Burnley v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[richard moore]

The chairman, the manager, the players - not a braincell between them. I'd love to know the combined IQ of our team. I wonder if it's in double figures?

I think you are being overly generous to be honest

[brontebilly]

Thought we played well today and were the dominant side for 80+mins. Used the ball very well at times but unfortunately no cutting edge up top. As comfortable as we were, only 1-0 up you always felt they would get a chance. Sickening that we had to hand it to them. After that we predictably fell apart and somehow they missed 2 great chances in injury time to win it. Grealish I guess could have won it at the death but was a difficult one.

Hutton was again excellent though was ball watching badly for their header at the end. Okore and Clark found Ings a real handful but were pretty solid penalty aside. Perhaps Okore was running on empty at the end, must be difficult coming in for back to back games after so long out. Cissokho was much improved today. Cleverley had a fine second half. Westwood was very good, Sanchez once again tired badly and mixed some excellent passing and interceptions with farcical touches and positional play. Joe Cole reminded me of Robbie Keane in the first half and was clearly the outstanding player before the break. Excellent assist by Weimann too. Gabby missed a great chance and went missing when we needed him most in the second half. Grealish had a promising cameo and that position suits him much better than out wide.

Disappointing against one of our relegation rivals. Ings aside they were very average and we made mugs of their midfield. But they put in plenty of very good deliveries and Ings was probably man of the match. Would be a useful signing for us in January maybe considering he is out of contract in the summer. This would have been a massive win for us. Benteke back next week but confidence is bound to be pretty low after losing two points today.

[Hampshire Villa]

Keep Lambert out of the dressing room at half-time!!

On matchdays we should tie him to a chair and leave him in a basement.

With a bit of luck someone will plug the chair in!

[hilts_coolerking]

It just doesn't make any sense to me why we shut up shop so early and invite all this pressure.  When we were on the front foot in the first half we looked so much better.

[Toronto Villa]

It's so, so predicatable. You just knew having gone one up how the rest of the game would go. I'm so tired of it. Please make it stop.

[LTA]

If only Joe Cole was 5 or 6 years younger.  He was excellent and our only creative player.  Once again, Lamberts substitutions were woeful.

[andyh]

Before the pen, Burnley had started to get up a head of steam and were putting us under pressure.
It's precisely why we gave a pen away. Yes, it's an individual mistake, but it's borne from being under the cosh.
And then, after the pen, to see a team push on, and press for the win was great to see.
But, it was Burnley. fucking. Burnley !!

Why the fuck can't we take the game to the opposition like that?

When was the last time we saw our team press, and press and build up a head of steam where you just knew we would score?

[peter w]

I just think we're a fragile team. Whatever it is there is character missing from the team. And leaders. Having Senderos in the team at the start of the season seemed to have solved one problem and we looked like a well-set defensive unit who could go and nick a goal. That team was slowly developing this season but were starting to look good and capable. Then we had Arsenal. For the first half an hour we looked like we were seeing the starts of a half decent Aston Villa team. Then the bug hits and a run of nearly 10 games not winning is the result.

So, how can that be? The following games have seen us becoming less attack minded, prone to defensive errors, and looking scared and lacking composure. Has the mental character of the team been missing for so long that one or two defeats after a good start has seen us lack so much confidence we're scared off losing rather than concentrate on winning?

But that also goes one step further. How can  Paul Lambert see this happening and nothing has improved in what we are seeing. If Senderos were back fit again is he more important because he brings some mental toughness to the team and maybe in the dressing-room? we've turned into a fragile scared team and teams know that and can go for us knowing that there's a good chance we'll crack. 

That is what he can't change and that is why he's got to go.

[eric woolban woolban]

These dropped points will come back to haunt us.
Next three games are MASSIVE.

[Jimbo]

We've been stopping the rot for three weeks and we're still rotten.

[aev]

If only Joe Cole was 5 or 6 years younger.  He was excellent and our only creative player.  Once again, Lamberts substitutions were woeful.

If he was any good and younger he wouldn't be with us.

[Rudy65]

I just think we're a fragile team. Whatever it is there is character missing from the team. And leaders. Having Senderos in the team at the start of the season seemed to have solved one problem and we looked like a well-set defensive unit who could go and nick a goal. That team was slowly developing this season but were starting to look good and capable. Then we had Arsenal. For the first half an hour we looked like we were seeing the starts of a half decent Aston Villa team. Then the bug hits and a run of nearly 10 games not winning is the result.

So, how can that be? The following games have seen us becoming less attack minded, prone to defensive errors, and looking scared and lacking composure. Has the mental character of the team been missing for so long that one or two defeats after a good start has seen us lack so much confidence we're scared off losing rather than concentrate on winning?

But that also goes one step further. How can  Paul Lambert see this happening and nothing has improved in what we are seeing. If Senderos were back fit again is he more important because he brings some mental toughness to the team and maybe in the dressing-room? we've turned into a fragile scared team and teams know that and can go for us knowing that there's a good chance we'll crack. 

That is what he can't change and that is why he's got to go.

I think you are exaggerating our first four games. Yes, points on the board, but performance wise fairly average.

[Stu]

*sigh*

[Walmley_Villa]

3 points from 27...do the math Randy and Tom!

[peter w]

I just think we're a fragile team. Whatever it is there is character missing from the team. And leaders. Having Senderos in the team at the start of the season seemed to have solved one problem and we looked like a well-set defensive unit who could go and nick a goal. That team was slowly developing this season but were starting to look good and capable. Then we had Arsenal. For the first half an hour we looked like we were seeing the starts of a half decent Aston Villa team. Then the bug hits and a run of nearly 10 games not winning is the result.

So, how can that be? The following games have seen us becoming less attack minded, prone to defensive errors, and looking scared and lacking composure. Has the mental character of the team been missing for so long that one or two defeats after a good start has seen us lack so much confidence we're scared off losing rather than concentrate on winning?

But that also goes one step further. How can  Paul Lambert see this happening and nothing has improved in what we are seeing. If Senderos were back fit again is he more important because he brings some mental toughness to the team and maybe in the dressing-room? we've turned into a fragile scared team and teams know that and can go for us knowing that there's a good chance we'll crack. 

That is what he can't change and that is why he's got to go.

I think you are exaggerating our first four games. Yes, points on the board, but performance wise fairly average.

Absolutely. What I mean is that for the first 2 games we were very defensively sound but not a great deal else. Then against Hull and Liverpool we added a slight more attacking threat to it. We got panicky against Hull but held out for a deserved win. We go to Liverpool and get at them and batter them and took a deserved lead. They didn't know what hit them and neither did the crowd. We then sat back and were still an absolute dominance and comfortably kept Liverpool away. That was a very good performance and the tight defensive unit seemed to have a capable attack to compliment it. Then, into the next game and we carried on where we left off at Liverpool and we did look threatening.

Whatever you may infer from the points return, the team was developing and looking solid if not spectacular. Then almost at the start of this run we're nowhere near that team again. Today is a case in point. We did actually look good in the first half so the team is working in parts but they can't put a good decent performance in as a tea, at the moment. Where has that gone and why?