Aston Villa under-10's vs Arsenal -FA Cup Final Post-Match Thread

[Richard E]

Let's face it, if we hadn't got to at least the Semis after home draws against Blackpool, Bournemouth, Leicester and the Tescos you'd have to have been disappointed. We beat one half decent team, Liverpool, on this Cup run and even that looks less of an achievement in retrospect given how cack they have been since. We can't draw much comfort from at least getting there.

[walsall villain]

I've been a big fan of Sherwood since he arrived, but he was found wanting yesterday.  He seems to have the mindset that the 4-3-2-1 worked against Liverpool, so it must automatically work against Arsenal, and it quite obviously didn't.  The three of Cleverley, Delph and Westwood were completely bypassed, and Grealish and N'Zogbia offered nothing at all.  I know it's easy to say with hindsight, but the signs were there in the Southampton game, and so I'd have gone:

Given/Guzan
Bacuna Vlaar Baker Richardson
Grealish Sanchez Cleverley Delph Gabby
Benteke

I honestly thought we had a chance, and then when they showed the line ups before kick off, I realised we had to contend with a really excellent five man midfield with a fast player up front, and we were playing Delph, Cleverly and Westwood in our mid, with Grealish and N'Zogbia ahead of them.

I am no tactical genius, but I couldn't see how that was possibly going to work.

I'm not a massive fan of Carlos Sanchez, but if ever there was a game to play him in, this was it.

Didn't Sanchez have two very poor league games against Arsenal and get constantly caught in possession? Don't think he would have helped one jot.

[john e]

I've been a big fan of Sherwood since he arrived, but he was found wanting yesterday.  He seems to have the mindset that the 4-3-2-1 worked against Liverpool, so it must automatically work against Arsenal, and it quite obviously didn't.  The three of Cleverley, Delph and Westwood were completely bypassed, and Grealish and N'Zogbia offered nothing at all.  I know it's easy to say with hindsight, but the signs were there in the Southampton game, and so I'd have gone:

Given/Guzan
Bacuna Vlaar Baker Richardson
Grealish Sanchez Cleverley Delph Gabby
Benteke

I honestly thought we had a chance, and then when they showed the line ups before kick off, I realised we had to contend with a really excellent five man midfield with a fast player up front, and we were playing Delph, Cleverly and Westwood in our mid, with Grealish and N'Zogbia ahead of them.

I am no tactical genius, but I couldn't see how that was possibly going to work.

I'm not a massive fan of Carlos Sanchez, but if ever there was a game to play him in, this was it.

Didn't Sanchez have two very poor league games against Arsenal and get constantly caught in possession? Don't think he would have helped one jot.

It did make me laugh sarcastically yesterday when the first thing Sanchez did when he came on was lose possession of the ball, he must be aware of what is said about him, yet still does exactly the same thing straight away

I don't mind him either, I have seen him show some good signs, but his decision making is to slow for prem football at the moment

[Malandro]

I think my lasting memory of the final will be leaving stadium soon after FT and seeing Arsenal fans outside.

If we'd have won the cup I'd have stayed as long as possible and would have been dancing in the street afterwards - which I also didn't see any evidence of

[KRS]

I can't see how playing Sanchez would have helped matters on the pitch yesterday...he is a truly sad excuse of a footballer and I can only hope he is one of the players that TS has earmarked for being ditched. Even prior to the game yesterday, I was chatting to a few Arsenal fans that weren't too confident about their chances...but they did comment that Sanchez was one of the worst players they'd ever seen.

[john e]

I think my lasting memory of the final will be leaving stadium soon after FT and seeing Arsenal fans outside.

If we'd have won the cup I'd have stayed as long as possible and would have been dancing in the street - which I also didn't see any evidence of either.

My son had a big problem with that,
and let a few Arsenal fans know about it on the tube on the way back,
if any one happened to be on that particular tube and witnessed a pissed up 26 year old annoying everyone, to the point of offering a few blokes out then I apologise for his behaviour

Unfortunatly whatever I said fell on deaf ears because I did the same thing against Man Utd

[Bad English]

I went out for a family meal today (it is Mother's Day in France).

The owner of the restaurant came over for a chat and at one point he asked us where we were from. Now, I always reply "Aston" to this question as most people don't know where Birmingham is, apparently (Are you listening highly-paid Brum Marketing team?). Anyway, upon hearing this, he said "Aston, as in Aston Villa? Oh dear!" And off he trotted, shaking his head.

Two minutes later he plonked a €50 bottle of Champagne on the table and said "On me. You deserve it more than the mothers today".

[Nev]

From the first minute I could tell how the game was going to pan out. I sat with my head in my hands for the whole game.

It's not about tactics, good or bad players or formations, it's about fear. We have played with fear for so long, it briefly lifted this season but has returned once again.

Sherwood is on record that he told the players not to be frightened, to try things and be adventurous. There was no sign of that yesterday.

If he is to be a success at our Club this issue is the one he has to find an answer to.

[oldtimernow]

for the Villa to compete with Arsenal we needed to have invested £40m per goal for 4 top class players to make us competitive....that's the reality of it

[walsall villain]

I went out for a family meal today (it is Mother's Day in France).

The owner of the restaurant came over for a chat and at one point he asked us where we were from. Now, I always reply "Aston" to this question as most people don't know where Birmingham is, apparently (Are you listening highly-paid Brum Marketing team?). Anyway, upon hearing this, he said "Aston, as in Aston Villa? Oh dear!" And off he trotted, shaking his head.

Two minutes later he plonked a €50 bottle of Champagne on the table and said "On me. You deserve it more than the mothers today".

I hope it eased the pain.
Globally he and another 500 million people witnessed our public humiliation yesterday.

[CT]

It's funny, after the 1-0 West Ham game we were full of confidence. That was a gritty game but we found another way to win, it looked good.

Then that week, Paul Lambert started to appear on all forms of the media saying whatever he had to say.

After that, we had Southampton, Burnley and yesterday, all games where you could be forgiven that he was still sat in his seat on the bench.

I'm glad there's no football for a while now.

[JUAN PABLO]

Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily think Given should have saved it.

I just think we should have been playing the goalkeeper who is half a foot taller and has a bigger reach and would have had a better chance of reaching it.

3" to be precise - Guzan  6' 4"    Given 6' 1"  - does 3" make all that difference?
[/quote]



Maybe , does guzan save that one against Leicester

Guzan or shay we still get hammered.

[greenwichvilla]

It's awful this morning, just horrible.

I can accept being outclassed by a far better team, but not outfought, not in the FA Cup Final, not in front of the world.

My boy cried his eyes out on 70 minutes followed by pathetic in fighting making me so disillusioned that I'm wondering about ever going again. Fights, threats all over the place - a guy gets his head stamped on? We had to go on 75 because of what happened near to us.

I had one guy raise his fist to me before the game, as people squeezed their way in and out of those awful block 541 toilets. It was a crush and I'm just trying to get my boy in while this pissed up old wanker pushes everyone out the way.

We've got some amazing fans who care so passionately about the Villa. We've also got some of the most moronic, Neanderthal scumbags any society could dream of producing. 

Such a shame as the whole time leading up to the game had been wonderful.

That's awful. Hope your son is ok.

The fighting in 135 was awful and was the only time I was glad I didn't have my daughter sat next to me.

[ChicagoLion]

I heard about fighting, there were a couple of blokes having a go at each other on the way out.
Why would you go to a game and start fighting with Villa Fans, pissed I guess.

[Rudy65]

I think my lasting memory of the final will be leaving stadium soon after FT and seeing Arsenal fans outside.

If we'd have won the cup I'd have stayed as long as possible and would have been dancing in the street - which I also didn't see any evidence of either.

My son had a big problem with that,
and let a few Arsenal fans know about it on the tube on the way back,
if any one happened to be on that particular tube and witnessed a pissed up 26 year old annoying everyone, to the point of offering a few blokes out then I apologise for his behaviour

Unfortunatly whatever I said fell on deaf ears because I did the same thing against Man Utd

Why would you or your son do that?

I agree with your sentiments but to start challenging, or offering other supporters out, is appalling behaviour.