Liverpool vs Aston Villa post match thread

[steamer]

If we are relegated it will not be because of the result today.
It could have been worse, but that is the problem. we do not have a team that we expect to to go out and get a result.
Basically the same shit year in and out since pupe head left, Where do we to from here ?
If we stay up, great, consolidate. Take in the lessons we have learnt and build on them.
If we go down, fuck knows.
It comes down to the ambition of the owners, are they happy to plod along as owners of a middling club with a history or do they want to be a part of something bigger.
They have to make the choice, it seems they are wealthy enough to put up the finance but are they committed to the cause and have a big enough vision. they need to make their intent clear
as fans we are shareholders in this club and need to understand the plan .
We can then comment /discuss and critique the plan today it is silent and not where I thought we would be.

[andyh]

How is playing with 2 (crap) wingers and a non scoring rookie centre forward going to keep us up?

[pauliewalnuts]

How is playing with 2 (crap) wingers and a non scoring rookie centre forward going to keep us up?

That is the problem - the continued doing of something which is clearly not working.

[Martin Carruthers]

We should appeal to the FA. The playing of Song 2 after a goal has to be a punishable offence.

Goals should be disallowed if followed by music. Suppose would have to apply to home goals only in the interests of fairness.

[Steve67]

How is playing with 2 (crap) wingers and a non scoring rookie centre forward going to keep us up?

That is the problem - the continued doing of something which is clearly not working.

So bad is the recruitment and any tactics deployed, I am not sure that there are any other real options, other than perhaps play with a false 9.

[Ian.]

That’s the best I have seen us play for ages, pressing, winning the ball, playing some nice football, it just all falls flat in the last third. We’ve failed miserably this season by not having quality and pace up top. We was never going to score and since lockdown it’s actually got a whole lot worse going forward.

[adrenachrome]

Did Smith play Reina at Anfield for sentimental reasons?

Not one of your most perceptive posts, to be honest.

[AlwaysVilla]

First time posting, so be gentle please. Have been supporting Villa 45 years now, so seen it all, good and bad.

It was clear in the Summer that the home market was massively overpriced  and we needed to sign a lot of players. Having to pay £14 Million for Targett and £13 Million for Konza as examples,  not recognised Prem players tells us how much established Prem players would cost. So we ended up buying from cheaper leagues abroad and hoped they would step up. In most cases they haven't.  The truth is I'm not convinced Smith had a final or total say in many signings. This of course does not help when Smith himself has been found wanting tactically too many times this season,  but he is still new to the Prem


Since Post lockdown some of the selections have been baffling I agree (particularly Trez). I do wonder now just how much  Smith has a say in our signings.   When you chose to play Davis (and I would have too) and leave out a £10 mil striker when we can't score goals tells me Smith doesn't rate him or know how to play him. Either way I'm convinced Samatta is not Smiths player, along with many others....and with that, even with relegation, Smith should maybe keep his job and Suso sacked. Smith must then have responsibility to stand or fall by his own signings and hopefully buy players that fit a system he wants us to play

[dave.woodhall]

The last thing we need is a new poster coming here talking sense.

[Legion]

The last thing we need is a new poster coming here talking sense.

Multiple log-ins are against site rules, Boss.

[Legion]

First time posting, so be gentle please. Have been supporting Villa 45 years now, so seen it all, good and bad.

It was clear in the Summer that the home market was massively overpriced  and we needed to sign a lot of players. Having to pay £14 Million for Targett and £13 Million for Konza as examples,  not recognised Prem players tells us how much established Prem players would cost. So we ended up buying from cheaper leagues abroad and hoped they would step up. In most cases they haven't.  The truth is I'm not convinced Smith had a final or total say in many signings. This of course does not help when Smith himself has been found wanting tactically too many times this season,  but he is still new to the Prem


Since Post lockdown some of the selections have been baffling I agree (particularly Trez). I do wonder now just how much  Smith has a say in our signings.   When you chose to play Davis (and I would have too) and leave out a £10 mil striker when we can't score goals tells me Smith doesn't rate him or know how to play him. Either way I'm convinced Samatta is not Smiths player, along with many others....and with that, even with relegation, Smith should maybe keep his job and Suso sacked. Smith must then have responsibility to stand or fall by his own signings and hopefully buy players that fit a system he wants us to play

Welcome. A very fair set of points but personally I just cannot get my head round his persistence in selecting Davis when he is patently not good enough.

[Border villan]

The last thing we need is a new poster coming here talking sense.

Don’t worry a Dave we will soon drag him/her down to our level of delusion.

[itmustbe_it is!]

How is playing with 2 (crap) wingers and a non scoring rookie centre forward going to keep us up?

That is the problem - the continued doing of something which is clearly not working.

So bad is the recruitment and any tactics deployed, I am not sure that there are any other real options, other than perhaps play with a false 9.

Could argue we've played with a false nine all year

[Three Spires Villa]

I don’t understand how people know that Dean has no choice or say in the players that came. Lots of posters on here know a lot about how we do things. What if, they were Deans choice and he asked others to get them? Of course that couldn’t be right. I will admit I have no idea (unlike a lot on here!) but I don’t see how Dean gets away with this.

[RamboandBruno]

First time posting, so be gentle please. Have been supporting Villa 45 years now, so seen it all, good and bad.

It was clear in the Summer that the home market was massively overpriced  and we needed to sign a lot of players. Having to pay £14 Million for Targett and £13 Million for Konza as examples,  not recognised Prem players tells us how much established Prem players would cost. So we ended up buying from cheaper leagues abroad and hoped they would step up. In most cases they haven't.  The truth is I'm not convinced Smith had a final or total say in many signings. This of course does not help when Smith himself has been found wanting tactically too many times this season,  but he is still new to the Prem


Since Post lockdown some of the selections have been baffling I agree (particularly Trez). I do wonder now just how much  Smith has a say in our signings.   When you chose to play Davis (and I would have too) and leave out a £10 mil striker when we can't score goals tells me Smith doesn't rate him or know how to play him. Either way I'm convinced Samatta is not Smiths player, along with many others....and with that, even with relegation, Smith should maybe keep his job and Suso sacked. Smith must then have responsibility to stand or fall by his own signings and hopefully buy players that fit a system he wants us to play

Welcome AlwaysVilla.
Good post and I agree with a lot of what you say.
I think he persists with Davies rightly or wrongly as believes he can hold the ball up and bring the wingers and grealish into play higher up the pitch. I think he’s decided post lockdown to go a bit more direct and doesn’t think Samatta can do this job as well. The problem isn’t necessarily Davies per se, it’s the fact when he does get hold of it there’s no one close enough to him. Although we did this better today I thought. I think Luiz played well but should of done a bit better with his half volley, grealish for me should of scored at 0-2 as well. Trez shouldn’t be in the side for the rest of the season for me not Jota, give the kid vassilev a chance.