Fulham v Aston Villa post-match thread

[dorsetvillian]

Very hard to believe what I've just watched. An absolutely shocking performance. We have now put huge pressure on ourselves for the Semi Final games and the Spurs game in between. Fulham were bang average yet we had no idea how to generate any pressure in that second half having gone behind. The lack of energy, fight, invention is hard to take. Bringing Sancho and Bailey on to save the day just summed up our day. To give up our hard won momentum at this stage of the season is criminal.  Forest will be all over us like a rash Thursday.

[N'ZMAV]

not sure if it's a combination of Forest's performance last night, with our performance today, and general nerves and how we can shoot ourselves in the foot - I'm not looking forward to Thursday night.

[Mellin]

Last 14 league games
W 4 D 4 L 6

13th since 1st Jan. Considering our start to the season it is mental where we are in the league. That run was obviously incredible, but we do need to get busy this summer.

Edit: Also, Kamara. We need Kamara.

[Villa Lew]

The comparison, between our performance today and Forest's last night is massive and not to mention worrying.

[JUAN PABLO]

Rogers lost the ball 21 times.

[PaulWinch again]

Last 14 league games
W 4 D 4 L 6

13th since 1st Jan. Considering our start to the season it is mental where we are in the league. That run was obviously incredible, but we do need to get busy this summer.

Edit: Also, Kamara. We need Kamara.

We do need to be busy in the summer - but that’s not really a surprise. Another way to look at it if we get Champions League it’s pretty remarkable how much has been squeezed out this squad.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

After that, Konsa, Rogers and Watkins should start planning their summer holidays and where they intend to watch the World Cup on TV.

[Mellin]

Last 14 league games
W 4 D 4 L 6

13th since 1st Jan. Considering our start to the season it is mental where we are in the league. That run was obviously incredible, but we do need to get busy this summer.

Edit: Also, Kamara. We need Kamara.

We do need to be busy in the summer - but that’s not really a surprise. Another way to look at it if we get Champions League it’s pretty remarkable how much has been squeezed out this squad.

Agreed. I was gutted coming into the season, because despite the obvious strength in certain areas, thought we were too short elsewhere (wide) to do anything. It would be pretty remarkable to qualify for the Champions League via the league and win the Europa. Or either solo tbh.

[KevinGage]

Last 14 league games
W 4 D 4 L 6

13th since 1st Jan. Considering our start to the season it is mental where we are in the league. That run was obviously incredible, but we do need to get busy this summer.

Edit: Also, Kamara. We need Kamara.

We do need to be busy in the summer - but that’s not really a surprise. Another way to look at it if we get Champions League it’s pretty remarkable how much has been squeezed out this squad.

Agreed.

Lack of invention up top has been displayed more often than just today.

Even with the four goals last week, we have just about the lowest goals for out of all the sides around us this season.

[andyh]

Unai and the players (most) have huge amounts of credit in the bank. What we have achieved is incredible really.

It begs the question, do we have the right to be angry and livid at performances like that or do we put it down to a ‘bad day at the office ?’

For me, we put in too many of those half arsed performances too regularly.
Unai talks constantly about consistency and maintaining our levels, and we seem to be able to it, but only in bursts.
I guess if we were ultra consistent, we’d be where Man City and Arsenal are now.
But I do worry that these low energy, low intensity, low quality performances are a little too frequent.

[PhilVill]

We've seen it before and we'll see it again no doubt.

Set the team up like that against Forest and we'll lose badly. Get this out the system and plan to take the game to Forest as this one never works, for pretty much any team that tries it.

[N'ZMAV]

need to be more combative and controlling - shame Barkley can't play - which makes me wonder why he didn't start today

[curiousorange]

I'm hugely disappointed by today but I can understand it. Despite Emery's talk of the league being all-important it's Thursday where the mental focus is. But that's the worrying thing for me: talent wise, we have it, at least in our starting XI. But far too often we're not playing the game as we need to. Fulham were energetic but nothing special. We couldn't seem to switch into another mindset, though. Forest on Thursday will rip into us at a hundred miles per hour, which is what Palace did this time last year, and we couldn't deal with not dictating the tempo then and I don't see much in today's performance to suggest it's changed now.

[Mellin]

Unai and the players (most) have huge amounts of credit in the bank. What we have achieved is incredible really.

It begs the question, do we have the right to be angry and livid at performances like that or do we put it down to a ‘bad day at the office ?’

For me, we put in too many of those half arsed performances too regularly.
Unai talks constantly about consistency and maintaining our levels, and we seem to be able to it, but only in bursts.
I guess if we were ultra consistent, we’d be where Man City and Arsenal are now.
But I do worry that these low energy, low intensity, low quality performances are a little too frequent.

I'm not angry at the players. I don't think we're good enough in certain positions and that's not the players' fault. Some of it's poor recruitment, some of it's PSR (the Jacob Ramsey sized gap wide left is still unfilled). Either way, I doubt we get away with it again next season.

[RichardBatchelor]

Players we may need to move on: Bailey, Sancho, Bogarde, and Barkley (first three because they aren’t good enough and Barkley is probably too old]. Digne and Torres are borderline. How Lindelof doesn’t start over Torres is beyond me. He’s a far better defender and only very slightly inferior on the ball.