What a strange game that was.
I don’t know what Reading came as, but it wasn’t a football team with any intent on winning, was it?
I don’t know what their plan was, but if it was to try and contain Villa, it failed miserably even before they had Dave Edwards sent off for two clumsy challenges.
It was almost like watching an “A” team playing a “B” team, with the latter being instructed to not really try and the result was the most one-sided game I can recall in years.
It comes to something when their goalkeeper was probably their hardest working player.
Still, Reading’s lack of effort made it look like we were in a training game, where we literally had the run of the park, with plenty of crossing practice thrown in. Which is just as well, as it looked like we needed it.
With the poor crossing matched only by some equally poor shooting and heading, it made for somewhat frustrating viewing and that was the quietest I can recall Villa park being, for a 3-0 win, ever.
Never mind. After us having about fifteen attempts on goal and nearly 75% possession, Bjarnason opened the scoring with a nicely taken strike not long after the restart.
I have to say I marked him as our MOTM, as he worked hard and had much more movement in the middle.
Grealish was a close second, as he pulled the strings.
Anyway, after some more good teamwork, Hourihane scored the second with a glanced header and that pretty much wrapped up the game, which led to Onomah and Kodjia coming on for Snodgrass and Adomah, followed by Whelan for Grealish.
These were good, common-sense changes aimed at resting the starting three, but the truth is I could probably have got on and looked a threat.
Even Whelan had a small dalliance near the penalty area in open play, such was Reading’s lack of intent.
Not that I’m taking anything away from the win, as you still have to get the goals.
Talking of which, Scott Hogan scored the third to make things more deserving of how the game went.
So it’s hard to judge if we played well or not really, as the opposition were so poor, but a 3-0 win is exactly that, which helps nicely with the goal difference and should see us safely into the play-offs.
More importantly, it’s a win, where we can hopefully go on another roll, leading to good momentum for when it really counts.
Happy days, eh?
Comments
92 responses to “Villa 3-0 Reading; An easy win”
millwall could snatch the last playoff spot. which might be ours which will be a crying shame lol birmingham failing to beat burton at home that is bad barnsley beating sheff utd
is there only 5 games left ? teams that win the playoffs are teams carrying form. its usually the teams finishing in 6th but they are usually the teams on fire not sinking like us, even thou the season is pretty much dead if they want to go up they have to find some form. the standards have slipped very low, i a, betting even a few on here would get a game if we turned up with boots
Was out last night with a Fulham fan and Cardiff fan. All very convivial and good natured. Great gig too.
I think its going to be for us a bad year, the way we play every team know how to stop Villa, we have weaklings in our side, no determination what’s so ever, since we settled for our midfield being Bjarnason and Hourihan we have gone down hill, I’ve said it before, no determination , Grealish goes forward and create, the other two put us back defending. I’m watching Mans game you can see what it means for both teams, not us.
I’m fairly confident one more win will see us in the playoffs. We have 5 more games although I think we will get beat on Tuesday night. We really need to get our mojo back though because we don’t want to go into playoffs with confidence low. I don’t think the midfield was the biggest problem today. All our wide players were poor offensively and defensively, and no surprise when Adomah and Snodgrass went off. None of them have real pace like Murphy of Norwich. And along with Elmo and Taylor they all look incapable of playing 2 games in a week. Is that down to them all being 30 something’s? I said before our squad lacks youth and pace. Only Grealish looked decent today. I think Bjarnasson despite criticism on here won lots of tackles and interceptions, which is his job. Hourihane offered little today which was disappointing and offered little help for Grealish. Hogan made good runs early on but didn’t get picked out. Overall a real let down for the amazing fans who travelled all the way there. They deserve better.
Another poor result against a team playing for nothing. Its almost like we want to be in the playoffs. For me, our real problem areas are at full back and centre midfield.
We dont really have a quality full back, in fact Tuanzabe has probably been the best there, and he isnt even a full back. In midfield, Hourihane has really been hot and cold, just not shown up some days. Jedinak/Whelan are both too slow. And I dont know what happened to Lansbury, who was very good at Forest. Bjarnasson has done well in there, and would be first choice for me.
The other issue we have had is lack of options on the wing. Adomah has been off his game for a while, but we dont have many options to replace him. Real shame that Green has been out so long,as he is some player. Another option might be Grealish on the left with either 2 strikers, or O’Hare at number 10.
Bruce need to figure it out quickly though, as the play-offs are going to be really tough.
i agree with a few posts here. saying the wide boys and full backs. its not as much personnel, but how they shrink wearing villa colours. i don’t buy that bruce is instructing them to play so negative. its down to fear i believe. or lack of fight for the cause
watch villa today they passed it safely sideways and backwards. nobody drove forwards except grealish. its not normal. wingers pick up the ball and they should take more risks. they should take on their full backs, as soon as they can. you beat them early and then the rest of the game you torment them. not villa wingers they are so scared to run with the ball and drive past defenders.
crossing the ball depends on the forward in your team. in hogan you don’t want to hang high balls in you have to drive the ball in along the ground. or you slip him in between the centre and the full backs. they tried today for first 20 minutes to do this type of pass but they failed to complete one.
i seen fans slating hogan. its not his fault the team can not pass a simple ball. hogan is pointing all the time where he wants the ball. but is IGNORED. again with exception of grealish. unless the wingers improve we stand no chance of promotion. watch the players arm gestures, thor picked up the ball and he lifted both arms up. saying where is the movement. who bloody wants it.
i rarely bitch about a certain player but our left back is a walking disaster. i would drop him without a thought.
I sincerely hope the board are already in the process of lining up a new manager for next season – obviously the quality of that manager will depend on what league we’re in
Bruce was given the conditions for success – a small fortune at this level to sign whoever he wanted, the pre-season he banged on and on about last season, bringing in whatever coaching staff he wanted, etc. And he has failed. Yes, we might fluke the play offs but thats not acceptable when you’re paying 50k-60k wages and spending the money we are at this level.
Of course, I hope we go up as its financially crucial for the future but the thought of that dinosaur managing in the PL again is frightening.
Good luck to Fulham in getting second…. they deserve it.
the boards are always looking to other managers. but we at villa have a serious problem in blaming managers for players lack of abilities. the game yesterday we lacked any cutting edge. wingers which were snodgrass and adomah both were too passive. this wasnt managers fault. it was down to them to beat the full back. they couldn’t beat them. so they turned away and passed the ball backwards. villa worked the ball out to one side, only to then filter the ball to the opposite side. they also tried a few cross field balls. as when you do such thing, its best to do with speed to catch out defenders out of position. they couldnt manage to complete any cross field passes. defenders cut them all out. to compound this mistake further, they moved the ball too slow to left to right. defenders were always directly in front of them, left right or down the middle.
iam sorry but these are not manager mistakes, they are playing mistakes.players not working out problems themselves and not being brave enough to beat their direct opponent.
Nah. Bruce at fault all day long. If the players aren’t confident or motivated that’s down to him and his coaching staff. If they are the wrong players thats also down to him, as it’s his squad. If the tactics are wrong that’s down to him.
There is only one solution, but the problem is selecting the right manager. There I don’t have a clue.
i disagree dsvilla
i am sick of saying why, i must love confrontations or i am trying to add to a balanced debate. i understand your point of view. but as i keep saying their is stuff we are just not doing RIGHT. these are elementary basics stuff. wingers beating their opponents, happen in every game since the players played at school levels.
the movement stuff i said before i repeated over and over. these stuff are as much the players faults as coaching. lack of movements is lazy and its down to individuals, which in turns affects all the team.
yesterday i watched the game and i was as sad as all off the fans. but i watched the game and i saw players shrinking. players not taking responsibility for their own performances. football is a team game. but every game is one player up against their direct opponent. games are decided on these mini battles. against norwich we lost all the battles.
it wasnt down to tactics at all its down to the players wearing the shirts. if they had the balls to take on their opponents they would have the balls to speak out and say this to the fans that they let you down. but they will keep their gobs shut and the blame will go to the manager.
this debate will all be academic. if and when we fail to win playoffs or qualify hopefully. spare us the embarrassment of losing at wembley or worse getting promoted and getting hammered week in and out. we should say no to the money, do a clear out of all the players and build from youth. at least we will lose with effort. they wont fail not trying.
as for the next manager i also havent a clue. who ever it will be they also will be questioned on tactics by fans that know little about tactics. we should be the first club to not bother with a manager, let the players manage themselves just like now really
more written crap from our resident expert,that its not bruce fault its the players fault ,the very same players bruce has signed and picked week in week out,what is it 5/6 fullbacks yet bruce leaves out bree and loans out delaet the best two at the club,signs 5/6 midfielders and cannot get the right combination,our wingers snodgrass never can beat a defender with pace,or with a trick all he can do is cut in to his favoured foot which is so easy to stop,adoamh of the boil but only natural replacement green hasnt been seen for ages,mind you bruce tried hard to sell adoamh last august,our strikers all scored for fun before bruce got them again why have they all stopped? our youth have not got a chance all year surely at this level no reason no to give them game time every other club can just look at last 2 games city played liverpool used 18 year from start and a 21 year old as sub,utd used a young lad as sub yesterday, bruce idea of sub is throw on 2 strikers take of wingers that can create or put whelan /jedi on
i am a expert compared to you and the rest of your post i havent bothered to read, as you probably only wanking over burtons draw with your love blue nose
you are from from an expert, and funny enough anyone doesnt agree with you must be a blues fan what are 10 years old, just not a sheep believing bruce is anything but a good manager
your not even funny. i can clarify for you. i don’t think bruce is a good manager. personally i wouldnt have picked him or any of the last managers except for lambert and sherwood. both were young and worth a chance
what you fail to understand is not liking a person or manager. doesn’t affect a manager from doing their job. you couldn’t make a good argument why he is shit. you can only call me names and refer to bruce making a decision 12 months ago.
how about yesterday =. what has bruce done. which made villa lose to norwich. what tactics didnt work for you. how would you have done things differently.
here is your one chance to reply with something worthwhile and insightful.
No Nath not again, its your views don’t try to make other people minds up please, I go along with DAvila, its a managers job full stop, I’ve had enough of excuse after excuse he brought in back room coaches to hide the fact he’s not able to decide what’s what, OK we are aiming for play offs now he’s done it beforehand let’s see how good he is with Villa at the,end, I say he’ll bottle it.
then its your choice. i don’t live my life needing to convince others, how they want to perceive things is their choices. the only freedom left in the world is making your own mind up.
i am in the same boat as you guys. i am sick of hearing the same excuses over and over, manager this and that, players are supposed to be the best in the division thats also bulshit. the best squads are 1 st and 2nd and so on. reputations count for nothing in sports. its what you do with the time you have not living on what you done.
if i was needing to be popular i would not speak out on stuff i see wrong. but i lost the need to be popular at primary school. if it was down to managers tactics we wouldnt be beating wolves 41 and other games were we destroyed other teams.
players are coming towards their end and they are struggling to keep a high standard through each games. standards are dropping especially against what is regarded as weaker opponents.
its only human nature. players see norwich as easy game before a hard cardiff one which will matter more. same as QPR was a easy warm down after we destroyed the best side in the league.
boxers make the same mistakes, they have a warm up fight before a main challenge and they fail to prepare correctly and they fall flat on their faces.
fail to prepare / prepare to fail
i am waiting to be convince why iam wrong. if thats important. why did villa lose to norwich. just the mistakes during the 90 mins please not stuff happening weeks or months ago, example like loaning players out in January or last bloody summer has anything to do with being beaten yesterday
I’ve supported Bruce since he walked through the door and will continue to do so but I have to agree with some of the posts on here that he has to go in the summer.
We have without doubt blown a very good opportunity to really stamp our authority on 2nd, not just once but a few times.
The fact that we have only taken 14 points from 10 games since beating Small Heath in February is obviously the main reason.
Forget about the poor start, forget about the poor December. After we beat Small Heath we were 2nd. Promotion was in our hands. It was ours to lose.
I’m not making excuses for Bruce but this all coincides with the death of his dad and the illness of his mom. He’s been through an awful lot and lets not forget he’s still stood on the touchline and tried to perform his duties whilst going through emotional hell.
Regardless of weather we go up or not Bruce needs to go. More for himself than anything. He needs to take some time off too be able to grieve properly. Something that I don’t think he has had the chance to do.
Whatever happens in the summer, weather he goes or stays, what he’s done for this club given what he walked into and what he as been through as an individual warrants respect.
There’s more to life than football.
UTV.
From 2010 till this season, our club has been on a downhill spiral and became rotten to the core. Lerner lost interest and our best players left, and suddenly we went from manager to manager to try and fix things, but without stability you can’t build foundations from youth upwards. Bruce definitely has his faults but he stopped the rot, and up until two weeks ago most were singing his praises. At the start of the season I would have been happy with playoffs after last season. Trouble was we got close to automatic and fell away at the worst possible time. But we will make playoffs barring a disaster. I think our ageing team has run out of steam, but on their day like against Wolves can beat anyone in this league, which is why I still have hope for promotion. If it doesn’t happen we will have still seen progression. I expect Bruce to stay even if we don’t get promoted, but he will have to get off to a better start than he did this season where we have been playing catch up.
B6,
Very intelligent post, your bang on by saying Bruce has a very trying time in his life, I’m like you hanging on till the season’s over, Bruce has made,some unforgivable decisions of late and I think the club is to big to handle, he’s been a,good championship manager that’s his limit.. I wish him well.