Aston Villa v Blackpool Post-Match Thread

[silhillvilla]

There was a lot of ball retention. Plenty of passing to the left and right.

Ball retention in your own half makes the stats look better, but is unlikely to create many goal scoring opportunities, as we have no one with vision in midfield or the technical abiity to make 40 yard accurate passes going forward, plus when we do move forward it's far too slow and predictable as there will be a packed defence we are unable to break down.

I made that very point . I think Westwood is capable of making Rooney like 40 yard balls but we need players to make the runs down the wings.

[Legion]

I'm sure I've read somewhere that when playing for Belgium Benteke likes the "no 10" role playing off the centre forward.  Given that we have no creativity, no wingers to cross for him we could try that with Weimann up front playing in his best position, or Robinson.

I like the sound of that. Weimann, preferably.

[Ron Manager]

There was a lot of ball retention. Plenty of passing to the left and right.

Ball retention in your own half makes the stats look better, but is unlikely to create many goal scoring opportunities, as we have no one with vision in midfield or the technical abiity to make 40 yard accurate passes going forward, plus when we do move forward it's far too slow and predictable as there will be a packed defence we are unable to break down.

I made that very point . I think Westwood is capable of making Rooney like 40 yard balls but we need players to make the runs down the wings.

We might get Aaron Lennon for between 5-7 mil. He will do for a couple of seasons or Rosicky who still looks capable, to create chances for Benteke and......there isn't anybody!

[Monty]

Me too. However, given how nobody else scores for us (and that Weimann and Gabby panic like priests in a lingerie section when they get near the goal), I can't help but feel that keeping Benteke as close to goal as possible is the best option at the moment.

[supertom]

There was a lot of ball retention. Plenty of passing to the left and right.

Ball retention in your own half makes the stats look better, but is unlikely to create many goal scoring opportunities, as we have no one with vision in midfield or the technical abiity to make 40 yard accurate passes going forward, plus when we do move forward it's far too slow and predictable as there will be a packed defence we are unable to break down.

I made that very point . I think Westwood is capable of making Rooney like 40 yard balls but we need players to make the runs down the wings.

We might get Aaron Lennon for between 5-7 mil. He will do for a couple of seasons or Rosicky who still looks capable, to create chances for Benteke and......there isn't anybody!

I honestly can't recall Lennon in a game in the last 3-4 years. I've never been a big fan. Much like Zogbia he had 1-2 periods of looking very good, but most of the time he's been inconsistent. End product has always been a big issue with him. 
He'd probably improve us to be fair, if he stays fit, and I would hope we could snag him for less than 5 million. That said we need to look for better.

[itbrvilla]

There was a lot of ball retention. Plenty of passing to the left and right.

Ball retention in your own half makes the stats look better, but is unlikely to create many goal scoring opportunities, as we have no one with vision in midfield or the technical abiity to make 40 yard accurate passes going forward, plus when we do move forward it's far too slow and predictable as there will be a packed defence we are unable to break down.

I made that very point . I think Westwood is capable of making Rooney like 40 yard balls but we need players to make the runs down the wings.

We might get Aaron Lennon for between 5-7 mil. He will do for a couple of seasons or Rosicky who still looks capable, to create chances for Benteke and......there isn't anybody!

Is it 2012?

[silhillvilla]

Not sure about Lennon. Always have the impression he wouldn't "travel" well outside of London, may be wrong.
Either way I don't see it happening.

[Chris Jameson]

Not sure about Lennon. Always have the impression he wouldn't "travel" well outside of London, may be wrong.
Either way I don't see it happening.

He's from Leeds. He runs like a girl.

[Brend'Watkins]

He does.  He'd give us width though and that's something we sadly lack.

[silhillvilla]

I'd be wary of anyone who wears gloves from mid September onwards

[Walmley_Villa]

Lennon has been linked with a move to Sunderland - I doubt he would be on Lambert's radar - he is a winger after all.

[paul_e]

I'd hope he's not on our list, a winger who can't cross the road isn't what we need, if he wasn't so quick he'd never have made it as a premier league player.

[Toronto Villa]

I'd be wary of anyone who wears gloves from mid September onwards

Like Benteke?

[olaftab]

As I never tire of saying  the idea of football (when it was invented by god knows who) is to get a round piece of leather into your opponents
goal more often than they can get it into your's. If you keep passing it sideways ( a la Ray Wilkins) or backwards just to keep possession youare not going to achieve the objective of the game are you Mr Lambert?
Most of all it is boring to watch.

Ron  I am getting evermore concerned about Lambert's philosophy as a Coach. I thought he was better than he is. When he comes out with comments like "we have changed our style" I think about Shankly, Clough, Paisley, Saunders and other great coaches saying anything stupid like that. I always had a view that better coaches know what they are going to do and get a team together  to do it. Everyone knows the way to score is to get the ball into opposition box as quickly as possible. OK easier said than done but that's where a Manager justifies his existence by having a plan and executing it.  The big question does he have a style of play  and evidence is he has not so therefore he is in a job that is too big for him.

[seanthevillan]

Media staring to crank it up a bit? From the guardian:

14) Lambert risks the wrath of a forgiving Villa faithful
The discrepancy between Paul Lambert’s press conference assessment and the FA Cup tie witnessed at Villa Park yesterday left the attendant media somewhat bemused. The Holte End had just turned on the Aston Villa manager for the first time in his tenure, three minutes before Christian Benteke’s winning goal broke Blackpool’s resistance. Lambert said he found their vehemence “strange”. With 12 goals from 22 games this season, and three wins from the last 17, it is stranger that Villa fans have remained supportive of Lambert. In these days of short-term reigns and so little loyalty, strange but laudable. It is as if, with Randy Lerner hitting stony ground thus far in his attempt to sell up, the Villa crowd have become accustomed to mediocrity.

After the relatively heady days of three successive top-six finishes and two Wembley visits under Martin O’Neill, Villa fans never bought into Gérard Houllier. They positively howled at the moon until delivered with Alex McLeish’s head on a plate. Yet after finishing 15th in the Premier League in each of the past two seasons, with one run to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup (where they lost to Bradford City from League Two), and now facing a third successive campaign endeavouring to keep their heads above the relegation parapet, Lambert has received very little grief from the crowd.

Benteke was a superb signing, even if he has flattered to deceive in the past 18 months, and the likes of Ashley Westwood and Fabian Delph have developed into good Premier League midfield players. The players work hard for him and are now trying to adapt to a preferred passing game, but still lack touch and movement. Lambert is deluded if he thinks maintaining harmless possession in recent games against Sunderland, Crystal Palace and Blackpool equals progress. Lambert has been fortunate to avoid too much criticism thus far. But if he continues to praise Villa’s performances every week, not distinguishing between the good and the bad games, then he risks alienating supporters further. In these dour, difficult days for Villa he needs to keep a forgiving fan base onside. Peter Lansley
[/endquote]