Aston Villa v West Ham post-match thread

[hilts_coolerking]

Grealish is not the player that he or we think he is.

He didn't have his best game.  It happens.  He still gets involved.

[ROBBO]

Wesley doesn't protect the ball very well for a big guy he may be a good player in the making but we don't have time to wait. McGinn was the only player that looked like he had a goal in him, when he tired that was the end of us winning. Grealish is starting to annoy me when the winger is wide open why turn back into traffic? he was very sloppy all night. We are not a bad side but I can't see where the goals are coming from lets hope we can hold out til January.

[kippaxvilla2]

I can't wait for Kodjia to be fit I really think he could make a difference up front as daft as that sounds.

[hilts_coolerking]

Sounds as if we were low on creativity and firing blanks up front.  Solid enough at the back.  I don't see us outplaying many sides this season so we have to put our chances away.  If that means buying another striker in January then so be it.  Frankly we should have one here already.

[PaulWinch again]

We are not going to survive as a counter attacking team. We need control and guile in midfield and one of the bloody centre-mids to get up in support of Wesley.
 
Jack was decent in the first half, rubbish in the second. He needs to play further up the pitch.

[Bad English]

I can't wait for Kodjia to be fit I really think he could make a difference up front as daft as that sounds.

I thought straws had been banned kippax.

[Chris_Jephcott]

It wasn’t pretty.

West Ham are a good team and it’s a good benchmark to play them and not concede.

However...

We need to do better than that. Wesley isn’t getting the service or support, AEG and Jota were just weak tonight. The wingers seem to be a problem area at the moment... I was even wondering if Douglas Luiz could play on the wing at one point.

Grealish... he seems determined to mess up a chance of playing for England. But it wasn’t just him tonight. Final ball was not clinical enough. The same goes for many of the passes. We need to be neater and tidier.

Plus sides though... I though Marvellous grew into the game really well. A few sloppy passes but was always thwarting their attempts to move. Guilbert/Mings/Engels/Taylor... they looked solid. Heaton didn’t have to do much... wasn’t his only major save from Taylor’s header back?

The defence is ok, but by gum, we need to sort out our attack.

[Toronto Villa]

We need to get to January and not be in the shit. Then get in a couple of players who are going to make a difference. Pay what we need to because the alternative is not worth contemplating.

[kippaxvilla2]

I know, I know but he might stretch the play a bit more even if he replaces El Ghazi who is really struggling.

[FatSam]

Not a terrible result, but we didn't play well, and should have done better having been gifted that sending-off. We gave the ball away relentlessly. You can tell it's not going well when Grealish starts coming back to take the ball off the centre backs.

I don't think we should be too critical of Wesley, given how raw he is in this league, but he didn't have the best of games. It doesn't seem to be possible to implement a positive Plan B with the options on the bench. I really hope we are lining-up another striker in the January window.

[themossman]

Sounds as if we were low on creativity and firing blanks up front.  Solid enough at the back.  I don't see us outplaying many sides this season so we have to put our chances away.  If that means buying another striker in January then so be it.  Frankly we should have one here already.

In a game like that, when you see us starting a non scoring striker and bringing another one off the bench, it brings home how mad it was to start this season so light up front. I’d give my right bollock for maupay, or someone’s like him, right now.

[Ian.]

Well it was quite frustrating, but I thought we actually showed far more attacking intent than them. Jack even though was guilty of a lot of stray passes was still a threat and we could or should have scored a couple from his supply.

Thought the back four and Marvellous was very good, but big Wes didn’t show enough. He looks too isolated up there, or isn’t moving enough. Not sure which.

[ROBBO]

I was hoping he would bring Hourihane on for the last thirty minutes.

[DB]

I can see Wesley having some fun against Luiz next weekend mind.

Really? He has been a huge disappointment

[brontebilly]

Tactically we are at sea with our two best midfielders out of position, its baffling Smith cant see this.

Bringing Elmo on first as a right wing utterly bizarre, leaving Luiz waste on sideline while 10 man West Ham dominated possession against us,

Positives: Marvelous had a solid debut, Engels very good again. Thought Grealish was very good the first 60 mins but seemed to drop his head after a few missed passes.

Heaton 6 - little to do
Guilbert 5 - took a heavy knock in the first half, struggled a bit after that and could have been replaced as soon as they went down to 10
Engels 7 - very good yet again, no frills but solid in every aspect of his play
Mings 6 - Haller gave him a few problems, ongoing problems with distribution but a symptom of a bigger tactical problem
Taylor 5 - didnt do a whole pile wrong but nowhere near good enough for a team that needs quality footballers out wide, his weight of pass alone is scandalous. gives the recipient no options.
Marvellous 7 - struggled with pace early on but settled very well after that. well able to win back possession and added some much needed pace and bite to our midfield
McGinn 6 - battled hard as always without the ball but dont recall to many quality moments with it. We arent giving him a platform to perform with our set up
Grealish 7 - our outstanding player by miles in the first half, creating two great chances, but was hard to watch him in second half. Body language stunk after some missed passes and unfortunately wasnt a surprise he made a mess of the chance at end. But its not right that he has to drop so deep to get on the ball and we are going nowhere until that is rectified
Jota 4 - lightweight and frankly Carles Gil offered more of a threat. Didnt think this guy would be able to step up and has done little to suggest otherwise so far. Hasnt a prayer of making it on the right wing at this level so another one sold out by our tactics
El Ghazi 5 - poor lets be honest and bumping heads with Mings wasnt a great look. tried hard in second I thought but I think any attacking player will struggle with Neil Taylor behind them offering no support with the ball
Wesley 3 - genuinely hopeless, woeful movement and embarrassed himself diving on the ground. Worrying lack of threat.

Elmo 6 - not his fault to be brought on in a position he is unsuited to. Better at right back, think it was his ball into Grealish?
Luiz 6 - should have been on as soon as they went down to 10, lively enough
Davis 6 - showed more for the ball than Wesley anyway and should have got more minutes

Smith 4 - horror show tactically and bambi in headlights stuff after West Ham went down to 10. International break obviously wasted when the midfield formation should have been gutted and started again. Worrying frankly.