Disappointing loss - so what?

[Butch]

My theory is that although we started the season unbeaten, with 3 wins and a draw, and now a loss, we have not impressed and this is down to the squad not yet being settled. Some of this is due to injuries, some due to personnel changes, and we should not underestimate the improvements in some of the other teams we've played as well.

Of the so-called "big 4", Liverpool are the only ones to be really quick out of the blocks, and I don't mean results-wise, but rather performance-wise. It should make things interesting.

As I gathered from watching our pre-season, we're going to need a few more games to settle down into a rhythm. Belletti looks promising. Once JT recovers from his broken toe (I hope he can while playing!), Riccy returns from injury, and the defense becomes settled from playing consecutive games together, we will look much better as a unit.

Malouda and Pizarro are still finding their feet. I think Kalou and Joe Cole need to play more as they are already established EPL players and tend to make us look a bit livelier and with more purpose when they are on the pitch.

The defeat at Villa should serve as a kick up the #$@&%. It's going to be a long, hard season and all teams will be dropping more points than they're used to. We just have to work on regaining our solidity.

Cheers,

Butch

[Jimboola69]

Belletti looks promising!!!!

Most of the Villa attacks came down our right for f**ks sake, he did a few good tackles in the first half but was skinned and bi-passed time and time again.

[Tim W]

Belletti's half hearted tackle for their second made Johnno look like George Cohen at his best, and explains why Barc benched him.

Nevertheless, we dropped points early doors last season to Boro so the defeat is insignificant - my worry is our crab-like build up play. Forwards, sideways, sideways, sideways back and Cech woofs it upfield. Reckon I'd be pissed of if I'd paid millions for that.

[Butch]

You have to understand that Jose had committed his team forward to get the equalizer at that point. In the first half, he was solid when we weren't chasing the game. Once we were committed going forward, the defense as a whole were exposed, not just Belletti, and with that kind of space in behind him, it was always going to be a case of advantage to the speedy Villa wingers. You have to see it in that context.

Overall, I still think he had an okay game. I didn't say good, but I saw things that I liked. First, his sense of body positioning versus charging attacker and his timing of tackles in that first half was good - much better than Johnson. His runs going forward were also good, and his crossing was better than we have seen from others.

And this is only his second game for us for goodness sakes! Give the man a chance!

Cheers,

Butch

[yorkleyblue]

Belletti's half hearted tackle for their second made Johnno look like George Cohen at his best, and explains why Barc benched him.

Tim

With the best will in the world, WTF are you talking about? He made a perfectly good block, was desperatley unlucky that the ball spun way up into the air AND stayed on the pitch and then Villa's little whippet had a mad swing at the ball that would have troubled the linesman to indicate a throw-in if their other young whippet hadn't run into the ball's path andknocked it past big Pete.

Whilst I would agree that Belletti isn't possibly the best Right Back in the world, he had a steady game, I don't think he got "skinned" much and I agree with Butch, give the fecker a chance FFS

Kev

[Portugeezer]

My theory is that although we started the season unbeaten, with 3 wins and a draw, and now a loss, we have not impressed and this is down to the squad not yet being settled. Some of this is due to injuries, some due to personnel changes, and we should not underestimate the improvements in some of the other teams we've played as well.

Of the so-called "big 4", Liverpool are the only ones to be really quick out of the blocks, and I don't mean results-wise, but rather performance-wise. It should make things interesting.

As I gathered from watching our pre-season, we're going to need a few more games to settle down into a rhythm. Belletti looks promising. Once JT recovers from his broken toe (I hope he can while playing!), Riccy returns from injury, and the defense becomes settled from playing consecutive games together, we will look much better as a unit.

Malouda and Pizarro are still finding their feet. I think Kalou and Joe Cole need to play more as they are already established EPL players and tend to make us look a bit livelier and with more purpose when they are on the pitch.

The defeat at Villa should serve as a kick up the #$@&%. It's going to be a long, hard season and all teams will be dropping more points than they're used to. We just have to work on regaining our solidity.

Cheers,

Butch

Spot on mate.............Belletti indeed looked promising to me to.........Alex looked leggy but once fully fit will be promising indeed

[Tim W]

We'll see, I expect he'll get more than a fair chance to show us what he can do. On the other hand I still don't think Johnno got a fair chance.

And rather than bring in Belletti I think we should have kept Mancienne instead of loaning him out again to QPR and play Paulo and have Michael as understudy.

[yogic]

My thoughts exactlly ... Liverpool are the only team that look the business right now. Performance's get you the results, Villa's performace was superb and thats what did us.

I dont understand why Malouda wasn't off instead of SWP for Cole. I hope Kalou and Cole are given more time on the pitch. What is going on with Shevchenko? Have we bought him so we pay his wages and he stays full fit and rested for Internationals?

The next few games are going to be make or break - if we start losing ground now, its going to be a b*tch to climb back up.

[The Brit]

it's all over...why don't the bookies stop taking bets and pay out on liverscum now...eight months without a league defeat and people lose perspective

[yorkleyblue]

We'll see, I expect he'll get more than a fair chance to show us what he can do. On the other hand I still don't think Johnno got a fair chance.

And rather than bring in Belletti I think we should have kept Mancienne instead of loaning him out again to QPR and play Paulo and have Michael as understudy.

Sorry Tim, but I have to disagree on so many levels.

Glen had much more than a fair chance to show that he was going to make the grade implied by his un-doubted potential when he first arrived. Other than the first season, it's difficult to think of any game when Glen shone. He was OK in some, but never outstanding. His year at Pompey resulted in quite a lot of reports of him not being up to the grade, even for them, a mid-table outfit. He did OK at Reading this season, admittedly out of position, but he ONLY did OK.

I have a great admiration for Paulo, and I think that, in most cases, he should be our nailed-on right back, week in and week out. He would walk into any other team in the league. I can't think of ANY better right back playing for ANY other English team, with the possible exception of Micah Richards, and he seems more of a centre back to me. But obviously JM doesn't share that view with me and several others on here.

It's been said many times, the right back position is one of horses-for-courses, and I'm afraid that what little I have seen and heard of Mancienne tells me that he just isn't first team material YET, nor is he yet first team backup material. Coupla years maybe, but not yet. we'll have to wait and see.

Sorry to rattle on

kev

[Dorset]

it's all over...why don't the bookies stop taking bets and pay out on liverscum now...eight months without a league defeat and people lose perspective

If you and Butch are going to talk sense, Brit, you'd both be more useful posting on the other, longer, thread.

[Tim W]

Sorry Tim, but I have to disagree on so many levels.

Sorry to rattle on

kev

You're not rattling you're expressing your view like I am and I respect your view. I agree with you totally about Paulo - he should be playing week in week out. The only reason Belletti is here was to to spit in the eye of the Sevilla chairman and nothing else and now JM will play him at the expense of Paulo to prove a point. The same thing happen with Cole A and Bridge last year, even Cole admitted he was below par. We could go on to discuss others but I don't want to go down that road, knowing in advance the accusations that will be thrown. All I want is to see the best from our boys, but at times I get a distinct feeling that politics go over team selection. And by way of an end, I do not mean to imply I know more that JM or SC or any of the backroom staff; cause none of us do.

[mad_mac]

Injuries to a couple of their key players and then see where Liverpool are? Man U and us are missing big names, while still trying to get new players bedded into the team. I think Belletti looked to have great pace, and to be honest, he also looks to have a much better cross than Paulo does. As a wing back this might be why Jose went for him (and the overinflated price of alves)

Scott