Aston Villa v Huddersfield Town Post-Match Thread

[Jockey Randall]

I'd hate to be on those Huddersfield coaches when they realise this was a league game and there is no second leg. In thirty odd years I've never seen such over the top celebrations with a one-one draw.

We're going to see a lot of that, I think. Villa Park is a big day out for most teams in that division, and they will raise their game against us, as will the fans. Tonight was a good result for Huddersfield, and deservedly so.

It was pretty desperate stuff from them I thought. The whole team standing hand in hand and the goalscorer holding someone aloft at the end made them look very small time.

[rougegorge]

We played well for an hour and then faded (especially midfield) which is a concern. It should have been over by half time; also, if we went 2 up it would've made it possible to pick them off on the break.

Credit to their manager for putting an extra man in midfield in the second half but starting Lolley and not Wells equally seemed poor from him.

RDM didn't manage the second half very well, but the bench didn't have any game changers or any game savers.

They got away with repetitive fouling and were one dimensional but worked hard for it when they looked outclassed in the first half.

Ultimately, Gollini has to accept the responsibility, as when someone is just charging straight at you, the golden rule is to kick it wide or at an angle at the very least. That way even if you hit the player it isn't going to go straight back from whence it came.

[PeterWithe]

Good first half without ever reaching the fluidity of Saturday, we really need to be more ruthless in front of goal, their keeper really didn't have a lot to do despite our possession. My Hudds mates told me that they weren't much cop but should be fitter than most teams and so it proved, as we faded after an hour they became more aggressive and quicker to every ball. A lot of our players, Jack, Ayew, Gestede, Mc Cormack simply ran out of steam. I thought Green was a poor choice of sub. For me, far too many long balls into Gestede and their players seemed to pick up the knock downs a lot better than we did. Not the worst of results or performances but very disappointing all the same.

My MOM  Bacuna. Fair play to him, he's shown a lot of bottle. Tshbola also very good

[Somniloquism]

I'd hate to be on those Huddersfield coaches when they realise this was a league game and there is no second leg. In thirty odd years I've never seen such over the top celebrations with a one-one draw.

We're going to see a lot of that, I think. Villa Park is a big day out for most teams in that division, and they will raise their game against us, as will the fans. Tonight was a good result for Huddersfield, and deservedly so.

It was pretty desperate stuff from them I thought. The whole team standing hand in hand and the goalscorer holding someone aloft at the end made them look very small time.

I think someone mentioned it in a few weeks ago but we have got to be ready as most teams will treat a match against us and especially at Villa Park as a cup final. Get points here and it is a good result. I wonder if they had a similar reaction at full time at Sid James'es?

[Jimbo]

I'd hate to be on those Huddersfield coaches when they realise this was a league game and there is no second leg. In thirty odd years I've never seen such over the top celebrations with a one-one draw.

We're going to see a lot of that, I think. Villa Park is a big day out for most teams in that division, and they will raise their game against us, as will the fans. Tonight was a good result for Huddersfield, and deservedly so.

It was pretty desperate stuff from them I thought. The whole team standing hand in hand and the goalscorer holding someone aloft at the end made them look very small time.

They're Huddersfield.

[PeterWithe]

It was rather pathetic.

[Pete]

I'd hate to be on those Huddersfield coaches when they realise this was a league game and there is no second leg. In thirty odd years I've never seen such over the top celebrations with a one-one draw.

We're a big scalp for a team who had relegation worries in this division last season. A draw against us is a big result for them, especially as they're on a high after the Newcastle win.

[chrisw1]

Dear me ...what a bunch of moaners we sound tonite ....first 4 pages by people possibly not even at the game !

We are a work in progress at the moment and the signs are encouraging ...lets remember half the team were not at the club last year and it takes time to gel

None of us had seen a team as bad as last season and changes are happening ....we can't expect to be winning every game ....lets have a better judgement in 6 weeks time

Already it sounds like people are looking are new scapegoats ......... just get off everyones back

It is the Championship but last season we were possibly League One standard

Get behind the Club ...lets fill Villa Park every game and get the Upper Trinity opened soon at create the atmosphere we want and deserve

Reading this tonite we sound more like Eddie the Baggies fan ....get behind the team and it will come together

People are critiquing the team in a post match thread aimed at discussing the teams performance - surely this can't be a surprise to you?

[kippaxvilla2]

Plus points some really good play in the first half, the crowd, the tribute.

I was quite concerned at how well they kept the ball in the 2nd half especially thus rendering ourselves knackered by not keeling hold k
Of it and chasing around.

Elphick should definitely have cleared that ball do not know why he let it run. 

I'm not panicking yet.  If I remember rightly last time we came up we couldn't seem to put teams away at home for quite a while but were quite tidy away.  Derby are beatable.

[SoccerHQ]

Huddersfield have spent most of their history in the bottom two divisions. The 1930s were when they last had a decent team.

I can fully understand why they'd be pretty excited at getting 4 points away to Newcastle and Villa.

[dave17]

Followed on the radio. To be fair you can understand their celebrations as its 4 from 6 against two of the teams to come down. Seems like we lacked fitness, as the games come thick and fast, but not putting more than one away in the first half cost us as did a ricket. Sadly it's a quite familiar story. Hopefully jedinak will add a cool head and we can another striker or ayew can find his shooting boots.

As an aside, classy what the club did for Atkinson. Hi Wimbledon goal is the best on the highlights reel but for me if it was more every time he got the ball you knew anything was possible.

[brontebilly]

Anyone else worried that Richards is still part of the match day squad? I know options are limited but we really should have sent him to Coventry after the Luton debacle.

A parasite like him in the squad can't be good for morale. Lyden or Toner might not be up to it either but would at least burst a gut for the cause.

At least Lescott is nearly gone, finishing his career in Ibrox is quite the send off

[Smirker]

A predictable result. We simply don't have the right attitude yet. The moment it looked like there was going to be a fight, we bottled it. Huddersfield bullied us for most of the second half and, freak goal aside, there was only one team going to score. They fully deserved their draw because they fought tooth and nail for it. We're just not up for that kind of battle yet.

I know Jack got the assist, but there's still far too much farting around from him in my opinion. On more than one occasion he tried to make nice, when he should be making sure. Similarly with Ayew, at times. We need to see less pussyfooting. Shoot. Have a go.

A word about Gollini. I know he fucked up, but he should bounce back ok. He went in bravely for a couple of balls in the second half. He's got guts.

Still a mountain to climb.

I've seen Jack try to side foot or just completely scuff his shots several times. I'm not sure why he doesn't just put his laces through the ball. He scored a lovely goal for Notts County by smashing it into the roof of the net. He's obviously got the technique to do it but he rarely seems to do it.

[django]

The ref was shocking how we ended up with 3 players booked to their 1 I will never know. After the first 10 minutes I was sure they wouldn't end up with 11 on the pitch but for some reason the yellow cards never came.

The crowd were great, brilliant support when we first came under pressure and moving tribute to Dalian.

Similar to the Luton game in that we took our foot off the gas and/or ran out of ideas when we were on top and then they found their way back in then took control of the game. It's not that we have control of the game wrestled from us it's that we give it away. We need to be far more clinical when we're on top and cynical when we're losing our grip on a game.

Di matteo didn't really have options to change things whereas their manager made a difference with his subs, they gave them a lot more pace and width in the second half.

[KRS]

Apart from the obvious fact that we again managed concede yet another ridiculous goal, I'm struggling to comprehend how we managed to not win that game. Huddersfield were as equally as poor as Rotherham in the first half and we should have been out of sight...I said at half time that not being clinical in front of goal would come back to haunt us and so it proved.

I'm not sure if it was their subs, their change in tactics or just that our players lost their confidence and looked knackered...the equaliser was inevitable one way or another. Oh well...hopefully RDM will learn more about the squad from this minor set back.

On the walk back to the car, ended up chatting to a couple of Huddersfield lads and they were very complimentary about the Villa and couldn't believe they weren't 3 or 4 down at half time. They also mentioned that we were a much better team, played better football, much better fans and much better atmosphere at Villa Park than the barcodes. Fairplay to them and safe journey home.

edit: also massive credit to all our fans tonight...the tribute to Dalian actually sent a shiver down my spine. RIP big man.