Before the game started, I was in the middle of writing a preview for the site which talked about how our best hope to take anything from this game was to keep a clean sheet and aim for the draw. This was followed by the more realistic approach that Southampton would score against us and we would not be able to outscore them. I topped it off by predicting that we would lose 0:1 and be relegated this season, but I was cowardly and couldn’t bring myself to post such negativity because it hurt me and i’m glad I never.
Last night, mainly in the first half of the game, Villa showed spirit. Maybe it was because of the record low attendance? Maybe it was because we were being broadcast live on MNF? Maybe it was the idea that we were playing a top team and in true Villa tradition, these are the games we tend to show up for? (Not the ones that should be won on paper). Whatever the reason, it gave me hope.
We were playing an inform Southampton, who I personally really admire and hope that they go on to get Champions League. They are the team that we thought we had become a few seasons back. They have done it right on every level. Stripped and pilgrimed of their best players over one summer, they stepped up, spent well and employed their youth system which vastly out strips ours. They have set a standard for English football and I admire that. With that said, we were facing a very strong and confident side and had nothing to offer in comparison. Our defence was injured, untried, untested. Our attack was non existent and our midfield could easily be described as unchallenging. Yet it was us who came out and took the game to them.
THE GOOD
Gabriel Agbonlahor became the player of old and it was exciting. No player wanted to be caught with the ball whilst this bull charged at them and it paid off when he scored a cracking goal. It was well deserved and this is why I love Gabby. He has a dying passion for the club and each game he plays with every ounce he can offer.
The defence was on form, there was an instant connection and it has been mentioned already on this site but Clark should get praise for stepping up. Call me fickle because I’ve hated on him for a long time, but credit where credit is due. He is playing real football and it looks like he is actually thinking about what he is doing. If anything, Okore was the worse of the two, but I’m stretching there as they both had a good game.
Hutton was a star and pressing force. Where has this player come from? He deserves every bit of credit because he has turned his career around. In many games, he has been the player taking shots and pressing forward and he is a right back!
THE BAD
We had chances and we countered a lot but we lacked real creativity.
- Cissokho once again demonstrated his inability to go forward and make a decent cross.
- N’zogbia attempted to take players on and failed the majority of the time. He also wasted a decent freekick.
- The entire midfield seems to not want to get on the score sheet, or even forward.
- Second half performance dropped considerably and substitutes where awful.
THE UGLY
Wiemann’s shot towards the end was an absolute disgrace. We are a team that needs every opportunity and should be scoring in these positions. Take a look at Clyne’s strike and he is a defender! To top things off, Wiemann should have tracked back to mark Clyne. I now think it is time that he gets benched and we, come Christmas, utilise the likes of Callum Robinson. I think he is ready for the step up and let’s be honest here, we could do no worse than not scoring already right? The youngster is having a cracking season out on loan, full of confidence and I’d like to see that converted into the senior squad.
PAUL LAMBERT
Lambert deserves his own section here. This was not his worst game, in fact, I actually agreed with his starting formation and was excited from the get go. My issue with Lambert was his choice of substitutes because putting Bent on does not exactly scream “GO FOR THE WIN”. This again cements my thoughts behind bringing Robinson through in the winter (but also looking to purchase another striker…or two). We do not have the team for a Bent set up because we can barely get the ball in the box as it is, let alone directly to his feet.
Richardson was another poor choice for me, maybe because I do not like him as a footballer. I think he lacks creativity, effort and isn’t the greatest at passing. I would have much rather seen Grealish get a run out.
VERDICT
Before this game started, I was in it for the draw at best but then I got greedy because I saw the lion inside of our squad and genuinely believed that we could take all 3 points from a shaken Southampton. As much as we really needed those points to distance us from our recent annual squatting position, the point is a very good result and I’m going to say something which is a bit out there now….
We will beat Burnley.
We will draw to Crystal Palace.
We will beat Leicester
We will beat the Albion and the lose to Man U.
This is not confidence in Lambert, I hope he still gets sacked. This is confidence in a team who showed something last night. I believe.
Alan Hutton’s been our player of the season so far. Not sure what this says about the rest of the side, as he looked very poor under McLeish. Or does it just mean he has just vastly improved? Agreed – Lambert’s tactics are very negative and I almost always disagree with his substitutions or tactical changes and then end up being proved right when the opposition score not long afterwards!
He was never that bad under mclown if was just the crowd getting on his bk every 5 mins for no good reason other than mclown signed him. The way we treated mcleish is embarrasing imo yes I didn’t want him either but I’d rather have him than lamberk which says it all
Christ you have a short memory! McLeish had to go because he was bloody awful!!! Him and Lambert both cut from the same shitty piece of cloth. Hutton WAS awful. A thuggish donkey. This season however, he’s been really great. Total respect for the fella considering how he’s been treated a la Bent.
You should have posted. One swallow does not a season make. These so called springboards to better things are just bullshit. You predictions for the next four games are delusional. No way will get ten points out of twelve. Five at most.
Agree with Bum Bum. We’ll do well to get 5 points imo. Can’t see Rochdale getting much at home to Oldham on Saturday either.
Nice right up Mr C, bang on about the midfield not pushing forward doing a Platty, arriving late into the box and sticking the ball in the onion bag.
I see Callum Robinson has been recalled from Preston, I’ve never seen the lad play so had a google and found some clips on youtube, now I’m no expert but the lad looks as good a prospect as young Mr Grealish to me but with a bit more pace, a bit bigger and more direct.
Now that’s not meant as a dig at Young Mr Grealish he looks useful too and as you say Mr C it’d be great to see them both get a run in the first team.
BWS please remember we have Lambert in charge lol, Grealish has signed a new contract and sat on the bench ever since, Robinson is being recalled to make the tea at half time me thinks !!!!!
The blokes clueless, we have a mid premiership table team with a division one tactician..
Mr Cheese, a good analysis. I watched the full game and thought that, given the form Southampton have been in, we made their vaunted attack look very ordinary. For Clark and Okore that is a massive compliment to their performance.
You are right too that Lambert picked the best starting 11 he could, and of those only N’zogbia seemed lacklustre, though Weimann continues to be unacceptably careless.
Thank God for the news today that Bent is off to Brighton on loan – out of VP permanently please. Lambert’s failings as a tactician and with substitutions is my main reason for wanting to see the back of him. It is clear he does not read the game. Bringing on Bent is all the proof needed when Grealish, who could hold the ball up was overlooked to replace a midfielder.
Any review of Southampton’s strengths would conclude that their full backs are a menace coming forward, just like Everton’s. Therefore Villa’s front pairing has to track back with the full backs and ignore the central defenders. Bent has never been able to do this in his life, but Weimann and Gabby will do – if so instructed. This is what the manager is supposed to know. Everton and Southampton have proved that he does not know it.
I think you are optimistic in your forecasts, I cannot see us getting 3 points until we start scoring 2 or more goals per game.
I can’t really explain it, I just have a feeling that we will get the results.
That feeling you’ve got…it’s cystitis…
Feel sorry for Robinson and Grealish. Robinson has been recalled to make up the numbers and will not get any playing time whilst Lamberts favorites Gabby and Weimann are injury free. For some reason our manager thinks that sitting on the bench is experience! and that your not ready to play regularly until your 22.
He should but won’t recall Gardner as well.
Give Robinson, Grealish and Gardner a chance. Surely they can’t do any worse than the dross we are being served up at the moment.
I missed my first game in years on Monday – The reason – I couldn’t be bothered.
The national press is at least showing some interest in Villa (if for all the wrong reasons) mainly due to the low attendance Monday night. Maybe this is the best way to protest then? Simply stay away.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/nov/26/fans-view-aston-villa-have-no-system-no-direction-no-leadership?
Thanks for putting up this article BWS. Please read it everyone because Ryan Baxter sums up what the fans view of the current side and management is – I am sure you will agree with what he said.
One more point about attendance. Villa are the #1 club in the EPL to be hit by absentee fans when a game is live on TV. This has been true for years, nothing to do with the current management. I believe the reason is the walk-up attendance is a smaller proportion of the fan base than any other club including Man U. More Villa fans have to make a considerable journey to a home game than is true of other teams, and setting that journey against watching from your own sofa or the pub – means more of them choose not to go even if they hold a season ticket.
It is difficult to put this without being thought a racist but I will try. The local area within walking distance of VP has seen an influx of Bangladeshis who have no interest in football, as recreation. If there is money to be made from servicing it that is another story. They have replaced in the same houses a significant proportion of what was the walk-up attendees who would go to the game even if it was on the box. I do not see a solution to this short of moving the ground to SW Birmingham.
You’re a brave man to make the point about the ‘locals’!
Apart from the fact that the origin of many local residents is a little wider than just “Bangladesh” – many are from Pakistan or the Kashmir – your point is very valid: however I do sometimes wonder whether the club [& this applies to most other football clubs, professional and amateur] has made ANY effort at all to interest the local kids in football?
When my own sons were teenage and playing for parks-pitch type clubs [just a few years ago] I used to see lots of ‘Asian’ lads playing for various teams from around the Birmingham area, and some of those boys were pretty good. So I’m always puzzled whenever I see any of the major club academies [with the possible exception of Leicester] featured in the media that there’s hardly an ‘Asian’ face to be seen. And of course, that’s the same case when you look at the crowd for almost any game in any stadium in England…
Point taken Ardent, thank you for the correction. In my area on the Surrey Hants borders there aren’t any schools where the majority of kids are Asian – so the Asian kids play football and as you say some are quite good. I guess the physicality of the professional game may be too much for kids who are lighter framed, which is why they don’t appear often in pro club youth teams. At the amateur level where I referee there have been two teams reach the local top division – one of mainly Pakistanis and one all Gurkhas who more than hold their own.
Isn’t is because Asian footballers don’t usually have the presence of footballers in other countries.
Cissoko did get forward quite a lot he was down the Saints wing quite often but he played a couple of dodgy passesHutton was fantastic again.We did show a lot of grit & defended well.That said we lacked creativity hit it to Gabby and watch him run is not what I call football.He nearly fluffed it and it just scrapped in and it was an open goal.Im sorry but Gabby should play on the wing and cut inside but fair play to him we needed a goal.We need a creative midfielder to set the plays up and a proper clinical finisher to put em away.I think we have a chance to beat Burnley,Palace and Leicester if we find consistency….utv
You’ve changed your tune. You were suicidal a few days ago.
I wouldn’t play Gobby anywhere, the bloke is useless.
What would you do then lamberk ? Be constructive.
4-4-2 Mike.
Guzan
Hutton
Cissokho
Senderos
Vlaar
Sanchez
Grealish
Westwood
Benteke
Weimann
N’Zogbia.
Thats with the rubbish available and when they are all fit.
Its a terrible squad and its took Lambert nearly 3 years to assemble.
Well they aren’t all available and fit. That formation might work IF we played with an attacking mindset, as it is weak defensively (in midfield) since our attackers don’t contribute much in that part of the game. It was interesting watching Bayern last night. Granted they are class players, but they worked their socks off and pressed City from the front, despite having ten men for an hour.
You are right, the squad is poor, and the manager/tactics just make it even worse.
We’re basically SHITE.
I think thats where we beg to differ OLL, a number of asian go to the match, Abdul Saheed was a young fan that worked for Villa, I lived off Church lane in Sutherland street, my point is yes a deprived erea in and around but central to town traffic, motorways, Villa fans are fans that will talk with feet, also local business will, but Villa Park will always be in Aston, well i bloody hope it would.
Bill – aside from the ethnic issue, my view is simple: Villa Park can fill with 40,000+ quite regularly even in 2015 – IF Villa are playing decent football AND actually winning home games regularly.
The home record has been absolutely atrocious for many years now, so crowds are falling and it won’t stop unless results improve – look at the sort of gates they get at the Sty these days: that could be us in a couple of seasons…
Ardent Villa, got to agree with that, we have had bad businessmen at Villa for donkies years, to move the ground would be a sin. Blame the board for most of our dire progress, a load of tight arsoles,never wanting to progress.
i dont know how lambert can be doing lerner proud,to take bent a 20million pound player and turn him into a championship player at best and maybe same with zog in two and half years takes some doing,not to mention all the players he has signed cause bar benteke every one gets luckynot going to get much money back on rest of buys,4 out previous6 seasons where in top half of table it must be some nightmare
“He’s gutted but he’s an Aston Villa player and we’re grateful to Villa for allowing us to have him on loan.”
Read more: http://www.suttoncoldfieldobserver.co.uk/Robinson-gutted-Villa-recall/story-24721642-detail/story.html#ixzz3KD8avZMB
I’ll bet Robinson is gutted.
Because he’s been recalled knowing he hasn’t a hope in hell of getting a run in the side.
A total joke, imo.
Lambert, you tool, either play the players you recall or leave them where they can get a game and gain decent experience, imo.
As for the ethnicity of the residents around the ground, I brought this one up a good while back.
It’s the same for many old time clubs, in that most older areas of any city are predominantly Asian or Afro-Carribean now.
There’s a monster market to be had and I don’t believe we try to tap it enough.
That’s not a criticism of the Villa though; it’s the same anywhere in the British game, although dare I say Arsenal seem to have a big monopoly on Muslim fans, with the black/ French connection?
Exactly, players grow and improve by actually getting on the pitch week in week out. All the hard work by Nott’s County and Grealish last season is practically wasted now as it will take him quite a few games to find his feet, if he actually starts playing. I could go on all day about this as it really really frustrates me. Look at players like Sterling, Barkley, Rooney, Fabregas etc. etc. Started playing regularly at the ages of 16,17,18 and look how good they are and how quickly they became quality players. Robinson and Grealish in my eyes and if I was the boss would be playing 70 minutes every game. It’s clear to see they have natural ability.
robinson will get game time, he was playing towards end of last season. he offers much more than bent outside the box, which is were hes likely to spend most of his time. also reports from PNE is he was improving game by game.
when you have benteke upfront, players around him weimann gabby and cleverley all will relish his return. it will improve their games, also i think grealish and robinson will now slowly be introduced they have the quality to supply benteke,
the next three games are massive no mistakes will be accepted, its nine points or doom, villa face 15 teams that are superior football teams, but the next 3, are just as good or bad as us, this is a chance to reach 20 odds points and halfway to safety.
is this good enough for villa hell no, but if we get relegated it will be far harder to attract players and managers of quality.
If it’s 15-20 minutes at the end of the game when we are already losing 2-0, then that wont really help! – If he is to get game time he HAS to start, not to mention how immense the crowd were when he made his debut it would give the fans a boost before the game seeing new names on the team sheet and Robinson the confidence that he hasn’t got to make an immediate impact he can settle in to the game. Not to mention that even if we are winning or drawing when he comes on with 15 minutes to go, he wont get a touch because all we do is hoof it and get everyone camped in to our own half. So he has to start imo.
Burnley are finding form now, back-to-back wins which is something Lambert has hardly ever managed.
Crystal Palace away on a wet Tuesday evening is not something to relish either.
Burnley LOSE
Crystal Palace LOSE
Leicester DRAW = Lambert sacked.
Disagree I think we will beat burnley 1.0 will be similar to stoke game, a draw at palace and defeat by Leicester. The lamberk apologists will be creaming themselves over those results
Not to mention the likes of Daniel Johnson, Khalid abdo, Janoi Donacien, Graham Burke, all yet to be given a chance. Waste of talent and resources.
i am too hasty,,,, benteke is still banned, how costly is this spuds cheating fookers.they did same at hull, losing one nil down, not in game . get a man sent off and come back to win.
without benteke we are poor. can’t hold on to the ball long enough, to bring in the midfield.
That is even worse as it means we are a one man team and no team should rely solely on a individual. We need team confidence, team skill and team effort.
yes cheese your spot on 🙁 we are a one man team and without him, we haven’t shown very much, to suggest we will be able to break down burnley.
any body see lambert on sky sports,when asked about bent he said bent looking to go a month ago,then he said his lambert style of football doesnt suit bent especially when lambert has gabby and wiemen playing brilliant
The guys on coke, Lambert said that?
La,vert sky sports interview
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11677/9582140/premier-league-villa-boss-lambert-defends-decision-to-loan-bent
It is embarrassing, he really doesn’t know what to say and genuinely appears struggled when attempting to defend himself.
We’re crap were boring were going down without a fight Aston villa Aston villa
Exactly the blokes fucking clueless from start to finish.
Thinks we’re getting carried away a bit here…Bent has hardly been any use for the last couple of seasons; he wasn’t exactly a success for Fulham last season, and watching him come on as sub this term has reminded me of when MON used to bring Heskey off the bench – complete waste of a shirt.
Darren Bent’s time is up – however good he may have been in his earlier days – and if someone else wants to pay his wages, then good luck to them.
My comment is not in regards to bent, Cheerio to him. With him gone it means there will be no wasting of a shirt (as you nicely put it). Bring in fresh and energised talent.
My comment is about him in general. Clueless. Terrible with the media.
Agree that Lambert is almost unintelligible when he’s interviewed – not his fault, he’s Glaswegian, and how many of those have you ever heard speak clear English?
I just wonder why he doesn’t delegate some media stuff to RK? That would at least produce some entertaining press conferences!
Because captain Birdseye is as much of a waste of space as Lamberk
Good grief, what a poor interview that was.
Lambert has the air of a beaten man if you ask me.
No edge, spark, wit or anything positive in his replies..
He surely has to be on borrowed time.