Right, here we go, Terry’s first appearance in claret and blue, Veretout starting, and Johnstone back in goal. Hutton starting as well. Let’s see if Ross and Scott can get on the scoresheet.
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John Clark
John is co-owner of AVL, and has followed the Villa since the '70s. A journalist by trade, he is, by most accounts, a very nice person. You can follow me on Twitter @JClarkKohoutek. It's an astonishing experience. Or a complete waste of time.Comments 44
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Well, reasonable enough start, but fizzled out…
All seems like training ground stuff to me, at h-t.
Yeah, not seeing much ‘identity’ yet. Would rather not see wholesale substitutions, like to see them keep working this unit, but…
Veretout had some decent balls early on, Green looked bright. Still seem to take too long making decisions, and players not being where other players think they’re going to be.
Same pattern as the first two games, get ball and try to hit the wings mainly the Right then try and cross to two short blokes, no wonder they don’t score, both play off the shoulder or thrive on quick one twos. The passing is lethargic, the left non existent the middle ignored on the whole. Its kind of what I feared that we will play on the counter with a long ball in behind, handy if the opposition knew there part 😉
Richards? oh boy
Its all right these friendlies are meaningless 🙂
Bruce out 🙂 and 95% of the squad 😉 deary me
Very poor all round. Shrewsbury definitely looked the better team in the end.
mark k
its alright jedi and kodja will be back to save the bruce
Well, aided by some pretty blatant fouling, JC… But that’s how it is down at the depths of the league.
Villa definitely lacking sharpness, and still not looking too alert, apart from Green.
Veretout? Yes, he sprays some useful balls, but also makes a fair number of passing errors and also fouls quite a bit.
Hourihane is disappointing me. His corners were not at all productive and one free kick put over with precious little else of a constructive note.
Perhaps we’ll have to see how we do against Watford before we can draw too many conclusions though. At the moment it’s not looking championship-winning stuff.
Well I only caught the last 30 minutes so don’t know what happened before.
Very pleased with Keinan Davis. Looks just as strong as last season. Very good at receiving and controlling the ball and then breaking forwards.
Much of the play down the left through Amavi . . . . if only he was a better defender. Still unconvinced by Richards at the back but then it was a really makeshift defence so not too fussed about that. Bjarneson was keen and looked as if he could be an asset. Gabby also looking fitter For what it’s worth.
Would like to see us playing more on the break. . . . the one time we did that Lydon forced the penalty.
Robbo- don’t bother watching the rest of the game do something nice with the family, First half was all down the right with green and Hutton, could of done with Amavi to balance it out, cannot remember one chance we created or shot bar the pen and two free kicks over the bar. I hope to god they are all knackered from training because its so ponderous you could make a tea in between passes.
JL- Shrewsbury are in the league below us
Mark: “JL- Shrewsbury are in the league below us”
Well if that isn’t pretty well the bottom of the league then what is?! 😀
Can someone please answer this…
When John Lerwill was a footballer (of a kind!) the law was that when you kicked off from the centre spot you had to play the ball forward. No-one seems to do that anymore. Has the law changed?
Please excuse me if I was sleeping if the law has changed!
I think the thing for me is that too often we’re not on the front foot. As the game wore on, 50-50s and everything were all breaking for Shrewsbury, the first man following up on the loose balls squirting out was coming forward on to it with purpose.
Then going forward, Shrewsbury knew what they wanted to do, the players were there, the cutbacks and outlets. We were allowing them the space. When we force a player to pass, the marker leaves the player, chases the ball, watches it go right back to the player he just left.
Of course, the players really could be knackered, and I’m sure there’s some degree of legginess. But again, not seeing a familiarity and drilled patterns of play (other than getting it out wide). We seem to get in each other’s way, not anticipate each other well, cede the initiative, momentum and aggression.
I know players aren’t wanting to get hurt, and are probably almost always going to be less full-blooded than ‘lesser’ teams well up for the game, but we also have looked like this all too often during regular-season games.
JL-
Yep, they did change the rule. It doesn’t have to go forward anymore.
jc
you only need 1 player to centre now ,suits bruce all behind the ball from start
JC,
I’m just plain aggrieved that we don’t have anyone who s capable of playing that incisive ball … or able to turn a defence by a deft movement.
I’m probably saying that we need Jack!!! But if it is Jack then it needs to be him with a tiger in his tank. A player with a combination of Jack’s ball skills and Green’s zest would go down well with me.
Thanks guys for the confirmation of the kick-off law change …
I see that it’s only been in the past year that the law has changed that way.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jan/08/kickoffs-backwards-rule-changes
Me, too, John.
We just don’t seem to have that simple line of passes up the field that ends up with a nice through-ball to the striker.
When we get numbers forward, we’re stagnant and it’s all packed in too tight, and no apparent set of options set up for players to organize around and play into.
Like I say, seems like too much thinking going on.
The other version: I like Hutton’s industry and willingness to push it up, but how often did he run himself into a cul-de-sac? It’s like he was only ever just going to run forward until stopped and give the ball back with the team pulled up out of shape.
Okay, that seems like no thinking going on. But it’s the fact that he’s not making that run to any sort of purpose regarding anyone around him that keeps him on the ball too long, others unsure where to go.
And Jack…
He absolutely has to play with more fire. He’s so good on the ball, has a great shot, elusive. But he drifts out of the game for such long periods, doesn’t force himself back into it, doesn’t match his opposite’s energy.
I just don’t understand why every team can press from the forwards back, give us no room, and keep at it for most of the game when we can’t. When teams show urgency and intensity, we don’t seem to be able to match it.
And everyone seems to know that if you clog the middle with us, we don’t have the composure, organization, and feet to work through it. Force us wide and we pose little to no danger.
When we go wide, as Mark was saying, we pump the ball in the box to two not very tall strikers. Seem to have no system of cutting back into a trailing midfielder on a late run who simply tries to slot it through. If that late runner is Hutton, it’s a fine idea, but the end product is never there, so why bother?
Good one, James.
So, I will finish up thinking out loud by saying what seems like too much thinking is seemingly the result of what seems to be no real plan.
But when the set-up is there, players dally on the pass.
JC Other than the long punt there absolutely appears to be no plan, the ball doesn’t get cut back because no ones there and players are to concerned with being in position for when we lose the ball. When the youngsters come on all that changes and we look a threat, Lyden disobeyed the law and attacked his player and got a pen, O’hare against Telford was great at 10 and defended from the edge of the opponents box. It just appears that if we cannot catch them napping then we all retire to start again, I can’t understand how Bruce got promoted so often if this is it?
and passing? no urgency no crispness and no movement half the time
And the tired legs excuse can only be rolled out so many times, its not like every other team we have played don’t have one. Tired? well keep the ball for a bit then.
JC- yes Shrewsbury from league one understand how to play football we don’t, how can that be?
Well excuse me if I don’t climb into a warm bath with a razor blade after one pre-season friendly.
I only saw the bit where the young players came on so I may have been spared the worst but to be honest I’ve never been able to get much excited by what happens in pre-season one way or the other anyway and I certainly wouldn’t draw any conclusions at all about what might happen in a few week’s time.
r0bb0,
You’re right … the pre-season is not to be taken as though it’s the end of the world.
However, we’re trying to make sense of the capability of the first team and today was the first match where what is probably the first team (minus a couple) came together for us to assess them.
And the answer is that apart from the defence as it was in the first 60 minutes, and Green, the rest just did not stand out in any great way or form. They passed the ball around a bit like robots with no clear idea how to get through and this against a team who is a division lower.
Agreed they may not have played on full throttle, and wanted to avoid injury, but I would expect to have seen a bit more play from Villa that suggested they were a team from the higher reaches – especially when you take into account the amount of money that’s been spent on ’em.
Yes, I’ll be looking at the Watford match for a better idea of how the Villa is shaping. I’m just not very enthused at what I’ve seen so far.
r0bb0-
It is always tough to draw conclusions from pre-season. Not chucking in the towel yet by any means. Still, you wouldn’t think Shrewsbury would basically own the second half.
On the glass-half-full side, I also agree with Mark that when the kids are playing together, they seem to have a much better sense of each other and what they’re about. Wouldn’t go so far as to say they’d hold up for 90 minutes against seasoned sides, but to me it’s some indication that a) there is talent there, and b) they’ve been better drilled.
robbo
bruce excuse last season ,players not fit,needed pre season to get game plan sorted nothings changed and as john clark put it if hutton is out ball why bother
shrewsbury looked better in every aspect today and in 87 min gabby was behind our defence ball played forward not sure who had the ball 3 shrewsbury players hounded him
Green doesn’t go as well with Hutton as Amavi either.
I hope Bree or De Laet start soon, & someone falls in love with Richards.
I wouldn’t slit my wrist over that rubbish either, the passing was atrocious & lethargic.
Looks like MCM may be off soon, although at least he put a shift in & showed some good touches [but didn’t score again].
Lovely header by Suliman for the England U19s as they won the euros.
The kids seem to be doing good
another of our ex young boys graham burke scored wordly for shamrock rovers thursday night
While pre season friendlies are just that the previous few years have looked Fairly similar followed by decline relegation and embarrassment, yeah I can’t wait for the season to start
Watched it on You Tube. My opinion is the same as everyone elses. Nothing to get too enthused about in that match.
I don’t blame Hutton for being a poor central defender. I find it strange he was put there in partnership with a dodgy defender., Micah.
I think cleare simplerr instructions need to be forwarded to the players.
Iana,
Yes, I think the first 60 minutes of the match (until the subs) are the main basis on which to judge. I’m sure the Shrews won because of Villa’s defensive changes as they didn’t look too capable of scoring before. Just like Villa! 🙁
In fact any neutral watching would hardly have known that the two sides are a division apart in status.
My preferred team from those that have played so far…
Johnstone, Bree, Chester, Terry, Taylor, Green, Bjarnason, Lansbury, Amavi, Hourihane, Hogan.
… with Hourihane sitting just behind Hogan. I see Hourihane being better further up.
JL
Many see Hourihane as a more forwrd player. That seems to be, given his playing history, where he can really influence a game.
The strikers certainly aren’t shining.
Hear RMC might be off to Sunderland.
john l
same team without the icelander, don t see anything in him as yet seems of pace
iana
yes hutton not a centre defender, he is not a defender of any sort, but lack of effort for 2nd goal was shocking ,no one else really to blame shrewsbury went past hutton as if hutton was on ice
Iana- I would say its more like the strikers can’t shine, put hourihane up there and he will get the same lack of service IMO. If Jacks up for it he is the answer for me as he can create something out of nothing, if it continues like it is then him and Kodjia will be making all the chances.
I really hope Lyden stays injury free, as the captain of the U21’s he really drove them forward, he started moves and often ended them to. I would say he is the most complete midfielder we have.
Yesterday reminded me of the game against Luton in the cup when we decided to experiment as we were getting rid of players. Richards was a clown in that too along with a disjointed display and he’s still here.
JG- thor is no left winger thats for sure, he is a central player for me but he has been uninspiring to say the least. I would like to see
Johnson
Bree Chester JT Taylor or Amavi
Adomah Lyden Lansbury or hourihane Green
RMC or Jack
Hogan
Mark, in perhaps an appropriate response to your comments,
… a new post is up!