Cardiff City vs Aston Villa Post-Match Thread

[Lastfootstamper]

I don't know what to make of those stats.  It looks outrageously bad, but was this because both sides were lumping it long first half?  Tshibola, coming on second half has 10 times the number of  touches than Westwood / Gardener?!?

If the game had been some sort of bizarre tennis match using those two as the net, you'd still expect them to have had more touches than that in 45 minutes.

[john e]

even Gabby had 8 touches in that infamous match at WHL and he's a striker so just 3 touches for a midfielder (using the term loosely) I still think is impossible

[paul_e]

We stood off them and let them physically bully us. We were so slow in moving the ball, it was just frustrating beyond belief against a dire side.

We have been all along since Bruce came in and, in my opinion, that's something you can address in training.  My concern is that Bruce either doesn't care because the results have generally been ok (although 3 defeats in the last 4 away games is shocking and needs to be addressed) or he decided that he'd take the 'easy' option and let the players take the blame until the window.  I don't want him to fail (no matter how many times people suggest it) but I won't give him a free pass for the mistakes he makes that's why I'm negative about him, right now I see a honeymoon period (which a lot of people have missed because we haven't had them the last few times) that I'm worried is wearing thin.

Clampy has, a few times on this thread, suggested that he didn't really have the options to do anything different.  I disagree.  He's had nearly 3 months to give tish and lyden a chance but he's chosen to stick with 'tried and tested' Westwood and Gardner.  He's had all that time to get the players working on looking like they train as a group and trust each enough to play and receive the ball, he's chosen to not do it.  The first half today, both Leeds games, Norwich, Burton, Blues all games where he's sent us out to try to not concede rather than to try to win.  All of you slag off managers who've done this in the past so why is it fine when Bruce does it?

[Marlon From Bearwood]

9 touches between them? Mind-boggling. And one of Westwood's three touches was blazing a "shot" high over the bar. We literally had no midfield first half.

I said during the game I'd never seen a player fouled as much in one game as Jack was. They'd obviously targeted him and the ref offered him no protection, meaning it just went on and on.

On the way home I had the misfortune to catch the talksport phone in where a Cardiff fan rang in specifically to talk about Grealish. He called Jack an embarrassment to football, who dived throughout the game, and needs to man up and deal with the Championship. Just shows that their fans are falling for Colin Wanker's bullshit.

 

[pauliewalnuts]

Christ, is that correct?

Westwood touched the ball three times and Gardner six?

[Chris Jameson]

Christ, is that correct?

Westwood touched the ball three times and Gardner six?

On the plus side they could only give it back to the opposition a maximum nine times between them.

[Jon Crofts]

Christ, is that correct?

Westwood touched the ball three times and Gardner six?

And completed 3 of 4 passes. 4 fucking passes!

[john e]

it's got to be fake news

[old man villa fan]

That's twice now this season that Westwood has been brought off at half time.  I just cannot understand how his game has deteriorated so much over the last couple of seasons.  When you look at his stats this season, they are embarrassing for a player with his experience.  He has lost all confidence in himself and looks as though he is hiding in games.  People said that he played fairly well against Leeds but even in that game I thought he was a passenger in the 1st half and it was only when Jedinak went off that he started to get into the game.

[SoccerHQ]

I don't know what to make of those stats.  It looks outrageously bad, but was this because both sides were lumping it long first half?  Tshibola, coming on second half has 10 times the number of  touches than Westwood / Gardener?!?

If the game had been some sort of bizarre tennis match using those two as the net, you'd still expect them to have had more touches than that in 45 minutes.

Given they were the two sitters you'd expect one of them at least to offer themselves short as an easy pass when the CBs had the ball. Westwood does at least usually do this.

Also suggests to me neither were getting to the 50/50s.

Gardner-Westwood as a combo is piss poor, we saw that earlier on in the season.

I would judge this transfer window as a success if from Feb 1st Gardner, Westwood and Hutton are no longer starting games for us. It should've happened long ago.

[TonyD]

I think three good midfielders are a minimum this month.

[SoccerHQ]

That's twice now this season that Westwood has been brought off at half time.  I just cannot understand how his game has deteriorated so much over the last couple of seasons.  When you look at his stats this season, they are embarrassing for a player with his experience.  He has lost all confidence in himself and looks as though he is hiding in games.  People said that he played fairly well against Leeds but even in that game I thought he was a passenger in the 1st half and it was only when Jedinak went off that he started to get into the game.

Him at Preston was one of the worst performances from a Villa midfielder I'd ever seen.

What I find bizarre is since then he's still started about 10 games for us. Tshibola had a dodgy game v Wolves and we haven't seen him for three months.

[N'ZMAV]

the positive is that Bruce has seen how poor some of these cowards in our team are; now he can bomb them out and replace them. The poorest ones are the ones that have been rotting our club for a while.

[brian green]

Tshibola and his agent act the goat.  Westwood keeps it zipped and trains hard.  Westwood gets on the team sheet Tshibola doesn't.

[Fin Feds Dad]

Got up at 6.30 this morning to get to Brum for coach etc .

At 2pm wondered why I bothered .

Pathetic midfield selection - which has been shown up for what it was by the 6 and 3 stats .

Time for Bruce to show if he can be ruthless or not .