Lambert's Villa career has long to go. If Clarke can get the flick for such a mediocre record, Lambert must have that worry at the back of his mind, surely?

Are you forgetting what happened last season? Our worst in years, yet Lambert's job was never in doubt. Now that Fergie has gone, there isn't a safer job in the top flight. Lerner will not want to go through yet another torturous manager selection saga, and neither should we want him to. We're stuck with this for the foreseeable future. But today's game has no bearing on anything. 

[Matt Collins]

it's cringeworthy watching Westwood and KEA giving the ball back to each other...little one yard passes, looking so uncomfortable. They ruin pretty much every move we have going forward. I'd love it if both of them never played for Villa again.

Kea yes. Westwood no. I just don't see the criticism of him sometimes. What we lack with the way we play is a proper covering midfielder. But that's not the thing most people seem to criticise him for.

Petrov used to be a similar player, but at a higher level of course. Fans used to moan about him too until he got leukaemia and then at least a third of our fans suddenly forgot they'd ever criticised him and he became a playing legend

Hello again Matt-we seem to be having this discussion in recent games regarding Westwood:) What do you think his best role is? A covering midfielder? A playmaker? He just doesn't seem to have any redeeming qualities-no pace, never plays an incisive pass really, his set pieces lack any sort of penetration and he always seems to slow our attacks down (as for some reason, our players seem instructed to pass the ball to him at every opportunity). The most I see him do, attacking-wise is take a wayward 25-30 yard shot which, Baggies game aside, never tests the goalkeeper.

I'd love Westwood to prove me wrong, I thought he looked promising towards the end of last season. He's just so uninspiring. Anyway, second half to come, maybe he'll shut me up completely and score a hattrick

He's a water carrier / like deschamps (obviously not that level)

I think he passes it forwards more than he gets credit for. He certainly did against west brom

I think he was poor this season until around 4-5 games ago but has been a lot better of late.

I'm not saying I wouldn't want a better player than him alongside Delph. But we haven't got one. And if we bought one I'd ship out kea well before I got rid of him

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Just one point - do you think sacking Clarke is suddenly going to transform the Stripeyfilth?

Depends entirely on who they replace him with doesn't it?  If it's someone better, then it's possible.

Anyone out there, likely to come, who will do it for us?

Steve Clarke! He'll get us playing like Barcelona.

He might be able to get the players passing the ball. That would be a massive improvement.

[JUAN PABLO]

There's a thread on here where we are slagging off the Boggies for sacking their manager.

There are loads of posts on here suggesting we do the same.

Get a grip lads eh?

Its a weekly thing.

The post match thread is even more wrist slashingly over the top.

I'm unconvinced that he's as good as you seem to think he is.  I'm not (yet) in the 'sack him' camp but maybe you could explain why keeping Lambert is such a genius move.

This is for after-match discussion I think, would be wasted in the match thread.

Just one point - do you think sacking Clarke is suddenly going to transform the Stripeyfilth?

he get sacked for playing MAnure off the park

oh I wish for that

[Goldie.7]

Just one point - do you think sacking Clarke is suddenly going to transform the Stripeyfilth?

Depends entirely on who they replace him with doesn't it?  If it's someone better, then it's possible.

Anyone out there, likely to come, who will do it for us?

Steve Clarke! He'll get us playing like Barcelona.

I'd have him if he wanted to join us as a coach.

This.

[nick harper]

Can we at least look like we are putting a shift in? It's like a practice game for them (again).

We are not working anywhere near hard enough.

[Fergal]

I don't care what anyone else says ,this clueless idiot in charge has got to go.Since he has been our manager every other premier manager with the same kind of record has been sacked

If you are given shit money to buy players you will buy shit, you might find the odd diamond but you will be lucky.  We have been selling players and buying cheap replacements.  The question is could we find a manager who could do better with the tools available?

[barrysleftfoot]

 Clark and Baker not up to this standard atm.Westwood shite, Sylla crap, Gabby liability, appalling technique.

 Albrighton by far our best player.When we attack, we have 4 against their 8, wheres the FBs pushing up, wheres Westwood and Sylla.

 Westwood is far too negative when he receives the ball, their 2nd goal started when he received the ball, should have passed forward to KEA, passed the ball bacwards to Lowton, as usual.Replacing him is essential.

[paulcomben]

Benteke probably hates playing in a team that simply cannot get behind a defence. But, does he have to make it so obvious with his body language?!

[Tuscans]

I don't want lambert sacked just yet...I still say give him this season and maybe next. But if we do at some point get rid then we have to go down the Southampton route and Villa need to stop living in the dark ages with the managerial appointments and style of play.

Foreign all the way for me with continental ideas, tactics and scouting.