Villa v City Match thread

[Greavsy 2,413]

Way back from match, and only pritchard, pinto before his card, and yanic appeared to be bothered.

Poor day at the office, again.

[Rogue Baboon 0]

Ah, Yanic Wildschut, the only LM at the club, who appears to be about 7th choice to actually play there

[sgncfc 1,227]

[quote user="ricardo"]I don''t understand the anger at this late stage. Auto''s had gone by November and goals conceded by Xmas made playoffs unlikely.

[/quote]

Thankfully there is still some common sense left on this board even with Morty gone. The playoffs have been out of reach for weeks if not months.

The on the field performance of this club has been on a downward spiral since December 2015 and it shows no sign at all of stopping. The re-structure is a chance to start again but there is no guarantee it will work - too many of the players who will stay, even under a new coach, are not good enough.

We have spent 50-60 million and ended up with a mid-table Championship team at best. We have perhaps one or two players who would start in Newcastle''s line up - the rest wouldn''t get a look in. We don''t have any who would get a start for Sunderland, who are about to be relegated from the PL.

Mis-management of resources like this would see the Board fired from almost any other organization, but as this is a privately owned toy answerable only to the shareholders that isn''t likely to happen.

All we can really hope for is that we somehow stumble again on another Lambert/Holt leadership team who can actually produce a team that gives a damn.

I''m tired of players giving interviews telling the world how much they care and that they need to work to turn it round. Jacob Murphy being the latest - my advice to Jacob is to just shut up and let your performances speak for you.

There isn''t one player, not even Jonny Howson, who can look back on 39 games this season and honestly say that they''ve done their best. Not one.

Hopefully our new structure will get rid of most of them and start again.

[Van wink 2,994]

Greavsy, Sounded as if we were giving it a real go in the second half, from the commentary, didn''t appear so at the game ?

[Diane 500]

Went to a show in the Midlands today called " the Defensive Rocky Horror Show" like all shows didnt know whether to laugh or cry so didnt do either.

[Greavsy 2,413]

Way back from match, and only pritchard, pinto before his card, and yanic appeared to be bothered.

Poor day at the office, again.

[Greavsy 2,413]

Dunno why my post appeared again!

VW,

We looked more purposeful going forward, but when we got crosses in no one central to attack the ball.

When we went through the middle, just didn''t pull the trigger quick enough.

[ron obvious 1,502]

Just seen the Sky ''highlights'' :-(

How can Jerome look like a world class footballer - & then forget how to shoot??

Nearly every week, in the first few minutes, he''s within a whisker of scoring a fantastic early goal. It''s inexplicable. Obviously nothing to do with his ability; do we have a sports psychologist at the club?

[hogesar 9,658]

Don''t hold me to it Ron but I don''t think we do. If I remember correctly AN didn''t believe in sports psychology at all.

[Van wink 2,994]

Been crying out for a sports psychologist, massive part of the game seemingly ignored.

[Alex Moss 2,165]

[quote user="Crafty Canary"]Surely now even the idiots will accept the play offs are out of our reach. 9th and heading down.[/quote]

Crafty, there is a world of difference between THINKING we''re going to make the Play Offs, and HOPING we''re going to make the Play Offs. Nothing wrong with hoping for the best for your team.

[rock bus 851]

Back from the game (live in Midlands)

Pretty depressing game although to be fair we didn''t really deserve to lose. We probably just edged it but too poor teams but they won because had pace up front and a striker who took two chances he had. Oliveira should''ve equalised 2 mins before their second.

Pilkington grew into game and was our only spark.

Rest were very average..fact is we ARE a mid table championship side and will continue to be without serious change at manager and player level (and sadly probably board as well).

Not a great day

[Van wink 2,994]

Greavsy wrote the following post at 01/04/2017 6:06 PM:

Dunno why my post appeared again!

VW,

We looked more purposeful going forward, but when we got crosses in no one central to attack the ball.

When we went through the middle, just didn''t pull the trigger quick enough.

Sad to hear in such an important game

[rock bus 851]

Whoops pilkington?!? Meant Pritchard!!!

[Van wink 2,994]

rock bus wrote the following post at 01/04/2017 6:42 PM:

Back from the game (live in Midlands)

Pretty depressing game although to be fair we didn''t really deserve to lose. We probably just edged it but too poor teams but they won because had pace up front and a striker who took two chances he had. Oliveira should''ve equalised 2 mins before their second.

Pilkington grew into game and was our only spark.

Rest were very average..fact is we ARE a mid table championship side and will continue to be without serious change at manager and player level (and sadly probably board as well).

Not a great day

Thank the lord for Pilks

[Van wink 2,994]

Re: Villa v City Match thread

Whoops pilkington?!? Meant Pritchard!!!

😀

[Rogue Baboon 0]

Pilkington?

Isn''t he like an old version of Matt Jarvis?

[Greavsy 2,413]

Possession stat I saw said we had 68% bit I think they left is just keep the ball, and play it sideways.

Little threat going forwards.

As you said was close between two average teams, and they took their chances., we didn''t. Again.

[kick it off 1,948]

Just watched the highlights. Martin''s defending for the first and Whittaker''s for the second were laughable.

I''m sure I''ll get accused of scapegoating etc but they simply are not good enough. Time and again they are involved in some truly horrific pretence of defending. Both need shipping out and replacing with far better if we''re to stand any chance of going up next season.

[hogesar 9,658]

Bennett was much more to blame for the first than Martin. Even Jacob Murphy moreso than Martin for poorly losing the ball.

[kick it off 1,948]

[quote user="hogesar"]Bennett was much more to blame for the first than Martin. Even Jacob Murphy moreso than Martin for poorly losing the ball.[/quote]

Bennet has some fault in it - no doubt, but he went for a 50-50 ball and got beat - one he shouldn''t have gone for, but even so, Martin has a chance to face him up and stop the shot and just casually jogs past him. Not that Martin should have to be there mind you, Whittaker was too busy strolling around 10 yards ahead of the rest of the defence which opened up the space in the first place.

Our only fit for purpose defender is Pinto. I wouldn''t be sorry to see the back of any of the others.

[hogesar 9,658]

Problem is KIO, look at the 50/50 Bennett loses out in. It''s actually more 70/30 in his favour if you look at the direction the balls travelling in. That''s ignoring the fact he''s massively out of position to begin with.

Martin was poor to react to the change of direction but he was always going to struggle as he''s having to massively over-compensate because he was dragged out further to the right covering for the out-of-position Bennett in the first place.

[Greavsy 2,413]

Was the 81st minute before Whittaker won a tackle, and then he won another quickly after that, and made a good block. But like the others was poor too.

[The Bristol Nest 513]

Its so poor to have this level of possession every week and then lose without scoring.

Positive for me would be Irvine out of the equation as he has been part of this awful season.

New season and a new set up please.

[kick it off 1,948]

[quote user="hogesar"]Problem is KIO, look at the 50/50 Bennett loses out in. It''s actually more 70/30 in his favour if you look at the direction the balls travelling in. That''s ignoring the fact he''s massively out of position to begin with.

Martin was poor to react to the change of direction but he was always going to struggle as he''s having to massively over-compensate because he was dragged out further to the right covering for the out-of-position Bennett in the first place.[/quote]

I disagree Hogesar - the Villa player is always favourite for that ball because he is in between bennett and the ball - he has to move maybe 4 yards to get there, bennet has to move 10-15. It''s 70-30 but not in Bennett''s favour - he never should have gone for it. If Whittaker is where he is meant to be, the goal doesn''t happen anyway, but the striker hasn''t produced some ridiculous Messi-like skill to do Martin, he has just stopped and rolled it inside (which is the pretty obvious thing for a striker to do). If Martin can''t read or react to something as simple as that then he shouldn''t be anywhere near a football pitch. Just not acceptable.

I think the summary is the defence are shyte and need a wholesale clearout. I would genuinely only keep Pinto, the rest have proven time and again they are not up to the task.

[JF 694]

The second goal is comical. What the hell is Bennett doing?

[rock bus 851]

Whittaker was at fault for first goal as he just went completely AWOL.

Left entire side open, if he''d been anywhere near the correct position then the centre backs wouldn''t have had to scuttle across....although the tackling was terrible

[Cantiaci Canary 557]

I was at the game today.

Back 5 = poor

Howson & Pritchard = excellent

[kick it off 1,948]

[quote user="JF"]The second goal is comical. What the hell is Bennett doing?[/quote]

I thought it was Shittaker but on second viewing, clearly Benno. I transfer my previous comment about Whittaker for the second goal to Bennett. Absolutely fooking inept.

[whoareyou? 0]

Desperately need a cutting edge in front of goal. Someone big, strong, young and hungry. Had we had that today we would have won comfortably.Actually thought Villa were piss poor today but they do have that cutting edge and goal hungry striker.