Aston Villa vs Fulham Post Match Thread

[balloubaby]

To kill the passion and love many of us have in this great team is the biggest crime under the current regime. That is what I find hardest to bear, especially reading the posts of long standing fans on here and chatting during a pre match pint with those who have claret and blue running through their veins. It is a sort of self preservation in that we cannot take any more pain so say we have had enough but we all know how we will always feel about our club. The fact that poor results have now become the norm means that we have nearly become immune to defeats.

Earlier today I found myself smiling when I heard the blose were losing and was gutted to realise how small time that was. Frankly, I never gave much of a toss about them but the fact I was gutted to hear they won spoke volumes.

I want to return to times when I am proud of my team if they win lose or draw because they have passion on the field with a history to uphold.  I also have no idea how so-called fan Randy can live with himself.  Even if the plan is to sell this is hardly treading f***ing water is it?

I love the villa as did my dad before me and my daughter now who enjoyed her first visit to a live game Boxing Day (including a cheeky visit to the Aston Tavern). I love the fact that we support a proper club and I want us all to feel bloody proud again!

[PeterWithesShin]

If today's performance was a rarity you could put it down to the injuries. Any side missing its first, second and third choice strikers, it's best midfielder by a mile, another regular starting midfielder as well as a highly promising central defender and a near £10m winger would almost certainly be below par. Problem is even when most of them play we are still under par too often.

[villan from luton]

I am a fan of Westwood and stuck up for him, but WTF was he doing for their second goal?

[pauliewalnuts]

If today's performance was a rarity you could put it down to the injuries. Any side missing its first, second and third choice strikers, it's best midfielder by a mile, another regular starting midfielder as well as a highly promising central defender and a near £10m winger would almost certainly be below par. Problem is even when most of them play we are still under par too often.

That's it.

It's not as if the reality when we don't have such injury problems is any better.

Today was a horrible home league defeat. That alone isn't the problem. The problem is that we'd already had nine of them, and we also had nine last season.

Ten home league defeats for the first time in our history, for a club which has been around 140 years. That's shocking, and it's nothing to do with today's team being injury depleted.

The television coverage panned across our bench at one point, and it was just utterly shocking. A near complete lack of quality both there and on the pitch.

I really, really wanted Lambert to work out, and last season there were reasons to be cheered despite abysmal results. This season, though, there aren't any. Certainly not that I can spot.

[aj2k77]

I am a fan of Westwood and stuck up for him, but WTF was he doing for their second goal?

Probably pointing again.

[PeterWithesShin]

I am a fan of Westwood and stuck up for him, but WTF was he doing for their second goal?

We fucked up clearing it at least twice, both sides of the pitch. They really need to learn that sometimes Row Z actually is the best option.

[David_Nab]

As mentioned already the sub of Albrighton for Bowery again proves  how limited Lambert is.Its just like Bradford , lump on all your strikers with no regard for having players on pitch to supply them !

Then you have to question why Bowery who hasn't scored at any level for Villa is coming on ahead of Robinson who has been banging them in for the under 21st.

[Ads]

That was the same at Man United. We constantly seem to clear the ball to the opposition. We need the quality we have out injured back and then some more besides that in midfield and defence.

[PeterWithesShin]

As mentioned already the sub of Albrighton for Bowery again proves  how limited Lambert is.Its just like Bradford , lump on all your strikers with no regard for having players on pitch to supply them !

Then you have to question why Bowery who hasn't scored at any level for Villa is coming on ahead of Robinson who has been banging them in for the under 21st.

I was on my way out the ground when I looked at the screen in the concourse and saw Bowery coming on. I sped up.

[pauliewalnuts]

That was the same at Man United. We constantly seem to clear the ball to the opposition. We need the quality we have out injured back and then some more besides that in midfield and defence.

The first sentence, I agree with entirely, today was a particularly good example of that, it went on the whole game.

The second sentence, yes, the injured players returning will help, but really, that's a problem we have had all season, regardless of whether they have been available.

I am starting to wonder whether he has lost the dressing room or something. Too often we put out a side and we think "fuck, that doesn't look too promising" and then they go out there and turn in a performance even worse than we expected - today was horrible, but really, was anyone really surprised?

That thing with Bowery coming on at 90 minutes today. Honestly, I felt like pulling my fucking head off or something. When you are the losing side, you don't make a sub on 90 fucking minutes. And you don't take off your only half threatening player. And having done so, you don't bring on someone like Bowery.

I know it's a small thing to focus on, but I think for me that was the moment I truly totally lost it with Lambert.

[aj2k77]

I am a fan of Westwood and stuck up for him, but WTF was he doing for their second goal?

We fucked up clearing it at least twice, both sides of the pitch. They really need to learn that sometimes Row Z actually is the best option.

They don't learn though. Most of the players have been making the same mistakes for 2 years now and not improving. They never will. Because they aren't good enough.

[joe_c]

If today's performance was a rarity you could put it down to the injuries. Any side missing its first, second and third choice strikers, it's best midfielder by a mile, another regular starting midfielder as well as a highly promising central defender and a near £10m winger would almost certainly be below par. Problem is even when most of them play we are still under par too often.

Nailed it. My initial, charitable analysis of this afternoon's efforts was that it was far from our first choice starting XI. The less charitable analysis is that the players who took part today were players endorsed by Lambert whether inherited or purchased.

A couple of weeks ago I thought we were safe simply because the laws of averages suggested that we would  amass sufficient points from our remaining games to steer clear but I honesly can't envisage getting another point thisd season and am praying nobody in the bottom three overtakes us in the next six weeks

[saunders_heroes]

If today's performance was a rarity you could put it down to the injuries. Any side missing its first, second and third choice strikers, it's best midfielder by a mile, another regular starting midfielder as well as a highly promising central defender and a near £10m winger would almost certainly be below par. Problem is even when most of them play we are still under par too often.

Great excuse for the 10th home defeat of the season, but what about the other 9?

[SheffieldVillain]

If today's performance was a rarity you could put it down to the injuries. Any side missing its first, second and third choice strikers, it's best midfielder by a mile, another regular starting midfielder as well as a highly promising central defender and a near £10m winger would almost certainly be below par. Problem is even when most of them play we are still under par too often.

Great excuse for the 10th home defeat of the season, but what about the other 9?

Isn't that the point PWS was making? That's how I read it anyway. Hard to disagree.

[PeterWithesShin]

If today's performance was a rarity you could put it down to the injuries. Any side missing its first, second and third choice strikers, it's best midfielder by a mile, another regular starting midfielder as well as a highly promising central defender and a near £10m winger would almost certainly be below par. Problem is even when most of them play we are still under par too often.

Great excuse for the 10th home defeat of the season, but what about the other 9?

Covered by the last sentence. So it wasn't an excuse.