Written by Damian Sunday, 28 February 2010 10:44
Morning all. I had a good night last night, not too many beers and a lovely meal in China Town and now I am searching for a greasy spoon somewhere near Euston station before taking the train North.
There will be very few updates from me today but if you are a registered user and not able to get to the game by all means let others know what is happening with the comments form below.
There is a rumour doing the rounds that Rooney will tart on the bench and if it is true, it is only Sir Alex preparing his excuses. We are going to win today, I just have a really good feeling about it.
So, I will not be here today, but I hope others will and the match post will also be a bit late, but we do have a bit of news today, so to get started, you can read about Martin O'Neill dismissing talk of him becoming the next Manchester United manager here and you can read about Sir Alex Ferguson taking a swipe at Manchester City here over them letting Richard Dunne leave.
But now, I need the greasy spoon and if just-dom is reading this, I hope your head is okay and if headologist is reading it, I hope you have a nice day, wherever you watch the match. AK, I will see you later and for everyone else, sing loud.
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VillaNick
said:
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... Last time we played Man U in a cup final I was on the 1st night of my honeymoon in Paris. I watched the game live before all the naughty stuff. I have the same good feeling about today, it's a one-off game and anything can happen. UTV |
Rod Bentley
said:
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... Sure am Good to see those who made it to the Sports Bar yesterday - I got out just in time  Good luck to the lads today, I know they'll give their all. I will watch surrounded by ManU fans so I'm hoping for a quiet smile come 5 o'clock. Let 'em know you're there! |
Andrew Buchanan
said:
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... As I prepare to leave for the game today, I am reminded of the famous words of Al Davis, owner of the Oakland Raiders: "Just win, baby." Up the Villa |
Devon Villan
said:
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... GUYS LIVIN ABROAD/DOWN UNDER re yestredays post about strugglin to get a TV link, I think that BBC iplayer will show the game. Go to BBC website, iplayer,tv,bbc1 programmes for today. Hope it works Wherever you are, have a great day today UTV |
Matt
said:
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... Come on Villa! Looking forward to a great match. Don't want to predict a score. I'm feeling unusually superstitious today. UTV |
Martin Clabon
said:
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... Rooney may "tart" on the bench but he will start on the pitch, no way we be so lucky as to avoid him |
Villatx
said:
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... If anyone is in Vienna I'll be at flanagans pub watching the game...I'll have my iPhone with me as well so I'll keep up some banter here on the site so stoked!!! UTV |
Michael
said:
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... i think man u will score an equaliser in the 120th minute - and then it will go to extra time im gonna go for 3-1 to villa after extra time, possibly a gabby hatrick. |
Paul Gough
said:
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... Rooney on the bench!!?? I'd say that just old rasher cheeks up to his usual tricks. |
GPalmer
said:
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... 1st of many trophies for Milner today? http://www.guardian.co.uk/foot...arling-cup |
Dan Clinton
said:
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... Still looking for a good stream link. If anyone finds one, kindly hook a brother up  |
marty
said:
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... the game is going to be on espn360 in the united states... so if you have att/comcast/verizon you can log on without any problems... if you live next to a college, than you can bring your laptop to the campus and log in and drive back home and watch it on your laptop! (just make sure to keep the window open and just reconnect to your homenetwork and it should work) sounds like a lot of work but I live less than 5 mins walking distance to cal state university of fullerton...go titans! btw i have never been so anxious for a villa match..... |
Chris Harper
said:
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... On the way to the final on the official coach in a big convoy.about half hour away now!!:-) let's all cheer the lads to victory!come on villa,do us proud!! :-) |
Nathan Price
said:
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...http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast....art=sports Anyone looking for streams click above, if you cant make it to a TV with either BBC or SKY on it. Cant wait for the game now. I just hope at the end we're proud of our team, win lose or draw we can hold our heads up high and say we're privileged to be Villa. |
Nathan Price
said:
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... http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast....art=sports Obviously you cant click a quote, try this one instead. |
johnnybear
said:
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... GuangDong sport(UUsee PPlive PPstream Tvants),that's the only steam I can find in China  |
Bob Bhowmik
said:
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... If anyone's in Dubai a few of us will be in the Underground at the Habtoor Grand!! Come on the Villa Boys!!!!! |
Michael
said:
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... off topic - sky sports have got milner down as a defender when talking about the england squad - wan*kers. bet theyll be gutted if villa win aswell. |
Taylor
said:
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... villa to win 2-1 after going 1 - 0 down in the first 10. milner and dunne to get the goals! |
fastbackace
said:
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... team news: starting 11: big brad, warnock, dunne, collins, cuellar, capt petrov, milner, downing, webcam, emule, gabby. obvious 4-4-2. |
fastbackace
said:
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... gabby blasted past vidic on a over flick pass by young i think... vidic grabs jersey in the box. gets the pk... no card though... |
fastbackace
said:
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... bertov gets tackled by dunney, ball lands at owens feet... and he puts it away... cheeky basterd. 1-1 |
fastbackace
said:
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... it almost looks like the same team playing each other. playing style is very similar... with us playing some specific high up field passs... |
Lordmuppet
said:
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... yep i'm up and watching. Didn't sleep last night as didn't want to take the chance of sleeping through it |
patrickg1
said:
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... Going to be a tight second half. just hope we get the breaks, because if we play like we can we got the beating of them |
woody
said:
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... WHAT IS UP WITH THIS f**kIN REFEREE, if he's scared of fergason he needs to get sone F****** balls! |
Simon
said:
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... so far so good, Manure have improved certainly, but villa look dangerous so its all 2 play 4. prewdiction 2-1 villa 90+1 minute |
david c english
said:
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... did we have a shot on target? can't really complain the better team won, on to the FA cup and maybe luke young will get his place back |
Graymo
said:
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... Does anyone else get frustrated by Gabby's childish body language. When he doesnt have the ball he just stands there with hands on hips then flaps his hands around when his team mates fail to pass the ball to him. He should concentrate on getting into space and making runs off the ball. |
Steve Badger
said:
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... The better team won  I'm going to have to think about this, but my immediate impression is we totally failed to play to our strengths. No pace and the tempo was far too slow for my liking. (sarcasm mode) But we held the ball well for decent periods, keeping possession. MOTM Valencia closely followed by 3 lung park, who I thought was excellent. |
david c english
said:
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... can fault King Carlos BUT he shouldn't be playing over L. Young, i also found it quite funny as we seemed to be trying to pass it through midfield today rather than play our usual game |
scott harwood
said:
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... gutted we were the better team imo,we got stitched up with a terrible decision.85 mins against 10 is a totally different game.i blame damo i think the players must have listened to him because we kept the ball and try to pass it too much! hope mon can get em up for next week.we didnt deserve to lose 1 bit! |
fastbackace
said:
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... what can one really say... thats what happens when they have a talisman. that one player everyone fears, the rooney, the torres, the fabergas. all guys who have beaten us this year. hope mon will buy that 30 mil player. |
david c english
said:
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... but however we played i think although although united had a somewhat depleted side it was always going to take a superhuman effort to beat them, although i did start to dream a bit when we got the pen, and if Vidic had gone (like he should of) who knows? |
paul
said:
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... Proud of the lads today. Its obvious we lack a bit of quality compared to Man U, but we made up for it with effort and its just a crying shame that you cant get a fair ref against Man Utd. Everyone knows he bottled sending off Vidic. Sometimes you have to bang on the door a few times before you get in tho, and we still have the FA CUP this season to go for.  |
david c english
said:
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... we didn't embarrass ourselves though, just a pity we got united and not anyone else |
Simon
said:
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... like i said, i'd sacrifice the Lge cup if we could win the FA cup  . Respect to the lads, only gripe, wish Delphe was used in last 20 |
scott harwood
said:
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... dowds has sent 5 manure players off this season and fergie apparently said what do u expect its phil dowd!! enough said the ref bottled it!!!another win for alex ferguson! |
Anthony Laud
said:
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... gutted!!! how the f**k did vidic not get booked for the penalty at least. he would have been off after his 2nd yellow!!! |
Simon
said:
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... Should Mun U have been down to 10-men after 5-minutes? the letter of the law says if you are the last man, off you go. So how come he didnt even get a yellow? Its not sour grapes, just a question based on the laws of the game  |
Simon
said:
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... Badger The ground was severely watered making the going slow, so i do not think you can blame the lads. SHIT, IF A 20-SOMETHING WING BACK GETS CRAMP AFTER 75 MINUTES, IT MUST BE TOUGH |
Steve Badger
said:
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...Should Mun U have been down to 10-men after 5-minutes? Of course they should, that goes without saying. But I wasn't bothered, as we saw what happened when they went down to 10 at VP. Man U attacked and defended better, simple, imo. Never mind though, we're on a learning curve and we'll be back. |
Simon
said:
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... soz, hit the caps button by mistake, but that is understanable considering the amount i have drunk, and the night is young  |
david c english
said:
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... i'm not unduly upset, if it ended up 5 - 1 (which it easily could have been) maybe i'd have been more pissed of, i'm just wondering if this game means a shift in mon's long-ball stance and we are going to see more passing through midfield |
GPalmer
said:
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... We played as well as we could - great effort all round. The difference was summed up a minute or two before Rooney's winner. Ash got in the box and instead of single-mindedly going for goal, he looks for a penalty. When Rooney gets a chance, the ONLY thing on his mind is scoring. That's all we need to be in there winning trophies, someone who wants to do nothing but score. This game sums the problem up - so near yet so far! They're not better than us as a team, they won because Rooney has more confidence than any of our strikers. |
Martin Clabon
said:
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... I just had to console my seven year old daughter who was crying, I told her: We are Aston Villa: We have won the league Seven times We have won the FA Cup seven times We have won the double We have won the League Cup 5 times We have won the European Cup We have European Super Cup We are a founder member of the League Aston Villa versus Everton is the most played fixture in English top-flight football. We are one of seven clubs that has played in every Premiership season We invented the league - the first ever non cup competition in world football We hold the record for goals scored by any team in the English top-flight, 128 goals We have won the FA cup and league on same day We have provided more England players than any other club We are a club with honour We have the greatest history of any club in world football bar none and we are rising again There wiull be plenty more finals in the near future. We did what we could and it was not quite good enough. Be proud of the team, we are on the verge of something exciting |
richie
said:
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... watched the match this morning at a pub in chicago--lots of villa support sporting claret and blue. liverpool v blackburn was on at the same time and all of the scousers were still cheering on villa. shame they couldn't lift the cup. good match. rooney was clinical, but villa played well. hope to see us do better in the FA cup, and for f**k's sake, let's take fourth! -richie |
Steve Badger
said:
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...Badger I've taken that into account. It was 63 minutes actually and I'm not sure it was cramp. It looked like he strained his ankle. I've also said a few times that Ash should go for longer studs when it's wet. We tried to be too clever, knocking it around and keeping possession. Imo it cost us any edge we might have as their midfield is at least the equal of ours. We played way too slow and let them set up their defence every time we were attacking. The way to play them is play fast and direct, so their defence gets caught out for lack of pace. Allow them time to position themselves and you'll always get what you saw today, which was pretty much total control as in a CL game. We never really looked like scoring from open play, imo and that was the difference. I thought Gabby and Heskey played pretty well too, so it's not as though you can put the blame there. Same old, same old. We need someone who just scores. And I'm not blaming anyone. If anything, I'd point the finger at MON. But given the way I think we're progressing, I'm not going to do that either. As I said, WE'LL BE BACK, of that I have no doubt. |
Martin Clabon
said:
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... Badger, Man U were slightly the better team, but only slightly and only because: - They did not get a player sent off after 4 minutes - They did not get at least one other player sent off during the game - They got a number of dubious decisions going their way - We made a couple of errors in defence which are really uncharacteristic - They have, and I guess this is the big one which trumps all, an unbelieviable player they could bring on I can't begrudge Man U the game too much as they showed class where it mattered but it could so easily have gone our way But now is the time to be strong and act like men. We are on the way up - all will be good They defended better than us? Maybe if you take in to account a couple of mistakes on our part but overall every time we got at them they looked shaky, 10% more belief for us and perhaps a burgeoning belief that Man U are on the decline and that was our game |
arsene wenger
said:
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... cramp can be caused by the occasion,pressure and nerves, in cup finals cramp is much more regular anyway i just wanted to say unlucky ,im sure you should now focus on fourth because its what you really need andits well achievable for such a good team |
oscars arse
said:
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... Disappointing to lose considering the start and no way would the ref have sent Vidic off - other way round most definately!! The main thing is we contended. My main gripe is that Cuellar is not a right back and he is prone to giving the ball away cheaply in that position what is wrong with Luke Young? Would prefer to see him at RB with Cuellar and Dunne at CBs Still plenty to play for hope the lads can be lifted. |
Martin Clabon
said:
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... Badger, take care, you are in danger of stepping in to the wrong camp. MON is not to blame here |
Daniel Wilson
said:
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...... Well said Sid, great game today, very evenly matched and could have gone either way. We lost to a very good Man U team with a lot of experience in these situations. Yes Vidic should have gone but as Dunne said in a post match interview, Man U with 10 men would have probably performed better anyway just like at Villa park. Very proud of our lads tonight, they gave there all, Milner was brilliant, and we competed and made a good game of it. Anything could happen in 90 mins and they pipped us in the end, no disgrace. Still an excellent season and move chances for silverware beckon. |
Nathan Price
said:
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... Man for man we matched them all over the field, with one exception, Rooney. My only critism would be with Cueller, I dont think he has the ability of a RB and his defending suffers when he is RB. He didnt even challenge Rooney for the header, and some of his passing was pretty appalling. I'm not blaming Cueller though I just think Young maybe would have been a better option going forward and is still a top defender. Overall though I thought we were very very good. We matched them for possesion, we just lacked that killer pass in the last third. I wish would could have gotten our pace to attck the wing back abit more too, Rafael looked suspect and Neville is about 56 years old, Webcam and Evra was a good even contest. Im gutted but proud that we played well and were unlucky (ref didnt want to get a card out for a united player). We'll be back, FA CUP Final lads! Lets keep positive. |
scott harwood
said:
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... i agree with badgers sentiments about trying to pass too much.maybe the criticism from press and other managers is starting to get to the players and they are trying to be too clever.direct football with pace is the way to go if it aint broke dont fix it! damo the team did what uve always spouted and we lost. |
Steve Badger
said:
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...Badger, take care, you are in danger of stepping in to the wrong camp. MON is not to blame here Sid, I have no doubt whatsoever that he set those tactics. My missus was moaning about us passing back and even (correctly) pointed out that MON was telling a player to pass it back. I'm not blaming MON, but I just think we played into their hands today. Too much f**king around, when the ball should have gone forward much faster. I think it's actually why Emule had a decent game imo. He gets plenty of the ball because he plays as a midfielder, whereas he should be getting in the box on the end of stuff. Of course he's not capable, so it makes him a liability imo. But like I said, I wouldn't say he played badly. It's just that he doesn't do it in the right area for me. I think you're starting to fall into the Damian camp mate! They defended better than us? Definitely. They looked composed, defending in high numbers whereas we looked a panicked shambles, imo. |
Rattus NorVillicus
said:
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... Gutted like a Fish Done up like a Kipper Squashed down like a Sardine Fed up like a bloater. But we'll be back Up The villa !!!! |
McParland
said:
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... Just watched the game on tv and for the first 25 mins villa were great causing them all kinds of problems and the reason for that was they were driving at them.However when they scored we seemed to sit back more and invite them onto us .I personaly can not understand that type of negative thinking or style of playing much prefering the saying *best defence is an attacking one*.A good few today were not up for it on that showing but that said united deserved the win if only on genune goal scoring chances from open play they must have had 15 to our 1 and rooneys goal was worthy of winning anygame so am looking forward to him playing in the world cup. My marks out of 10 would be 6 with the added comments need to try much harder if you hope to reach the FA Cup Final. UP THE VILLA. |
Stathis
said:
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... Guys it wasnt meant to be tonight but this wasnt the only chance of silverware we have, agree with others! UTV nevertheless, im proud we came all the way to the final and we can only look ahead to better things! |
Nathan Price
said:
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... James Milner was man of the match for me, who got it Valencia? I only realised he was playing when he crossed for Rooneys goal. Milner was exceptional, he is turning into one of the best players in the league. Pure Class! |
McParland
said:
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... OH i almost forgot the ref was either a MU suporter or a tosser make your own mind up on thatone. |
Martin Clabon
said:
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... Yep, would have preferred Young at rb as well but the manager has to make decisions, it's tough for him and easy for us. In fact it was Dunne and Collins who made more mistakes than Cuellar but overall it was a bit of luck and a bit of brilliance we missed. Overall, I am disappointed but this is not like the 01 Cup Final against Chelsea where we gave nothing. We could easily have won this. W are now a decent team and who knows, may ecome a top team in the next few years We will see |
VillaNick
said:
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... I wish MON had stood stronger and played Young at RB and not Cuellar. I also wish he'd gone for Carew instead of Heskey. Will he never learn? Trying to keep Collins or Cuellar & Heskey sweet by accomodating them at the expense of the team can't be right can it? Oh well, still the FA Cup. UTV. |
Steve Badger
said:
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...Overall, I am disappointed but this is not like the 01 Cup Final against Chelsea where we gave nothing. We could easily have won this. W are now a decent team and who knows, may ecome a top team in the next few years Absolutely Sid. I'm gutted same as you, but this is just the start of a run imo. |
African Lion
said:
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... dunno what to say except shattered. But ( sour grapes) Vidic by the rules of the game should have gone..... |
Sasa
said:
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... We were done by the better side. If we attacked we could've been spanked, if we sat back we either hold on for pens or get beat like we did. We've got a great chance in the FA Cup but sod's law we'll get Chelsea in the final. One things for sure though, the fact that Emule Heskey played in a Villa cup final makes me sick, he did nothing as usual. |
JG
said:
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... Proud of us today the first half performance was excellent especially when we were attacking with pace, as we know we can. Gutted, but think and hope that this will make us even hungrier to do the business in the FA cup later on. Felt bad for Dunny - he's been a rock, but could could see he didnt take his mistake well. Lets hope he doesnt carry that with him, because we need him. Talking of attacking at pace, Ive been watching Downing closely the last couple of games and Ive not been very impressed. Whenever we attack and the ball comes to Downing, he stops, and the opportunity goes begging. Has anyone else noticed this? He just doesnt seem to have a sharp enough mind to be able to make a quick decision about what to do with the ball. "Pass to him? No, Pass to him. No. I'll run a bit. Ooops, the defence have caught up with me now. Bugger." He is not decisive or incisive enough. Maybe its a lack of confidence, but you see him spotting perfectly good runs an decides not to play it, thinks again, and then loses the chance. I would hope with more games he can improve this, because I think today that a few of his poor/slow decision-making instances were the caalyst to usslowing down our play and marked the end of us playing sharp fast football in the fist half. Also makes me wonder how he is in the England squad and Ash isn't.... On a positive note Milner gets better and better all the time. What a player. |
VillaDude
said:
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... - Cuellar needs to partner Dunny at the back - Young at Right Back - New strike partner for Gabby - Defour as a summer signing to bolster centre mid Let's hope MON keeps improving the team... |
proxopera
said:
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... Enjoyed todays game apart from the result obviously. Proud to be a villian on this performance and like the mature way everyone on this post is taking the defeat. Thought everyone played well but to be critical , I think Petrov's engine is starting to fade and i'm sure Downing , for all his talent' will never win a 50-50 tackle .But that aside , Rooneys goal , for technique alone , was as good as messi's in the champions league final. Roll on the fa cup. |
Martin Clabon
said:
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... Badger, quite right, although I think you are a bit harsh about the defence, we made a couple of ealry mistakes we paid for but after that ok. Having said that I have had a few Desperadoes tonight so need to watch the match back as I may have missed stuff Can't argue with Villa Dude too much, a cultured central midfielder and a top CF to make us a really decent team. Easier said than done but last summer we were talking about need to rebuild, noone thinks that now, this is a really decent squad |
Martin Clabon
said:
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... Paul McGrath my Lord, agree Milner did well, just wish he and a couple of others pulled the trigger a couple of times instead of passing. I did think Valencia was good though, he had to help out Raphael a lot who was really under pressure I thought Gabby did well again, a threat and an outlet, got the ball a couple of times with no one any where near him to support and I just though Jesus this guy is having to work hard. We have seen him go away and fix stuff over the summer before and if he can do the same this summer with his composure and finishing he will be a top CF. Having said that it is easier to go away and bulk up than become a great finisher but I have no doubt he will come back a better player next year than this. I can't work out whether he is better off going to SA or concentrating on sorting his game out. |
david c english
said:
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... it would have been nice if young would have stayed on his feet a bit more rather than looking for a foul every time someone brushed past him |
George Templeton
said:
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... Bitterly disappointed for Aston Villa but proud of the boys for a representing the club well and the fans who were there for great support. My chin is up because this has still been a great season for Aston Villa up to now and fourth and the FA Cup are still there for the taking. This experience will make Aston Villa better in the long run. |
James
said:
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... Gutted. I'm going to stay away for a while, as I'm concerned I will not cope well with any bullshit thrown the way of our great team and our great manager. We were beaten by a good side and a great footballer. Deal with it and then we move on. Be good to one another. |
Steve Badger
said:
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...Badger, quite right, although I think you are a bit harsh about the defence, we made a couple of ealry mistakes we paid for but after that ok. Having said that I have had a few Desperadoes tonight so need to watch the match back as I may have missed stuff Never mind those desperarados, I'm sure we've all been there today I (as usual) will highly value your opinion after another look. I'm happy to admit I might have got it wrong. That's the beauty of footy after all The Cuellar argument tickles me. He knocked an easy one out, but followed it up with a cracking touchline pass a couple of mins after, which had me saying out loud "what a great ball". I suspect it'll get overlooked by most though. I said in a recent blog that I expected to lose this one. It was more about experience in top level games than anything. Our time will come, no matter what some posters on this blog think imo. I don't like team ratings, but I'll post my thoughts for people to rip to pieces. Freidel 6 Two decent saves that I would expect him to make. Should he have saved Rooney's goal? Undecided for me. Cuellar 6 Got caught for pace a couple of times. Warnock 6 Made decisive tackles, but didn't show much going forward. Dunne 7 Usual Stalwart performance. Collins 5 Looked out of sorts today. Downing 5 A couple of decent balls, but overall decidedly poor. Milner 7 Worked his balls off as usual. Ash 6 Poor by his standards, but at least he didn't try to claim as much as he usually does. A plus point for me. Petrov 7 Borderline brilliant/shit game as usual but worked hard, imo. Emule 7 Worked hard and kept the ball (strike threat 3). Gabby 8 Worked his balls off |
john doyle
said:
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... just got back martin cost us the game with playing his pets again we would have won if young had played full back and carlos in the middel look at the goals collins was ball watching for them both just look at the replay he never sees owen or roony he is just ball watching the team has no shape without young at full back calos just cannot pass the ball 5 yards i feel sorry for him he is good at canter half but rubbish at full back ashley should have been taken off ashe was rubbish he has had 2 good games inthe last 20 and is downing afraid to tackel after his broken leg its time to wake up martin and drop your pets or we will finish up with nothing again |
Martin Clabon
said:
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... Sasa, have a word with yourself Again, may bt the Desperados but I thought Downing did well today Also, Collins not up to usual form but in that case must be same for Dunne who gifted first goal? Not criticising at all but by comparison - also agree Carlos sometimes looks like he can't pass then suprises you with a couple of good ones. Not sure Brad could have done anything about the goals Any way, still to close to it and a bit pissed to say anything sensible so will call it a day Keep the faith y'all |
Martin Clabon
said:
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... Oh yeah, Petrov, get the feeling he will wake up one day and be past it, his game relies on work rate and just making it to the ball which he mainly does at mo, if he loses a yard of pace he will go from great to a liability - how long left? That really is it now |
Steve Badger
said:
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...must be same for Dunne who gifted first goal? I think you're probably right, on reflection. It was sharp work by their mug (I forget), but Dunne was the better defender overall imo. |
AVFC 4 LIFE UTV
said:
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... i was there today and i was gutted, yes vidic should have been sent off but oh well collins was very lucky a few minutes after. i thought ash young played well. at the end of the day we are behind a long list of teams beaten by united in a final- we lost to united who have the best player in the world in rooney imo- evven though he didnt really do much. overall im not happy with the result but thought we got beat by an all round better side than us- we put up a big effort and lets try and win the fa cup! Think positive UTV |
colin badger
said:
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... well all i can say is that im proud of the team, we were playing against the top team in the country and one of the best in the world and gave them a good game. yes vidic should of been sent off and it did change the course of the game, even more annoyed as o dowd wanted to book as many villa players in 10 mins as he could. didnt think the playing surface helped our game but it was the same for both sets of players dont forget. we have to remember it was most of our teams first final and towards the end it showed towards the end as dont think we could of handled extra time if we did get the draw imho. as for the tactics, we didnt play to our strengths with our pace and gabby ran and stretched their defence horrid for the first 30 mins but seemed to forget that in the 2nd half as think we showed them to much respect. im sure if there is stats available we had more crosses going into the box but the quality wasnt there. |
frem
said:
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... villa boys did there self proud. it was hard to see are lads gutted after the game because we deserved to win. i just hope this result does not affecet us for the season. well done villa. |
tim1707
said:
 |
... just got back in from wembley, great day out. Maybe I never expected us to win, but I always thought it would be a close game, maybe just having that thought is evidence of the fact that we are moving forward, perhaps albeit slower than most would like. You never know maybe this result will put more of a hunger in the players bellies, still more trips to wembley up for grabs this season. Heads up. |
Aaron Wilson
said:
 |
... Its extremely sad when our most consistent players of the season fail to play to their abilities. And when our most composed players, who never EVER make mistakes let the pressure get the best of them. Its not just sad for the fans, but for the players themselves. They worked their bollo*es of to get to the final, and they deserved more. I was almost brought to tears, not just because we lost, but because the players i love had let themselves down. I purely just feel bad for them! Anyways, let this be the memory that drives them on for future success. I think their nerves will be calmer in the next final we reach. It was their first time at Wembley after all. Lets just hope we can fix it with the FA Cup. UTV! Onwards an upwards! |
marty
said:
|
... This lost really hurt... The ref had a nightmare of a game and our backfour were so nervous in the beginning. I really wish that oneil played luke young over collins because young is better. I honestly dont think they would have gotten back into the game if dunne didnt gift them the first goal and just put if out of touch. He would have any other game but the cup final made him super nervous. The midfield looked like they were having a great game and even heskey did well in the beginning. -The effin Ref- Wow, that foul by vidic was a red no matter what and the commentator said that he didnt want to ruin the cup final. Well, I cant even believe that he didnt even get a yellow card. If that was James Collins who brought down Rooney you would have been dame sure it would have been a red. I was screaming for a red but knew I wasnt going to see one. (When I saw who was the referee I was truly shocked and knew that it wasnt going to be a good night) I cant be to mad because park ji sung looked amazing and the fact that I was born their makes me a south korean national team diehard... Well, we got to keep on going strong for the rest of the season.... I love all you guys and remember we are the mighty villa... How does everyone feel to lose to a team 600 million in debt??? Teams shouldnt be able to get themseleves into that kind of debt... |
John Clark
said:
 |
... A tough loss, but a good performance, and I'm proud of the lads. A bit gutted, but to be honest, I thought it was always a big ask to play Utd. three times and expect to beat them twice. 1-1-1, with the loss, naturally, having to come in a cup final. But it was a cup final. The experience will be invaluable, and the team can feel they were in it and gave a good account of themselves. UTV |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...But it was a cup final. Spot on. Onwards and upwards Come on Damian, what's your view ????? |
Peen Vageen
said:
 |
...Nanwasafan said: thats the most sense i've ever heard on here |
david
said:
 |
... Have found myself agreeing with most things said on here today.(apart from Sasa who is a somewhat unreliable witness!) Feel gutted for Dunne who has given us so much this year already. Each of the back 4 made at least one bad mistake but he was unlucky that his happened to end in a goal. I reckon that he has the sort of character that will not dwell on his mistake but use it to come out even stronger next time though. I can't think of any manager I'd rather have to lift the players again after this. Let's face it, the next couple of weeks are going to be critical now.....err...have we ever heard that before? |
Martin Clabon
said:
|
... r0bb0, spot on. Impressed by how most fans have reacted on here, expected a shit storm whih may still come. Do Villa take it on from here and come out stronger or are they shattered and fall to pieces with season fizzling out? I don't see a repeat of last season - we will see |
neil-bangor
said:
 |
... watched on TV Vidic red obvious Glad to see all your reactions. The ref was most at fault. Roo is superb. I said to my scouse supporting friend that he would score the winner. We must be positive. With Cech out, it is ours to win. Milner was brilliant UTV |
neil-bangor
said:
|
... There will be no repeat of last season. Apart from Gabby, this is MON's team. We have a very strong squad. Have faith UTV |
david
said:
|
... It was good to hear the Villa fans in good voice again. Up until Utd scored I assumed that the Wembley acoustics meant that you could only hear the fans around you. It turns out that they are just not the greatest fans and are simply....quiet. |
david
said:
|
... Sid, Next weekend's going to be a big test. Time for us to win a game in March methinks! Let's get that monkey off our back for a start and then I think we can start confidently building again. |
frem
said:
|
... it has been a great reaction from villa fans. the result today has seemed to make us love villa even more. |
Steve Badger
said:
|
...I can't think of any manager I'd rather have to lift the players again after this. Oh, I'm quite sure the likes of Martinez or Mancini would do a much better job. You people know who you are |
david
said:
|
... Anyone know when Phil Dowd is next due to officiate at Villa Park? Let's start thinking of an appropriate way to greet him. Four horses just outside the centre circle, one tied to each of his limbs and heading for the four corner flags is my preferred choice. |
John R
said:
 |
... Well done the lads today no disgrace in losing to Man Utd. I did think after they scored their first goal they would sweep us aside but our defence stood tall and weathered the storm. Im always reluctant to criticise the ref as it might seem to be looking for excuses but he made a shocking decision in not sending Vidic off, where does it say in the rules that it might destroy the final. Next week we have the small matter of an FA Cup quarter final. All of this shows just how far we have come under MON. Hope everyone got home safely from the match. Keep the faith. UTV |
Simeon
said:
 |
... Having read Sasa's comments, I'd say he's spot on. The comment about us getting spanked if we attacked was especially perceptive. Our defensive record this season is as a result of playing very defensive football. Man for man, our defenders this season have been inferior to those we had last season until Laursen's career ended. Today's game was surprising in only one way, and that was Vidic staying on the pitch. But then when one pauses for a moment and remembers that he's a Man Ure player, suddenly it makes sense. If he is sent off, it's a completely different game. Well, not quite true, because we'd have still sat back and tried to defend for 85 minutes. But there's a pretty good chance that Man Ure fail to score, as they failed at Villa Park having been reduced to ten men. And so we hold on for a flukey 1-0 win. But today O'Neill's luck wasn't in, and so we lost. The players should be credited with working hard (as usual) today. But I'm afraid that, as Sasa said, we were beaten by the better team. What brings disgrace on this club is that the team who were better than us were worse than mediocre. Man Ure might be one of the top teams in Europe in the absence of any decent competition, but in absolute terms they are a poor side. Kusczak might be a reasonable keeper. Rafael, one day, might become a half-decent Premiership player. So might Evans, though the chances are he won't. Vidic, when his head is right, is a genuinely quality defender, but today he was very poor. Evra is a good player, if unspectacular. Valencia is solid, but uninspiring (not ideal for an attacking wide player). Carrick is a terrible footballer. Fletcher will run and put himself about, but nothing more. Park was by far and away Man Ure's best player today, and played well above his usual, mediocre standard. Berbatov was a joke, though marginally less amusing than Heskey... Owen scored a good goal, played as well as I've seen him play for years, and yet was still poor. Rooney looked like a man with flu, though inevitably his goal that we presented to him perked him up. And this motley crew were more than enough for us. What is ridiculous is that our strongest XI, the XI that played today, are, man for man, much stronger than the XI Man Ure put out today. And yet we were decidedly second best. Ridiculous, but not surprising, because we've seen it all before. But as I said, the players worked hard. It's not their fault. Heskey worked hard today, but he's simply a poor player. I feel the same way as Sasa. I feel sick when I see Heskey in a Villa shirt. But it's not his fault. It's the man who signed him. Downing worked hard and tracked back, but he played poorly because he doesn't have any quality. Milner worked hard, but he looks out of form, and being brutally honest, he doesn't have the ability to be our midfield inspiration. It's unfair to expect him to be. Ashley Young has been out of form for a year now. He's got bundles of talent, but he's playing poorly on a consistent basis. He's still working hard and tracking back, but today his attacking play was dire. He can produce so much more, so why isn't he? The defence today looked shaky, as it often does. Collins was exposed on numerous occasions. Warnock is a decent left-back, but England fans who watched today will be hoping that Ashley Cole is fit for the World Cup, that Bridge changes his mind, and that Leighton Baines is somewhere near as good as Everton fans like to think he is. And poor Carlos Cuellar, our best centre-back, must be wondering why he is having his international ambitions undermined by his manager who insists on playing him out of position. Dowd was a disgrace today. There is no debate about it. He is either inept or a coward. But how ironic that our manager should make a fuss about Dowd's decision today when he's been making worse decisions over a sustained period of time. As a Villa fan, I know which man I'm more angry with. |
Sasa
said:
|
... Dunno why Sid and robbo are highlighting my post as a negative response. I say it how I see it, I'm not some blind Villa mug. The first 15-20 we nailed them, they got the equalizer and it was obvious that MON would go for ET and pens. I can't blame him as in the final the result only matters and even though we've taken 4 points off them this season they have still managed to put us under immense pressure. Heskey was absolute gash as usual, always taking a touch away from goal and crying on the floor. Anyway I'm not downhearted, never went today but did in 2000 and I'm happy we gave it a go unlike the stink we produced 10 years ago. I enjoyed our passing in the first half today, carried on from Palace game. Hopefully we will see more of this floor passing as we will destroy most teams playing like that in the PL. As for Vidic not being sent off, r'ber we're still in the FA Cup because of an incorrect decision and the teams we've drawn in the cups have been favourable. Beating United today would've been a bonus, winning at Reading next week is imperative. I fancy us to get to the FA Cup final. |
MrsS
said:
 |
... Not going to talk about the game - other than to say disappointed but proud. Want to have a rant about the totally inept logistics in getting to and from the main car park at Wembley. Went on the Villa coaches - well over an hour and a half to get out of the car park, loads of coppers hanging around but absolutely no-one supervising the traffic ..... Spent all that money on the stadium but not a thought for the approaches. Should have bull dozed the lot down ... or better still, built the national stadium in The Midlands. Ok, rant over. |
keith
said:
 |
... im disappointed, but the fact that im disappointed just shows how far we have come. the fact that i expected us to turn over man u speaks volumes of the progress we have made. so now an fa cup final and a top 4 place. proud to be villa |
Devon Villan
said:
|
... Nanwasafan spot on. Man U are a good side and Rooney if he keeps up the form will help us go far in the WC. We played as well as we could I think. When 2nd half Utd defence dropped to their 18 yd line, they nullified our threat In agreement with most on here, I would also have liked LY at right back for the attacking threat he offers, Carlos is a top notch CB but hasnt a clue with ball at his feet going forward. Lack of confidence and wants to play it back to Collins/Dunne every time. As an aside, was interested to hear Southgate say 'they dont spend much time in training on technical things...' Did you hear that also or were my ears playing tricks? Well, we HAVE TO spend time on these vital bits from now on; the crossing, the 1 on 1 situations against the keeper.. Please dont take the above as a moan; I am proud of where we are and what has been achieved; I just want MON and JR to put the finishing technical and tactical touches to a good work in progress to take us to the next level UTV |
tubbydunne
said:
 |
... Chin up Richard Dunne you have been our rock this year and you put life and limb on the line again today. The silver ware that you deserve isn't far away. |
Lordmuppet
said:
|
... sad day but i'm happy with the performance. Villa! Our defenders seemed determined to get sent off first half though. Like a competition for who could make the latest slide tackle. |
rodin
said:
 |
... What a wonderful final that was today.Great effort put in by all of our players.But,can't believe that Dunne could commit a blunder like that in the most important game of his career,and for us this season so far.Also,I'm upset about the way we conceded the second goal too,6 villa players in the box whereas they had only 2;and,having said that rooney manages to head the ball into the back of the net. Hopefully,we will have learnt from this game,and be better prepared in the FA cup final,which we have a very good chance to make it,and win, as well.In ending,i so wish we buy a player like the likes of torres,rooney,fabregas etc. who can just turn the game around like they do. |
TopherAVusa
said:
 |
... Really glad to see the overall positivity of the post on here! I've seen some ignorant negative post on a couple of other sites. Still feel this is the best Villa fan site on the web. Losing sucked today, but I feel for the most part hopeful. I feel we really went out and played a good ninety minutes of football. We went blow for blow with the biggest side in football and just barely came out under (I thought we almost had an equalizer when Dunne made that last minute lunge). Both teams played hard. I'll take it As far as Vidic, eww, I keep watching the replay..its tough..it looks as if he did come around Gabby before pulling him down. Definitely should of been booked. I can at least see the gray area for not sending off. I think Villadudes suggestions are right on. Cuellar is Dunne's best partner hands down. Not sold on Luke Young but better in the RB spot. Heskey and Carew are not going to give us anymore than we've already seen. And no, I'm not going to blast MON for playing them, if he feels the kids like Delf are not ready for the big show yet I'll respect that. Like the looks of Oscar Cardozo from footage I've seen on youtube. Much more athletic and goal hungry. |
Chris Paine
said:
 |
... I thought I'd be bitter if we lost but I feel totally content. We could bitch and moan about Vidic, or Dunne's blunder, but in the context of it all we were beaten by the best football side in England, if not the world, and it took a piece of brilliance from the world's finest footballer to make the difference. I think Martin O'Neill got the best out of his players and the players got the best out of themselves. Petrov work himself into the ground and I thought Agbonlahor was just splendid today. Aston Villa's community can be proud of itself today and of its manager and its players. We put on a real show in a game of real quality and we didn't quite get there. That's life. We take the loss with grace and with dignity, and we move on to our next challenge. The players will benefit from the atmosphere and the experience. The loss will drive them back towards Wembley again soon - with a strong chance still in the FA Cup. Pride. I think that's all I have at the moment. I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm not bitterly disappointed. Of course I was at full-time, and I'd love to have won, but there has to be a losing side and against Manchester United the odds are against you. Well done lads, you did us all proud. CP. |
Rattus NorVillicus
said:
|
...Villa 3 shots on goal...United 9....Says it all doesnt it!! I think you could add we played well and it was a good match. We definitely competed in my view. |
Lord Vogra
said:
 |
... Well said CP, i like you thought i would be more gutted than i am at the moment, this would have been much worse if we lost against lets say a Bolton or Championship said. Don't get me wrong i was devasted at the final whistle, but i could see how the game was going, we lacked that little bit extra in attack. Vidic should have gone in all fairness, and i think he would have it wasn't the case the game was a couple of minutes old. So to sum it up, gutted....but proud... UP THE VILLA |
Andi
said:
 |
...Villa 3 shots on goal...United 9....Says it all doesnt it!! it says exactly that, Villa played well we have been undone by a "professional" ref who's interpretation of an event was incorrect. Yes that would have changed the game, we matched them. The ref gave us nothing but yellow cards and gave them gentle caressing of their over inflated ego. The standard of ref's is shockingly poor but it only seems to happen against the big four ! Coincidence I think not !!! For all those who are considering banging on about tactics, formation of playing personal save you breath everything was spot on apart from the officials and you cant beat the system when the system is flawed. Well done to all those villains that travelled down and made it to Club 2000 good pre match drink, I met gordon cowans in there Shame about the result be we can hold our heads high we didnt let our selves down. Just the FA Cup and 4th it is then boys all is not lost |
john doyle
said:
|
... why is every body blaming dunne foe first goal he won the ball bask after his mistake if collins had marked his man insted of ball watching owen would not have scored same for the second goal just look at collins he never looks up to see his man for both goals he just ball watches carlos should have been center half and young full back then we would have won we lost only besause of bad team selection as usual the pets must always play for martin |
Andi
said:
|
... Just reading back the Vidic incident, If the ref gave a pen which he did then Vidic had to be sent of as he was the last man and it was judged that he brought the man down hence the penalty. To the letter of the law Vidic should have walked ! I believe on Saturday a similar incident occurred and the player who committed the foul walked !! Why not Vidic ?? Because the FA, league whoever can blame inconsistent referring when the real reason is to KEEP ONE of Englands biggest attractions, football teams, institutions bunch of glory hunting tosser's in the limelight so to prevent the crippling debt they have from dragging them under. There is no other explanation Dowd has give decisions before and is not known for being on the UTD payroll so why such, in ref'ing terms, a school boy error ?? Last man foul, we know it was a foul cause we got the pen, so red card simple !! You cant win when your fighting the system. |
John Samuels
said:
 |
...Villa 3 shots on goal...United 9....Says it all doesnt it!! I don't think that 's quite fair. Most of our attacking play comes from out wide and what we may consider a very good piece of play and a chance might not result in a clear shot on goal. We played with intent, we mixed short and long ball and at times were passing the ball around with the zip and confidence that Man U were. People are blaming Collins. I could put together a highlight reel of many excellent headers, blocks, clearances and last ditch tackles from yesterday. He worked hard and played well. Maybe Cuellar is a better CB? I think we would have struggled in other ways as there is no one to play out from the back and distribute the ball without Collins in the side. We were unlucky, lets be honest, they hit the post twice and could have won more comfortably. We are getting closer and had the referee done his job, that may have been the little bit of luck we needed. Wasn't to be. It's easy to be judgemental in hindsight. I suggest only those who feel they could have genuinely gone out there themselves and done a better job should be allowed to criticise and the rest of us will stay positive get behind the team and make sure this is what makes us kick on and not another end of season capitulation. |
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