Aston Villa v Preston North End Post-Match Thread

[KevinGage]

just back - an unpardonable capitulation second half, if Kodjia had been playing today we might have won. Oh, and Jack is shite - always abdicates responsibility for the final ball . Very poor. One plus point was Henri though, at last someone who can actually pass.

We'll soon knock that out of him, have no fear.

[achilles]

Completely blame Bruce for that, the first half was brilliant the best we have played this season.
After ten minutes of the second half, you could see that we were playing too deep again inviting Preston to attack us. You just knew what was going to happen!
As Bruce did not change it I can only surmise that is what Bruce wanted the players to do!
Christ almighty we don't half have some weak individuals in the Villa team, Grealish (an airy fairy player), Adomah (even though he scored two goals he was crap), Amavi (why does he pass the ball back so much). Gabby played really well in the first half but as someone said next to me, about bloody time on £65k a week!
Johnstone wasn't overly impressive but you couldn't blame Westwood or Hutton today although I am certain it won't stop some people.

How on earth did Green miss that open goal, that was poor by any standards but he played well after that and didn't drop his head.

[clash city rocker]

We spent fuckin millions on Mac and now they decide he's fuckin unfit !!! He misses training !! Can't we sue the basted not just for his wages but his transfer fee as well...fuckin unfit...a professional footballer and unfit ! Fuckin gross misconduct if a professional footballer is unfit. What a piss take.

[Tony Erdington]

I forgot the boy Green , we have a PLAYER thought he was excellent.

[KRS]

Just seen the goals on SSN...

For the first goal, there are 5 Villa players out of position and unable to stop their player running from the half way line, and 3 of them miss their tackles on the edge of the box. Pathetic.

For the second, Jack doesn't do enough to prevent the cross coming in, and their player is unmarked in front of goal. Pathetic again.

[Simon Page]

...you couldn't blame Westwood or Hutton today although I am certain it won't stop some people...

Burn the heretic.

[Bad English]

We spent fuckin millions on Mac

So that's where he gets the money for those bikes!

[andyh]

Just got back, and while I thaw out, I'm thinking about so many things today.
Fist half was excellent. There was movement, slick passing, space creation and a bit of a swagger about us. The 2 centre halfs were great, Gabby looked lively, Adomah was having his best game for us and we were creating chances.
Even Westwood looked like a proper midfielder.
And the cherry on the cake was Lansbury who really looked the complete package.

The second was fucking gash!!

From the 50th minute you could see the team starting to drop back and sit in.
Grealish (who I rate immensely and always, always defend) decided to play like a petulant schoolboy and effectively gave up.
You could see it coming, their goal, and once that happened most of us could have scripted what happened for the remainder of the game.
The only surprise is that we didn't actually lose.

Our passing went to piss.
Any belief we had went out the window.
We are still a very, very fragile team and it going to take a lot to get away from that.

Lingering hopes of a play off place this season?
Not a firigging chance.

[olaftab]

Still undefeated at home under Bruce, I suppose...

and RDM.

[Legion]

Still undefeated at home under Bruce, I suppose...

and RDM.

Marvellous!

[olaftab]

I personally would have used 25 not 20.

[frank black]

Hutton was having a stormer and then decided he should play the number 10 role for 5 mins...hence being out of position for their goal. I was going to give him the family MOM award too. A prize nugget he made me feel.

[Brend'Watkins]

I don't get it. 2-0 up and cruising with PNE offering nothing. So what do we do. Invite them on to attack us. Shocking team play. We could have got at them and scored a few more but no we drop back and allow them into the game. Was anybody really surprised they scored and went on to get a 2nd? The only surprise was that they didn't push for the winner.

I'm a fan of Grealish but today he wasn't at it. Gabby put a shift in as did Hutton. Don't understand why Tshbola was left out. Do understand why McCormack was. Not fit enough half way through the season is totally unacceptable.

[Villatillidie25]

Just got back - at least got out and home very quickly!

Overall, the first half really was very good. They passed, they moved, almost everyone was involved and we really should have been more than two nil up. The second half, though, was dreadful. They let Preston get into their faces and knock them off their stride and they stopped moving off the ball for one another. Nevertheless, I'm going to try and take the positives and say if we get another midfielder and Lansbury match fit, we really should improve.

Match ratings:

Johnstone - 6 - didn't really have anything to do other than pick the ball out of the net twice. Made a couple of decent punches and blocks at the front post though.

Hutton - 6 - actually thought he played quite well in the first half. Bombed forward but rather than aimlessly crossing it, he worked well with Adomah and there was some end product. Second half he stopped doing this and should have closed their winger down much faster for the second.

Chester - 7 - continues to be a calm head and martialled their big lad well for the majority of the game.

Baker - 7 - growing partnership with Chester and did well. Not sure who/if someone let their man go for the equaliser though so that might affect my marks.

Amavi - 7 - looked better today and started getting forward again. He looks much better when he has someone directly in front of him rather than someone like grealish who will drift inside.

Westwood - 3 - where do you start. Didn't do much wrong other than a couple of bottles challenges but he offers absolutely nothing. He doesn't tackle, he doesn't pass it forward, he's the most insignificant player ever. Even when we were v good in the first half, he did absolutely nothing.

Lansbury - 7 - did very well in the first half. Wanted the ball, made some good forward passes, a couple in particular were class. What was v encouraging was his willingness to break forward which helps grealish no end because it gives him someone to pass to and work through.

Adomah - 8 - scored 2 so have to give him a high mark but was no better or worse than anyone else to be honest.

Green - 7 - v promising overall and had more of an impact than I thought someone with his lack of experience would have done.

Grealish - 8 - thought he was v good today actually but Preston didn't half go agricultural on him in the second half, which really hindered us. He's someone who will play and be much better when he has player running off him and around him, which is exactly what happened in the first half. It's no coincidence his best run of form came when we had Delph and Cleverley breaking from midfield to support him.

Agbonlahor - 7 - it pains me to see him on the team sheet and I'll never forgive him for last season and think he's generally just not good enough but he was actually decent today. Held the ball up well, worked hard and laid it off to others. Not sure whether his effort was going in before adomah tapped it in but he could probably have downbeat with that goal to be honest.

[rougegorge]

Just got back and still scratching my head at how we threw it away. Forget the play-offs if we can't beat Preston, who were truly woeful in the first half. We should've been out of sight although I wasn't sure about our penalty (but haven't seen it again so could be wrong).

We played well for about an hour but it was poor play to let the lumbering centre forward waltz through and then Grealish switched off at the corner.
I don't know what to make of him today. Got fouled a lot but his final ball and decision making was poor.

Gabby got more involved and did quite well,  but my expectation level is so low that it probably made me think he was playing better than he was and Bruce seems to have given him a lot of leeway and support that I still don't get it.