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

[kippaxvilla2]

There was a long, long time to get pissed yesterday though.  Us oldies tend to know when our bodies can't drink anymore.  I knew after my 7th I was done for.  The yewt of today were probably drinking twice that, together with fit looking barmaids at the Green Man walking round selling jäger bombs was a bit of a recipe for pockets of idiocy.

[SX150]

I forgot about the fit looking staff at the Green Man. I MUST be getting old.

[tomd2103]

Decided not to post yesterday in the heat of defeat. So on reflection. Watching on the box the team looked physically and mentally shot. From the first minute to the last they were on the back foot, with the midfield overwhelmed and so the battle was lost there.

Might have a point there, as I thought a noticeable dip in performance started in the second half of the West Ham.  Maybe involvement in yet another relegation battle took everything out of them.   

[dekko]

I think most of the side have looked knackered for a while now.

[RossLeach]

Decided not to post yesterday in the heat of defeat. So on reflection. Watching on the box the team looked physically and mentally shot. From the first minute to the last they were on the back foot, with the midfield overwhelmed and so the battle was lost there.

Might have a point there, as I thought a noticeable dip in performance started in the second half of the West Ham.  Maybe involvement in yet another relegation battle took everything out of them.   

Which makes playing most of them against Burnley a bit baffling

[Oscar Arce]

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.

Yes I agree.
We left straight after the fourth goal to get to the car and beat the traffic...that bit worked!
We were met outside by loads of Arsenal fans, looking like it was just another match they'd won.
We both said if we'd won the Cup we'd have to see it lifted and wring every last moment out of the experience.
Arsenal fans are just used to winning, I suppose.

[saunders_heroes]

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.

Agree with that. He's an awful player, who is only at the club because he was cheap. Honestly I'd rid the club of 80% of the players if it was up to me. 5 years of signing mostly cheap rubbish has put us in the position we find ourselves right now.
The sooner we have new owners the better.

[paulcomben]

Arsenal have won 2 trophies in 10 years. A failure on their terms. Agree that our players looked tired out by 5 years of Lerner budgets & relegation battles.

[ChicagoLion]

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.

Yes I agree.
We left straight after the fourth goal to get to the car and beat the traffic...that bit worked!
We were met outside by loads of Arsenal fans, looking like it was just another match they'd won.
We both said if we'd won the Cup we'd have to see it lifted and wring every last moment out of the experience.
Arsenal fans are just used to winning, I suppose.

Sherwood had 2 weeks to get the team ready and set up for The FA Cup Final. He did neither. If Sanchez was not the answer, having 3  against 5  of some of the best midfielders in the country was not a great idea either.

[Richard E]

The Arsenal fans outside didn't even look happy, let alone dancing up Wembley Way in delight.

[ChicagoLion]

Arsenal have won 2 trophies in 10 years. But they are mostly supported by the architects of the financial crisis who are motivated only by greed or cash and not emotion.

That is just Ridiculous

[manic-road]

The only thing that cheered me up yesterday was driving back and listening to Arsenal fans ringing up radio stations and saying that Wenger should go as they haven't won the league for ten years and that Walcott and Giroud should leave the club as they hadn't the quality to play for a club like Arsenal.

This was just an hour after they had won the cup.

[Pat McMahon]

This online arguing about other people's fights is how fights get started....

Are you looking at my pint?

Reminds me of Biffa in Viz: "Did you call my pint a puff?"

[old man villa fan]

Sherwood's comment about too many players being used to losing probably reflects how I have become over the last 5 years.  I do not get worked up by results and performances like I used to and is probably the reason why I do not use words like humiliation etc. about yesterday.  The raw emotion has gone.

The squad of players we have now is generally poor, made even worse when we are hit with a few injuries.  Somehow Sherwood hit on a system that suited the players as long as they were at the top of their game.  It got us just enough points to avoid relegation but was a high risk strategy relying on N'Zogbia.  He raised his game and looked as though he good go on further but his performances have dropped over the last month and so has our form.  The high tempo game was also based on having the direct Bacuna who, in my opinion, is the only player than can cross the ball accurately on the run.  Bringing back Hutton has had a negative effect on the team going forward as, in my opinion, he goes forward aimlessly which results in him checking back so many times.

With the 4-3-2-1 formation with Grealish and N'Zogbia, it relies on Delph and Cleverley getting forward early to support, which then brings Benteke into the game.  It was clear to me that Delph and Cleverley were more concerned with the Arsenal midfield getting in behind them, than pushing on themselves.  Once that gap was created between the midfield and the front 3, we had lost it.  It then allowed Arsenal to pick the ball up deep in the hole in the centre of the field, splitting Grealish and N'Zogbia.  This also allowed Arsenal to double up on Benteke and deny him space.  Whether this was a result of the Southampton performance as others have said, I do not know.  The other obvious thing was how Arsenal were hitting long diagonal balls from right to left in behind Okore as he was dragged across into the centre.  Hutton should have been there but was caught time again in being too slow to get back after pushing forward on the right.

I am surprised that little has been made about big game experience and the fact that we probably have only Vlaar, compared with nearly all of the Arsenal team and subs.  Add to this, the difference in quality and the odds were stacked against us.  We needed a fair slice of luck and had some in the first half but deserted us in the 2nd with a world class goal from 30m, a goal off Mertasacker's shoulder and 2 penalties denied (the first I could have accepted if a free kick was given on the edge of the box, although the tackle started outside the area but contact was actually in the area.  There was no excuse for the 2nd though as Delph was booked for less in the middle of the field.

Going back to the first point.  We are a weak team, both physically and mentally.  We pick up bookings for stupid fouls and are unable to mix it with the opposition.  Mentally, we have shown too many times that we fold and loose to big scores.  Years ago we used to look at other sides and see this in bottom of the table sides.  We have now become one of those sides and I can see what Sherwood is getting at, we have no fighters.

Is this just Villa or have other clubs given up with the runaway top 4 or 5.  It is interesting that the old traditional bigger clubs have gone the same way and it is the 'newer' teams e.g. Swansea and the like that seem to be competing.  Is it because they are new to it and still have the motivation.  I know players earn a lot of money but is the motivation there to get every last drop of effort out of them when they know that the PL is decided by 3 or 4 teams before the season even kicks off.  Lambert was partly right when he said he wanted hungry players, the problem was the ability and experience was not there.

We need a complete clear out over the next 12 months, starting this summer.  If it is possible, I would keep Benteke, Delph, Grealish and possibly Cleverley (providing he brings in a dominant central midfield player).  The rest of the positions would be up for grabs and depending on who comes in will dictate who of the others stays.  I would keep one of Clark (preferable) or Baker, with the other going out on loan.  We are desperate for a dominant central defender and whether he is left or right side would influence whether I would keep Vlaar.  We need another main goal scorer so that we do not always have to play the same system.  Football is a team game that requires players to compliment each other.  Teams on paper can look good but are then unable to play together.

Going back to yesterday, I knew that we could be easily beaten if our approach was not right.  It has happened so many times that it has not affected me as much as most.  Staying in the PL was far more important and we just about managed to do that.  Sherwood has a massive job to do and will no doubt upset many fans when he gets rid of their particular favourites.  He must be given the chance though as we need players with a clear direction upwards and we have very few of those.

[Clampy]

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.

No, he's not  a sad excuse for a footballer at all. Why do people write such utter drivel? Besides he only played 10 minutes by which time we were 3 down anyway.