Aston 'where will it all end' Villa v Middlesvilla Post Match Thread.

[tomd2103]

Went out after the game and only just got back in.  Firstly, we did have enough good chances to win and I thought Lansbury was definitely brought down by their keeper in the first half and we should have had a penalty.  On the subject of Lansbury, I thought the red was justified - a wild, high kick from behind is going to get a red more often than not in the current climate. 

On to the game and another really disappointing showing really.  Scrappy, shapeless performance and the deliveries in the final third were terrible,  agree with the comments about Lansbury, he offers very little and as much as I want him to do well, I just think Hogan isn't going to work out.  I feel for the guy, but Bjarnason was terrible tonight.

He dived and should have been booked. If he had concentrated on chasing the loose ball we may well have scored.

I was sat behind the goal in he North Stand and although he made the most of it, it definitely looked like he got caught.

[footyskillz]

It was never a red card for Lansbury at least  Bruce was right about that . Having heard his interview he's not becoming reactive and defensive to the critics . I think Bruce needs to concentrate on his job  .
 
'played 40 minutes against 10 mens '
'The boring tag '
'off with his head' 
'Too negative' (in sarcastic tone)

Bruce says without any conviction (and interesting choices of words )
 
'Mass hysteria doesn't take long look we've  had 'a disappointing start there's signs we re not far off a very decent side in this championship believe me it'll turn we have to be patient and I hope others are'

Win next 6 Bruce and may give you that but it's not hysteria since it wasn't surprising could not take lead and capitalise to advantage against 10 players .

Had a chance early on after traore madness to make comfortable night but alas frustration is understatement.

Great positive Kodija is back. Also adomah playing on left was good providing something i now though wonder which new team and line up will be put out Saturday .

[tomd2103]

I'm getting tired of people saying we have the best squad in the league. It's either deluded or arrogant, I'm not sure which.

We finished bottom half last season and are there again this season. Regardless of your thoughts on Bruce (and I want him sacked), we don't have the best squad in the league.

On paper apparently whatever that means.

It means that if you looked solely at the names in the squad on the back of the programme, you would think it looks a pretty strong collection of players.  It is the inability to organise those players into anything resembling a coherent system that is the problem. 

[Lobsterboy]

Please. Make. It. Stop.

[UK Redsox]

In defence of Traore, that might well have been the first tackle that I've ever seen him attempt

[FranzBiberkopf]

It means that if you looked solely at the names in the squad on the back of the programme, you would think it looks a pretty strong collection of players.  It is the inability to organise those players into anything resembling a coherent system that is the problem.

Are they really though? If the market is a fair indicator of value, then look at what we paid for the squad last night......

Johnstone; = loanee
Elmohamady = free
Chester = £6M?
Terry, = free
Taylor; = £1.5M?
Jedinak = £6M?
(Hogan 45) = £12M?,
Hourihane, = £1M?
Lansbury; = £1M?
Snodgrass, = loanee
Davis = came through ranks; free
(Kodjia 70), = £16M?
Bjarnason = £1.5M?
(Adomah 45) = free? Swap with Traore.
Unused subs:
Steer = free
Samba, = free
Whelan = not sure, but £1.5M?
Hutton = no comment.

Thing that jumps out is how unbalanced it is. £28M on a forward line that doesn't score enough. Being supplied by a midfield that cost peanuts?

No argument from me however in the fact that Bruce doesn't know how to set them up, deploy them in a workable formation etc.

[The Edge]

It means that if you looked solely at the names in the squad on the back of the programme, you would think it looks a pretty strong collection of players.  It is the inability to organise those players into anything resembling a coherent system that is the problem.

Are they really though? If the market is a fair indicator of value, then look at what we paid for the squad last night......

Johnstone; = loanee
Elmohamady = free
Chester = £6M?
Terry, = free
Taylor; = £1.5M?
Jedinak = £6M?
(Hogan 45) = £12M?,
Hourihane, = £1M?
Lansbury; = £1M?
Snodgrass, = loanee
Davis = came through ranks; free
(Kodjia 70), = £16M?
Bjarnason = £1.5M?
(Adomah 45) = free? Swap with Traore.
Unused subs:
Steer = free
Samba, = free
Whelan = not sure, but £1.5M?
Hutton = no comment.

Thing that jumps out is how unbalanced it is. £28M on a forward line that doesn't score enough. Being supplied by a midfield that cost peanuts?

No argument from me however in the fact that Bruce doesn't know how to set them up, deploy them in a workable formation etc.

Good points. You forgot to mention McCormack. That's another 12 million. So that's 40 million pounds worth of strikers being supplied by a midfield that cost peanuts. It doesn't seem like a recipe for success does it?

[kippaxvilla2]

The peanuts argument only came about because the players - Hourihane and Lansbury were reaching the end of their deals at the previous clubs so we capitalised.  And Snodgrass was a £7.5m signing last January wasn't he

[passitsideways]

The peanuts argument only came about because the players - Hourihane and Lansbury were reaching the end of their deals at the previous clubs so we capitalised.  And Snodgrass was a £7.5m signing last January wasn't he

Yeah, it's really quite disingenuous - Snodgrass and Onomah are two quality loanees; nor can you say Adomah was "free", since we gave up an actual asset in Adama for him.

[Fasth56]

To traumatised to read previous comments so apologies if this has been covered previously.

As a given we should be playing two up front at home in this league, on the front foot and pressing teams two thirds up the field.

So, after five minutes 'boro are down to ten men. At this point I would have hauled off a defender and put two up top, that would then have ensured that all 'boro could hope for was a draw as they would have had to keep a back four. However our manager and staff do absolutely nothing and played safe thus handing the initiative to Monk, who went three at the back just marking Davis and maintained their midfield numbers.

Then after 45 minutes he makes the change he should have made 40 minutes earlier.

The guy has used up all his goodwill, I like him but once again he seems overwhelmed by the size of the task as have other managers. Who do we appoint next?  does it matter could they do any worse with the best squad in the division. The entertainment value in the first half was as bad as it gets, if we went out to play the whole game, like we did in the second half and drew, then we could put it down to bad luck, as it is it was more inept management.

[olaftab]

I was sat behind the goal in he North Stand and although he made the most of it, it definitely looked like he got caught.

Tom to an extent I agree with you we have  seen em given. I also saw it from middle of upper North and he put his feet in to the GK who had moved to clear his save. His problem was that it was clearly seen by the ref. If it had been on the other side with GK's back to the ref it would have been given.

[paul_e]

Except there's some twisting involved in those values.

Adomah wasn't free, he was valued at something like £6m
Snodgrass is on loan but he was a £10m player a few months ago
Lansbury and Hourihane were in the last few months of their contracts so we paid a fraction of their market value.

The truth is that we put out a midfield (starters and subs) last night which has a market value of something around £30m

[Chris Jameson]

Are the Icelandic chap and Lansbury actually footballers? I wonder if they are actually models from some trendy young persons casual clothing company (Urban Outfitter?) who modelled their sports range because they look a bit like footballers with the hair, facial hair, tattoos etc, they sure as hell aren't actual footballers.

[Ads]

Urban Outfitter is the shop which sells said clothes.

[Chico Hamilton III]

I think we were a bit unlucky last night.

Don't bring me good generals, bring me lucky ones. Or something