Aston Villa vs Stevenage Humiliation Post-Mortem

[Villan82]

Nobody seemed up for it today. The ground seemed subdued?

[Brend'Watkins]

Arrogant, lazy, complacent, pathetic, are the words that spring to mind. Against a Division 4 team is another thing in my head.  There are a number of players we are not going to progress with in that team today. I’m sick of the same shit season after season.

[Monty]

Why should Emery be above criticism?

He's not at all. It's just that the selection is a knee-jerk thing. Clearly, clearly that team was good enough to beat - and this cannot be stressed enough - Fourth Division Stevenage.

[Risso]

I didn't expect him to pick the same team who started against Wolves. But:

Picking Olsen. One clean sheet doth not a summer make. The bloke is shit Emery, you should be able to see that by now. I trust now he's helped knock us out of both cups you don't need any more evidence.
Bailey - he's been dismal for ages now. Stop leaving him on the pitch when he's having a shocker, or better still, don't pick him at all.
Chambers - he's not very good
Bednarek - send him back to Southampton please

[HK Villan]

The first goal was calamitous.  Pissing around at the back.  The second was the most pathetic defending I think I have ever seen.  Where were they?  What on earth was the goalkeeper thinking?  A gap as wide as the Aston Expressway at the near post.  Lord oh lord.  We need a new backup keeper in January.  As for Bailey - less said the better except 90% of the time he just isn't good enough.  Congratulations to Stevenage - some FA Cup magic right there.

[eamonn]

Those who are already turning on Emery, who exactly do you think we'll get who is any better? We're already "punching" with him.

[LeonW]

This is the third (and most successful) of the managers the majority of these players have had whilst at Villa and yet still they collapse in a familiar fashion, conceding 2 goals in quick succession. It’s not an anomaly and a major cultural shift is required. There’s nowhere to hide for a number of them now and we need to be ruthless in managing them, either whilst they’re in a Villa shirt or out of the club.

The 11 we put out should have been more than enough to deal with a league 2 team but I don’t understand why in the 2 cup games we’ve had under Emery he’s played weakened teams. That is on him no matter which way you spin it.

[PaulWinch again]

There's no way Sam Allardyce would have lost this match.

My mate cried all of the water out of his body after this result, it was a fucking disgrace.

Emery still seems like as good an acquisition as we could have hoped for at the time, no arguments from me there.

But how many games does he need to see that some of those chancers should be nowhere near the first team.

I never had him down as slow on the uptake.

He’s had 6 games

Emery still seems like as good an acquisition as we could have hoped for at the time, no arguments from me there.

But how many games does he need to see that some of those chancers should be nowhere near the first team.

I never had him down as slow on the uptake.

He’s had 6 games

Indeed.

[charleeco7]

Keeper aside (who is shit), we lost due to attitude rather than ability. A good proportion of that side thought they could just turn up, tippy tap it about and win. It started with Coutinho and filtered through to the rest of them.

[LukeJames]

When you take the piss with your selections this is what happens.

100%
Why take the risk with a weaker line up.  Everyone knows what happens.
This is on Emery.  I think Emi would have saved the winner. 
We should be still be in both cups. 
He has really pissed me off as there is no need to prick about.

Not one single person called it out as a risk before kick off.

[Villatillidie1982]

I really feel for Sanson. He finally gets a game, is the best player out there but has to share a pitch with that shower of shite.

Why did he take Sanson off?

[Matt C]

Poor mentality all round today, mostly from the players but the manager isn’t without blame, we’re simply not good enough to make wholesale changes. I don’t really understand what we’re resting players for.

[Flamingo Lane]

Those saying the selection of the team wasn't the issue today are wrong.  To bring in maybe one or two fringe players into an otherwise settled team, and/or to continue with a player or two out of form, would have been one thing.  However, to select a team packed with such players, and to have expected them to gel as a team, was a gross error.  In his time in charge, Emery should have seen enough of the individuals and squad under his watch to have recognised that the team he put out today would not pass muster, even against lower league opposition.

From pretty much the first minute today, that performance was totally unacceptable, we were lucky that Stevenage had their goal in the first half chalked off for offside, and lucky to go in a goal up at half time.  Even before the game got under way today, I was thinking the eleven who started the game may not have been the worst eleven that ever started a Villa game, but I'm not sure there could have ever been an eleven as slow.  And did it show, from the first minute.  Lethargy begat complacency, and complacency begat lethargy, exemplified by the pitiful performances of the substitutes, and we got absolutely what we deserved, the last 10 minutes of the game being no more than a reflection of all that had preceeded them.

Well done Stevenage, clearly more energised by the prospect of an FA Cup tie at Stoke City than were the Villa.





   

[eamonn]

I really feel for Sanson. He finally gets a game, is the best player out there but has to share a pitch with that shower of shite.

Why did he take Sanson off?

Match fitness maybe? He wanted to give Ramsey a run-out too.

[Villan82]

Those who are already turning on Emery, who exactly do you think we'll get who is any better? We're already "punching" with him.

Some people can't see beyond the last game.