Aston Villa vs Sheffield United Post-Match Thread

[Clark W Griswold]

Simply, utter shit until 82 mins.
If i'd have gone and had left before the end (which to be fair i never have), i would have felt justified and actually wouldn't have been that upset when i found out the result. I think if i'd done so and we'd have won 4-3 i'd have been traumatised though.

[Clampy]

Just watched the goals back. After our first one, the ref stood there looking as if he was trying to decide whether to give it or not. It's almost as if he didn't to.

[wittonwarrior]

For anyone who couldnt make it last night it was no turning point - we struck lucky thanks to Sheffield thinking the game was done and dusted

[Ads]

That was spectacularly awful and then Man United Fergie esq for 15 minutes. We are, utterly, maddeningly, nuts.

The negatives

The midfield.

Jedinak and his distribution was diabolical. His absence of mobility had us so deep. Utter waste of space and the poorest midfield performance from anybody so far. His last game.

Hourihane. Off the ball he's a ghost.

The full backs. Taylor doesn't compete and offers nothing going forwards. For all Hutton's dog chasing a car enthusiasm, he is devoid of quality.

How isolated Tammy was.

Kodjia; ineffectual.

The midfield is a problem, as everybody knows. We let them run further, faster and harder than we did. They moved the ball so much quicker. We've got to get a person at the base of the midfield who can find a pass and find it quickly first and foremost. If you're as slow as we are in transition, then you will lack movement.

The referee. The 2nd goal was a joke, Sharpe a yard offside and kicking it out of Kalinic's hands. The repeated fouls he was awarding them, then nailed on penalties, plural, he missed. The referees down here are disgraceful.

Sheffield United didn't outplay us. They lack quality, they didn't create an awful lot and hoofed it more regularly than we did. What they did do was put in so, so, so much more effort in closing and moving off the ball. It's unforgivable.

The Positives

The centre halves. Looking at the 3rd goal Mings could react quicker. But Jedinak and Hologram give up and Taylor doesn't compete. They're unforgivable errors. But by and large Elphick and Mings look ok to me.

I'd have Hause glued to the treadmill. Get him fit and get him in. Get Taylor gone.

Tammy; 20 goals!

The insanity of being so out of a game, to come back like we did...that's an uncanny quality. It must be a springboard.

[Clampy]

For anyone who couldnt make it last night it was no turning point - we struck lucky thanks to Sheffield thinking the game was done and dusted

But it could be a turning point.

[LeeB]

For anyone who couldnt make it last night it was no turning point - we struck lucky thanks to Sheffield thinking the game was done and dusted

But it could be a turning point.

It could. And we've given the in-form side in this league a 3 goal start and still come back without breaking sweat and half a fuctioning team.

This league and the teams in it are shit. A bit of consistency and belief and we'll wipe the floor with them.

[Rudy65]

Just seen the highlights.Their second goal was as bad a decision as the Sandwell hand of rod goal was. Sharp was offside and then kicked the ball out of Kalinic's hands .Hutton as usual lost his man for the third goal .We certainly should have had at least one pen .Considering how dreadful we were for 82 minutes i am happy to have a point

If you watch their third goal, Hutton seems to just keep running toward the ball rather than marking Sharp. It’s comical, if he ran any faster he would have run out the ground!

[LukeJames]

I've saw that 2nd goal multiple times now and it just gets worse and worse every time, how can the incompetent pricks miss 3 blatant offences? Almost as bad as the decision in the Albion game.

[Border villan]

The greatest comeback since Lazarus and I don't mean the one who played for QPR.

[Damo70]

For anyone who couldnt make it last night it was no turning point - we struck lucky thanks to Sheffield thinking the game was done and dusted

But it could be a turning point.

It could. And we've given the in-form side in this league a 3 goal start and still come back without breaking sweat and half a fuctioning team.

This league and the teams in it are shit. A bit of consistency and belief and we'll wipe the floor with them.

I agree. It is very possible for us or another team in the top half to 'do a Fulham' and go on a run into the play off places. Hopefully the boost of coming from three goals down last night can spark a winning streak.

[brontebilly]

Just seen the highlights.Their second goal was as bad a decision as the Sandwell hand of rod goal was. Sharp was offside and then kicked the ball out of Kalinic's hands .Hutton as usual lost his man for the third goal .We certainly should have had at least one pen .Considering how dreadful we were for 82 minutes i am happy to have a point

If you watch their third goal, Hutton seems to just keep running toward the ball rather than marking Sharp. It’s comical, if he ran any faster he would have run out the ground!

Sharp's movement was exceptional for that goal in fairness.

He also gave Hutton a barely disguised nudge as the ball was played in, giving him even more space and sending Hutton careering further forward

Hutton has always been a poor defender, in that situation you need to get touch tight to the forward illegally if required, but Sharp's guile was key

Billy Sharp is the quintessential journeyman but he was outstanding last night

[Steve67]

Like others, I am thinking, yeah great, this is it, use it as a springboard and run up that league.  And then reality dawns; Taylor, Hutton, Hourihane, El Ghastly et al are just so very poor and hold us back. Still, enough of the pessimism, let's hope for a run of wins.

[ktvillan]

Some good points about the lack of tempo in our play.  It's gone ponderously Bruce like in the last few games, whereas when Smith first came in we were committing players forward and getting the ball forward quickly.  Really not sure why that's changed.  It can't all be down to losing one player.

[Chris Smith]

On 81 minutes the pre match and half time beer caught up with me so I had to go for a piss and with half a mind to just go home. I was washing my hands when I heard the cheer for our first so went and stood at the top of the stairs to witness the most unlikely comeback ever.

We were never three goals worse than them but they were clearly more organised and confident than us. The summer is going to be pivotal and my feeling is that Smith is using this period to work out just who he can count on going forward.

[SoccerHQ]

Also, shout out to Chris Wilder for channeling his inner Tim Sherwood by bringing on 2 strikers in a commanding position and opening the game for us.

They did take off Sharp, Madine and Dowell. Craine who came on is a defender.

I actually thought doing all that meant they stopped holding the ball up from the halfway line although of course you should be safe at even 1-3 with five minutes left.

Still that gave us momentum and we must've had a crazy amount of possession from the 81st minute.