Aston Villa vs Stoke Post Match Thread

[Monty]

I think he's been here 1 week and you're blasting him already. Forget the last 20 something games, they don't matter, nothing to do with him. He started from today and we were "player error" away from picking up a good point. Yea we lost so none of that matters but I have more faith in him than I did in Lambert that we can still pick up a few points to stay up.

I can't believe 1 point will take us out of the bottom three and it's pandemonium on here, we're doomed. Mental!

Stoke at home is a 'good point'? It was a must-win.

[silhillvilla]

Benteke will leave do not doubt that. He will have a relegation release clause, as will delph, possibly Guzan and hutton .
Vlaar, bent, cleverly, Sinclair, are all gone anyway.
We will be left with championship players which is quite fitting - lowton, westwood , Clark, etc etc.
Weimann may be able to do his "season over whoop whoop" tweet earlier this year.

[Jimbo]

Mr Lerner will be informed of our latest defeat after his primal scream session, Ayurvedic colon cleansing and reiki coccyx massage.

[PaulWinch again]

Gabby is fucking pathetic and he needs to go.

That's all very well, but who instead?  Weimann is utter toss.

Weimann as a central striker is much better and also at least he tries.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I'll tell you what, there's no worries about Benteke leaving in the summer. Nobody is going to want him based on what he's become. When we need our best players to come through and dominate games as we have seen him do, he's gone missing. Someone will come and offer a pittance and we won't sell is likely how it will pan out if this carries on.

You can't blame Benteke when our tactics are utter shite. Yet again we played into the strengths of the oppositions defence. Hoofing balls into him doesn't work. Maybe the secret to our survival is to drop him as I think it's the only way for the manager and players to realise there are other options.

Trouble is Mark, what are the other options?  Gabby and Weimann who were both embarrassingly bad today.  Such a shame about Kozak because he'd have walked into the side today.

The option is to stop bloody hoofing it. Play to his strengths. Create space. Stop asking him to what I don't know.. flick it on?

It's so pointless and today was no different but what made it worse was Stoke had two players today that were there to be exploited and yet we decide to play to their strengths. Utter stupidity.

[Matt C]

Losing is a dangerous habit and we are seemingly, hooked.

[Toronto Villa]

I'll tell you what, there's no worries about Benteke leaving in the summer. Nobody is going to want him based on what he's become. When we need our best players to come through and dominate games as we have seen him do, he's gone missing. Someone will come and offer a pittance and we won't sell is likely how it will pan out if this carries on.

You can't blame Benteke when our tactics are utter shite. Yet again we played into the strengths of the oppositions defence. Hoofing balls into him doesn't work. Maybe the secret to our survival is to drop him as I think it's the only way for the manager and players to realise there are other options.

He's a part of the problem and great players if that what he aspires to be he can dictate a good portion of the solution. Yes, off course the tactics, system all play a part in it, be has to do a lot more and defenders are dominating him when in the past he would do it to them. When was the last time he pushed a defender of the ball, or simply bullied the keeper? He needs something simple to get himself going again and he's not even attacking the box as he used to. He has to force the issue as much the play around him needs to improve.

[PaulWinch again]

I'd be half tempted to play Lowton on the right wing, because going forward he's good and he can cross.

[ez]

Gabby is fucking pathetic and he needs to go.

That's all very well, but who instead?  Weimann is utter toss.

Put a youngster in. He couldn't do less.

[Gregorys Boy]

Bit of an anti-climax.  Sad thing is that it was like quite a few games at home under Lambert where we start strongly get the lead, but struggle to build on it and when we don't get a second we slowly fall back into our shells.  Stoke are a good side and you can't do that against them.  A draw would have been a decent result to kick off Sherwood's reign to conceed a pen and lose in the last minute like that was really poor.  Its that sort of last minute loss which could prove crucial if we end up going down.  Sadly, the other results didn't go our way either except maybe QPR losing.  At least it is all very tight.

Just heard Sherwood on FIVELIVE and he thinks that it was a boring game which should have ended a draw, Pat Murphy seems to disagree

[PaulWinch again]

I repeat as a central striker Weimann can do a job, but as a wide man he's awful.

[pauliewalnuts]

I think he's been here 1 week and you're blasting him already. Forget the last 20 something games, they don't matter, nothing to do with him. He started from today and we were "player error" away from picking up a good point. Yea we lost so none of that matters but I have more faith in him than I did in Lambert that we can still pick up a few points to stay up.

I can't believe 1 point will take us out of the bottom three and it's pandemonium on here, we're doomed. Mental!

It isn't Sherwood people are having a go at.

It is the monumental clusterfuck which Fox and Lerner allowed Lambert put together over so long a period.

Look at the table. Look at the current form. Six defeats in a row and no sign of anything getting better, and you're genuinely surprised people are doomish? Really?

We won't get relegated because we appointed Sherwood. We'll get relegated because we left Lambert in the job for way, way too long.

We are a dreadfully poor team. A decent squad, but a piss poor team.

[Monty]

I think he's been here 1 week and you're blasting him already. Forget the last 20 something games, they don't matter, nothing to do with him. He started from today and we were "player error" away from picking up a good point. Yea we lost so none of that matters but I have more faith in him than I did in Lambert that we can still pick up a few points to stay up.

I can't believe 1 point will take us out of the bottom three and it's pandemonium on here, we're doomed. Mental!

It isn't Sherwood people are having a go at.

It is the monumental clusterfuck which Fox and Lerner allowed Lambert put together over so long a period.

Look at the table. Look at the current form. Six defeats in a row and no sign of anything getting better, and you're genuinely surprised people are doomish? Really?

We won't get relegated because we appointed Sherwood. We'll get relegated because we left Lambert in the job for way, way too long.

We are a dreadfully poor team. A decent squad, but a piss poor team.

Although I'm not too delighted with Sherwood today. The big idea - 4-4-2 and long balls - was pretty uninspiring. And Gabby got 90 minutes.

[pauliewalnuts]

I am surprised how many people stick up for Gabby, to be honest.

Week after week, offers the square root of fuck all, ambles around like he's having a kickabout on the beech, yet seems to get away with it.

There aren't many clubs where a player who offers as little as he does gets to start so many games. Same with Weimann, although at least in his case he seems prepared to at least run about a bit.

Gabby is the absolute perfect human incarnation of our meek acceptance of utter shite over the last few years, I'm afraid. His new contract was almost as stupid as Lambert's.

[hilts_coolerking]

It is the monumental clusterfuck which Fox and Lerner allowed Lambert put together over so long a period.

We won't get relegated because we appointed Sherwood. We'll get relegated because we left Lambert in the job for way, way too long.

Exactly.  Which is why it bugs me when I hear we acted 'decisively' when it was fairly clear even as early as the end of last season that Lambert had to go.  Leaving it until February this year was madness.