Much was made of ‘bannergate’ in the run-up to this afternoon’s match, as our friends on Geordie Shore continue to have trouble forgiving those who ‘celebrated’ their relegation at Villa Park in 2009. The only banners on display today were sprinkled around the away end as the Magpies expressed their feelings about their embarrassing excuse for a director of football, Joe Kinnear.
Newcastle made an impressive start as Villa appeared disjointed in their first Premier League outing since August 24th.
After eighteen minutes, claret and blue cravings for a clean sheet were dashed when loan signing Remy, who was making his first start for Newcastle, weaved past Lowton and crossed the ball from the left wing for Cisse to flick on to danger man Ben Arfa, who shot from close range to give his side the lead.
Having seemingly recovered from an earlier knock, Okore limped off the pitch on the half hour mark, forcing Lambert to make his first substitution and adding to Villa’s woes.
Villa looked scarily sluggish and weren’t helped by a disciplined Newcastle defence that managed to surround Benteke every time he found space.
In the 41st minute, Krul somehow spilled Lowton’s cross into the path of Clark, who had replaced Okore, but the Irish international’s shot was much too tame and hit the side netting.
Just before the break, Westwood’s sensational pass offered Weimann a great chance to level the score but the Austrian’s wastefulness only added to the frustration.
A subdued Villa team, and its supporters, came to life as the second half got underway – but the frustration continued: Agbonlahor fluffed a decent chance from six yards before Guzan had to make a super save to stop Ben Arfa from doubling the visitors’ lead.
Seconds after deadline day signing Kozak replaced Karim El Ahmadi, Villa drew level as Krul failed in his attempt to clear a Westwood corner. Benteke was on hand to head the ball into the unmanned net, cancelling out Ben Arfa’s opener, much to the delight of the increasingly impatient home fans.
With Villa in control, and an obese, shirtless, presumably intoxicated fan rallying the troops in the Doug Ellis Stand, dubious defending cost Lambert’s team dearly six minutes after Benteke’s bullet header. While Ben Arfa advanced, the defenders seemed to back off. Although Guzan saved Ben Arfa’s shot, Gouffran was able to score from the rebound.
Villa looked fairly dead in the water from that point forth, although Delph had a half chance to equalise. As Villa Park emptied, Tonev came on from the bench and the visitors could have added to the two goals they had. In the end, those two goals were enough to secure three points.
Lambert’s lions whimpered rather than roared today and they will need to sharpen their claws ahead of next week’s trip to the manager’s previous club, Norwich City, as Villa are now without a win in three games and without a clean sheet in twenty-seven.
Is it only me who thinks that Lambert has no plan B. It was clear from last season that we needed a better central defensive pairing. Not certain that Vlaar is good enough. We also need a good quality, hard, defensive midfielder who is able to pass to someone in our shirt.
How many of the team have the same problem as I do,understanding what he says?
No use moaning we had hard luck against Chelsea and Liverpool, Newcastle will be whipping boys this season, so where does that leave us. 2 Six foot 7 forwards will not stop us shipping goals.
whipping boys!! look closer to home muppet, Ant and Dec should have played at the back for you, our 8th win at villa park in the prem lge, two clean sheets this season…we know all villa fans are not as brainless as you!!
Good luck for rest of season
Just desperately disappointed in today’s showing.
No defence, gave the ball away so many times, sloppy passing, where do I stop
Hated the boos though – would never boo my team..
3 excellent performances before today, but came home tonight feeling ” just like last season”.
Can’t think of when I last left Villa Park on a Saturday afternoon feeling good.
Don’t know what we need but it was not there today.
You could be a bit more positive. Have you been taking the doom and gloom pills floating around the Toon?
Ya think?? It’s a good review of a grim game so what positives did you take from the game? Share and cheer us all up. Apart from another fairly decent game from Delph I couldn’t find any and am still depressed.
On to Norwich, atleast Lambert has an added incentive to gee the lads up.
Disappointing, both the performance and result. Simply not good enough.
The boo’s (Kevin Saunders September 14, 2013 at 21:20) are the result of a build up of frustration by supporters who have turned up in good numbers, week after week following Paul Lambert’s arrival, supporting the team through thick and thin, yet still witness the same sub-standard home showings, the same failings, and the same problems that we have experienced since day one.
Whereas in the past supporters have pretty much kept their feelings to themselves, I think that this latest showing was one unacceptable offering too much. What is it now? A mere five home wins in twenty attempts since Paul Lambert’s arrival?
It’s still early days of course, but the warning signs are very clearly there. There’s no balance, no creativity, we are still woefully weak at the back, and Benteke apart we possess very little genuine quality.
It’s definitely worrying.
Very very amusing. The Villa fans who allowed the NUFC-hating media to think for them to the most ludicrous extent – to the ridiculous levels of bulcing eyed frothing at the mouth celebration of a team that had no axe to grind with them (oh, but we do now) and little animosity with, have for the past 2-3 years tried to make excuses for their despicable behaviour on that day, trying to downplay it, and pass it off as what it was anything BUT. Vindictive, spiteful and beyond all natural reaction. We Newcastle fans expected no “pity” in 2009. No going easy on us. We expected to be mocked. Whjat we got was WAAAAAAAY beyond that – it was vile, brainless over the top celebration. You wouldn’t have acted like that if you’d just relegated Birmingham FFS.
Beyond disgraceful, and you’d made enemies out of fans who’d never done the same to you, and were baffled at the spite.
Clearly you were so fuc*ng moronic, you let the press do your thinking for you. Do you worship at a Mick Dennis altar ? You were even QUOTING him, your fans were so dense. (“delusional” – this of a club with a 50,000 average. WAY beyond yours – while bottom.
Promoted with a 45,000 average. Need I say more. Clearly I must, because you need the press to think for you……
The funniest and most spectacularly ironic banner today simply read “Holte End the Twelth Man”. Really?? Get a grip.
One game lads, one game… a lot to prove and plenty of time to prove it!!! all you northern wallys on here… its over.. 3 points heading your way, we’ll see now in the return fixture!!
Deja Vu,Deja Vu. This is no better than last year. One great result v Arsenal but that was papering over the cracks. Ron Vlaar is average at best it can’t be a coincidence that we can’t keep a clean sheet and he is at the heart of the defence. Baffling to me that Ciaran Clark is only a benchwarmer these days I really think he is a good player. Don’t like Lambo’s scattergun policy of buying several foreign players when the NextGen lads like Carruthers and Grealish are palmed off out on loan I think they are at least as good as players like Bacuna and Helenius.
Last year we won 3-1 at Liverpool and everything looked rosy in the garden. We then went on a 8 game without a win run in the league. This year we win 3-1 at Arsenal, it looks like same again. Hope I am wrong definitely need at least a point against Norwich otherwise the season already looks like it could be a repeat of last year.
I travelled to vp yesterday to watch my beloved villa,firstly my tickets were’nt ready for collection as requested,next the spectacle that unfolded in front of my eyes was quite rancid,now in my minds eye i had seen a fairly comfortable win(i don’t know why)in front of a vibrant noisy villa park,it was quite the opposite, the place was like a fuckin morgue,and the team played as though they should have been in one!i mean i knew newcastle were shit,but we made them look like brasil ffs!! very very poor ……!!! the bells dont seem to be ringing too much at present !!!
for me we play too narrow and have no idea how to break down teams at home.
once again we show frailty in defence and little creativity.
what has happened to weimann and lowton!
second half lowton looked totally fucked and unfit to me.
once again home supporters are suffering.
we need width in the side !
delph for me was ok cant say that for many others yesterday .
re Phil k…..
First of all , your the only club in Newcastle so the attendance should be high you plank, and every pissed up Geordie uses this , personally I couldn’t give a shiny shit about your club as all you lot have ever done is whinge about everything.
I think you flatter yourselves about villa and Newcastle becoming enemies because of 2009, we don’t really care.
Shocking performance. That’s the worst we’ve played since January. But I’m not worried. We play 6 top sides in our first 9 games. It was always going to be a horrible start. In the 11 games after that we only play 1 top side. We should be able to build some momentum.
I’m backing Tonev to break into the side soon. I think he can do a lot to address our lack of creativity. He’s not a classic Özil type, but he is certainly going to commit defenders and offer a goal threat.
First trip to Villa Park in 5 years, may be another 5 years before I make the drive up from down south again!
The first half was as bad a 45 minutes of football I think I have ever witnessed. Fabian Delph is the only man to come out of yesterday with any credit, the lack of hunger and urgency is worrying to see. Players make mistakes, miss placed passes etc from time to time and that’s fair enough but to keep making the same mistakes over and over again is poor.
As a couple of other people have mentioned the atmosphere was so bad I could hear crisp packets rattling at one stage! WE NEED A SINGING SECTION AND FAST.
Newcastle are no great shakes but they didn’t need to be, surround Benteke when balls are floated up to him and guess what that’s all we’ve got (at home). Playing on the break is fine away from home when teams are coming at you but if we keep up this style at VP our rubbish home record will continue.
Had a feeling we wouldn’t do to well this game. This is because we have had 3 weeks off with only little Rotherham in cup as our only game. Next week against Norwich we will do better.
Poor finishing an poor defending. Gabby taking that chance with his left foot was mind bogglingly stupid! Lawton not following the path of the ball for their 2nd was equally bad. What was he thinking? As for the gloating Geordies on here I predict you will struggle this year! Putting your faith in the French and inviting Joe ‘the buffoon’ Kinear on board will wreck your club boys! CABA