Aston Villa v Brentford Post Match Thread

[Chris Jameson]

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

How can you say that, he's got the most important attribute you need to play football in this country, PASSION.

[CJ]

You know things are bad when Brentford fans - that's Brentford fans - are chanting 'boring,boring Villa'. And they weren't wrong. One bit of quality in an otherwise shapeless, laboured,insipid performance. There's so much wrong - yes we missed Grealish but I'm fed up of saying week in week out that any midfield that has Westwood in it is asking for trouble. There was a stark  contrast between him - loitering around, marking empty space as opposition players go past him, pointing and moving the ball swiftly sideways or backwards - and their number 15 Woods (or that little ginger cnut as the chap behind me kept calling him) who bossed the midfield with energy and movement. And Gardner seems to find a simple pass to one of our players simply beyond him. And why do we sit so deep and invite pressure - that's either poor tactics from RDM or a weak midfield which is picked by RDM. We all knew the goal was coming and fortunately clung on for a point. Against Brentford. Seven points in seven games is relegation form and something needs to change quick.

And having spent two and a quarter hours getting home through town on Sunday I decided to head for the M6 Jnc 7 - got there in great time only to find Traffic England had closed access to the M6/M5 there as well so ended up on a scenic tour of Sandwell to get to the M5. Perfect end to a perfect evening

[aj2k77]

Sticking with people who repeat the same mistakes gets you the same results. There's no doubt in my mind that if there's any more fuck ups the next couple of games the Dr will rightly pull the trigger and try someone else. This is basic stuff rdm is ballsing up.

[Jimbo]

THE FUCKING USELESS ARSEHOLES.

I'm sorry, just had to get that off my chest. I can sleep now. Good night.

[Pete3206]

I think we'll stay up

[croatian]

This current manager will be gone by Christmas.

[andyh]

I think we'll stay up

Agreed,  there are 3 worse teams in the league, aren't there? Please say there are.

[QuintonVilla]

This current manager will be gone by Christmas.

I think if things continue as they are he'll be gone well before Christmas. If we're still around 17th and we lose to Blues I think he'll go.

[villadelph]

Marc Albrighton is scoring goals in the fucking champions league and we're fucking shipping goals to settle for a point in the Championship.

God I am fuming.

There is no rock bottom with this club. There are just incompetent assholes everywhere. I'm done making excuses for di Matteo. If you can't win A GAME after splashing £50m then you're doing something wrong. Discipline, tactics, conditioning.. I don't give a rat's arse, FIGURE IT OUT. That starting 11 was a total shot in the dark. Goal scorers all over the park and you manage 1 completely individual goal.

He's got three more games for me, and if any of those three see dropped points in the last 10 minutes get him tf out.

This is a joke. I thought this was going to be a tough league, but it's NOT. We're just ill prepared and have no gumption.

Shut it down and see out a game you pussies. Dropping back at home up 1-0 to Brentford on 60 minutes is a crime.

This is Aston Villa.

[SoccerHQ]

Watching their goal again, if anything Cissokho is one of the few who escapes blame. Chester had gone MIA again so Cissokho had to come in and challenge their forward. Amavi nowhere to be seen, Gollini rooted to line and Gardner allowed a handy cross into the box.

In a proper team, someone sees that play developing and covers for Cissokho. Good defenders anticipate the worst. Our bunch of startled earwigs would sooner hope the opposition fucks up.

The team is completely unbalanced and fucks knows where Adamoah is supposed to fit in. It's getting to the stage where it's Grealish or McCormack, Gestede or Kodija and get a third mobile midfielder in to support Jedinak and Westwood.

The goal was terrible marking. the bloke who scored is a centre half ffs although good finish.

We actually should've had a free kick 30 seconds before, high kick on Jedinak which somehow wasn't a foul. The ref then gave an identical one against Jedinak two minutes later.

[Simon Page]

By the way did my ears deceive me or were brentfords fans singing 'boring boring Villa' towards the end?

Yep. I felt like joining in. There was a point just before the hour mark - by which time we'd already started trying to time waste - where we managed an attack. Not a speedy breakaway but a bit of passing and a run down the left. Got to their box, looked up to find no options and were eventually crowded out. Not really surprising as six - count them, SIX - of our outfield players were standing round the centre circle. Three were still in our half.

It was so obviously the tactics they'd been given because no-one on or off the pitch suggested any of the half dozen offered support to the attack. For 45 minutes we decided to defend our third of the pitch... Against Brentford... At home. We were lucky to draw.

Their fans called it right. It wasn't that we were comically bad, unlucky, ran out of steam, up against world beaters or any other possible excuse. We decided to hold on to what we had from the moment we got the call to leave the dressing room for the second half. They decided to have a go at breaking us down and showed a bit of intelligence to their play. Their players were intelligent and committed. We were boring and mediocre. Given the amount of space and possession we were willing to give to Brentford after the break, our defence could probably argue they did well to only concede once.

[Marton]

Problem is the midfield. We do well enough when we are not in the lead cause the opposition have to respect our forwards and tend to be cautious. When we go in front, they have to make a move and find out that Gardner is joke, Westwood is still Westwood and Jedinak is a tough guy that anyone with a pulse can outrun. Trying to push for a 2nd goal based on that midfield is like trying for an Ace with a tennisracket with no strings...defending with that midfield is like returning a serve with the same stringless tennisracket.

So we still short at least 2 decent midfielders, there must something to be done cause we cant keep putting Gardner and Westwood on the pitch again and again and expecting different results, that is literally the very definition of idiocy!!

Loans, Youth players...anything! Please!

[Brend'Watkins]

The angriest I've been at a game for quite a while, the first time I've booed the team at the end ever too. Frustrating, massively frustrating. RDM needs to sort this shit out sharpish. We were constantly so narrow, we constantly allowed a ginger kid for them time and time again the freedom of the park to orchestrate proceedings. That's nothing to do with our players it's all to do with our tactics. Jesus Christ how difficult is it? This is what they're doing, this is how we need to counter act what they're doing and then impose it! We all can see it why can't RDM?

We were lucky to get a point because had they had a half decent finisher they should have been 2-1 up at half time. And I'm not buying that "this team needs time to gel' bullshit tonight. We have players with the ability and nous to perform much much better. Another thing, how the fuck did Amavi cost £10 million?

[adrenachrome]

By the way did my ears deceive me or were brentfords fans singing 'boring boring Villa' towards the end?

Yep. I felt like joining in. There was a point just before the hour mark - by which time we'd already started trying to time waste - where we managed an attack. Not a speedy breakaway but a bit of passing and a run down the left. Got to their box, looked up to find no options and were eventually crowded out. Not really surprising as six - count them, SIX - of our outfield players were standing round the centre circle. Three were still in our half.

It was so obviously the tactics they'd been given because no-one on or off the pitch suggested any of the half dozen offered support to the attack. For 45 minutes we decided to defend our third of the pitch... Against Brentford... At home. We were lucky to draw.

Their fans called it right. It wasn't that we were comically bad, unlucky, ran out of steam, up against world beaters or any other possible excuse. We decided to hold on to what we had from the moment we got the call to leave the dressing room for the second half. They decided to have a go at breaking us down and showed a bit of intelligence to their play. Their players were intelligent and committed. We were boring and mediocre. Given the amount of space and possession we were willing to give to Brentford after the break, our defence could probably argue they did well to only concede once.

They first started that before the hour mark, when it it was clear to anybody at the side of the pitch that we had everybody camped deep in our own half.

[oldham_villa]

First time I've been to Villa Park this season. My thoughts:

Gollini - doesn't fill me with too much confidence, but he's young so has time to develop

De Laat - I was impressed with his pace. We need to have him as our out ball instead off Cissokko.

Centre Halves - neither of them are tall, pacy or fill me with confidence. A decent striker will make mincemeat of them

Cissokko - gets far too tight to his player, giving silly free kicks away. Not sure what happened before he collapsed, but he was too tight. Too often sits back when he could and should overlap

Westwood - there was a laughable moment where we lost possession after a corner and he found himself in the right back position, tracking a runner. He pointed behind him for this player to be picked up, yet HE was the man in the position, there was no one there. He's neat and tidy in a sideways type of way. He couldn't spot an incisive pass in a gazillion days

Jedniak - I thought he was tidy enough. Again, he was a little too inclined to play it square. Prior to the decent ball out to Kodja he missed another decent run by McCormack. I think he will look much better with Tshibola.

Ayew - I spent most of the evening shaking my head at him, he's a strange player. After 50 odd mins he was dawdling to take a corner....wtf is all that about. Gets moved up front second half yet moves back to left hand side, lea img Gestede on his own

Kodja - wonderful goal, looked a menace all game, yet pushed out wide right. Man of the match

McCormack - the only one to actually look to move to receive a pass. Unfortunately, we didn't have the vision to pick him out when he found space. We need to get more out of him.

Gestede - decent flicks but utter gash on the floor. Missed an easy chance in first half when he practically passed it back to the keeper.munlucky with a header too. Had nobody close to him second half.....no point playing him in that scenario

Bacuna - didn't think he did too badly, though his pathetic cross when Kodja was unmarked and clear in the middle was amateur level. That would have made it 2-0'and game over. Less than 5 min later they were level

Amavi - what a fanny. Over playing, knocking simple falls down the line, out and looking like he could not be arsed. Why didn't he shoot when he was 1 on 1 :-(

Boring boring Villa indeed. Dawdling to take corners, almost as if we were killing time?!?! What's all that about.

Why are we retreating and not pressing them when the ball goes to their keeper. I could think of at least 4 occasions when the Holte End showed their disapprovement. Why don't they learn???
Villa Park is like no other ground when the players n fans are in unison. At no point did the players try to get the fans excited, so it therefore turned into a bit of a morgue.

Formation is not good enough. RDM will probably say he's doing all he can to win, as he's playing 4 strikers. There is no decent movement (apart from McCormack), and our midfield/ defence would probably struggle to see it regardless. Playing with Gestede on his own when there was nobody close to him was pathetic.

I can see Dr Tony axing RDM, as this just isn't good enough.