When will it end? This time around it was The Hatters of Luton Town who got to pile the misery on Villa’s characterless fallen giant, although a fair share of it was self-inflicted.
Tonight should have been an early season chance for Aston Villa to jump start the RDM/Xia era. After a deflating loss in the league on Sunday the team had a chance to build much needed morale and momentum against lower league opposition. When the team was announced it appeared that the manager had selected something closer to what is our strongest team than those who lined up against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, other than Captain Elphick. So what happened? The usual.
Beyond Embarrassing
Despite starting in relatively positive fashion, Villa did what they do best and became complacent, baffling for a team that hasn’t won a competitive game for god knows how long. Luton’s equaliser was a warning sign, and an opportunity for Villa to wake up and show some character and ambition but as with the entirety of last season, they were lacking in both. Once again the Villans crumbled.
This 11 was close to the best we have to offer and it was outdone by a team in the 4th tier. The unprofessional attitudes that riled us all up last season crept back in as the game unfolded until they were impossible to miss. The team repeatedly failed to clear their lines, or to make and take chances in the final third.
Micah Richards, who I was ready to praise as the first half reached its halfway point, was completely thrown off balance for the rest of the game after failing to hold onto a ball long enough to take a throw in. From then on he wandered the pitch flustered and aimless, repeatedly leaving attacking players to run unmarked behind our defence, as he perpetually did last year.
As Villa continued to drown, the misery was compounded when a lazy attempt at a clearance from Okore sealed our fate. The summer made us all foolishly excited about the return of football, Villa have wasted no time reminding us why we were all gutted on a weekly basis last season.
Another Long Season
A cup run would have been a great omen for positive change and hope at the club, but for this cup at least Villa’s returning duds have ruined it and must quadruple their efforts when they return to the league campaign on Saturday. Whether the season will end with a promotion push or another relegation battle is a fair argument to have after a performance and result like this.
If I had to add any positives, Amavi and Grealish tried to create something, and it’s hard to fault young Andre Green who started brightly and simply got lost in the terribleness of the majority of the team tonight. This team is simply not good enough.
#Chequebook
Just two competitive games into the season and it’s hard not to fear the worst for this team, and this season. Luckily time is on our side in terms of kick starting our season and reshaping the squad in the transfer window, but tonight has provided clear evidence how much needs to be done before the window closes.
Despite a change of owner and manager Villa are still a long way from repairing years of abuse and neglect. Xia’s communication with the fans provides a positive change from Lerner’s silence but he must also remember his real responsibilities: Investing in the club, and renovating crumbling foundations. Promising new players on Twitter will only pile more pressure on the club if he doesn’t deliver in style. He has claimed we will announce a new midfielder on Saturday. Failure to do so and doubt will begin to grow early on in Xia’s tenure.
Along with tonight’s fixture, I had pencilled in this weekend’s game as one to look forward to, now I’m dreading it.
There have been rumours of Joe Ledley and Mile Jedinak, both of whom I would gladly snap your hand off for. Whoever we buy, we need players with experience, physicality, and talent and we need them fast.
Good Luck Di Matteo, you’re going to need it.
VTID
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We’ve seen quite a few players leave now, with no replacements coming in. What worries me is how are we to attract these players when we’re getting beating by Luton. In my opinion ‘Uncle Tony’ needs to spend less time on twitter and more time getting these deals done. I’m not sure why I’m worried, we’ll be European champions again in 5 years.
Hmm dunno. Guzan out, Gollini in. Clark out Elphick in. Fairly like for like replacements and a step up for both positions IMO. Tshibola is a good player but not experienced enough to be the Midfield general we need, would do well with Jedinak next to him, but he’s still a pretty good replacement for Sanchez. Really it’s Ghana we haven’t replaced, and maybe the name I mentioned might be the incoming Mid for the weekend. Still need a Right Back and another Centre Back though, Micah is neither and RDM’s falling for his “leadership” ability is a nail in his coffin. I recall another coach going on about that, and now he’s in rehab.
Also in my experience the CEO/Chairman is the Chief Cheerleader and the minions do the work, so Twitter is an appropriate forum for that.
?? I wanted RDM, now I want Holloway. Grealish should be out wide, Ayew in the middle. Both need to be beaten until they learn to put a foot in. instead of the half hearted runs toward the attacking players I saw. Micah.. Go. Now. 60k a week and can’t take a throw in and I saw you “jogging” back when you lost the ball on the midway line. Take Hutton with you, he can’t do anything. Okore, well, think you’ll need to work a bit harder to get to that champions league club you should be playing for. Gestede, cannot play in a 4231, RDM is like the 4th coach to try this.
And as unpopular as this is, I don’t care that we went out of the cup, we need promotion not cup glory. But I am concerned that this is the 3rd game in a row we have thrown away. The end of game interviews with the opposition were telling in that the Luton players said they knew if they could equalize that the Villa players heads would go down. Until that changes we are doomed.
Is Paddy Riley STILL with us ? They are all to blame from the Manager down. The Transfers have been too slow coming in and getting rid of the old deadwood too slow going out. There is a softness no discipline no backbone….If this isn’t a big wake up call then I don’t know what is, we will be playing Luton again next season but in the same division. This week must see plenty of transfer activity. Shameful.Perhaps Holloway isn’t far off the mark with his predictions.
The Riley thing. Why is he not gone yet, what power does he have that makes him safe? And is there something else rotten running through the club?
What an absolute joke. DM was never the manager for the Villa, we all knew it, we all said it.
Hutton Richards Westwood Gardner ,out ASAP and okore woeful
Where is a mid field enforcer . This is still a team full of Garbage.
Wake up DM, Xia. Before the window shuts . Lg1 beckons with this showing.
this is psychological. Everything changes but the problems remain the same. No point in changing managers and players and owners if the fear in the dressing room is constant. We need a sports pysychologist.
Either that or the team really is cursed. The fear of the ball must be eradicated. Passing to the opposition and not to your own players and failing to tackle (Jack) or kicking the ball into your own net (Okore) is because you have no faith in your own ability to win the ball and use it to get it away from the danger area.
That is a sign of a group of players afraid to do basic things.
Trevor Fisher.