So once again Villa have drawn a game after we took the lead from a good Kodjia strike, only for it to be cancelled out by an 87th minute equaliser.
And quite simply, this isn’t good enough.
I said earlier that not winning today doesn’t mean the season’s written off just yet and I stand by that.
But we’re at least making things more difficult for ourselves, especially when you consider our next two games are Ipswich and Newcastle away; games I’d certainly expect to be even tougher tests.
We sounded like we probably edged the first half, but it seems Brentford were the better side in the second.
Again that simply isn’t good enough, given that we were the team at home. And no disrespect to the visitors, who were well worth their point, but this is Brentford, for god’s sake!
I listened to the commentary and you could tell the pressure was building after the hour mark and that same commentary became more and more repetitive about how we couldn’t expect to keep holding on and try and defend.
If the commentators can see this and keep harping on about it because it’s so obvious, you have to wonder what RDM’s thought processes are.
Surely he must be able to see what’s happening and it begs the question as to why he allows it to continue.
I wasn’t there, so I don’t know, but I’d expect him to be massively animated in the technical area and frankly doing his nut at the players.
I wonder if he was?
The salt was rubbed even further into the wounds when McCormack and De Laet had to come off injured.
I’m really beginning to question what’s going on when it comes to the fitness and conditioning at Bodymoor Heath.
However, I’m not going to let all this wind me up.
One thing I do know is, is that Dr Xia will not tolerate this sort of thing for long.
He’s already alluded to the fact that we shouldn’t be repeatedly doing the same things wrong and he will not leave it too long before he swings the axe.
He may have no choice anyway, as what was a noisy, supportive crowd in the first half became more and more tense and left RDM’s ears ringing with the sound of boos at the full time whistle.
It would seem the manager is fast losing the support of the fans.
I said upon his appointment that I thought he wasn’t the right choice, but I’m not going to crow about it and the fact is I would rather he sorted out this inability to win a game, as opposed to us having to go with another manager.
Last season we put many of our woes down to having fragile players, but surely we can’t use this as a reason now, as we’ve changed most of the starting eleven.
Whatever the reason we can’t win, RDM has to sort it out and quickly.
Because his days are already numbered if he doesn’t.
Gutted.
Again.
Playing 4-2-4 is a recipe for disaster. , Di Matteo has been very suspect thus far and coming off the back of the very poor job he did at Schalke I fear we have another clueless one on our hands.
These late goals point to problems with both fitness and mentality and whilst I do expect us to improve going forward, I can’t envisage this team ever going on a run as they are just too fragile.
Newcastle have just won 5 in a row, can you imagine Villa even winning 2 or 3 back to back? Says it all really about our chances
You’re right. The midfield is too lightweight and leaves the defence too much to do when our attack can’t keep the opposition under the cosh.
You’d have thought we might get away with the tactic against the poorer sides, given our quality, but it seems we’re learning the hard way that there don’t seem to be many weak teams.
I don’t see that the players are already fragile. But they will be if this continues.
We went top heavy with strikers but hardly any midfielders. Even with a fully fit midfield the middle still looks average. We could of done with two more midfielders but too late now.
Again correct.
It’s why I posted that article a few days back about it.
In most games now, I believe things are won and lost in the middle and I’m not sure why it wasn’t adressed.
Surely RDM can see where the problem is?
Mind you, if you’re placing your trust in Westwood, it’s no surprise if a manager isn’t seeing it.
Whoever the manager is come the winter window, I’d expect us to bolster the midfield.
Be too late by winter we will be cut well adrift by then
I can’t see us being anything but bottom 3 after next two games and I can’t see RDM lasting ’till Christmas BUT who the hell do we replace him with?
Maybe Hiddink if we could get him
Good god, no!
God knows Hitch.
That’s why I’d rather RDM gets it sorted fast.
I was and still am willing to give RDM at least 10 games to get the team up to speed. Running out of games and problems still there. New team, New Manager, New Owner, New Hope …. but same OLD Villa ! On a positive note there is still time to put it right. Burnley won the championship last season and drew 15 games along the way.
Scraping the barrel for positives !!!! Lol !
Still early days to be honest, but my main worry is the growing number of injures. Already it sounds like Grealish, De Laet, and McCormack may be doubtful for this weekend and Tshibola, Adomah are just returning to training (light training?) we very well may be forced to call on even more fringe players to fill the gaps in the next game or two. This Championship schedule is intense and if we are not careful a knock here and a knock there can have serious consequences later (if we are able to turn things around and get into the playoffs).
With that being said, regardless of injuries, I would love nothing more than to see us set up with a balanced squad or normal formation, maybe play to one strikers strengths, because today it looks like RDM is just picking his most fit 11 players regardless of position or skill set.
I still don’t get why he starts with 4 strikers. Unless they are giving us at least 3 goals a game it’s not worth it.
I agree. It’s an experiment RDM has been testing out the past few games and to be honest it just isn’t working. I’d rather see the team work on the build up and controlling the game than ‘try’ to create changes.
Arnt experiments supposed to be for pre season friendlies?
Ha! …or football manager.
critics of the supposed 424 well it wasn’t that formation, was 442 ayew and kodjia were wide players. both have played there before. but this is splitting hairs. we played brentford in a championship game, not barcelona in a champions league final.
its more mindset that tactics, if we are gonna shit our pants every time we see the finishing line. we are never gonna reach the points needed to gain promotion.
overall its the start of the league and we are playing like a nervous wreck, if it had been last 10 games and promotion riding on results, then i could understand the panic play. rdm can not change this i fear its in his dna get lead and sit on that. we have a superior team than most teams in this division. we should go 2 nil or 3 nil before they ever think of auto cruise.
Just seen their goal who the hell was marking him at back post. Pathetic defending yet again
Not looking forward to the next 2 games especially the barcodes,I’m lost for words.injury list increasing with barely the season in full swing as you say Badger fitness levels & conditioning should be in question sumit ain’t right.
Soz next 3 games Barnsley on form.
That has proved to me that you dont play Westwood ever, he’s been in that centre spot though out all our problems and still gets picked, Badger its so obvious our midfield is weak , Ayew keeps fluffing chances he’s beginning to look useless to the team, this team will not go up this year, or even next year with a manager that’s negative in creating more than one goal a game and being hit with minutes to go.
Ayew is a striker not a midfielder. If you want to convert him into a midfielder play him in an attacking central midfield role like Taylor did with Platt
Well tell him them two posts with a net is called a goal mouth put a ball in it.
A striker where did you hear that Oohah.
Ha ha. I think Ayew could be a platt type player making runs from midfield. There would be less pressure on him to score as a midfielder which would help him. Imo
As we all thought at the start of the season, teams are coming to Villa Park acting like it is their cup final.
We are not on a losing streak, but getting silly draws as we can’t kill off games, we will turn it around and finish mid table…. But i do not think this will satisfy Doctor Tony.
Nor me either
I said before we won’t win games unless we have our very best 11 all fit. Our squad depth doesn’t have enough quality. The very big problem is how often over the last 5 years have we had our best 11 all fit and properly fit which means not playing through slight injuries?…not very often at all I’d say probably 7 or 8 games a season. It’s very worrying. Add to that the confidence must be decreasing all the time with these last minute goals and we have a very difficult situation. RDM has a few more games to get it right before automatic promotion is out the window I’d say.
RDM has a couple of games to get it right before he gets the sack. Our problem is midfield and every time I see Westwoods name in CM my heart sinks. Offers nothing a 10 year old could do what he does with the ball. With injuries then who else do we have.
There must be someone cursing bad luck on us, this is going on to long.
I think RDMS on thin ice with the doc now no showing on twitter from the boss is a little strange & with 3 toughies coming up you never know the doc wants success & if it means a high turnover in managers then so be it.
Just glad we’re not playing Blues yet. Can see them turning us over easily if I’m honest always struggle against them the best if times
This season is already shaping up to be just like our last appearance in the second tier of English football which, on a very high optimistic note, ended on the last day of the campaign with us clinching promotion. In that year we had a new manager, Graham “long ball” Taylor and a load of new players. Sound familiar ? We played 22 games at home, winning only 9, drawing 7 and losing 6. It was the away form, with 13 wins that got us promoted. Whilst things are not as we would want them to be, there is still a long way to go.
Very true but if RDM don’t sort it out in the next few games I think his time is up!!!! Remember he has spent a lot of the docs money and I know if it was my money I’d want this sorted and fast.
Why did RDM neglect midfield. We needed two more midfielders at least. Should never have gone for cormack either.
Yet we’ve only got one away point so far plus the teams in that division arnt as strong as they are now.
1 loss in 6, compared to last year is a miracle… lets all calm down a little bit…If we get into the play offs it will be amazing, but a steady above half way finish will be a decent accomplishment after the last few years !!
2 losses in 7 to be precise
1 in 6 sounds far less negative 🙂
I dont think RDM was the best appointment, but we need to stick with him for a while longer I think, just to try and steady the ship…. I still think we are streets ahead of last year, but cannot understand why Steve Clarke hasnt addressed some of the defence/concentration issues !!
Don’t think the Doc will sit on his hands with RDM. Strikes me he is a guy that likes to win and won’t put up with mediocrity nor will he dally over changing the manager if success isn’t achieved BUT the fact that he gave RDM a two year contract suggests to me that’s the timetable for promotion and I imagine RDM will not be going anywhere sometime soon.
Has the Doc been asked to back off on Twitter? – not sure his message after the Forest game was particularly helpful
If RDM does get the bullet, hows about Quique Sanchez Flores, he had Watford playing good football.
Any news on mcormack & de laet????
According to the last Birm. Mail article…
“Both Ross McCormack and Ritchie De Laet are doubts. Jack Grealish, Albert Adomah and Aaron Tshibola missed the midweek game and are also struggling for Saturday.”
If we have a weakened squad for the weekend perhaps there is a shout for 3-5-2 or 5-3-2?
I’d say there’s merit in that, as our defence seem as bad as last season.
Forest 2 goals from 3 chances and Brentford scored from a couple of chances shows things still aren’t right there.
Whatever, we can’t afford 4 out and out attackers when we concede so easily, imo.
Sod all this pushing up on the wings and make keeping a clean sheet the priority.
With the quality in our attack we should be capable of scoring at least one goal, even if we play just one or two up front.
Win bloody ugly if we have to, so we at least build confidence before going balls out.
I can’t get away from the fact that RDM is inherently defensive though.
If we’re going to go with 4 up top, you have to keep attacking throughout the game, with the mentality that “we’ll just score more than you”, else it’s pointless and you’re effectively 2 men down.
We will keep throwing games away due to the poor depth of our squad. Weswood, Bacuna, Gardner not good enough. Not much else worth mentioning, maybe Green. Midfield very weak. Would have helped to buy some fit players!