Re: Aston Villa v Newcastle Saturday 24th Sept 17:30 kick off SKY TV

by **villabromsgrove** Sat Sep 24, 2016 4:46 pm

Sandie wrote:Tshibola has made the bench. Suppose he's not fully fit yet.

He played 86 minutes for the reserves the other night and was probably the best player. RDM is either being stubborn or is setting us up with a negative bias again.

by **Sandie** Sat Sep 24, 2016 5:09 pm

Maybe he just really rates Westwood?

Yes, it's the blackmail photos again. Has to be.

by **villabromsgrove** Sat Sep 24, 2016 6:33 pm

Why do I get the feeling that if you swapped the managers around, you'd swap the result?

Selection has put us on the back foot before we start. Why play Chester at right back or right centre back (it's upset the balance of the CB's) and Bacuna next to Westwood? Why play Westwood at all? Jedinak, Westwood and Bacuna is a dysfunctional set up.

Watch the difference in body language between RDM and Benitez. RDM looks almost haunted and passive, Rafa looks confident and aggressive.

We may yet sneak something by luck but not by judgement. The odds are that we will roll over yet again.

C'mon Villa, pull your collective finger out!

by **villabromsgrove** Sat Sep 24, 2016 7:36 pm

After Westwood went off every pass was forward. After Gestede came on Ayew had a target man to either target, or find space to run into as Gestede drew defenders to him.

Every man in the midfield had to attack in order to knock the opposition off it's stride.

RDM got a 'get out of jail free card' tonight. Will he learn from it?

Ps: Ironically Westwood had a decent ten minutes before he was taken off, but even so when he was replaced we started to physically boss Newcastle.

by **Sandie** Sat Sep 24, 2016 7:50 pm

For once we played well in the last ten minutes which actually makes a heartening change. Considering the trouble we have had then in recent fixtures I hope it gives the players a shot of confidence. Barnsley is key. We hsave to win that one and there's no excuses.

by **villabromsgrove** Sat Sep 24, 2016 7:53 pm

We need to do two things against Barnsley on Tuesday evening. Pick the right team, and choose the right tactics.

by **Sandie** Sat Sep 24, 2016 8:25 pm

On recent form that is a distinct unlikelihood.

by Chris Harte Sat Sep 24, 2016 10:34 pm

Countdown is on. Di Matteo needs a minimum of two wins out of the next five for me. That said I felt we deserved at least the point tonight.

by **villabromsgrove** Sun Sep 25, 2016 8:24 am

Chris Harte wrote:Countdown is on. Di Matteo needs a minimum of two wins out of the next five for me. That said I felt we deserved at least the point tonight.

I agree with you Chris about the time frame left to RDM. A nervous Di Matteo handicapped us from the start, and it was only when he changed the personnel and shape later on that we started to worry Newcastle.

by **Sandie** Sun Sep 25, 2016 2:17 pm

Even the Sky pundits (repeat managerial failures Steve McClaren and Ian Holloway) saw that RDM got it badly wrong yesterday and set his defence out in a way that contributed to our centre halves looking somewhat shaky. Not really a good sign.

by **villabromsgrove** Mon Sep 26, 2016 11:06 am

A marauding performance against Barnsley will put everybody in a better frame of mind. It will worry Preston as well!

Aston Villa v Newcastle Saturday 24th Sept 17:30 kick off SKY TV - Page 3 205019816

Aston Villa v Newcastle Saturday 24th Sept 17:30 kick off SKY TV - Page 3 205019816

by **Sandie** Mon Sep 26, 2016 4:04 pm

I'm not sure this game was a total negative, it just depends on how everybody builds on it. We've got a point in a game we put in a (mostly abysmal until about the 75th minute) performance where we've struggled in later stages of games. It might just be the Filip everyone needs and stop us being so jittery and sitting back so much. It might also show the manager that he needs to play, to quote Mike Bassett, four four fucking two.

by **villabromsgrove** Tue Sep 27, 2016 9:40 am

Sandie wrote:I'm not sure this game was a total negative, it just depends on how everybody builds on it. We've got a point in a game we put in a (mostly abysmal until about the 75th minute) performance where we've struggled in later stages of games. It might just be the Filip everyone needs and stop us being so jittery and sitting back so much. It might also show the manager that he needs to play, to quote Mike Bassett, four four fucking two.

I agree that the Newcastle game can act as a valuable tutorial if our management are prepared to analyse what they and the players did wrong for seventy minutes, as opposed to what they then proceeded to do right for the last twenty five minutes. I am starting to get the impression that RDM thinks it is the players that are getting it wrong rather than himself. I hope that I'm wrong.

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