OK we are not relegated yet, 14 games to go and plenty of points to play for.
Of course at the moment it is out of our hands, those above get more points than us then obviously we are down. However there are some ways to survive this and here they are
- Play the same system as today every game, clearly like against Newcastle the players we have are more suited to it
- Play especially up front the same combination now, it seems to work
- When defending put everything on the line, do not let opposition players past
- Win at home, we have some ‘easy’ home games to come, West Ham, QPR, Sunderland, Fulham, get 10 points from these
- If Sylla was brought to add muscle to the middle then play him, we can not afford the time to settle him in, he is either going to sink or swim
- For those games at home offer very cheap prices, get the place full and atmosphere going. Make all remaining Holte End tickets adult – £15 and kids £5. This may be controversial for obvious reasons but for the greater good it has to be done.
- Randy to promise every player a big bonus if we survive, money motivates
- Any player not up for the fight 100% should be banished, no way back whatever happens.
We actually have few options left, no transfers obviously allowed. So what we have is what we have to save us, no surprise there. We can NOT afford to go down and this should be made clear to everyone associated with Villa. Lambert has to learn that a 1-0 win in a very scrappy game is priceless, we do not need to win 3/4 nil.
No second chances here.
replying to ardent villain, the problem of losign goals to corners =is a your say, weak midfield so the ball is always in the villa box. The solution Lambert tries (as it has been going on at least since Barry and Milner left and probably before) was the 5 man at the back adn wing backs to attack.
#We may have seen the back of this at the NEwcastle game. They tried it, and in the firrst half we were slaughtered, they came straight at us. SO half time Lambert pullled Bennett off, Baker at left back, Vlaar and Clark center defence, and he put on attacking players. Suddenly we are on the front foot and unlucky not to get a second goal and a point.
He played the same formation at Everton, going forward we looked excellent. And as someone here says, 15 everton corners and it took till extra time before Fellaini got his head on the ball to score.
If Lambert has now got the message, 5 across the back does not work, then I think we can beat the drop, We are good attacking,. Cut out the goals from corners, and suddenly the fact that we are always weak in midfield is less important
This squad cannot be top 6. But there is no reason if we stop trying to play with the full backs attacking that we cannot keep out of the bottom 6.
It is all to play for and the formation is crucial
trevor fisher.
What gets me Trevor is that every villa fan on the planet new they would score from a last minute corner. Vlaar is totally out of his depth making players at corners as proved yesterday and millwall they lost him to easily with their movement. So why didnt vlaar at least put baker in front of Fellini to help him out with his height etc as he was obvious target. This is basic stuff I was taught at school.
Benteke is key! if we can get more support for him we can score more goals. We need to score more goal as we can’t really defend as well as improve on the goal difference. Btw, Benteke scores the same amount of goal as the likes of Dzeko, Aguero and Rooney who plays in more fashionable team. Surely we he will be court by big club next season if we go down surely he wouldn’t want to stay.
I totally agree with oohahpaulmcgrath that basic schoolboy stuff is missing. And I too expected a last minute goal as I watched the telly yesterday. In fact two would not have suprised me. As Moyse said, they could have won it.
But we need to understand the role of psychology, or so put it crudely, fear. In golf there is something called the Yips. Great players suddenly start missing the green, the ball flies all over the place.
In side their head they start to fear going onto the tee. Same thing is happening to our defenders particularly at the end of games.
A sports psychologist would help. Lambert too looks like a man who is now seriously stressed. If anyone has the time to read a book, there is a book called 1914 by the RUssian writer Solzehnitsyn about the Battle of Tallenberg where the RUssians walk into a German trap. Relevance to us is that the General in charge finds he cannot issue any orders. Not even retreat. so they get massacred.
All we can do is give the lads out there including Lambert total support. The atmosphere at the end of the Newcastle game was positive, and it clearly had a good effect on Lambert. Being clapped off when you lose is a very good sign. Not that it is good to lose, but the fans showed we knew it was not the fault of the people we can see.
We will have to do something about the people we cannot see, the King across the Water, but not till we are safe. It is going to be a fight to the finish. Our people on the pitch and on the dugout have to know we are right behind them as long as they give 100% as they did in the second half of Newcastle and at Everton.
The bigger picture has to be attended to. It is not a time for protests, but certainly a time for asking questions. But not of the people in the front line.
They need our support.
Trevor Fisher.
Agreed Trevor, the big problem we have is Lerner, but the team need us, boycotting will only mean further cuts to the playing staff. It is obvious that lerner is trying to make Villa self sufficient, if we dont go and the crowd is low then the investment in wages will be the same, so boycotting would only speed up the further decline of the club we love.
in reply to morgan villa I don’t see I have ever called for Boycotting, I want the crowd to get behind the team and be big and loud. My fear is that we are going to see crowds going down and a half empty ground. There was no way 30 000 were there against Newcastle, but at least they showed good support in the second half.
However if there are no victories, the fans will stop coming. Before the game I was in the Bartons talking to a guy about the future – there wasn’t enough enthusiasm to do anything – and he said that his family had six tickets, he was the only one who came to the Newcastle match – and he could not give the tickets away. Even for nothing, people would not come to see Villa.
With Lerner obsessed with cutting the wage bill and no name players coming in – and we could not even afford Sissoko;s wages for a fee of £1.8m – then the fans are going to start staying away. So when he comes to sell, there will be a very low income from the fans who are the core of the club.
We need to make sure protests don’t drive away both our remaining fans and our remaining good players. Nothing big can be done by the fans, but there has to be some attempt to get a sensible fan grouping to talk to the club about the future. Otherwise Lerner will cut and run and we become the next Sheffield Wednesday.
Any ideas for a fan group welcome. Up to now not enough interest to start anything. But if people want to meet before West Ham next Sunday, say noon in a local pub, I am up for it
trevor fisher.