Stoke City v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[villan from luton]

I think the way we finished last season there was some optimism for the current season.

The football has by and large been dire this season. Yes, we have tightened up when Vlaar is in the side, but we seem to have gone backwards and are fortunate in that there is a lot of mediocre teams in the premiership. I didnt expect anything special, but did expect decent entertaining football. Like others have mentioned, I wonder how shite Helenius must be if Bowery is getting in the team ahead of him. Boxing day is a massive game now, I think we will be ok from relegation, but that is nothing to be proud of and things need to improve

[SashasGrandad]

I too struggle to see how Grealish is likely to be any less effective than Tonev.

Grealish might not be ready for the PL yet, but Tonev quite clearly isn't.

Tonev could do with a spell on loan - it has worked up to a point with Albrighton.

[pauliewalnuts]

I too struggle to see how Grealish is likely to be any less effective than Tonev.

Grealish might not be ready for the PL yet, but Tonev quite clearly isn't.

Tonev could do with a spell on loan - it has worked up to a point with Albrighton.

i don't want to destroy the bloke, it takes time to settle, and I don't want to write him off. I also think his tendency to shoot from 300 yards is about him trying desperately to make it work.

But a one eyed man on a galloping horse could see that it's really not working for him at the moment. We see him week in, week out, though, and it isn't showing any signs of getting better.

The problem then is that, you look at the bench, and what other options do we have? Next to nothing. There's no experience there.

People say "yeah, we tried experience before and we ended up with Hutton" or whichever failure, but that's totally missing the point. Sometimes, you need a wiser, older head out there, and it is noticeable that losing Vlaar to injury has cost us defensive tightness, but he's also the closest thing we have to an experienced head (what is he, about 25?).

With him gone, we suffer on two fronts.

They just looked like a bunch of frustrated kids today, getting annoyed when things weren't coming off for them. That's been our problem for weeks now.

[Des Little]

Tonev is utterly useless. I'm sorry but he's nowhere near good enough. And Weimann needs to put a shift in sooner rather than later as well.  Too many players are way off the required levels of application and ability, and Lambert needs to address this ASAP.

[supertom]

Just to make us even happier. There's a pattern of late emerging. Sidwell strung us up in the Fulham match. Crouch did today. In our next game we face Barry Bannan, and then we face Routledge next. The just to rub salt in even further, we face Bardsley and Gardner in the next game after that.

Marvelous.

[supertom]

Tonev is utterly useless. I'm sorry but he's nowhere near good enough. And Weimann needs to put a shift in sooner rather than later as well.  Too many players are way off the required levels of application and ability, and Lambert needs to address this ASAP.

Tonev can't control the ball or run with the ball. If he knocks it and runs hes okay, but then he has no composure and never gets his head up so his final delivery is often woeful. He just never seems in control of the football.
You can get an idea about a player. You know sometimes if there's something there to suggest they'll come good. In Tonevs case he just looks massively out of his depth. He should be back in the Polish or Bulgarian leagues skinning sub standard defenders, where his poor touch isn't much of an issue.

[Liam_Baggies]

After reading the first couple of pages, I have to ask the question, are the posters being serious about sacking Paul Lambert?

I find that surprising myself. He appears to be a good young, up and coming manager who given time will turn this young bunch of players into a good out-fit. Whilst the football may not be brilliant, I still think you'll survive and it will be another good experience for the younger professionals within your squad.

[CAitken]

After reading the first couple of pages, I have to ask the question, are the posters being serious about sacking Paul Lambert?

I find that surprising myself. He appears to be a good young, up and coming manager who given time will turn this young bunch of players into a good out-fit. Whilst the football may not be brilliant, I still think you'll survive and it will be another good experience for the younger professionals within your squad.

They probably are serious but not credible. We have to perservere, we are better off position and points wise than last season. We need people who performed well in the 2nd half of last season to step up this season, Benteke, Weimann, Westwood, Lowton and Clark. They have all been below standard.

[barrysleftfoot]

 You'd ruin a young kid like Grealish if you played him now.Tonev has good feet, quick, and is young.He has plenty of time, its not his fault he has had so much expectation heaped upon him.He plays like a rabbit caught in headlights tbh.

[dave.woodhall]

After reading the first couple of pages, I have to ask the question, are the posters being serious about sacking Paul Lambert?

I find that surprising myself. He appears to be a good young, up and coming manager who given time will turn this young bunch of players into a good out-fit. Whilst the football may not be brilliant, I still think you'll survive and it will be another good experience for the younger professionals within your squad.

And therein lies the problem. The ones who are letting us down the most were supposed to have learned from the experience of last season.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

How many games this season can you honestly say "we played well today"? I reckon two - the first two games of the season. And we lost one of those.

[eastie]

After reading the first couple of pages, I have to ask the question, are the posters being serious about sacking Paul Lambert?

I find that surprising myself. He appears to be a good young, up and coming manager who given time will turn this young bunch of players into a good out-fit. Whilst the football may not be brilliant, I still think you'll survive and it will be another good experience for the younger professionals within your squad.

No offence intended here Liam but we are Aston villa and surviving is not really good enough for a club like us - in your case survival is seen as success but for us we aspire to much more than just survival.

[eastie]

How many games this season can you honestly say "we played well today"? I reckon two - the first two games of the season. And we lost one of those.

Over 90 minutes I suppose I'd agree - we have played well in patches in other games but not of a consistent level .

[Mortimer's Bear]

After reading the first couple of pages, I have to ask the question, are the posters being serious about sacking Paul Lambert?

I find that surprising myself. He appears to be a good young, up and coming manager who given time will turn this young bunch of players into a good out-fit. Whilst the football may not be brilliant, I still think you'll survive and it will be another good experience for the younger professionals within your squad.

No offence intended here Liam but we are Aston villa and surviving is not really good enough for a club like us - in your case survival is seen as success but for us we aspire to much more than just survival.

(We being the fans, not the club itself seemingly).

[pauliewalnuts]

How many games this season can you honestly say "we played well today"? I reckon two - the first two games of the season. And we lost one of those.

That's true, sadly.