Crystal Palace v Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Toronto Villa]

I like Grealish, but he needs to be far more direct and impactful. It's all good and well drifting around trying to win free kicks but he needs to use his ability to beat players and create goals. He doesn't shoot and doesn't set up much but is an attractive player to watch outside of the box. Which is ok but rarely leads to anything. He needs to assert himself and make defences fear him and I don't think they do. They respect his ability but they don't fear it. Yet.

[ktvillan]

Is the villa team all fart and no shit ?

The people describing Grealish and Sinclair as all fart and no shit are talking out of their arse

Re Grealish I'm one of them and I stand by it.  Traore created more danger in one short appearance than Jack has in several.  For me he isn't direct enough, doesn't take his man on enough, doesn't shoot enough and doesn't try enough killer passes.  He looks to have good technique and touch but it's no good dancing around in a non-threatening part of the pitch and then turning round and playing a safe pass backwards to the left back.  Which is what he seems to do eight times out of ten when I've watched him.  When he is direct he can be dangerous as he was when he set up the goal against West Ham last season.  But it's all too rare and I think a lot of people are getting a bit too excited about not very much more than a lot of promise so far.

[robbo1874]

In the last week we've been busy giving long term deals to average players like westwood Gardner and Bacuna , not a good sign. They won't improve us one iota .

westwood is distinctly better than average; Gardner hasn't really featured yet due to injury, so unwise to make any judgement about him until he gets some games to show what he can do. Bacuna, I'll grant you is average. Squad player at best, Hutton should be starting at rb.

[silhillvilla]

In the last week we've been busy giving long term deals to average players like westwood Gardner and Bacuna , not a good sign. They won't improve us one iota .

westwood is distinctly better than average; Gardner hasn't really featured yet due to injury, so unwise to make any judgement about him until he gets some games to show what he can do. Bacuna, I'll grant you is average. Squad player at best, Hutton should be starting at rb.

I like westwood , he's a tidy little player but he's a low end PL player, really a championship player. He has not kicked on in 3 years yet at this level which suggests he isn't going to IMHO.

[KRS]

I don't think Austin is the answer...we need someone more dynamic and mobile. Austin thrives on the same service that the likes of Gestede needs and we just don't have those players (with the possible exception of Traore).

Gestede is useless if you don't supply good quality crosses and Gabby is just, well...useless. TS surely must only be persevering with Gabby until Ayew is fit or he brings in a better goalscoring option.

See, you say that about Austin, I too was a doubter. I wasn't sure cos I don't pay that much attention to players from other sides, so I watched a montage of ten of his goals from last season on YouTube. To me, he scores the type of goals I've been expecting Gabby to score for some years now. Nothing spectacular, just "alive" in the box, and knowing where the goal is. Without changing much, I think he'd bag 15 a season for us. With the players (Amavi, Traore, Gil, Grealish) we have around the squad now, he could get 20. I say buy.

Fair enough. I've always thought of him as being a target man, but if he's got more to offer than that then his goal scoring record speaks for itself...I haven't watched his highlights yet but he's already got 4 league goals this season.

[robbo1874]

The problem with Gabby can be cured at BH in two minutes. Put him on the scales and weigh him. Write his weight on a piece of paper for him to keep. Then explain to him that when he was the player he once was he was (at a guess) a stone lighter. Then say get properly back in shape or you don't play. There is no reason at his age why he has become so slow other than weight.

he looks to have bulked up the muscle the last few seasons (As opposed to being fat) and the main attribute he relies on - pace- has suffered as a result. He's pretty good in the air when he gets decent chances, but finishing on the ground is terrible and always has been.

[Ron Manager]

My comment on the pre match thread said 'If Agbonlahor plays we lose'. He did..We did!  The only manager who sussed him out was Gerard Houllier who was right.

[Martyn Smith]

It was ridiculously hot in South London today. So I'd love to hear why our only substitution was to take our best player off. How the fuck Gabby starts, let alone finishes a game, is beyond me.

My thoughts entirely. The BBC seems to of the opinion that Gabby's pace terrified Scott Dann all afternoon. The Scott Dann I saw had Gabby in his pocket...

[clash city rocker]

It's the defence that worries me more than anything. We could average 2 goals a game and still give them 3 gifts. I just can't understand the mentality behind our defending. It totally baffles me. Sunday league sided seem to be more professional  when it comes to defending. Considering how the game went 1-1 would have been a good result but oh no we're Aston Villa the obvious never occurs  to us.

[Toronto Villa]

Gabby's pace is fine even with the extra bulk. But as we saw in the first half its his ability to be a goalscorer that lets him down time and again.

[Martyn Smith]

It looks like Rudy may have flattered to deceive early on. Good in the air, sure, but when you're up against a defence like Palace's who don't give much away in that department then you have to have other tricks up your sleeve at this level. We can't carry luxury players and one trick ponies, we haven't got that kind of set-up

[darren woolley]

Disappointed we really need a striker and a right back.

[PeterWithesShin]

We need to step it up a bit if we're going to win the league.

[Martyn Smith]

The defence looked pretty solid in the first half, although Sanchez arguably playing his best 45 minutes for us so far took a lot of pressure off us. Truth is we outclassed Palace in the first half and with a touch more guile could have won it then. We looked tired in the second half until Adama came on.

[Martyn Smith]

Disappointed we really need a striker and a right back.
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Disappointed we really need a striker and a right back.

When will Kozak be back as an option? Why not see if Hutton can reproduce his best form of last season?

Stupid phone...can't stop it from putting everything in quote...