QPR v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[PeterWithesShin]

I wonder if any of our midfielders apart from Cole got into their box from open play?

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Hutton and Senderos would have made a massive difference last night.

That is the strangest sentence I have typed in a while.

Agreed Ads.

On both points!

[Bernie]

I didn't see the match- from the comments on here I didn't need to. As a trivial aside, I've just realised that in my once a season visit to VP for the Hull match I've seen half of the goals Villa have scored this season- and we're going into November. Maybe I could se what odds I'd get for that to carry on into 2016.

[Olof's Beard]

I think Vlaar is getting a disproportionate amount of criticism for the first goal.  Yes it's bad goal to concede because it's from a long punt but Zamora may not be Thierry Henry but like Kevin Davies and Ivanhoe, he is very good with his back to goal and very difficult to get around in that sort of situation without the concession of a free kick right on the edge of the box.  However, if his strike partner has moved to within two yards of him then you have to make sure you have defenders in place to smother the second ball and we didn't.  To be fair to Austin, he has struck is shot in just about the only area where he could score from that position but we were not quick enough to react.

The second half was the problem for me, as many of us said last week - we employ a bunch of players who are so used to losing it barely seems to register with them anymore.  I am now joining the folk who have lost faith in Gabby.  I remember seeing an interview with Jamie Carragher not so long back where he mentioned that although Gabby would not get in many people's lists of the top 20 forwards in the league, if you ask centre halves who they least like playing against, he would be in the top 5.  I have always been able to see that for myself but he is bothering them less and less now, seems unwilling or unable to use his primary assets and provides zero goal threat even when played centrally.  There was a moment with about ten minutes left when Benteke received a diagonal pass on the right hand side of the box and only had one to aim at in the middle.  Gabby was barely jogging towards the goal about thirty five yards out.  He should be busting a gut to get in there and trying to take responsibility, as our most senior forward, to get us a goal and end this horrific, embarrassing drought.  the losing mentality is so far ingrained we seem to have an inferiority complex about just about all opposition now.  Senderos made a difference but he acts like a winner in a team full of losers.

If something could list out the various records that Lambert has broken while in charge, it really would make some incredible reading given that he is seemingly about as secure in his job as any manager in the league.  I hope nobody in the media or wider football viewing public has the temerity to call Villa fans whingers or moaners because I don't think there is a set of fans in the country who would have stuck by this bullshit in the same way we have.  But we can't buy a goal and the defence is back to its woeful best (only Newcastle have conceded more goals this calendar year by the way) so even the most optimistic of Villa fans must now see this as a recipe for relegation.

[steffo]

I remember last season against Everton. A game which was as easy for them as it was last week. We were typically clueless, and not even the way Everton played that day gave Lambert any inclination of how to try and improve us offensively. Basically what Everton did all day was completely open up the pitch. They played countless balls from one side of the pitch to the other to spread the play, often given the opposing winger or fullback acres of space to get at us. Baines had an absolute field day that game (as he did last week too).

We almost never ever spread the play like that. We constantly box ourselves in to whichever area we're in and all our width normally comes from fullbacks. Ironically last season we had a period playing with Bacuna as our fullback, who wasn't allowed nearly enough freedom going forward as he probably should have been. And nor did being so defensive minded as a side help him because obviously, he was a dogs dinner at defending. If you have attacking fullbacks who can't defend you have to set yourself up as an attacking side and you need a good holding player who can cover the gaps your fully's leave behind. We didn't do that with Luna and Bacuna and they often left acres of space as inevitably we didn't keep the ball long enough to get it to them in attacking areas.
This season we've given two defensive fullbacks more freedom to get forward and put all our creative hopes in them, but they don't have the delivery to go with it.
One thing that hasn't changed is how isolated we let our fullbacks get at times. As if we expect Cissokho to roast someone Bale style every time.

I remember that, if I recall he played Tonev on the right of midfield to nulify Baines. It failed. Sadly and it is very sad that we have a manager who's creativity is based on full backs, hence his multiple dealings in the transfer market to find his perfect full backs to provide width.

[PeterWithesShin]

Darren Bent certainly has something in him, the contents of the local Greggs.

Paul Lambert spoke of his annoyance at both QPR goals in the 2-0 defeat at Loftus Road - and also called for his team to rediscover their finishing touch.

Lambert was frustrated with the defeat and the shutout - and equally exasperated at the manner of Charlie Austin's vital strikes.

He said: "I thought we started really well and had a lot of the ball.

"I thought we looked really threatening. It's the best we have started for a number of weeks.

"QPR scored with their first shot on goal. It was poor defending from us. You have to win it first and foremost and deal with the ball. The ball has travelled 60 yards. I don't think that should have happened.

"We should have dealt with it better. The lads know that.

"The second goal was really poor too.

"In terms of the general game, I couldn't fault that. I think that's the most we've had the ball possession wise but that's why I'm not really one for stats.

"The main stat is putting the ball in the net and keeping it out.

"I thought we defended poorly for the two goals and I think we've got to be more clinical in the last third of the pitch.

"The two goals were disappointing because we had most of the ball.

"Coming here I always knew it was going to be a tough game and I was pretty pleased with the way we had the ball and what we were doing with it.

"But we had to be more clinical in the final third of the pitch.

"I thought the two goals we lost were shocking especially when we were on top.

"I set the team out to go and attack and try and win the game. We had a lot of the ball and looked comfortable with it.

"To lose those goals, that's the thing that's probably given me the most disappointment."

Despite obvious frustration, Lambert has backed his team to bounce back.

He added: "They'll come out the traps on Sunday.

"The thing is I know we'll be alright in that department.

"When Christian Benteke gets up to speed and with Gabby Agbonlahor and Andi Weimann and Charles N'Zogbia and Darren Bent, there are guys there with goals in them. I think that will happen."

[PaulWinch again]

'I'm not one for stats' and 'the main stat is about putting the ball in the net and keeping it out'. Yes but Paul you need to understand that all of those other stats are what lead to putting the ball in the net and keeping it out. It's staggering that he appears to have no awareness of this.

[paul_e]

That last line sums up why I don't think we'll ever see the best of the squad we have under Lambert.  Yes there are goals in the squad but only if we start looking to make sensible tactical choices and making sure the players understand those.  He shouldn't be thinking it will happen, he should be working with his scouts and coaching team to make sure it happens by knowing the weaknesses of the team we're playing and putting together a plan of how we can target that.

[supertom]

'I'm not one for stats' and 'the main stat is about putting the ball in the net and keeping it out'. Yes but Paul you need to understand that all of those other stats are what lead to putting the ball in the net and keeping it out. It's staggering that he appears to have no awareness of this.

Yep. And even so the our putting it in the net and keeping it out stats are bloody atrocious too.

[mrastonvilla]

'I'm not one for stats' and 'the main stat is about putting the ball in the net and keeping it out'. Yes but Paul you need to understand that all of those other stats are what lead to putting the ball in the net and keeping it out. It's staggering that he appears to have no awareness of this.

'The main stat is about putting the ball in the net and keeping it out'. Yep nailed it,  because in both of those aspects of the game we are truly excelling at the moment aren't we Paul.

[Clampy]

Paul E was spot on earlier in regards to Dunne. He's arguably the slowest and one the the oldest centre halves in the Premiership and we didn't exploit it.

I was watching the Stripeyfilth v Man Utd game last week. Man Utd were a goal down at half time and RVP looked a bit lost up front on his own. They bring on Fellaini at the start of the second half, they play him more or less alongside RVP,  he got them back in the game after 5 minutes and totally changed the game as well. Lambert would have waited til we'd gone two down to do something like that.

[Brian Taylor]

I thought we were quite good up until the goal, after which we were headless and confused. 75% possession and you lose to a bunch of chancers. Did Dunne have a 'told you so' smirk in the latter part of the game?  Went home early!

[glasses]

Has anyone mentioned how utterly awful Westwood was last night?

Can't be arsed reading the whole thing.

I actually didn't think the performance was that bad. The game hinged on the first goal. They got it, against the run of play, from a punt up the pitch. They dug in and held on to it. Henry, Sandro, Dunne and Caulker were all solid enough to get behind the ball and defend the lead. The second goal was a mistake by Sanchez, who showed signs of ability throughout I thought, as well as Cleverley.

The concern is like someone mentioned, we're so used to losing it doesn't seem to hurt the players anymore.

[bobdylan]

How does Grealish not even get on the bench?  Presumably when Baker, Senderos, Hutton, Delph and Kozak are back fit he'll be even further down the pecking order.

[LTA]

Trying to remember if Bent even touched the ball when he came on. I'm afraid he epitomises a lot of our problems at the moment. Past his best, on a nice cushy wage and little desire on the pitch