Data supplied by the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Select and manage your own team of stars at http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ or with FIFA Ultimate Team for FIFA 14.
Everton vs Aston Villa
Roberto Martinez’s Everton welcome Aston Villa, whose form has slipped recently, being defeated in their last three games – albeit against Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City. Paul Lambert will be hoping his side can bounce back to their form in the early games and get back to winning ways. Meanwhile, Everton are also without a win in three too, so it is important for both teams to get back to form this weekend.
A statistic that may surprise many is that Phil Jagielka has recorded the fastest sprint speed of any player in the Premier League this season. The central defender ran at 36km/h, which is 0.1km/h faster than closest challenger, Joe Ledley. He has also made 69 clearances, which is more than any other Everton player and fourth best in the division, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Romelu Lukaku impressed in his loan term at Everton last year and managed a return of 15 goals. So far this season, he has only netted two goals according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index and has also got a single assist to his name. Lukaku will hope to use his physical presence to get at the Villa defence and combined with his top speed of 35.4km/h, he has the potential to trouble any defence. He is 16/5 to score first with 888sport.com.
Stephen Naismith continued his goalscoring form, now with four goals in seven games. The hard working Scot has covered 74.21km so far this season, which is more than anybody else in the Everton squad according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index.
Villa have conceded eight goals in their last three games, despite only conceding one in the four games prior to that. It could have been far more than the nine goals conceded this season but for Brad Guzan. The American has made 19 saves so far this season, and he alone is likely to win Villa several points this season. It is 19/2 with 888sport.com for Villa to win with a clean sheet.
Right back Alan Hutton’s reintroduction to the side looks to be paying dividends, as the Scotsman has won 93.3% of his tackles (14/15) and has put in some strong defensive performances, despite being regarded as an attacking fullback.
The only player to have made more successful tackles in the side than Hutton is Tom Cleverley. The midfielder has made 19 tackles so far this season, according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, which is an impressive total bearing in mind he has only featured in five of the seven games so far.
The Author
Matt Turvey
Matt is the owner of, and chief writer for, Aston Villa Life. He is also a columnist for the Wolverhampton Express & Star, appearing in the Kick Off pullout on Saturdays and the Final Whistle pullout the Monday after Aston Villa play, as well as every Thursday as a blogger on their website. He has previously been featured as a writer on Football365 and Life's A Pitch, and was a regular pundit for Sports Tonight TV on Sky.Comments 241
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Morning All
Sat here watching the Bledisloe Cup, both teams going at it 100%, full commitment and belief, completely the opposite to what we have witnessed from our boys in claret and blue, I fear Lambert is strangling and stifling them.
Today is another stern test, despite the Toffees mediocre start to the season, they are a better side in most if not all areas, and have a better forward thinking manager. History shows these games are often tight and draws are common, but we rarely best them anymore, and I don’t believe we will today either, despite their injury woes, we also have injury doubts, Delph needs surgery and won’t be back until the new year, and Senderos who has surprised a few people( inc me) is out.
Vlaar should return, but I fear he is treading water, not wanting to pick up more injuries that will scupper his move to Man Utd, which according to some is a done deal @£12m and £80k per week, if that’s the case I’d snap their hands off and reinvest properly( sadly we know that won’t happen though).
Lambert will park the bus, we will lose again, Lambert will be full of Bollox in his after match interview, trotting out the same excuses and sticking to his usual mantra.
Groundhog Day , as we slip down the league each week, anything less than a point and we will be heading to Loftus rd, needing a win and nothing less as it’s Spurs up after that, and that will mean yet another home defeat. We are seriously in danger of throwing away any decent start ( points wise )we may have had.
B62 villa ,
Mate , Can you not just give us a break on the negativity for a few hours at least until they actually play the f**k**g game ? Villa have’nt even arrived at Goodison yet and you’re bigging up the opposition and running down your own team . Yes , we get it , you hate lambert , I also think he’s shite but there has been a visible improvement in villa since last season despite your unwillingness to recognise it . Is it sustainable ? I dont f**k**g know , but i chose to remain optimistic until i’m proved wrong by a reasonable set of data . If you want certainty you should switch to barca or bayern or celtic. Come on the villa !! There , see , it aint so hard , is it? The only thing that changes in yours and frems comments is the date , at least let them be shit before you criticise them for being shit.
Apart from all that though , how are things on your end ?
Well today will show if we are still a losing walk over side Lamberk has built in his 2 seasons here
Everton are 17th with one of the worst defences in the league so we should win. Or we will be our helping selfs, Everton get there first clean sheet and 3 points they need whilst we have 1 shot on target
Our manager is a coward though. He will play for a 0-0 which is no good to us. He will jay with a low scoring defeat.
Managers show a lot by what they say. Everton are 17th so I’d like ours to say they have been poor so we will try and take advantage of it and win. Instead he says what great players they have and is lowering expectations
I expect 3 points. No point in having a manager for 3 seasons if we just keep on losing
And I expect a good attacking line up. Zoggy, Grealish, Benteke gabby in a 442
No more helping hand Villa
Prox
Have you actually watched us play?? You want Data, we have some if the worst stats in the league for possession, completed passes, shots on goals, shots,goals scored etc etc. We have stuck 11 men behind the ball in EVERY game.
I want passion, effort, adventure , actually trying to win from Villa, some creativity, something that lifts the crowd and puts bums on seats. We simply have none of that yet some defend Lambert and Co. The fans aren’t turning up and even the blogs are struggling because there is fuck all to get positive about . These pair have ruined AVFC and get a free pass.
Do you honestly believe Lambert will set up to win today ??? I really wish he would give it a go, He has had plenty of time, but has failed miserably at every turn.
As for not criticising them for being shit, before they play, we’ve been shit since day 1 under his managership, as we were under the ginger clown before him. What really pisses me off is his lies and the fact he has been rewarded for failure and producing a shite squad, that plays eye bleeding football.
Otherwise all good here mate 😉
B62 ,
if your eyes are bleeding its probably ebola you have . Have you a cat in the house by any chance?
Gotta go mate , late for a wedding , catch ye later.
well said Prox.
We may not be the best, but we survived longer against City than Spurs are doing, although Spurs are showing that they can score.
I was actually impressed with Villa’s display against City up to the substitutions, and think if he had not made them, we would have come away with a point. Benteke was the right thing to do, but the only other sub should have been bent for Weimann.
I am sure Villa will put in a good show today, but it depends on our set up. Will know more when the team sheet is out.
We have been poor over the last two seasons, but we had already sold our best players, and were scraping the barrel before Lambert came.
Paul
My prob is we don’t try and win games, At least Spurs are giving it a go against City, we stuck 11 behind the ball and never tried to score let alone win, did we even have a shot on target?? Yes they are on a different planet to us, but Stoke had a go at them, as did we last season, and not just against City, we did it against Newcastle at home , and for large periods against Hull and Stoke, once we had taken the lead( Liverpool aswell but I forgive that one as we were away against a much better team).
Lambert is even more negative than Mcleish, and becoming as popular.
We will do the same today, 11 men sat behind the ball going long to Benteke hoping for a break, no creativity, no offensive guile.
Lambert has created a side in his own image , Dour, lacking ambition, ideas, and a pretty clueless. I have no confidence regarding result or performance no matter who the opposition are, these are Dire times and unless their is a big shift in attitude by the club, this is as good as it is going to get, this is Lamberts Glass ceiling he really isn’t good enough to take us forward.
just watching city spurs, city should be 6-2 up in half hour 2-1 at the mo and city have missed a pen. spurs are giving it a go 🙂
for the life of me I can’t see how not beating the last three teams we have played is anything to go by with illness taken into account or not. At times we have looked the better side attested to by the commentators saying villa look the better side and are really having a go. yes we have tired later in matches and the second half against arsenal was basically damage limitation when an virus tanked half the team.
Defending is a vital part of the game and we have improved in this aspect and look more organised in midfield too. we have lacked a goal threat but hopefully benteke ( with a 1 in 2 games to goals ratio) will be that player again.
Like prox I don’t think Lambert is the long term answer but I can only say that our general play has improved and we look a more professional outfit , we just need to score more. I’m also wondering where all these people that love Lambert are? I see people that see some improvement and people who refuse to see any or continually move the goalposts. we screamed out for clean sheets we got them and now we park the bus. I bet spurs wish they could park the bus, they are good going forward and shite at the back their keeper has made 5 saves this half by rights they should be buried and have had 35% possession. did we really do that badly against city?
b-62 stoke had 2 shots on target and less than 30% possession against city how is that having a go?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28907276
Am looking forward to the match.
B62
That was a good Bledisloe match. The All Blacks never say die, do they? That said, the Aussies showed some character. It’s a shame, in a way, the ABs had already won the 4 Nations series with two games in hand, which is why I find it amazing that they can withstand so much pressure and still win, even though, they’d already won the competition weeks ago.
C’mon Villa
Line up screams 4-5-1, let’s hope Nzog and Gabby actually go at the Toffees defence and give Tekkers something to get on the end of.
Trinity- what chance do you think England have against them in Nov? they did well on the NZ tour maybe home advantage will tell for us? 🙂
Mark they were at the Etihad, and that’s 2 more than we had 😉
B62- or 433 could even be 442 with n’zogbia at the tip of a diamond midfield four. will probably be gabby man marking barry though 🙂
B-62 grasping mate, you must have a fist full of straws by now 😉
Everton have some big players returning today, Barkley, Coleman, Alcaraz.
Mark I’m not clutching at Straws, I don’t need to, it’s pretty evident watching us, just how dire our tactics are and where our many deficiencies lie.
Grealish not even in the bench, it’s hard to see where our impact from the bench will be, if we are struggling to create (as usual), Cole???
good old plucky spurs 4-1 down with 15 to go. how many of our fans would say at least they had a go, not a chance 🙂
Mark
I think England have a good chance to win the one off match in November. They showed a couple of years a go they’re capable in the right mood. The ABs will use that as motivation, but England will be a contender for the WC next year along with the usual suspects. My favourite memory from England’s tour to NZ was when Tuilangi got mowed down by Ben Smith then Smith got back to his feet and won the ball.
B-62 Everton are a good team with better players than us and a more attack minded manager. Its fairly obvious we are going to try and hit them on the break. we don’t have the players yet to have a chance of getting something from the game by being open. Its making the most of what we have unfortunately. I know its unpalatable to those of us who have seen villa at their best but sometimes you have to accept where you are and make the most of it. no amount of should of, could of will change it. we can only go on from where we are.
trinity- can’t wait for the rugby world cup, its better than the football version, every game these days is worth watching no gimmes at all
Mark
It’s the same result, I said they are on a different planet, how spurs must ruing their missed penno to bring it level , it’s ok though they can get back on track against us on Nov 2nd.
Of course no one likes losing, but raising a white flag like we do from the off makes it even more depressing, but you are right mark the end result is the same, a loss. It’s disappointing that our fans now see a loss as long as it’s not a humiliation as a bit of a success
Mark
I don’t mind counter attacking football, I loved it under MoN, taking away all the faults of that era. But the emphasis is on the counter ATTACK, we don’t do it, not purposefully and the stats back this up.
The RWC is gonna be great, the Autumn internationals are gonna have extra bite as will the 6 nations, I’m going to twickers for Eng v Samoa gonna be a good jolly up
Hopefully it’s a diamond with Gabby up top and not out wide
Park that bus anyway Lamberk
If we are the same old Villa, Everton will keep a clean sheet and Lakaku will score who’s been shite all season
Mark- we try and hit hit everyone on the break. We played ultra defensive against Stoke and Newcastle
Well John mason ruined what could have been a great game…..hope if ever he refs one of ours this season, he is a Villa fan, cos must be a Man city fan.
Time to get behind the boys in claret and blue…and now Lambert has said he expects goals from Cleverley, we may have him playing a much more attacking role.
Now there is more of a chance of Villa doing more going forward….Let’s hope Barry does not have a blinder…
There is no excuse today not to win and play more expansive football. Everton aren’t world beaters
Moyes advertising he is ready to go back to Everton????
If they lose today…..maybe a possibility…..C’mon Villa do David a favour…..
Martinez bubble about to burst….
Like our line up….must have been picked by the fans….
Grealish on his holidays celebrating his new contract….
Frem buying the drinks next home game if Villa win…?????
Delph knocked down in the car park by Gabby for not signiing his new contract……who knows…LOL..!!
strange injury with no-one around……no witnesses…
Moyes to Villa would be nicer
Where is Grealish again? Wasn’t even in the squad last game to start. Villa don’t have a clue how to use youngsters. Lamberk probably might give him his debut in two years if he’s lucky
I’ll happily buy everyone drinks if we win
b-62 trouble is we would be giving ourselves no chance at all rather than some chance. Hope you’ve saved your pennies twickers is expensive
city missed a penalty first half hit the post too, aguero had 9 shots 8 on target
that’s what class up front gives you
PP- Lamberk is going to say know one was around him when he fell. It’s BS as usual. He probably got clattered by Clark again
There is series problems at this club with injuries
COYVB
same formation that we lost our last 3 games in then
haha. finally get the ball back and we just kick it out of play
You’ve gone quiet frem we must of improved
Improved ? We have been embarrassing Mark
and 1-0 everton.
4 defeats in a row
11 men behind the ball and we still cant defend
Might have to attack now Lamberk you twat
Give over Frem you only comment when you can knock villa when we have a spell of possession nothing
I suppose we are improving.
we have had shot on target
equals last 3 games tally
Frem- you can’t help it can you 🙂
He’ll have to push gabby up field to give tekkers some room to easy marking one half fit forward
Mark- we don’t play football. We don’t have a game plan. We park the bus and still concede. we don’t counter
Lamberk won’t attack
Remember he doesn’t mind losing
he better push Gabby up field cus hes one shite winger
even a draw is no use
Senderos is a big miss , vlaar is the more athletic but isn’t a talker
Frem- you wouldn’t take a draw ? Come on mate we are not playing qpr
we have exactly the same amount of points as this time last season
I thought Everton had one of the worst defenses ? you wouldn’t think it would you
Sunderland 3-0 down
no, we are playing a team 17th who can’t defend
Jesus, we could play Bristol rovers away and some would still say we can’t compete them
QPR next mark.
Helping hand Villa coming to town
Lamberk will be delighted with 1-0. He plays like Mcliesh to keep the score down
8 mins in, Everton had 92% possession
Most home teams have high possesion for the first 10 mins
92% possession
Sounds like they need an exorcism:)
same old same old when you play westwood cleverly richardson gabby zog as 5 of top 6 with benteke not match fit how many goals in them what has westwood got 3 in villa colours cleverly hasnt scored since 2012 bar the 1he got against every body favourite team to play
Weimann has to come on question is Richardson or nzogbia to go off? I would also like to see Sanchez providing he’s up to speed but who goes off ?
James- I agree not enough invention or pace in them.
315 mins and counting until we scored
2 shots on target in our last 315 mins of football
8 % possession 8 mins in.
As it stands, 11 defeats in our last 17 games played
exactly the same amount of points as this time last season
Lets stop all this improving BS
We need two goals in 45 mins
God help us
Told you Lukaku would score
Guzan has been shit for over a year now
clean sheet for Everton
” Paul Lamberts claret and blue army”
CLAP CLAP CLAP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
another record coming
has been a decade since we lost 4 games in a row without scoring
New contract
now its 3 goals we need
Thing is, what ever happens Lamberk is a happy man
has 4 years left on his contract if he gets the sack
scored 4 goals all season
feck me
Lamberk after the game
” I thought we were excellent. we didn’t deserve that”
Twat
SACK HIM RANDY FFS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can see with your own eyes. read the stats
3 fecking seasons in and we ain’t any better. worse actually
Evertons first home win all season
every other team has fight in them bar maybe sunderland
and us. We crumble with ease
They have the worst defensive record in the league…………………
and we haven’t troubled them once
He’s not good enough for this club.
3-0
11- 0 altogether in our last 4 games
Clap clap clap
We have zero invention and now zero organisation today without senderos Clarke is a pants centre half. Get that fucking drawing board out lambert a massive pack of chalk
12-0 in the last 4 games, is it? Doesn’t sound nice.
Better bring in the priest.
Joe Cole injured yet ?
Siisy has a shocking left foot
“We have zero invention and now zero organisation”
Its been like that for over 2 years Mark
Mcliesh is better
Oh 11-0, is it? Not so bad then. Fantastic.
mark cant blame clarke for that shite he is number5 ch 2 men to blame randy and his lovechild all out for qpr match now it on sky look good would it
As the code com says, we are shite basically.
No creativity, organization, nothing
There first home win all season.
Another relegation battle for us
QPR on Sky. they need a win as well so we all know what will happen
James- I’m not blaming Clarke he’s just not a centre half and vlaar isn’t half the leader senders is. That was gutless no other word for it Keane must be packing his bags now
Cleverly our man of the match shame he was on his own. If there’s no room for grealish in this team the lad has signed a contract for the wrong team. I think joe Cole will start against QPR .
Wish someone had put the handbrake on the bus
Really poor goals conceded today. All of them were avoidable. Without Delph we do not have a midfield. We need Senderos back to partner Vlarr at the back ASAP
The next game against QPR is a must win. Hopefully Benteke will get his fitness and sharpness back spoon
Worrying, I guess okore is still not ready? Lowton may need a run out as well as bacuna to keep these other two on their toes! agreed mr king it’s Grealish time. Labouring in mid table obscurity is a good time to introduce new talent. Sanchez also needs to start. Freshen up the squad against qpr and send a strong msg. Don’t perform, don’t play! Simple… UTV!
for qpr need to start
given guzan has been poor for too long now kick up backside
hutton says it all when he is our stand out player
sisscko toss up between him and richardson
sendross same as hutton
vlar/baker toss a coin
westwood last chance
sanchez just to see what he like
grealish ditto
zog tell him to attack alien to lambert
cole /cleverly try either behind benteke if doesnt work against qpr never going to
benteke who else
subs
guzan vlar/baker bacuna clarke gabby bent cole/cleverly
tryand attack
My apologies to Mr Hutton sounds like he’s still performing unlike many others today!
I’d replace Cisokho with either lowton or bacuna.
Baker with Okore if he’s ready but probably not if Clark was used today.
Grealish definitely needs his first start against a soso QPR side.
Play the diamond with Sanchez the holding mid and Cleverley in the hole behind Benteke who hopefully finds some form because we need to get our season on track ASAFP!
Villa’s Vaunted Academy… Everton have Barkely, Coleman and Naismith driving them forward within the framework of a core group of Veterans while Villa have a 19 yr old Grealish waiting in the wings. Our prospect pool/depth within the Club is really pretty poor, let’s be honest with ourselves!!!
Another sad, sad day. although the pundits say Villa did not perform badly. but just have no teeth up front, and Guzan gave the second goal to Lukaku.
Just glad I am not a Sunderland fan. What is it about these great old clubs and their failure to join the modern game, and stop being members of Jurassic Park.
Lambert surely will not survive much longer on these results,either that, or Keane will walk out.
I think that Frem has now converted Lambert, as he now says that Villa are sh**te and Guzan was Sh*te and they have to do better…..
Paul: Just glad I am not a Sunderland fan. What is it about these great old clubs and their failure to join the modern game, and stop being members of Jurassic Park.
🙂 A very appropriate comment, Paul.
But Everton are also a “great old club” yet they’ve not been in the mire much over the years and have remained in the top-flight for very nearly the last 60 consecutive years.
It seems to me that the ownership and management at Villa Park have just ‘lost it’. They’ve broken the link with the pride of the past big style as I see it.
blimey Lamberts glasses do work.
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-manager-paul-lambert-7958820?
john- the Villa hierarchy have been a weak link for years now A giant lead by blind Men
Mark,
Yes, I’ve read that link, but mistakes in the defence do occur … we don’t want to watch just defensive work do we? What we need now is to have couple of players who can find their way to creating chances and a couple to find the back of the net.
Today Villa played puff football. And I mean powder puff football, not the football played when you puff through endeavour!
I noted that Joe Cole seemed to have a better idea but he wasn’t given much time to practice the link with Cleverley. Whether he’ll be fit enough to last a full match is a bit of a question though.
Hutton and Cleverley aside the rest of the team looked as though they were just going through the motions. And Clarke (the way he’s going) will give away penalties and free-kicks around the box until the cows come home. Which they will!
Lol. Our manager is a fool
He says ” he thinks brad Guzan should have saved the second shot” thinks? My gran could have saved it
He says” he thinks” we didn’t do enough to win the game. WHAT!!!! We didn’t do anything to win the game you twat !!!!
Get the fuck out of this football club
Record breaker for 1874, and now a decade record for losing 4 games on the bounce without scoring. Your a disgraces to this football club
And Lamberk honestly thinks shite like Gabby are better than Grealish? Another donkey display from our home boy but yet he keeps getting pay rises and new contracts.
It’s actually scary. We have an owner who knows as much about football as a stuffed animal, a manager who knows as much about football as a stuffed manager and half a squad who are as good at football as stuffed animal
We keep on sinking
Frem
today you have my total sympathy…..
and Lambert confirms that apart from Hutton and Cleverley, no-one turned up to put in a performance…
Let us hope that he and Keane, now put it right, and make sure it does not happen again…
john- I think the problem is we set up to contain first then bring on the likes of cole, grealish etc as a last gasp attempt to rescue things. if we are going to play cole or grealish like that its a waste of subs really, they rarely have time to have an impact in an already knackered team. the likes of Gabby, weimann would have more impact against tired legs than a more skilled player. Lambert needs to grow some and replace as needed.
Also anyone think N’zogbia is wasted on the right wing, he cannot cross and becomes easy to read, just show him the outside. he needs to play out left or behind benteke IMO
PP- it’s bad enough losing games but then when he speaks, he makes things worse
We’ve played 4 games in a row, getting battered in all 4 and he hasn’t changed a thing. Same game plan, men behind the ball and no creativity
Hes said scoring isn’t a problem and named Gabby as a threat. Lol. Cleverly to who scoring record is about as good as mine at Prem Level
I watch a lot of footy what ever league it’s in and I’ve never seen such a painful side watch. We can’t defend, pass or create. It’s a mess that Lamberk has created and it won’t change. 3rd season of hell coming up
Have to agree with Frem, Aston Villa are now so predictable and we need change soon or this will be the year we join the Blues. We have said this for 3 years now, however the players we have craved have not been recruited ie; ACM we got J Cole & Cleverley both rejects to provide attack to Benteke. The original midfield have not provided alot over the previous seasons so what has changed. I was pleased with Sanchez & Grealish yet they dont get the a chance, they cant be any worse than what we had to endure. As for all these 4yr contracts it stinks thought Fox was the saviour , but it seems that he is just another YES man for Lerner drastic times at Villa we pretty poor unfortunately thanks Randy, Tom, Paul & Roy
john- I think the problem is we set up to contain first then bring on the likes of cole, grealish etc as a last gasp attempt to rescue things.
Mark
Grealish wasn’t even in the fucking squad!!!
Villa are shit under lambert, I get moaned at for being negative yet some defend these cunts. Ebola is too good for these clowns.
Compare Lambert to Koeman, it’s laughable to say Lambert needs more time/money/hugs/benefits ??????
QPR is looking like a must win now! Looks like Burnley will go down so we need to pile the misery on QPR while we have the chance. Someone needs to step up and Lambert needs to make some changes. If we don’t turn this around fast then another relegation scrap is in the cards… Incredible.
We can’t even do the basics properly, we don’t score goals and we don’t keep clean sheets. The inability to do either will ensure we are yet again in a relegation battle, we have made NO progress, treading water in this league means you effectively go backwards as team overtake you.
Randy was their to see what utter shite we have become, their is a clamour for Lambert to be removed, the new contract effectively means he is bullet proof. The club are in a total mess, we never really troubled Everton yesterday, and this side would struggle in the championship playing these tactics.
Mark,
I entirely agree with your comments about Cole/Grealish etc.
What strikes me is that Lambert’s signings this year have impressed in their first appearance for Villa (Sanchez, Richardson and Cleverley) yet Sanchez had one stinker of a game on his start debut (obviously not about to pace at that time) and the other two have gone down in their contribution worth i.m.o. although Cleverley still puts in a lot of reasonable work. But it’s taken until now for Cole to be brought on in a Prem match yet he showed touches that indicate he might be able to create something.
Despite all the talk about Grealish, though, I still don’t think it’s the right time for him. It’s already been apparent he gets pushed off the ball too easily and is not given chance to show his skills at this level.
No, I think Villa have a reasonable squad but there’s something wrong with the management/coaching as I see it. Sometimes I get the impression that Lambert fills the players heads (particularly people like Gabby) with too much flattery and so much so that their performances are less than what should be possible.
Lambert simply making team changes is not the answer. The whole way the team are motivated needs to change. They need to come onto the pitch looking as though they’re going to give the opposition a real game. Yesterday more pressure would have produced results against a slightly wobbly Everton defence, but they were to made to look good as Villa just didn’t test ’em enough.
oory, I meant “… not up to pace at that time …” (Sanchez).
The Martinez post match interview is illuminating. He basically says that Villa only pose a danger when we haven’t got the ball.
Our one “tactic” is to try to rob the opposition when they make a mistake, and use our pace to capitalise on it. We don’t create goal scoring opportunities, we try to snatch one from an error against the run of play.
If an opposing team are focussed enough to keep possession with quick accurate passing, it totally takes Villa out of the game.
Sorry, I meant “sorry” not “oory”! 🙂
4 goals scored this season in 8 league games and 1 cup game. 3 wins, 1 draw and 5 defeats (including losing to a division 1 club), with a possession rate of about 35% average. I think we’ve probably had about a dozen shots on target in the league this season …. how do we go about winning matches with these kind of negative tactics?
With Keane away with the ROI, it looked like they didn’t train, no game plan, no enthusiasm nothing, we are so dire and boring to watch, we actually bring nothing to the game.
Looking around we are definitely one of the worst teams in this division, Everton had a raft of returning players yesterday, Barkley has had a long lat off but was immense, he didn’t need a month to get up to speed, yet Benteke looks way off the pace, I don’t know what we do in training but it doesn’t work.
And to add to our woes we have no takeover in sight so these pair are gonna be here for the next four years, during which time we will get relegated , if we continue to play like this.
Iv’e never seen a team so ultra defensive but yet still concede left right and center
As B62 says, the numbers are scary. 4 goals all season and the our twat of a manager says hes not worried !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We won’t win many matches playing the way we do.
He’s been here 2 and a bit seasons and he’s broke records left right and center
He is just a disgrace to football and one of the worst managers this club has eve had. I hold Mcliesh in higher regards than this clown. His interviews agter, he could’t give a fuck. Saying Gabby is a goal threat. WTF !!!!!!! He scored about 1 goal last season you fecker
360 mins of football, 11 conceded, none scored and about a shot on target in all that
Baines got an assist with his right foot FFS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oh, And Grealish !!!!!!!!! Better than any fecker at this club and still can’t make the match day squad
You would think after 4 games a shite, using the same formation that he will change set up on Monday.
I get the impression with Benteke starting that the rest of the squad assumed that he would single handedly win this one. How wrong they were.
SB,
I don’t think you’re far wrong with that observation!
B62- I know grealish wasn’t in the squad I was referring to how lambert uses what little flair we have.
Without senders we lack the organisation we have shown in previous games and without Delph we lack the pace to spring forward to capitalise on mistakes.
Martinez is quite right in his assessment of our tactics the trouble is do we have the know how in the team to change it ? And does the manager know where to put them. It’s clear we cannot suffer to many injuries to key players
First stop has to be Sanchez in front of the defence in the position he knows how to play . Cleverly right Westwood centre and grealish/nzogbia left of midfield. Then benteke up top with either Cole/gabby/weimann playing off of him. A midfield diamond would allow Westwood to get forward and link with Cole with Sanchez at the base. Other alternatives would be to play cleverly or Bakuna at the tip or both with Bakuna out right. This I think would give us more guile without sacrificing to much on the defensive side.
John- I agree the overall effort was lacking yesterday and benteke left to isolated
I predicted that come xmas we would be in our rightful place in the bottom six, I don”t feel proud to say that but I think it will be a reality under Lambert, make no mistakes this manager will eventually take us down of that I am certain.
What pains me the most is that there are still a large number of Villa fans who just cannot see it, they cannot look at the stats and figures and see that this idiot is ruining the club gamely aided by Lerner, the football is and has been shocking for a good while and still some on here back Lambert it just beggars belief.
AVFC RIP.
Swv- your a right. This man will take us down at some point. How it wasn’t last season I don’t know but another battle to stay up is coming up
SuperBox- it wouldn’t have just been the players who expected Benteke to win the game on his own, Lamberk would have as well.
QPR is already a massive game in the fight for survival. Lamberk as usual will be happy with a 0-0 or a low scoring defeat
I wouldn’t wish Lamberk on any other club apart from The Scum and Stoke, they can have him. This man has no got a winning bone in his body, no standards, no dignity, no inspiration. We have lost our last 4 games playing exactly the same way, but he won’t change it for the 5th. He prefers to play tried and failed systems/ players than risk changing things about to win.
I’d start Cole behind Benteke against QPR with Grealish and Bacuna on the wing. I’m going to that game so I will try and kill Lambert some how. It’s for the greater good
Letter to the Villa
This morning I sent the following message to Villa Park. It’s been acknowledged and a promise that it will be forwarded onto the relevant people:
Right, I think I can safely say that there are a lot of fans quietly
coming up to boiling point.
How many more bad records have to be created and the fans made to suffer?
The whole way the team are motivated needs to change. They need to come
onto the pitch looking as though they’re going to give the opposition a
real game. Yesterday more pressure would have produced results against a
slightly wobbly Everton defence, but they were to made to look good as
Villa just didn’t test ‘em enough. Only two Villa players seemed truly
committed.
This is NOT the Villa of old. Even in the 50s, 60s and early 70s we had
something to shout about during otherwise periods of lesser achievement,
but now it’s a continuous stream of awful performances. I can only think
of one match (the 6-1 win over Sunderland) when the fans have looked
really happy since 2011. That’s more than 3 years of mostly very
disappointing play and awful results.
I am not the only seething long-term fan. I can point you to a lot of
others.
Can we have our Villa back please?
swv- of the few that can be bothered to post on here these days there was only droid who liked Lambert and he’s departed, everyone else feels as stuck with him as you and who’s fault is that ? lerners. while he is here not much will change so unless some sort of mass rally or booing at matches for 90 mins happens I am going to sit and watch along with the people who claim to hate him, I will comment on what I see as per ie the match, tactics or lack of and get what little pleasure I can from that.
I once wrote I felt sorry for those that hate Lambert and got called crass by ST75. the thing was I genuinely did feel sorry because It must feel pretty bad to have to not watch your team because of one man, I don’t hate him as he is only there by looney lerners say so and earning his huge wedge because lerner thinks he can do the job, I’d take the job in an instant wouldn’t you? no matter how you paint it
we have spent nowt on players and are up for sale and in Limbo, of course this season is going to be potentially another struggle. A vibrant Villa with a direction could attract a decent manager, we are not that villa.
yesterday was probably the most lacklustre display we have had, even when ill against arse we put up more fight for 30 mins. theres a chance we will be in the shit at christmas and a chance we won’t as the fixtures are potentially easier and Benteke should get up to speed.
the reason Barkley looked like he’d never been away and benteke didn’t? he was given the ball in space and plays facing goal, stand him where benteke was with no supply, no support and 2 players on your case all game and see how he does 🙂
JL
Fair play mate, at least you are trying to bring about a change in the awful thinking at VP.
It’s ridiculous that Lambert is still employed by the Villa, he is in his third year and has been atrocious since day 1.
Look at the facts and eye watering football on show, he simply isn’t good enough and doesn’t know what he is doing . There are managers out there doing better having had less time in their role. Clubs with even smaller budgets /incomes making a better fist of it. Please don’t tell me there isn’t a manager out there who couldn’t do a better job with the resources and players Lambert has had at his disposal. He needs locking up in Winson Green for the good of Villa and football, his lad ate should be Lerner
Lad ate should read Padmate!!
prox- I see those cats have infected someone in germany now
Mark
I hate Lambert and all he stands for, he knows he isn’t good enough, I don’t blame him for taking the job, as you pointed out we all would . I blame him for the dire shite served up every week though, if he had any decency he would resign( it’s not like he is on the breadline), just as Gianfranco Zola did when he felt he couldn’t take Watford any further.
But I don’t need anyone to feel sorry for me, and he hasn’t stopped me watching the Villa( I watched the game yesterday ) and have a ST, he has just endured it’s a terrible experience.
Mark: the reason Barkley looked like he’d never been away and benteke didn’t? he was given the ball in space and plays facing goal…
Quite right, Mark, but he’s also a different type of player. Probably what you might call the old-fashioned scoring inside-forward, NOT an out-and-out striker.
But Benteke didn’t get much support, so you’re dead right about that.
b-62 you might have been right the first time 🙂
there has to be a better manager but look at all the likely prem managers they are in the bottom six and they haven’t had our run of fixtures if its stats we are looking at . sam allardyce is the only one doing ok. we need someone of the quality of Koemann but will we get him in our state?
well done john L
We wouldn’t get Koeman now, but we may have done in the summer before Saints got him.
It’s depressing because of Lamberts contract extension, this would have been his final year, I still think we will be in the bottom 4/5 by crimbo. Iv looked at our next 5 fixtures, these being QPR , Spurs, Saints, West Ham and Burnley. I see an absolute maximum of 6 points out of those, realistically prob 2 or 3. I can’t see us beating WHU, Saints or Spurs I have them down as defeats, QPR and Burnley are winnable but I expect us to make hard work of it so I have either two draws or a win and a defeat, it’s a close call, an outside bet would be to win both( hence the max 6 points), I honestly don’t go into any game anymore thinking we can beat the opposition, I look at us and just think we will lose no matter who we play .
b62- fair enough mate, point taken, I will take you off the prayer list 😉
You obviously haven’t worked out that lambert is a positive thinker yet, thats not in a Its happened, lets keep our chin up and improve things, more of the if i’m positive all the time everything will be ok brigade, the kind that ignores the negative aspect that you need to motivate you sometimes and carries on regardless. From the outside he seems to be too accommodating to everyone around him players, boss, staff. he needs to be his own man and stop mollycoddling players that need a reality check.
We need to think out of the box for a replacement for Lambert, unfortunately Lerner is still here running the club into the ground.
Mark: From the outside [Lambert] seems to be too accommodating to everyone around him players, boss, staff. he needs to be his own man and stop mollycoddling players that need a reality check.
Yes, exactly. I mentioned that earlier … some players look too comfortable when they have no right to be.
You can’t help thinking that a Martinez or Koeman wouldn’t go down that route.
b-62- on reflection sad for is a better way of putting it. usually adversity brings people together in this case it has not
as for thinking out of the box who’s going to do that when the only finger on the pulse of anything at villa is the one keeping the life blood from draining out of the club
mark
you are saying he hasnt spent much well roughly by my figures he has spent almost 50 million on top of mcleish and houiller spending the same so almost 100 million in 5 years thats bad in it self but but this season team usually
guzan bought by mon
hutton 3.5 m
sissy 2.5
sendross free
baker/clarke academy
delph bought by mon
westwood 1.5
richardson.5m
gabby academy
wiemen academy
cleverly loan
subs
vlar 3.5m
zog 9.5
benteke 6.5
cole free
grealish academy
bacuna 1.5
bent 18m
sanchez 4.5
so thats about 60m including bent who has played about 20mins
Great letter John, however the club will not have any negative retort to their manager that promises the promise land we have been lucky for three seasons, but they believe board believe it is Lamberts brilliance. We hurt because we witness failure, what in Gods name to they see. They promote stability as the road to success but lets face it, they must realize that a massive mistake has been made, I truly also believe that Keane has used us to promote his profile and book. Stability idea has failed with that coaching team. We have now concealed our fate relegation is the only future under Lamberts tenure absolutely disgraceful team set up. Maybe its the contracts that makes them sleep at night because Villa fans lose sleep and money watching the current crap performances.
Mark- did I just read that Lamberk is a positive thinker ?
Gabby is a prime example of players who look comfortable when they shouldn’t. He like Lamberk got a new contact when they shouldn’t have and he knows he will start every single game although his performances since MON left have been shameful
Let’s hope Pool give QPR a hiding although we all know QPR will beat us. Helping hand Villa, just like yesterday. Lukakus first goal, there first home win and clean sheet f the season
frem- yes in the delusional sense.
james- less than 10 mill this season when players prices have rocketed and 60m over 5 seasons including 1 player for 18-24mil so lets say 40 mil over 5 seasons that’s 8 mil a season on players plus bent. have a look at this list of the most expensive
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/picturegalleries/10259401/Top-20-most-expensive-transfer-fees-of-all-time.html?frame=2650533
mon spent £120 m at a time when players were cheaper over 4 seasons so yes we haven’t spent much for a so called big club
Lamberts useless. The players are uselsess…..yaaaawn.
Simple fact. We lost away to a better team than us.
How many points did we expect playing the top 5 on the bounce. Me none. We have 3.
Lets be realistic.
Andrew- They were 17th with the worst defence in the league and we didn’t even give them a game. We gave them there first clean sheet and there easiest game of the season
Mark- nothing about Lamberk is positive. He’s destroyed this club
Hope Zamora gets clattered cus he will destroy our back four other wise
We seem to have reached the stage where we are almost all in unison after one defeat too many….
I agree with most of the statements on Lamberk and his failure to engender any life into this team.
John L, like your letter. You should have added all our signatures to it first though.
I have made most of the home matches for the last three seasons and have gradually become immune to the team playing on the pitch, and just continued to enjoy the ambience of the fans around me, but although a season ticket holder am beginning to feel that my time and money could be better spent elsewhere, until there is a rescue plan for this crumbling giant.
It is time that all the fans stood together and spoke with one voice to say that this is just not good enough, or is the great cosmopolitan city of Birmingham a place where football no longer has an importance, and along with the disappearance of the cloth cap, it will do the same, or be replaced by some new entertainment…..Or is it time to hand over to Emma Follis and the girls. Perhaps they will help fill the the once great Villa Park. At least they play with commitment and the desire to succeed.
Andrew: How many points did we expect playing the top 5 on the bounce. Me none. We have 3. Lets be realistic.
I don’t think of the posts have said anything about “points”, Andrew.
No goals scored, half-a-dozen shots on goal, poor attitude, can’t play, all that’s been said, but nothing said about points.
Paul,
We could vote Labour next year to get a hearing on the board.
Richard Dunne has scored his 10th OG of his career a PL record.
He has scored 11 in the right end and 10 in the wrong. QPR 0-1 Scousers
No goals scored, no shots is because of the quality of opposition surly!?
Its all about the points.
Good work agent dunn….
Frem
Honestly everton are streets ahead of us.
They will loose no more than 4 games at goodison all season. They will be in and around top 4 this season,
I dont judge villa on trips to places like goodison. Sad….but true
Andrew- As John says, it’s how we lose. And it’s not the opposition we played why we had near to no shots. Stoke we had one shot on goal, Newcastle we had none, orient we had one shot on target. It’s because we have the most anti football manager around who needs the sack and needed ages ago
Everton aren’t streak ahead of us at the moment though. There’ve had a really poor start and they dominated us with ease
B62- QPR know they are guaranteed 3 points in there next game. Helping hand Villa on there way
QPR v villa is a relegation dog fight already
Andrew,
Points are of course the end product, but it’s the attitude of the players and the system they’re playing under that really needs to be addressed … not just the last 4 games but since the start of the season even though we went 4 games unbeaten and looked defensively tight back then.
Some of us thought that having put some points behind them they would build on that, particularly when CB returned, but at present that doesn’t look too hopeful. CB looked a bit leg-weary yesterday and he certainly can’t win matches by himself – he’s got to have creative energy around him for sure. Can Cole do that? We don’t know, and I don’t fancy Grealish just yet.
And QPR level
Maybe I won’t bother paying 60 quid to go watch us
Bollox QPR equalise.
Unfortunately they are playing quite well and could win this, Liverpool are on the ropes, they play like this against us and they will easily roll us over
Coutinho 90th min winner!!!
Oh fuck
2-2 now!!!
Lamberk will be shitting him self
Hahha.
They should have let Caulker stay forward
2-3 Caulker OG
Let’s hope that deflates QPR because they looked decent going forwards, we are on the TV again when we rock up to Loftus Rd, we never seem to do well on TV( of off it really )
The early season optimism is a distant memory. The two worst things being the lack of a takeover and Lambert being handed a new deal based on Christ knows what.
My word Swansea play great football. Bottom of division 4 few years back. A manager who’s only just become a manager
Then there is a guy in his 3rd season in the job who had plenty of £££££
One manager plays football in a great way, the other is a disgrace to football
Frem dont forget Ki would rather play for Monk than the great Lambo
When the ball gets played to Bony, he always has a number 10 right in behind him to lay of to then two quality wingers bursting up in support
That’s what Keane needs to get going at Villa and not 10 men in our 18 yard box and just one player up in his own. Play a 4231 or even a 442 and have two players up top at all times. Grealish or Cole in behind the beast against QPR. No Gabby in site, or Richardson, no 451 or ten one formation we have Been playing
Villanto- Only old free agents are willing to sign for Lamberk
True Frem maybe Grant Holt will return also, you couldn’t make it up what a laughing stock. We will also have a massive squad soon when all the loanees return. you wont see Robinson or Johnson again though because they have potential
And to wrap it all up, Stoke close to 3 points. I hate football sometimes
Is it 9 games we have played ?
6 of those were last seasons standard and we have the same points as this time last season so it looks like more of the same old Lamberk season coming up. What more records can he break. He’s broke a tone since he’s been here
And now down to 12th. When Stoke City are above you, you know things are bad. One truly awful football club
Keep on dropping down
oooooh Swansea such a good football team…..but they have not won in 5…and they have had a damn site easier set of games than us.
ooooo lets get gus Poyet in and play tika taka football because he is the next pep……do me a favour.
So after yet another non performance and another heavy defeat, we now have a full week to get our shit in one sock, before we head to QPR for next weeks Monday Night football.
Having watched QPR play Liverpool , this is going to be tougher than some think, but it is a game we have to win, as we won’t get anything from Spurs, West Ham or Saints.
QPR looked good going forward, attacking at pace exposing Liverpools Achilles heal. But the reason they are at the bottom is they switch off at the back and lack pace, we simply can’t afford to hope for a lucky break ( which is Lamberts favourite tactic) and long balls will play into their hands, we need to turn their defenders, they will mop up any airborne assault.
For me the worry is Lambert won’t change his set in stone ant-football style of play, and we will get beaten yet again.
Randy Lerner was at Goodison, surely he can see just how shit we are and how he has royally fucked up keeping the mumbling imbecile as the gaffer. I honestly don’t expect him to rectify this though as he clearly puts loyalty/friendship over ability.
After watching the performance for himself, which is why Lamberk could not say “We were unlucky because of x, y and z,” Randy may be willing to reduce the price so that with all the twenty quids the steamers owe, Jl’s pension fund and a collection among the rest of you, I may be able to match fund it, and we could buy the club, and I could be the next Deadly Doug with Frem as my football advisor…!!!!!!
QPR is going to be tricky. Be more confident if it was daytime ko.
Night time at loftus road is a bannana skin….magic can happen.
Would take a point but need to stop the rot.
Based on Lamberts style of play and general approach to games – i think he would make a world class rugby manager
Last season to this one, can anyone see the improvement?
We`ve got the same points (10) as we did last season after 8 games.
This season in 8 games we`ve had 12 shots on target.
Last season we`d had 25 shots on target.
This season 4 goals (four games no goals and no win, first time in around 10 years I believe)
Last season 9 goals
This season conceded 12
Last season conceded 10
Goal difference this season -8
Goal difference last season -1
This season 3 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses
Last season 3 wins, 1 draw, 4 losses
This season we are 12th (WBA could go above us but have to beat Man Utd tonight to do so)
This time last season we were 13th
This season in the League Cup, out v Leyton Orient
Last season in the League Cup, we beat Rotherham and were still in the Cup (we went out the next round v Spurs
Now I bet someone posts ” Well look who we have played so far” because that’s all we seem to cling to hanging on by any tenuous excuse that we deem possible, the truth is that teams know exactly how the Villa will set up and play and they find it easy to counter Lamberts tactics (apologies), we are the one trick ponies of the premier and are constantly being found out, if you are a team in a bad run and need a win step up Aston Villa to solve a crisis.
AVFC RIP.
Andrew Swansea might not have won in 5 but i will take there style of play and watch a decent game any day over ours..
I don’t get where your coming from at all.. We are a boring team to watch.. yes we played the top five in a row but we were appalling in the last four games in general.. haven’t scored a goal.. have lost to a league 1 team at home in the cup.. this season we have scored 4 goals in 9 games..
Every manager has a certain style of play.. PL’s is dire and after three summers it won’t change.. in Kozak Sanchez and Cleverely that is 20M worth of players he has wanted and yet we still can’t score create and control games..
Simple fact is the man is rubbish.. and our chairman is clueless in handing him a 4 year contract when really he should be getting the boot..!!
Paul: Jl’s pension fund and a collection among the rest of you, I may be able to match fund it, and we could buy the club…
Nice try Paul! 🙂
I’d love to oblige but I’m having to keep my offshore investments away from view just now as there’s a bit of an antipathy on the subject of tax evasion!!
I AM joking, btw! My pension fund wouldn’t raise enough to re-decorate Fox’s office!
Glad we both still have a sense of humour JL, cos there is little else left now….
Randy does not seem to be a good omen for Villa. When was the last time he came to watch Villa and actually saw us win a match..???
Swv- great points. We are just as shite as we were last season
Even the Scum board have standards and have sacked Clark
It’s time you step up Randy cus QPR will make it 5 defeats in a row
I would love Lamberk to go the scum and destroy them
Since the twat signed his new contract, we’ve conceded 11, scored none and had 2 shots on target
Lol. Sums him him as manager perfectly
QPR will be more of the same. I’m going to hopefully ” you don’t know what your song” chants will be loud
How does ” doing” auto correct to “song” ?
You don’t know what your doing.
paul how many times since mon walked have we seen villa win,as regards money we have spent 100 over last 5 seasons where is lamberts money gone
vlar 3.5 still here playiny when fit
westwood 1.5 ditto
benteke 6.5 ditto
lowton 1.5 great end 1 season disappeared since
bennet 3.5 out on loan
bowery 1.5 sold at loss
kea 2.5 sold at loss
dawkins on loan WHO
sylla 1 same as lowton
bacuna 1.5dont where to play but scored goals no where this season
helnius 1.5 never got chance
tonev 2.5 god what did any scout him
luna 2.5 started well made scapegoat
kozak 5.5 good start bad injury but when does it take 8 months to come back from broken leg what where they not telling
okore 4.5 same as kosak
holt on loan what was lambert smoking
bertrand loan looks different player at soton wouldnt be hard
sendross free no body else wanted him we are that bad he actually looks good
sissy 2.5 to early to comment
richardson why
cleverly loan you can see now why we where last resort
James
I think that was the point I was making…i.e. Randy may not have seen us win since MON left……except on his home cinema screen…
Even McCleish could not have been this bad……..given the same amount of time and money….
Moyes may still be our saviour…..perhaps Randy popped round to his place for a coffee before he left….
Ever the Eternal Optimist I really did think we may have turned a corner although I’m not ready to write the season off just yet either considering we’ve just played last season’s top 5 and everyone knows this is a 2 tiered league and we are in the second tier and will be til Randy sees progress and opens up his wallet or sells up!
Positives are the Centre Backs, if Sendeross/Vlaar can stay healthy, Baker keeps playing well and Okore returns to pre-injury level we’re stronger there than a lot of teams.
Also there is some potential for our new players: Cleverley, Sanchez, Grealish to make an impact and if Lambert/Keane can right the ship then Lerner has promised to stump up more cash in the transfer window.
Losing Delph doesn’t help nor injuries in the centre of defence but yes it is the tactics and overall energy of the players that is worrying.
Even buoyed by the surprising start I was still shocked even in a mood of happyclapperness that:
1) Hutton signed a new deal (although he is obviously not the problem so far)
2) LAMBERT signed an extension; that was truly incomprehensible but perhaps it does show that Randy and Fox are truly keen on stability but that in of itself could be a good thing while other clubs turn over mgmt every 6 months.
On paper this is a deeper squad than last year but we need a few players to bounce back from injury and others to assert themselves Hutton style whether they be young and hungry, old and running out of chances to stay in this league or are adjusting to a new environment.
The manager can only do so much, the players need to stand up and be counted as well!!!
UTV
We are the same stats wise as beggining of last season.
Having played the top 5 without tekkers and vlaar. Thats ok by me.
The style of play does seem a bug bear with most. Im sorry but has it not always. even under o neil with young, downing, barry, milner we sat back and defended and just countered.
The style of play has been rubbish since the little/ gregory days!! Why up in arms now…..now we are spending less and less…its hardly going to get better!!
The Delph injury could be a big opportunity for one of: Cleverley, Grealish, Cole, Sanchez, N’Zgobia to play more/better and really show their worth.
Does one of these millionaires have the hunger/desire/pride to show they can compete in the Premiership… only time will tell.
I think i’m the only one where my heads in the place of…villa are in a relegation battle and just must survive. How pretty our football is i could not give a damn.
Now if we had a new owner and manager and spent 100 mill on new players then yes, id like to see some pretty, possession footBALL at VP for the first time in decades. But until then…..fight fight fight
Andrew,
No-one (I think) is talking about “pretty” football.
What we want is simply for the team to *play* football!! … You know to win games you do have to shoot and score!!!!!!
We actually have a top 8 team imo
Trouble is when you set up to defend first then counter as B62 said in a previous post if all you do is set up to snatch the ball and hit teams on the break – if they can keep the ball well thats our gameplan out of the window
I am stunned with Randy’s decisions and we are getting everything he deserves for some extreamly poor and terrible decisions he continues to make on the clubs behalf.
with no change in sight its only a matter of time until the ship sinks unfortunatly
Shooting does help eh John!
Should improve with Tekkers back and playing average teams like us!
We all do want to see decent footy of course but under the current players and manager and owner it aint going to happen because none of them are good enough.
We just simply have to survive…..moaning about lack of sexy football all the time is like me going around with a sour face cause i cant get cheryl into bed.
we have played only 2 different sides this compared too the start of last spurs where top 5 previous season ,somebody else commented we had 2 shots against even if they went inn we lose you cannot set up to defend for 90 mins every match it doesnt work doesnt work against lower teams in cup matches BRADFORD MILLWALL ORIENT SHEFF UTD
If ( more like when) bottom of the league beat us a week today, that should prove to the nation that Lamberk is simply a shocking manager has failed miserably at this club.
5 defeats in a row already a possibility and we ain’t even near Xmas/ man yet where we normally fall apart.
Already lost 12 of our last 18 games, he can’t survive losing 13 our last 19 games. One of those games that we didn’t lose was a 0-0 at home to Newcastle. The man is one bad manager
So as SWV has shown, we are no better than last season, worse in some areas.
This won’t change whilst Lambert is making the football decisions at Villa, he is so far out of his depth and so entrenched in his beliefs it is killing us. Lerner has to shoulder an awful lot if blame as to our demise, but Lambert is the man who oversees the team, picks the players, decides the tactics and gameplans( obviously doesn’t spend long in this dept).
The premier league is brutal, we are around 30 points from safety( give or take a few), I cannot see us getting those points playing this way. You cannot win a game if you don’t score, even OG are usually born out of pressure or pace of attack .
Lambert sticks everyone behind the ball, doesn’t apply pressure and hopes for a mistake or set piece to capitalise on. We are lacking in every dept, this is a squad Lambert has built, he falls out with players and refuses to use them, his record in the transfer market is poor, his record at Villa is atrocious( he is in real danger of being our worst ever),yet it seems he is here to stay . Any early optimism has been wiped out, realism is hitting in that we we will be fighting survival yet again.
At least bloose have reacted to their poor performances and results, they will have a renewed hope things an get better, we know they won’t with these fairies running the show.
some amazing stats
in our last 18 games, we have lost 12
In our last 18 games, we have conceded 36, and scored 11
we have took 14 points from a possible 51.
There’s no defending him
B62,
All of us who live in the real world knew those early results were somewhat unexplainable and would never last, unlike Lerner who thought that Lambert might deliver CL football and he would have buyers ripping his arms off to buy the club so he thought best to sign up the maestro with a new four year contract making him as difficult to get rid of has shit on a deep treaded shoe.
It was obvious we would revert to type and teams would see we was still putting nine men behind the ball and trying to hit on the break, its not rocket science unfortunately it looks like Lambert is the last manager on the planet to spot this glaring tactical error.
We are looking at another relegation battle, step up the new Wigan, if people cannot see this then they are either stupid or insane or a bit of both, we have scored the same goals as Burnley who are going down and got a goal difference that says Aston Villa will be joining them, and all Lerner can do is sit in his mansion in Cleveland and watch our demise.
AVFC RIP.
Randy went to the Everton game , i wonder if the penny has dropped yet into the fact he has made another glarring error in re signning lambo that will cost him millions from the profit he is currently startng to make from the club
Kenwright must be thinking wow this guy has money to burn as it seems Randy has learned nothing about football in his time so far at villa
With a manager like moyes available it beggars belief we gave pl a 4 year deal.
Surly knowing the fans wanted pl out and having one year on contract left you would at least sit tight and see how things develop.
If fox had anything about him moyes would be our new manager, he ticks every box for what we need
Andrew- the worrying thing is I Fox had a part in Lamberk’s new deal
He said we want European football. We ain’t getting it with our style
You also mention MON days on the counter. Thing is, it worked, we won games and had really good players. We have a system now and a manager that fails in 90% of the games we play. I never thought I would see worse footy than what Stoke played under Pullis.p, but I have now. It’s an awful style. At least Stoke won games doing and it suited them. We play the worst football I’ve ever seen and it doesn’t even work
evening all,
this is how I see the season so far, we started the season with a tighter more organised version of counter attack football, less hoofing, very low shots on goal against but few shots on goal for. the shots on goal for you could put down to having 2 strikers who seldom hit the target at the best of times and ironically they have scored our goals no matter how few, yes we did not look like scoring but even less like conceding. This I thought looks like something to build on and develop the way we play, Put in tekkers and we had to improve slowly.
Unfortunately playing the top 5 has meant Lambert has stayed in his box of damage limitation and we haven’t tried sod all as yet.
Then Vlaar goes on another injury holiday and we manage to get a win at Anfield against a strikerless liverpool with some heroics from Baker.
Now baker has done ok in a way but he doesn’t read the game like Vlaar, and clarke just doesn’t read full stop. Vlaar next to cissoko helps cissoko, since vlaar got injured Cissoko has got slowly worse with the chuckle brothers on his side. Remarkably senderos has been the glue that holds us together and probably should be captain if we were not trying to woo Vlaar. we have now lost him and gained Vlaar and look nowhere near as good defensively or in organisation IMO. The loss of delph has also taken its toll too as we missed his driving runs at pace on saturday. As much as cleverly worked hard the rest were none existent.
The biggest shock of the season so far was the contracts handed out to Lambert, hutton etc. after 5 years of cutting wages Lerner goes insane after a reasonable start, personally I think it shows him up for what he is, a knob. Anyone with an ounce of brain would of given it 10 games, this is why we are in the shit. the second biggest shock is the knob head is still here and enjoying it. give me a fooking break.
one thing that is really getting on my nerves is stats, especially possession stats, so many teams have won with low possession this season its almost the norm. I would probably put it at over 50% 🙂 and sometimes with very few shots on or off target yet the wins keep happening. Is it a trend? has it always happened? I don’t know, but for whatever reason we fail to look like a team who know what they are doing with or without it.
frem- stoke bullied teams not bored them into the ground
just to cheer you up heres how our loanee’s did this weekend, not good, one win and a draw were the only positive results
http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~4232986,00.html?
Mark- it worked though. We bore teams to the ground and still lose
Stoke moved above yesterday and now WBA are heading above us
12 wins in 18 games is unreal. Got to be the worst manager in the clubs history
Mark- I wonder if the guys on loan have a future under a guy who leaves our most talented player at home after signing a new
Lamberk saying Okore isn’t ready yet. Will he ever be ?
frem- stoke were big tall lads with a fullback that could throw the ball into the box from near the halfway not a useless counter attacking side 🙂
I’m really surprised on his stance on Okore the lad has come through several games unscathed and he still plays clarke? I can understand Baker but not Clarke. benteke is barely fit and he’s straight in.
just saw this comment on another site and he’s right. if you look at it game for game and not as the first 7 games. doesn’t make up for the lack of attacking intent though
“Those last 5 matches we just played we took 4 points off, the previous 3 we took 3. So we are still better off than this time last yr.”
frem- out of all of them I think johnson and maybe donacien will come through, helenius maybe. Gardners getting game time but still too early to tell on him
Frem- one other thing that puzzles me and thats sanchez, I know he looked off the pace but how is he supposed to get up to pace by watching? I really felt that his purchase pointed to a change of style with a real defencive mid at the base instead of 2 players doing the job. the last 4 if not five games would of been a baptism of fire but he would certainly know what was expected and his fitness would be much better. keep this up and he might as be sylla not a world cup quarter finalist
Hahah baggies, got to see those games out at home. 3 points is massive.
Berhino looks awesome
gardner lescott wba
diame hull
cambiasso leicster
barry everton
song whu
hangeland cp
all frees in summer
think the rest have signed for there clubs for small fees since lambert took over
roberson hull lb
jedinak cp puncheon
nonzi stoke
gibson everton
naismith
Well, not something i thought I would ever say, but well done to the Baggies. What a cracking match and what a superb effort by a team costing £14million, and that is less than the cost of our team.
they now look like being the team of the Midlands this year, if Villa don’t wake up soon…
Wow. Grealish might be going on loan. Just wow. Lamberk would rather play Richardson, gabby, Wiemann etc in creative roles. If he sends him on loan thats got to be he final straw. The kid should be starting for us
Mark- I think Sanchez might start against QPR if we play 451 again. We shouldn’t though cus we lost our last 4 games playing it. Play 4231 or 442. If we park the bus against QPR then it’s un real
So WBA have a league 1 manager who’s been in the job 3 months already getting his team playing better footy than us
Why oh why is the national media not destroying Paul Lambert ? The guy is beyond shocking. He’s a disgrace to football and football managers
Frem: Why oh why is the national media not destroying Paul Lambert ? The guy is beyond shocking. He’s a disgrace to football and football managers
I have the feeling that Matt Kendrick was moved aside at the Mail because of his getting on track about Lerner and Lambert late last season – somebody had a word in the editor’s shellpink, I suspect.
As far as the national media is concerned, they couldn’t car one iota about Villa. It’s all about London clubs for them … and the Manchester clubs as they have no choice but to take notice of them.
lets be brutally honest, when have the media ever really given a fuck about midlands teams in general? i’ll tell you when, its when they have won things or threatened the status quo see Derby, Forest and Villa of the late 70’s and early 80’s.
Its pretty much the same for all clubs, heard much about rangers (in scotland) outside of Scotland lately? the media like winners and scandal, Villa I’m afraid don’t interest enough people to be of note and lets face it we are pretty shit at the moment.
QPR are a london club who are doing poorly any shouts for redknapp’s head? not that I have heard of same for burnley. Its too early in the season to be talking religation anyhow.
The circus at villa park is there for all to see and it wouldn’t take a pulitzer prize winning journo to see it, so why no expose? because nobody generally cares except the villa fans and then not much.
If southampton carry on in the same vain as they have started they are serious contenders to win something and will be the next media darlings. If Liverpool crash and burn, get relegated, drop down four divisions they’ll be forgotten soon enough. nobody cares about how teams did in the past in sport, its about the present. there are enough former glory teams out there to fill 2 leagues and all the journo’s that would remember them are passing on. Sky rules and the teams that pull big viewing figures get lauded simple as, Villa have just got to get better.
A very good summary Mark of the media situation.
West brom playing better than villa……..they played exactly like villa last night!! Defend and hit on the break! With about 20% possession
andrew- 2 shots on goal, 3 off no corners, no offsides and a partridge in a pear tree 🙂
That’s a shame about the media Because Lamberk needs all the slaughtering he can get.
He’s said today that the villa have progressed massively?!?!?!?!
WTF are you on Lamberk? Just shoes how bad his tenure at Villa has been when he thinks we have progressed after losing 4 games in a row
Difference is that they have players who are taking advantage when it’s made available. Ours seem to think that just keepin’ ’em out is the main thing.
Andrew- they played nothing like us. For one, they actually defended unlike us, they actually had a shot on target unlike us, they actually scored goals unlike us and they actually countered, unlike us.
When we play football, it’s not football. I don’t know what it is I’m watching with Villa. There’s 11 men behind the ball but yet we still leak like a sieve, when we get the ball back after about 30 mins at a time, we just kick it straight back or out of play. On the odd occasion when we could counter, know one actually makes forwards runs. I’ve never seen such a mess of tactics in my years of watching football.
JL- i’m not defending the style of play but thats exactly what we did in the first few matches, we took what few chances we had, against the top four we had chances and fluffed them
frem- we had 2 shots on target on the weekend so did wba but theres went in get your facts straight son 🙂
frem- they also defended? they also conceded 2 🙂
The difference was that the y almost won. It was a game worth watching. united threw everything at them, and they still managed the draw. Irvine and his players gave everything…..At the end of the game and in interview afterwards, you could see the effort they had put in…..they actually were swaeint and out of breath…when was the last time our boys managed to break out in a sweat……
Sweating…..damn PC…
Paul p- Liverpool game and the next three bar Everton, we just didn’t convert our chances when they came The Everton game is the worst we have played imo. They did ok against a team that is poor away from home and as we found out it’s easier to play the counter when you are in front. Fair play to WBA but we will see who’s better when we play them
As for worth watching, what do you want miracles. 🙂
Mark: i’m not defending the style of play but thats exactly what we did in the first few matches, we took what few chances we had, against the top four we had chances and fluffed them
Well, I’d say that the Baggies did something a bit better since they’ve achieved it against a recovering Man U side,
Against Arsenal, sickness was probably a valid excuse, but against Chelsea and Man City we didn’t do anything of note except defend and a purple patch against City which they plugged pretty quickly.
Against Everton we looked dazed after they had taken the lead and Everton had us completely sussed.
And can you say the Villa players look up for a scrap? I haven’t seen it yet, even in the first four games when they (to my mind) mostly seemed to be mechanically going through the motions.
Mark West Brom do not have a better or more costly squad than us – yesterday they played a side full of world class talent and starting to find there feet — there is no shame in coming away with a draw – in fact i would say its a brilliant result
#I think the point ppl are making is that Brom are a better footballing side overall which i have to argree with.
Maybe i don’t know as much about the game as some posters on here but in my view we are not the worst sqaud in the lge by any stretch but we are the worst footballing side barr none
I rather like Jon Fear’s article: http://www.astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=7517517
In this he quotes Lambert (in 2011):
‘Norwich were like that [playing entertaining football] for three years. It wasn’t just the Premier League that they did that, they’d done that in League One and the Championship. There’s too many people who come and watch you — especially here where you get 40,000 at your ground. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to sit there and wait for you to take 40 minutes to get into the game and have your first shot at goal. They won’t accept it, so you have to get the crowd going.That’s what we’ll try to do.’
Mark- they did but both the goals were top finishes, not from bad defending really.
Look at Evertons first and third goal, they we’re tap ins. They weren’t good finishes, just easy tap in from dire defending. Yaya toures finish was lovely, but he walked into the box and passed it into the net. Should never have happened. Chelsea’s goals were tap ins, none were good finishes or top class, they we’re tap ins yet again from dire defending. Ozil passed in a one on one, split open way to easily. Welback then taped in to an open net. You know why? You guessed it. Dire defending.
And the worse thing is, the dire defending and tap in weren’t because we were on the attack, or had body’s forward, we had the bus parked, everyone back and yet they still all scored simple goals because we have the worst manager around in football who has no idea what style he wants, and when he does, he still can’t get a team playing it
We’re = were
Another point. Remember in Lamberks first season when we beat Pool away, we then when on probably the worst run in this clubs history. 15- 0 in a week, millwall, Bradford, etc.
You remember last season, we beat Arsenal and then didn’t do well what so ever after than for a while. We beat City at home, again, the games after went bad. We then beat Chelsea at home, then lost 7 of our last 9 games ( sack should have came)
Then this season, we beat pool again, and after, we lost our next four.
So, why is it, when we get our odd win against the big teams, the aftermath of it is a massive downfall ?
Something happens to Lamberk and the players in the dressing room afterwards. I can imagine Lamberk telling them they are all wold beaters, world class players, they make football easy etc and it just goes all there overpaid heads and they think they have made it and never have to try in a game again until they realise they are on the verge of relegating a great club and need to muster up a win in our last 10 games to survive
John,
A sound article in every way the main point is that Lambert is out of his depth and so is Lerner neither should be at this club and combined they are ripping the heart and soul out of Aston Villa Football Club, we are firmly entrenched as one of the worst six teams season after season and our aim is to constantly avoid the drop, unfortunately we will succumb sooner rather than later and then what happens to our once great club god only knows.
AVFC RIP
‘We’ll definitely try [to play a more entertaining brand of football],’ the former Norwich manager said. ‘We’ll go and try and win every game we can. I’m not going to try and sit back, I’ve not been used to that. We’ll go and try and win. If we can do that with style, then great. If you nick the odd one by doing it the other way, then great, we’ll take it.
And amazingly adds….. ‘Norwich were like that [playing entertaining football] for three years. It wasn’t just the Premier League that they did that, they’d done that in League One and the Championship. There’s too many people who come and watch you — especially here where you get 40,000 at your ground. I’m pretty sure they’re not going to sit there and wait for you to take 40 minutes to get into the game and have your first shot at goal. They won’t accept it, so you have to get the crowd going.That’s what we’ll try to do.’
Even from day one he lied
Even a shot every 40 mins would be an improvement to what the twat is setting us up like now
The strange thing is, when we had about 6 games of success under him at the end of last season, we actually started playing nice stuff. So why did he change to football that even Mcliesh wouldn’t play ?
WBA get a draw and suddenly they are everything we aspire to be? I know none of us are happy with Lambert and his version of football but bigging up WBA!!! are we reaching a new low on here?!
Frem- not every goal in the prem will be from a wonder strike, some come from good play/ luck/ deflections, most start with bad defending/mistakes somewhere on the pitch that allows the chance to happen.
frem- I would say because we defended well and had no forwards worth having on the pitch to start the season so he’s stuck with it. plus cole has been injured and sanchez a slow starter. whatever plans he had he shelved them
Mark,
Jesus Christ are you Lamberts agent or are you just trying to wind every one up, you have already said early on that we are shit and basically that’s all it comes down to, it seems every time Frem posts you try to counter his argument, is this a case of you trying to be older and wiser than he is.
FFS we are crap and have been since McLeish walked through the gates, even most true Villa fans cannot be bothered that’s why sites like this one are dying on their arse, for any change to be made we all need to have the same voice, none of these in Lambert we trust it just does not rub.
AVFC RIP.
swv- yes mate i’m winding them up, what I don’t get is how anyone expected different. we have bought cast offs because there was no real budget, got rid of half a team again, and yet are bewildered that our teams isn’t playing the Barca way under 2 managers that have never produced that kind of football.
My expectations were for a tough season until we can get a new owner, not expecting miracles from dads army bolted onto the leagues previously youngest then dismantled squad.
giving lambert a 4 year contract just about says where we are on the boss front. If learner stays we are fucked .
personally I wonder what he could of done if the constraints had been removed pre season and decent players brought in, I suspect we would win more but like mon it would be a higher class of counter attack still. He has to go but I’m not convinced Lerner could pick his nose
I’ll say it over and over again …
I believe that until the late 1990s (even under John Gregory) we were carried along by the traditions of the Villa, aided by the then relatively recent achievements of the late 70s/early 80s.
During that time we lost the great club man Eric Houghton and other great ambassadors of the old Villa spirit died … like Vic Crowe, Johnny Dixon.
In around 2002 we started to lose the connection with past and under Lerner it’s been completely removed. He’s not even provided a museum for us to look at!
In other words, who is there who can come in an re-instill that old Villa pride? Is it too late or is that we need to have someone leading from the top who can ‘read’ the way things used to be and re-inplant them?
frem- you’re on to something with the playing crap after a big win against top opposition. I think its because we play a pressing game trying to win the ball back for most of the match or closing down opposition, that is exhausting. on top of that we then have to sprint up the pitch to attack. basically that is a recipe for over- trained players. If you noticed half our squad picked up a bug after the pool game, a sure sign their immune systems were weak from to much exertion and injuries begin to crop up to. possession football involves less sprinting about (ever tried to get the ball off of 3 players in a triangle). this has been going on since Lambert started
have a look at last season after wins against the odds like arsenal away, city at home, southampton away liverpool away we go down hill same pattern.
http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/match/index.html?event=3;season=2013%2F14;team=242
Mark we reached a new low way before west brom became a better footballing side than villa mate
And Stoke are a better footballing side Runtings. All this has happened under Lamberks time in charge.
Mark- the good defending is long gone. We’ve lost four in a row playing exactly the same system
Surely after losing 3 games in no row playing ten one, you would change it around for the fourth ? Did we ? Hell no. Still parked that bus and no change. That’s a sign of one bad football manager
You would think going into Monday’s game having lost the last four and hardly even having a shot on goal let alone scoring that Cole and Grealish will both start in a 4231. Will he change anything? I bet he doesn’t t
I want us to win but if we are to lose, I hope it’s like a 4/5 nill so there no hiding place for Lamberk afterz. If we lose 1-0 or draw 1-1, he will think everything is great.
Not even randy can hide if we get battered by bottom of the league
Chicken Littles,
Is it really time to panic yet?
We’ve just played the best 5 teams from last season without our two best players.
Lambert has declared ‘Sanchez’ ready, good news.
At least Vlaar and possibly Sendeross will play, good news.
Perhaps Lambert will surprise us and Grealish will start with Zoggy providing crosses to big Benteke.
It’s too early to freak out Lifers.
The first 8 went better than I personally expected and I will reserve judgment til after this next 8 which by the way are all winnable matches; Spurs are by no means world beaters yet…
COYVB!
I guess that should be ‘already’ rather than ‘yet’ OH WELL
frem- I said back when we were winning lets see how we do when we go behind, as I suspected we can’t cope playing the way we do. we need senderos back soon and Sanchez to come good effectively giving us a 3 at the back when the fullbacks push up. that should allow the whole team to push up instead of sitting on the edge of our box then cole and grealish can have some effect where its needed in the oppositions half and not our own. if we play the same they will be poor defencive options instead. if you spread those four results across the season you wouldn’t bat an eyelid though would you, lets face it we have had worse like 8-0 worse, it was a tough run of games lets hope its ends monday where we have to beat QPR but then we should. can’t see learner sacking his boy after the new contract, if he does fox should go aswell.
runtingz- we haven’t resembled a football team since gregory left. mons football had exciting moments but a lot of the same faults we now see. the only thing lambert hasn’t tried is the boot toward the corner flag for gabby to chase 🙂
Ronnie- yes it’s time to panic. It was time to panic when Lamberk never got the sack after the Bradford disaster, it was time to panic when he never got the sack after Stoke and Fulham beat us at VP, it was time to panic when he wasn’t sacked the minute after whistle went against Spurs. It was to time to panic when he got his new contract, it was time to panic after getting battered by a team who were 17th just a few days back. It’s time to panic when we have scored only 4 goals and had about 5 shots on target all season
The guy has been a disaster pretty much from day one. Two painful embarrassing and disgraceful seasons on, he’s still at this club and it looks like the 3rd could be even worse
ALL OUT PANIC
Mark- if the results were spread out through the season it wouldn’t be good either. There’s no excuse for losing and playing as bad as we do.
Sanchez- I think we might be even more defensive if he ever plays
If we lose to QPR, he should go. Your right though, he probably won’t. I think thy will beat us
frem- if the sunderland fans get a refund for the 8-0 thrashing on the weekend then you could apply to Villa for the cost of some ray bains so your eyes bleed less.
sanchez needs to be used in the chelsea stylee to allow others to attack. when he first played he moved the ball forward quite quickly, definitely not a sideways passer
Nothing can stop my eyes from bleeding watching the shite Lamberk serves up.
Did the away fans get a refund after Chelsea did us 8-0? Did Lamberk even apologise after ?
No and no
Classy
Frem
Your right, after the Chelsea result we got no explanation, no offer of a refund to those loyal fans who forked out £££££££ , but we would prob be bankrupt if we got compo for every Lambert designed footballing disaster he has presided over in tenure, there are simply too many crap performances, results and negative records broken.
B62- at least we could buy the club then
Indeed B6.
Watching 45 mins of Bayern Munich, then remembering our 45 mins Attempt of football. It’s a different planet
We don’t even attempt to play football.
Mark
I am disappointed that the main point that i was making about the baggies was the effort put in by the players. Not so much about the result they achieved. If I saw eleven players crawling off the pitch and dragging their knuckles behind them, then i would not care if we had lost, but that they had given everything for the fans…and I am sure that is the same for everyone here.
PP- it was a pitiful attempt from our players. No virus this time around for an excuse. Just like Lamberk, there a bunch off overpaid half arsed players who couldn’t really care about this club
QPR game will interesting. It’s a lose lose situation for Lamberk. If we win, we should be doing any way. If we lose,…..
He will be shitting it. He will be so scared of losing this game that I think it will be the most defensive display you have ever seen. The loser would take a 0-0 right now. There needs to be a change, we need to attack and pass, but I bet we don’t
For the life of me I cannot understand why fans believe a tweak in formation/personnel will change anything? The bottom line is no matter who plays, we are utter drivel. Our more skilful players cannot thrive because they are dragged down by PL’s footballing ethos and the likes of gabby and weimann. Agreed n’zog had a poor game on Saturday on how many occasions did he receive the ball in a threatening position, in space, facing the goal? Similarly it is utter tosh to state that we need a playmaker to solve our attacking problems as he would be dragged down to the same level as the current useless lot. Any quality player needs quality around him who are on the same wavelength footballing wise. We have chopped, changed and tweaked over the past few years but the footballing remains shocking. We now have reasonably quality in midfield but they still cannot retain possession.
Dee,
I have to say that now I have empathy for what you state.
However, the positive in me always says “let’s see what happens next match”, and the fact that it’s against QPR lifts my hopes a bit. But the overall prognosis for the patient is not good, I must agree.
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