If you want a team to throw away games then you could not pick a better one than Villa over the years.
The first half went exactly as I predicted the game would. We were really good, defending well, and allowing a slow and ponderous Arsenal nothing. then when the chances came we were clinical and efficient. Darren Bent’s finish for the second was magnificent from a tight angle.
Then we had Half Time.
Now clearly when you are two nil down at HT the manager is likely to give a team a kick up the Arse. Is Wenger though THAT good at bollockings ? I don’t think so. Somehow Arsenal worked out that with width here we had no cover for our poor full backs was an area to exploit. Yes RVP is everything to Arsenal but did we have to make it so damn easy for him ? Some of the defending was laughable in the extreme and they took advantage of it of course.
Many people will overlook the excellent first half for a 25 minute period of madness by Villa. In fact just like the Wolves game where we saw the same. It is so obvious pace hurts us and of course we have no one with real pace at the back. This has been our problem all season and teams will eventually learn at this. I have no complaint at the penalties, both were clear and justified. However we maybe should have seen three sending offs in the game, two for them and would have made a big difference.
So in effect season nearly over before Feb, we will not get relegated nor of course in the FA Cup. Many people are having a right go at Mcleish and I am not sure he can be held fully to blame but the lack of fight in the second half has been shocking.
Just hope this has no negative effect for the rest of the season. I am trying to work out why I am not angry at what was seen !
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hutton is 10 times worse that dunne and hes a thug to go with it, hate the sight of him
Why??? Does drop a bollock every game? no he don’t. Your just want a scape goat and HUTTON IS IT, your just jumping on the Hutton witch hunt band wagon. Dunne is SHIT!
BWS you’re bang on. criticise players when they deserve it, but if you just do it for the sake of it, or like you say as part of a witch hunt then it carries no weight.
Dunne only looks shit because he constantly having to cover for our shit full backs! He had to make the tackle for the penalty, Hutton lost the ball on the halfway line which caused all the problems, how did Dunne make Hutton kick the ball against Walcott for the 2nd and where was Hutton when Bent chased back in to the right back position for the 2nd penalty! Hutton isn’t a scape goat he is shit, end of!
They are both as bad as each other to be honest
But Dunnes been shit for nearly 2 years now even when midfield gave better defensive cover. Fullbacks don’t help granted but he is a useless fat twat still.
Spot on AndyB.
Dunne gets pulled all over the place when our FBs get caught out.
I feel bloody sorry for him sometimes.
And as has been said, he was superb up until then.
We have lost our first away match since Nov 21. We have won at Chelsea and Wolves and Bristol in FA-Cup. In each of these games we scored 3. We have scored 2 today, we were tactically magnificent in 1st half and lost the game in 15 min through different individual mistakes and a referee who easily gave 2 penalties. And we played a Top4 (or Top 5) team. So, don´t go over the top. Yes, defeat hurts but we should keep our feets on the ground.
I agree with that Joty but Dunne’s still SHIT.
Dunne was magnificent in 1st half – MotM till this moment. Yes, 1st penalty was his mistake, because he mistimed his tackle. But I can´t remember a second mistake. He was very calm and very confident on the ball. He played a lot of clever passes out of defence. But it looks he has one mistake in him every game. But look at defenders at other clubs. True is, he wouldn´t play for us if he wouldn´t make a mistake and he is still a very important player.
Yes but no good dunne being gud for 45 mins wots the point in that. Remember he got out jumped easily for their corner early in second half and was lucky Ireland was there to save him.
Yea mate last time I looked a game lasted 90!
ok joty they were wins but chelsea missd chance after chance on another day could off ben hidding and the wolves result well again look it again bad misses or thatgame was over at half time and bristol 3 nil up and nearly threw it away i would say prob used a good slive of our luck in them games whats importnant now is the next 5league games apart from man city..and arsenal were there for it today thaye are poor at min.. and we were 6th placed club two years ago how times change 8th last season and where this either waythe club is on a downaward spiral where it stops im not sure …… but one thing the league never lies 2 nil up and we losoose three goals in minutes its not on mate one bit..
For this game, I blame AM for the defensive approach at the start of the second half, I blame the refs for the very bizarre decisions (seriously what is offsides now), and at the end of it I blame the players for not taking the game into their own hands.
This season, I thought I would never criticize RL for all he’s done for the club on a franchise and community level… but since MON’s departure, I blame RL and the board for years of poor decisions and bad business. GH & AM appointments & payouts, Jenas without an injury clause, Ireland transfer, and blindly signing off on our average, aged squad on big wages-
What is the answer, who knows, but I’m tired of this status quo. Things need to change and the board and RL need to start taking a good hard look at themselves in the mirror. Will there be new owner, manager next year, not sure, but I am hopeful.
Alan Hutton was at fault for every goal we conceded today. The bloke cant attack or defend, hes useless! As soon as Herd is fit, he should get that role. Warnock is not much better, i cant believe he cant use his right foot even to pass 3 yards-pathetic! Dunne fucked up for the goal, but he played well apart from that. Bannan should be starting for us, 2 best passes of the game when he came on…and he actually wants the ball to feet.
Fuckoff the lot of ya, Dunne’s a fat usless bollock droping pisshead prick.(apart from DS)
Well said billy couldn’t have put it better myself. He’s been shit and dropped clanger after clanger ever since league cup final v man u. Granted he was ok till then but iv had enuf if people saying he played ok first half or was good for 89.5 minutes. The point is he’s paid to defend the whole 96 mins yes most defenders have a mistake in them occasionally but this is taking the p**s
(and Oohahpaulmcgrath)
Bloody hell Billy, don’t mince your words, tell us what you really think
A little wound up and pissed off after we snatched defeat from the jaws of victory!
We lost this game as you say because we lack pace at the back, and also because we lack pace and real strength just in front of our back 4. Petrov and Clark aren’t quick enough about the field, or tough enough in the tackle. That’s why we have to play with both of them as DM even when at home. as soon as Arsenal came at us with pace this was exposed.
i do think you are wrong to blame lerner for backing MON though. Do we really think Lerner is the one to judge the value of a player? He is in the wrong for backing MON, but he is also in the wrong for not allowing McCleish to bring in top players? (not saying he would necessarily get the right ones but i bet he can see the problem) You can’t have it both ways.
We need to remodel our whole defensive unit (including that side of our midfield). When you consider how much MON spent on defenders is a pretty poor state of affairs.
I don’t blame the board or RL for backing MON, but I agree, they do need to be more consistent. Backing MON, splashing huge for GH, and then nothing for AM. The give the appearance of being extremely reactionary and extreme, in a bad way.
good point on the DM but they had us down the wings and shows the coverage the three we sold gave us. Albrighton being out did not help and no way can Ireland be played widish, no defensive cover
true they did have us on the wings but Walcott is fast as f*** so warnock stuffed unless protected (like AY would have done) and that Oxlade-C looks class (18 ffs??) so Hutton is in trouble with steven ireland in front of him. Again that’s why you need mobile, strong DM to help out otherwise your centre backs are dragged out of position.
It’s easy to say we blew it but they came out of the blocks second half and we just didn’t have what was needed to cope with it. But didn’t we all know that before the start of the game?
There is a gulf between the two teams that we nearly bridged but in the end the better team won. Good job that they didn’t start the first half the way they started the second I suppose. Let’s hope we reshape in the summer, lose a few high earners and replace with better and maybe we will be a able to push the top teams a little harder.
billy walkers you obviously dont have a clue. Dunne was in the prem league team of the year a short while ago. He is the best defender we have although thats not saying much!
Obviously I must bow to your superior knowledge of the game,the fact Dunne’s a fat usless c n u t, holds the all time EPL home goal record and plays centre half in a team that has conceded the most goals from set pieces and drops a bollock ever game, well apart from that your spot on, he’s fucking brilliant, it’s all Huttons fault!
Collins is better at least he dosnt drop a howler week week out. What prem team was dunne voted best def for is this a wind up. Are u sure it wasn’t for the worst prem team coz that’s where he shud be. The fat btard has cost us too many times and I don’t give if a shite if Barcelona and man u think he’s great he is a fcukin liability and with warnock being a close 2nd the pair shud never wear the shirt again.
Ferdinand was in team of the year not to ling back also
Our biggest problem is we lack anyone who can get their foot on the ball & control possession when we are under pressure. We clear a corner just for the likes of Petrov to hoof the thing up field & give possession straight back to the opposition. We gave it a go though. UTV!!!
We have exactly that player mate but he is in Greece on loan
I couldn’t believe it! After the second I let myself be ambitious enough to think we had it, but how can you fuck things up that quickly?!
I knew we had to get through the first 15 minutes of the second half to have a chance and as soon as the first penalty went in, you knew what was going to happen.
Not sure who you can point the finger at individually. Threw it away and as you say Ian, end of the season.
I can, Dunne no need to make that challenge Given would have got the ball, that let them back in and oh have i mentioned Dunne’s SHIT!
To be fair, I couldn’t see either penalty from where I was standing so will have to wait until later to have a proper opinion.
Both were nailed on for me, Bent took man before ball, should have no complaints about that
I thought penalty as soon as I saw them but have seen some fans disputing them. Also, is there in truth to the Walcott handball and Van Persie elbow shouts?
defo RVP should have gone and also Koislency as well but then Dunne should have
Let’s not forget also how disruptive dunne, warnock and collins were under GH. It was appalling the way they ganged up on him and set a bad example for our youngsters. GH had dunne and co’s number and they knew it. They would not be here now if GH was still here he would have forced them out and rightly so.
Yes, I’d forgot about that the “Team Building Fiasco” I now add trouble maker to my earlier comment.
Dunne’s a fat usless bollock droping pisshead trouble making prick
Lol I think ur insulting fat useless bollock dropping piss heads by comparingbthem to dunne lol. Oh how wish ooh agh the lord was in defence. Those were the days.
I think my friend players like that only come along once in a lifetime.
It’s a shame even someone half as good as the lord wud do for now.
HaHa not a Richard Dunne fan then?! If GH stayed I think the likes of Dunne, Warnock, Collins & Heskey would have been gone by now; let’s hope AM sees sense in the summer & gets shot of the lot. Dunne’s on big £ so I think he’ll be a bloody nightmare to shift out.
Yeah forgot the fat useless twat is on big money to. No one else would be stupid enuf to pay him that and we got mon to thank for that but that’s another arguement.
Ok,
Dunne’s a fat usless bollock droping pisshead trouble making overpaid prick.
This is McLosers interview of the Villa website…
http://www.avfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10265~2592856,00.html
He says he can’t fault the players… Then whose fault is this? The players need to take responsibility for this shambles and either have a long look at themselves as professionals and actually play like your being paid tens of thousands of pounds a week for 90 MINUTES!! or fuck off and leave our club alone. I would rather we play the youth team from the NextGen cup instead of the back 4 we had today!! At least they may not give away penalty after penalty like we have done this season. At least they may learn how to defend a set piece. At least they may actually play with some god damn pride!!
The biggest annoyance is the rest of the team is starting to look alright now!!
some of it is looking OK, problem is we have too many players who are similar in many ways. we need to make a call on the best for us and play even more of the kids.
when fit Lichaj should be starting and also Chris Herd
Your never going to have a tight defence when you have fatty Dunne dropping his usual and customary bollock.
Completely agree, too many times I have been shouted down for saying its Dunne that needs to go not Collins like alot of others have said. Today hopefully proves to people how useless Dunne is!! Problem is were stuck with him until at least the summer!! I hope McLoser sticks to his word and drops Dunne for the next game
My team for the next game based on today:
Given
Collins, Clarke, Stevens, Licaj (if fit.. if not Herd)
Petrov, Ireland, Alby, N’Zog (if fit from his heel injury… if not Bannan)
Bent Keane
Be better than what I saw today and yes thats right… drop Gabby!!
Agreed Ian iv been shouted down to re my comments on dunne. Iv been saying for at least a year what a liability he is and it’s only now people are taking any notice. Him and warnock shud be dropped for the season now especially as nothing to play for and we are virtually safe. Nothing can be worse than having those 2 fuckwits in our side.
I thought we looked shit all game.don’t agree with all this stick dunne is getting he is our best defender by far.I hate all the long balls tho and hoofing the ball from the back all the time.2 0 and we fucked it up!gutted
No no no Karl, Dunne is shit, he needlessly gave away that pen today and let them Gooners back in. The only guarantee you have with fatty Dunne is he’ll drop a bollock,today was no exception.
Season over? That happened back in August.
Still, there’s the relegation fight to ‘look forward’ to…
Just for once I’m not blaming McLeish directly for today’s result – Villa have a crap squad and he’s not got a huge range of options to impove it; plenty of people above having a go at Dunne, and no real argument about that, but Warnock and Hutton both belong in League 2.
[Yes, I know who bought Hutton…}
we have no relegation fight, only in the heads of some
You’re being far too positive.
This is a team that can’t win two games on the trot…
All it takes is for a couple of the other bottom feeders [Bolton?] to go a roll and win a few games, and we’re back in the scramble to avoid the bottom three.
Its VERY niave to believe we are safe and its that kind of thinking which will see us relegated. The season was over when we got McLeish and he bought Hutton….
why is it ?
34 points would be safe and less than three wins away, easily avoid it
Im not saying we will be relegated but we cant discount it is all I am saying. Over confidence will breed apathy and we know how dangerous that is.If we lose to QPR next up I think we will be in the dog fight… even if we dont get relegated
some may point out that the last time Mcleish played arsenal in the cup they went down
but to be in trouble would require a total collapse in form, can not see it at all
When has 34 points been ‘safe’?
when West Brom went down, for you to go down with more this time would require one of the bottom lost to go on a really good run and can not see that at all when teams are beating each other
I have this recurring nightmare where Villa, Wolves and Albion sink in May, while the Scum manage to sneak back up…
Just as a matter of interest though, just who do you think we will beat for those three more wins, especially given that we seem totally incapable of winning at home any more?
Wigan away, Blackburn away and West Brom away to start with
with some draws and reasier home games I can see us being on 50 points come May
How have you worked this out Robbo I hope you are right, but i always stick to 40 points
We will find if we are in a fight after the blackburn away game because by fuck we have some intriguing games up till then. i never say never in any shape or form but Ian its results like today that can shatter confidence will have to see what happens on wed night.
Yeah am bought Hutton and deserves criticism for that but u cant blame him for dunne, warnock, Collins, beye, heskey and petrov. That mons fault and to add insult to injury he’s got them on big money contracts so it makes it harder for us to get rid of them and club can’t move forward until theyv gone as we need money from them going. Mon got alot to answer for he’s totally fcuked the club over. But that’s an arguement for another day.
I don’t disagree with you, but it’s history and we need to move on. Trouble is that I can’t see how the club can go forward with the current board and management in place, and in a league as financially skewed as the EPL.
Agreed unless Lerner suddenly finds a few bob or we miraculously have a man city type takeover then can’t c anything but mid table mediocrity. My dream would be a big money takeover and mourunho becomes our manager. I can but dream!
Can someone help me? I cant work out who makes me more angry… McLeish for being the worst manager we have had a VP, Lerner for just letting this club die and now not even trying to invest and protect his investment, Faulkner for being an utter idiot without a clue how to run a football club, Dunne for the constant own goals, penalties and lack of focus, Warnock / Hutton for being the worst 2 fullbacks to ever pull on the Villa shirt or all the main stream journalists in this country who seem to be Mcleish apologists and never seem to actually tell the truth about the state of the football at Villa Park. I dont have the capacity to be angry with them all so….. who should I be angriest at????
AMC is crap but not as crap as Billy McNiel who incidentally was once voted the shitist manager in the history of shit managers.
Since Lerner appointed the others, he’s got to carry the can, IMO.
Hutton = wosrst ever villa player by a mile. Richard dunne player of the year and legend in comparison, even scored a great header today!
At the right end for a change!
I haven’t been following the club, but I’ve admired Villa ever since my organization got involved with the Acorns charity and I had the great pleasure to meet O’Neill and a few of the players a few years ago at a charity function. A great club with great community support, though I haven’t many good things to say about your current manager.
Anyway, just wanted to say that you were the only side to show up in the 1st half. We got the luck that we needed to help give some hope for what’s left of our season, but I felt that you got less than you deserved.
Chin up and all that…better us than you. Really hope you do better for the rest of the campaign.
do you know what, dunne maybe be shit , hutton is definately shite, warnock is average at best , cueller looked alright but we’re going to flog him ,midfield was great for 25 mins in the first half , bent is a bit lazy but scored ………..even thought we lost i sat in my local in spain watching it on espn smiling because all i could hear was our fans singing. As much as we bitch and moan about the team and the manager (and i have done so on here many times) i was proud today because our OF OUR fans , the lifeblood of our club did us proud . UTV
I noticed a lot of empty seats at the library which is unusual. Obviously wasn’t a big game for them.
Did not goto the game, fell asleep watching it and missed MOTD, so I cant say a thing about performance.
As much as I love the FA Cup i am glad we can focus on the league as i dont feel we have enough depth in the squad to cope with a cup run.
We need four more wins and a couple of draws, maybe less
The most frustrating thing is that,unless we start slipping down the table to become involved in a relegation fight,there is nothing to play for.The atmosphere at Villa Park in recent games has been like a mortuary and,with the exception of Arsenal,this has included Liverpool and Manchester United at home.
I cannot believe that Arsenal are that good to come back as they did.What the hell was said during the break by McLeish.Having scored right on half time the momentum should have been well and truly with us.
I note that someone has given numerous examples of us losing a substantial lead in games over the years.Funny that nobody can counter that with games where WE have come back from a large deficit.Only Arsenal at home,ironically,when we were two-nil down at half time to a brace from Denis Bergkamp.Then Nigel Rogoff from the RAF had an unfortunate accident,falling from the Trinity Stand as he parachuted in during the interval.This delayed the start of the second half during which we then scored 3 goals throgh Julian Joachim and two fron Dion Dublin.Happy days.
I heard a rumour that GENTING have been outbid by BUTLINS to sponsor Villa next term.This is to coincide with the fact that their season ends in November as well.Yes I know its flaming January!!!!
Women can defend better!!