Villa v Leeds post match thread

[kipeye]

Have to say I'm proud of my fellow Villa fans for the way they responded to this defeat. I have complained about the excess gloating in the past, but you have been totally classy since Friday.

[WilliamStanding]

What a great post.

[The Edge]

What a great post.

I agree.

[kippaxvilla2]

I’ve not watched any of the game and neither do I intend to.  Continuing my childish rant reaction to when we lose a game.  Unless I’ve actually been at the game.

[Billy Walker]

We looked knackered as soon as they scored. Mentally and physically it broke us.

It's a strange one because at the tail end of last season this team had to contend with mental pressure of a magnitude no Villa team in my time has ever had to face.  It would take an awful lot to break the spine of this team, I reckon.  I think Leeds simply got their tactics spot on, they overran us and smothered us.   

[Allan C]

I think people are over analysing the game. We had just about all of our key players having an off day at the same time and Leeds exploited it. It’s rare for all the team to play poorly but I’ve seen enough this season to know we’ll put it right and move on

[N'ZMAV]

we just looked like we didn't think we could get back in to it once we went behind; it's probably been a while since we've been behind in a game.

[Ian J]

All this argument about if Jack should have passed or not, you can not take away his brilliance to create this opportunity in the first place. He had no right to get into that position but he did. He’s some player and he’s bloody ace.

[kippaxvilla2]

A lot has been said about us benefiting from lack of crowd.  Not a lot been said from others about it this weekend funnily enough.  The way we reacted to going one down I do wonder whether if the crowd being there might have helped them react more positively.

[Monty]

All this argument about if Jack should have passed or not, you can not take away his brilliance to create this opportunity in the first place. He had no right to get into that position but he did. He’s some player and he’s bloody ace.

I feel similarly, seems a bit churlish to have a go at him for not converting a chance that about 5 other current players maximum could have made.

[Bobby Boy]

Sure, perhaps he could have passed but had he scored, and the keeper saved it, he didn't blaze it wide we would have been talking about one of the all-time great goals.

It was a little like his mazy dribble at the start of the second half in the play off final defeat against Fulham.

His close control allied to pace and strength is mesmerising at times. No-one in our team or our recent teams can do what he can. He does definitely hang onto the ball too long at times but he is a very rare gem.

In the future people will be telling their kids and grandkids that they saw Jack Grealish play the way they do George Best.

[Risso]

I don't think it's churlish at all.  I think Watkins was much better placed to score, and if he had, we might have taken something from the game.  I'm not going to beat him up over it as he's obviously still far and away our best and most exciting player, but he made the wrong decision in my opinion, and increased the ammunition for numpties like Southgate.

[eamonn]

I hope crowds aren't back by the time we face them in the return game at Elland Road. Won't be quite as difficult to gain revenge without 35000 savages doing their best to put us off.
I also think Friday night's game is probably the first since Lockdown where a VP crowd might have helped positively influence the result.

[The Edge]

I don't think it's churlish at all.  I think Watkins was much better placed to score, and if he had, we might have taken something from the game.  I'm not going to beat him up over it as he's obviously still far and away our best and most exciting player, but he made the wrong decision in my opinion, and increased the ammunition for numpties like Southgate.

My thoughts exactly. Jack should have passed and looking back he will know this. No one is knocking him. He's adored by us but sometimes you have be honest and admit he's not quite the perfect player. Yet. And I agree about Southgate. He will feel justified with his lamentable misuse of Jack's unique talent. But as someone posted earlier Jack will outlive Southgate's tenure and hopefully a progressive coach will get the England job and utilise his special talents to the full.

[Monty]

I don't think it's churlish at all.  I think Watkins was much better placed to score, and if he had, we might have taken something from the game.  I'm not going to beat him up over it as he's obviously still far and away our best and most exciting player, but he made the wrong decision in my opinion, and increased the ammunition for numpties like Southgate.

My thoughts exactly. Jack should have passed and looking back he will know this. No one is knocking him. He's adored by us but sometimes you have be honest and admit he's not quite the perfect player. Yet. And I agree about Southgate. He will feel justified with his lamentable misuse of Jack's unique talent. But as someone posted earlier Jack will outlive Southgate's tenure and hopefully a progressive coach will get the England job and utilise his special talents to the full.

Sure, I don't totally disagree with this, and it's at least arguable that of the players on earth who could've done that dribble and not by accident (Messi, Hazard, Neymar, a few othrrs) Jack is the most likely to not convert the resulting chance. But then, all those other players are at superclubs; it remains amazing that Jack is still with us given our current position. Of course he should've scored or passed given the position, but I still can't stop loving that we have, not just a player who can do that, but a homegrown one-of-us iconic number 10 who can do that. It's just great.