Aston Villa vs Sunderland Post-Match Thread

[Ron Manager]

I didn't think we were terrible. Yes we looked completely short of ideas and had no real way through, but I do appreciate that we were trying to pass the ball and work it, rather than just hoof it and hope.

Up until the sending off we were in total control of the game, albeit not looking massively threatening but always around their box looking for an opening.

Delph's sending off was totally justified, he got nowhere near the ball and took their player's ankle. Straight red for me. If we would have lost I would have blamed him for it because his sending off brought them back into the game to the point where they bossed it from then on.

I think we are playing better than we had been but clearly we need to find out how to create and score goals again. Agbonlahor and Wiemann were non-existent. I'm genuinely not sure if Gabby was subbed and I missed it?

Er...he didn't play.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Cheer up folks, Lambert is getting the playing with ten sorted out, he just needs to figure what to do with eleven.

I'll cheer up when he stops starting with 10 (and a passenger).

[Legion]

Up until the cameo performance from when Grealish was brought on, that ranks in my top 10 worst ever Villa matches watched. Sunderland were abject and there for the taking. We were woeful and never looked like scoring until the last ten minutes or so. Sunderland took ineptitude to the highest level by failing to get a meaningful shot on target after Delph was sent off. A few pinball penalty area moments and the shot off the post aside, they were atrocious.

[aj2k77]

This is where we should be apparently. Trying to relearn how to play football, 11 goals in half a season, shots and corners at a premium. Who could do any better?

Pretty much anyone right now than this excuse merchant we are stuck with.

Allardyce.
Pardew.
Pullis.

All blokes who get laughed at on here, they'd be fucking shot if they played the kind of diabolical, defeatist rubbish we've played week in and week out under this charlatan. Each of them are miles better than this dreadful chump we have in charge right now.

[Toronto Villa]

Red or yellow?

Definite red I'm afraid.  Nowhere near the ball, studs up directly onto the bloke's ankle.  Almost certainly mistimed rather than intentional, but a red all the same in my view.

Agree entirely.

yellow for me. Watch Konchesky's challenge on Hutton that got rescinded and it is pretty much the same. Clumsy late, but one footed. Konchesky didn't deserve to go and neither did Delph.

[Dave]

Positives:

Grealish
Sanchez

Negatives:

Everything else

Sanchez looked a class apart, and Grealish very exciting.  The rest were absolute dross.

What else did you expect the centre-backs and goalkeeper to do to be upgraded from negative dross?

[ChicagoLion]

Thank god you were not reffing when I was playing, the Hutton Konchelski challenge is no where near as dangerous as this.
That is why he got a red.

[Nelly]

Er...he didn't play.

D'oh! That explains everything. I blame the dodgy stream.

Also when Benteke went backwards I think he expected Grealish to square it to the penalty box rather than burst to the touchline. I guess that chemistry will come the more they play together.

[Legion]

New thread set up to discuss Delph's sending-off.

[walsall villain]

Cheer up folks, Lambert is getting the playing with ten sorted out, he just needs to figure what to do with eleven.

I'll cheer up when he stops starting with 10 (and a passenger).

I feared he would start with the passenger, not exactly a risk taker is he?

[dicedlam]

Grealish and Gabby should be brought in for the Palace game at the expense of Weimann and N'Zogbia.

Agree with giving Grealish a start, but Agbonlahor is just as bad as both of them.

[ChicagoLion]

I didn't think we were terrible. Yes we looked completely short of ideas and had no real way through, but I do appreciate that we were trying to pass the ball and work it, rather than just hoof it and hope.

Up until the sending off we were in total control of the game, albeit not looking massively threatening but always around their box looking for an opening.

Delph's sending off was totally justified, he got nowhere near the ball and took their player's ankle. Straight red for me. If we would have lost I would have blamed him for it because his sending off brought them back into the game to the point where they bossed it from then on.

I think we are playing better than we had been but clearly we need to find out how to create and score goals again. Agbonlahor and Wiemann were non-existent. I'm genuinely not sure if Gabby was subbed and I missed it?

Er...he didn't play.

So he had a pretty decent game considering.

[Toronto Villa]

Thank god you were not reffing when I was playing, the Hutton Konchelski challenge is no where near as dangerous as this.
That is why he got a red.

So why did Konchesky get a red then? Both players jumped in one footed and both players landed on the ankle of the player on the receiving end.

[Risso]

Positives:

Grealish
Sanchez

Negatives:

Everything else

Sanchez looked a class apart, and Grealish very exciting.  The rest were absolute dross.

What else did you expect the centre-backs and goalkeeper to do to be upgraded from negative dross?

I'm sorry I couldn't be bothered to name them all individually, I've got sprouts to cook.

[pauliewalnuts]

One thing is pretty clear, regardless of whether you think we should be challenging for Europe or just grateful not to be in the relegation places, we need to start to score goals, and we need to start doing it pretty quickly.

The new emphasis on keeping the ball is admirable (and it begs the question why the fuck we left it till now to start trying rather than spending month after month witlessly hoofing it at Benteke, or the space where Benteke would have been were he not injured).

It will all be for nothing if we don't start to score, though. 11 goals in 19 games is just incredibly poor.

Whether it comes through buying players or using ones from the bench, or via witchcraft, I don't really care, but Lambert has got to make it happen.