Aston Villa v Chelsea Post Match Thread

[algy]

I’ve defended Smith all season, because I thought he did have an influence last season in getting us up, it wasn’t all Grealish and it meant more him being at the helm with us going on that run. But simply sticking with the same tactics game after game, no matter the opposition is just madness, or strikes me as someone who is now lost. Saying that I don’t think he’ll get sacked before the end of the season and despite that dog awful performance with are 1 point from safety. Only basing this on one set of games this weekend,  but Bournemouth and West Ham look as bad as us, so I think it’ll simply be who manages to put in 2 or 3 dogs of war type performances out of the 3 of us. We don’t look capable at the moment.
I think McGinn will pick up but it may be too late when he does. I think Hourihane tries but is not up to this level, Trez at the moment shouldn’t be anywhere near the team, nor Jota. I felt sorry for Davies, there was generally no one in 20 yards off him, that is down to the managers tactics. He simply has to find a way to get Samatta and Davies in the team, I would be tempted to take out hourihane and El Ghazi and put in nakamba and Samatta and play Luiz in a more advanced wide midfield position.
Grealish is wasted out on the left as every supporter and pundit has said, he had that one run through the middle when kante got booked, but we need him doing that all game long. As much as I love the kid, it does look like his hearts not in this though and that’s not acceptable. Why was he not taking responsibility for that last minute free kick Instead of bloody Trezeguet! Even if he has lost faith in the manager, which we don’t know and psychologically he’s moved, he has to show some professional pride for the club he ‘loves’
I think we need to get 3 wins and a draw as an absolute minimum, at the moment Newcastle, Palace (though they looked good yesterday), Everton, Arsenal and West Ham are key. Think we have no chance against wolves, Man Utd or Liverpool.

Yeah I reckon 3 wins & a draw and had pretty much the same list of teams.

Smith - I'm willing to give him a break because it's Chelsea, but you only get that if you perform against the teams lower down the league. Beat Newcastle or off you pop, I'm afraid. If we're not getting results against them, we ain't staying up. I've long been a Big Sam fan, I'd happily have him at Villa as v caretaker manager with a view to him becoming Director of Football next season.

[andyh]

Smith is just bland.
Bland football. Bland tactics. Bland approach.

Nice enough bloke but bland.

[Flin5tone]

Grealish either has his mind elsewhere or is doing himself no favours of getting a move to a Premiership Club .

We have a team of poor players that in total cost us a lot of money and nobody will want them

[Toronto Villa]

The Premier League was so much better when it was not being played.

[eamonn]

A psychologist would have a field day with Smith's body language in his post-match interview. He must have shrugged his shoulders twenty times. Nothing to do with me guv, Champions League squad.
Can't see Chris Wilder being so accepting of a performance like that. His players are probably being made to walk back from Newcastle tonite.

[myf]

Just watched first 20 mins of the second half on Optus. We’ve gone from 1-0 to 2-1 without touching the ball. Couldn’t watch any more. It seems we may be reliant on West Ham and Bournemouth somehow being shitter than us to stay up.

Bournemouth looked shite yesterday. they've taken 6 points off us this season

[andyh]

And thinking about this, how absolutely fucking shit is it that we find ourselves in the richest league in the world and yet are playing with a rookie striker who has never scored at this level, on his own!

Don’t get me wrong, he’s a decent target man and a decent player, but christ, what a shit situation to be in.

[Villafirst]

Same old, same old......rubbish defending and no bite in midfield, plus the usual one up top. He needs to put Samatta alongside Davis; it's too easy for defences to mark one man. I think that's one point from the last 18? which is pathetic!

[hilts_coolerking]

And thinking about this, how absolutely fucking shit is it that we find ourselves in the richest league in the world and yet are playing with a rookie striker who has never scored at this level, on his own!

I only remembered yesterday that for 3 games (I think) this season we had to play without a striker of any sort because we'd fucked up so badly in the summer.

[aj2k77]

Shite, I'd be amazed if we stayed up. Simply not good or tough enough.

[Flin5tone]

There would be outrage if we had any performances like this under Lambert or Brucey

We look worse than under both of those

[BoVillan esq]

In fairness Chelsea wouldn't be on any mangers hit least in charge of Villa at this time, as a club to get 3 points from, these are the games we lose, Newcastle is the team Villa should take all 3 from, we lose there and we shouldn't see Smith again, something else, if you was looking at this in a work situation and you are the boss, looking at Smith and Terry, the body language the side looks, you would keep those apart because you would swear they are going to come to blows, I really don't think they are the best of mates by any measure, allowing that to continue in our position literally signs the death certificate for the club.

[kippaxvilla2]

It’s also noticeable that Brentford now look the real deal for promotion.  They’re slick in possession but they’ve cut out the silly lapses of concentration that used to cost them a lot of late goals.

[aj2k77]

For the first time ever I just thought of Allardyce and didn't recoil in horror.

I'd take him now no problem. Spare me the eye bleeding football comments because what I saw today was worse by a long way than anything one of his teams as ever thrown together. Dean Smith is very much in Remi Garde/Black/McLeish territory.

My eye's bleed every time we lose.

[BoVillan esq]

It’s also noticeable that Brentford now look the real deal for promotion.  They’re slick in possession but they’ve cut out the silly lapses of concentration that used to cost them a lot of late goals.

Correct me if i'm wrong but didn't Smith create an ethos at Brentford, that was based on attack, attack, attack, I remember a few years ago a commentator saying any success Brentford have, is based on the fact they will score one more than you at the expense of defence, it was said at the time, that would explain a lot and would explain why teams can obliterate Villa in seconds, problem he has at Villa, he doesn't have an attack.