Aston Villa v Reading Post-Match Thread

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Well we had 21 attempts at goal and realistically ought to have buried a few.

Jack looked off the pace and was too deep. Hourihane being higher up helped. El Ghazi has something about him but it will take time given his lack of games.

Albert again was guilty of some poor crosses, despite some good work.

I felt we missed Whelan although I understand rotating, the whole performance was a curious one of almost total domination yet was lacking a spark.

Every side will have those games, but we'd seen it out. There was no danger and of all the players to conspire to throw it away.

[mrfuse]

I’m more pissed off with Chester than anyone else. Terrible defending for the pen.

I don't blame Chester likewise I didn't blame Nyland the other week.

Mistakes are always going to happen, But when we are playing teams of the like of Reading those mistakes surely shouldn't be so costly.

[AlexAlexCropley]

Well we had 21 attempts at goal

That doesn't really tell the story though does it
8 on target.Apart from the goal they were hardly worthy of the name.

[villan from luton]

Anyone at the game must recognise that Reading were actually dreadful. That said they had two fantastic chances in the game. Kodjia was isolated up front, needed people running off him. Elmo scored, but he aint the player for that position, certainly at home and we really need someone at left back who can kick with their left foot. SJM messed up in the first minute, but we really should have beaten that team easily, and I am not just bitter because I lost 35 quid betting on us lol

[SoccerHQ]

Delivery into the box again was exceptionally poor, while we laboured in possession. We missed Whelan's passing,as Thor struggles with this.

Sheffield United, Blackburn and Rotherham- we need 7 points out of that lot. I fancy us to go 433, although Bolasie and El Ghazi may take some to get up to speed.

We cannot afford for days like this to become a habbit, as it puts us in a position of having to go and beat one of Blackburn or Sheffield United away.

Thor hit best pass of the game when he sent the new boy free down the left in the first half.

I like him and McGinn as a combo. Our two best players yesterday.

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Defensively maybe, but he's too slow to move the ball on.

[Flamingo Lane]

I’m more pissed off with Chester than anyone else. Terrible defending for the pen.

I don't blame Chester likewise I didn't blame Nyland the other week.

Mistakes are always going to happen, But when we are playing teams of the like of Reading those mistakes surely shouldn't be so costly.

I don't get the logic of that.  The reason these mistakes are so costly is that we aren't actually much better than the likes of Ipswich and Reading, so we don't therefore have the luxury of them.  Besides which, when Chester made that ridiculous challenge it wasn't as if he didn't know we were 1-0 up with a minute to go.

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We're significantly better than both Ipswich and Reading. We'll finish 20 and 30 points above them respectively.

[Drummond]

We're significantly better than both Ipswich and Reading. We'll finish 20 and 30 points above them respectively.

Probably so but wouldn't it be better being 30 and 40?

[pauliewalnuts]

We're significantly better than both Ipswich and Reading. We'll finish 20 and 30 points above them respectively.

Yes, and failed to beat either of them.

That's exactly the problem. Reading were absolute garbage, one of the worst teams I've seen in a very long time, yet we failed to take three points. We were all over Brentford for the majority of that point, yet scrabbled a point in the last minute.

It's just not good enough.

Bruce seems to prosper in that gap between 'not bad enough to get sacked' and 'not good enough to get everyone behind him'.

It will end in failure, I am starting to think the correct course of action would be to bin him.

[Drummond]

It's just not good enough. 2 points from the last 6 is poor.

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We're significantly better than both Ipswich and Reading. We'll finish 20 and 30 points above them respectively.

Yes, and failed to beat either of them.

That's exactly the problem. Reading were absolute garbage, one of the worst teams I've seen in a very long time, yet we failed to take three points. We were all over Brentford for the majority of that point, yet scrabbled a point in the last minute.

It's just not good enough.

Bruce seems to prosper in that gap between 'not bad enough to get sacked' and 'not good enough to get everyone behind him'.

It will end in failure, I am starting to think the correct course of action would be to bin him.

Man City are significantly better than the Dingles. It's football, it's sport.

Bruce did well last season. Not well enough, but the determination to overstate the failure, is an ever present feature on here, something you yourself have challenged in the past few days.

I think the additional pace and quality out wide will help away from home. You'll always have your frustrations, but over the course of the season our home form will remain strong.

Away from home, having an ability to counter attack with pace is something that may well prove the tonic to our middling record.

Having a 20 goal a season striker for the entire season rather than January on should help.

The bloodlust on here is out of kilter for the type of campaign faced. It is long and it is gruelling and this league is often about the fewer mistakes. Bruce isn't failing so far, to me that seems to be part of the frustration. Bruce the Cuncator may well fail again and if things slip away then hopefully structures exist to serve us well in replacing him.

I found yesterday a meterphorical kick in the nads. But after 5 games, where we're 4th, after the daftest close season in my lifetime, maybe yours, maybe in the club's history, I find I still have patience and a belief.

[simboy]

We were functional yesterday, nothing better. Thought we had three players who played well, Bjarnason, McGinn and The keeper, defensively. The rest? Meh.

Should have won and didn’t. With the squad we have I don’t see what better side we could have picked. We will have less domination and score more goals. The decision making by players was poor. McGinn in the first 30 seconds should have squared the ball. It looked as though they had been told to shoot on sight. If so then Bruce should be criticised for that.

Grealish was pretty poor first half before his knock. Hourihane far better second half. He worked better with mcginn I thought.

[mcgrath_85]

We're significantly better than both Ipswich and Reading. We'll finish 20 and 30 points above them respectively.

It’s a shame we can’t beat either of them though isn’t it. Can you genuinely see Bruce getting us automatic promotion Ads? If the answer is no, then why continue with him waiting for him to fail again.

We have to be bold now and change the management team, otherwise it’ll be yet another year in the championship.

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I cannot foresee the future, but I can entertain one whereby Bruce achieves automatic promotion.

Warrington Wolves are significantly better than Catalan Dragons. Man City are significantly better than the Dingles, Aston Villa are significantly better than Ipswich or Reading. Bayern Brentford are much better than Blackburn. Sometimes events are unexpected and inexplicabale.