Aston Villa v Stoke City post match thread

[Nastylee]

Too many safe passes though in midfield. Sinclair made some good runs in the first half but was woefully isolated and ended up running into trouble. Hutton also got into a great position to cross at one stage, put in a decent ball but there was no one anywhere near the penalty box.

[pauliewalnuts]

He's clueless. He cannot organise a side in either defence of attack.

The goal was abysmal. Richards is never a centre half. He has no sense of position and got the wrong side of his man and then was caught way out of position, with Anoutavich unmarked, between the posts, 20 yards from goal. Unbelievably poor.

Westwood. He should go back to the fourth division where he belongs. He's utter garbage.

What on earth was that system in the first half? Stoke were utter bilge, yet they had it so easy, for the third year running. This says it all.

That's four on the spin and I cannot see anything but that turning into 9 on the spin as the next five sides we play have the nouse to expose or massive lack of organisation.

We are remarkably four points adrift after home games against Sunderland, Stoke and West Brom where we have scored two and taken one point. It's chronic. There is more than a whiff of relegation about us.

It's not a certainty, as there are good players there, badly coached and even more poorly organised. The manager is the cause of this. He's a fool. Chalk his name up alongside Houlier, McLiesh and Lambert as part of the steady stream of morons to take the reigns. It's like the Crisis of the Third Century as incompetent pretender replaces incompetent pretender.

There is something to salvage, but we have got to act now. We won't though. Fox hung on to an idiot like Lambert until it was almost too late. The fact that Sherwood is his appointment suggests he will hold on to the bitter end. On such terms, the turd that we've become will finally be flushed.

Post of the month, well done that man.

Of course one abhors the fecal metaphor, but it must be said that this is something like the truth.

Depressingly spot on.

[Nastylee]

And whilst I am at it, Gestede's hold up play needs to improve. We need him to bully defenders and allow support to get into dangerous areas. It's just not happening especially when he can't trap a bag of cement or win a header outside the box. It's just all so wrong!

[SoccerHQ]

Can anyone tell me why Scott Sinclair is being played as a second forward? He's crap, he should be out wide or not in the side for me.

He should not be starting. Had an odd Villa career. Started off, scored a few goals, got injured and then barely featured for the rest of the season.

This season he seems undroppable on account of a hattrick v a league 2 team and scoring two, one of which was a pen against an awful Sunderland team.

[pauliewalnuts]

And whilst I am at it, Gestede's hold up play needs to improve. We need him to bully defenders and allow support to get into dangerous areas. It's just not happening especially when he can't trap a bag of cement or win a header outside the box. It's just all so wrong!

Gestede is crap at everything which isn't heading chances home.

I've seen pit ponies with better technique on the deck, and for a big man he doesn't even win many aerial duels.

[Gareth]

Physically weak, mentally weak....losers before they take the field!  Richards aside not one of them looked like they wanted to take any responsibility - I don't buy this confidence BS, it's been like this for 5 years, needs some tough love, a horrible manager who doesn't try to be their mate & crowd properly booing crap, none of this 'get behind the lads' pink & fluffy garbage - they need to earn our respect, at the moment players, manager & board have earnt nothing but contempt!!!

Guzan - inches away from being lobbed from 60 odd yds - always looks frantic & distribution terrifies - not getting a first team keeper might be TS biggest mistake!

Hutton - once, just feckin once when you reach the byline get a ball past the first defender

Amavi - bang average today

Richards - our most positive forward force - sad but true!

Lescott - anyone thought of telling him that piece of paper he signed was a contract not his early retirement forms?

Crespo - first game so cut some slack

Westwood - if I never see him and his utter garbage repertoire of one corner tactic again I won't be sad, I honestly think you could drill half a dozen amateurs to defend against us at set pieces in a week and we wouldn't score - the ball is floated 5yds past the penalty spot every time - pathetic, pointless, impotent!

Veretout - did OK, sad we'll ruin him playing week in week out in a team of wimps

Gana - tried but ultimately had nothing in front of him

Gestede - lost out in aerial battle, offers sweet fa on the ground, doesn't seem capable of holding a ball to let others join - think Sherwood needs to get his thumb out of his arse & get Kozak around squad as Gestede looks a player who knows he is going to be picked every week to let the team hammer it long and long

Sinclair - what does he bring to the party? Worse first touch than Gabby, first touch just dictates how far he has to run to get the second touch.  Challenges Jack for the biggest wuss in terms of challenging opponents - don't mind carrying a good player - he is a million miles from that.

Jack - wimp in the tackle, no real threat, admittedly nothing in front to inspire.

Ayew - not great but must start next 2/3 games, give him his chance

Gil - very good going sideways, look forward to seeing if he can go forwards?

This squad has got to grow up quickly, we'll be down by new year if they don't step up the work rate & take responsibility

Time to exit soapbox before expletives start!!

[Clark W Griswold]

As good a start he made earlier in the year, and as good as his transfer work looked in the summer, if we're still in the bottom 3 on 1-11 I would get rid and bring in someone more seasoned. It would be interesting then to see whether someone else can actually get more out of these apparently good new signings we made.

[Des Little]

I can't be Arsed to type my reasons so I'll just say this. Nowhere near good enough, no signs of improvement, no idea of formation or plan. Sack Sherwood tomorrow. He's clearly utterly in over his fat head.

[PeterWithesShin]

One thing that did amuse me today, there was a Stoke fan acting an absolute bellend towards the Lower North, thinking he was the dogs bollocks etc. Less than a minute later he was face down at the side of the pitch with a bunch of stewards on him before being cuffed and carted off. After getting over the hoardings to continue to give it the big one after they scored. A disallowed goal.
It amused me anyway to see karma strike for once.

[KRS]

A few reasons from the horses mouth why we're so shit and why he's not the man for the job...

On playing three at the back…

We need to find ways to get crosses into the box to Rudy more than we have done because at the moment he is our main threat to score goals.

He has proved this over the last few weeks.

But we didn't do that well enough in the first period.

We didn't get the balls out to Hutton and Amavi no way near enough.

So we changed it half-time to find another way.

I thought we took the game to them better in the second period but we never had that one person who could show that maverick ingredient to do something really special.

Unfortunately that was missing today.

...so we can basically expect more of the same crap whilst he experiments with formations and lineups to get the ball out wide to deliver crosses to Gestede. Exceptional gameplan from Timmeh!

On trying to work out the best way…

I think the team selection shows that every week.

We are trying to find the right way.

You can't persevere with a team that hasn't won.

You have to keep jigging it around and find the best solution.

At the moment, I haven't done that.

I am the manager of the football and take sole responsibility for the performances and results.

That's my job and I understand that fully.

...yep flicking through your Beginners Guide to Football Formations Timmeh...I'm sure you'll find a few that you can shortlist and try in the next 2 halves against Chelsea.

On signs of encouragement…

They are there in patches, not on a consistent basis I will be honest.

I see good possession in patches. It's a little bit boring at times - passing the ball square and backwards too much.

I want it passed forward.

Sometimes you need someone on the pitch who can open people up - drop their shoulder.

At the moment, we haven't got that.

...at least he's not the only one bored of watching Westwood passing it sideways and backwards.


And just in case you want this source, this shite is straight from the horses mouth on the OS.

[Monty]

God almighty that's an embarrassing interview. His plan is a mixture of the cringeworthily basic ('Big Man Get Ball In Box Ug') and the hopelessly desperate ('we need someone to just like be magic and win the game from nowhere' please). Literally, it's hoof and hope. And tell everyone about it in the press. Horrendous.

The worst thing is how he tries to act the noble captain of the ship, taking responsibility, but then he just goes on and on about the players messing up. He's a moral coward and responsibility shirker, as well as a gobshite and a fraud.

[KRS]

Pretty good summary of the latest tactical mistakes from our Timmeh:

http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Mike-Pejic-Tim-Sherwood-s-hopeless-tactics-played/story-27917237-detail/story.html

[OzVilla]

I'd be prepared to give him more time if he didn't talk such utter bollocks after each defeat. I thought we'd seen the back of that with Lambert.

His comments above and those after Leicester in particular are scary. Saying he's responsible but then blaming players.

He gone into total self preservation mode.

[pbavfckuwait]

Was undecided as to whether to sack him or not in the poll last week, but his total lack of conviction to stay with a formation, rightly or wrongly on something I am sure the team have worked on all week and give it up after 45 minutes, shows not only a total lack of tactical ability but also a lack of conviction in his own beliefs. I thought it was the wrong formation, but after about 15 minutes it looked better, not good but better and the important thing we need at the moment is not to lose, whether that be against Stoke or fing Newcastle. Then within 10 minutes of the change the middle of our defence is split open like a grape and we are one down.

Grealish needs to also up his game, the talent is there and some times he needs to take the opportunity and grab the game by the throat. Gill looked alot more dangerous when he came on, but as stated many times already lack of movement means lack of opportunity for our more gifted players to produce.

Then to me the straw that breaks the camel's back, the fitness statement, we are nearly a quarter a way through the season and the players need a mini pre season to get them fit, WTF.

The guy needs to go and learn his trade, but somewhere like Wycombe, Aldershot not at Aston Villa. Sorry to say, but this season is going to be the one that catches up on us.

[Jim Shoes]

He clearly isn't a manager, maybe a coach but not at VP.

Fox needs to pull the pin now and start again, that said we don't have a forward at the club nor a regular goal scoring midfielder so even if Fox were to get SAF in it would take until the January window to correct the nightmare Sherwood has got us into.

I think this is the season, finally as we have been taking the place of a club that might want to at least "give it a go" for the last 5 years.