Aston Villa vs Stoke Post Match Thread

[Legion]

It might be resurrected on the Newcastle pre-match thread.

[ROBBO]

I've changed my mind about the quality of the squad, i now believe that we have been deluding ourselves
and that the squad is pretty poor. Too many players having bad game after bad game but are still played because we have no one else to put in. Defensively we are okay but thats the end of it, midfield is lightweight and the forward line is diabolical.

[Rotterdam Vetran]

Fucking disgraceful.Lerner left it far to late to make the change.Who ever came in would'nt have had a chance with that bunch of over paid poor excuse of footballers.Delph was garbage,Gabby pathetic,Vllar shit and the rest not fucking good enough.Went to the game today full of hope.Left knowing we are relegation certainties.Quiet frankly we don't desrve to stay up 13 points in the last 23 games says it all.Taxi for Aston Villa

[b23]

Lambert broke it.

We have to fight for our Premiership lives now. Please start the Pre/Match/Post match threads.

Bring on the Orange Dot !

[rougegorge]

Yes,  these players don't deserve to stay up, but quite a few will do so no doubt, whilst we as the fans, less deservingly get relegated.

[paulcomben]

I went to my first match today since beating Hull in August. I wish I hadn't bothered. And being unable to see or complete a pass is another thing plaguing every player.

[edgysatsuma89]

Did Lambert do the half time team talk?

If he persists with 442 he has to drop gabby. Weimann isn't great but he makes better runs off Benteke. I really can't stand Gabby now, which is unfortunate. He's stagnated, like the club, for a good 4 years now. I can't stand the 'he scores important goals' stuff. The reason why they stand out is because he doesn't fucking score enough.

I categorically wouldn't go 442 though.

[andyh]

Sherwood guaranteed in his press conference that every player would give 100%. So what happened? They looked as half arsed as ever.

Benteke looks liked he'd rather be somewhere else.

Weimann - I admit I was wrong about him when I called him a Championship player; he's League 1 at best.

Gabby- just fuck off. If you can't be arsed to even look like you give a shit whilst we are deep in the mire, then just do one.

Spot on. Every word, spot on.

[Oscar Arce]

The first half was okay but once the equaliser went in we seemed to be resigned to our fate. A point would have at least been something to build on but Vlaar had other ideas. Only plus points are Sinclair who looks positive, Hutton and Clark. We need five wins and I can't see where one is going to come from. Get ready for the championship unless there's a spectacular turnaround.

[UK Redsox]

I'm going to get shot down in flames for this but I think its more than possible Benteke won't score for us again,  stay up or go down, he'll be gone.

He looks unenthused, totally lacking in confidence and devoid of energy. It's shocking a player who looked on the verge of being a Worldy, suddenly looks fucking awful. He's not getting the service, and the standard of player around him isn't always brilliant but he's not working hard enough for me.
We'll be lucky to get 10 mill for him. A player who on top form could have fetched us around 25 million.

He's a 1 season wonder.

That's my view as well, although I hope he proves me wrong over the next few weeks

At the moment, unless the ball is passes right to his feet, he makes little effort to get to it. As for his ability in the air, it's completely disappeared. I first thought this when Liverpool's Lucus out jumped and out muscled Benteke on several occasions. Now he's being outplayed my Stoke's reserve defenders.

[Ron Manager]

This new coach Robson,somebody has just told me, spent most of the match scribbling on a notepad. I suppose he thinks it makes him look intelligent. It does not. Scribbling 'hoof it towards Benteke and see what happens' is childish.

Benteke, I am afraid, is another Tony Yeoboah.

[ciggiesnbeer]

I've changed my mind about the quality of the squad, i now believe that we have been deluding ourselves
and that the squad is pretty poor. Too many players having bad game after bad game but are still played because we have no one else to put in. Defensively we are okay but thats the end of it, midfield is lightweight and the forward line is diabolical.

I am with you. Up till today I had been telling myself "No way should this squad be in a scrap, Lambert just wasn't getting the best out of them." After todays game I am thinking "maybe we got what we paid for and they really are just championship players who have found their level".

[hilts_coolerking]

The first half was okay but once the equaliser went in we seemed to be resigned to our fate.

Spot on.  The confidence just drained away.  This squad is so weak mentally it's untrue.  As someone posted above they're all looking for someone else to take the responsibility.  It should be one of the things a manager like Sherwood can rectify but how bad the problem is and whether he'll have enough time to sort it who knows.  Laerner / Fox let things go on for so long and get so bad that we've given ourselves almost no time to rescue the situation,

The four year contracts thing for Gabby and Lambert was utter lunacy.

[UK Redsox]

If Sherwood prefers 442, then either Andi or Clive should play up top alongside Tekkers (I know that Benteke is rubbish at the moment but unless Kozak makes a miracle recovery, there's no other option).

Oh, and if anyone close to the pitch sees Weimann heading out to take a corner, they should have permission to run on and rugby tackle him.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Thought we were ok for about 30 minutes then the familiar cracks started to appear.

Lack of movement, poor on the ball, repeating the same stuff even when it isn't working (eg Hoofing it up to Benteke who hardly won anything 1st half, knocked it on to no-one 2nd half), easily muscled off the ball by bigger, more determined players, losing possession too easily, hardly ever winning the "2nd phase" balls, getting ourselves into poor positions (Sanchez and Gil in particular) and other players not being prepared to help out or having to foul an opponent having lost possession to them, too many players underperforming...Gabby and Benteke massively, Delph surprisingly over the last 5/6 games, Sanchez the last 2/3, Weimann not good enough, Cissokho lost his way, Vlaar a liability as he was at QPR.

Only Clark, Sinclair and Hutton came out with any credit for me...a team cannot carry EIGHT underperforming players. Compare most of our players with some very ordinary Stoke players who fought, scrapped and used their physicality to win the game. Even Ireland weighed in with a bit of hassling, chasing and closing defenders down and crossed the ball in for their 1st goal...Stephen fu**ing Ireland ffs!

imho Sherwood needs to make a few drastic decisions...drop Gabby and Vlaar, play Westwood and/or Sanchez as DMs, play Delph further forward, play Gil off Benteke, let Sinclair play either wing...and make sure Grealish and Robinson are on the bench to help change attacking options.

Oh yeah, and teach them how to take a throw in, a free kick and a corner! Other teams use these things to keep possession/create danger in the opposition goalmouth.
We don't.