Reading v Hard to Beat Aston Villa Post Match Thread.

[Toronto Villa]

James Milner could keep going a fair bit. 

He still can. Brilliant footballer

[Tuscans]

My take....Norwich were just ok last season, Fucker had a pre-season, sold Maddison and now they're brilliant. Next season Smith will have a pre-season, sell Grealish...and we'll storm it.

I'm the best.

[tomd2103]

Is it law that every club in world football has to play this 4-2-3-1 system so in vogue?

With Grealish injured and him being the only one really any good for the no.10 role why not try the good old 4-4-2 with 2 actual out and out strikers, Abraham in tandem with Kodjia/Davis, what do you think?

We’d get ripped to pieces in central midfield if Hourihane, Whelan, Bjarnason or Jedinak were one of the two in there.

[adrenachrome]

My take....Norwich were just ok last season, Fucker had a pre-season, sold Maddison and now they're brilliant. Next season Smith will have a pre-season, sell Grealish...and we'll storm it.

I'm the best.

You're the worst, but you could well be right.

[TaxDodger]

I really don’t think we were that bad. We were the better side for most of the game, defended well and missed four very good chances to win it. The counter point to this I suppose is that we were playing a pretty awful team and mid table in the championship is clearly not good enough.

I’m going to wait until next season before offering significant judgement on Smith. I’m not sure where we stand on FFP, but I’d certainly back us to be well up there next season if we’ve got a bit of money to spend in the summer, particularly looking at the very mediocre standard of teams getting relegated.

[in exile]

I'm waiting for next season before judgment on Smith too.
Hutton, Whealan, ElGhazi and Adomah are costing us at the moment.
Struggling to see what's changed.
We had a couple of good games under Bruce, we have had a couple of good games under Smith.
Don't get me wrong - I hated Bruceball but I am really struggling to see any improvement 

[andyh]

One thing that has been very noticeable for me over the last few games is the number of chances where the goalie has saved our effort and there has been no one near or quick enough to tap in the follow up.
It’s not been on one or two occasion either, it’s been quite a lot.

[footyskillz]

So 0-0
For those who saw or listened or followed.  a few questions ?!

As what I read on here no one is exactly saying what Deano said about our performance levels being back to where they want

How accurate are Dean Smith comments that we are back to these performance levels ?

That after being somewhat  disjointed 1st half things were sorted out and were "outstanding "second half.

I was told "a good performance but not a good result "
Just going to watch EFL goals now . Though maybe 0-0 won't be much extra sky sports highlights

[Ads]

I thought there was an absolutely blatant handball first half.

[AlexAlexCropley]

So 0-0
For those who saw or listened or followed.  a few questions ?!

As what I read on here no one is exactly saying what Deano said about our performance levels being back to where they want

How accurate are Dean Smith comments that we are back to these performance levels ?

That after being somewhat  disjointed 1st half things were sorted out and were "outstanding "second half.

I was told "a good performance but not a good result "
Just going to watch EFL goals now . Though maybe 0-0 won't be much extra sky sports highlights

If that second half was outstanding I'll hang up my scarf.

[JUAN PABLO]

absolute dull

stop playing Adomah and whelan  , Albert has been wank for ages and whelan is slower than a legless tortoise .

houriane is rubbish and whats the point in bringing on Jedicack instead of Davis .

Mings looked decent but they always start decent and then turn to turd .

we look lost of ideas so slow and no intensity .  Whats happened ?

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

So 0-0
For those who saw or listened or followed.  a few questions ?!

As what I read on here no one is exactly saying what Deano said about our performance levels being back to where they want

How accurate are Dean Smith comments that we are back to these performance levels ?

That after being somewhat  disjointed 1st half things were sorted out and were "outstanding "second half.

I was told "a good performance but not a good result "
Just going to watch EFL goals now . Though maybe 0-0 won't be much extra sky sports highlights

I thought the effort was there Footy, we just looked devoid of ideas and confidence. Not enough quality, not enough good chances made and no obvious plan. Disjointed is a good word for it. The performance was nowhere even close to the level it was v Derby or Boro, so I'm not sure what Smith means by that comment. It's concerning that he thinks that's good enough, and to hear him describe the second half as 'outstanding'. 'Better' would have been more accurate. It still wasn't good enough to beat a desperately poor side, and his standards are going to have to be way higher than that if we're going to make progress.

[Three Spires Villa]

Boring game, in a boring stadium. 1st half was poor. Started better in the second. In my opinion a 0-0 was a fair result. Don’t agree with Deans comments. Hopefully they get relegated so we don’t have to go there next year.

[QuintonVilla]

Hutton, Taylor, Whelan, El Ghazi, Adomah all shite. Worst of all for me though is Hourihane, absolute wank. He gets a few assists so escapes a lot of criticism but the game just passes him by. Don't think I've ever seen him make a tackle and he's never anywhere near the ball when the opposition attack.

You can carry a couple of players in this league because the league is crap but you can't carry that many. We are so weak in the wide areas and in the middle of the park.

If we lose to Sheff Utd, which we will, our season is over.

[Ketzster]

Very poor again in the main. Yes the Villa ran around a lot in the second half, but really the only chance created was Abrahams header. If DS thinks the levels today are back to what he expects, it’s an insult to the fantastic fans.

I’ve been to every game since the Albion, and virtually every week it’s been the same. That same which is very poor, occasionally lowering to abominable levels like against Swansea in the cup, Wigan away and the first half against Hull. Why doesn’t DS try something different? I can’t remember a manager so stubbornly sticking with something that isn’t working like he has been for the past couple of months. After Swansea and Wigan for example, why not try playing Davis with Abraham up front so he isn’t so isolated? You can’t just blame the players, from what I’ve seen week in, week out, whatever coaching and instructions they are receiving, it just isn’t good enough. Not a single player has improved from what I can see since he came in. There’s just nothing, no spark where you think ‘ooooh, that might be good next week’.

And as for the Hourihane bashing. He’s almost a forward. He had one game against Norwich last season playing off Davis (somebody who can hold the ball up for him), and he got a hattrick. But Bruce never played that again and instead they all keep playing him as a defensive midfielder which evidently just isn’t his game. Get him in and around the box shooting.

And after seeing Kalinic, Hause at Wigan and Carroll today, I certainly wouldn’t want to have DS building a team. It evidently won’t be the popular opinion, but I don’t think DS is the right person for the job. It’s all well and good saying managers need time. Maybe, but only if you have the right person to start with, and I don’t think we do