Aston Villa v Preston North End Post-Match Thread

[LukeJames]

It was pathetic to be honest.

[oldhill_avfc]

I honestly think Gollini was better than Johnstone. Seems a strange replacement to me.

Grealish continues to do nothing every game. Swaggers about the pitch but does nothing to back it up. He's an average player who was built up to be something he's not.

Did you see the game?

[oldhill_avfc]

I wasn't there today but it sounded like we were great first half but sat back in the second. Being two up and getting only a point is disappointing and bloody frustrating.

As for the comment about the noise in the Holte, again I wasn't there today but I personally sit in the Holte because I want to, not because I say I want to be in there. As silly a comment as I've heard for a while, but i'm not overly surprised to be honest.

Not particularly picking out your post - many felt we sat back but it wasn't like that.

Angela was fucked and should have been taken off earlier, Westwood did his usual impersonation of the invisible man and that allowed them to take control of the midfield.

Adomah did't really do much to comeback and bolster the midfield.  Green presumably was told to stay forward and be in a position where his pace could hurt them.  To be fair Grealish tried and now seems to be getting the neck from a few on here for being light weight.

All of which would have been academic if we hadn't missed decent chances at the start of the 2nd half or indeed didn't allow a free header for their second.

Basically it all confirms what most of us know - we need Lansbury to be fully fit and someone else to play alongside him.  For all his faults Grealish remains the player with the most quality but he needs to be more selfish/ruthless in attack.

[ChicagoLion]

I delayed my trip back to be at the game. Fantastic tribute to Graham Taylor.

We are a shambles of a squad, as soon as they got a bit physical and pressed we collectively folded.
We had no midfield when Lansbury tired and went off, the fact that you end up playing with Westwood and Bacuna tells you everything.
We are a mid table second division team.

[caster troy]

First trip back to Villa Park after a two year absence. We don't look much different really, opposition keeper with little to do, no clear tactics. Only difference was being gifted a two goal head start to help us avoid a defeat.

I feel sorry for Westwood (as much as you can feel sorry for a well paid footballer). It's not his fault Villa have kept playing him all this time and even when he is not the worst player in the team on the day (Amavi) doesn't cost us a goal due to laziness (Grealish) and at least turns up to training unlike some (McCormack) he still gets the most abuse.

[dorsetvillian]

Grealish had five or six occasions during the game, when the right pass in an attacking position would have created a goal scoring opportunity. In each case he couldn't create the assist. So very frustrating.

[richardhubbard]

First time I been down to a league game in 18 months .

Thought we were good for 60 minutes . Gabby put a shift in , Lansbury a class car and green got potential .

Downsides grealish who was awful .

Give Bruce time , we not going up this season and never were .

[Matt Collins]

Didn't follow closely but have seen the highlights and caught some analysis

Sounds like we played really well first half and lansbury did well? The benefit of having midfielders who can pas no doubt? (ie no Jedinak Bacuna or Gardner)

Didn't really seem to create many great chances though - apart from green's header and a chance that grealish telegraphed. Thought we were pretty lucky with both goals

Shocking marking for the equaliser

We're not going up this season so I hope we can spend the rest of the season establishing a way of playing that balances some of the quality we've shown in flashes with the backbone we initially had when Bruce arrived

How did green do?

[Matt Collins]

Oh and I have to say the highlights made it sound like there was about 500 people at the game

[mr underhill]

then it shows how misleading highlights can be. We were vocal and PNE were vocal.

[markeeeebeeee2005]

I delayed my trip back to be at the game. Fantastic tribute to Graham Taylor.

We are a shambles of a squad, as soon as they got a bit physical and pressed we collectively folded.
We had no midfield when Lansbury tired and went off, the fact that you end up playing with Westwood and Bacuna tells you everything.
We are a mid table second division team.

Why is Lansbury not fit? It's mid season and I thought he'd been playing. Also he has probably only had one session at Bodymoor to get him out of condition.

[Walmley_Villa]

I delayed my trip back to be at the game. Fantastic tribute to Graham Taylor.

We are a shambles of a squad, as soon as they got a bit physical and pressed we collectively folded.
We had no midfield when Lansbury tired and went off, the fact that you end up playing with Westwood and Bacuna tells you everything.
We are a mid table second division team.

Why is Lansbury not fit? It's mid season and I thought he'd been playing. Also he has probably only had one session at Bodymoor to get him out of condition.

He hasn't played since early December

[markeeeebeeee2005]

Ah. I didn't know that. Fair enough then.

[Nunkin1965]

I think he picked up an injury and hasn't got on the pitch since. With that and the move speculation he didn't feature for Forest. I'd say not a bad debut considering on just a single session with us. Head and shoulders above anything we have at the moment. Set piece quality was really good apart from 1 I recall. Gets his foot in. Sprayed some fine passes around an seemed available for the ball a lot. Going to be a combative git which will be a big piece in our promotion jigsaw ( Probaly for next season I know), and which is exactly what we need in midfield.

[Matt Collins]

Lansbury and hourihane will make our midfield a thousand times better than it's been

I'm feeling optimistic about next season. There won't be a new version of Newcastle in the league next year