The Mighty BRENTFORD 3-0 Aston Villa

[nick harper]

Note to Mr Bruce, please, please stop playing the lone striker, it doesn't work!! In the last few matches away from home, we have hardly managed a shot on target. Our best formation seems to be 4-4-2 so let's go with that and see where it leads. Our crossing is still woeful, surely this can be worked on in training. In addition, we need to press far higher up the pitch like other teams do to us. The reason other teams are able to do this is because we sit far too deep so make it easy for them. These things, like football in general, is not rocket science and, just the whole team putting in 100% effort throughout the duration of a match will reap rewards.

Spot on.  Bruce's cautious tactics are to blame.  Its inevitable when we go a goal down and play with a lone striker the rest of the team retreat and we have no way of coming back.  We are Aston Villa for Christ's sake.  We have just bought a load of players who were the bast players at their clubs so we should be dominating.  There is no point in being cautious now, unless we fear relegation.  I only hope Bruce decides to play Kodj and Hogan together up top or we are going nowhere.  I suspect he won't and will play Kodj out wide.....if he does he's a gonna

I think he will play Kodija and Hogan but he still has to get past the issue that Jedinak struggles in a midfield two, and he has to be a shoe in for the holding role given what we witnessed last night. He could go 4-1-3-2, but the three would need to be very mobile both going forward and defensively.

Generally, I do think a number of issues would go away if we upped the tempo and closed down round the pitch much better. There is a confidence issue at the moment but you only turn it round by working harder all round the pitch. We do still giv the impression we are waiting for team to roll over for us.

[damon loves JT]

Lowest point of the season for me. We will still be in the Championship next year.

[mr underhill]

let's hope so, this is now resembling a relegation dogfight

[Jon Crofts]

We're fucking shit.

We weren't even that good.

[nodge]

I hope our next manager brings the little ginger fella with him.

[Clampy]

 

Note to Mr Bruce, please, please stop playing the lone striker, it doesn't work!! In the last few matches away from home, we have hardly managed a shot on target. Our best formation seems to be 4-4-2 so let's go with that and see where it leads. Our crossing is still woeful, surely this can be worked on in training. In addition, we need to press far higher up the pitch like other teams do to us. The reason other teams are able to do this is because we sit far too deep so make it easy for them. These things, like football in general, is not rocket science and, just the whole team putting in 100% effort throughout the duration of a match will reap rewards.

Spot on.  Bruce's cautious tactics are to blame.  Its inevitable when we go a goal down and play with a lone striker the rest of the team retreat and we have no way of coming back.  We are Aston Villa for Christ's sake.  We have just bought a load of players who were the bast players at their clubs so we should be dominating.  There is no point in being cautious now, unless we fear relegation.  I only hope Bruce decides to play Kodj and Hogan together up top or we are going nowhere.  I suspect he won't and will play Kodj out wide.....if he does he's a gonna

I think he will play Kodija and Hogan but he still has to get past the issue that Jedinak struggles in a midfield two, and he has to be a shoe in for the holding role given what we witnessed last night. He could go 4-1-3-2, but the three would need to be very mobile both going forward and defensively.

You've posted more or less exactly what I was going to. I think because he knows Jedinak struggles in a two man midfield is the reason why he's brought in Bjarnnson. It's obvious he needs a few games under his belt after last night though.

[KevinGage]

Not sure Jedinak would've been much use last night.

In a more agricultural, all hands to the pump away day battle, he'd be fine, heading or hacking the ball away.

But Brentford would have been in clover getting balls down the side of him, with their pace and movement.

Tish isn't everyone's cup of tea, and I'd concede he is a work in progress. He will occasionally ball watch and not track the man.

But he does have a turn of pace as well as decent physicality, and his distribution is reasonable. It already looks like folly to let him go, considering our other midfield options.

[mallo]

I'm hoping that since they didn't have a clue what each other were doing they looked lost. I'd expect a lot more on Saturday or I'll just go back in my hole till next season. This is where we'll find out if we can coach or not - we know these guys are miles better than the people they are replacing so there are no excuses now. I'm convinced someone is drugging them in training by mistake. I was going to write a little Westwood epiphet, but the fact I'm not fuming about him is somewhat perversely gratifying.

[Ads]

With Jedinak in we could have pressed them more effectively. It was far too easy as we gave them too much room. Every time Lansbury vacated the space he would take up deep as default, they'd drift in and feed a ball into a player who could drive at our centre halves.

Their second goal was a consequence of the chronic lack.of balance and organisation.

Nobody in this league is good enough to beat the press.

[lukey27]

There were a lot of issues last night. It looked like a number of our players didn't know what position they were playing unfortunately.

We should have pressed higher and more effectively but if Bjarnason and Hourihane don't know their roles in the side it can look messy.

The default for Bruce at the moment seems to be to revert to 4-5-1 when things are going badly, with the two wider players too deep and Kodjia so isolated.

Hourihane and Bjarnason certainly can't play any worse. Just wonder if going a little bit narrower might suit this squad of player. Certainly would allow us to get a little bit more control and Kodjia and someone like Grealish could play off Hogan as opposed to persisting with out and out wingers.

[KRS]

The whole team were unbelievably shite last night but the goals came from 2 deep defence splitting passes that weren't dealt with (closing down, interception or tackle) and a cross that found their player completely unmarked. All 3 goals should have been prevented and dealt with by Baker or Chester but they failed miserably on each occasion.

[exiled on the wirral!]

500 mile, 8 hour round trip through rain and fog to see a Villa team start brightly and completely fold when they go a goal down. Really not impressed with the goalkeeper..I think he should have done better for the first goal, Kodja spent most of the game on the floor and the sooner the two new full backs get introduced the better. I actually thought Houilhan played ok, put himself about although he gave the ball away. Lansbury needs to play further forward and the Icelandic lad looked off the pace.

Loved Griffin Park..easy to find, terracing, old style foodlights easy parking loads of pubs and a McDonald's nearby. Just a shame we never turned up.

[AV82EC]

Particularly as Adomahs delivery is nothing short of woeful.

[VinnieChase84]

I would like to set this setup on Saturday
           Johnstone
Bree,Chester,Baker,Taylor
             Jedinak
  Lansbury Hourihane Jack
          Hogan. Kodjia

[oldtimernow]

I think the mighty Hutton has run his last race