Aston Villa 0 Watford 1 Post Match Thread

[tony scott]

We are playing a system that most teams find easy to counter, we persist with it because we believe it the best system for our players or management team, It’s clearly not working at the moment, I would love to know how our CEO is convincing our Owners that we’re on track for success when the results are so poor.  These astute business men must now be alarmed at what’s taking place.  We have a set piece coach who surely can see we don’t have many tall players in the side, when I saw us lofting the ball from corners into a penalty box crowded with big Watford defenders, I wonder if the players are listening.  I would be very surprised if we spend big in the summer, would you trust this management team to spend wisely. Following Newcastle we all hoped we would get a reaction yesterday’s performance was alarming.

[remy]

First game back in VP for months due to work commitments and Remy Jnr’s birthday game. “Nailed on dad” said the naive young junior whilst I paid £70 for tickets and another (at a snip!) £43 for a Coutinho shirt. Didn’t care in the slightest as it’s part of the ritual.

Loads of Gerrard is still fuming from the bar codes games, changes forthcoming etc. Team is announced to incredulity and stunned silence. Ings in for Watkins? What about the rest? What a bottle job!

Feeling something isn’t right with a Villa advert about something ‘Villa league cup win 1982’ ? Did I miss a youth cup here ?

First half we sang the usual repatoir with loads of colour and voice around. Ings denied a penalty and hits the post from a one on one. Loads of possession and triangle passing, no end product.

Time and again Digne just about to spring forward in space turns and plays infield. Meatball constantly giving the ball away then wins ball back with endeavour and gives it away again.

Luiz doesn’t want to be here with another anonymous performance.

About 3 times I saw Ramsey get in the way of either Buendia or Coutinho, picks up the ball then is crowded out nullifying any threat.

Coutinho - tricks, movement, balance….in sporadic areas not being harnessed where he can do most damage. Cash….oh Lordy what has happened son?

Substitutions….Luiz hooked, Cash hooked, Buendia hooked…Ings and Watkins can’t play together - WTF? Young - he’s 36 and past it! Why didn’t Hause start - he kept a clean sheet AND scored the winner at OT!

2nd half our tactic was to wait for them to make a mistake. No sign of Gerrard on the touch line when the tide of shit show starts to rise further. Frustration and anger amplify by 70th min as pass after pass goes astray and Watford wind down the clock.

Why isn’t Sanson starting? No Mings clanger this week!

I have no idea what SG does next as the players are not capable or accepting his ideas. If he persists with his implementation and we lose 5 on the spin by the time the saints game is over and we drop into the bottom 4 or 5 then he’ll lose the dressing room completely and us fans if we get a 5 or 6 nil battering with no lessons learned and the same shit being served up weekly.

Disappointed we lost but I’m in my 35th year of Villa supporting and junior is still learning the villa way of doing things. Onto Brighton !

[postal]

Football is strange and we might best / draw against better teams than Watford coming up.
I really hope so, as I feel, and hate to say, otherwise we are in danger of being dragged into a relegation scare.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

Wtaf!
Not f-cking good enough and I'm not just talking about the players on the pitch! 1 f-cking shot on target all game at VP!
Next win anyone?

[ROBBO]

It amazes me that managers don't see what we see, with the Leeds game we played them at their own game, very attacking but in doing so exposed the defence, Yesterday it was obvious what their game plan was, hit us on the break, but off we went full tilt, full backs (sorry wing backs) galloping up the wings as instructed, the fact that they were leaving huge gaps behind them never sem to cross the players or coaches minds. Good players are being made to look incompetent because management want them to play as if they are worldies, which they are not. A note to Mr Gerrard say what you do and do what you say.

[PaulTheVillan]

On paper we’ve got some good players. To me it seems they’re out of form and the manager constantly calling them out for not being good enough is not helping. If my boss kept calling me out then I’d down tools. There’s some problems and it needs sorting out quickly.

[LamBeast]

As disappointed as we all are,it’s going to take time…

[nick harper]

Gerrard needs his Dean Smith lockdown moment. We’re too easy and open to play against and the players are collectively lacking belief and confidence. Change the shape and make us harder to play against or we will get sucked into a dogfight.

All the teams at the bottom are stirring and there’s always one or two sides who sleepwalk into trouble from the middle of the table.

[Goldenballs]

Just watched motd, we looked worse than I remember. Still fuming at how shit we were, it was so obvious they were going to score on the counter.

All the subs made us worse, Buendia shouldn't have come off. Young was fucking shite. The midfield was a jumbled mess, in the first half Cash and McGinn were treading on each others toes.

It was a complete shambles tbh.

[Hillbilly]

We’re effectively playing the Christmas tree formation 4-3-2-1 which fell out of favour for good reason.

[Hookeysmith]

How much longer do we have to put up with the ineptness of Mcginn. The times he gets the ball swivels round looking for the Hollywood pass and then either over cooks it ot it is intercepted makes me want to scream.

He should be nowhere near the side.
 Luiz just looks like he doesn't give a fuck.
Can anyone actually think Digne is a £25m upgrade on Targett?

[ROBBO]

Gerrard needs his Dean Smith lockdown moment. We’re too easy and open to play against and the players are collectively lacking belief and confidence. Change the shape and make us harder to play against or we will get sucked into a dogfight.

All the teams at the bottom are stirring and there’s always one or two sides who sleepwalk into trouble from the middle of the table.

I was thinking the same, we are far too predictable, it's good to play open attractive football but when you are in a slump go back to basics and stop the opposition from scoring.

[john2710]

I get the feeling that Gerrard may turn out to be like Roy Keane.

Got the line up wrong & the changes made it worse.

[PaulTheVillan]

Amazing how quick feelings change.

[nigel]

It was clear today that the system doesn’t suit McGinn, so, unfortunately, I would look to move him on in the summer to bring in a proper DM, unless Tim Ignebuem (?) gets his chance and shines.

Deigne was awful today, never made any real progress, he played no better than Targett going forward, but at least Targett can defend.

Swapping to 442 was utterly ridiculous