Newcastle United v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Rudy Can't Fail]

I can take a couple of positives from today, Sherwood realised he'd made a major fuck up last week by playing the long ball and today we returned to our passing game but with needed intensity. We were playing most of the game up until the goal in the Newcastle half, the players really battled in midfield and we looked like it was only a matter of time before we scored. If we'd done that against Stoke we'd have 3 more points.

The big difference in the two teams was Obertan who was driving Newcastle forward every time he had the opportunity. If only Delph could do just half of that we wouldn't be in this situation. Fact is, Delph is more Roy Orbison than he is Obertan, Roy being the Big O, Delph being the Big 0.

Benteke had his best game in months which is very encouraging, let's see more please. Even Gabby started to look like he'd remembered what he's good at but was immediately subbed. Sinclair worked hard and tracked back well but never showed that much treat in attack. Fortunately we should have Gil back on Tuesday night.

The defence, the goal apart, looked comfortable despite not having a recognised left back in the team. I never got that worried with the Newcastle attacks, we got players in and limited them to half chances.

Overall it was an improvement compared to the Stoke performance. Tuesday will be a night to remember in one way or another, let's hope it's not a repeat of 3.3.03. It will either relaunch us or sink us. It's going to be nasty but at least based on today's performance we now know the players have the battle in them to at least compete. A bit of luck wouldn't be unwelcome too. A decent referee might help as well. Just how shit and one eyed was Lee Mason today?

[SamTheMouse]

It's not completely subjective to show that Pulis turned around a really rubbish-looking Palace side last season. Also, I don't know all that's behind the scenes, but he seems to have brought in the tactic to hit Benteke long, and then today he's says we were going too long. It can only be his tactic, as the long-balls were obviously phased out by Lambert and obviously brought back in by Sherwood, then he criticises the players for doing it!

I thought that too. Although oddly enough, the long balls to Benteke were working, inasmuch as he won a very high proportion of them in the air. If the bloody dimwits that pass for his teammates had actually stuck a bit closer to him and gambled on winning the second ball, we might actually have got some joy out of them. Only once did Cleverley make a run, and he ended up getting a clear chance. Why didn't they keep doing it ffs? How hard can it be?

[Monty]

If there was one more midfielder then maybe players like Cleverley (who was playing wide today!) would feel more comfortable making that gamble. If only we had a player in some other area of the pitch contributing nothing to sacrifice...

[Walmley_Villa]

Firstly we haven't been relegated today so some people need to get a grip. Yes, we don't look like we have a win in us but we aren't down just yet. The teams around us are just as bad and have nightmare run ins.

Hopefully Sherwood has learnt everything he needs to know about his players after two games where most have had a chance. Tuesday is massive and yes Albion will park the bus especially if their main two strikers are out. We can win, a single goal victory will be worth a hell of a lot.

If we do go down it isn't Sherwood's fault and I doubt Pulis would get anymore out of a very poor squad, built and funded by Lambert and Lerner.

[claret and blue blood]

Pulis has had a lot more games including the window to sort things out,plus an inform striker,give Sherwood a chance,none of us know if he's got it in him even himself but I think he's sorting the coaching side out and that is long overdue,time however is against him ,ultimately it's luck that we are hoping for,good not bad.

[aj2k77]

The team we put out today only one of them has been signed permanently in the last two seasons, the other 8 were here or on loan. Fucking rubbish business done over the last 24 months and rubbish that this decline was left to fester and linger for so long.

Lerner asleep at the wheel, disgrace of a chairman, the club has been run by Lambert and Faulkner for 2 years.

[KRS]

It's not completely subjective to show that Pulis turned around a really rubbish-looking Palace side last season. Also, I don't know all that's behind the scenes, but he seems to have brought in the tactic to hit Benteke long, and then today he's says we were going too long. It can only be his tactic, as the long-balls were obviously phased out by Lambert and obviously brought back in by Sherwood, then he criticises the players for doing it!

And Pardew has done a similar job for Palace too.

Well what we can conclude from that is that Pulis and Pardew have been able to get more out of the players at their disposal and are better managers than Holloway and Warnock respectively...but we all knew that anyway! What we have to hope is that Sherwood can get more out of the players and prove to be a better manager than Lambert...that is the uncertainty, and similarly, I meant it was completely subjective to assume that Pulis could achieve the same turn around with our squad as he has done previously given the questionable quality of our players; although I would agree that it would have been a better decision and would have given us a better chance of avoiding relegation had he been given the job before Christmas when he was available.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Hard to argue with the comments of this Barcode:

That has to be the luckiest win Ive seen us come up with in my time watching the Toon, Villa could have played to midnight and nothing they did would have went in.

Villa taking off Agbonlahor and Sinclair for Insomnia and Weimann ( absolutely useless) aided us in getting it over the line. Think Benteke bullied our CB's all game long and if they had made better runs it could have been a bad day. In my honest opinion if we had lost by 2 or 3 I would have came out of the game and said it was a fair results

[PaulTheVillan]

This isn't Sherwood's fault.

I've missed playing Blackburn.

[Toronto Villa]

Hard to argue with the comments of this Barcode:

That has to be the luckiest win Ive seen us come up with in my time watching the Toon, Villa could have played to midnight and nothing they did would have went in.

Villa taking off Agbonlahor and Sinclair for Insomnia and Weimann ( absolutely useless) aided us in getting it over the line. Think Benteke bullied our CB's all game long and if they had made better runs it could have been a bad day. In my honest opinion if we had lost by 2 or 3 I would have came out of the game and said it was a fair results

And the thing to take from that is the display if not the result was a big improvent on last week. We look almost fucked mentally when we get near or in the area. Like we are gripped by fear and freeze in the moment when we need to be composed. As gutted as I am hoping that the next step in the improvement is for the team to show more composure in our build up, not panic and whack it long and something, anything goes in to give them belief in scoring again

[Rotterdam Vetran]

There will always be one team every season that goes down that is in free fall.We have been that team for the last 23 games with no sign of recovery.Cant score goals.Cant win games!! how can it change!! It won't.Thx to Lerner.Villa Till I Die

[frank]

Well, 13 cup finals have now become 11 and it's looking pretty desperate. I thought there were signs of improvement today (admittedly against pretty poor opposition) and we were definitely unlucky to lose. But we did and you get no points for being unlucky.  Sherwood's team selection didn't help. Why did Gabby start and why did N'Zogbia and Weimann come on? Was there no other option at left back? Lowton looked sluggish and offered nothing going forward.
I've experienced 3 of our 4 relegations from the top flight and don't want to see another. It's not inevitable but today it came a bit closer.

[Dan England]

There was a clear and visible improvement today and we were unlucky to lose. Just not surethere is enough time left for Sherwood to get the team playing the system he wants. The quote from the bar code is  bang on in terms of a review.  It's a long way from over yet but fuck me it's going to be close.

[john e]

I don't think we are doomed just yet,
 but I would say I think there is more chance of us going down than staying up, I've never said that before in any of the previous seasons,
the Stoke game did it for me, I realised watching that second half that we were rubbish and there probably wasn't a lot Sherwood could do about it

however on the bright side we created more today than we have all season, so maybe just maybe he can have an effect
but its odds against I'm afraid

[silhillvilla]

GAME OVER

INSERT COIN