Fulham v Villa

The standard of refereeing in this league is rubbish, but why did Gardner gob off and get himself booked, and then bugger me they score again.

Normal service has resumed!

Come on Blackburn, please, please score twice...........

Next Sunday is literally all that matters. Blues 2-0 down!

De Kuip wrote:Come on Blackburn, please, please score twice...........

That's 1...

Excellent, sadly Forest just conceded. C'mon 1 more goal for BB and 2 for Forest. Bar codes just gone 2-1 down. I'd PMSL if Huddy go up and the bar codes don't.

Congrats to Brighton - good club who nearly went bust, and Chris Hughton is a very decent bloke. How ironic if they smash Norwich and Newcastle don't go up - both clubs that sacked him.
C'mn Forest, get at least 1!!

In no way defending Kod but I'm reading the ref has reported the red card as for a stamp not a kick. Grounds to appeal?

Villa_Dan wrote:In no way defending Kod but I'm reading the ref has reported the red card as for a stamp not a kick. Grounds to appeal?

Won't make any difference, stamp or kick!

I heard that Kodj - not being the brightest pixie in the forest - thought he'd heard Bruce say he was going with 5-3-1. In a panic, realising it was actually 5-3-2, and not wanting to let Bruce down, he took one for the team, stamped on their bloke and promptly got sent off, restoring the formation to the one he'd mistakenly heard.

Can't really blame the lad for trying to help his boss out............

Villa_Dan wrote:Next Sunday is literally all that matters. Blues 2-0 down!

Zolas gone, get ready to get hit with the new boss bounce

After Saturday and Yesterday one could almost believe they were betting against themselves. I can somehow believe it of Bacuna...but the rest???
If they don't beat the scum down the road, they should hang their heads in shame because there will be an awful lot of angry Villans after their blood.
UTV SOTC

Kodjia ban reduced to 1 game. So it wasn't a red (3game ban) but hes still banned for blues. Think dodgy harrys been on to fa hasn't he

A red card isn't an automatic 3 game ban. Just 1 game. 3 game bans are for violent conduct

So what's your opinions on Gardner now? We had this discussion 6 months ago and 12 months ago, and a few here was adamant that he was good enough for a first team place.

I was at the match on Monday and have been too pissed off to come on the forum. Firstly, I have no idea what Bruce was up to. We're safe and playoffs aren't going to happen, so let's play fringe players Elphick, Grealish and Gardner to see if we want them next season? Let's rest our midfielders and forget about full backs so they're all ready for the Blues match? Let's see if we can play two up front without any support from the wing backs (busy trying to defend) and Grealish (HE'S NOT A FUCKING WINGER) and leave it all to Gardner? We really were doomed from the start.

As soon as Kodjia was sent off Bruce should have changed it all round. Hogan has been taking lessons from McCormack in inconspicuousness, and whenever Johnstone had the ball he'd employ Lambert's one and only tactic of punting it forward for the completely outnumbered striker to lose. I'd have moved to:

Johnstone
Bree Chester Baker Amavi
Jedinak
Adomah Gardner Grealish Lansbury

Swapping Elphick and Hogan for Adomah and Lansbury. Maybe even taken off Grealish for Hourihane. Stop pissing around with three at the back when it's clear it just confuses everyone and stick to what they know. Let Jedi concentrate on defensive duties.

The sole striker was offering nothing, as soon as they had the ball all their players bar the goalie were in our half. All of them, usually five or ten yards inside the halfway line. We needed to bulk out the midfield and protect the wings.

I reckon all our yellows came from stupid arguing with the referee. Grealish's goal was superb but he offered nothing in defence, and taking off Amavi to put on Audrey was a stroke of genius, Fulham's third goal coming straight after, and straight down our vacant left flank.

Funnily enough my father-in-law (who is a Hammer but used a spare ticket I had) thought Amavi was our best player. There was no desire from anyone, no energy, no closing down or any effort at all to get forward to support Hogan. No team effort. And I'm entirely blaming Bruce. The first substitute was on 80 minutes, a straight swap of defender for defender.

Let's stop pissing around and put players in their correct positions for the remaining matches. Kodjia's our best striker and seems to like playing on his own so stick him up front. Green (if fit) and Adomah can take the wings. Stick Grealish in front of Hourihane and Lansbury (or if we're feeling particularly defensive, Jedi behind those two instead), Chester and Baker in defence and Bree and Taylor either side of them. If we're going to be adventurous, play Hogan behind Kodjia instead of Grealish. Audrey as a regular sub. Play Hutton, Amavi, Bacuna and Gardner as last-ditch replacements. Stick Jedi on the bench, he can cover defence if necessary. And in the summer get rid of all those last-ditch replacements (unless Hutton is on contract) and also chuck out Richards, Kozak, Elphick and anyone else not getting a look-in. Buy some more players and do everything to bring back Veretout and integrate him and his family properly.

I'm beginning to like Johnstone. If we can buy him permanently then do so, but if not, throw some decent money at a decent, proven keeper who isn't 21 and likely to get homesick.

I'm getting fed up with Bruce. He has a good selection of players but the football just isn't pretty at all. We're not winning matches the Championship way and plucking the best players from teams around us and expecting them to work somehow isn't working. I don't know what the answer is but playing players in their correct positions, playing them regularly with the same people around them so they know how it all works and playing them how they want to be played is surely a good start?