Opposition fans back from the game - 24/25 page 225 onwards

[CountryRoyal]

More sour grapes from another big club who got beaten by little old Reading. Unlike Leeds and Sheffield Wednesday though, these jokers are definitely staying down for at least another season.

Boo fukking hoo.

See yuhh later villa. Laughing our arses all the way to the playoffs.

[WAZZOCK]

Interesting thoughts on the ref.

In the first half I thought he was ever so slightly in favour of them, given some of the decisions he made on fouls. Second half I thought he called it absolutely spot on, although at 3-1 we should have had another penalty for handball.

If anyone was at fault today officiating wise, it was the linesman in front of the Reading fans. It didn't matter in the end, but an offside should have been given ahead of the corner for their goal, and if the ref didn't see the handball alluded to above then the Lino certainly should have done.

All a bit salty from the Villa fans above, who cannot bring themselves to give us any credit for just their 3rd home defeat this season. We're used to this though, particularly from the club's who are perceived to be 'too big' for this league. Fortunately their biased opinions cannot stop us in our promotion quest.

[genome]

I mean, it's understandable if we were playing a little within ourselves ("negative football"), considering we lost SEVEN ONE last weekend!

[CountryRoyal]

I mean, it's understandable if we were playing a little within ourselves ("negative football"), considering we lost SEVEN ONE last weekend!

Imagine that, losing to a team that lost 7-1 last week.

How embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing as having Alan Hutton as your most influential player.

[Jackson Corner]

As usual the fallen giant can't take being hammered by little old Reading. Would be nice if just once someone would say something nice about us.

[CountryRoyal]

As usual the fallen giant can't take being hammered by little old Reading. Would be nice if just once someone would say something nice about us.

Who cares? I actually like it. It just reflects so much worse on them. Since when has "the team we lost to were so shit" ever been a remotely good thing. Like yeah well done that just makes you even more terrible.

Proud of our negative footballing tinpotness.

[The Informant]

https://www.villatalk.com/topic/16362-ratings-reactions-villa-v-reading/

Reading added to the frustration, as did the referee. If Reading go up this season, they should come with a note of apology - this was as negative a side as I've seen in a long time (and I watch us) they were time wasting after 23 minutes at a point in the game where they weren't winning. I don't think I've seen that before - when they got their penalty with 11 minutes to go, I did worry there might not be long enough left for them to take it. Defensively their tactic seemed to be to grab hold of a Villa striker, wrap your arms around him and hold on for dear life until the ball went away - they did that all game. Throw in's took forever, goal kicks involved impromptu drinks breaks, there were conversations over free kicks, ours and theirs - it was incredible an incredibly negative, anti-football that ruined the game as a spectacle - although it did help them win, so I guess they'll be happy enough. Personally I hope they don't go up. Ever.

All of this basically. I've heard a few people say jaap stam is the kind of manager we should go for! Hahahahaha. If that is how you want our villa to play then so be it. Reading were an absolute joke today. And like you, I don't want them to go up purely based on today! It was everything football shouldn't be.

I'm not not able to accept the total nonsense that "Reading are a good side". We're Aston Villa ffs. We deserve better.

Reading were anti-football

They were amazingly open today- if they get promoted and if they play the same in the prem they would get hammered most weeks. Stam has done a great job given the budget, but for this side to be 4th shows how poor this league is.

There is a reason that our attendances are awful despite doing well in the league. The football we play is awful and uninspiring.

We are just getting used to playing so poorly as fans now so the slightest glimpse of decent performance we thing it's better than it actually is.

What we play is dull and the Villa fans, and most other fans are right in that respect.

It's stams first season though, i think we'll improve how we play next season with a few more additions.

Either way, we deserved the win yesterday.

[3points]

How many times in the past 2-3 seasons have we been beaten at home by teams that "come and do a job" - set up defensively, and score on the break, from a set piece or from a mistake? It's how most Championship games are played tbh. I've only been to two away games this year (Fulham and Brum) and we definitely haven't set up as a defensive unit - just think Stam sets up up the same way, home and away, and always tries to win a game - hence the number of times we've conceded three or more away from home

Just love the way how, so many times this season, we've won games and made the oppo look utter shite, but everyone says that's the oppo being poor and give us no credit for negating them in the way we play.

[From Despair To Where?]

I did enjoy the complaint about the poor standard of league, yet Villa have spent £70m and are 12th

Shambles of a club.

Thing is, they've spent £70m on 21 players and only James Chester, Neil Taylor and Tommy Elphick have any experience in the Premiership. If you spend £60m on Championship players, that's what you end up with, a Championship team.

[Sutekh]

I did enjoy the complaint about the poor standard of league, yet Villa have spent £70m and are 12th

Shambles of a club.

Thing is, they've spent £70m on 21 players and only James Chester, Neil Taylor and Tommy Elphick have any experience in the Premiership. If you spend £60m on Championship players, that's what you end up with, a Championship team.

Caught their WM phone after the game and as you'd expect from a club with their history it's all about them being a big club in a small pond and how it is expected to go up again next season (though to be fair there were a couple who said it would take a couple more seasons to get back).

Most actually said Reading deserved to win because Villa were bad and made far too many mistakes but worst of all didn't put up any fight. They rate Kodija and are worried they may sell him in the summer to some PL outfit. Underlying policy has been to bring in some leading Championship players e.g. Adomah, Hourihane, Hogan, Lansbury) and meld with the "stars" and promising youngsters like Grealish, Chester and Hutton etc. to make a formidable team but while there has been progress they are still a work in progress. Presenter was saying he reckons they need another major overhaul in the summer. Also that while Lansbury just floated about the pitch the Reading lad, Swift, was everything they were missing.

[RoyalBlue]

https://www.villatalk.com/topic/16362-ratings-reactions-villa-v-reading/

Reading added to the frustration, as did the referee. If Reading go up this season, they should come with a note of apology - this was as negative a side as I've seen in a long time (and I watch us) they were time wasting after 23 minutes at a point in the game where they weren't winning. I don't think I've seen that before - when they got their penalty with 11 minutes to go, I did worry there might not be long enough left for them to take it. Defensively their tactic seemed to be to grab hold of a Villa striker, wrap your arms around him and hold on for dear life until the ball went away - they did that all game. Throw in's took forever, goal kicks involved impromptu drinks breaks, there were conversations over free kicks, ours and theirs - it was incredible an incredibly negative, anti-football that ruined the game as a spectacle - although it did help them win, so I guess they'll be happy enough. Personally I hope they don't go up. Ever.

All of this basically. I've heard a few people say jaap stam is the kind of manager we should go for! Hahahahaha. If that is how you want our villa to play then so be it. Reading were an absolute joke today. And like you, I don't want them to go up purely based on today! It was everything football shouldn't be.

I'm not not able to accept the total nonsense that "Reading are a good side". We're Aston Villa ffs. We deserve better.

Reading were anti-football

They were amazingly open today- if they get promoted and if they play the same in the prem they would get hammered most weeks. Stam has done a great job given the budget, but for this side to be 4th shows how poor this league is.

There is a reason that our attendances are awful despite doing well in the league. The football we play is awful and uninspiring.

But that has become increasingly less true as the season has gone on and our players have grown into the way Jaap wants them to play. Some of the movement and quick passing in recent games has been sublime. That was also evidenced from some of the highlights I have seen of yesterday's game.

And anyone who thinks the way we play this season is awful and uninspiring must have had last season wiped completely from their brains.

It's also very telling that the BBC online reporter reckoned it was a great game to watch - that couldn't have been the case had we played as the Vile fans claim.

£12M on a player, £70M on the team and they are still 'average'. That's anti-football. No wonder they are bitter and twisted.

[Hound]

To be fair, I'd be pretty better if I was a Villa fan as well. Utter shambles of a club

Find it funny that spent 12 million on Hogan who has scored 1 for them I think, whilst his replacements at Brentford in Vibe and Jota are scoring virtually every game at the moment. Sums the club up.

[From Despair To Where?]

Bruce has inherited a mess but the return on last summer's spending has been poor. You spend £12m on a striker in January because the £12m striker you bought last summer is a flop.

It's almost like whoever was doing the spending last summer knew nothing about the Championship. Swift is the sort of player they need? We'll, he was playing in the Championship last season and we got him for nothing. Or Danny Williams. He's often picked out by opposing fans as a key player. If someone had offered £5m for him last summer, we would have bitten their hand off.

Tish was a massive gamble at £5m considering his experience and injury record and they've spent another £8m in January to replace him. Lansbury has made a career of just floating around, it's why he's never made that step up to mid table Premiership mediocrity. A really poor signing for a team with Premiership expectations.

[Royal_jimmy]

The funny thing is that Villa haven't learned from Derby, Fulham or Sheffield Wednesday that spending silly money on players doesn't guarantee promotion. Even Wolves who spent £12M on Costa are in the bottom half of the table. We've spent maybe £4m in fees on 11 new signings and look where we are.

Too many of Villas signings are overrated. It's no surprise teams like ourselves, Huddersfield, Preston and even Barnsley (who also won at Villa Park) who haven't spent much money are having a good season compared to them.

We've learned under the TSI regime that marquee signings don't work and upset the apple cart and often the team spirit

[CountryRoyal]

I can understand Villa fan's frustrations tbf. Even Kodjia, who is on course to the the first Villa player in donkeys to score 20 goals in a season (albeit at a lower level) does more harm than good. He can't play as a two and there's no other source of goals in the team so similar to Wood at Leeds they're very reliant on him, when he doesn't score, they don't win.

A lot of people think they'd be better served selling him.

[Woodcote Royal]

There is a reason that our attendances are awful despite doing well in the league.

Yep, this town is full of glory hunting twats who would sooner head to Wembley in their droves to watch a meaningless cup final than enjoy a successful promotion campaign.

They'd sooner pay to watch a home game against Leeds that was televised and would, therefore, have been available in many local pubs if they themselves didn't have Sky Sports, than turn up the following Tuesday to watch a less glamourous match against Blackburn that couldn't be viewed elsewhere.

As your views so perfectly illustrate, many in this town view anything they lack the capacity to comprehend or appreciate as awful and uninspiring

As others have said, despite spending a small fortune Villa have been nowhere near good enough to make an impact in what has been one of the most competitive Championship seasons I can remember whereas, 4th place "boring" Reading quite clearly have despite the rabid ignorance they have been subjected to by some who see themselves as supporters.

Have no fear, should we get promoted the Mad Stad will be full to overflowing with many of the local whingers complaining they can't get a ticket.

[muirinho]

I can understand Villa fan's frustrations tbf. Even Kodjia, who is on course to the the first Villa player in donkeys to score 20 goals in a season (albeit at a lower level) does more harm than good. He can't play as a two and there's no other source of goals in the team so similar to Wood at Leeds they're very reliant on him, when he doesn't score, they don't win.

A lot of people think they'd be better served selling him.

Off topic but - would he be worth buying if we went up? One up front is Stam's preferred style.

[WAZZOCK]

They'd be after £20 million - I'm out

[CountryRoyal]

I can understand Villa fan's frustrations tbf. Even Kodjia, who is on course to the the first Villa player in donkeys to score 20 goals in a season (albeit at a lower level) does more harm than good. He can't play as a two and there's no other source of goals in the team so similar to Wood at Leeds they're very reliant on him, when he doesn't score, they don't win.

A lot of people think they'd be better served selling him.

Off topic but - would he be worth buying if we went up? One up front is Stam's preferred style.

Absolutely not. Doesn't offer enough in his all round play. Besides sources I know at Villa claim the club value him as high as £30m which is the biggest pisstake going and really sums up how clueless the board are.

[muirinho]

I can understand Villa fan's frustrations tbf. Even Kodjia, who is on course to the the first Villa player in donkeys to score 20 goals in a season (albeit at a lower level) does more harm than good. He can't play as a two and there's no other source of goals in the team so similar to Wood at Leeds they're very reliant on him, when he doesn't score, they don't win.

A lot of people think they'd be better served selling him.

Off topic but - would he be worth buying if we went up? One up front is Stam's preferred style.

Absolutely not. Doesn't offer enough in his all round play. Besides sources I know at Villa claim the club value him as high as £30m which is the biggest pisstake going and really sums up how clueless the board are.

Bl***y hell - I was thinking about £10-£12m!!