Aston Villa 2-0 Albion FA Cup Qtr Final post match thread

[Stu]

Saturday wasn't anything like Blues games in atmosphere, it was raucously pro Villa but the hatred wasn't there.

That's what I thought, too. 03/03/03 was hate filled from start to finish, this one was an intense game but without the level of animosity. Great atmosphere, although I know there was trouble with Albion fans in the North Stand.

[Toronto Villa]

Forgot to say that Clark was my MOTM again, what a change in fortune for the lad and seems to really have matured into a good centre half

He's been superb to be honest. I rate him higher than Cahill.

As consistent as Hutton has been, Clark is my player of the season so far. He was immense in both games, only blot was diving in and not getting there just before Berhino played Idaye through and Given came out brilliantly.

Agreed, my hope now is Baker and Clark can really nail those positions down, I like Okore but he seems error prone, I hope he irons that out too.

He is, but it is quite easy to forget just how young he is. 

Also easy to forget that despite being called "young defender" by every commentary team in the land, Clark is now 25. Which is the age defenders usually start to mature, he has clearly filled out a bit too and no longer gets physically manhandled like he once did. He also has 111 premier league starts under him.

Okore by contrast is only 22, has just 19 games in this league and is learning on the job, but he has hellish good potential. Think back to Clark 3 years ago, Okore is a much better defender than Clark was. If he follows the same projection, by 25 he will a beast of a player.

also important that Clark has become a superb left sided CB, and Okore is maturing all the time at the PL level on the right. The thought of those two governing our back line, with Baker cover for Clark, and Donacien and maybe if gets back to any kind of health Senderos is certainly a solid set of defenders at that position.

[hilts_coolerking]

You weren't there. You were watching it on the telly. Your original comment was that it 'looked awful'.

Armchair supporter, handing down judgement.

I was watching it on a free feed because I can't afford a TV licence.  And if I can't go it's because I'm on benefits and after my rent is paid I have £240 per month left to pay for everything else: food, getting around, bills, everything.  So you'll have to forgive me if I can't afford to get the train up from London to Brum and pay for a ticket.  And I'm not going to have you look down your privileged nose at me for it.  Hand that judgement down you smarmy cocksucker. 

[dave.woodhall]

You weren't there. You were watching it on the telly. Your original comment was that it 'looked awful'.

Armchair supporter, handing down judgement.

I was watching it on a free feed because I can't afford a TV licence.  And if I can't go it's because I'm on benefits and after my rent is paid I have £240 per month left to pay for everything else: food, getting around, bills, everything.  So you'll have to forgive me if I can't afford to get the train up from London to Brum and pay for a ticket.  And I'm not going to have you look down your privileged nose at me for it.  Hand that judgement down you smarmy cocksucker. 

I'm sure you want to apologise for that remark.

[PeterWithe]

Patrick Barclay comparing it to Heysel is ridiculous.

When did he do that?

On Sky's Sunday morning show where they have the football writers on. Although to give it some context he did say that the reason the fences went up was to combat pitch invasions and the fences then led to Hillsborough.

So he's almost saying that what happened at Hillsborough was the fault of the fans?

I'm sure you could find it and make your own mind up, I'm a bit biased in that I like Barclay and find him a thoughtful and insightful writer. He wasn't really directly comparing it, rather more taking a subject to an illogical conclusion but it was certainly clumsy.

[Jimbo]

Outrageous.

[Toronto Villa]

So you think it was carnage?

I've already said how I feel about it.  My point was really that hyperbole in the media is matched by hyperbole on here, generally by people complaining about media hyperbole.  Jimbo's talking about skulking automatons like he's been watching too much Dr Who.  It's hard not to find it ridiculous.

You weren't there. You were watching it on the telly. Your original comment was that it 'looked awful'.

Armchair supporter, handing down judgement.

I was an armchair supporter too damon. Am I not allowed to pass comment on what I saw? Bit rich of you isn't it?

[Stu]

Patrick Barclay comparing it to Heysel is ridiculous.

When did he do that?

On Sky's Sunday morning show where they have the football writers on. Although to give it some context he did say that the reason the fences went up was to combat pitch invasions and the fences then led to Hillsborough.

So he's almost saying that what happened at Hillsborough was the fault of the fans?

I'm sure you could find it and make your own mind up, I'm a bit biased in that I like Barclay and find him a thoughtful and insightful writer. He wasn't really directly comparing it, rather more taking a subject to an illogical conclusion but it was certainly clumsy.

No, I understand that he wasn't making a comparison, its the logic that worries me.

What a twit.

[PeterWithe]

As we've seen with Baggie Bill this week, there is no bigger crime for a journalist than being bland, even at the risk of coming over as an utter cretin.

[Fin Feds Dad]

Some people were on the pitch. They thought it was all over. It is now.

It's a sign of the times, I'm afraid, in this culture of obligatory outrage and offence, this sanitised corporate age, that a bit of silly over-exuberance has been turned into something approaching a massacre.

I was there on Tuesday, and duly let off a bit of steam at the end. And it struck me that, in these times of rolling media scrutiny, childish finger-pointing and faux moral indignation, how few opportunities there are for people to do that. So much of what we're force fed via the media is pro-faced, micro-managed and anodyne, and what happened on Saturday night was a shot of realism.

The fools that ran on before the end pissed me off - they might have got the game called off. But at the end nobody died, many thousands sang and celebrated. It was spontaneous and raw. I'd rather live in a world where that happens from time to time through exuberance and sheer elation, than one where skulking automatons do exactly as they're bid by an all-powerful media. Oh, and fuck the BBC for getting in over their vinegary tits with this.

Bradford in the semis, please.

Spot on - and for the record , I'm with Damon.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

Did anyone else find Woodward's announcement of the QPR result at half time utterly cringeworthy?

No.
I was having a piss.
;-)

[richard moore]

Patrick Barclay comparing it to Heysel is ridiculous.

He's an idiot of the highest order like Henry Winter. Pretend to be the intelligent voices of football, but them are both very poor journalists in my view.

[hilts_coolerking]

You weren't there. You were watching it on the telly. Your original comment was that it 'looked awful'.

Armchair supporter, handing down judgement.

I was watching it on a free feed because I can't afford a TV licence.  And if I can't go it's because I'm on benefits and after my rent is paid I have £240 per month left to pay for everything else: food, getting around, bills, everything.  So you'll have to forgive me if I can't afford to get the train up from London to Brum and pay for a ticket.  And I'm not going to have you look down your privileged nose at me for it.  Hand that judgement down you smarmy cocksucker. 

I'm sure you want to apologise for that remark.

Like fuck I do.  Having a pop at me for not having as much money as he does.  Let's have an apology from him first, if he's not too busy birching the peasants.

[dave.woodhall]

You weren't there. You were watching it on the telly. Your original comment was that it 'looked awful'.

Armchair supporter, handing down judgement.

I was watching it on a free feed because I can't afford a TV licence.  And if I can't go it's because I'm on benefits and after my rent is paid I have £240 per month left to pay for everything else: food, getting around, bills, everything.  So you'll have to forgive me if I can't afford to get the train up from London to Brum and pay for a ticket.  And I'm not going to have you look down your privileged nose at me for it.  Hand that judgement down you smarmy cocksucker. 

I'm sure you want to apologise for that remark.

Like fuck I do.  Having a pop at me for not having as much money as he does.  Let's have an apology from him first, if he's not too busy birching the peasants.

I think you'd benefit from the rest of the night off.

[silhillvilla]

Forgot to say that Clark was my MOTM again, what a change in fortune for the lad and seems to really have matured into a good centre half

He's been superb to be honest. I rate him higher than Cahill.

As consistent as Hutton has been, Clark is my player of the season so far. He was immense in both games, only blot was diving in and not getting there just before Berhino played Idaye through and Given came out brilliantly.

Agreed, my hope now is Baker and Clark can really nail those positions down, I like Okore but he seems error prone, I hope he irons that out too.

Okore is a much better player than Baker.

Jury's out