Aston Villa 0 West Ham 1. Post Match Anger.

[SoccerHQ]

I thought first half we played well. Konsa and Chambers were great at the back, neat and tidy, and distributed it well. Cash and Digne seemed to rein it in a bit so we looked very sound. McGinn's passing was good and Coutinho was finding space and getting balls to Watkins and Ings.

And therein lies the fucking problem, those two are fucking gash and because it sort of clicks once every ten games, it's now Gerrard's go to formation and IT DOESN'T WORK. Ings is slow and shit, and Watkins just runs around like a puppy chasing a balloon. Pick one of them, and put an extra player like Buendia or Bailey in, for the love of god.

It's almost certainly too late now, because we'll get dicked by Arsenal and Man City, and that will be that. I feel a bit sorry for him that he hasn't been backed properly, but the rest of it he's brought on himself, so tough shit.

Gerrard hasn't been backed properly, a very interesting statement that demands a little more scrutiny.

[Bobby Boy]

I thought first half we played well. Konsa and Chambers were great at the back, neat and tidy, and distributed it well. Cash and Digne seemed to rein it in a bit so we looked very sound. McGinn's passing was good and Coutinho was finding space and getting balls to Watkins and Ings.

And therein lies the fucking problem, those two are fucking gash and because it sort of clicks once every ten games, it's now Gerrard's go to formation and IT DOESN'T WORK. Ings is slow and shit, and Watkins just runs around like a puppy chasing a balloon. Pick one of them, and put an extra player like Buendia or Bailey in, for the love of god.

It's almost certainly too late now, because we'll get dicked by Arsenal and Man City, and that will be that. I feel a bit sorry for him that he hasn't been backed properly, but the rest of it he's brought on himself, so tough shit.

I thought the first half was one of the most soporific games of football I've ever witnessed.

It was like the Stoned XI against the Dazed & Confused XI.

Kamara and Luiz in particular. Slow and slower.

Absolutely deadly in nullifying any attacking intent.

(I like Kamara by the way but not the two of them together)

[Risso]

I thought first half we played well. Konsa and Chambers were great at the back, neat and tidy, and distributed it well. Cash and Digne seemed to rein it in a bit so we looked very sound. McGinn's passing was good and Coutinho was finding space and getting balls to Watkins and Ings.

And therein lies the fucking problem, those two are fucking gash and because it sort of clicks once every ten games, it's now Gerrard's go to formation and IT DOESN'T WORK. Ings is slow and shit, and Watkins just runs around like a puppy chasing a balloon. Pick one of them, and put an extra player like Buendia or Bailey in, for the love of god.

It's almost certainly too late now, because we'll get dicked by Arsenal and Man City, and that will be that. I feel a bit sorry for him that he hasn't been backed properly, but the rest of it he's brought on himself, so tough shit.

Gerrard hasn't been backed properly, a very interesting statement that demands a little more scrutiny.

The net spend since he's been in is around £30m. We've got 1 new player in the starting line up from the team that finished 14th. Even with Grealish at his very best and no crowds, the majority of the team could only manage 11th. Gerrard absolutely should be getting more out of them, but we've still got half a team who are mostly very, very average. At best.

[tomd2103]

I thought first half we played well. Konsa and Chambers were great at the back, neat and tidy, and distributed it well. Cash and Digne seemed to rein it in a bit so we looked very sound. McGinn's passing was good and Coutinho was finding space and getting balls to Watkins and Ings.

And therein lies the fucking problem, those two are fucking gash and because it sort of clicks once every ten games, it's now Gerrard's go to formation and IT DOESN'T WORK. Ings is slow and shit, and Watkins just runs around like a puppy chasing a balloon. Pick one of them, and put an extra player like Buendia or Bailey in, for the love of god.

It's almost certainly too late now, because we'll get dicked by Arsenal and Man City, and that will be that. I feel a bit sorry for him that he hasn't been backed properly, but the rest of it he's brought on himself, so tough shit.

Going to go against the grain a bit, as I didn’t think we were as abysmal and horrendous as others have said.  I actually think we did OK in the first two thirds of the pitch and worked the ball out of tight areas pretty well at times. 

It just all breaks down in the final third though and we rarely threatened because of that.  We have no real width in the final third and just look completely disjointed in those areas.  Ings and Watkins with Coutinho behind just isn’t working, but we haven’t really got too many options to change the shape now.  Bailey looked miles off it again when he came on.

[Risso]

It just all breaks down in the final third though and we rarely threatened because of that.  We have no real width in the final third and just look completely disjointed in those areas.  Ings and Watkins with Coutinho behind just isn’t working, but we haven’t really git too many options to change the shape now.  Bailey looked miles off it again when he came on.

Bailey came on for a few minutes when they had 9 men behind the ball though, too little, too late. I don't think he's very good, but he'd possibly be better running at them from the start.

[London Villan]

Watkins out wide isnt the worst option, with bailey on the other side.

[Risso]

Watkins out wide isnt the worst option

Terrible option in my opinion, he adds nothing.

[SoccerHQ]

I thought first half we played well. Konsa and Chambers were great at the back, neat and tidy, and distributed it well. Cash and Digne seemed to rein it in a bit so we looked very sound. McGinn's passing was good and Coutinho was finding space and getting balls to Watkins and Ings.

And therein lies the fucking problem, those two are fucking gash and because it sort of clicks once every ten games, it's now Gerrard's go to formation and IT DOESN'T WORK. Ings is slow and shit, and Watkins just runs around like a puppy chasing a balloon. Pick one of them, and put an extra player like Buendia or Bailey in, for the love of god.

It's almost certainly too late now, because we'll get dicked by Arsenal and Man City, and that will be that. I feel a bit sorry for him that he hasn't been backed properly, but the rest of it he's brought on himself, so tough shit.

Gerrard hasn't been backed properly, a very interesting statement that demands a little more scrutiny.

The net spend since he's been in is around £30m. We've got 1 new player in the starting line up from the team that finished 14th. Even with Grealish at his very best and no crowds, the majority of the team could only manage 11th. Gerrard absolutely should be getting more out of them, but we've still got half a team who are mostly very, very average. At best.

On flip side we've spent nearly 30m on Coutinho which sadly is looking more like a vanity project every single week given his age so we're getting little back on him when he leaves.

He also decided early on he didn't rate Targett, fair enough but again our model under Smith was to sign guys like Cash from championship and develop them. Aaron Hickey was reguarly linked but instead we go for Digne, again similar profile to Coutinho with the fee and wage bill. I don't think Digne was as bad as made out last season but he's been really poor so far and little better than Targett at both ends.

Nearly 60m there and huge increase in wages on two late 20 players.

Chambers came in at barely any cost so actually a good value for money signing by us yet Gerrard pretty much always picks Konsa over him.

Then start of the summer he gets in Kamara and Carlos, just unlucky with Diego injury but made him look foolish trying to get Mings out and then quickly having to restore him to the line up.

He's been back well, I'm sure our wage bill compared to 12 months back would reflect this and I'm sure he was happy to inherit likes of Ings and Bailey who DS only had two months to work with.

Does every manager in world football need to spend 100m per window net to win more than 3 games in 15? I'm sure net spends of likes of Potter and Vieria would be minute in recent times. They get given a group of players and actually have to improve them on training ground.

Edit; We should've finished higher than 14th last season aswell. Think we were 9th after beating Leeds in mid March with many winnable games left.

[PaulWinch again]

Watkins out wide isnt the worst option, with bailey on the other side.

I think it is. Watkins can be a Premier League striker, when he’s ok form and on his own. He is not a Premier League wide player - he just doesn’t have enough to beat people out wide.

[Allan C]

It’s been obvious for months that he hasn’t got a clue.

But I must admit I didn’t expect him to keep on repeating the same blindingly obviously mistakes.

He truly is the worst manager I’ve seen us have - given the squad he has to play with.

Comparing him to Bruce - do me a favour  - he ain’t good enough to lace Bruce’s boots.

Rubbish. Bruce failed in a sub standard league. Let’s not get too carried away

[Bobby Boy]

Watkins out wide isnt the worst option, with bailey on the other side.

I think it is. Watkins can be a Premier League striker, when he’s ok form and on his own. He is not a Premier League wide player - he just doesn’t have enough to beat people out wide.

The problem is that any striker relies on service.

Where is our service coming from? Who's creating chances?

There was zero service today, zero.

[London Villan]

With squad we currently have watkins is one of only three that can play wide - bailey and buendia at a push. With bert gone who else is there?

4231 would get the best out of the existing squad.

[Monty]

I just think the way we move the ball is amateurishly slow. We look, for the billionth time in the last decade and a half, like a team behind the times, like an analogue team in a digital world.

[Bobby Boy]

I just think the way we move the ball is amateurishly slow. We look, for the billionth time in the last decade and a half, like a team behind the times, like an analogue team in a digital world.

Well put. That's it exactly.

[tomd2103]

Watkins out wide isnt the worst option

Terrible option in my opinion, he adds nothing.

Not a top flight quality wide player, yet him and Ings inexplicably spend a lot of the game in those areas where they are both ineffective.