I’m actually a bit gutted that we didn’t win that, as the scoreline doesn’t matter, whereas the points do.
But good grief, that was the best game I can remember in a very long time.
Abraham got four goals and I really struggle to remember the last time a Villa player did that. I’d guess you have to be going back to the eighties, but no doubt someone will inform me.
If you were Dean Smith, you wouldn’t have been happy.
The way they strolled through our midfield and defence has to be highly disappointing, as a manager, but by the same token, we took Forest apart too.
And hey, if you give me a choice between an utter load of rubbish 0-0 or one goal in it either way A la Bruce, or this, I know what I want.
This was A grade footy entertainment at it’s finest, even if it made a mockery of what’s supposed to happen in theory.
This game had everything. A load of goals, yellow cards, a bit of argy bargy and a red card.
Exactly what it’s supposed to be about!
Our defence is an utter disgrace at the moment and even such a good player as Chester can’t seem to get it right lately.
But let’s concentrate on the good stuff.
Tuanzebe is beginning to look way more mature than his years.
Abraham is going to be world class, imo.
I’ll gloss over the fact that neither will be ours at the end of the season.
And Dean Smith will play to our strengths.
Expect more of us going on the front foot, because that’s what we’re best at.
Results will go either way, but whatever happens, the games won’t be boring.
I literally can’t wait to see what he thought.
Football at it’s finest and all hail to Dean Smith for playing it, in my opinion.
Brilliant stuff!
Remember the song.
Vindaloo.
This will be the future approach, because Smith realises we have no option if we want to actually win a game.
Boro and set pieces?
We’ll tear them a new one, if they try to play canny. Same as blues.
Totally confident that we will take it to anyone, after tonight.
We’ll score 2 max against a well drilled Pulis team. So if we defend like tonight, we’ll get hammered.
Hate to put a dampener on things guys, but is there much difference here to the 3-3 at home to Preston, apart from conceding an extra two at home? There was even a man sent off again. In some ways it’s worse, because we were ahead and let it slip, whereas in the other game we fought to the death to salvage a point.
Let’s look at it objectively: yes, it was entertaining, but to score 5 at home and not win, is the type of thing that resulted in a cabbage becoming famous a couple of months back. Smith and Terry should hammer them for 5 conceded at home and letting the 3 points slip.
The coaches MUST do more work with the defence, because, as we’ve said many times, we need to be ‘there or there abouts’ when January comes. Smith has a massive January window approaching. I think we need 2 CBs, one left back, and a GK – MINIMUM!
UTV
There’s goals in our team now Badger, all we have to do is shore up that hole in our defence, today I was entertained it put me back into them days I followed Villa up and down the country. Getting better I can see it in every game. Well done the lads.
P.s. get that muppet in goal out of the team ASAP! How many points has he cost us now? Beaten on the near post? Insert any expletive you like.
Its what we signed up for with Dean Smith….yes it was like the 3-3 but that was around other crap results…this time it was around 4-2 …3-0 and 2 nil.
The defence is the same as the ones that a lot of teams have run through over the last few years…especially at VP.
Goalie at fault for last one and just seamed to be asleep for the 4th.
One thing that got me off my seat more than the goals was when we were 5-4 up….instead of going to get more which we could have we started the fancy dan stuff down by the touchline…and loosing the ball letting them run at us again. I think I saw an interview with Dean where he said he likes to get in command then go for it to pile on the goals so hope he too saw this messing about.
Would we have shown the spirit and tenacity to get back in the game after going 2-0 down under Bruce? I can understand the comparison between the Preston game and tonight but Preston were a struggling team and Forest came with confidence high. Defensively Smith has inherited a threadbare squad thanks to Bruce and his crazy decisions to loan out Elphick and Clark. Thankfully this can be improved in a months time and as long as we can stay in the mix we have a good chance of play offs minimum. I think there will be defeats before then but at least now we have strikers capable of scoring against anyone. Interesting to see highlights on Sky that if Abraham hadn’t gone for goal in injury time then there wouldn’t have been an offside, although would the ball have crossed the line? Hard to criticise after scoring 4 goals!
Oh dear, you’re looking at it all wrong lads, imo.
Our defence is a shambles at the moment, but that’s how it is.
Chester, who is a great defender normally, looks a shadow of himself and isn’t suited to playing out. He’s been caught nearly every time he moves forward.
Tuanzebe and his sort are the future.
Give Smith a chance in this area.
He can’t even touch the bag of shite Bruce left behind until January.
In the meantime, we attack and we’ve proved it works tonight, and got 5 against a side that hadn’t conceded in their last two games.
We’re temporarily playing a different game.
We’ll at least draw against Boro, if they try to sit back and counter/ hit us with set pieces, because as we’ve always known, we have loads of goals in us.
BFR, Forest are a decent side.
My point is, we keep attacking like we did and we’ll win more than we lose.
Just don’t expect it to be steady going.
And even if we don’t go up, I’d rather watch that type of footy as opposed to almost being sent to sleep and failing.
I really think we’ve given all the other clubs something to seriously think about.
But, in fairness, we are so susceptible to the ball down the middle, it’s unreal; almost pub level.
My Derby mate says it’s all about our lack of pace at the back, fwiw.
Which is why I wanted Whelan on, as someone who can read the game.
Don’t get me wrong; I appreciate that things have changed for the better, totally. My most pertinent point, which I don’t think anyone can deny, is that no team should score 5 at home and not win. Yes the defence is a shambles, but they’ve had a few weeks with JT etc, yet it was ‘knife though butter’ stuff tonight. And Nyland is the scabby cherry on a shitty cake. I appreciate that Smith has inherited this defence, but by the same token, he inherited the attack. As I said before, much more work needed with the defence before Jan if we’re to be contenders, which we should be.
All fair points. What I see is that Smith is trying his best to make us a side that is always in control of the game We try to pass it around intelligently even in our penalty area, and rarely do we hump it up the pitch like we used to. This is all good and if it works it will win us honours.
However, today, as on other days, this neat approach when breached is fatal: Even Grealish was at fault for one of their goals today as he tried to play out of defense and got dispossessed. Until the team is completely trained 100% to carry off this strategy with close to zero mistakes, we’re going to see goals let in. It makes for delight and frustration which as Badger points out is far better than boredom.
And besides all that Forest are a good team and have Grabbon working well as poacher. Nyland was definitely at fault for their 5th but also you got to give it to the scorer – he nailed it.
Smith is doing an excellent job. We are now very potent in attack. However, you can’t make a great difference with substandard place. Against the benchmark we would want Smith is doing an excellent job. We are now very potent in attack. However, account make great difference substandard plans. Against the benchmark we would want Nyland and Taylor would not be in the team. Chester would Be rested, as I think he has an injury.
But it’s exciting.
I still say that our goalkeeper was to blame with two of the goals, I watched it again and to me sticks out a mile, near post, and yes he did stand still with that 30 yard shot, he never moved , even comments from the pundit saying same thing.
January cannot come soon enough in my opinion. Steve Bruce should be praised for signing John McGinn and getting Abraham and Tuanzebe but then when you consider he brought in Whelan, Taylor and, more importantly, Nyland, as well as playing players out of position then it makes you realise what a mess he left us in.
Quite simply, the spine of the team, except the strikers, need serious attention. New goalkeeper, extra centre half and a central midfielder who can support the defence. Grealish and McGinn don’t fit that role imo. They are both allowed a free, creative roaming role and it needs someone to remain central to help break up the play.Someone similar to Des Bremner,for those who remember. Attack doesn’t appear to be a problem so, if we are going to advance up the table, we need to sort that defence out quickly. I don’t think it helps that the defenders appear to have no confidence in Nyland. I know that I certainly haven’t.
Sid is, I think right, in that Chester is carrying a knee injury and isn’t 100% fit.
On the face of it Nyland should not have been beaten at the near post by Grabbon for the 5th goal – Grabbon scored from exactly the same position for Villa against Ipswich at Portman Road last season.
Are we improving given promotion is the standard against which we are measured? We’re certainly an entertaining side for the neutrals to watch – probably unsurprising given Smith’s past history and I suspect Sky are licking their lips! But without improvement in the defensive side of our game, whilst maintaining the attacking verve, I fear promotion will remain stubbornly elusive.
Exactly the point I tried to make Hitch. Agree totally. It is about promotion, and nobody should lose sight of that, or let the entertainment value cloud the issue.
last night game was bizarre to say the least. i seen the comments posted last night and it brought back the roller-coaster feeling si had during the game. lots to cover to reflect and no point doing so,
one point i like to cover was how forest were able to cut through us with ease. its simple the centre backs are now trying to play out and this means when they have the ball they are drifting to far away from each other. chester giving the ball away shows hes not natural with the ball at his feet. forest countered very quickly and attacked the spaces we left open and that was in the centre back space.
we have lots of attacking players and not many out and out defenders, chester and axel need to offload the ball safely and not drift too far apart. because the heart of our defence was like the red sea. also hourihane isnt a defensive midfielder and doesn’t read the dangers. also grealish and mcginn need to track the runners going back to our goal.
i thought one of the goals we had disallowed might have been a goal. the elmo one where tammy was offside. i like to see that again, it looked like the ball had crossed the line before tammy and defenders connected.
It’s a funny old league the championship. It’s difficult to predict results even when it’s top v bottom. Whilst I understand the financial importance of promotion, I have to admit I don’t think I will relish the prospect of making up the numbers in the premier league. It’s refreshing to see a closer relationship between fans and players. It reminds me of what football was like before the birth of premier league. Reality is that we will stand a chance of keeping our better players if we go up, such as McGinn, Grealish, Abraham, Bolasie and Tuanzebe. It’s likely that most of them will be gone if we don’t go up. As it stands I don’t see any team doing a Wolves this season. It’s all to play for if we can grab a few wins before January.
Totally, totally agree Holte, looking at the league you cannot predict who going to be their at the end of the season, while we’re in with a chance we have to go fore it, January we need to sort our goalkeeper out and our defence big stile.it’s as your saying , we will lose our best players if we stand still on paying players to get us up. 8th in the league and scoring goals we must now play to win.
Dean Smith saying on radio this or nine that goalie has his backing. …suppose he has too until we get another in.
Agreed; it’s pointless publicly criticising the GK – would just guarantee more mistakes.
Nyland just has no presence in the penalty box.
Well its Alan Hutton Birthday today 34 , hope we can get him a birthday presant tomorrow with 3 points, I’m not so sure Villaawayindiv3 he’s been responsible with two Wednesday in my mind he needs to buck up for me, his play is up and down one day he’s a match saviour next match he’s useles, still that’s football.
Lots of reports that James Collins has signed a 5 week contract. He has been training at the club for the last couple of weeks. Short term defensive cover that clearly signals an intention to add a centre half in January. That could be Collins if he plays and does well, or probably more likely someone else.
Sounds a sensible deal – also gives an opportunity for Chester to be rested especially if he is carrying a knock. Reckon most fans are confident in Tuanzebe at CH and Collins is, at least, an experienced defender.
Would like to see Mitch Clarke recalled in January.
Sensible deal for Collins to come in as a temporary cover. Ideally Chester should be rested to allow himself recovery time. Doubt that it will be tomorrow’s game though. I’m sure Smith has already got players in mind for January with GK, CB and LB top of the list. It’s been mentioned that Jedinak could be gone and with Bjarnsson out after operation, then I wouldn’t be surprised to see a defensive midfielder brought in. Whelan is okay for final 10 minutes to see a game out and Hourihane is hit or miss. Lansbury could still be an option as Smith hasn’t really seen him as of yet. Can’t afford to be wasteful because we might be a championship club next season, and mega rich owners won’t be much use with FFP hitting us harder next season.