Aston Villa v Olympiacos - Post-Match Thread

[gpbarr]

Any update on the fan that required medical attention?

Was told it was a 24yr old. Hope all is well.

Next time we complain about Premier refs just remember some of the clowns we have had in this comp, tonights was the worst.

We have simply ran out of players and gas. We look shattered and its making us make poor mistakes that it seems everyone is being punished.

We have had a fantastic season (and I agree thist tie still has some twists to it) so let's not complain too much.
4 years ago we was going nowhere in the championship other than possibly out of business. We will learn and become stronger

Great post. It’s clear we are running on fumes, 4th all but assured, it’s been a fantastic season regardless what happens next week. We need to get behind them now more than ever. Keep the faith - this is the beginning, not the end.

[Chris Harte]

I think the team are collectively breathing out of their arses right now. Tonight was our 52nd game of the season.

Seven players unavailable tonight due to fitness or suspension.

I felt that Olympiacos had a lot of luck tonight. As for the nonsence the ref allowed to go on while Doug was waiting to take his penalty, well words fail me.

This ain't over, BTW. We'll need to be at our best, but we have it in us to turn it around.

[RamboandBruno]

I hope the players are pissed off with the game and their performance tonight and want to put it right, but no way should they feel shame, be called bottlers etc. It's them that have turned us from a relegation threatened piss poor side to a side that's clear in 4th and in a European semi final. A few dodgy games at the end of an injury plagued and still successful season doesn't change that.

This.

Yea  well said and to Chicago too. 
Im fooking gutted beyond belief, I really am. i want us to win something and I’m getting older. Lots of the players played poorly tonight, but I still clapped Dougie and McGinn off tonight. Not because I’m a better fan than yow. Because these feckers deserve it. What season they are giving us.  They have ran themselves into the ground.
Spurs lose at Liverpool on Saturday and we beat Brighton, 4ths ours with two games to spare. Do that, then over to Greece, and early goal and its game on.
These lads know how to bounce back.

[SoccerHQ]

Its not just tonight though. We fell apart 2nd half against chelsea and almost lost the game.

Injuries are nit helping we know that but somwtimes you have to give some youngsters a chance to breed some energy. He is rarely used kesler or kellyman for example.

Honestly thwy should be embarrassed by that performance.  They masisveky disgraced themselves tonight ans the fans expected better

We aren't suddenly going to chuck 18 year old kids into European SF.

Personally though I would start Tim in the last three prem games. He's been around our squad for over two years now and would be good to see what he does when other players will likely be going through the motions given our season could be over this time next week.

[charleeco7]

Any update on the fan that required medical attention?

When we came back up the steward said he was ok. He wasn’t in a good way but the fan who gave him CPR said she was a paramedic. Hats off to her as she was fantastic.

[edgysatsuma89]

Another Emi pen masterclass coming up 😎.

[Keeno]

Another Emi pen masterclass coming up 😎.

It’s gonna feel so good when he’s shushing the Greek fans.

[Villafirst]

The ref was completely shite tonight along with that useless linesman, especially in the first half. Some of the decisions were ridiculous. If Pau was ok why didn't he start? He would've made the defence far more secure.

[VillaTim]

This narrative that we aren't able to get a better nr2 than Olsen is horseshit .

Olsen is an absolute liability, proven over and over by the stats .

Hopefully that's his last game for us . Costly .

[Footy-Vill]

So is this Gaucci coming in ?
It must be Saturday as have a strong feeling he's going to be involved in match and wasn't today

[Olneythelonely]

So is this Gaucci coming in ?
It must be Saturday as have a strong feeling he's going to be involved in match and wasn't today

Not convinced your pretend persona making out you’ve got a strong feeling actually means anything. Also, it’s Gauci. Feel stronger.

[tomd2103]

All kinds of emotions running after that game.  Firstly, what happened in the Holte was terrible to witness and I really hope the poor person involved is OK. 

Football doesn't really matter on comparison to that, but that was an abject lesson in how to piss away a semi-final.  I didn't think they were anything special really and were aided massively by some of the most biased officiating I've ever seen, so I bet they can't believe they've won that 4-2.  Unless Torres was injured, bringing in Lenglet when Martinez was already out was a big risk that backfired spectacularly.  We seem very susceptible to the ball over the top when Lenglet plays.

Chelsea winning aside, a pretty disastrous night all in all, but I still think we've got a chance as they weren't that great. 

[Risso]

So is this Gaucci coming in ?
It must be Saturday as have a strong feeling he's going to be involved in match and wasn't today

Why would he be involved? He isn't our first or second choice keeper. Hopefully Martinez will be fit for Brighton, but if he isn't, it will be Olen again. Why do you keep banging on about inane stuff like this?

[VillaTim]

Win at Brighton , Spurs lose v Liverpool that's 4th done.
We can then go to Athens and give it the full kitchen sink and stay there til the final , play the kids v pool and Palace , we all stay in Athens .

[Percy McCarthy]

How on Earth though do you legislate for the amount of injuries we’ve had? Look at our bench tonight…..We don’t have the luxury of a big squad. To be where we are is incredible even though things have been incredibly disappointing of late. During the match threads feelings are magnified and that’s why things seem so bad.

Spot on.

The season overall has been fantastic, but whilst injuries are a factor they are not an excuse for tonight’s performance. Or to put it another way, would any of the Olympiacos players get in front of the Villa starting 11 tonight? Maybe I’m ill informed but I don’t think so. The season has been brilliant, but injuries or not tonight was dreadful.

Isn’t it just the season taking its toll? Injuries, suspensions and generally running out of steam. Luck not quite on our side too? It’s happening at Liverpool who have far more resources than us.

At times tonight going forward we looked excellent but whenever they attacked we looked vulnerable and very disjointed and lacking in confidence, which sums up what I said above.

If that is the case we may as well not turn up next week, because it won’t get easier. I just think it’s a bit of an easy out to say it’s down to injuries, resources etc. I don’t doubt it’s an influencing factor, and I’ve no idea how many games Olympiacos have played but I imagine it’s plenty. The team we had out tonight should have been much better, but they underperformed. They have a chance to fix it, but it was dreadful tonight and that team should have coped better.

Are you equating the demands of a season in the Greek league for one of their biggest clubs with a full season in the intensity of the PL competing with 6 clubs with much bigger squads and budgets and another few at about the same level?