9:40am Monday 9th November 2009
By Marc Iles
GARY Megson condemned a performance he described as the worst of his two-year tenure at the Reebok — but backed both himself and his players to come good again.
The fuming manager pulled no punches as his side shipped five goals at Villa Park, sparing only Jussi Jaaskelainen from a verbal volley after the final whistle.
The Finn prevented a cricket score with a string of fine saves, and was one of the few positives taken from a torrid afternoon by the Whites boss.
“It wasn’t an acceptable at all,” Megson said. “We were a yard slower at best, Villa were stronger and had more desire than us, and they played way, way better.
“That obviously the worst we have played this season but I would suggest it’s as bad as we have been for two years. It was a poor, poor performance and I think the only person who can come out of it with a bit of credit is the goalkeeper, who has done terrifically.
“We never gave ourselves the chance to win the game. We didn’t have one redeeming feature about the way that we played.”
Wanderers had been second best all over the pitch, yet it is in defence that Megson clearly has the most to worry about.
The side are conceding, on average, more than two goals per game, which in the manager’s book will land them in hot water, come the end of the season.
“At the moment we are averaging a point a game, and if we carry on like that, we’ll be flirting with the relegation zone,” he admitted. “We have got to start shaping ourselves against the sides we are going to be in and around throughout the season. We are where we are and we have to improve on it.”
Despite gaining some encouraging results in what looked a difficult October on paper, the speed at which Wanderers’ results have deteriorated has heaped some unexpected pressure on the manager’s shoulders.
Megson has twice in the last fortnight found himself criticising his side’s performances, and while he now has a fortnight to mull over the latest defeat, he has urged all connected with the club to keep a cool head.
“The pressure and the questioning will come from outside the football club,” he said. “No-one was talking like this when we played against Chelsea because we played ever so well for the first 45 minutes and had someone sent off.
“You were taking about being ever so unlucky against Manchester United, and yet results change the whole game.
“From our own view, we have to accept that results are what they are at the moment.
“When we went into October — and I know this is the beginning of November — we knew we were playing these clubs.
“We managed to turn Everton over at our place, been to Manchester United and got beat, as most do, come to Aston Villa and got beat, as a lot will do, now we have got to circle the wagons and get on with it.
“We have been here before and come through it, and we will do it again.”
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