Tottenham vs Aston Villa Post-match thread

[David_Nab]

A few hours after  Lerner in his statment ,regarding Garde becoming boss mentions our aggressive purchasing in the summer and KMAC leaves all those players out ...

[old man villa fan]

I am really struggling to understand team selections from managers at Villa.

Why do we insist on playing one-footed central defenders on the 'wrong' side.  It happened last season with Vlaar and again tonight with Clark.  Why do they think experience is better than somebody of less experience playing their natural position.

Players that have looked good at times in matches this season get dropped but players that have been distinctly average (and that is being kind) keep on coming back into the team.  To me, this is the main reason why we are in the position we are.

I know everybody is entitled to an opinion but I am fed up with hearing so and so put a shift in when, although the player has given his best, his best is not good enough.

When is a manager going to pick what I would call a balanced team.  The midfield 5 selected tonight was just an invitation for Spurs to build from deep through the middle with no pressure put on them.  Once into our half they were able to pull players out of position and play balls into the space.

I know confidence is low but there just seems to be a lack of desire to get back and defend.  I do not put this all down to lack of fitness, especially when it is happening in the first half of games.  An example of this was for the first goal.  Clark was badly at fault but Hutton was just walking back.

As poor as our performance was tonight, I thought the referee's was equally as poor.  Two very similar incidents with Bacuna getting caught in the first half and not even giving a free kick and in the second half, a Villa player being booked for the same tackle.  The incident involving Westwood going off was disgraceful refereeing.  Everybody could see that Westwood was hurt with what could have been a serious head injury and Dean allowed play to continue.  There was no intent from Dembele and certainly no use of an elbow but it was aggressive use of the arm that could be dangerous (as it turned out, it was), so why no foul.  Put it another way, if it was a tackle with the foot and missed the ball, it does not matter that the player did not intend to foul the player, the ref will blow for a foul and in most cases these days, books the player.

I am just praying that Garde comes in and makes his own mind up on players.  He needs to decide on the systems he wants to play and pick the players that have the best potential to play them.  It may take time but he must persevere and give the players opportunity to gel.  We need a settled side more than anything at the moment.  Most of the players brought in during the summer are technically very good and they need to be given the opportunity.

[aj2k77]

A few hours after  Lerner in his statment ,regarding Garde becoming boss mentions our aggressive purchasing in the summer and KMAC leaves all those players out ...

Whatever agenda he was working towards tonight it wasn't to benefit Aston Villa Football Club. Borderline sabotage.

[ozzjim]

Re the Dembele thing, Westwood for his failings is about as straight up a pro as you will see out there, and is about the last I would think would fake a head injury. Mike Dean was nothing short of a disgrace for not pulling the game up, and yet again I thought conducted the game very much favouring the side playing against Villa, but then I think he does that each and every time he is given one of our games, and I would request the FA remove him from Villa games. I think he is one of the new breed of refs that is far more interested in camera time than being any good as a ref too, and likes his friendly bants with the players too much.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Randy and co need to take massive blame, they've been gambling with our future for the last 5-6 seasons. Now look what we've got, terrible championship players. We're in a right fucking mess, make no mistake. If Garde can keep these fuckers up then he does walk on water. Can't put into words how fucked off I am with this shit

[Toronto Villa]

Randy and co need to take massive blame, they've been gambling with our future for the last 5-6 seasons. Now look what we've got, terrible championship players. We're in a right fucking mess, make no mistake. If Garde can keep these fuckers up then he does walk on water. Can't put into words how fucked off I am with this shit

I disagree entirely that our squad is comprised of Championship players. We have many good ones that simply aren't being given a chance to play. Many of the players selected today should be role fillers but instead came in and started at the same time. That's asking for trouble. I am hoping like everyone that Garde will sort the wheat from the chaff so to speak and the better players in this squad will be allowed to play and develop.

[VinnieChase84]

This is the year relegation gets us. If Garde can keep this lot is up then I will happily have his name tattooed on me.

[Phil from the upper holte]

To clarify, I'm talking about the spine of the team, Guzan, Hutton, lescott, Richardson, Westwood, Agbonlahor particularly. Bacuna.

Maybe introducing some of the new lads will help but they won't do it on there own. Like most people are picking up on there is clearly a dressing room split

[OzVilla]

Even more so when you read that Gana and Traore were simply left out of the squad. Gana who has been head and shoulders our best midfielder this season. Idiotic, and if I did not know better as short sighted as much of the little England press gang have been.

It's truly unbelievable especially regarding Gana.

That just can't be true, can it? Christ, that's not a selection, its a fuck-off.

I stupidly gave him the benefit of the doubt that his selections tonight were incompentence rather than conspiracy. Not sure now!

KMac has taken the piss tonight with those selections and comments. We've put up with these clowns for long enough at the Villa. Get rid, I don't care how much the youth team like him, because that tonight was total dereliction of duty.

[Toronto Villa]

I would be delighted given a number of the comments made by Kmac over the past week, let alone team selections that his dismissal is one of Garde's first acts. We don't need any Sherwood loyalists poisoning the water.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Can't see how McDonald can be loyal to Tim, he dropped him like a hot potato

[Toronto Villa]

Can't see how McDonald can be loyal to Tim, he dropped him like a hot potato

He was saying the other day how he was really grateful to Sherwood for bringing him back to the club

[eamonn]

MacDonald's assertion that we need to show Champions League form was both bollocks and needless too.

[Somniloquism]

MacDonald's assertion that we need to show Champions League form was both bollocks and needless too.

I thought that. He is pretty much saying we are down anyway which is not the mentality we want from our club employees who ever they happen to be. I would hope the relevant people are taking note. We have to win just over a third of our remaining matches which is not CL form at all. If it was we would have been in it under MON. It is doable and Garde just needs to keep us ticking over and getting points until January from which he can build on what we have in place then.

[PeterWithesShin]

1.3 points per game will see us on 39 points and almost certainly staying up. 1.4 sees us on 41/42. Champions League form my arse. Unless someone has finished 4th on 53 points (which is 1.4 per game).