Aston Villa vs Stevenage Humiliation Post-Mortem

[BC Villain]

To be fair to Unai. The selection should beat a league 2 side if they put a shift in.  Clearly there is work to do, we have to give him a chance. We are not going to win every game. It will take time to develop the squad. This at least gives him a clearer idea of what is required. Frankly I was not at all surprised at this result , we seem to have a habit of this.

If they're prepared properly, which they clearly weren't and did not particularly give a toss by the looks of things.

Pinnochio has fucked up two cup competitions in the space of a few weeks after bullshitting us when he arrived that he wanted to take the cups seriously.

[Louzie0]

There are no excuses. The selection was poor and the players adopted  a "pre season, low pace, keep ball strategy."
It was a spectacular example of shooting oneself in the foot (indeed both feet).
Given the attitude thank heavens tbe game was free to season ticket holders.
Huge commiserations to anybody who paid to watch the pageant of mediocrity which at times almost reached a speed of 10 miles per hour!!
Very, very poor indeed.
Good luck to Stevenage at Stoke but the Potters will give them a game; something we certainly didn't

If I were Unai Emory I would expect the team I named to be out to impress, banging the ball all over the place, 4 or 5 or 6 nil up by half time.

Today, I’d be asking for more at half time. We know he does this in the PL and we know from his CV he wants to win cups.

I still don’t believe they were actually playing at walking pace for most of the first half and then, for a lot of the second.
What was going on in their minds?

This abject performance has got to have convinced him about who to buy and who, definitely, has to be moved on.

Hoping for a lively transfer window. UTV!

[SoccerHQ]

He deserves stick for them not being up *for* it. But they should be up *to* it if they'd been coaching themselves for 2 months. Sorry, the idea the selection was the problem is an absurd crutch. The problem was the disastrous, horrible, half-arsed, shit-brained, lily-livered candy-ass spiced pumpkin horseshit performance from the players.

Be interesting what happens with selection now.

Last season we had Gerrard moaning endlessly at the end of many games from January onwards...and then a week later he'd pick pretty much the same team with a similar result.

With the injuries to the FBs Young and Digne are certs to start and really the backline picks itself (although wouldn't shock me if we sign the Betis guy this week).

Beyond that it will be a very interesting selection. If Ramsey isn't fit to start who actually starts in that area?

This is where he earns his money now as no way after today will there be much patience if we start very slowly v Leeds. If ever there's a home game we need to come out of the blocks it's Friday.

[pelty]

The manager has disrespected our club and has shown no understanding of the FA Cup.
Idiotic

What utter garbage. He has won more cups in ten years than we have in 40 years. He hasn't signed a single player yet. A premier-league squad should be beating Stevenage, it's on the players.

This.

Embarrassing, pathetic performance, mind, but let’s not overreact. Like every other manager in the league, Unai made changes but the players went out and were abysmal. Hopefully, it will signal the need for better players and we will see some leave and others come in this month.

[PaulMcGrathsNo5Shirt]

No intensity from the start, we created so little all game. I can't really recall their keeper making a save.

There's been an absolute fortune spent on the squad, but it's woeful, the stating XI isn't good enough and those fringe players showed why they don't play.

Only Sanson and Agustinsson can be content with how they performed today. Emery picked a side that should have beaten Stevenage at home, he'll have learnt more about his players today than at any time. No doubt they'll all be posting on Instagram anytime now about how sorry they are and how they'll 'come back stronger' etc etc. Bunch of wankers the lot of them.

If Emery does need any help then here's my two penneth.

 1 Emiliano Martínez - Make him captain now. Show him we want him to lead us. We want winning mentality. He has it

2 Matty Cash - Not a priority to get rid until the summer but an improvement needed

3 Diego Carlos - Who knows? When is he back?

4 Ezri Konsa - Upgrade required in the summer possibly, but I assume that's Carlos?

5 Tyrone Mings - Useful squad player but shouldn't really start regularly. Sell if offered enough money

6 Douglas Luiz - I think he'll flourish under Emery, with better players around him. Keep.

7 John McGinn - Squad player, gives us drive from midfield but isn't anything like the player he was, can Emery get him back to his former self? I'd be inclined to give him the opportunity.

8 Morgan Sanson - He did well today but unless he's going to get the chance in the Premier League we may as well move him on.

9 Danny Ings - He's a goal scorer our most natural. If we can bring in a Mitrovic or similar/better player then let him go, but i'd be inclined to keep him for now. 

10 Emiliano Buendía - Does some great stuff but is too inconsistent. If we can get 2/3 of our money back i'd let him go.

11 Ollie Watkins - Needs to play wide and not central. If not may as well sell

12 Jed Steer - Get rid

16 Calum Chambers - Poor, needs to be upgraded.

17 Ludwig Augustinsson - I guess he's going back from his loan at some point.

18 Ashley Young - Good character yes, past it yes. Needs gone. 

19 Marvelous Nakamba - I'd actually forgot we had him. Get rid

23 Philippe Coutinho - Sadly, just not doing it, doesn't look anything like the player he was. If we can get rid of him, to get him off the wage bill it needs to be done

24 Frederic Guilbert - I remember him, every manager we have had since he arrived doesn't rate him and he doesn't play. Get him off the wage bill.

25 Robin Olsen - Has there ever been a worse goalkeeper in a Villa Shirt? Nyland was poor, Enckleman awful, Gabor Kiraly was pretty horendous. Kalinic? Gollini? We've actually had some pretty shit keepers haven't we?

27 Lucas Digne - He's ok, does ok, not top of my list to be got rid of just yet, but I suspect with another LB due to arrive immanently he may well be phased out. 

29 Kaine Kesler Hayden - Get him back, good young kid who appears to be doing ok on loan. He'll certainly do no worse than the crap we have now.

31 Leon Bailey - Cancel his contract, truly, truly awful footballer. Not a reaction to his miss at Wolves that he blarted about but his general all round play. 

32 Jaden Philogene-Bidace - Scored today v Leeds for Cardiff. Would he be any worse to look at him for the rest of the season. Recall him and give him a chance.

35 Cameron Archer - Really wish we hadn't let him go to Boro he could be in and around the team

40 Aaron Ramsey - Glad he's back. Lets use the rest of the season to have a look.

41 Jacob Ramsey - Keep.

42 Filip Marschall - Give him a chance instead of Robinaliving Olsen

44 Boubacar Kamara - Missed him today.

45 Ben Chrisene - Give him a chance for the rest of the season.

47 Tim Iroegbunam - Can we get him back and have a look at him?

48 Oliwier Zych - no idea?

59 Josh Feeney - No idea?

[Flin5tone]

[Villa being Villa in the FA cup but you don't expect it at home against Stevenage . The manager and half hearted players need to have a complete rethink .

Let's not forget the shambolic first half against Wolves this week.

We're going backwards

[astonvilla82]

You know when in life you get past caring , that's what I feel with the Villa sometimes

[Nunkin1965]

The manager has disrespected our club and has shown no understanding of the FA Cup.
Idiotic

What utter garbage. He has won more cups in ten years than we have in 40 years. He hasn't signed a single player yet. A premier-league squad should be beating Stevenage, it's on the players.

This.

Embarrassing, pathetic performance, mind, but let’s not overreact. Like every other manager in the league, Unai made changes but the players went out and were abysmal. Hopefully, it will signal the need for better players and we will see some leave and others come in this month.

100% its on the players.
One positive is it accelerates the exit of a few.

[Chris Harte]

I left at 78 minutes at a goal up and assumed the game would peter out to a one-nil.

I assume Unai wanted to see how some of our squad perform in a match environment. And now he knows.

We won't see some of those players again.

That said, watching the highlights key moments I'm wondering how the penalty was given. We keep hearing how shirt pulls should be punished, well it clearly started outside the area.

Oh well.

[gpbarr]

The one positive - Unai can surely now be in no doubt that some of those players are fringe at best if we are serious about progress.

Special mention to Bailey, Coutinho, Cash - if they never play another game in a Villa shirt I’d be happy. Charlatans the trio.

It feels really painful right now but turn Leeds over Friday and we can look forward again.

And the criticism of Unai - dear oh dear. The guy has done virtually everything right since being appointed. Who’d be a soccer manager

[pablo_picasso]

Terrible. Terrible performance. Terrible result. Terrible players. I would Keep Ramsey of all that played tonight & bin off the rest over time. Maybe keep Cash as the backup RB too. The rest can fuck right off.

[pauliewalnuts]

What horseshit blaming the manager for that.

That side should easily have been enough.

[PaulWinch again]

Complete and utter garbage.

Bailey has been awarded Stevenage MOTM.

Ollie Watkins also gets an assist.

And Buendia.

Throughout the game we were so passive and complacent. The only time we upped the intensity we scored, and clearly assumed we had the job done.

[maidstonevillain]

Just remarkable.

Olsen - beaten like the utter fucking chump he is.
Bailey - not good enough yet again
Coutinho - pathetic
Dendoncker - brainless ******

The total lack of marking for their second goal, a thing of absolute horror.

Dendonker was an idiot, Olsen was at fault for both goals. Why play that pass to Dendonker at that moment? All risk and no reward. Then his goalkeeping for the second was astonishingly bad. But fuck knows how you just allow someone to run into the box and shoot like that.

It’s an utterly pathetic effort and every single one of them, bar Sanson, should be ashamed of their efforts. The FA Cup effort from Villa in the last 7 years has been chronic, but this is a new level of shame.

All teams do it and it annoys me not playing your best keeper. There’s no way Aston Villa can win the FA Cup without playing their no 1 keeper. And it’s a goalkeeper, he won’t be tired for the next effing match.

The alternative is to risk our only competent G/K getting injured in a match we should win at a canter.

[john e]

If you want to win something you set out to win it from the beginning
If you take the attitude  ‘well this should do, this will see us through’ you run the risk of Man United and today

The only thing I like about Gerrard was he took the cup seriously
At Bolton, he drew criticism for playing certain players, not from me

If we are ever gonna win that fucking thing again, we need a manager who won’t put people the likes off Olsen in goals and hoping for the best
Because the best is not what you get

We live in a world where finishing 9th not 10th is preferable to winning the FA Cup
That’s just a fact you only have to look at the team selections

So here we are again, 60 odd years and counting
things will never change until we make it a priority, and I am not sure that’s ever going to happen