The opposition view: Aston Villa

Our first OV of the 2012/13 campaign examines the thoughts of Aston Villa fans as they reflect on their team's 1-0 defeat to West Ham United at the Boleyn Ground yesterday afternoon...

"In the first half of the first half there were glimpses of what Lambert had tried to knock into them over the summer, but we played right into Big Sam's game plan. We gave away too many free kicks, our defence fell asleep watching the lineman and West Ham scored. In the second half, West Ham show exactly what they will do to countless other times this season and put ten men behind the ball. The end. The game shows that Lambert has a huge job ahead of him ."
- R.I.C.O.

"It was disappointing because I don't think West Ham really threatened us much. We looked ok at the back and in the middle of the park, its just we never looked like scoring. Our play in the final third was poor and our final ball horrendous."
- andym

"West Ham sat back and let us have the ball in our own half so it wasn't difficult to make a few passes and look good. It's what happens in the opponent's half that matters and we were very poor. The same as last year; no idea what to do when we attack. The manager's tactic was to play narrow and try to go through Collins in the middle. Everyone here knows we are playing to his strengths; why doesn't Paul Lambert?It must have been part of the transfer fee; a parting gift of MOTM."
- villianusa

"I loved the way we kept the ball. If we ever want to be near the top of the league we're going to have to keep the ball. You can get quicker results by playing direct, the way Allardyce plays with West Ham, and to a degree it's far more effective and quicker to get started. The thing is, we're trying to build here and I think Lambert is right to play that way."
- onje_villa

"We got done from one set piece today when everyone stopped because of the linesman flagging (although they shouldn't have - play to the whistle). Aside from that we dealt pretty easily with everything West Ham did. The defence wasnt the problem today. We had no cutting edge in the final third; that is the big worry."
- andym

"Time to write some big cheques, Mr Lerner. This squad is not capable of holding its own in this division. It doesn't matter who is in charge, if the tools to work with are blunt and useless then the best craftsman in the world will fail. It will take a long while to undo the damage that the ginger one caused."
- pacbuddies

"A very frustrating performance. We kept possession well and passed exactly the way you would hope but had no cutting edge at all. Sometimes we actually needed to be more direct, mainly because we had absolutely no width; everytime Nzog got on the ball he had three West Ham players running into him. I think we will have more impact against less physical sides, although West Ham were good value for their win based on their second half play. Funny how all Collins did was blunder into tackles and hoof it yet they gave him man of the match!"
- VillanousOne

"We started off very well. For the first 20 minutes we controlled the game and were passing it around nicely. Then we were poor, very poor! I was standing there thinking I was having a bit of the old de ja vu because the performance reminded me of the rubbish we had to sit through last season. What was that second half performance all about!?! Absolutely dreadful."
- HolteEndRob

"A narrow loss. A decent enough performance but one that lacked penetration. West Ham will finish comfortably in mid table but I don't really envy them watching that every week."
- RunRickyRun

"First time I've been to West Ham for a while, when did they change the away section to the other end? I felt a right prat at the home turnstile with a Villa ticket! It's a crying shame what they've done to that ground, it used to be one of my favourites, tight to the pitch and a cracking atmosphere. They've ripped the heart out of it - nothing to lose by moving to the Olympic Stadium now. As for the game, very disappointing but it'll take time to adjust to another new style of play. Keep the faith."
- DeKuip


*Comments orignally posted at VillaTalk and Heroes & Villains