Get A Cuppa & Join Us In The CSKA Match Thread

sergei ignashevic

Surely Harewood should have started tonight...??? It doesn't look too bad a team we've got out tonight.

The two young lads are doing well. i have a feeling we might just nick this one.... jaysus they nearly scored there.. right ill shut up now.

harewood on for second half. This would be so funny, come on The Hare, make yourself a legend!

Nevermind. We've got some right good'uns for the future in Guzan, Bannan, Albrighton and The Fonz. OK the Istanbul dream is over, but lets get behind the boys for the final push in the league. The pressure's on but they need our support!

Controlled both matches, that's funny. They had 6 on target in the first match and 8 tonight. We had 8 in the first match and 3 tonight and until their goal they were struggling against our second string. Proud of them tonight, and 2-0 was unjustified but that's what happens when you take your chances.

chelsey, you're a mug :)

The fairytale didnt happen for the lads but its not all doom and gloom. Least we gave it a go and the kids got a great european experience. Nobody expected the win tonight, lets be brutally honest. Just hope man city lose now!

Chelsey you are making me giggle. Keep it up son, you'll end up on stage. It's why I love football, 40,000 people can watch the same game, yet there's always one muppet who wants to gloat and attempt to wind people up. I've proud of the youngsters today, our future is very much bright and I love the fact CSKA struggled against the second string.

CSKA Moscow 2 Cheats 0. Not the team, but the club. It does not matter if a majority of fans feel that MON is right. There remain a substantial number of fans who feel you give everything your best shot, and even if some players need resting you still go strong. I agree fully with the suggestion you should not be allowed into the UEFA Cup unless you agree to go strong which would need to be defined in some way, but would at least rule out Villa' approach to this match. If we are 7th next season, we are meant to turn up to roar Vila on to come 6th or 5th and qualify for the UEFA Cup. But why bother. We will never know anymore if we are cheering our team on to get something deemed worthwhile and important to the Club, or something which might be prioritised as unimportant. Every Villa game has always been important to me. Others may be more fanatical than me, but I've watched them on most of the grounds across the country in all 3 divisions, and several Euro fixtures away. Many may disagree, but a substantial number will feel short- changed. Why bother is the message that is sent out, and even the logic of resting players does not hold with me. Zak Knight and Curtis Davies are hardly going to have been rested having been in a backs to the wall action in which Zak has had to try getting the goal as well as defend. With Laursson out and Cuellar injury prone and Davis already struggling recently at Everton, then the centre of our defence needed resting as much as anyone. They would certaiinly have been more rested with a stronger team around them. I am less than impressed and said as much in the pre-match threads. I am not an after the event merchant and as I have said elsewhere it was even possible we could have won in Moscocow with this team, and it is equally possible we will not win at Vila Park against Stoke with our rested players back. I fully expect and hope we do, but that is not the point. The point is some of us think we should try our best to win every match and feel let down. We have cheated the competition. What was the point of all that slog from July. I know a lot of fans have the answer - glory be to the Champions League, but there is a principle here for some. Every game counts. I don't pick and choose, and neither should Villa.

Play fair Chelsey, with the game itself you're the only one disappointed on here because the mighty CSKA couldn't beat our reserves 5-0. lol

Lets move on and not get wound up. Whats done is done. Its champs league or broke now. Gabby to score against stoke. Come on villa

Our biggest failure tonight was in creating chances, Bannan and Albrighton were very effective wide but the lack of strength in midfield - despite Gardner having possible his best game this season - never gave them the chance to really break or attack often enough. Sadly when the Hare came on we went too much route one which took Delboy, Bannan and Albrighton out of the game really which was a shame. CSKA were better, but in context they were better against our second string who still caused them problems and with a bit of luck we could've had 2-3 goals ourselves - yes the flipside CSKA wasted more chances themselves. The first match though, we were all over them and should've come away with a clear 3 goal lead. Their best chance was their goal in the first leg, we spooned so many others outside the equiliser it was frighting. Tonight on the balance we did deserve to lose, but not by a two goal margin. The result would've been more reflective of the actual performances by both teams if it had been 2-1 to CSKA. What is evident though is O'Neill made a huge mistake in not bringing some 'normal' first team options for a final assualt in the last 20 mins. We were crying out for a little creativity, or calmness in midfield at the end - a Barry, Petrov or Young would've provided that and it could've changed the game. But I enjoyed the match though, we were desperately unlucky in the first leg to not come away with the win but I loved the attitude of the youngsters tonight. I'm disappointed in the manner we went out, but not in the performance and it's because of the performance I can't be angry tonight. I hope we see those youngsters far more often before the season ends.

We were out played in an attacking sense and there were 3 or 4 time's where I honestly thought our defence had been told to be *****. Our younguns did well but they're clearly a long way off, maybe with the exception of delfy who has been better than Marlon at least. CSKA were better but chelsey I think you're wrong about the gap, they were marginly better than our reserves and would have had a very tough time tonight if we'd even just had our 2 cm's in never mind full team. Just encase anybody still had any doubts, tonight's performance cleared it up for Salifou. He's properly rubish and he wont even try.

Is it just me or is Sidwell playing shocking?? He was probably our worst performer last night when he should have been grabbing his chance!!