Match Tread FA Cup Villa v Swansea 4/1/2019

This is a game for me when we can put a few youngsters into the squad and see what they can do, I know we have tried it before but not under this regime. I'm just like every other Villa fan and would love to have a good go at winning the FA Cup but we can still do that and try a few kids after all the league is a must so we need to know where we stand with the kids. I'm expecting another tight game but I think we will snatch it 2-1 UTV

I’m not too concerned with the FA Cup at this moment in time. It would be great to win the tie tomorrow but not at the expense of league ambitions. We’ve a few young players that can come in, as well as squad players needing minutes following injury etc. It can still be a very decent line up. I’d start with;
......................Kalinic...................
Bree.....Elphick......Revan.....Taylor
..................Bjarnason.....................
.........Lansbury.......OHare.............
Kodjia...........Hogan.........Adomah

Dazzle wrote:I’m not too concerned with the FA Cup at this moment in time. It would be great to win the tie tomorrow but not at the expense of league ambitions. We’ve a few young players that can come in, as well as squad players needing minutes following injury etc. It can still be a very decent line up. I’d start with;
......................Kalinic...................
Bree.....Elphick......Revan.....Taylor
..................Bjarnason.....................
.........Lansbury.......OHare.............
Kodjia...........Hogan.........Adomah

Thats a good start, just what I was on about, gives some of our fringe players a look in and a look at by us.

Kalinic, Hutton, Elphick, Bree, Taylor, Whelan, McGinn, El Ghazi, O'Hare, Adomah, Hogan.

Subs: Steer, Revan, Elmohamady, Bjarnason, Lansbury, Kodjia, Davis.

Excellent, Hogan can show us what he's made of, and he has IMHO our best four fit midfielders (and Bjarnason on the bench) for the job in support.

Well, Hogan now needs to show his worth.

Seems like we’re being bossed about 1st half

Massively disjointed. Hogan losing the ball trying to run it clear from our box was the reason for their goal. O'Hare being pushed aroung in man's football. Albert is just awful with misplaced passes and losing the ball.Al Ghazi is just as bad. The keeper will be alright once he has a defence to protect him. Even McGinn not looking great today. Hope for a better second half after they have been told their fortunes.

Another dire performance so far, a worrying trend ever since the Albion game.

Sadly on the radio I'm hearing around six 'Elphicks' for every 'Hogan'.

Whelan for Lansbury. I'm afraid I'm not keen on Whelan starting anything but it'll be good to see if Lansbury can do anything.

FoxyAV wrote:Sadly on the radio I'm hearing around six 'Elphicks' for every 'Hogan'.

Whelan for Lansbury. I'm afraid I'm not keen on Whelan starting anything but it'll be good to see if Lansbury can do anything.

Well, he managed a really bad tackle that he was lucky not to be sent off for........if that's what you meant!

Let’s hope this is an eye opener for the owners early in January. The only positive is that these displays are happening early January rather than early February when the window is closed. I think selection was not what it could have been today, though it’s obvious we still lack that strong ball winner in front of the back 4. Should have rested McGinn today.

big ming wrote:

FoxyAV wrote:Sadly on the radio I'm hearing around six 'Elphicks' for every 'Hogan'.

Whelan for Lansbury. I'm afraid I'm not keen on Whelan starting anything but it'll be good to see if Lansbury can do anything.

Well, he managed a really bad tackle that he was lucky not to be sent off for........if that's what you meant!

Not entirely! I always think if you're a fringe player in a match like this you need to be working your arse off to impress, but so often they're reliant on the players round them. As Hogan went off the commentator on the radio said he hadn't seen much of the ball. We're really missing Grealish and we really need someone decent where Whelan plays.

I also think we should just play the U23s in cup matches and have them run themselves ragged making a case for themselves. I don't know how long it takes a team to settle and for individual players to gel with those around them but it seems pointless to me to put out a half and half team with a few fresh (or usually on the bench) players mixed in. Either go full first team or balls out with the U23s.

Absolutely dreadful, even more depressing is that given the form over the last eight or nine games, it isn't even that shocking, it's getting to be the norm.

One positive is that I thought Lansbury actually looked pretty decent when he came on, and I'm someone who doesn't normally rate him, if Smith can get him playing like that on regular basis, then he might be an asset to us after all.

Hogan was dreadful, and showed why we can't rely on him to replace Abraham, he had chances and missed all of them, and it was his poor first touch which led to their first goal. At some point we're just going to have to give up the ghost on him.

Elphick getting some stick elsewhere. In fairness, he never had a prayer once Hutton was named as his central defensive partner.
Can we send the lazy light-weight Al Ghazi back?
What happened to the press/pass and move we had been using up until the Leeds game? Swansea walked through us at will.

Terrible performance.
For the last 5 home games we have conceded at least 2 goals. Some of this is on the manager IMO. Sure he needs new players - but also believe that the CEO and sporting director would have been expecting DS to get at least something out of the current crop.

We must beat wigan next game.

Wow, our defence was a complete mess. Highlights here:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46706813

Only one left-footed and left-sided player in the defence.