BFTG - Aston Villa (A)

[CountryRoyal]

Just in. Up there with the least deserved points you're ever going to see. Villa started brightly but after that I thought we did generally ok without ever looking threatening. Second half we started brightly, again without looking threatening, and then conceded the goal and it went to absolute shite. We looked like a relegation side. Before that we looked like a committed but limited team, disappointingly afterwards for a very large spell we seemed to lack that commitment. Absolutely delighted with the point but if we play like that in the second half we will do well to stay in this division. Onto some ratings.

Mannone 6 - Did what he had to without ever looking convincing. Always seems to spill simple balls, even if its a half a foot or so in front of him and he eventually gathers. It doesn't exactly instil confidence.

Yiadom 5 - Very willing but not quite the quality today. Couldn't believe how easily he got beaten that time in the second half, was genuinly shocked.

Ilori 6 - Glimpses of what he offers us in the first half, mistakes crept in the second and was much poorer.

Moore 6 - Ditto.

Blackett 6 - Thought he played really well at times. Should he have picked up Elmohamady? Either way between him and Ilori and Moore somehow managed to let their right back go completely unmarked and score a header - that doesn't happen all the time.

Bacuna 5 - Ok.

Meyler 1 - Upgrade on Van den Berg? lol. Fcuking waste of space this guy is. Should stick to FIFA. Embarassing performance from a "defensive mid". Positionally all over the place, lost every single 50/50, can't pass to someone 5 feet away and pushed off the ball too easily. Just an uttely awful display.

Aluko 2 - Useless. Just so Aluko.

Bod 3 - No quality. He's not a hold up player. The problem with Bod and you cans say he's scored 3 goals this season is that his overall play hampers our attacking threat. No conviction and symptomatic of all of our attacking play its more hope than judgment.

Baldock 4 - Useless. Extra point for actually scoring.

Barrow 4 - Thought he offered more than Aluko (obviously) without offering much at all.

Cba to do subs but Meite was Meite. I like him but he can't cross for toffee, is he actually left footed? Sims was naff but got us the penalty because he was actually the only person that ever made a run into their box pretty much. I didn't think it was a penalty though.

Honestly that display worried me. This team is going to struggle, no one really thought it wouldn't. My worry is that I saw glimpses today of a team with real problems.

[Snowflake Royal]

Thanks CR, your view's always appreciated, if sometimes taken with a pinch of salt.

[CountryRoyal]

Thanks CR, your view's always appreciated, if sometimes taken with a pinch of salt.

I'd expect nothing less

[Snowflake Royal]

Thanks CR, your view's always appreciated, if sometimes taken with a pinch of salt.

I'd expect nothing less

Hard to tell from the highlights whether Blackett was sleeping or just beaten by excellent movement on the goal. But it didn't look great. Thought it looked like we were unlucky not to score from a corner first half. On Baldock's late chance, that looked like an absolutely stunning save onto the bar the keeper had no right to make. Maybe Baldock was a bit casual, but with an open goal I can't blame him for just trying to touch it in, he simply can't have expected the keeper to get anything on it. Pen looked pretty equal to McShane's second. Went to ground in the box, swung his legs out around Sims and didn't take the ball out of play. You've seen em not given, but it's a fair, if a little soft pen in my book.

[Zip]

Interesting thoughts CR. The pen looked soft. Baldock should absolutely have scored and possibly Meite too from the follow up. We should have scored in the first half from a goalmouth scramble too so all in all three very good chances to score. Did Villa create many chances better than these?

[Sutekh]

Yiadom 5 - Very willing but not quite the quality today. Couldn't believe how easily he got beaten that time in the second half, was genuinly shocked.

Meyler 1 - Upgrade on Van den Berg? lol. Fcuking waste of space this guy is. Should stick to FIFA. Embarassing performance from a "defensive mid". Positionally all over the place, lost every single 50/50, can't pass to someone 5 feet away and pushed off the ball too easily. Just an uttely awful display.

Baldock 4 - Useless. Extra point for actually scoring.

So far, other than Yiadom, I’m completely unimpressed with all the new signings. Let’s hope the next couple of months sees something worthwhile start to blossom.

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

Just back to Pangers.
Credit to Bacuna today who I thought was excellent on the whole, and Blackett (apart from losing his runner for the Villa goal.)
Meyler.... just very poor. Time to give Clement a run?
Aluko... seemed to show for the ball more but still ran down blind alleys where his poor touch let him down.
Baldock .... did nothing except the pen.
But hey, a decent point.... and especially nice that a Villa fan put his arm around me at Warwick services and said: "You robbed us today." Whatever...

[Dick Habbin's hairdo]

Just back to Pangers.
Credit to Bacuna today who I thought was excellent on the whole, and Blackett (apart from losing his runner for the Villa goal.)
Meyler.... just very poor. Time to give Clement a run?
Aluko... seemed to show for the ball more but still ran down blind alleys where his poor touch let him down.
Baldock .... did nothing except the pen.
But hey, a decent point.... and especially nice that a Villa fan put his arm around me at Warwick services and said: "You robbed us today." Whatever...

[CountryRoyal]

Interesting thoughts CR. The pen looked soft. Baldock should absolutely have scored and possibly Meite too from the follow up. We should have scored in the first half from a goalmouth scramble too so all in all three very good chances to score. Did Villa create many chances better than these?

Villa were the best team we’ve faced for sure and at times really did look a cut above. Don’t really recall too many really clear cut chances carved out but felt they pulled the trigger too early too often for comfortable saves for Mannone. In Yiadom, Ilori and Moore (and increasingly Blackett) our defence is the least of my concerns. I have more confidence that they’re not just going to fall over and let the opposition walk in, Gunter’s absence has contributed a lot to this imho (and McShanes).

I really hope they get the confidence from this to build on. Really liked their reaction at the end it certainly wasn’t the reaction of a team that didn’t care. I think there was just a period where heads went down and they thought knew they wouldn’t get anything out of the game but that in itself is a problem, especially this early on.

[Hound]

DId Villa have any chances better than those shown on SS? If not, the we must have done something right - we could and should have scored both those chances shown

Happy to hear Bacuna had a decent game. Thought he was nailed on to do something brainless in this one. Does appear that him & 1 other (Swift imo) is the way forward

[Zip]

Interesting thoughts CR. The pen looked soft. Baldock should absolutely have scored and possibly Meite too from the follow up. We should have scored in the first half from a goalmouth scramble too so all in all three very good chances to score. Did Villa create many chances better than these?

Villa were the best team we’ve faced for sure and at times really did look a cut above. Don’t really recall too many really clear cut chances carved out but felt they pulled the trigger too early too often for comfortable saves for Mannone. In Yiadom, Ilori and Moore (and increasingly Blackett) our defence is the least of my concerns. I have more confidence that they’re not just going to fall over and let the opposition walk in, Gunter’s absence has contributed a lot to this imho (and McShanes).

I really hope they get the confidence from this to build on. Really liked their reaction at the end it certainly wasn’t the reaction of a team that didn’t care. I think there was just a period where heads went down and they thought knew they wouldn’t get anything out of the game but that in itself is a problem, especially this early on.

Good stuff and agreed about the lack of self belief. Let’s hope they can kick on from here.

[CountryRoyal]

DId Villa have any chances better than those shown on SS? If not, the we must have done something right - we could and should have scored both those chances shown

Happy to hear Bacuna had a decent game. Thought he was nailed on to do something brainless in this one. Does appear that him & 1 other (Swift imo) is the way forward

Probably not tbh. As I’ve said plenty of shots in and around the edge of the box from either side, none were very good.

I’ve probably been a bit on my harsh side with ratings and would agree Bacuna did well enough. Unlucky with a good free kick and much better corners than Kelly.

But, it’s so frustrating saying a player has done well without any telling contributions. He was ok. He didn’t do much drastically shit, but if that’s the bench mark for excellent our squad than it is desperate times.

[CountryRoyal]

Yiadom 5 - Very willing but not quite the quality today. Couldn't believe how easily he got beaten that time in the second half, was genuinly shocked.

Meyler 1 - Upgrade on Van den Berg? lol. Fcuking waste of space this guy is. Should stick to FIFA. Embarassing performance from a "defensive mid". Positionally all over the place, lost every single 50/50, can't pass to someone 5 feet away and pushed off the ball too easily. Just an uttely awful display.

Baldock 4 - Useless. Extra point for actually scoring.

So far, other than Yiadom, I’m completely unimpressed with all the new signings. Let’s hope the next couple of months sees something worthwhile start to blossom.

McNulty has shown fleeting moments where you think he could do something but it’s a big step up. Meyler looked good against Derby but then ever since has looked like a lanky VDB. Not sure what Baldock offers us.

Yiadom is genuine quality imho, really good signing.

[Snowflake Royal]

DId Villa have any chances better than those shown on SS? If not, the we must have done something right - we could and should have scored both those chances shown

Happy to hear Bacuna had a decent game. Thought he was nailed on to do something brainless in this one. Does appear that him & 1 other (Swift imo) is the way forward

Kelly for me, but only once we get a few wins under our belt, as he's not a great asset in a struggling side and has been sub par. I think we need to stabilise the team and keep it the same as much as possible for a few games. If Meyler doesn't improve over the next couple and shows anything like his Bolton display, he'll need to be dropped. But for now, lets forge some sort of cohesion.

[windermereROYAL]

I`m so bloody frustrated we let Evans go seeing the slagging Meyler is getting here. really lacking in defensive midfield options.

[PieEater]

Pretty decent day out. First I would like to complain that the stewards wouldn't let us sit in our allocated seats in Q3 - they'd cordoned off the area, and instead offered us 3 seats together at the front. Why are they selling tickets in areas they don't want you to sit? In the end we found 2+1 seats but it added to the "oxf*rd off away fans" treat them like shit attitude.

If I was at a beach on a cloudy day the sun would get blocked out by the only cloud in the sky within a few minutes, yet somehow we managed to get the sun in our faces for 80 minutes despite all the clouds. I have a red nose.

I thought we did ok, again there's not much in these games but Villa had very few chances, for their goal I though Manone should of collected it rather than stand off and give a free header.

I'm not sure how Baldock missed that chance - I thought that was our chance gone - but a draw was a fair result.

[Millsy]

Credit to Bacuna today who I thought was excellent on the whole, and Blackett (apart from losing his runner for the Villa goal.)

Apart from actually doing his main job of preventing goals he was excellent? Awesome. Same old Blackett.

[LUX]

Great result, hope it turns a corner.

Dismayed, but not surprised, by the moaning on here.

[tidus_mi2]

Great result, hope it turns a corner.

Dismayed, but not surprised, by the moaning on here.

Most expected us to be dominated by Villa and would take a point before the match, that very scenario happens and people moan.

I'm used to Reading fans by now.

[CountryRoyal]

No, what is happening is that a fluky last minute penalty has completely changed people’s view of the game. Win or lose or draw I look at it as a performance and I would have said by and large the exact same things had the game finished 1-0.

LUX and tidus did you even go?