Aston Villa v Brentford Post Match Thread

[devilla]

These late goals must mean it's either a fitness thing or a mental thing. Last season I'd have gone fitness but these are new players, are they mentally fragile? Should we bring in someone to help them to not be such fragile capitulators?

I've been saying for a while now that we desperately need a sports psychologist to address the issue of metal fragility. RDM's "tactics" certainly don't help either but the losing mentality that means we consistently have terrible second halves and concede so many late goals is reaching crisis point.

[simboy]

Why does every team have some sort of togetherness and positivity and gumption and rev, apart from us? It's so tepid and lethargic and just so boring, the way we play. Like nobody has any energy. I just don't get it.

I'm pretty underwhelmed by our 'leaders' at the moment.

Is anyone else starting to wonder about how decent a player Elphick is, for all that "he's a leader" stuff?

He was another big fish in a very small pond.  He's come here and it's like night and day compared to the Cherries.  It's probably weighing on him.  Timing I know but I would've made Jedinak captain.  Get Baker in for some good old fashioned defending.


Worried about Elphick? Everytime the ball goes near him it's a disaster waiting to happen at the moment. He's misdirecting headers under no pressure, causing the keeper difficulties with back passes, positionally poor, lets attackers get goalside ...apart from that? Worried about Elphick? Not at all

[olaftab]

I thought Baker should have been on when De Laet went off, simply to block it up.

I wasn't a case of blocking it up we were being mullered in the middle of the park and for the 3/4th match running he did fuck all about it.

[Villatillidie1982]

So it sounds like another Villa midfield two got overrun in the 2nd half again? There's a shock...

It got worse once he "strengthened" the midfield with Gardner. I'd rather have his brother in the team and that's desperation.

[Nelly]

I think to play just two midfielders needs them both to be talented, seriously athletic and willing to get in and fight. We don't have that from any of our midfielders. So why set us up for that?

[Rudy Can't Fail]

With 5 minutes to go, I went off for dinner thinking we can't fuck up again.

Serious questions need to be asked. Everybody knows you have to battle for every point in this league yet we seem to have decided to go against the grain and not buy a midfield

Without checking, I'd bet Risso's bet winnings that we spent more on central midfielders this summer than Brentford have spent on that position in their entire history.

You may be right but my point was more about the other line you didn't quote, "battlers" or to be more precise, the lack of. Did RDM really think we'd hammer every team due to our fire power whilst ignoring the way you need to bloody win the ball to begin with?

[Phil from the upper holte]

Rdm doesn't give a Fuk get rid off him before its to late

How doesn't he? I'm sure he wants to get out of the division as much as we do

[remy]

Seems the enthusiasm is being sucked out of me week by week.

I remarked to my kids at the end of the transfer window there was no prime midfield enforcer brought in - which is bit of a worry. Westwood and Gardner won't cut it. Jedinak needs a 2nd and 3rd in a MF 3 - Tshibola? But who completes the trio?

Not going to give anybody a tonking so put that out your minds - were just not clinical enough - all fur coat and no knickers.

Frankly I'm tired of being rolled over - I want us to be dirty, hard, aggressive bastards that teams shit themselves coming to vp, knowing it's going to be a bruising encounter regardless.

Where is the moment when the opposition's best player is sent sprawling a few minutes into the game - welcome to villa park.

Where is the moment that RDM realises he can't play ALL the forwards in one go.

Onto the tractors's farm where it's a 'must win' and another 0-0. Absolute shite.

[auntiesledd]

Evening all. I didn't listen to the match tonight - & frankly it doesn't sound like I missed anything that I've seen & heard far too many times before. RDM's been backed to the hilt & has already shown he doesn't appear to have what it takes to organise a team that's capable of success. I realise the players need to take some responsibility for their sub-standard performances, but the buck stops with the manager. He needs to well & truly pull his finger out. otherwise he will only have himself to blame if & when Tony provides him with the boot. Sort it out Di Matteo. FFS!!

[PeterWithesShin]

We should be an outside bet for automatic promotion. We're actually an outside bet for relegation.

No we're not.

As for the game, frustrating yet again. There seemed to be a 'not so gung ho' plan to it tonight and whilst that's fine, we needed the second goal.

I don't think it's fine at all when you're at home to fucking Brentford and have 4 strikers in the starting 11. How can you do that and then not be gung ho?

What I meant was, rather than go for all out attack, there seemed to be a bit more of a attempt to keep it a bit more tighter rather than try and score three and four. But yeah, we should be beating the likes of Brentford.

But I don't see how can try and keep it tight with 4 strikers from the off. It's my worry with RDM, he seems to be shoehorning players into a formation. If you want it tighter you pick the players that can do that.

[tomd2103]

Lost all momentum after our goal and the late equaliser was inevitable.  Away sides must now know that even if they concede one, as long as they keep it tight they are in with a good chance of getting something from the game.  Kodjia's goal and overall performance were the only real positives for me and I still don't know why he was out wide to start with.

Finding the talk of RDM going a little premature to be honest. 

[MonsXI]

Was Mccormack injured or was that a tactical substitution?

Obvious the players were told to stop pressing after the halfway line in the second half but why?

The optimism is been ground out of me I fear that RDM might not be the man, I hope I'm wrong.

[villadelph]

Unacceptable. I'm just sick of this club.

This.

Get rid.

[Des Little]

So it sounds like another Villa midfield two got overrun in the 2nd half again? There's a shock...

It got worse once he "strengthened" the midfield with Gardner. I'd rather have his brother in the team and that's desperation.

I'd rather play his Mom in there. The bloke is shot. That pitiful excuse of a pass late on says all you need to know about him. He's League 2.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Highlight of the night was having a quick beer with Mr Hard Boiled Eggs and his beloved. Top chap. When I checked the phone and told him we were already 1 up, we both looked at each other knowing we'd likely end up frustrated with a last minute goal.