Wolves - 1 Aston Villa - 0 Custard Cup Final Post Match Critique

[sid1964]

Have to laugh at the tired excuse, they are playing 1 game a week

Not good enough to beat a side that lost 6-0 last weekend

We need better players, hopefully in the summer we will get them

[Nev]

Despite the result, I came out feeling 10 feet tall. My do they hate us. Man, woman and child with red faces, spittle and hatred. Not just at the end but throughout.

Anyway, we do look like a tired side but one that can still dictate a game it's just that we have no cutting edge.

Still, I shall sleep the sleep of the good tonight, I'm not sure about those in Bilston though. Probably still raging.

[curiousorange]

I can't pretend that I'm sanguine about missing out on Europe because of the bigger picture or where we've come from. If we'd been unlucky with the last three results I could perhaps chalk it up, but the fact you could see it slipping away in real time is highly frustrating. Shades of title run-ins, cup runs, chases for fourth...I know what they taste like and I'm sick of that taste.

[PaulWinch again]

Have to laugh at the tired excuse, they are playing 1 game a week

Not good enough to beat a side that lost 6-0 last weekend

We need better players, hopefully in the summer we will get them

It’s not just tiredness, although that is a factor. It’s also the inability to freshen the team up when form dips.

[olaftab]

Teams who solely want to concentrate on stopping us have learned how to do that. This has been obvious in the last two defeats and was also in evidence in wins over Forest and Fulham. Newcastle didn't and paid the price. Unai needs better players to execute his plans.

[Mister E]

1 thing I've noticed recently is that - from the BBC game stats - we consistently give away fewer fouls than the opposition. I wonder whether this reflects poor game management? Probably not, but just a thought

[Bobby Boy]

Have to laugh at the tired excuse, they are playing 1 game a week

Not good enough to beat a side that lost 6-0 last weekend

We need better players, hopefully in the summer we will get them

Have to laugh at the tired excuse, they are playing 1 game a week

Not good enough to beat a side that lost 6-0 last weekend

We need better players, hopefully in the summer we will get them

It’s not just tiredness, although that is a factor. It’s also the inability to freshen the team up when form dips.

Why are we tired though? No-one spoke of tiredness during the unbeaten run. We're not in Europe, we haven't had deep runs in any of the cups.

I fear rather that too many of our boys have underperformed when expectations were heightened. Which is a concern for next season with where Unai will want us to be and I'm pretty damn sure that he will have clocked the players who have dropped off when the pressure was on.

This means that an honest appraisal of the squad will be forthcoming and that's good news.

[curiousorange]

I can't remember who said it (might have been Lineker on one of his podcasts) but it was along the lines of "you're never tired when you're winning".

[Taylor]

I was listening on villa Tv, who made it sound like it was all Villa. But anyway, highlight for me was before kick off, because before the commentators piped up someone had left the mic on in the tunnel, and all you could hear was a very young villa mascot asking John Mcginn questions like “Mcginn, how tall are you?” And “Mcginn, who’s the shortest villa player”. The thing is he/she kept referring to SJM as “Mcginn”, no John, just “Mcginn”. Made me laugh anyway.

[Paul.S]

I can't pretend that I'm sanguine about missing out on Europe because of the bigger picture or where we've come from. If we'd been unlucky with the last three results I could perhaps chalk it up, but the fact you could see it slipping away in real time is highly frustrating. Shades of title run-ins, cup runs, chases for fourth...I know what they taste like and I'm sick of that taste.

I know what you mean but blame Purslow and his mate Gerrard. A farcical appointment that’s ultimately cost us. We’ve now got a coach the owners brought in and it looks like someone who can help Emery bring in quality. He hasn’t come here to make do and without promises from the owners. European qualification and a cup next season.

[SaddVillan]

Wonder if our season is going to fizzle out - have too small a squad and tiredness caught up with us?

The great shame is that it WAS in our grasp - still is, but I think we're going to just miss out on Europe.

Shakespeare may have said " 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never have loved at all."

But he obviously wasn't a Villan.

[Drummond]

Should have scored, shouldn't have conceded (though it was a great header that just beat Martinez by going in off the bar). Great save by Sa to deny Buendía.

Traore was poor, Bailey the same. Buendia got crowded out or tried too hard.

Better chances and another one of those days. Need to stop the rot, what better way than at home to Spurs.

[Brend'Watkins]

We need some pace. And we need to quicken the play to make it more difficult for our park the bus opponents to stop us. Wolves to their credit defend a 1-0 lead exceptionally well. Ponderous play around them is not how you break that down.

[Villan82]

Have to laugh at the tired excuse, they are playing 1 game a week

Not good enough to beat a side that lost 6-0 last weekend

We need better players, hopefully in the summer we will get them

Have to laugh at the tired excuse, they are playing 1 game a week

Not good enough to beat a side that lost 6-0 last weekend

We need better players, hopefully in the summer we will get them

It’s not just tiredness, although that is a factor. It’s also the inability to freshen the team up when form dips.

Why are we tired though? No-one spoke of tiredness during the unbeaten run. We're not in Europe, we haven't had deep runs in any of the cups.

I fear rather that too many of our boys have underperformed when expectations were heightened. Which is a concern for next season with where Unai will want us to be and I'm pretty damn sure that he will have clocked the players who have dropped off when the pressure was on.

This means that an honest appraisal of the squad will be forthcoming and that's good news.

I made a similar point somewhere else- maybe the Emery thread. To my mind we fell flat in 2020-21 and 2021-22 at the final hurdle. If it happens a third time you would have to conclude some of them crumble under the weight of expectation.

It is frustrating that they can't translate momentum into a good league finish (hoping they prove me wrong now and go and get three good resutls)

[Bobby Boy]

Should have scored, shouldn't have conceded (though it was a great header that just beat Martinez by going in off the bar). Great save by Sa to deny Buendía.

Traore was poor, Bailey the same. Buendia got crowded out or tried too hard.

Better chances and another one of those days. Need to stop the rot, what better way than at home to Spurs.

You've forgotten that Kane the diver will be in town. He'll be up to his antics for sure.