Aston Villa 1-0 Norwich City Post Match Thread

[Loxton01]

Tough watch today but we had to find a way to win and we did.

The worry for me is we may have some good new technical players but a lot of them lack the guts and bravery. I don’t feel one of the summer signings with the exception of Heaton (mings doesn’t count) has added an improvement

El Ghazi and Trezeguet are not players for a relegation fight. El Ghazi wanted to come off after 25 mins or so pathetic! Also Targett 17m he can’t defend and was constantly skinned. El Ghazi and  trez offer zero movement It was tough to watch

Wesley did work harder today but is that really good enough for 22m. He carries zero goal threat.

Defensively hause konza and Heaton did well. Nakamba and Luiz at home does not work. I don’t see Man City activating them buyback on Douglas anytime soon.

We desperately need the following in January

Striker nr 9
Another winger
Midfielder who can get beyond the striker
I’d like another left back but think we will be lucky to get one of the above

Without an improvement we are going down I’m afraid

[ROBBO]

Wes was better but it's missing the point we need him being better in front of goal not half way down the pitch, our wingers are les than useless I know but Wes never seems to be a threat. Someone mentioned Konsa I think this guy would be great with better players around him.

[tony scott]

Well we won it takes some of the pressure off,  Mom for me was Max Arrons he must be gutted.  Our two wide men were very poor today but that tends to happen with wingers/wide men One day brilliant next day dire, what we don’t need is two of them in the team, replace one of them with Guilbert  I sure he would offer more.  I would just like to know who is going to get their heads on cross,s when we eventually start getting them?

[Lastfootstamper]

And a shout out to the ballboys. It's been a while since I've seen work of that quality. Bollocks to fair play, they were superb Villans!

[Demitri_C]

Cant aay we deserved that. We were pretty hopeless most of the game

I thought heaton hause and grealish were great. I gave hause motm but Heaton a close second. Great finish by conor. Luiz was also good that clearance was brilliant.

Thought trez el ghazi, marvellous and wesley were very very shit. Esp marvellous and trez. Trez is absolute dog shit. Id try get rid and go for benrama.he is twice the player of trez.

[oldhill_avfc]

Looking back on the first half of the season and taking into account the last couple of games in particular, a few observations for what they're worth!

Defence - Targett is woeful, Hause to left back or play a back three.

Midfield - With McGinn out we need a central midfielder - Luiz and Nakamaba are not consistent/good enough.

Forwards -  Another central striker desperately needed.  We can't afford to play both Trezeguet and El-Ghazi.

Smith/Management Team - need to be more flexible on tactics/formation.

Out of all of the above the central midfield issue, to me, is most concern.  I think we've got options up front if Smith would be a bit more flexible.

[Ads]

You always get what you deserve in football. We did the hardest thing, they didn't.

For the first time with managed to win a game in the ugliest of fashion. Devoid of quality, structure or urgency in attack, careless in midfield both in possession and out, but solid at the back.

Heaton, Konsa and Hause in particular were very good. Hause dominates in the air, winning pretty much everything and looking much better today on the ground.

The midfield isn't working effectively.  Nakamba has dropped right off in form, while Douglas looks like a kid with potential doing 1 thing well, but making silly mistakes.

It's been said, but the widemen didn't support our attacks or full backs defensively. Both are way out of form and I feel Trezuguet is more an impact substitute than a starter.

Wesley did work hard today, but he needs to work smart. He doesn't play the width of the 18 yard box or challenge the centre halves with runs off the shoulder. He might make a nuisance of himself, but he doesn't offer a goal threat.

We've hit into poor form and theres no real top flight experience in almost all of them to fall back on. I think we'd benefit in midfield from some knowhow. A Gareth Barry type.

Very pleased to win though, the goal was of real quality.

Now I take my 4 year old, I have to be quieter and talk him through what's happening, have him on my lap at times and of course, avoid aggression or swearing. As a result I'm a little more detached from it. One thing I have noticed is that the Holte End appears to be full of people who'd fit in on the Tilton.

The amount of El Ghazi you're a c***, fuck off Douglas or this and that was extraordinary. No singing in support and no vitriol torwards the opposition. Just vile abuse against our own. It's probably always been there, but I do wonder why some people bother to follow a hobby they don't enjoy.

[Mister E]

We were lucky to win that and didn't deserve it.  Grealish, Heaton and Hause were very good, and I thought Konsa, Elmo and Wesley were ok.  Luis did some good things but as always undoes a lot of it with careless passing and giving away stupid needless free kicks in our half after he loses the ball.

For some to be picking on Wesley today is harsh and perhaps smacks of scapegoatism.  I thought he worked hard and linked up play well a few times with little or no support form our other so called forwards.  Nowhere near the worst payer on the pitch, and not a chance of that when you look at the "performances" of the utter dud Trezeguet and the bottle job disappearing act that is El Ghazi. 

Trezeguet has to be one of the most pointlessly ineffective  players I've seen at VP in years.  He' a master of looking like he's trying to close down whilst not actually getting anywhere near his man.  I'm still waiting to see what he's meant to add, he can't cross, can't shoot, can't win a header, can't beat a man and doesn't win the ball back.  Get a couple of decent  forward options in January and I reckon Wesley will look a whole lot better.

Yep, kt. This is how I saw it. Particularly irritated with Luiz giving away stupid free kicks, AEG's lack of defensive nous and Trez being in the side at all. I have no idea why Jota came on at a time when we needed to stiffen the middle of the park. Hause, Konza and Elmo did okay - Hause has added some defensive strength to the back 4 and he at least wins most of his headers.
 
Our season is becoming defined by the build-up play being sooooo slow; and the ball retention is - once again - embarrassingly poor.

It's the lack of closing-down and dynamism generally that really boils my piss.

[paul_e]

You always get what you deserve in football. We did the hardest thing, they didn't.

For the first time with managed to win a game in the ugliest of fashion. Devoid of quality, structure or urgency in attack, careless in midfield both in possession and out, but solid at the back.

Heaton, Konsa and Hause in particular were very good. Hause dominates in the air, winning pretty much everything and looking much better today on the ground.

The midfield isn't working effectively.  Nakamba has dropped right off in form, while Douglas looks like a kid with potential doing 1 thing well, but making silly mistakes.

It's been said, but the widemen didn't support our attacks or full backs defensively. Both are way out of form and I feel Trezuguet is more an impact substitute than a starter.

Wesley did work hard today, but he needs to work smart. He doesn't play the width of the 18 yard box or challenge the centre halves with runs off the shoulder. He might make a nuisance of himself, but he doesn't offer a goal threat.

We've hit into poor form and theres no real top flight experience in almost all of them to fall back on. I think we'd benefit in midfield from some knowhow. A Gareth Barry type.

Very pleased to win though, the goal was of real quality.

Now I take my 4 year old, I have to be quieter and talk him through what's happening, have him on my lap at times and of course, avoid aggression or swearing. As a result I'm a little more detached from it. One thing I have noticed is that the Holte End appears to be full of people who'd fit in on the Tilton.

The amount of El Ghazi you're a c***, fuck off Douglas or this and that was extraordinary. No singing in support and no vitriol torwards the opposition. Just vile abuse against our own. It's probably always been there, but I do wonder why some people bother to follow a hobby they don't enjoy.

That's not restricted to just the Holte, facebook groups, twitter and most fans sites are full of people who just want to vent at how shit everything is.

Whenever a club has a bad run you get claims that they need  to win ugly but when they do they were still shit, didn't deserve to win and all the players are still not good enough.

[oldtimernow]

Player ratings today, gents ?

Heaton 9
Elmo 4
Targett 4
Konsa 7
Hause 8
Targett 4
Douglas 6.5
Nakamba 6
Grealish 8
Trezeguet 2
El Ghazi 3
Wesley 6
Hourihane 6

Targett amalgamates to 8?

[OzVilla]

Watched the game earlier. They should have scored but didn’t. We created next to nothing but did.

We still look like a team that’s  likely to concede a stupid goal at any moment but in Jack we’ve the really outstanding player in those bottom 6/7 sides. Without him we’d have no hope.

Absolutely desperate for a striker with movement and pace though. Having a forward whose strongest asset appears to be chasing a few lost causes like a 10 year old playing with his older brothers just isn’t going to be good enough.

[Bobby Boy]

Watched the game earlier. They should have scored but didn’t. We created next to nothing but did.

We still look like a team that’s  likely to concede a stupid goal at any moment but in Jack we’ve the really outstanding player in those bottom 6/7 sides. Without him we’d have no hope.

Absolutely desperate for a striker with movement and pace though. Having a forward whose strongest asset appears to be chasing a few lost causes like a 10 year old playing with his older brothers just isn’t going to be good enough.

Brilliantly put. The amount of goodwill towards Wes from the fans is palpable though. When he does his once or twice a game charge around the opposition back line the fans love it. It shows a degree of willing but we are so desperately in need of someone who plays smart, clever in their movement and in sync with what is going on around him.

Wes isn't that player.

[Clampy]

I watched it back this morning on MOTD and i'd forgot how many chances they had. We didn't play great but the three points were the important thing yesterday. I thought Heaton, Elmo, Hause and Jack all had decent games. We'll need to play better than that but let's hope the win gives the players a bit of belief.

[Clark W Griswold]

We desperately need the following in January

Striker nr 9
Another winger
Midfielder who can get beyond the striker
I’d like another left back but think we will be lucky to get one of the above

Without an improvement we are going down I’m afraid

The first 2 are an absolute must, and they need to be experienced, decent premier league players that know the league.
Midfielder wise, i think if McGinn is out for much of the season i think a player who really makes his presence felt in the middle (again experienced) is more the ticket than one pushing through. I think they need to tell Grealish to do that. Full backs who can actually defend not a bad call also. The only way any of the fullbacks we have are going to look good is if he changes it to 3 CB's and lets them play as proper wing backs. Guilbert in particular could be a spectacular right wing back. Continuing to play a flat back 4 and i think we can play Hause left back but need a solid proper defender on the right.

[ktvillan]

On the plus side we've been saying we need to grind out some wins rather than be plucky losers, and win when not playing well so I guess this is a start. 

If Smith insists on sticking with 4-3-3 we could do worse than play Targett and Guilbert as wide forwards with Elmo and Taylor at FB - I doubt they could possibly be as ineffective a Trezeguet and AEG.