While this was a great game for a neutral to watch, it was equally as bad for a Villa fan, because we were just so poor in defence.
Quite simply, after going two goals up within 10 minutes, the vast majority of home sides win and so we should have too.
Utd hardly touched the ball in that 10 minutes, after all.
But it’s the Villa we’re talking about, isn’t it?, where any team that has just had an awful run will turn it around against us. God, I’m sick of saying that, but it’s always true, it seems.
And I’m not at all convinced that you can lay much of the blame at Steve Bruce’s feet either, for this game anyway.
It was fairly obvious to me that he played to win and the players weren’t up to it.
I actually enjoyed most of the game and wonder what Steve Agnew brought to us?
If it was the attacking intent, that’s great. It’s what we’ve all been asking for, after all.
Hmm, thinking about it, it’s not the loss of yet another two points that bothers me the most.
It’s the slowly dawning fact that we just are not good enough. There are too many players that aren’t cutting it at the moment.
In fairness, I do have quite a bit of sympathy as regards our injuries, but if we can’t win our home games, we’re going to struggle to achieve top six.
Then again, I predicted a loss, with a draw at best, so it could definitely have been worse, I suppose.
Adomah was our MOTM, I thought.
He showed the most attacking intent and put some decent balls in the box.
Oh well, at least we’re still top six for now, even though we’re in the middle of a poor run.
Frustrating 🙁
My charity of choice is Acorns. You could probably pay them now 😉
By the way when you say we are in the middle of a poor run it means you expect us to carry on in the same fashion!!
Wolves haven’t had their bad run yet, but yes, it looks like you’ll win.
No problem, as I’d have chosen Acorns too 🙂
I’ll probably add a few quid if I lose, so whoever wins, it’s all good.
And yes, I do expect our bad run to continue, at least for a few more games.
We have too many inherent weaknesses with too many players not performing to their best (or being held back?), as much as our squad should hold us in good stead, imo.
Bruce out already
6 months too late
pretty much how i would have summed it up. disappointing draw 2 nil up and we just folded. sheff utd didn’t have to play special to get back into game.
if fans can’t see the points i av made then i give up. everything i said was onm evidence today. ppl see the back passes or the long balls but not the reasons why they do this. its basic teamwork. its easily to amends i think its just more efforts in the right areas.
its been in our game for a few weeks now and its not getting better but worse. more the crowd get on their shoulders more their game suffers. first 10 minutes we did everything right. but for some reason we just stop doing things correct and bad habits just happen
I don’t think we will go up this season, unbelievable errors and bad selection of players, even the fans started to boo our own side for not going forwards, its common knowledge the best form of defence is attacking, Badger picks Onomah, I pick Grealish as MOTM for Villa he did create and defend, the players that went missing is Whelan, Jedi was the worst defender I’ve seen in a Villa shirt, why did we have two backs on the bench? and no Ohare ,What goes through Bruce’s mind when he picks a team. Villa will spend another season in the Championship I cannot see us going up.
nope we will not be going up this season and worse than that. it fooks my bet up for the season.
just heard both managers and both gave a good honest assessments, in fact utd manager gave you a insight to his plans and they achieved that evrytime they attacked they caused jedi and chester problems.
if we had that fight for yopur team mate attitude utd had that never say die. we would not be fooking up all the time. we are too comfortable and lack the hard work to be successful
Spoke with a season ticket holder a week ago. He said the defence has been in panic stations every time the opposition attacks ever since Terry got injured (same as before he joined). Think he is probably right.
Stupid to play Jedinak at centre back- myth that he has played lots in that position. But three fuck ups from two experienced players have cost us. We were doing well early on today and showed we can play. Things will turn. 11 Pts from 6 games without Terry is not bad. We’ve actually cut the gap to Cardiff!
I think you will find that is 9 points in the last 6. Or 6 in the last 5, or 3 in the last 4. See any pattern?
Cut the gap to Cardiff? By one point in the latest round while Leeds went above us. Doesn’t take much to please you does it?
By the way it was a home game against Top 6 opposition who apparently we hadn’t beaten as we had played them all away but would beat them at home. That was the weakest of them.
Last 6 since JT was injured DLDWWW that’s 11 from 6. What can Bruce do about individual errors? Kodjia out all year, Terry out, Grealish, Jedinak, Agbonlahor, Hogan, Lansbury, Hutton, Green all been out, Lost Taylor to a red for 3. We’ve been very unlucky this season with injuries. Cardiff, Wolves, Derby, Bristol C and Leeds all at home. Let’s see where we are after those games.
Nope. Last 6 matches in reverse order. DLDDWW. That’s 9 from 6. Or to put it another way just what I said before. Facts eh? Irritating.
It’s not about individual errors. Most goals come from defensive errors as much as good attacking play. As for injuries and red cards, just as well that those teams with weaker squads and a much lower spend never lose players to injuries or red cards.
yes let’s see how those other games go. A short while ago you would have had Sheff Utd in that list.
You need a dose of realism Owen.
We have spent more than any other team in the division – bar none. Feel free to make up another of your facts to say I’m wrong.
Yet we are rank average.
We are screwed at least until Bruce gets the bullet. If not before the end of this season it will be then.
Too late. Still, at least Santa Claus will drop you some presents off in a couple of days. I presume you believe in hime too 😉
Apologies 7 games since JT injured 3 wins 3 draws 1 defeat – 12 points from 7- drew with Sheff u who are 7th- lost to Derby who are flying, draw with mill wall was poor. Draw with Leeds who are 5th was a good result, beat Ipswich who are top half, beat Sunderland and QPR who are good at home. Not bad with all our injuries. The results are fact how I feel about the games is opinion.
Agreed. You are of course entitled to your opinion, which is equally as valid as mine. I just feel we are not progressing, and we need to be doing that if we are to have a reasonable chance of going up.
I will always argue my opinion, and whilst I don’t agree with you I hope you prove to be right.
UTV. Off to bed for me now.
Awful after the first 10 minutes. Whelan a disgrace again, never have I seen such a cautious and negative player but Bruce refuses to take him off because caution is Steve Bruce all over. Too scared to try something new, too scared to make a positive decision and too inept to manage a club of our size.
We’ve spent a fortune at this level and the best the so called champsionship expert can manage is trying to cling on to 6th place
That’s pretty much on the nail Villain1. If we had a positive manager and decent coaching we would be right up there. Frustrating but the tide is clearly turning. There are few Bruce supporters anywhere, so the end is in sight.
It will be too late though. That leaves me in a pickle. I want us to start winning, and get promoted. I just don’t believe for a moment Bruce will do that. So I almost want us to lose to bring the end quicker. As I said, I fear it is already too late though.
Bruce won’t get the sack unless we drop around 6 points behind the playoffs which won’t happen. As long as we look like we are going to make playoffs he’ll survive the season at least. Those who go home and away are still reasonably happy with Bruce. If we drop out of the playoffs that will change. Only Villa fans after 6 years of losing seasons would be miserable at being 6th and winning more than we lose. But then that’s how I feel after all the terrible away days of the past but then I go to the games….
When’s JT back?!
why do we pass long all the time ? why do we always pass back most of the time ?? why does the full back always play the percent ball down the line, instead of playing it through midfield ??if you think these questions are irrelevant then you are part of the problem at the club .. clueless to the problems and blind to the solution. ???
love to hear why its always the end product you moan about. not the causes
you know who i mean lol this my response> you can kiss my ass. hope this is good enough for your intelligent response.
The problem there is when I complained that we didn’t press, you countered with “we don’t have the players to press”. When I complained about the pattern of play and reliance on the long ball you said we didn’t use the long ball very often. You just like an argument. You even argue with yourself on here.
The end product is down to the manager and his coaching staff. Same as at every club. Bruce is never going to change his ways. Unless Agnew makes a difference we will continue the same.
I have moaned about the cause. It’s Bruce. The players are fine. If you can’t understand that I really don’t care.
Happy Xmas to you and all the other Villa fans who post on here.
look i watched the same matches as you do. so we are interpreting differently. we do press, i never said we don’t, but we are shit at pressing. we are pressing in two and threes yesterday. but soon as the game went away after they scored first. the press totally dissolved or abandoned. pressing isn’t the reason we are shit.
long balls get longer when we are rushed and panic. this is the downside to players being lazy and not offering themselves. in the first 10 minutes we was moving and offering =. no long balls,
you are entitled to moan as am i allowed to. i am pissed off with the way we continue to blunder our way through another season.
reason we lost the two goals was down to bad defending and inability to defend one ball over the defence. the guys who hit the sheff long balls over the defence, had all the time in the world. to measure up them balls.
we need to defend better than that. no matter formation or style you want them to play. the shit i am crying about is basic football. you don’t need to have played the game to see the mistakes
hohoho to you merry xmas to you and all posters and their families
Interesting that Boro sack Monk and they are only 3 points behind us and will almost certainly be above us in a weeks time. I guess they have higher expectations than our joke of a board. As much of a dinosaur Bruce is at managerial level, the same can be levelled at Wyness.
The ultra cautious approach is getting what it deserves now, absolutely nothing.
i watched that game against wednesday. middlesbrough didn’t play that bad second half. they created good chances and looked like they are starting to click into gear. i expected wednesday to sack their manager if any. because thou they play good football, they are having a mare at moment.
if the players can’t manage the game then. they are part of the problem.
football is a team game. pressing is a team effort. offering yourself to the man on the ball is selfish act for the benefit of the team. defending is a team effort. players off course are part of the problem. individual mistakes are littered in our game.
but i suppose i have to agree, or otherwise i am being argumentative. wot a load of bollocks.
Merry Christmas All,
Nath, did you need to give a parting shot about you being argumentative? Let’s put it down to being a Villa discussion on Villa love. I enjoyed conflicting discussion.
don’t worry about it bill. if people can say that i am argumentative in tongue and cheek remark, then i should be allowed to say the same in my posts without it being taken to heart.
selfless (spelling mistake) in my last post
Argumentative is the name of the game. That’s footy.
And as long as we all keep good humour, that’s fine, imo.
Nath, I quite like your verbose arguments.
I’m not convinced they tick all my boxes, but you make good points. Yet I seriously believe footy is a simpler game than you or anyone else suggests.
Bruce thinks the same, in his admitting that he doesn’t do tactics.
Brian Clough also had the same outlook and it was more about the players having a team spirit than anything.
Dinosaur thinking, maybe, but how come Leicester won the league against all odds?
These different ways of thinking are what makes footy a league above any other sport and long may it continue.
All that said; long live the debate and have a great Christmas, people.
Many thanks for all your contributions over the year, of whatever bent, as without them the site would be utterly pointless.
UTV
Those last three letters, I’m pretty sure we’re all agreed on 🙂
Merry Christmas everyone and lets hope for some actual footie to cheer us ALL in 2018.
UTV indeed….
merry christmas villa fans where ever you be. hope santa has brought you some joy and happiness.
football is easy badger. coaches and managers make it harder setting their tactics or game plans, all i am asking for is the basics of football. we don’t do them. and its on show every game we played for years. we do things halfway. never all the way.
maybe its the coaches and manager. but we sure do go through so many its a wonder they get anything achieved at all,
2018 will be our year.
Not to worry, hey, I’m a person that enjoys friendly banter, MERRY CHRISTMAS .TO ALL. US ON THE SITE. off now to unwrap my grandson presents. It’s Christmas. . Done it for 12 years.
Agree with most of what has been said. We’re definitely missing Jonathan Kodjia and it was evident on Saturday that the absence of John Terry, both as defender and leader is a blow. Hopefully he’ll be back soon and if a new striker appears we should do well in 2018.
Tony, to be truthful the sooner the better, bring on Tuesday, utv
Happy Xmas all. Dr Tony is very quiet these days. Wonder what he is thinking.