Aston Villa 2-0 Rotherham Post Match Thread

[tomd2103]

I’m going to take the positives from that - I thought Kodjia and Abraham linked up well and McGinn was superb at times. Bolassie looks a real threat and defence ( apart from the keeper) looked balanced and in control. Far from totally convincing but not as bad as some have made out. Downside is it gives a bit more time for SB to annoy us.

Agree and it was just nice to leave Villa Park after seeing a win.  Agree about the Kodjia and Abraham partnership up front and agree that Bolasie looked a real handful when he came on.  It did look a little disjointed at times and not having a naturally left footed player on the left side remains a problem as we tend to get in a lot of decent positions on that side only for players to be on their weaker foot and the delivery to be poor. 

[Sexual Ealing]

Bruce with his ‘dish it out after an unconvincing win’ bollocks is fast becoming my least favourite manager of recent years.

I still think he's a decent bloke but he's clearly been rattled by all the criticism he's been getting in the last year. It comes with managing a big club I'm afraid Steve. Lose a few games and yes it is a crisis.

What I don't understand is he played for Man. United for years and the exact same happens there when they don't win for 3-4 games so odd to me he finds it all a shock.

I would like him to save his I told you so attitude for when we actually get promoted...if he's still here of course which I doubt.

I can't think of many occasions when they went 3-4 games without a win while Ferguson was there.

More a general example, just look a few weeks back when they lost twice in a week and the press was having a field day predicting Mourinho's demise.

I take your point, but I meant that it's no surprise that he doesn't know what to do here. He's never been a big fish that's got no idea how to find a pond, big or small.

[The_ads]

The post match interview is a disgrace. Especially the first 30 seconds.  You’ve had two seasons at this Steve and we have a centre midfielder at centre half, thrown millions at the team and still can’t pick a settled eleven or system. Getting Johnny big bollocks beating fucking Rotherham at home and having the nerve to suggest he got it right because Jedinak managed to put in a performance against league 1 standard opposition. Wanker

[footyskillz]

Nyland  -Really little to do. Made heavy going of a ridiculous back pass with his ridiculous touch .
 
Elmo  - 1st half he made a spectacularly poor  with a clearance. Yes he did provide  assist. However I feel others are just as capable and he gets a whole 90 mins I like to see Bree given more than 5 mins
 
Chester and Jedinak negligible to extent despite the clean sheet they were up against a limited and timid attack.

Emperor Bruce raving about Jedinak is folly as Jedinak main strength against anyone is his heading ability but was hardly new   Ultimately not tested in a defensive capacity.
Hutton played left back and showed so much enthusiasm and got  up the pitch well . Rather have him right back . Seemed to enjoy himself tonight .

McGinn man of match display . Boundless energy , bite in tackle and drives forward .
Seems need some work on his shooting power . But a whole hearted performance think a cross between Delph and Milner and that's Mcginn.

Brilliant for Abrahams to score and Bolasie.

These 2 are class acts.

Villa started well and seemed to take foot of pedal as it was a comfortable match but a ruthless streak and finishing on final ball was needed as should have not needed a 80 odd minutes goal to decide the tie.

Grealish started off wide left as part of a 4-4-2. El Ghazi on the right.
El Ghazi finding his feet in his first evening matches I think.

There is a lot of promise there certainly in attacking sense.
Villa had enough quality players to dispose of Rotherham but it was hard work.

Well done though to Bolasie who gave everyone a lift and showed how determined he was to score .

Made my night him scoring as he's had a wretched time and he enjoyed himself .

Think at times villa were a bit flash and they knew it and Grealish and Kodija Abrahams and Bolasie better be careful this campaign as some championship chargers could be kicking them !

Up the villa pleased for win.

 however there is a concern due to Bruce managing that we will  not get the players and team right as if they did play to potential we storm the league.

Attacking wise alot to be excited about but I rather be hearing and having a 4-3-3 not 4-4-2 however 2 strikers today got the win so more of same I guess

[Pete3206]

Kodjia 2 - assist aside was an utter fucking disgrace. Workrate of a pissed wino stretching out on a public park

Brontebilly, respectfully disagree.

[cdbearsfan]

Yeah, that's rubbish IMO. Kodjia worked hard, and set up the crucial first goal. Some people seem to have it in for him, it always seems to happen when we have a skillful player in the last decade or so. People had a go at Young, people can't wait to have a go at Grealish.

[PeterWithe]

Pretty uninspiring.

A win is a win but they were absolutely abject and they still created as much as we did.

I don’t think that win, welcome as it was, answered any of the longer term questions over Bruce’s tenure.

[footyskillz]

Yeah, that's rubbish IMO. Kodjia worked hard, and set up the crucial first goal. Some people seem to have it in for him, it always seems to happen when we have a skillful player in the last decade or so. People had a go at Young, people can't wait to have a go at Grealish.

Bolasie better take cover then he's the most entertaining and footy skillz of them all!

[Clampy]

Made harder work of it than we should have but it ended up being fairly comfortable. Elmo showed why he should be first choice right back, he was very good. Bolaisie and Abraham were also big plusses. We'll have tougher games than that but it's 3 points which is the main thing.

[Villatillidie1982]

Played in patches. If we could play for about 70 minutes like we played for about 7 minutes we would walk this league but most of it was dross. Kodjia can only play with himself and until he becomes a team player brings nothing to the team but Abrahams was class.

[tomd2103]

Yeah, that's rubbish IMO. Kodjia worked hard, and set up the crucial first goal. Some people seem to have it in for him, it always seems to happen when we have a skillful player in the last decade or so. People had a go at Young, people can't wait to have a go at Grealish.

Honestly thought he looked better tonight with Abraham up there with him as a strike partner.  I thought they linked up well when he came on in the closing stages against Blackburn and thought they did pretty well again tonight. 

[cdbearsfan]

Agreed. Hopefully the Teflon Tater will be brave enough to stick with two up front when we play more established opponents and maybe even, whisper it, when we play away from home!

[Goldie.7]

Assist aside Kodjia was dire. That unnecessary rabona attempt acting like he just scored a hat-trick summed up everything about his attitude for me. This guy likes to play at one nonchalant style, he barely breaks a sweat and 90% of the time he's operating in third gear.

[Ads]

About as routine a win as you'll see, which appears to have traumaisted and devastated a few.

I'm not quite sure what utter bollocks is being spouted about Kodjia either.

The positives;

Comfortable all game;
Some neat interchange, it just wasn't for a sustained period
Two up top worked;
Abraham's and Bolasie look good players, unsurprisingly;
McGinn, a couple of forced passes not coming up off aside, continues to impress;
Kodjia worked hard especially in the channel and showed his class with the assist. Both he and Abraham have excellent quick feet.

The negatives;

I thought we took too long to move the ball on and it made us too slow against a big side sat deep;
Grealish position isn't out wide and I do wish he had a bit more conviction or selfishness to shoot;
Distribution from the full backs continues to infuriate;
El Ghazi was very quiet;
We need to sustain a tempo around the opposition box with more regularity;


Hopefully that's the end of the bad run. We'll certainly face better sides, although they don't look as desperate as 2 years ago.

We've won 1 in 6, which is desperately poor...yet we're 6th. Perhaps this league is more forgiving than the cliches suggest.

I hope Axel is back for the Wendies, even if it was clear why Jedinak started given Rotherham's solitary weapon.

[Percy McCarthy]

If Bruce thinks beating Rotherham at home means he knows what he’s doing there must be a lot of contenders for his job. I think I heard last night that they’ve lost 26 of their last 29 away games.