Quote Originally Posted by westcountryvillain View Post
Did the players have a chat about who would be the worst pen taker and stitch up Bruce? Whelan FFS - even Bruce isn't capable of such lunacy surely - no doubt he will say Whelan was man enough to take the kick under pressure
Goodness knows what was said at half time for after playing pretty well in the first half they were all at sea in the opening ten minutes of the second half. Villa could not get possession during that time. It only got worse with players seeming to wander around in a daze allowing Preston to gain the upper hand instead of getting stuck in and marking more tightly. With a man short one did not need to guess what was going to happen because of the way they were playing. It is extraordinary that a professional footballer with all those years experience behind him should make such a hash of a penalty. Without the accredited Captain being on the field one wonders how it is decided who should take these kicks. On this occasion I hold the players totally responsible for the result and not the Manager.