Everton v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Villafirst]

Worrying that teams below us won today. Can see another struggle in the next few months. Sick of this year after year. Club is treading water under Lerner's ownership.

[hartman_1982]

Week after week barely any attempt to play football. No midfield, as we don't need one, aimless long balls at  Benteke, occasionally combined with extreme defensiveness.

A decent result against Albion and a creditable draw at Anfield were nice but this season has been far more about the sort of shit we saw today.

We don't even try to play football.

If I weren't a Villa fan, we are exactly the sort of team I'd like to see get relegated. It us embarrassing, it was like that under McLeish and performances like today are no better.

Anyone who thinks this midfield, having opted not to strengthen, is going to mean anything other than this long ball shit till the end of the season is going to be disappointed.

I've now reached the point at which I can only think of one reason not to sack Lambert, and that is because it'd mean starting all over again, which manages to be more depressing a thought than seeing out the season playing like this.

I don't give a toss if we are five points and several places above the drop zone, if we carry on with this 30% possession shit we won't be there much longer. It is just embarrassing to watch, like Stoke except we're too brainless to do the gamesmanship stuff.

Good post and agree with all except one point. We wouldn't have to "start again" if we bring in a new manager. We need a manager that can bring out the best from this squad and develop them, basically somebody that understands how to play football, has a plan and can build  on it. It's so bloody obvious Lambert is not that man, in fact he's the absolute opposite of what we need. He's way out of his depth.

agreed top post. This is exactly where we are.
Embarrassing. We are shit and scared with it.

I'm awful at predictions, but I think it will be a rare game when we concede less than 2 goals. We will be very close to the bottom three come May.

I bet we are no lower than 12th

[pauliewalnuts]

Bent is on Fulham's wage bill, in any case, at least a percentage of it will be.

The problem with the spending isn't that we need to spend 20m more every window, it is that we just buy mediocre players from the lower leagues or traditional selling leagues, as we are working to a strict wage bill.

We didn't need to spend hugely this window, we needed a midfielder, like we have done for two years now, but all that comes from the club is Lambert telling people about the players we can't afford, then saying we are working on about 15 things, only to sign nobody.

Norwich are such c***s, but really, a blind man on a galloping horse could have spotted the potential for them to screw us over re Hoolahan, but we allowed it to happen. Naive and stupid, and 24 hours later we get a reminder of why we needed that player in the first place.

[PaulWinch again]

I think hartman is partly right.With a better Gabby instead of Holt, and a better midfielder than Westwood, then we would'nt have lost today.

 Bacuna and Bertrand were very good, and the back 3 restricted them to almost nothing until they scored.The lack of quality on the ball was our undoing.

It's partially that, but it's tactical as well. Why start 3 centre halves against a team with no strikers? it immediately says you don't want possession. Lambert has lost any sort of attacking thoughts he ever had, and we are an embarrassing team. As paulie says we're the sort of team that I would want to see relegated if I wasn't a fan.

[Matt Collins]

If we are to play five at the back you cant play Holt up front. He is shockingly immobile and can only really play as the sole centre forward with two quick players running off him. Not him and Benteke together.

Completely agree. And I think pretty much everyone called this as soon as they saw the team.

[Rudy65]

Manager reaction from Goodison Park. 

Paul Lambert felt his side were very unlucky not to leave Goodison with a point after a late double earned Everton all three points.  'I thought the lads were really excellent in the first half against a really strong side especially at home.  We got the goal deservedly and I thought we could push on from there.  They came back strong in the 2nd half but I thought we still had good chances to settle it.  There isn't much you can do about the quality of the strike that wins it but I felt we deserved something today for our work rate.  But you move on and go again on Monday.'

Ha ha. I would laugh if I thought he was joking but her seriously believes what he is saying and for that reason we will never under improve under him.

Where exactly were the chances to settle it he mentions?

He must think people are stupid. I wish one of these gutless fucking journalists would take him to task on this drivel

Isn't that what Pat Murphy tries to do only to get absolutely slated on here and spoken to like shit by the manager?

There is obvious history between Murphy and PL as evidenced by PLs very defensive but aggressive answers to questions after the West Brom game.

[Malandro]

Week after week barely any attempt to play football. No midfield, as we don't need one, aimless long balls at  Benteke, occasionally combined with extreme defensiveness.

A decent result against Albion and a creditable draw at Anfield were nice but this season has been far more about the sort of shit we saw today.

We don't even try to play football.

If I weren't a Villa fan, we are exactly the sort of team I'd like to see get relegated. It us embarrassing, it was like that under McLeish and performances like today are no better.

Anyone who thinks this midfield, having opted not to strengthen, is going to mean anything other than this long ball shit till the end of the season is going to be disappointed.

I've now reached the point at which I can only think of one reason not to sack Lambert, and that is because it'd mean starting all over again, which manages to be more depressing a thought than seeing out the season playing like this.

I don't give a toss if we are five points and several places above the drop zone, if we carry on with this 30% possession shit we won't be there much longer. It is just embarrassing to watch, like Stoke except we're too brainless to do the gamesmanship stuff.

Good post and agree with all except one point. We wouldn't have to "start again" if we bring in a new manager. We need a manager that can bring out the best from this squad and develop them, basically somebody that understands how to play football, has a plan and can build  on it. It's so bloody obvious Lambert is not that man, in fact he's the absolute opposite of what we need. He's way out of his depth.

agreed top post. This is exactly where we are.
Embarrassing. We are shit and scared with it.

I'm awful at predictions, but I think it will be a rare game when we concede less than 2 goals. We will be very close to the bottom three come May.

I bet we are no lower than 12th

I'll have some Paul, it must be good

[Deano's Mullet]

How many games have we actually played well in this season? I think you can count them on one hand. Arsenal and Chelsea away. Liverpool away for 45 mins (a good result and a bit of resolute defending but backs to the wall in the second half). Parts of the WBA game. That's about it?

[jembob]

4 shots - 1 on target. 1 corner (92nd minute) 18 fouls. 29% possession. Lucky to get away with 2-1.

[hartman_1982]

If we are to play five at the back you cant play Holt up front. He is shockingly immobile and can only really play as the sole centre forward with two quick players running off him. Not him and Benteke together.

This I agree with. However, I don't know who else I would have played. To me Albrighton is too naive and Tonev isn't ready. Gabby really is massive for us.

[mr woo]

Skimmed the thread only,  it seems most aren't happy with that performance but I have to admit, with 20 minutes to go, I was starting to think Lambert had played it perfectly.

We'd got the goal with a classic overlapping move and the defence looked unrecognizably solid with the five at the back. The only criticism I had at that point was bacuna giving Baines too much freedom and our front two not showing wide as an outlet when it was desperately needed.

Then all of a sudden we're two-one down....

I suppose you could say we got what we deserved ultimately, but sometimes it's a fine line between these things coming off and being a hero, and apparent idiotic failure.

Got to say though, if Ron Vlaar is injured and out for any length of time, the day after the transfer window has shut, when we all know the consequences of Clark/Baker playing together, then Lambert deserves every bit of flak going.

[Legion]

[Matt Collins]

Apparently vlaar has a tight hamstring

I'm not sure we'll win again until he's back so I hope it's not too bad. I wonder if we'll see Okore this season?

[curiousorange]

I despise the way this ownership know so little about football. They have no idea what success is, what it costs and what fans aspire to see.

[Matt Collins]

If we are to play five at the back you cant play Holt up front. He is shockingly immobile and can only really play as the sole centre forward with two quick players running off him. Not him and Benteke together.

This I agree with. However, I don't know who else I would have played. To me Albrighton is too naive and Tonev isn't ready. Gabby really is massive for us.

Weimann innit