Liverpool 1-0 Aston Villa post match thread

[Drummond]

We didn't have a single shot on target. That's a Steve Bruce statistic.

It's a really shit state of affairs that we didn't get one in 90 minutes of football.

[Risso]

We didn't have a single shot on target. That's a Steve Bruce statistic.

It's a really shit state of affairs that we didn't get one in 90 minutes of football.

It took two dodgy penalty decisions for us to lose to the best team in the league, yet here you are, with barely concealed glee, comparing him to Steve Bruce on two threads.

[Drummond]

We didn't have a single shot on target. That's a Steve Bruce statistic.

It's a really shit state of affairs that we didn't get one in 90 minutes of football.

It took two dodgy penalty decisions for us to lose to the best team in the league, yet here you are, with barely concealed glee, comparing him to Steve Bruce on two threads.

Haha, I knew you'd react like that. I've no doubt I could do a search and find behaviour of yours that's  far more reactionary, that will have been quoted on thread after thread about various managers over the years.

As for glee, do me a favour. I'm fucked off. Liverpool is the game I want to win more than any other.

I didn't like the lineup, there was no flair in there, but that's because we set up to defend. You don't win games by trying not to lose.

[Drummond]

We showed them too much respect. The players did that against Man City and the manager changed it up at half time. Our tactics did that against Liverpool for 70 minutes. Even with Buendia and Ings on we didn't do enough.

I want to win games. Not be the plucky losers.

[Nev]

For this game alone the manager had to prioritise not losing. Had he played openly and we'd been dicked 4 or 5 can you just imagine the reaction from the fans? I think he was conscious of the behavior of Houllier and you could see that the way he handled himself on Saturday. That's without the gulf in class between the sides, and poor officiating.

Should we approach games in such a fashion on a regular basis then I will call in question his tactics but for Saturday he gets a pass from me.

[Risso]

We didn't have a single shot on target. That's a Steve Bruce statistic.

It's a really shit state of affairs that we didn't get one in 90 minutes of football.

It took two dodgy penalty decisions for us to lose to the best team in the league, yet here you are, with barely concealed glee, comparing him to Steve Bruce on two threads.

Haha, I knew you'd react like that. I've no doubt I could do a search and find behaviour of yours that's  far more reactionary, that will have been quoted on thread after thread about various managers over the years.

As for glee, do me a favour. I'm fucked off. Liverpool is the game I want to win more than any other.

I didn't like the lineup, there was no flair in there, but that's because we set up to defend. You don't win games by trying not to lose.

Sometimes you do. You certainly don't win them by being an utter defensive shambles and shipping two goals a game, as we did under Smith.

So far under Gerrard we've played 5 teams who were above us in the league, and have won three of them, with two very narrow defeats to the two best teams in the league. A bit more composure from Chukwuemeka and a referee doing his job properly, and we probably get a point from each of those as well. I want to see good attacking play, but I'll accept the odd game against the likes of Liverpool when we have to be more compact, especially when two of our three expensive attacking options in Bailey and Traore are perma-crocked and the other in Buendia can't (yet) be trusted not to give balls away in dangerous positions for the opposition.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

For this game alone the manager had to prioritise not losing. Had he played openly and we'd been dicked 4 or 5 can you just imagine the reaction from the fans? I think he was conscious of the behavior of Houllier and you could see that the way he handled himself on Saturday. That's without the gulf in class between the sides, and poor officiating.

Should we approach games in such a fashion on a regular basis then I will call in question his tactics but for Saturday he gets a pass from me.

...but we did lose.
Our goal led a charmed life and if it wasn't for Tyrone and Emi we could easily have lost by 2 or 3 goals even without the need for their penalty.
I'd sooner have a go at teams, show little respect and lose trying (remember it's not that long ago we scored 8 goals against them).

[Risso]

For this game alone the manager had to prioritise not losing. Had he played openly and we'd been dicked 4 or 5 can you just imagine the reaction from the fans? I think he was conscious of the behavior of Houllier and you could see that the way he handled himself on Saturday. That's without the gulf in class between the sides, and poor officiating.

Should we approach games in such a fashion on a regular basis then I will call in question his tactics but for Saturday he gets a pass from me.

...but we did lose.
Our goal led a charmed life and if it wasn't for Tyrone and Emi we could easily have lost by 2 or 3 goals even without the need for their penalty.
I'd sooner have a go at teams, show little respect and lose trying (remember it's not that long ago we scored 8 goals against them).

It was 7, and we had Grealish and Barkley in the best form of their lives.

[LeeB]

Comparisons with Bruce are a bit off, not getting a shot on target against one of the best teams in the world is one thing but doing it against Cardiff or Sheffield Utd is a whole other thing entirely

[Nev]

For this game alone the manager had to prioritise not losing. Had he played openly and we'd been dicked 4 or 5 can you just imagine the reaction from the fans? I think he was conscious of the behavior of Houllier and you could see that the way he handled himself on Saturday. That's without the gulf in class between the sides, and poor officiating.

Should we approach games in such a fashion on a regular basis then I will call in question his tactics but for Saturday he gets a pass from me.

...but we did lose.
Our goal led a charmed life and if it wasn't for Tyrone and Emi we could easily have lost by 2 or 3 goals even without the need for their penalty.
I'd sooner have a go at teams, show little respect and lose trying (remember it's not that long ago we scored 8 goals against them).

So would I but I can also see the Managers thinking. Gerrard is a pragmatist, that I think is obvious.

[Drummond]

Comparisons with Bruce are a bit off, not getting a shot on target against one of the best teams in the world is one thing but doing it against Cardiff or Sheffield Utd is a whole other thing entirely

Nah, they're not. Our possession in other games (Brighton, Palace and Man City) has been really low too, we'll create chances against weaker teams playing that way, but against Liverpool the system was exposed.

I'm pleased with everything Gerrard did (e.g. waving to our fans) and said (about the fuss around him being ex-Liverpool) and of course we need to tighten up the chances we gave conceded but I'm surprised at the line-up. effectively 4-5-1 and no width.

[sickbeggar]

I think Gerrard said the game plan was to hold on for 70 minutes and then hit them with everything. It didn't work but y'know man for man it was a total mismatch realistically. They'd have to have had a major off-day and us a lot of luck to win or draw it.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

For this game alone the manager had to prioritise not losing. Had he played openly and we'd been dicked 4 or 5 can you just imagine the reaction from the fans? I think he was conscious of the behavior of Houllier and you could see that the way he handled himself on Saturday. That's without the gulf in class between the sides, and poor officiating.

Should we approach games in such a fashion on a regular basis then I will call in question his tactics but for Saturday he gets a pass from me.

...but we did lose.
Our goal led a charmed life and if it wasn't for Tyrone and Emi we could easily have lost by 2 or 3 goals even without the need for their penalty.
I'd sooner have a go at teams, show little respect and lose trying (remember it's not that long ago we scored 8 goals against them).

So would I but I can also see the Managers thinking. Gerrard is a pragmatist, that I think is obvious.

I appreciate your comments Nev.
It's early days and Saturday's performance never mind the result will hopefully be an exception to how we normally play.
Like most Villa fans probably, I've been fed up with Villa 'knowing their place' when playing the sl6 and hardly laying a glove on them. It's been refreshing the last few years ruffling the feathers of the majority of these clubs and taking our place close to if not on the top table. Saturday was a frustrating throw-back for me and one that I hope is rarely repeated.

[paul_e]

I agree with Nev. I think this was the selection and tactical performance that he felt he had to go with on "Stevee Gee's return to Anfield". A narrow loss was no shame against a very good team who are playing very well at home, anything more than that would've been a massive bonus. The one thing that couldn't happen was for himto take a battering on his first game there in the opposition dugout, that would've become the defining story of our season and bno one wants that.

It just felt like our plan was to kill the game and take all of the circus out of it. It's far from ideal but I think it'll turn out to have been the right choice in the long run. However we now have to win the next 2 to prove it was business as usual and there's no dwelling on it, just like we did after welcoming back the rat.

[olaftab]

Just listened to a bit of radio in the car. Danny Murphy and Sam Matterface were discussing this match. Matterface was absolutely ruthless in sticking it up Murphy. Murphy stuck to the he got his hand to the ball line whereas Matterface maintained that that doesn't give him a free pass for fouling Ings, Alison was not in control of the ball and if he had not impeded Ings  there was a loose ball and an open goal. Gave him some more verbal to say that Salah dived and he is a diver.

We have been done twice on this "touched the ball so no pen" decision this one and last season v Brighton so the foul didn't count. They need to look at this rule.