BFTG Villa

[LWJ]

As no one else fancies it

Think we deserved a point Villa looked like they came for one and set up 4-5-1 to try get us on the counter. Which is where their first goal came from.

In the 2nd half they got told to press us more evidently which made us be careless in possession. This seems like a common trend this year, 1st half we dominate without creating any clear cut chances, 2nd half teams are given a kick up the backside and we create our own problems.

Stam needs to utilise his subs, though listening to his interview on BBC Berks gave me the impression he doesn't rate Samuel and the only reason he is on the bench is that every other option is injured.

As long as we improve on our league position from last year, we are making progress. So I will continue to support the team, and the style of play. 2 losses in 11 games don't suggest we should panic just yet.

[Pandoras Box]

'As long as we improve on our league position from last year, we are making progress'

Being pedantic this is not necessarily true.
If other teams are shittier than they were last year our position could improve, but our play could be the same or worse?
That isn't really progress.
Just saying like.

[LWJ]

'As long as we improve on our league position from last year, we are making progress'

Being pedantic this is not necessarily true.
If other teams are shittier than they were last year our position could improve, but our play could be the same or worse?
That isn't really progress.
Just saying like.

Table end of last year:

Reading - Currently 10th
Bristol City - Currently 6th
Huddersfield - Currently 4th
Fulham - Currently 11th
Rotherham - Currently 24th
Charlton - Replaced by Wigan currently 22nd
MK Dons - Replaced by Barnsley currently 14th
Bolton - Replaced by Burton Albion currently 18th

Looks to me like the teams below us have improved. Or have every other team in the Championship got a lot worse?

[floyd__streete]

"I think people should look at that game again. How I look at it is only one team was trying to play football and it was us."

Yeah well you lost so bad luck, that is literally the only thing that matters from the game last night.

[John Madejski's Wallet]

"you didn't play how we wanted you to and you didn't let us win. Waaaaaaaaaaaa"

Those statements from Stam are a deluded embarrassment

[ladida_gunner_graham]

Frustrating night, to say the least. The number of back-passes last night went from our usual, rather more than I'd like to something close to does the back four have a bet spread bet on?. I would expect us to move the ball through the areas of the pitch to create opportunities to score (assuming that is still the aim of football, I'm beginning to doubt it), but after many passes along the back line we then hit hopeful or irritatingly lofted passes into general areas. Joey alone did this at least half a dozen times, and only a small proportion did not end up in the keepers hands. Gunter also did the same, which led to their first goal (a move which he started and then finished beautifully). I have not lost faith with this style of play be sooner or later we need to show that we are using it to create chances and not just possession stats.
Positives
Liam Moore looks solid, skillful and an excellent buy. Love him.
Villa fans were respectful and really impressive.
Kingsley seems to have lost a few pounds.
Negatives
Beerens needs to start putting in some performances. Did virtually nothing, amazed he didn't get subbed.
Not at all sure that Stam knows how to change a game with his bench. No evidence to date.
Gunter was atrocious, can't possibly be that bad again. Ever.
Williams simply has no idea how to make himself available as an option for the defence to pass to. If you disagree, watch him for the next few games. It's almost like he's hiding. Watch him take up impossible to hit positions, then wildly gesticulate for the ball and feign disappointment when he doesn't get it. We've seen you Danny and your gig is up.

[Maneki Neko]

williams has always done that.
when we get the ball he will often move towards an opposition player and point for the pass to be played elsewhere.
he then times a few bursts of energy to esure the crowd still like him and think hes putting it in.

[bobby1413]

People who shout "forward" do my absolute nut in. However... I completely understood it last night. Seriously... How many times was the ball passed back to AAH?!

There were times when instead of clearing they passed to keeper and then played it around the back, very nearly losing possession. We are definitely going to concede from an error in this at some point.

Blackett ... He's not good enough, and certainly not good enough to be trying tricks against oncoming strikers.

I don't know our possession % but it must be high again, there were times when it was non stop reading attack. However with very little product.

Didn't see the villa pen so not sure if it was fair or not.

I've seen us play worse tbh, and I don't think we did that badly. We had a fair number of shots, and some decent chances. But as we all know we just don't have any lethal striking options.

That said, credit to kermorgant as I thought he worked his socks off

Am I right in thinking we didn't make any subs until 85+ minute?

[Hampshire Royal]

I was chatting to a Villa fan in the car park after the game, and he said that all we're missing is a 'Cutting Edge'.
In the second half, we played well in midfield and on the wings, but just didn't have anyone who could take advantage of this.
I'm sure that Stam is aware of this, and is now looking for a good striker like Forster or Cureton.
I've got no problem with our possession football, and I didn't think we passed back to AAH as often as we have in other games.
We all knew that this season would be a work-in-process, and we maybe thought we would be worse off than we are now, but I'm convinced that it is all coming together, and we will see something good come from this. Not this season, maybe, but certainly next!!
At least we're not Villa who've spent 50+ million on players. Terrific fans, though, bearing in mind they've had two or three years of absolute dross.

[Lower West]

Villa poor team. Good players. They had the ability to ghost pass us at will. Under Bruce bound to move higher up the table.

Stam is constrained by what's available to him and the lack of experience within the team. We are heading in the right direction. This year will a series of ups and downs. Not good enough for promotion but far better than we've been in the past few seasons.

Like to see Beerans play on the right. Looking forward to seeing Meite get a run out soon too. As should offer further options.

[Sutekh]

Standard frustrating going nowhere first half followed by a much better and "why cant they play like that all the time" second half

Game was lost due to Stam's ineptitude with substitutions. Harriott should have replaced a rather tired looking Beerens after three quarters of the game. Also an appalling decision by the referee to give Villa a free kick on the halfway line just before they got their penalty cost us.

However we should have won it before then and probably would have done if the substitutions had been forthcoming.

Lastly, as ever we desperately need that striking option....

[bloody Volvo driver]

Watching Villa in the first half was like watching table football, as we moved the ball across our back 4, 9 (and sometimes 10) Villa players would move in a line across the park making sure there was absolutely no room between their back 4 and their midfield 4 / 5.

Bruce did a job on us and our management was found wanting.

[CountryRoyal]

Watching Villa in the first half was like watching table football, as we moved the ball across our back 4, 9 (and sometimes 10) Villa players would move in a line across the park making sure there was absolutely no room between their back 4 and their midfield 4 / 5.

Bruce did a job on us and our management was found wanting.

That's not "doing a job" that's just organisation and discipline, to a very basic level at that.

You can be "patient" at the back all you like but for the vast majority of the game it will be easy to defend. The real skill is in retaining possession patiently and dragging defenders out of position in midfield and further, and we just don't do that enough.

[tmesis]

Those statements from Stam are a deluded embarrassment

He must be literally the first manager ever to moan about an away team "parking the bus"


I would like to know why we always seem to be Father bloody Christmas to every single team on a really bad run that we play.

[Royality creeps In]

I think we desperately need a "Plan B" (A more direct way of playing, especially when going for a win)

Its all very well playing this possession/passing stuff, however there is virtually no end product. Certainly not a lot of goal scoring opportunities.
If I recall correctly our penalty was from a hoof upfield that McCleary ran on to and was bundled over.

Once the opposition suss out our way of playing we are fuked!

AV were nothing special and looked a team short of confidence. We failed to take advantage and pile more misery on them due to our poor tactics.

[genome]

He must be literally the first manager ever to moan about an away team "parking the bus"

This is sarcasm right?

[Westwood52]

Stupid is what stupid does.
I actually thought we had the better of Villa over 90 minutes; but they found the will to go again in the last ten to fifteen minutes, enabling them to snatch undeserved win. Maybe Bruce deserves credit for being bold with his use of subs-while Stam kept his in the hutch-even though there were signs of real fatigue all over the place.

Al Habsi 4: Looked shaky all night & another clanger-you don't necessarily expect your goalie to save pens-but he did make it easy for the taker.

Gunts 4: OK 1st half; but dreadful in the 2nd;one of a number of wusses in hoops.
Moore 6: Because his defence was falling apart; was overstretched, almost from the off.
Joey 4:Dreadful passing and inept defending.
Blackett 5: Very poor 1st half;but TBF he became a lot more physical 2nd half-not really a wing back-must be better than Joey @CB.Give him time & he may prove a useful buy.

Evans 6: Neat and tidy as ever and one really good strike-needs to toughen up, but he is still a young lad.
Swift 6:As ever showed a lot of flair. But he seems to be caught in no mans land-unwilling to get nearer Kermit,but he's worried about Williams in midfield.
Williams 4: Oh dear-Quinny when fit has to be the better option.

Macca 7: Marginally our best player-but he became careless in the 2nd half;I assume fatigue was the cause.
Kermit 7: Worked hard as always;but just lacks sharpness.
Beerens 3: Why is he even on the teamsheet-Harriot must be terrible in training. Proving to be a disappointing buy.

Ref: We have had worse this season-but clearly not up to it.

[Steve_Upper_West]

Chatted to Villa fans in the hotel before the game - they had zero expectation of winning last night - I re-assured them that we have a habit of making other teams dreams come true ! I told them our Kamikaze play along the back will cost us dearly sooner or later, ok it was not our downfall on this occasion but it will be soon. Another frustrating performance, they were not that good and we were undone by a deflected goal and as mentioned elsewhere a decision against McCleary in the centre circle which was laughable but led to their penalty. Kudos to their fans though, anyone who follows a team who have not won away for 14 months deserves to celebrate when they finally do - also they offered to buy me a drink so they cannot be all bad

[Ian Royal]

Less unhappy having seen the highlights. Some nice play and evidence of good balls over the top too. It's just the finishing that's killing us, plenty of not quite good enough shots or chances. Obvious caveats about highlights are obvious.

Anyone looked at our results by who scores first? I get the feeling we're really hard to beat, and usually win, if we take the lead... but really really struggle if we go behind. Because of our obvious lack of goals and slightly ponderous and uncertain build up.

...

Games we score first and in first half
P5, W4, D1, L0

Games we conceded first and in first half
P5, W0, D1, L4

Other
P3, W1, D2, L0

It's not exactly ground breaking, but if we take the lead before half time, we're very unlikely to lose and win 75% of the time. If we go behind before half time we very unlikely to win or draw. Don't concede in the first half and we're looking decent. So basically, we don't win from going behind still, which is because we're no good at taking the game to the opposition, but if we can establish a foothold, we're very very hard to beat.

[3points]

Gunter was terrible last night. I thought he'd been a bit better recently but he was truly awful yesterday. Just let his man run past him so many times, including the first goal.

Beerens is clearly a Stam favourite. Will he ever be dropped or subbed? The new Jobi McAnuff?

And why bring on Gravenberch to play centre forward rather than try Samuel for the last 5 minutes? Very strange.