Aston Villa v Norwich- Post Match Thread

[eastie]

Maybe Danlanza should do the honours more often ?

The lanzarote lion was roaring

[ChicagoLion]

Just proves that there are some really poor teams down at the bottom. The difference was that we had a player who is a different class to any thing else on the pitch who decided to show it today.

He was unplayable at times, it is fairly obvious that teams tactics against him is to rough him up, it didn't work today.

[KevinGage]

20-odd minutes in, and it's a contender for poorest performance of the season, some accolade. Then Benteke, with a combination of Withe's chest and Little's legs transformed us.

A perfect game to show exactly how we are as a team, capable of being desperately poor and really quite good. Still dunno where we go from here, but dome relief at least. Roll on Summer.

Why do you speak so much sense. Desperate opening, but phuck me what a turnaround.

Not as if we played scintillating football during that purple patch either, but we attacked and attacked with conviction.

That needs to be repeated at least 3-4 games between now and the end of the season.

[Ads]

Typical! I have been ill all morning, manage to get into Brum where I end up spewing out of my car and having to go to my parents to watch it on the sofa! I just managed to keep it in check until the first one went it, before running to the bathroom and missed the second!

I am this seasons Legion!

A great 20 minutes of pace, power, movement and dynamic forward passing. I was also impressed with the way we buttoned up the rest of the game and by and large just kept possession. Bar one moment, Norwich didn't threaten.

I feel absolutely awful, but that has really cheered me up. We are now effectively 4 points ahead of Norwich too.

Onwards and upwards.

[Chipsticks]

Had to give today a miss as my girlfriend's band was recording stuff for BBC introducing and I promised I'd be there. I was following the game up until the 3rd minute, had a nice surprise at half time!

Onwards and upwards, chuffed for Villa and I'm really chuffed for Lambert. He needed that so badly.

[Villan For Life]

Abject for the first 20 minutes then the Beast stole the show, his first goal was sublime.

Never rated Hoolihan before now I see why Lambert wanted him. Sign him please!

[Michel Sibble]

Just a few observations:

-Confidence and belief seems to be the major missing jigsaw puzzle at Villa Park. Our slack passing in the first 20 minutes was down to that. A player the quality of Benteke can change the mood of the players very quickly, and in form can lift all of the players and get us playing to our strengths. Whoever it was who said 'we need leaders' is absolutely right.

- I can see why KEA gets a lot of criticism, his role is essentially a midefeld Stephen Ireland - nothing much physical, just keeping things ticking over, not being noticed much (except for misplaced passes).

- Vlaar and Delph were fucking massive, Gabby and Weimann not so. Bacuna, get in. The Beast, take a bow (then eat Olsson's head).

- Hoofball should never be used again with this squad, they are capable of so much better.

- Sacking Hughton after this would be harsh.

- Why can't we play like that every week?

[VancouverLion]

20 mins of the beast at his absolute best, we needed that and we got it. Happy man on a weekend for a change!
Up the mighty Villa!!!

[N'ZMAV]

a very comfortable last 65 mins.
Totally pathetic first 25 mins.
Norwich are shite, well... you've got to be to lose 4-1 to Villa at VP.

[pauliewalnuts]

Confidence was definitely a huge, huge thing for us.

You could see. Until Benteke got his first, we were every bit as insipid as we'd been in most of our less inspiring matches this season, just awful. Then an absolutely top drawer goal, followed by another, and things change totally.

Massive, massive result for us today.

[Michel Sibble]

Oh, forgot.

Lambert Out.


of his duffel coat

[Nev]

Dragged myself to the pub with a heavy heart. Watched the game with a couple of Albion fans who are fairly reasonable. They were pissed off though which made it all a bit sweeter. We are a confidence team, you could see that after the first goal. The big worry for me is that the manager and his staff seem utterly incapable of instilling that sort of thing from the off.

[damon loves JT]

Oddly I thought our second half display was better than the first half. Very professional, gave them no chance to put pressure on us.

Having said that it was injury time before I was confident of taking a point

[richardhubbard]

Shows there a half decent team in there 3 more wins  of we will be ok. Wish that villa team would turn up 1 game in 2 , we be a top 8 side then!

[supertom]

My major worry is whether or not Lambert raised his motivational skills for this game in particular. If there's one game he's gonna want to win possibly more than any other this season, it could well be Norwich at home. It's made even more the case after the Hoolahan fiasco in the transfer window.
I really hope he can get us up for it for the remainder of the season, to perform more like this, especially in our home games against the bottom 11 sides.