Ok Villa fans, just how bad were we against Middlesbrough? writes Villa blogger Gregg Williams.
Well I’ve had 24 hours to reflect on it and I have to say i’m just as disappointed now as I was after the game.
It’s one thing to be outplayed by another team, but to be outfought as well, when over 39,000 fans have braved awful weather to make a rearranged match and give decent support throughout the game, well, it was just terrible to see.
I know Zat Knight is taking some stick over the first goal, but the way I saw it from the Holte was that he looked back at Scott Carson, who had started the game very nervously with some bad kicks, and decided not to play the back pass in favour of a clearance himself.
Indecision breeds indecision when it comes to defenders and goalkeepers, and that is what I saw on Wednesday night.
We didn’t just make a few basic errors that cost us, i’d say that only Bouma, Laursen and Young, along with Harewood when he came on, showed the desire and ability required at this level.
Gareth Barry put in a truly woeful performance, the penalty aside, and as captain must shoulder extra responsibility.
John Carew did nothing except give away needless free kicks over and over again, and Gabby Agbonlahor was completely anonymous.
We were lucky to get a point to say the least, and at least Martin O’Neill has come out with an unequivocal ‘not good enough’ stance where other managers would have made excuses.
Did we bottle it, crushed by the expectation of keeping pace with Liverpool and Everton?
Were we over-confident, expecting to beat a team who lost to Cardiff at the weekend without breaking a sweat?
Or did the players think their summer holidays had begun now the UEFA cup looks so difficult to achieve?
It is hard to swallow, whatever the reason.
The harsh reality was that Southgate had his team set-up to spoil the game, putting in a performance of persistant fouling, diving, and time-wasting as well as twice the commitment and desire of our lads, and the result was too much for us to handle.
We are so much better than that, but we can’t live off our last good performance every time we face a difficult game.
If we want to finish in the top six we will have to be more consistent, and that means the players have to show the same commitment week in week out and apply themselves in every game.
Lets hope this was a one off, and that the players have learnt a valuable lesson.
Villa fans have your say below
5 Comments
I agree completely Greg. Most of these lads are on £30k+ a week, and to just walk out and not even try is nothing short of disgraceful. Infact I take it quite personally as a supporter, we spend a fortune on tickets, merchandise, etc. Not to mention following them around the country. MON sort em out!
UTV
I agree. Being an exiled Villan living in the North East I actually managed to see this game and boy know how to pick them. I felt both Knight AND Carson were at fault as even when Knight gave the ball away Carson should not have been beatwen on his near post. Gardner was truly awful but again MON must take some responsibility as all season we have had no recognised right back. Barry as captain actually led the way in producing a performance that was lacklustre and truly uninspiring. However a good penalty even if it really shouldn’t have been awarded. I also believe that both Maloney and Reo Coker should be told to pass the ball earlier as how many times do they get caught in possession, especially NRC who ofter ruins a good gaining of possession by dithering in his distribution. Carew must learn that there is a fine line between good hearted “muscle” and petty persistent fouling. I worry that when the chips are down Villa revert to the long ball to Carew or over reliance on Young and/or Aggy to chase almost lost causes. This clearly wasn’t the same team that gave Arsenal such a stern test and I too hope it is a blip. I feel Europe could be one position too far but the team musn’t give up while it is mathematically possible. If we can still get a point when playing as badly as Wednesday night then something tells me the Gods are smiling on us and lets ride the luck. Come on you Lions!!
Thats very true, quality teams can go out and play as horrific as we did on Wednesday and still get something from the game. How often do we see ManU, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool doing that (Normally against us!!!) We still have some important matches left . . . particularly the Everton game
Villa’s failure to strengthen in the january window when you were 4th or 5th in the league will cost you dearly (IMO).
Who do Villa fans blame for this ??
Was it MON unable to attract or identify the players he needed (or did he think the squad was good enough) - or was it Mr Learner failing to back him ??
Either way, i think you had a unique opportunity to get into the top 4 and for whatever reason, blew it.
You are still having a “decent” season - but it could have been SO much better…
Agree with the above comments. I understand it was hard to sign players in January but the squad should have been improved more last summer. I really hope we’ve learnt our lesson there, because I think we need at least 5 in once the transfer window re-opens.