Reading v Villa post match thread

[auntiesledd]

To compound matters, Villa hadn't sent my tickets down to Reading, so I missed the first 30 minutes while the useless muppets in their ticket office strolled around and informed me I couldn't have bought them.  Ended up being seperated from my mate as we were given random tickets.  Then found it was a duplicate, so three other blokes also had a ticket for my seat.  And being treated like a criminal by the police (told to 'shut up' etc.) didn't exactly help.

Villa ticket office has been a fucking joke this season.  Whoever the fuck is in charge there needs a P45, they're clearly incompetant.

Ahhhhh, good ol' Thames Valley Plod. They love visiting footy supporters down their way, yes siree Bob. 

They were quite lucky it didn't kick off, in all honesty.  The guy in front of me was about 6ft8 and he was really having a go, but the copper just turned a blind eye.  I guess if you're short then it's inevitable the police will feel free to abuse you.

Was all this going on inside or outside the ground, TV? Either way, it sounds like it put the rotten proverbial on top of your thoroughly shite 'match day experience'.

[VinnieChase84]

Its bad enough having to sit through the match last night, but to have it compounded by Bruce talking utter tripe. I find it offensive that he then full on lie's about what we have all seen.

[itbrvilla]

What's the difference between a triangle and Aston Villa?

A triangle has 3 points.

Wahay!!!!

[Tugby Villain]

To compound matters, Villa hadn't sent my tickets down to Reading, so I missed the first 30 minutes while the useless muppets in their ticket office strolled around and informed me I couldn't have bought them.  Ended up being seperated from my mate as we were given random tickets.  Then found it was a duplicate, so three other blokes also had a ticket for my seat.  And being treated like a criminal by the police (told to 'shut up' etc.) didn't exactly help.

Villa ticket office has been a fucking joke this season.  Whoever the fuck is in charge there needs a P45, they're clearly incompetant.

Ahhhhh, good ol' Thames Valley Plod. They love visiting footy supporters down their way, yes siree Bob. 

They were quite lucky it didn't kick off, in all honesty.  The guy in front of me was about 6ft8 and he was really having a go, but the copper just turned a blind eye.  I guess if you're short then it's inevitable the police will feel free to abuse you.

Was all this going on inside or outside the ground, TV? Either way, it sounds like it put the rotten proverbial on top of your thoroughly shite 'match day experience'.

Outside.  Looking at it with different glasses on, it would actually have made a pretty good sitcom - Outnumbered, that kind of thing.  Just about everything that could have gone wrong did, but as the nice old bloke behind me said at the end, 'at least Villa played well'.

Apologies for the rant and the language.  I wasn't best pleased.

[andyh]

To compound matters, Villa hadn't sent my tickets down to Reading, so I missed the first 30 minutes while the useless muppets in their ticket office strolled around and informed me I couldn't have bought them.  Ended up being seperated from my mate as we were given random tickets.  Then found it was a duplicate, so three other blokes also had a ticket for my seat.  And being treated like a criminal by the police (told to 'shut up' etc.) didn't exactly help.

Villa ticket office has been a fucking joke this season.  Whoever the fuck is in charge there needs a P45, they're clearly incompetant.

Ahhhhh, good ol' Thames Valley Plod. They love visiting footy supporters down their way, yes siree Bob. 

They were quite lucky it didn't kick off, in all honesty.  The guy in front of me was about 6ft8 and he was really having a go, but the copper just turned a blind eye.  I guess if you're short then it's inevitable the police will feel free to abuse you.

Was all this going on inside or outside the ground, TV? Either way, it sounds like it put the rotten proverbial on top of your thoroughly shite 'match day experience'.

Outside.  Looking at it with different glasses on, it would actually have made a pretty good sitcom - Outnumbered, that kind of thing.  Just about everything that could have gone wrong did, but as the nice old bloke behind me said at the end, 'at least Villa played well'.

Apologies for the rant and the language.  I wasn't best pleased.

Was Steve Bruce sitting behind you ?

[Tugby Villain]

To compound matters, Villa hadn't sent my tickets down to Reading, so I missed the first 30 minutes while the useless muppets in their ticket office strolled around and informed me I couldn't have bought them.  Ended up being seperated from my mate as we were given random tickets.  Then found it was a duplicate, so three other blokes also had a ticket for my seat.  And being treated like a criminal by the police (told to 'shut up' etc.) didn't exactly help.

Villa ticket office has been a fucking joke this season.  Whoever the fuck is in charge there needs a P45, they're clearly incompetant.

Ahhhhh, good ol' Thames Valley Plod. They love visiting footy supporters down their way, yes siree Bob. 

They were quite lucky it didn't kick off, in all honesty.  The guy in front of me was about 6ft8 and he was really having a go, but the copper just turned a blind eye.  I guess if you're short then it's inevitable the police will feel free to abuse you.

Was all this going on inside or outside the ground, TV? Either way, it sounds like it put the rotten proverbial on top of your thoroughly shite 'match day experience'.

Outside.  Looking at it with different glasses on, it would actually have made a pretty good sitcom - Outnumbered, that kind of thing.  Just about everything that could have gone wrong did, but as the nice old bloke behind me said at the end, 'at least Villa played well'.

Apologies for the rant and the language.  I wasn't best pleased.

Was Steve Bruce sitting behind you ?

Come to think of it, he did keep talking about a new striker we've bought... some bloke called Samba 

[auntiesledd]

To compound matters, Villa hadn't sent my tickets down to Reading, so I missed the first 30 minutes while the useless muppets in their ticket office strolled around and informed me I couldn't have bought them.  Ended up being seperated from my mate as we were given random tickets.  Then found it was a duplicate, so three other blokes also had a ticket for my seat.  And being treated like a criminal by the police (told to 'shut up' etc.) didn't exactly help.

Villa ticket office has been a fucking joke this season.  Whoever the fuck is in charge there needs a P45, they're clearly incompetant.

Ahhhhh, good ol' Thames Valley Plod. They love visiting footy supporters down their way, yes siree Bob. 

They were quite lucky it didn't kick off, in all honesty.  The guy in front of me was about 6ft8 and he was really having a go, but the copper just turned a blind eye.  I guess if you're short then it's inevitable the police will feel free to abuse you.

Was all this going on inside or outside the ground, TV? Either way, it sounds like it put the rotten proverbial on top of your thoroughly shite 'match day experience'.

Outside.  Looking at it with different glasses on, it would actually have made a pretty good sitcom - Outnumbered, that kind of thing.  Just about everything that could have gone wrong did, but as the nice old bloke behind me said at the end, 'at least Villa played well'.

Apologies for the rant and the language.  I wasn't best pleased.

No apologies necessary bab. I just wish your awful evening had ended after witnessing that shower of shite out on the park.

[UK Redsox]

Just watched the highlights. In real time I thought that Hogan had played a great ball through to Green but it turns out to have been a fluky deflection.

[Five Villa Tattoos]

Thought I'd give it until this morning to give my two pence worth, too angry when I got in last night.
Sorry to go all Swiss Tony but:

The Villa, for me, are akin to a beautiful woman who I love with all my heart and always will. I have done for decades. I spend lots of money on her and go away with her every weekend, where I lavish yet more money and time on her.
My friends think I'm delusional for this.
She makes me sad, mad and angry but I still love her.
She in turn couldn't give two shits about my devotion but only wants me for my money and makes no effort to even look nice anymore.

[Chico Hamilton III]

Thought I'd give it until this morning to give my two pence worth, too angry when I got in last night.

The Villa, for me, are akin to a beautiful woman who I love with all my heart and always will. I have done for decades. I spend lots of money on her and go away with her every weekend, where I lavish yet more money and time on her.
My friends think I'm delusional for this.
She makes me sad, mad and angry but I still love her.
She in turn couldn't give two shits about my devotion but only wants me for my money and makes no effort to even look nice anymore.

We're a shit club now and the only impressive thing that's left about Villa is the supporters

[Five Villa Tattoos]

Thought I'd give it until this morning to give my two pence worth, too angry when I got in last night.

The Villa, for me, are akin to a beautiful woman who I love with all my heart and always will. I have done for decades. I spend lots of money on her and go away with her every weekend, where I lavish yet more money and time on her.
My friends think I'm delusional for this.
She makes me sad, mad and angry but I still love her.
She in turn couldn't give two shits about my devotion but only wants me for my money and makes no effort to even look nice anymore.

We're a shit club now and the only impressive thing that's left about Villa is the supporters

Couldn't agree more Chico.

[jwarry]

Thought I'd give it until this morning to give my two pence worth, too angry when I got in last night.

The Villa, for me, are akin to a beautiful woman who I love with all my heart and always will. I have done for decades. I spend lots of money on her and go away with her every weekend, where I lavish yet more money and time on her.
My friends think I'm delusional for this.
She makes me sad, mad and angry but I still love her.
She in turn couldn't give two shits about my devotion but only wants me for my money and makes no effort to even look nice anymore.

We're a shit club now and the only impressive thing that's left about Villa is the supporters

Couldn't agree more Chico.

It was pretty hard to take the baiting from Reading fans when they went 2 up.  We understandably went very quiet for half an hour probably more in shock than anything else and there was a steady steam of leavers who had clearly had enough. Mind those that were left rocked the place for 5 mins after we scored.  Just imagine what we could do with a winning team

[exigo]

Having the piss ripped out of you at a joyless, soulless, out-of-town identistadium, by music-on-the-tannoy wankers is quite the experience.

[Hookeysmith]

Thought I'd give it until this morning to give my two pence worth, too angry when I got in last night.
Sorry to go all Swiss Tony but:

The Villa, for me, are akin to a beautiful woman who I love with all my heart and always will. I have done for decades. I spend lots of money on her and go away with her every weekend, where I lavish yet more money and time on her.
My friends think I'm delusional for this.
She makes me sad, mad and angry but I still love her.
She in turn couldn't give two shits about my devotion but only wants me for my money and makes no effort to even look nice anymore.

She does have a massive pair of tits (Clemence & Calderwood) and a proper c*nt in the middle though

[Jockey Randall]

We ought to have really scored with the Green chance and after that, stopped pressing.

Reading have a way of playing, they’re nowhere near good enough to execute it the way Stam would like and that is by and large due to their personnel. Chief weakness is their back 5, none of whom are comfortable on the ball under pressure, as nobody in this league is good enough to beat the press.

Instead of playing three up top we adopted a 4411, which soon became 10 players in our own half and poor old Hogan somewhere doing an impression of Tom Hanks on a desert island. The least we could do is get him a volley ball and some paint so he can draw himself a face and a friend for company.

Green became an auxiliary full back, as did Thor. De Laet and Taylor tucked in, to the point they became very narrow and in fairness, the gap for Reading was none existent. I presume there was a fear of Barrow, but fear gripped the way the side retreated full stop first half.

You must, categorically must, play a three or a two up top and have your front 3 or 4 press their back four, as McShane and co. are not Man bloody City or Barca, they’re jobbing 2nd division muck who will, if under no pressure, be capable of switching a ball side to side. You must have your midfield push onto their deep lying midfielder and make them do what they did not want to last season, which is look for the long diagonal. Make it a percentage ball.

We did not do any of that, we let them have it, get comfortable, build confidence. Yes they only had two chances, one of which was from a blatant foul on Hourihane, but momentum in sport is key. They had it, as ineffectual as they were and we had the wrong kind.

Second half was worse. The first goal De Laet gets caught out, as he presses on his own into the wing position and they’re in behind. The goal was hugely unfortunate, the Reading player is crossing the ball back towards the edge of the box. The second however is criminal.

We’ve adopted a quasi zonal/ man marking system and to have a player unmarked 8 yards out, pass it to a player3 yards out is shocking.
A good goal from us, but you sensed it was that false hope we sometimes like to provide. Green went close mind. But 5 minutes of a game, although enough to win you a European Cup, is not usually enough time to do anything at all.

Hourihane should be in and around the opposition box. He can and will score goals. Its no use being deeper than the Mariana Trench.


It’s a confidence thing with Green, he’s powerful and direct. When picking the ball up somewhere close to the box, where he should, he has an effect. Hacking the ball to nobody 20 yards from our goal and he looks poor.

Whelan looks off since his ill fated dummy at Hull.

Hogan, we may as well not bother if we’re not getting close.

Terry isn’t doing all the snidey parts of the game that I thought he would. There’s nothing wrong defensively, but its not clear whether this is impacting Chester whose form the past two games has been rank. That can happen I suppose.

The biggest worry is that we lack a template or an identity as to how we’re going to go about winning this game. Its hard to see that changing away from home.

Can't argue with any of that really and what you say about identity is a key point I think. Although Reading clearly have their limitations they all know their jobs and do their best to execute that style of play to the letter. We just seem to be a mishmash of playing styles that ends up in an almighty shit storm. If we're going to sit back like that we simply have to execute the press as a team and not just leave it down to the lone striker who is 20 yards away from everyone else.