Aston Villa v West Ham post-match thread

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

Wesley’s header in the first half. I like him, but most strikers score those 9 times out of 10. We can’t afford the luxury of of missing chances like that if we’re going to create bugger all and try and edge games.

Shocking . Man should be burying  that . Technics all wrong. Bullet header bang.
I don't rate him at the mo and really find him frustrating to watch. Wesley offers little ball control and see it as a dud signing. Sporting director recruitment looks miss in this one.
Hope I'm proved wrong !
Boy do I miss Tammy Abraham.
But to gamble on this hop along Wesley one of the most underwhelming attacking Brazilian players I've ever seen well I rather have developed  Davis and see him in.

This whole recruitment as to grow  investment is all well and good but I'm seriously questioning Wesley ability right now and anyone who isn't really should because that's not what we expect from a premier league striker. Average footballer , ineffective and just lacks much dynamism.  He should nt be for a Dean Smith team for me I don't know why spent that money for him bumbling that front line ! Annoying !

Nothing like giving a bloke a chance eh?

Yeah he's called Davis and he has a contract on the table.
If you tell me Wesley impress you then that's your view but he doesn't impress me for reasons stated.
And to have him as the main striker is more than concerning for me.

I'm more concerned that a team containing Grealish, McGinn, Jota and El Ghazi creates so few chances for the striker, whoever he is. Crack that problem and we'll be onto something.

[PeterWithe]

Didn’t think we did enough to win.

Plus points were that we looked more creative and Wesley simply has to bury those two chances, McGinn made himself a few opportunities but you’d expect the keeper to save them. Also thought Mings held his own in the battle with the striker with whom I was very, very impressed.

Again we struggled to get the ball into Jack quickly enough when he found space and I’m convinced this is because the full backs don’t play high enough when we have the ball.

Thought the sending off changed the game and not in a positive way for us, they managed the game superbly and gave a very good display of counter attacking with Noble and Rice dominating. We shrank and and made brainless decision after brainless choice. We didn’t drag them out of shape on enough occasions.

And whilst Jota is a fine technical player, he’s simply not good enough without the ball to justify his place at this level.

Draw about right

[PeterWithesShin]

Thinking about how Evans or McNaught would react to AEG doing to them what he did to Mings, I don't think Allan would hit him but I think Ken would.


*I'm sorry but it amused me

[django]

Technics all wrong.

He's our record signing.

i get how some people didn’t like how he hit the decks near the end.

His stylus all wrong for us.

[SoccerHQ]

West Ham played well with 10 men, indeed they look more threatening with that number than the full 11. Zabaleta was bombing up and down that left flank no problem, he's 35. That's premier league nous for you, they knew how to slow the game down, keep the ball and counter attack. Compare that to us at Palace when it was panic stations and we were just booting the ball anywhere.

Our game really went to pieces in that last 20 minutes, just running into the congested centre all the time and really no idea how to move 10 men around the pitch. We must be one of the worst top level teams around for failing to win against 10 men, still remember that Boro game from two seasons back when they went down to 10 in the first five minutes and we still couldn't win.

Wonder how many times we've failed to win against 10 men at VP in last 20 years. Would be double figures I reckon.

[Duncan Shaw]

Also thought Mings held his own in the battle with the striker with whom I was very, very impressed.

An experienced striker who West Ham paid £40m plus for and yet still didn't have a shot on target.

[kippaxvilla2]

Technics all wrong.

He's our record signing.

i get how some people didn’t like how he hit the decks near the end.

He might have slipped a disc hitting the decks like that.

[themossman]

I slagged trezeguet off after the palace game for his petulance but watching tonight, Christ, if you take him out we look desperately short of attacking intelligence and creativity.

I’d like to see hourihane get some minutes next game. If we’re looking tight at the back but desperately lacking up from we could do with his free kick threat.

[Chinchilla Bathhouse]

We could really do with our full-backs getting forward more. I expected Guilbert to bomb forward on the overlap but he just didn't. Taylor did what I expected of him in attack, which was nil. Ball goes to him and the attack fizzles out. Doesn't run, doesn't cross, just stops it and plays it back up the line. It slows everything down and gives the defence loads of time to get into position.

[PeterWithe]

Dean takes some of the blame for me, at times we had 5 players passing the ball around on the half way line with only one WHU player in the same postcode.

We really needed to think that fortune favours the brave and push a couple of players forward, and keep the ball better.

Frustrating, and not the mentality I expected.

[PeterWithesShin]

DS post-match https://twitter.com/AVFCOfficial/status/1173719031653830657

[rougegorge]

West Ham played well with 10 men, indeed they look more threatening with that number than the full 11. Zabaleta was bombing up and down that left flank no problem, he's 35. That's premier league nous for you, they knew how to slow the game down, keep the ball and counter attack. Compare that to us at Palace when it was panic stations and we were just booting the ball anywhere.

Our game really went to pieces in that last 20 minutes, just running into the congested centre all the time and really no idea how to move 10 men around the pitch. We must be one of the worst top level teams around for failing to win against 10 men, still remember that Boro game from two seasons back when they went down to 10 in the first five minutes and we still couldn't win.

Wonder how many times we've failed to win against 10 men at VP in last 20 years. Would be double figures I reckon.

I agree. We looked so flaky in the last 20 minutes and there was no shape or concerted formation against their 10.

I only recall Rotherham last season when we played better with 10, but that admittedly wasn't top opposition.

We still had the best chances, but I'm getting more doubtful about the approach of a lone striker and any of the wide players we have. The lack of forward options has been highlighted many times but it looks starker than ever.

[stevo_st]

Would have liked us to have gone 4-2-3-1 before the sending off.

And maybe three at the back once we eventually calmed down after about 5-10 mins from their sending off.

Luiz sort of got in the way when he came on, playing deep, trying to pick up short passes off the centre halves.

[ChicagoLion]

We were good in defence, played well in patches, played poor in patches but ultimately Dean plays the wrong formation and I think there lies the problem.

You can pick apart the individual performances but again I don’t think we know what we’re doing going forward and that’s down to Dean. 
 
BUT my biggest observation for many many many matches is:

WHY doesn’t our best two players - Jack and McGinn never  seem to link up and carve teams apart? 

They rarely pass to each other? 

Answers on a postcard please!!!!!!

Because they are having to cover a lot of ground either side of the DM.
I do not think this formation suits them at this level.

[Kimaster1976]

Just got home from the game.

Boy we were poor, and Dean Smith says "i thought we were good 11v11" sorry Dean NO.

Grealish had a shocker and somehow El Ghazi was worse. McGinn was fighting a one man crusade for 60 minutes before tiring. Wesley looked strong, fast and sharp against Everton he looked like Heskey's far less talented sibling tonight.

This playing 4-3-3 aint working in the Premier for me, well not when any of your wingers or striker are playing as they are. I would overload the midfield atm as thats where most of our talented players stem from yet half of them have to sit on the bench every week.