Aston Villa 2-0 Norwich City Post Match Thread

[dave.woodhall]

Everyone thinks we're down, most Villa fans included. So there is more pressure on the sides directly above us, especially with the amounts they have spent recently. If we pull it back by then, some of that lot might just cave altogether.

I agree. Palace, Swansea, Norwich all bricking themselves. We're not: everyone wrote us off ages ago. We've nothing to lose and nothing to fear.

Palace have what? 32 points? 4 or 5 points more in 13 games and they'll probably be safe or at worst for us, completely out of reach. Easily achievable. Only Norwich have hit a brick wall of late. All the others or picking up points somewhere and in all honesty our recent sort of revival isn't or hasn't been good enough to see us close the gap in any significant way. We'll still do well to get 20-25 points.

We'll do well to get another four points? Behave.

[aj2k77]

If we picked up only another 4 pts then like him or not Garde would deserve the sack. A pt per game I reckon, just ticking over.

[peter w]

Everyone thinks we're down, most Villa fans included. So there is more pressure on the sides directly above us, especially with the amounts they have spent recently. If we pull it back by then, some of that lot might just cave altogether.

I agree. Palace, Swansea, Norwich all bricking themselves. We're not: everyone wrote us off ages ago. We've nothing to lose and nothing to fear.

Palace have what? 32 points? 4 or 5 points more in 13 games and they'll probably be safe or at worst for us, completely out of reach. Easily achievable. Only Norwich have hit a brick wall of late. All the others or picking up points somewhere and in all honesty our recent sort of revival isn't or hasn't been good enough to see us close the gap in any significant way. We'll still do well to get 20-25 points.

We'll do well to get another four points? Behave.

Seeing who we've got left and seeing that we have amassed 16 from 25 then yes, I don't think it's too far fetched to see us getting no more than 9 points out of the next 13 games. We've got 0.64 points per game so far this season. Over the next 13 games that would translate to 8 more points. Obviously it's no exact science but I'm not taking yesterday as anything other than a weekend where I could watch Match of The Day.

[paul_e]

As much as I would like to hope, the problem is that as soon as you get past our best 11 we have some pretty awful players.It shows how crap Norwich are we beat them with Westwood and Bacuna in the team.
Any injurie in the back 4 and you have Clark and Hutton to come back or even worse Bacuna again.
I do not think Bunn is very good but if he gets injured, it's shudders the flapping Goose.

The inaccuracy in that being that we currently have 6 players (Gestede, Kozak, Traore, Amavi, Hutton and Sanchez) who would all be in (or around) the matchday 18 out injured and we had Ayew out suspended.  Yes we don't have a massively strong squad, no one would argue that, but it's not as horrific as you're trying to make out.

Ayew would improve our first 11, Amaviis a decent prospect but Sissoko is more solid. I would play any of them ahead of Bacuna he is that poor. I have seen nothing to suggest that Traore is ready at this level. Most of the above have been playing regularly in a team that was losing regularly. If our squad was not crap we would not be bottom.

Sanchez is a good player if used correctly (get him to sit in front of the back 4 and be a shield, a lot like Dier does for Tottenham.  As soon as you start getting Sanchez to play he gets tired out and becomes sloppy.  Amavi made a couple of mistakes but he also made Gestede look like a threat because he crosses the ball very well.  I'd like to see him in a team that looks organised before writing off his defensive abilities.  Gestede and Kozak are both very average strikers but give us the option to change things from the bench which is what you complained about.  Ayew is clearly an important player for us and losing him was a big blow.

The Traore comment is strange because whilst he is very raw he has a goal and 2 assists from a total of about 3 1/2 hours of playtime for us, we're crying out for a spark of genius at times and he is very capable of delivering it.  Like Amavi I think the untrained player we saw a few months back isn't what we'd be seeing now if he was fit.

So only Hutton of the players missing offers very little to the 18, it's all about the depth in the squad and right now most of the players who could improve that are out and we're left with kids and wasters like nzog and richardson to build a bench with.

[dave.woodhall]

Everyone thinks we're down, most Villa fans included. So there is more pressure on the sides directly above us, especially with the amounts they have spent recently. If we pull it back by then, some of that lot might just cave altogether.

I agree. Palace, Swansea, Norwich all bricking themselves. We're not: everyone wrote us off ages ago. We've nothing to lose and nothing to fear.

Palace have what? 32 points? 4 or 5 points more in 13 games and they'll probably be safe or at worst for us, completely out of reach. Easily achievable. Only Norwich have hit a brick wall of late. All the others or picking up points somewhere and in all honesty our recent sort of revival isn't or hasn't been good enough to see us close the gap in any significant way. We'll still do well to get 20-25 points.

We'll do well to get another four points? Behave.

Seeing who we've got left and seeing that we have amassed 16 from 25 then yes, I don't think it's too far fetched to see us getting no more than 9 points out of the next 13 games. We've got 0.64 points per game so far this season. Over the next 13 games that would translate to 8 more points. Obviously it's no exact science but I'm not taking yesterday as anything other than a weekend where I could watch Match of The Day.

So when you say 20-25 you don't actually mean 20-25 you mean 25. Thanks for clearing that up.

[peter w]

Disagree paul e. Sanchez plays at too slow a tempo for the English game and doesn't shift the ball quick enough for us when he is in possession. he does do the breaking up of play well enough and can keep the ball moving for large parts of the game but the pace of the game sees him off balance or not looking when trying to make a quick pass. At times he has looked great but far too often he hasn't and is a big contributory factor to why we're bottom.

[peter w]

Everyone thinks we're down, most Villa fans included. So there is more pressure on the sides directly above us, especially with the amounts they have spent recently. If we pull it back by then, some of that lot might just cave altogether.

I agree. Palace, Swansea, Norwich all bricking themselves. We're not: everyone wrote us off ages ago. We've nothing to lose and nothing to fear.

Palace have what? 32 points? 4 or 5 points more in 13 games and they'll probably be safe or at worst for us, completely out of reach. Easily achievable. Only Norwich have hit a brick wall of late. All the others or picking up points somewhere and in all honesty our recent sort of revival isn't or hasn't been good enough to see us close the gap in any significant way. We'll still do well to get 20-25 points.

We'll do well to get another four points? Behave.

Seeing who we've got left and seeing that we have amassed 16 from 25 then yes, I don't think it's too far fetched to see us getting no more than 9 points out of the next 13 games. We've got 0.64 points per game so far this season. Over the next 13 games that would translate to 8 more points. Obviously it's no exact science but I'm not taking yesterday as anything other than a weekend where I could watch Match of The Day.

So when you say 20-25 you don't actually mean 20-25 you mean 25. Thanks for clearing that up.

No, I mean anywhere between 20-25 points seeing who we've got left. it could be 20, it could be 25. it could also be any of the numbers in between.

[dave.woodhall]

No, I mean anywhere between 20-25 points seeing who we've got left. it could be 20, it could be 25. it could also be any of the numbers in between.

Couild well be. You're the one who's making them up as you go along.

[TonyD]

Sanchez is a liability that screws up at least twice a game.   Keep him out.

[Ads]

We've taken 8 points from our past six. It doesn't matter how our former in September under a different manager was.

[peter w]

No, I mean anywhere between 20-25 points seeing who we've got left. it could be 20, it could be 25. it could also be any of the numbers in between.

Couild well be. You're the one who's making them up as you go along.

If you like. Not sure what your point is though.

[paul_e]

Disagree paul e. Sanchez plays at too slow a tempo for the English game and doesn't shift the ball quick enough for us when he is in possession. he does do the breaking up of play well enough and can keep the ball moving for large parts of the game but the pace of the game sees him off balance or not looking when trying to make a quick pass. At times he has looked great but far too often he hasn't and is a big contributory factor to why we're bottom.

That's why I'm saying use him as the defensive shield to win the ball, move it on and then hold his position and let the fullbacks go forward with the knowledge that we've 3 players in behind.

[peter w]

We've taken 8 points from our past six. It doesn't matter how our former in September under a different manager was.

Well yes. But all the positive energy has been sucked out of me this season that i can see nothing but the abyss staring us in the face. Keep that form up and we'll end the season on 33 points. I'd rather have my 20-25 points as the last thing I want in the last 13 games is the semblance of any hope as that will ultimately be worse. I've already accepted relegation.

[peter w]

Disagree paul e. Sanchez plays at too slow a tempo for the English game and doesn't shift the ball quick enough for us when he is in possession. he does do the breaking up of play well enough and can keep the ball moving for large parts of the game but the pace of the game sees him off balance or not looking when trying to make a quick pass. At times he has looked great but far too often he hasn't and is a big contributory factor to why we're bottom.

That's why I'm saying use him as the defensive shield to win the ball, move it on and then hold his position and let the fullbacks go forward with the knowledge that we've 3 players in behind.

I know - maybe i didn't make the point properly but I think that him trying to move the ball on leads to him making more errors than we can carry.

[Nelly]

Bunn is pretty bad, possibly worse than Guzan (but luckier)

I reckon Guzan is far worse and unnerves the whole defence.  His distribution is completely amateurish and he has cost us dearly. The defenders seem to have improved a lot since Bunn came in. It can't be a coincidence.

For me the defence has improved since Okore got involved. The goalkeeping is about the same I think. Cissokho had done well too.