Villa - Fulham post match thread

[Monty]

Honestly, thought we controlled the second half mostly. You can control a game without the ball, and while it really wasn't pretty, sometimes it's what you got to do. Ball wasn't sticking up front, Buendia had his bad half, somehow Ramsey couldn't wriggle out, and the Donk is a fine stopper but his passing under pressure from a team like Fulham, who know how to press, can go off and it did.

It happens, but fuck, it was another win. Look at how many wins that is! Look at all the wins! It's unbelievable.

[Nev]

I sat with my arms folded for most of the game last night, I'm getting used to how the manager wants us to play, the players are patient and we need to be. Of course, I don't want it to be like this every week but then, during the last home game I never sat still, bawling howling, singing and celebrating. We must expect both and Newton Heath at the weekend will be a lot more tense.

The Manager seemed rather relaxed in the second half as well and this seems to transfer to the players and his manner is key in seeing out games and getting those tight victories.

I do concede that we look jaded though, having at least one of Cash or Kamara back on Sunday would be an enormous boost.

[Risso]

Honestly, thought we controlled the second half mostly. You can control a game without the ball, and while it really wasn't pretty, sometimes it's what you got to do. Ball wasn't sticking up front, Buendia had his bad half, somehow Ramsey couldn't wriggle out, and the Donk is a fine stopper but his passing under pressure from a team like Fulham, who know how to press, can go off and it did.

It happens, but fuck, it was another win. Look at how many wins that is! Look at all the wins! It's unbelievable.

Yes, and four points from the last two games when we haven't been at our best is not to be sniffed at. The lack of decent options on the bench could become a problem though, if we had another striker I'd have taken Watkins off on 60 minutes last night.

[Monty]

Sometimes your fluency deserts you, our quality level isn't yet such that this will never happen. However, the question is 'what have you got to fall back on when it does' - and in our case, it's absolutely tremendous defensive organisation.

[UK Redsox]

Sometimes your fluency deserts you, our quality level isn't yet such that this will never happen. However, the question is 'what have you got to fall back on when it does' - and in our case, it's absolutely tremendous defensive organisation.

A statement like that would have been unthinkable back in the days of the 'cornalties'

[Chris Smith]

Honestly, thought we controlled the second half mostly. You can control a game without the ball, and while it really wasn't pretty, sometimes it's what you got to do. Ball wasn't sticking up front, Buendia had his bad half, somehow Ramsey couldn't wriggle out, and the Donk is a fine stopper but his passing under pressure from a team like Fulham, who know how to press, can go off and it did.

It happens, but fuck, it was another win. Look at how many wins that is! Look at all the wins! It's unbelievable.

In the first half the Fulham press was really halfhearted, they looked resigned to losing. Moreno had time and space to get at their fullback at will and Mings kept feeding him. They were much more aggressive in the second which blunted us but we still dealt with everything they had to offer.

[Gareth]

What I did find interesting last night, particularly in the second half was the amount of supporters around me (Witton Upper) who haven’t grasped how Emery wants us to play…sure it can be a bit boring when the ball is going between Emi, Mings and Konsa but just yelling ‘forward’ when no player has space is not his way :-)

We didn’t have as many of those pass, pass, pass accelerate type transitions last night as recent games but when we did we looked good. 

[Risso]

What I did find interesting last night, particularly in the second half was the amount of supporters around me (Witton Upper) who haven’t grasped how Emery wants us to play…sure it can be a bit boring when the ball is going between Emi, Mings and Konsa but just yelling ‘forward’ when no player has space is not his way :-)

We didn’t have as many of those pass, pass, pass accelerate type transitions last night as recent games but when we did we looked good. 

Yes, and we did a lot more punting it forward last second half, to mostly not very good effect. Which just highlights that Emery's way is the right way.

[Gareth]

What I did find interesting last night, particularly in the second half was the amount of supporters around me (Witton Upper) who haven’t grasped how Emery wants us to play…sure it can be a bit boring when the ball is going between Emi, Mings and Konsa but just yelling ‘forward’ when no player has space is not his way :-)

We didn’t have as many of those pass, pass, pass accelerate type transitions last night as recent games but when we did we looked good. 

Yes, and we did a lot more punting it forward last second half, to mostly not very good effect. Which just highlights that Emery's way is the right way.

Agree, thought Ollie did ok with those too, didn’t win many but challenged every one…perhaps big leggy in midfield that we didn’t manage to get Buendia and Ramsey once he had that knock onto the second balls

[remy]

Arse - should have drew
Citeh - took a point off them
Wet Spam - bogey team

'The Mighty Reds YNWA' - yet to play and try to win
Wolves - yet to play and try to win

Beaten:
Newcastle
Manure
Spuds
Brighton
Fulham
Brentford
Chavski
Palace
Bournemouth
Leeds
Foxes
Toffees
Forest
Saints

14 teams beaten this season with the long overdue Manure at home one of the pinnacles.

Emery - the KING.

[simon ward 50]

Not a great advert for a 15% rise in season ticket prices? But a win nonetheless! UTV

[WarszaVillan]

Honestly, thought we controlled the second half mostly. You can control a game without the ball, and while it really wasn't pretty, sometimes it's what you got to do. Ball wasn't sticking up front, Buendia had his bad half, somehow Ramsey couldn't wriggle out, and the Donk is a fine stopper but his passing under pressure from a team like Fulham, who know how to press, can go off and it did.

It happens, but fuck, it was another win. Look at how many wins that is! Look at all the wins! It's unbelievable.

In the first half the Fulham press was really halfhearted, they looked resigned to losing. Moreno had time and space to get at their fullback at will and Mings kept feeding him. They were much more aggressive in the second which blunted us but we still dealt with everything they had to offer.

Moreno and Ramsey were causing all sorts of problems down the left in the first half. They seemed to struggle after getting knocks before half time and we found it difficult to get at them in the second half. But as others have said, our defensive organisation is so good now that although Fulham had lots of the ball they created fuck all.

[frankmosswasmyuncle]

What I did find interesting last night, particularly in the second half was the amount of supporters around me (Witton Upper) who haven’t grasped how Emery wants us to play…sure it can be a bit boring when the ball is going between Emi, Mings and Konsa but just yelling ‘forward’ when no player has space is not his way :-)

We didn’t have as many of those pass, pass, pass accelerate type transitions last night as recent games but when we did we looked good. 

A bloke a few seats away from me in the Trinity doesn't get it either, regularly bellowing "Stop pissing about! Lump it! Get it down the wing! Smash it! Hoof it out!" then spends 10 minutes on his phone checking how Leeds and Wolves are getting on!
And leaves 10 minutes early!
FFS!

[Drummond]

Not a great advert for a 15% rise in season ticket prices? But a win nonetheless! UTV

No, you're right, a win at home to move up to 5th in the table was definitely not much of a positive! ;-)

[Drummond]

Purpletrousers and I were commenting that we could do with a Mings headed goal as they gathered for the corner. And lo and behold........

Unfortunately, we did the same with Traore when he came on, but that didn't work.

What I have found really pleasing of late is that our defensive shape is forcing errors from teams; they seem to be playing the ball out of play a lot when trying to shift it around.