Aston Villa 0-1 West Ham Utd (28/8/22)

[Ironing Board]

What your seeing a lot of in the first 4 games is teams not allowing soucek and rice any time on the ball, and pressing them so they can’t get out. Clearly teams have seen how west ham played last year that a lot of build up was likely don me by them.. and also Gerarrd spoke of the ‘counter press’ which a lot of teams do to us too. Our play needs to be quicker and zippier to counter this..

We need to break new ground and initiate a counter counter press. Could be the innovation that sends us over the top!

[Chrissieboy]

We need to break new ground and initiate a counter counter press. Could be the innovation that sends us over the top!

Ha ha. Nice one Sly.

[Peaches]

We were pretty poor in the first half, with Rice and Bowen our two worst players and Kehrer our best . Second half couldn’t be more different we were streets ahead. Benrahma and Rice were driving us forward, and Kehrer, Zouma and Soucek immense defensively. One of those 3 was our man of the match, for all the flack Soucek has taken, he covered ever blade of grass made interception after interception and got his head on everything. Bowen and Antonio are miles of last year and Cresswell is just poor but at least it looks like the rest are coming around

[miles]

[SiamHammer]

Sounded like our fans were making most of the noise during the game.

I've seen quite a few Villa fans on Twitter saying that that was the best away support they've seen for a long while

[SiamHammer]

I actually think it is quite possible that we didn't even get the ball into their area once in the 1st half. I'd be interested to see a heat map because I think that's what it would show.

So, as for the comment that we could've scored the deflected goal in the 1st half, I think that suggests that we didn't get anywhere near enough to the goal to have done so.

Scamacca had 12 touches in the first half with only 1 being in the box, Shearer & Sherwood in the studio saying he can't be blamed because of how awful the support he wasn't getting

[Dimension Diver]

I've seen quite a few Villa fans on Twitter saying that that was the best away support they've seen for a long while

If the players work as hard as they did against Villa and the fans are as raucous, we'll be fine this season. We still look awful and can barely string a pass together, but sheer determination and desperate defense will get us points until we can run ourselves back into form.

[funky chicken]

The Boot Room lives!

[carnage]

Had nothing to do all game.

So the defenders deserve more than 5, no?

[Aceface]

[steps]

Sounded like our fans were making most of the noise during the game.

Yeah we were good. Villa Park and the home fans though we pretty shocking, a lot worse than the bowl in terms of atmosphere. And of course they were booing at the final whistle.

Loads of pi**ed off Brummies at Witton station on the way home, I actually went on the wrong platform at first to Walsall and there was a lot of arguing and insult throwing amongst their lot. They really hate Gerrard it seems.

[Burnley Hammer]

Gerrard is surely in danger of being one of the first manager casualties of the season. They actually have some very good players and a good manager would be getting far more out of them. I personally think Kamara has a load of potential and he made a big mistake going to Villa. He could have been thriving elsewhere.

[Puff Daddy]

Why has Moyes got Benny in a headlock ?

[the pink palermo]

Not at our best yesterday.

For 45 minutes we were diabolical.I've been washing my eyes in bleach to try and remove any memory of what we saw. Absolutely dreadful.

The only positive was we had kept a clean sheet , with Villa, correctly having a goal chalked off for the corner going out of play before they slotted it home.

Fair play to Moyes, he brought Benny on for Emerson at the start of the second half - Emmerson had been fine - but we needed to switch to a flat back 4.It's not that the 3 had failed, more a case of everything in front of them had.Keher though looks good and it was good to see Zouma looking a bit better.

We do though need to talk about Jarrod.His failure to either fire off a shot himself or feed to ball to Benny in the 56th minute was shocking. It was the sort of chance he was burying with ease last season, but suddenly he has lost his touch.The irony though of watching Benny whinging because another player failed to release the ball :priceless.

Now to Declan. For the best part of an hour he was beyond poor. I'm talking pub standard. Then, suddenly, he looked world class.Seriously, who would be a football manager. What can you do ?

Pablo's goal was to say the least a tad fortunate, a huge deflection that looped over their keeper, so outrageous I was too embarassed to celebrate. It was the sort of goal that sees opposition teams relegated, and be in no doubt this Villa side will be bottom 6 all season: despite the lions share of possession they hardly worked Fabianski at all.

3 points gained, a ckean sheet kept.A much needed boost to confience and the sort of result upon which a seasons fortune changes, with an in form Spurs coming to the Bowl of Disappointment on Wednesday evening it's just as well.They'll be a far harder challenge than Gerrards relegation candidiates.

[Essexmaniac]

We were pretty poor in the first half, with Rice and Bowen our two worst players and Kehrer our best . Second half couldn’t be more different we were streets ahead. Benrahma and Rice were driving us forward, and Kehrer, Zouma and Soucek immense defensively. One of those 3 was our man of the match, for all the flack Soucek has taken, he covered ever blade of grass made interception after interception and got his head on everything. Bowen and Antonio are miles of last year and Cresswell is just poor but at least it looks like the rest are coming around

Fine summary.

Most of Souceks play this season has been poor. Basic stuff, short passes, closing down weak. Yesterday not only was he getting tighter and harrying better his general play was more pleasing too.
Some of spreading of play was excellent. Thought Antonio proved he can be the ideal substitute, he gave us somethi g extra, especially as the game became stretched. Bowen was poor throughout. Timing and decision making off kilter.

[NWhammer]

Soucek was superb yesterday.

[Burnley Hammer]

Bowen needs to stop running with his head down and use his options a little better. As a goalscorer, he's just fine. As a midfielder, his all round game and decision making still needs a lot of improvement.

[Hamburger]

Relying on a wing back system when we don’t have decent wing backs just doesn’t seem sensible. The high press and shutting off the mid 2 has stifled us all year resulting in slow transition and trouble getting out of our own half with constant sideways passing. Reverting to the flat back 4 and a mid 3 in second half was so much more effective (I’ve said before that Soucek is suited to an old fashioned CH imo). Once again on most occasions in the first half there wasn’t a player within 20 yards to support Macca and he had to keep coming back to get the ball (reminiscent of Arnie’s frustrations). Benny at least plugged the gap and has to be given the central role (or Paqueta). Very promising formation in the 2nd half and I hope Moyes will build on it.

[westham,eggyandchips]

Great to see Moyes get one over Gerrard....again.

[BobbyMooreLower]

I’d struggle to give Fornals and Bowen higher than a 5/10 for that game.

I keep hearing how Pablo is so important to us, but I genuinely cannot remember his last good game he had for us? He’s been a complete passenger for around 6 months now