Aston Villa vs Stoke Post Match Thread

[Dave]

Mr Sherwood want's us to play an attacking game which means unselfish running and probing runs.

Based on yesterday, Mr Sherwood wants us to lump the ball up at Benteke's head in the vain hope that one of them might bounce in the right direction.

[Steve67]

I would go with this team next week
Guzan
Hutton, Okore, Clark, Cisoko
              Westwood
      Cleverley        Delph
Gil                              Sinclair
           Benteke

Same here I think that is about as good as it gets.

Richardson for Cissokho if fit, but yes for me too. Get the three in the middle to work really hard and close down. Get it wide, get it in. Push Cleverly and Delph forward. We can get a result at Newcastle, minimum of a draw. I wish Sanchez was a better player, he'd be perfect in the holding role but gives it away far too often.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

I would go with this team next week
Guzan
Hutton, Okore, Clark, Cisoko
              Westwood
      Cleverley        Delph
Gil                              Sinclair
           Benteke

Same here I think that is about as good as it gets.

Agreed.

I honestly think we missed Westwood yesterday...no-one prepared/able to put a steady foot on the ball and keep it tight when we needed to.
I like Sanchez but he was poor in the 2nd half yesterday and Delph didn't do enough for the team. He's regularly played well for us and got himself in the England team...he wouldn't do based on his last 3 performances.

[GarTomas]

Sherwood did say after the game that 'yeah, perhaps' we played the ball long too much to Benteke. Let's hope we see a bit of a backtrack from that method, because it did not work. If Benteke's free, and you can get the ball to him so he can control it and hold it up, great, but he was surrounded by giants a lot yesterday and we still punted it up to his head. Not smart football from the defenders.

I think (and hope) he'll have learnt a lot from yesterday. He now has an Assistant who knows the players at the club well, and will have a full week with with his other coach and analyst. They'll know pretty quickly that they need to approach things differently to get the best out of the players we have. My thoughts with Gabby are that everyone knows he has a burst of pace and while it isn't what it was it can be a threat in the right circumstances. I think that's what managers hang onto with him because it is plain to see he brings little else.

As for Benteke they need to figure that one out quick, and maybe next week we revert back to something closer to 4-5-1 or a variation of it with Gil and Sinclair the most advanced in that midfield 5, with Delph and Cleverley/Westwood in front of Sanchez. Okore for Vlaar.

I don't buy that KMac knows the players at the club well.  It's been almost 4 years since he left. He knows Guzan, Clark, Baker, Weimann and Gabby.  Thats pretty much it.

[brian green]

The last time KMac went with us to St James Park we shipped six and played crap.   It cost KMac his shot at the manager's job in my opinion.

[russon]

I'd play Weimann as an out and out nr 9

I'd sooner play with 10 men. Weimann is absolutely atrocious and I don't buy this bluster that the reason he's abysmal is because he's played out of position. If he can't play football he can't play football. He had a simple header at Arsenal but he muffed it with his shoulder, he couldn't control his bladder never mind a football and his crossing yesterday was laughable. Okay so he isn't a winger but I do expect a premiership footballer to strike a ball from A to B without stubbing the turf or spooning it directly above his own head. He's utter garbage and the fact that he runs around a lot is a red herring. Micky Quinn was a statuesque lump of lard but he knew where the net was (and the burger van), I want my strikers scoring or creating goals, Weimman does neither and is a waste of a jockstrap. We'll look back in bewilderment in years to come that this oaf managed to get a game for the Villa. He's absolute rubbish.

[Marlon From Bearwood]

I'd play Weimann as an out and out nr 9

I'd sooner play with 10 men. Weimann is absolutely atrocious and I don't buy this bluster that the reason he's abysmal is because he's played out of position. If he can't play football he can't play football. He had a simple header at Arsenal but he muffed it with his shoulder, he couldn't control his bladder never mind a football and his crossing yesterday was laughable. Okay so he isn't a winger but I do expect a premiership footballer to strike a ball from A to B without stubbing the turf or spooning it directly above his own head. He's utter garbage and the fact that he runs around a lot is a red herring. Micky Quinn was a statuesque lump of lard but he knew where the net was (and the burger van), I want my strikers scoring or creating goals, Weimman does neither and is a waste of a jockstrap. We'll look back in bewilderment in years to come that this oaf managed to get a game for the Villa. He's absolute rubbish.

I couldn't agree more. He's beyond useless and I can't understand all these people who think he'll be ok if he plays down the middle.
He has such poor balance that he always looks like he's about to fall over. The classic headless chicken.

And I hate his Billy Big Bollocks attitude; remember him cupping his ears at our fans last season when he (eventually) scored a goal.

[David_Nab]

Midfield got over ran badly in second half.Ireland was given too much room and physical presence of Nzonzi was too much for us .That said both Delph and Sanchez where pretty poor both looked too slow and too weak.

I think we need to play Sinclair and Gill off Benteke and keep 3 in midfield as we don't have any combination of 2 that is good enough.

[tomd2103]

Midfield got over ran badly in second half.Ireland was given too much room and physical presence of Nzonzi was too much for us .That said both Delph and Sanchez where pretty poor both looked too slow and too weak.

I think we need to play Sinclair and Gill off Benteke and keep 3 in midfield as we don't have any combination of 2 that is good enough.

I don't think we did get particularly overrun in central midfield, though Sanchez did tire and should have been replaced.  Apart from their goals, I can't really remember Stoke creating anything of note.

[brian green]

Stoke may not have been particularly creative but I cannot recall any sustained period in the second half when they did not have us on the back foot. They realized our "tactic" was to aim for Benteke's head which with their aerial command was no more than throwing B'rer Rabbit into his Briar Patch (a children's story about tricking your enemy into doing what you want him to do)

[Steve kirk]

Good morning everyone, its nearly time for me to head to work to face two of the most vile one eyed Albion fans you will ever meet, cant wait, dont react Steve dont react.

[Neil Hawkes]

Positives:
We scored.
Only lost through one players cock-up.
Manager knows we have problems and has only been in charge 1 week - he will no doubt be working on different options.
We have backroom staff that will be addressing the different options.
We are not down yet.
I'd be very surprised if the same team starts the next game, (barring the obvious player that is banned)

[Witton Warrior]

Good morning everyone, its nearly time for me to head to work to face two of the most vile one eyed Albion fans you will ever meet, cant wait, dont react Steve dont react.

Retain your dignity my friend - then piss in their tea

[not3bad]

Couldn't bring myself to look at the post match thread until today. That has to be the worst I've felt after a match since the days of MON when we lost a 2-0 lead to... Stoke.  I love that team.

[silhillvilla]

I'd play Weimann as an out and out nr 9

I'd sooner play with 10 men. Weimann is absolutely atrocious and I don't buy this bluster that the reason he's abysmal is because he's played out of position. If he can't play football he can't play football. He had a simple header at Arsenal but he muffed it with his shoulder, he couldn't control his bladder never mind a football and his crossing yesterday was laughable. Okay so he isn't a winger but I do expect a premiership footballer to strike a ball from A to B without stubbing the turf or spooning it directly above his own head. He's utter garbage and the fact that he runs around a lot is a red herring. Micky Quinn was a statuesque lump of lard but he knew where the net was (and the burger van), I want my strikers scoring or creating goals, Weimman does neither and is a waste of a jockstrap. We'll look back in bewilderment in years to come that this oaf managed to get a game for the Villa. He's absolute rubbish.

I couldn't agree more. He's beyond useless and I can't understand all these people who think he'll be ok if he plays down the middle.
He has such poor balance that he always looks like he's about to fall over. The classic headless chicken.

And I hate his Billy Big Bollocks attitude; remember him cupping his ears at our fans last season when he (eventually) scored a goal.

Yeah but come on "whoop whoop" the season is almost over.