Aston Villa vs Arsenal Post-Match Thread

[PaulWinch again]

'Cleverley doesn't offer much, does he? He's definitely taken up the KEA role.'

I'd say that is pretty definitively writing him off.

[hipkiss92]

Bloody hell some of us are quick to write off a player.

People round me yesterday were saying Sanchez isn't good enough and won't make it in the PL, based on presumably about 70 mins of football he's played so far as they didn't strike me as football hipsters who spent last year watching Elche.

[BoskoDjembaSalifou]

'Cleverley doesn't offer much, does he? He's definitely taken up the KEA role.'

I'd say that is pretty definitively writing him off.

That was just an observation.

Besides, how can I write someone off if I didn't rate them the first place? I'll give him a chance, like I do with all players we sign, but first impressions aren't good.

[SoccerHQ]

I sat in the lower Witton yesterday bang on the halfway line for the first time in years and as I was coming back from getting the drinks at half time I walked past a young girl sat on the Aisle who was wearing an Arsenal shirt!

I'm not going to make an issue with a young kid but that's the trouble with these games, gloryhunting fans (or in this case the parents) in the Midlands don't understand the rules when sitting in the home end.

And these half and half scarfs have to be surely the worst recent new souvenir  of modern football. I fully understand buying one if we're back in europe and playing a foreign team and the novelty of it but a premier league team we play year in year out. Bonkers whoever buys them.

[supertom]

I sat in the lower Witton yesterday bang on the halfway line for the first time in years and as I was coming back from getting the drinks at half time I walked past a young girl sat on the Aisle who was wearing an Arsenal shirt!

I'm not going to make an issue with a young kid but that's the trouble with these games, gloryhunting fans (or in this case the parents) in the Midlands don't understand the rules when sitting in the home end.

And these half and half scarfs have to be surely the worst recent new souvenir  of modern football. I fully understand buying one if we're back in europe and playing a foreign team and the novelty of it but a premier league team we play year in year out. Bonkers whoever buys them.

You should have beaten her up.
 

[SashasGrandad]

Reading between the lines, it sounds like it could be norovirus.  I know people who've had it its basically three to four days leaning over the toilet chucking your guts up.

It cant have helped, so on reflection may well be partially the reason we appeared to give up in the second half.

Think Jack Grealish is to blame for not pulling his socks up - running around with wrinkled stockings


he's obviously caught the Nora Batty virus.

[supertom]

TC's confidence still needs repairing I think. He wasn't too good yesterday, but obviously we can't be too sure how much was due to simply having an off day, or suffering from the virus (or both). He was good against Liverpool, not so good yesterday. But then again, the whole midfield turned to pap after 30 minutes, and Sanchez had an 85 minutes to forget.

Write this game off, look forward to the next. It's not a reality check in any way shape or form in all honesty. It's simply a better side beating us when we weren't at our best for one reason or another. We're going to lose more than we win against the (throws up in mouth a little) "big" 6-7 sides. That's our lot in life right now. We're in the making up the numbers group. We're in the higher end of that mob IMO and I reckon we'll be comfortable. But when you take a battering against sides who can put out a 40 million pound player that they're fans aren't even fucking happy with, you just have to take it.

We could beat Arsenal on our day, at our absolute best, and our best requires dynamism and high energy, which we didn't have because of the virus. As it was they didn't even have to play particularly well to beat us comfortably.

1-3 points from the next 3 games would represent a good return in all honesty. The games that the success of our season will boil down to will come against the bottom 12 sides, and we've got a run of those in October and November.

[BoskoDjembaSalifou]

But when you take a battering against sides who can put out a 40 million pound player that they're fans aren't even fucking happy with, you just have to take it.

What's the point then? If we just have to accept getting beat by teams because they've spent more money than us, why are we even bothering?

[dave.woodhall]

But when you take a battering against sides who can put out a 40 million pound player that they're fans aren't even fucking happy with, you just have to take it.

What's the point then? If we just have to accept getting beat by teams because they've spent more money than us, why are we even bothering?

What do you suggest we do then, apart from moan that a player isn't good enough after one match?

[supertom]

But when you take a battering against sides who can put out a 40 million pound player that they're fans aren't even fucking happy with, you just have to take it.

What's the point then? If we just have to accept getting beat by teams because they've spent more money than us, why are we even bothering?

To be honest for more and more sides every season, simply staying in the Premier League becomes their lot in life. The gap is going to get bigger still I think. Perhaps Spurs and Everton might fall back down and have a few nipping at their heels, but Utd, with what they spend, are unfortunately likely to get back up to the top end again, and Chelsea, City and Liverpool will be up there too. FFP won't help either.

You just have to accept that there's 7 stronger clubs in this league we play twice. 14 games where if we win 4-5 of those we've done fucking well. Everton aside in that group, we can't compete anywhere close financially and the sad reality is, spending more money generally gets you better players.

It might be sad, but we're competing for best of the rest. That said, I think trying to be best of the rest is a damn site better than scrapping with the bottom feeders for another season. The onus is on us to improve our results against our direct rivals. Because actually, our results against the bigger clubs are generally not too bad. I think outside the top 7 we had one of the best records against the top 6 sides last season and we've already beat Liverpool this season.

But we can't have as many games like we did last season. Giving 6 points to Fulham and Stoke, losing at home to Palace etc. Far too many games like that.

[Witton Warrior]

Bloody hell some of us are quick to write off a player.

People round me yesterday were saying Sanchez isn't good enough and won't make it in the PL, based on presumably about 70 mins of football he's played so far as they didn't strike me as football hipsters who spent last year watching Elche.

I freely admit to wondering what the hell Sanchez was doing until I realised he had replaced Westie and would not normally have been starting. He needs to play himself into the premiership and I hope yesterday didn't knock his confidence, he was caught with the ball 3 times?

Cleverly is an improvement on the player he has replaced, this is a good thing. I really enjoyed the first 31 minutes.

We need to put this game into the freak-show category with everything that is coming out about the virus.

[Witton Warrior]

But when you take a battering against sides who can put out a 40 million pound player that they're fans aren't even fucking happy with, you just have to take it.

What's the point then? If we just have to accept getting beat by teams because they've spent more money than us, why are we even bothering?

To be honest for more and more sides every season, simply staying in the Premier League becomes their lot in life. The gap is going to get bigger still I think. Perhaps Spurs and Everton might fall back down and have a few nipping at their heels, but Utd, with what they spend, are unfortunately likely to get back up to the top end again, and Chelsea, City and Liverpool will be up there too. FFP won't help either.

You just have to accept that there's 7 stronger clubs in this league we play twice. 14 games where if we win 4-5 of those we've done fucking well. Everton aside in that group, we can't compete anywhere close financially and the sad reality is, spending more money generally gets you better players.

It might be sad, but we're competing for best of the rest. That said, I think trying to be best of the rest is a damn site better than scrapping with the bottom feeders for another season. The onus is on us to improve our results against our direct rivals. Because actually, our results against the bigger clubs are generally not too bad. I think outside the top 7 we had one of the best records against the top 6 sides last season and we've already beat Liverpool this season.

But we can't have as many games like we did last season. Giving 6 points to Fulham and Stoke, losing at home to Palace etc. Far too many games like that.

Fair post ST - all I would say is look at Noocastle - they have suddenly realised what they have become and they don't like it either.
They are hounding Pardew for all the wrong reasons because the owner is going no where - Pardew is doing the job asked of him - remind you of anyone close to home?

[SoccerHQ]

But when you take a battering against sides who can put out a 40 million pound player that they're fans aren't even fucking happy with, you just have to take it.

What's the point then? If we just have to accept getting beat by teams because they've spent more money than us, why are we even bothering?

Because it happens, Aston Villa lose games in a season shock and against an opponent that has an unbelievable record at VP. Arsenal always rack up 70 + points during a season so that means they beat a lot of teams during the summer, yesterday was our turn.

Our record last season against the top lot was excellent for a team in the bottom half and this season we've already beaten Liverpool so it's something you can't say that under Lambert we roll out the white flag against the top teams except in Manchester of course.

Yesterday was a freak game in many situations so I've already chalked it off.

[pauliewalnuts]

They are hounding Pardew for all the wrong reasons because the owner is going no where - Pardew is doing the job asked of him - remind you of anyone close to home?

I know quite a few Newcastle fans, and think you'd struggle to find a single one of their lot who thinks Pardew is doing a decent job. The reasons they are hounding him is because of his prolonged run of truly dreadful results.

Don't forget, they've sold players, but they have also spent money, too. Their squad strength suggests they should be doing a lot better than they are.

If you are Mike Ashley, then you probably think your mate (i.e. AP, he's a gambling mate of Ashley's) is doing alright because that's all you want him to do, but fans are never going to see it like that.

I think over the last few years we have been a badly run club, but Newcastle make us look a model club, they're such a horrendous mess. They've now got to the point where they've banned a load of newspapers and other media from their home matches.

Then throw in some of the weird appointments they've made there - Dennis Wise, anyone? Joe Kinnear?

They really are a mess, no wonder their fans are upset.

[PeterWithesShin]

There is also the fact that Pardew is a complete and utter, 100%, without a shadow of a doubt, total twatwaffle.