Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: Dave on January 12, 2016, 09:36:28 PM
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Well done them.
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Yesssssssss!
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Getting 3 fucking points has never felt so good.
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Here here!
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Get in!
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We...we just...oh damn, what's the word again? We antilost.
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Come on you Lions
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What do I do?? How do I react??
YYYYYEEEEEESSSSSSS!!!!
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Yes!
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Well played Garde. He's proved his point to Lerner, now let's hope he gets the backing he needs.
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Is it still 3 points for a win?
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Well played Villa.
Man, it feels good to type that.
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yes yes yes yes. Sounds like we actually wanted it for a change. Not fooled and suddenly thinking we're going to escape but we've won a game and that was the first hurdle, now to try and win some more. Ayew and Veterout are class and we need to keep Kozak up front.
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We actually played really well.
Top top marks for Lescott and Gueye. Fantastic.
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Veretout man of the match.A giant.
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GDS MY LORD
GDS
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Great effort. Too little too late but the players deserved that. To a man they didn't leave anything on the pitch. Kozac looked like he was going to keel over
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Well, that was better, very good team, and they all ran their nadgers off. I'd completely forgotten what this feels like!
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Deserved it. Fight, heart, guts, determination.
Make Lescott captain till may. Everytime he has that band on he grows as a player. They were all great tonight, Kozak unbelievably grew into the game when I thought he would be done by 60 minutes. But Lescott was superb all night for me.
Get in Villa. Get the fuck in.
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http://youtu.be/Y-lI_tgQMMk
Get in!!!
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First home game I have missed in years - due to car breakdown on the way home from a meeting in Rotherham - and we won ! FML.
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Yes yes yes! That was a really good display. Fully deserved. Veretout and Ayew were brilliant. Okore and Lescott did really well. Well earned Remi.
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Well done Villa.
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Beat Crystal Palace over two legs this season on the away goals rule! Get in!
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Lovely.
Wife is a Palace fan too, but I think she's secretly a little bit happy that Villa won and I'm not miserable as piss again.
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Has anyone heard the phrase "signed the wrong brother" lately?
He was great again today. A win doesn't change the fact that we're still going down, but we should do everything we can to build the side around him for the next five years.
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Is it 3 points for a win these days?
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What's that word? It means the opposite of shame?
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What are you supposed to do when your team has won? Any tips?
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I've no idea were that fight came from but show that spirit for the rest of the season and whatever happens happens, Lescott probably my man of the match for the goal and clean sheet but the whole back 4 played well.
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Feeling ever so slightly dazed.
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I think it's worth pointing out that Westwood and Bacuna who are normally slated both played very well today, if we can get them at that level every week they're decent players. Ayew and Veretout were superb, both have that gift of looking like they always have time, 2 very good players. Kozak was rusty but that's the best centre forward display we've seen all season.
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Has anyone heard the phrase "signed the wrong brother" lately?
He was great again today.
If only he'd put that late effort away after beating all those defenders, would have been goal of the season contender. For all teams, not just us!
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Veretout man of the match.A giant.
He had some competition for a change.
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Veretout man of the match.A giant.
He had some competition for a change.
I agree with Veretout, a smidge ahead of Ayew. They all played their part though. Bacuna 2nd half was superb.
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On the train at witton...happy and shocked...!!!! Yesssssss
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Perhaps the events on the weekend has affected them.
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Amazing what a rocket can do - Remi has a go at literally everyone at VP - The board and the players, and we finally get that win!
Still going to be an impossible task, but belief could start creeping in if we somehow manage to beat Leicester at the weekend.
UTV!
ps. Jordan Ayew - Take a bow son. You left nothing on the pitch.
EDIT - All the team actually. Even Bacuna and Westwood who played their part too.
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Veretout man of the match.A giant.
He had some competition for a change.
I agree with Veretout, a smidge ahead of Veretout.
Praise indeed.
(edit - you and your swift edits)
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Bloody hell a win and a contender for goal of the month!
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Has anyone heard the phrase "signed the wrong brother" lately?
He was great again today. A win doesn't change the fact that we're still going down, but we should do everything we can to build the side around him for the next five years.
no were not!!
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i went to wake up my 6 year-old before thinking better of it. Not sure what I'm supposed to do now. Only just stopping feeling physically sick. that league table looks better now - double figures! Its the hope that will get us. I'm actually looking forward to the next game now. Thank fuck for the 3 points.
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Fucking hell we've won a game!!!!!
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If we win Saturday I may start to believe we can do the impossible
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Thanks be to Fuck, Guzan was in goal for Palace.....
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To pick out the highlights, veretout and ayew were exceptional, cisokho was pretty flawless as well. Gana was back to himself. There isn't a player I would give below an 8 tonight. Bunn deserves to stay in until further notice
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I have just finished a victory dance, that was a mash-up of Footloose and Flashdance.
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Veretout man of the match.A giant.
He had some competition for a change.
I agree with Veretout, a smidge ahead of Ayew. They all played their part though. Bacuna 2nd half was superb.
We looked like a team, imagine that? A team. Us.
I'm absolutely buzzing.
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Deserved it. Fight, heart, guts, determination.
Make Lescott captain till may. Everytime he has that band on he grows as a player. They were all great tonight, Kozak unbelievably grew into the game when I thought he would be done by 60 minutes. But Lescott was superb all night for me.
Get in Villa. Get the fuck in.
Yep we fought really hard. Maybe Remi is finally getting through to them. I like that Richards look extatic at the end of the game. That showed that he might care.
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A victory,brilliant!!!!!!!! And a bit of luck at last!
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First home game I have missed in years - due to car breakdown on the way home from a meeting in Rotherham - and we won ! FML.
Please never go again!
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Just so surprised we have won a league game, feels a bit strange after all this time.
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We actually played really well.
Top top marks for Lescott and Gueye. Fantastic.
We did. And Bacuna, yes BACUNA: he had a stonking 2nd half especially. Fair play to the guy. Well done to Remi & the 11, they finally did us all proud. Have a great evening folks, I'm off to the boozer to celebrate for once. Love to you all. UTV!
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OH AND ITS HI HO ASTON VILLA
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Veretout man of the match.A giant.
He had some competition for a change.
I agree with Veretout, a smidge ahead of Ayew. They all played their part though. Bacuna 2nd half was superb.
We looked like a team, imagine that? A team. Us.
I'm absolutely buzzing.
And a clean sheet. I'll say it again. A clean sheet, as in no goals conceded.
And the fans sounded in magnificent voice, I have to say.
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Well done boys after the weekend it would have been easier to dissappear up their own arses but just great to come out and give it a good go well done
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I have just finished a victory dance, that was a mash-up of Footloose and Flashdance.
Mine was better. If i Had worn a white suit you would have thought I was Travolta
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Get in!!
Thoroughly deserved.
That's probably the first time this season I can wholeheartedly say that every player really bust a gut. Everyone did the shirt proud tonight and put in a proper shift and we fucked the fuckers.
Bunn had a comfortable night.
Bacuna I thought was quite shockingly pretty immense in the second half. Why can't he play like this every week? He actually looked like a defender too.
Okore is nervy at times but he did well.
Lescott was top class. It's the sort of display you expect from a leader in the backline and something we need to see from him more often. Without question I think our best partnership is he and Okore.
Cissokho had a solid game.
Gana had his best game in months.
Westwood had a good game.
Veretout was quiet in the first half and excellent in the second. He also ran himself into the ground.
Gil. He was lively first half. Second half he didn't influence things offensively quite as much but what I will say for him is that the little guy worked his bollocks off chasing and harrying. It's not normally his forte.
Ayew. I bloody love Ayew. The guy has heart. I'm actually getting a little moist eyed typing after today. This is a Villa side we've seen today. 11 guys who earnt their crust. Ayew lead by example. He's our Rocky Balboa. He just keeps going and going and never stops trying. 85 minutes having run himself ragged all game and he then almost runs through 4-5 Palace defenders to score a worldy. What a player. I'm gonna miss him in the summer and I'll miss him more than I'll ever miss Benteke.
Kozak. Thought he did alright. He showed some good movement in the box at times. There were signs that he could be the striker who will find space in the box and get us some goals. He's not the best player but one thing I really like about Libor is that he works bloody hard. He was dead by 70 minutes but he kept on going. Keep him in the side.
Well done Villa. Well done Remi. He got it right today and he got 11 players to give their all.
I also feel this response in part from the players themselves has come from just how intense the fans reaction was on saturday. I think some of the boys today realised there was more in their locker. That they were leaving the pitch with some gas left in the tank and they raised their game and it showed and it shows in the result.
UTV.
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What a strange feeling.
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Everyone - 10
WE WON!!!
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We did a goal for us.
We didn't do a goal for them.
We did a win.
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To think that dozy twonk Tim reckoned Veretout and Ayew were not good enough!
Well done everyone on that pitch, I said earlier 100% effort and a bit of luck and we might just nick it. Brilliant effort all round.
Credit to Remi for some brave decisions too.
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Actually very enjoyable that!
I agree with the comments on Veretout and Ayew. I thought the work rate from everyone was first class. I was expecting us to tire badly but we kept pressing and kept shutting down.
A point on Kozak. He's no world beater, but he held the ball up, made intelligent runs and what I liked a lot was some of the defensive work he did. He won a lot of headers in our own box and really helped take the pressure off.
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I would like to welcome Bunn. Our new first choice keeper.
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I'm crying a bit, it's like I've seen the rapture.
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We won. The goal was juicy. This may sound like saunders_heroes or coopers_injury but we still have a way to go. What a fucking feeling but!
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And they all look a lot fitter. Which helps
Vertout my MOM
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We actually played really well.
Top top marks for Lescott and Gueye. Fantastic.
We did. And Bacuna, yes BACUNA: he had a stonking 2nd half especially. Fair play to the guy. Well done to Remi & the 11, they finally did us all proud. Have a great evening folks, I'm off to the boozer to celebrate for once. Love to you all. UTV!
Leandro Cafu returns? He's been missing since the Sunderland game last season (or was it West Brom?? Can't remember). Please don't leave us Leandro Cafu.
Bacuna's earnt himself a sunbath after today.
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Need a lie down.
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Delighted with the fight shown by the team, not to mention some nice play throughout. Kozak should have cemented his place (assuming he can do two games in a week). I think Lescott and Okore, assuming his knee can handle it, should be our starting centre halves from now on.
This lack of complete and utter despondency feels weird.
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I'm crying a bit, it's like I've seen the rapture.
Did ye get healed?
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I'm crying a bit, it's like I've seen the rapture.
Me too. We need to man up I think.
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First home game I have missed in years - due to car breakdown on the way home from a meeting in Rotherham - and we won ! FML.
You may well be the unluckiest man in the world.
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To think that dozy twonk Tim reckoned Veretout and Ayew were not good enough!
Well done everyone on that pitch, I said earlier 100% effort and a bit of luck and we might just nick it. Brilliant effort all round.
Credit to Remi for some brave decisions too.
Wait for Sherwood to now be claiming those two are HIS signings
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Can't fault any of them today. Veretout, Ayew, Bacuna and Lescott were excellent, Gana made several superb challenges and interceptions and never let Palace find rhythm, and Kozak's movement and the positions he was getting into was very promising, just lacking a bit of match sharpness.
And was that Bunn's first league start? Looked solid and thankfully did not do what Henessy did for them.
I think the lack of subs was really telling. The starting 11 had worked their socks off, had deserved to be in front and Garde was saying he trusted them and only them to finish the job off. The Gil sub was just to eat up time on 90 mins.
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(https://imageshack.com/i/p8ZC8L6wp)
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Brilliant feeling. Whole team played well. Still think Kozak is a donkey, but seems to get into scoring positions!
Westwood, who I can't stand, had his best game in a villa shirt I thought.
Well done all
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First home game I have missed in years - due to car breakdown on the way home from a meeting in Rotherham - and we won ! FML.
I am sorry, but you know what you have to do. We cant disturb whatever caused the win today.
I am going to have to ask you to not attend any other games until we lose :)
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I'm crying a bit, it's like I've seen the rapture.
Me too. We need to man up I think.
I'm the same. Luckily I'm in the middle of a Sopranos re-watch, so will be watching Tony knock fuck out of someone in a bit.
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A point on Kozak. He's no world beater, but he held the ball up, made intelligent runs and what I liked a lot was some of the defensive work he did. He won a lot of headers in our own box and really helped take the pressure off.
Thats why we've said he should play!
WooHoo! 3 points!!
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(http://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?&id=OIP.Mfc19fbc6dbae23b404986483991a3a0fH2&w=300&h=225&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0)
Pardew wasn't looking well today.
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We won! We only bloody won! I think I might have something in my eye...
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3 more points on Saturday,we have a score to settle.
then "whos gonna bet against us"
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Brilliant feeling. Whole team played well. Still think Kozak is a donkey, but seems to get into scoring positions!
Westwood, who I can't stand, had his best game in a villa shirt I thought.
Well done all
I don't think you can call Kozak a donkey when Gestede is at the club. Kozak was excellent in the second half.
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We can but dream i guess......
https://youtu.be/MbsuAbTTsV8
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I told you that win at Ludlow by GARDE LA VICTOIRE was an omen. AND I was one of the 20% to vote for a Villa win on the pre match. Ye of little faith.
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What is this strange thing they call a win?
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Goal was a true classic
https://twitter.com/therealfanatix/status/687018159665246209/video/1
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Why has it taken so long for the management (Remi and Sherwood) to realise how much better Kosak is than Gestede. The guy was a giant.
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Why has it taken so long for the management (Remi and Sherwood) to realise how much better Kosak is than Gestede. The guy was a giant.
Ditto Bunn.
Sad to say but Guzan would have found a way to mess that up.
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I'm smiling after a villa game. I think my wife has just assumed I was up to no good using the match as an alibi
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A few guts burst on that pitch tonight.
A bit of confidence should help us look a bit more competent as well.
A couple of new faces, we aint dead yet !
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victory that owed much to our heart and of course a nice bit of luck for a change
thought our much maligned full backs were very solid, Lescott first minute aside led the defence very well. Gueye had his best game in months while Veretout and Ayew continue to show their class. Still had to rely on their keeper literally throwing in one for us tonight. Urgently need to get a better forward in. Thought for about ten mins after we went ahead that our heads went and we kept giving them back the ball. Settled after that and would have been great if Ayew had stuck that one away.
Huge victory for Garde. He has called them all out, board, players, everyone, dropped senior players the lot. He deserved the luck we got today.
Thought Palace were very average, as are most teams in the EPL when you really look at it. Wickham, Saha, Sako, Chamakh - awful each and every one
Bunn 6, Bacuna 7, Okore 5, Lescott 7, Cissokho 7, Veretout 7, Gueye 8, Westwood 6, Gil 5, Ayew 7, Kozak 6.
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Hopefully their confidence will be up as they know we can actually win a match....oh, and selecting the right players helps.
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Well done at last! Can the impossible be on? Beat Leicester on Saturday and who knows?
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If Carlsberg did Birthdays. .Come on me Babbies! !
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I really like Ayew and Veretout, but i think Gana playing as a defensive midfielder, and playing with much more energy and mobility than previous incumbents, made all the difference tonight.He pressed the Palace players really quickly, and effectively.
We played some nice football tonight, i believe we played the way RG wants us to, and as my learned friend Nii Lamptey said earlier, it would be nice if RG gets opportunities to improve the team this transfer window.
Don't think its any coincedence that Richards is out the team, and we look more solid defensively .
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I'm actually getting a little moist after today.
We all are Tom. We all are.
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If Carlsberg did Birthdays. .Come on me Babbies! !
Happy birthday! We fucking won you know!
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Yes yes yes get in you Villa Boys. Still got a chance of the European places keep it going. Fans hired to surround the team coach every week till the end of the season.
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OH AND ITS HI HO ASTON VILLA
I was singing that in my kitchen!
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I decided to check this as I wasn't completely sure myself. Just so everybody is clear, here is a useful link.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_points_for_a_win
Three points for a win is a standard used in many sports leagues and group tournaments, especially in association football, in which three (rather than two) points are awarded to the team winning a match, with no points awarded to the losing team. If the game is drawn, each team receives one point.
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Maybe it was that fan's team talk while getting on the coach at Wycombe , out the bloke and get him in the changing rooms for Saturday.
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Highlights on Sky now.
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Can't wait for our next league win in May.
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Like everyone concerned, utterly delighted.
Cannot single a player out for special mention, each of them deserve equal praise. Very very pleased for Remi, who looks a thoroughly decent fella. He deserves this and I hope he can instill some belief into the team. Winning is a wonderful feeling. What the hell, let's give it a go and we will see.
Thanks Villa, you've made my night X
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On sky two now
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Pfff, all these Ayew bandwagon jumpers. Look what this guy wrote second game of the season vs ManUre:
Ayew looks like he has something about him, if only we can find a way to unleash him properly.
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A CLEAN SHEET.
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Just heard Pardew, very complimentary towards us.
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I really like Ayew and Veretout, but i think Gana playing as a defensive midfielder, and playing with much more energy and mobility than previous incumbents, made all the difference tonight.He pressed the Palace players really quickly, and effectively.
We played some nice football tonight, i believe we played the way RG wants us to, and as my learned friend Nii Lamptey said earlier, it would be nice if RG gets opportunities to improve the team this transfer window.
Don't think its any coincedence that Richards is out the team, and we look more solid defensively .
Richards is too much of a liability positionally. At best he can come back in at right back if Bacuna doesn't keep this level up. History says he won't, but I hope he can keep it up. He was excellent tonight and I say that as someone who has found Leo incredibly annoying of late.
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Nice tweet from grealish posted on the bbc site.
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Just heard Pardew, very complimentary towards us.
Just about to post that. He said we worked hard, didn't give them much and deserved to win.
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Nice tweet from grealish posted on the bbc site.
Yes it is, fair play to Jack.
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Let's go fecking mental! Fantastic win, Palace are no mugs, there are much worse teams than them but we thought for everything, no major balls up, chased things down and got that touch of luck for once, I'm so happy, it's been a long time waiting for this win everyone enjoy it.
Does the escape begin in ernest? Come on.
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Nice tweet from grealish posted on the bbc site.
I hope Jack reacts in the right way when he gets his chance on the pitch. We need to see how much he cares where it matters. Gil showed a hell of a lot of workrate today. They're effectively fighting for the same position. Gil set the bar tonight. That's the sort of shift you put in, even if it doesn't necessarily come off as for as the finesse parts go.
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victory that owed much to our heart and of course a nice bit of luck for a change
thought our much maligned full backs were very solid, Lescott first minute aside led the defence very well. Gueye had his best game in months while Veretout and Ayew continue to show their class. Still had to rely on their keeper literally throwing in one for us tonight. Urgently need to get a better forward in. Thought for about ten mins after we went ahead that our heads went and we kept giving them back the ball. Settled after that and would have been great if Ayew had stuck that one away.
Huge victory for Garde. He has called them all out, board, players, everyone, dropped senior players the lot. He deserved the luck we got today.
Thought Palace were very average, as are most teams in the EPL when you really look at it. Wickham, Saha, Sako, Chamakh - awful each and every one
Bunn 6, Bacuna 7, Okore 5, Lescott 7, Cissokho 7, Veretout 7, Gueye 8, Westwood 6, Gil 5, Ayew 7, Kozak 6.
And therein lies a big source of frustration - the league is decidedly average this year, perhaps more so than ever, with some not very good teams such as Palace, West Ham and, let's face it in reality, Leicester flying very high.
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Goal of the season.
Pardew very complimentary on sky. Said we got stuck in.
Very good result given their away record
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I really can't see us losing for the rest of the season now we are in this sort of form.
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on a "good news day" is this when the board drop a shitbomb?
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From the Beeb
Aston Villa manager Remi Garde: "We suffered so much in the previous weeks and today we are very happy. Definitely the players showed pride and we deserved to win.
"We won only 1-0 but we created many good opportunities. We earned our luck by being very aggressive on the ball. We didn't sit back after we scored, we tried to score a second. We had a very good attitude.
"It was a nice feeling to feel the crowd behind the players, it's very important. We cannot be happy too long - we have to build on this one."
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I really can't see us losing for the rest of the season now we are in this sort of form.
9 to go.
;)
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Just realised Villa have won for the first time since my 3rd Daughter was born...she is 4 months old!!
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Getting into the players faces last weekend definitely brought a response from manager and players, that is the commitment we have been demanding from the players and should get each and every week. The forwards worked their bollocks off closing the opposition down quickly and forcing errors, the tackling was robust which helped the defence. Well done to Rene he called it exactly right and trusted the players on the pitch it would have been tempting to get fresh legs on but he showed faith in the eleven.
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It's been nearly an hour and it hasn't sunk in yet. Twitter is ace at the moment, it's like swaggering half-cut into a party where everyone is glad to see you.
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Thank you Villa I can sleep well tonight and I have a bit more faith in all of the squad after tonight. Relegation or not if they keep that up I'll be happy. Remi you are the man to turn us around.
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Crazy but all the previous hurt disappears with a win, amazing
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I shall henceforth refer to the space between Wayne Hennesy's legs as The Miracle of Villa Park. And it shall be written that that The Miracle of Villa Park was when the greatest fightback of any fightback ever began.
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Fuck me it was cold. But ace. May only have 28K there tonight but at times the atmosphere in the Holte was right up there with the great games. Fucking get in!
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Over the Moon but how the blue blazes was Gestede getting in ahead of Kozak?!
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Fuck me it was cold. But ace. May only have 28K there tonight but at times the atmosphere in the Holte was right up there with the great games. Fucking get in!
Thanks PWS
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The reaction of Bunn at the end pretty much mirrored mine in my living room.
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Result apart - and a flukey winner - I can honestly say without doubt that is our best performance of the season. Simply for workrate and desire alone. If these players had been putting in this much effort in every game we'd be, maybe not mid table , but in a Paul Lambertesque zone of safety.
Something has evidently not been right in the dressing room for a while. Perhaps its taken the fans abuse, and public airing of it, to shake things up and make the players aware, at very close quarters, that lack of effort is simply unacceptable?
A few notes:
Crystal Palace are a decent side and their defensive organisation is an example to the likes of us.
Kozac was poor. Yet still looked 2x a better striker than Gestede, for intelligent movement and ball control alone.
Quite telling that our centre back pairing looked better without (and I'm not joking here) probably our best player being left out. He simply isn't a centre back. I'd be very tempted to give him a try in Sanchez's role as DM. He can tackle, pass, drive, protect the defence and bully the opposition. I think he'd be ideal in that role IF he can adapt to it.
Short of that, fuck Hutton off and tell Richards to ignore his contract clause (alleged) and put him at right back. He owes us, his mistakes at CB have significantly contributed to our position. He seems like an honourable chap so I'm sure he'll oblige.
Gil was busy but needs to work a leetle bit harder.
Not over impressed by Bunn so far. Although he didnt have a lot to do tonight. GK a priority for next year.
Special mention:
Jordan Ayew - I slagged him off for the first month after his debut but since the Blues game he has been our player of the season by miles. Brilliant again tonight, he's quick, great touch, not afraid to shoot and his workrate is outstanding. If only we could have paired him up with Benteke. Theyd have scored close to 40 a season between them. One minor critisism - maybe he spends too much time outside the box to be a 'sniffer' type striker.
Any way , we won, too little too late and all that but I'm happy for once. Keep it up lads.
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Hearing my long suffering season ticket holder son on the phone walking away from VP was so brilliant, feeling so happy for him, for myself, for all of us.
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Yesssssssss!
Good morning. You deserved that. It was difficult to leave a warm house and make our way to VP tonight with freezing rain but.... YES YES YES
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Something to build on. Two games unbeaten!! Be great to bring in a player before the weekend. Good win but a long way to go. With that sort of fight, who knows what might happen?
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Over the Moon but how the blue blazes was Gestede getting in ahead of Kozak?!
And not3bad x
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Just realised Villa have won for the first time since my 3rd Daughter was born...she is 4 months old!!
Congratulations Wirral! Do you remember when we hit Sherlock Street a few years ago?
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Brilliant feeling. Whole team played well. Still think Kozak is a donkey, but seems to get into scoring positions!
WTF, He headed on, held the ball up, chased the defenders and put a shift in when defending.
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A thoroughly deserved win, well done Villa. We won not through any kind of technical ability but via wanting to win more than Palace, we worked harder than them.
Pretty embarrassed by the players throwing shirts into the Holte at the end. You've just done the bare minimum you twats.
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Hearing my long suffering season ticket holder son on the phone walking away from VP was so brilliant, feeling so happy for him, for myself, for all of us.
Fans at VP tonight were magnificent. The board and players need to realise that. It was fantastic to walk away with happy supporters specially the youngsters with their smiles.
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Just heard Pardew, very complimentary towards us.
Just about to post that. He said we worked hard, didn't give them much and deserved to win.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35296074 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/35296074)
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There was a moment, just seen now on Sky, in the second half where Zaha was proving difficult to dispossess right by our corner flag, and who was it who legged it back and took it off him? Kozak.
Much, much better work rate and fight all around tonight.
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To be fair, we would all have accepted 11 donkeys on the team sheet (instead of our usual squad) before tonight's kick-off. So we can let Kozak off tonight, can't we?
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Cissokho, Okore, Veretout, Gil, Kozak, Ayew... It would be interesting to know where we would be if these guys had been given a proper chance at the start of the season, I count 10 starts between them in the 11 games Sherwood was in charge.
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Pfff, all these Ayew bandwagon jumpers. Look what this guy wrote second game of the season vs ManUre:
Ayew looks like he has something about him, if only we can find a way to unleash him properly.
Bid of 12 million accepted for striker Jordan Ayew from Lorient according to SSN breaking news
If that's true then I for one am excited to see him come here. If you read around a few sites he is widely regarded as the better of the two brothers.
The only concern I have is if Adebayor signs also, then we have potentially 3 players going to the African Cup.
Not ideal.
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from a Palace forum:
Villa were playing for their lives and it showed. They were good.
I think it's the first time we've been described as being 'good' this season.
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As much as the players deserve the pelters given, there was a great feeling of solidarity tonight. Good atmosphere.
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Can't wait for our next league win in May.
Christ, just enjoy the fact that we've won for a change. No one (well almost no one) is saying corner turned and we're staying up but.....
They played with desire, commitment, belief and with a decent level of skill at times. In addition it looked like they played to a plan they understood, believed in and trusted their team mates to deliver their part of the plan. Something that's been missing since Southampton away last season.
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Yes!
I was worried when Ayew missed an excellent opportunity that he fashioned himself at the end that we would concede at the death but we held on very well.
Lino should have put his flag up near the death, two Palace players were off for their late chance that he failed to control.
We're probably still going down but lets get some pride and momentum about the place and see where it takes us.
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I think the abuse that reached a crescendo, coupled with Remi basically laying the law down to all and sundry has got a reaction, a positive one. I'd like to think the worst has passed now and we will give it a real go at staying up, all together and heal some of this shit we've been through.
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Fully deserved to win it. Similar to West Ham game but Palace were even worse, incredible they have such a good record away from home as they were garbage tonight.
That might be a good thing being bottom and adrift, teams might start to underestimate us, Palace certainly looked like they did? Did they even have a corner or shot on target?!
Still a very long shot to stay up but just nice to get 3 points! If we keep showing that effort we should get another 3-4 wins although that won't be anywhere near enough.
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Flashbacks to Weimann scoring that scrappy late goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in front of a half-empty Holte End. That helped turn the McLeish season around, I wonder if we'll press on similarly from here.
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Flashbacks to Weimann scoring that scrappy late goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in front of a half-empty Holte End. That helped turn the McLeish season around, I wonder if we'll press on similarly from here.
I fucking hope it doesn't go the same way. That match was in the middle of March and we didn't win another game all season.
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Won the ball back more times than I can remember in a game this season. Great endeavour and some lovely moves. You can't say they aren't playing for Garde. Obviously lucky with the goalkeeping fumble but about time to.
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Flashbacks to Weimann scoring that scrappy late goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in front of a half-empty Holte End. That helped turn the McLeish season around, I wonder if we'll press on similarly from here.
Where have you been?
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Boom Boom Boom let me hear ya say Ayew, Ayew!
He works his socks off and has a bit of quality which we have very little of. I like him, and you can't say that about many of our players these days.
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I thought we were great. Didn't give them time on the ball, played with belief and in Kozak had a striker who must be a nightmare to mark. A win I didn't see coming but who knows how much of a lift that will give them.
And a word for Bacuna. Played out of position yet again and did a decent job of it.
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Flashbacks to Weimann scoring that scrappy late goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in front of a half-empty Holte End. That helped turn the McLeish season around, I wonder if we'll press on similarly from here.
I bloody hope not, we failed to win any of the last 10 games after that and that was our only win in the last 17 league games!
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Bloody hell a win. A WIN! Don't care if it was a jammy goal, we played well and deserved it. More of the same the weekend and who knows. Stranger things have happened.
Up the Villa!
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Flashbacks to Weimann scoring that scrappy late goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in front of a half-empty Holte End. That helped turn the McLeish season around, I wonder if we'll press on similarly from here.
I fucking hope it doesn't go the same way. That match was in the middle of March and we didn't win another game all season.
All I remember is it happened and we stayed up ;)
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Just home....with a very large rum and coke to celebrate...plenty of ice!
Strange how you see it...I'm a fan of Veretout,talking him up to all and sundry...Yet I thought he was below what I've seen in patches up to now, tonight.
Hats off to Gana,scrapped,broke everything up in a virtual one man central midfield.
Lescott was splendid.Won and read everything....alongside another whom I'm a fan of,Okare,who looked shaky at times,especially in the first half.
The much maligned Bacuna,Cisshoko and Westwood all were big parts in our win tonight..mainly with application and workrate.
Kozak worked his bazooka's off too...with at times a Gabbyesque touch....after 10 minutes or so he showed why he offers more than Gestede....westwood drove to the byline..and Kozak simply used his guile and strength to get to the near post in front of Dann.Not a good cross but the inclination was spot on.Great reception from the fans too.
Small steps....a little step in the right direction....but all we need at the moment is a touch of momentum...and we'll see what pans out.
My 14 year old is happy,and ready to dish out to the Yampies Baggies at school.....but he remarked how desperate it was to play Hi-ho silver lining at the end...I did say small steps Ed
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Flashbacks to Weimann scoring that scrappy late goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in front of a half-empty Holte End. That helped turn the McLeish season around, I wonder if we'll press on similarly from here.
I fucking hope it doesn't go the same way. That match was in the middle of March and we didn't win another game all season.
Hopefully we'll get the mirror image and not lose for the rest of the season.
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Flashbacks to Weimann scoring that scrappy late goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in front of a half-empty Holte End. That helped turn the McLeish season around, I wonder if we'll press on similarly from here.
Where have you been?
I have a habit of hiding away and pretending football doesn't exist after a bad result that annoys me, so this season I've barely touched H&V.
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Cissokho at left back looked so much better there than Richardson, I can barely find the words to begin to attempt to describe it.
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I think the abuse that reached a crescendo, coupled with Remi basically laying the law down to all and sundry has got a reaction, a positive one. I'd like to think the worst has passed now and we will give it a real go at staying up, all together and heal some of this shit we've been through.
Absolutely. Players are playing for their futures now. The much maligned Westwood and Bacuna really stepped it up today. If they keep that level up they stay next season. If not they get binned. Remi has already worked out Zogbia and Gabby. He's laid the law down to Jack and Traore and set a bar for any youngsters to adhere to. I also think he may have twigged Sinclair as someone who doesn't give enough of a toss about playing football.
Some players will react in the right manner, some won't. But from now and until the end of the season, whoever is in that starting 11, I expect nothing less than 100%. If they give everything and come off the pitch and we've lost, so be it. We can put it purely down to not being good enough. If some players leave the pitch and they've not given everything they could, then they can get fucked off.
Be an Ayew. Not a Gabby.
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Whawhoooo!!
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Gana was fantastic, if you watched highlights on TV you wouldn't have noticed him but he was magnificently disruptive, was always about the ball toeing away.
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I have tried to calm down before posting because the last 20 minutes nearly took out a few internal organs and I'm pretty sure I am displaying a few symptoms of shock. It's also tough to be reasoned when you are daydreaming about all those Champions League destinations you'll be visiting next season.
But anyway, there seemed to be a few reasons why we won:
-Firstly, Cissokho and Kozak are like new signings as the old cliche goes. They are nothing special of course, but solid, experienced pros who know what they are doing and haven't had every modicum of confidence shat out of them. And to be honest solid pros and confidence is all you need. One of the most ridiculous facets of our pathetic demise this season, is the fact that it has come in a season when the Premier League is at its worst standard in years. I mean look at Palace, on the verge of the top 6 with players like Ward, Delaney, Dann, McCarthur, Soares starting every week. All solid pros, underrated but unspectacular. Then Zaha, Puncheon etc who flatter to deceive and a stand out star in Cabaye. Chamakh and Wickham get game time for them. It doesn't take that much. Confidence, attitude and organisation are key.
-Everyone worked their bollocks off but Gana put in his best performance for months and that was absolutely key. He actually replaced what Delph once gave us today and it made all the difference. Again, fine margins.
-That is easily our best central defensive pair and if they had played together at Norwich and Sunderland, we might have more points. Okore gives Lescott confidence, and the latter looks like the defender who won the Tesco Player of the Year award last season when he plays alongside Jores.
-Ayew. He's actually just a bit good isn't he? And what a fantastic attitude he has.
It's probably the shock talking but we are now 8 points from safety and if we win the next one (I'm glad it's another home game), that could be five points. I think we would then be in a better position than Leicester were in last season. Dare we let hope seep in after just one win?
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Flashbacks to Weimann scoring that scrappy late goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in front of a half-empty Holte End. That helped turn the McLeish season around, I wonder if we'll press on similarly from here.
Where have you been?
I have a habit of hiding away and pretending football doesn't exist after a bad result that annoys me, so this season I've barely touched H&V.
Haha know what you mean. Hope to see you here much more often for the rest of the season :))
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Fully deserved to win it. Similar to West Ham game but Palace were even worse, incredible they have such a good record away from home as they were garbage tonight.
That might be a good thing being bottom and adrift, teams might start to underestimate us, Palace certainly looked like they did? Did they even have a corner or shot on target?!
Still a very long shot to stay up but just nice to get 3 points! If we keep showing that effort we should get another 3-4 wins although that won't be anywhere near enough.
It was very similar to the West Ham game, but we had much more luck. For once we didn't get punished for every lapse, as the strike off the post in the first 20 seconds proved.
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Flashbacks to Weimann scoring that scrappy late goal in a 1-0 win over Fulham in front of a half-empty Holte End. That helped turn the McLeish season around, I wonder if we'll press on similarly from here.
Where have you been?
I have a habit of hiding away and pretending football doesn't exist after a bad result that annoys me, so this season I've barely touched H&V.
Haha know what you mean. Hope to see you here much more often for the rest of the season :))
You too mate!
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You know it's a good day when Mr Sticks is back!
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Gana was fantastic, if you watched highlights on TV you wouldn't have noticed him but he was magnificently disruptive, was always about the ball toeing away.
He's been off the pace recently, but I thought he was much better tonight in the more defensive role. Thought they all had decent games, but Ayew and Veretout were the standout performers. I thought the defence looked more assured with Bunn behind them and although they are not world beaters, I thought Kozak and Cissokho were better than anything we have seen in their respective positions all season. Special mention to the fans - really got behind the team when they needed it most.
Couple of quibbles about tactics, but they can wait!!
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Fuck me it was cold. But ace. May only have 28K there tonight but at times the atmosphere in the Holte was right up there with the great games. Fucking get in!
Thanks PWS
I understand the attendance tonight was 27341;)
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Brilliant feeling. Whole team played well. Still think Kozak is a donkey, but seems to get into scoring positions!
Westwood, who I can't stand, had his best game in a villa shirt I thought.
Well done all
I don't think you can call Kozak a donkey when Gestede is at the club. Kozak was excellent in the second half.
I don't know what it is with Kozak. He did well, and had more impact than Gestede. I just think he looks so awkward, and everything he does seems to be by accident! It's a feeling I've always got from him. He just has this habit of bagging a goal, or moving into positions to score. I'd stick with him, dont get me wrong
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Just back. I'd forgotten how good a win felt! And at last a performance with passion,fight, commitment and belief - that's all we ask for. Yes, it was a scabby goal, and Ayew should have made it more comfortable having done all the hard work to then blast it over, but it says it all that Bunn didn't have a save to make. All 10 outfield players gave their all. Fantastic performance rewarded with a great atmosphere and 3 precious points. Still buzzing
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I said earlier this afternoon, I'll never accept relegation until it's mathematical - we've got that elusive win at last - gone 2 games without conceding from open play - Yes we still probably do need to win at least 9 more games, and I'm not in cuckoo land (as a famous local presenter used to say us Villa supporters are). It's a lot to still make up - but confidence in football can be everything - but whoever plays from now on - that's the kind of fight and commitment we need - Leicester ? - bring it on !
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I have tried to calm down before posting because the last 20 minutes nearly took out a few internal organs and I'm pretty sure I am displaying a few symptoms of shock. It's also tough to be reasoned when you are daydreaming about all those Champions League destinations you'll be visiting next season.
But anyway, there seemed to be a few reasons why we won:
-Firstly, Cissokho and Kozak are like new signings as the old cliche goes. They are nothing special of course, but solid, experienced pros who know what they are doing and haven't had every modicum of confidence shat out of them. And to be honest solid pros and confidence is all you need. One of the most ridiculous facets of our pathetic demise this season, is the fact that it has come in a season when the Premier League is at its worst standard in years. I mean look at Palace, on the verge of the top 6 with players like Ward, Delaney, Dann, McCarthur, Soares starting every week. All solid pros, underrated but unspectacular. Then Zaha, Puncheon etc who flatter to deceive and a stand out star in Cabaye. Chamakh and Wickham get game time for them. It doesn't take that much. Confidence, attitude and organisation are key.
-Everyone worked their bollocks off but Gana put in his best performance for months and that was absolutely key. He actually replaced what Delph once gave us today and it made all the difference. Again, fine margins.
-That is easily our best central defensive pair and if they had played together at Norwich and Sunderland, we might have more points. Okore gives Lescott confidence, and the latter looks like the defender who won the Tesco Player of the Year award last season when he plays alongside Jores.
-Ayew. He's actually just a bit good isn't he? And what a fantastic attitude he has.
It's probably the shock talking but we are now 8 points from safety and if we win the next one (I'm glad it's another home game), that could be five points. I think we would then be in a better position than Leicester were in last season. Dare we let hope seep in after just one win?
Excellent summary. For me MotM a split between Lescott and Veretout with Joleon slightly edging it.
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Well, well, well!
Never imagined that'd happen, but it did. It's so much nicer to be walking away from Villa Park with a win. Our midfield were as sharp as I've seen them for a long time, Ayew and Bacuna both had excellent games while Cissokho looked dangerous while not convincing me he has much of a first touch. Meanwhile Lescott actually had a decent game and got the lucky break with the goal (about time we had some luck this season). And Kozak? Maybe, just maybe, he's the attacking option we've been crying out for.
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Nice to have an argument over Man of the Match for once. It was Gana for me, just edging Lescott. But you could make a case for Ayew, Veretout and Cissokho too. And special mention to our two most criticised players, Westwood and Bacuna, who both put in huge shifts. Bacuna completely switched off after 20 seconds and we got away with it but after that he was excellent, loads of interceptions and an incessant work rate. Credit where it's due.
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What a thoroughly pleasant evening. Cold, Rainy and some fucking idiot nearly took me out on the way by the Bromford Interchange.
But I didn't care. We had Great Seats in the Trinity. We won. The Holte End Sang. It sounded like there were 60000 for a couple of minutes. The Players Gave a Shit.
The fans were smiling.
At last.
Oh and all this for £30 thanks to a Sunday night purchase on Seatwave by the Good Lady.
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Fuck me it was cold. But ace. May only have 28K there tonight but at times the atmosphere in the Holte was right up there with the great games. Fucking get in!
Thanks PWS
I understand the attendance tonight was 27341;)
Ok olaftab, I'm doin' the GTC sums! UTV!
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Did anybody notice how Lescott walked straight off at the end while the others celebrated with the fans? What is it with this guy?
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Nice to have an argument over Man of the Match for once. It was Gana for me, just edging Lescott. But you could make a case for Ayew, Veretout and Cissokho too. And special mention to our two most criticised players, Westwood and Bacuna, who both put in huge shifts. Bacuna completely switched off after 20 seconds and we got away with it but after that he was excellent, loads of interceptions and an incessant work rate. Credit where it's due.
Agree with all of that.
Gana really broke up their play and shape anticipated throughout. Very good performance.
Palace are a big side but they didn't get anywhere near bullying us.
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Somebody said that Kozak was poor. I do not agree with that at all. He is clearly rusty after so long out but he put in so much effort. He will never be a very good player as his touch is not particularly good but he has a footballing brain. Gestede is supposed to be good in the air but I do not think I have seen him lay a ball off with his head. Kozak did that a few times tonight both with flick-ons and lay-backs when heading is probably his weakest point. What he does do very well is trying to get his body between man and ball. Also as somebody else said, he did a lot of good defensive work. He has to be first choice now unless somebody is brought in.
We look so much more balanced tonight, particularly the back four. I go along with what others have said about the other players. My only gripe is that we have to play Gana and Westwood to fill the position of one decent defensive midfield player which restricts us getting players into the penalty area.
We got a bit lucky tonight but it is about time that every deflection didn't cause a goal. The players put a lot of effort in and deserved to get the win.
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Did anybody notice how Lescott walked straight off at the end while the others celebrated with the fans? What is it with this guy?
I didn't notice. Hopefully because he is so ashamed of most of his previous performances he feels the need to do more.
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If we could replace Westwood in that side with a player that could get into the box a bit more and support the attack it would be great, but the boy actually went in for a 50/50 2 footed tackle today in the second half. That was when i thought we might do this.
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Yesssssssss!
Good morning. You deserved that. It was difficult to leave a warm house and make our way to VP tonight with freezing rain but.... YES YES YES
Good evening, Aftab and a happy new year to you mate!
You deserved that, too! My students will witness the rare sight of a happy teacher this morning!
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Did anybody notice how Lescott walked straight off at the end while the others celebrated with the fans? What is it with this guy?
Nothing wrong with that as may be he thinks a win over Palace at home is nothing to celebrate and team needs many more before he can celebrate.
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We need a goal poacher. Love to see Charlie Austin in that team. We just never seem to have enough players in the box when we're attacking.
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Did anybody notice how Lescott walked straight off at the end while the others celebrated with the fans? What is it with this guy?
Not wanting to put a downer on things, but I don't want them celebrating. Acknowledge the praise and applause, you've earned it, and that'll do ya. It's one win. Do it four times in a row, I might mellow a little.
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We need a goal poacher. Love to see Charlie Austin in that team. We just never seem to have enough players in the box when we're attacking.
It was noticeable is that a number of times we had no one attacking the edge of the box after a cross was half cleared.
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So happy after the win. In dublin stuck watching the man u game ( which was quite entertaining Newcastle gave it a good go ).
Gave a shout for the goal and everyone thought i was a bit mad.
We've a long way to go but this is great news. Garde comes across as very intelligent on his post match interview i like the fella.
Well done everyone.
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Happy happy happy. Night all
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Did anybody notice how Lescott walked straight off at the end while the others celebrated with the fans? What is it with this guy?
Nothing wrong with that as may be he thinks a win over Palace at home is nothing to celebrate and team needs many more before he can celebrate.
To be fair he got a (slightly unexpected but deserved) great reception from the Trinity as he was walking off and responded in a equally celebratory Lionesque hearty clap
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We need a goal poacher. Love to see Charlie Austin in that team. We just never seem to have enough players in the box when we're attacking.
I agree with this, first half we put 3 or 4 dangerous crosses in and everytime they deflected to a Palace defender.
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Bacuna, where the effin hell have you been all season? Well done
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We need a goal poacher. Love to see Charlie Austin in that team. We just never seem to have enough players in the box when we're attacking.
It was noticeable is that a number of times we had no one attacking the edge of the box after a cross was half cleared.
Yes I spent most of the match moaning about this. Our midfielders need to attack at that moment to pick up those balls.
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I didn't watch or follow the game. Just found out the result. Maybe I'm the problem all along. Can someone please provide a quick summary?
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Westwood and Bacuna must have been told they really are in the very last chance saloon. The both fucked up in the first half and normally their heads drop but tonight they countered their mistakes.
One 'clearance' by Bacuna in the 2nd half near the corner flag led to the ball catching the 21:15 to New Street from Aston. Not pretty. Just necessary.
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At last. A villa performance we can be proud of. Thought ayew was fantastic for us tonight, along with Gana, Bacuna, Lescott, vertout and at last a centre forward performance from Kozak. He's not the best player in the world but what he does is lead the line and buy our players time. A tireless performance from him. Lets build on this. Onwards and upwards UTV!!!
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We need a goal poacher. Love to see Charlie Austin in that team. We just never seem to have enough players in the box when we're attacking.
This is a problem I think we have had for a long time. Even when Gregory was here there only ever seemed to be Dublin in the box.
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I didn't watch or follow the game. Just found out the result. Maybe I'm the problem all along. Can someone please provide a quick summary?
We won. The side were balanced and we negated most of Palace's threats.
Kozak is a billion times better than Gestede and we didn't give a soft goal as Hutton wasn't knackered, Richards wasn't out of position, Clark didn't do something stupid because his brain is in his loins and Richardson wasn't playing.
Next.
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One 'clearance' by Bacuna in the 2nd half near the corner flag led to the ball catching the 21:15 to New Street from Aston. Not pretty. Just necessary.
Thats the line of the night!
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I didn't watch or follow the game. Just found out the result. Maybe I'm the problem all along. Can someone please provide a quick summary?
TV read Olof's Beard's post a couple of pages back but basically they all put a shift in and very well deserved 3 points and should have scored more than one. Goal Line technology came in for us tonight. And yes please stay away for the rest of the season :))
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Thanks Rob and Olly. I feel a bit like Leeg and that Sunderland game. I will read Mr Beard's post and watch the highlights after my girls go to bed.
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I didn't watch or follow the game. Just found out the result. Maybe I'm the problem all along. Can someone please provide a quick summary?
Palace hit the post after 20 seconds then didn't have a shot on target fir the rest of tge game.
Our build up play was very good up until the final ball.
We put alot of dangerous crosses in that always fell to Palace defenders.
The lads fought for every ball and second ball, never stopped closing down, some looked exhausted at the end,it was as if a switch had clicked.
Our goal was right out of tge Guzan handbook, probably worse in fact.
Kozak put himself about, this in turn free'd up space for Ayew and Gil.
We deserved the win without a doubt.
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Thanks Luke. Appreciate it. Looking forward to watching it later. How did the players react after?
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I know those of a more delicate disposition found the events of Saturday a little unpalatable however sometimes there comes a point when people have be told they are taking the micky. Maybe just maybe that was the catalyst that made some if our players have a good hard look in the mirror which resulted in a proper team performance tonight.
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We need a goal poacher. Love to see Charlie Austin in that team. We just never seem to have enough players in the box when we're attacking.
This is a problem I think we have had for a long time. Even when Gregory was here there only ever seemed to be Dublin in the box.
An endless problem, we never seem to have more than one player in the box to get on the end of a decent cross, but when the ball is inevitably cleared, we never seem to have many back to defend the counter attack either.
That said, every player busted a gut to get back into position tonight and some, like Ayew, went way beyond the call of duty. We can beat Leicester. At the very least, let's rebuild the relationship between the fans and players over the 2nd half of the season. More of what we saw today is all it will take.
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Fully deserved to win it. Similar to West Ham game but Palace were even worse, incredible they have such a good record away from home as they were garbage tonight.
That might be a good thing being bottom and adrift, teams might start to underestimate us, Palace certainly looked like they did? Did they even have a corner or shot on target?!
Still a very long shot to stay up but just nice to get 3 points! If we keep showing that effort we should get another 3-4 wins although that won't be anywhere near enough.
It was very similar to the West Ham game, but we had much more luck. For once we didn't get punished for every lapse, as the strike off the post in the first 20 seconds proved.
I was sitting in the Lower Witton by the Holte so from my angle it looked like it had gone across the goal rather than off the post. I'm struggling to think of the shot on target they had, maybe one of the free kicks drifted towards Bunn, they were that bad. Hopefully a few more opposition will play like that against us in the run in.
Not going to add any more as I think your summary of the game is spot on.
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What a performance (even if palace were crap)
Kozak, Okore, Ayew, Cissokho, Gana, Veretout even Bacuna and Westwood.. well done
Cracking to see Cissokho and Kozak in there performing like that, delighted for them both
Really pleasing performance, even if it means little in the long run
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One 'clearance' by Bacuna in the 2nd half near the corner flag led to the ball catching the 21:15 to New Street from Aston. Not pretty. Just necessary.
Thats the line of the night!
Agreed, that made me chuckle heartily.
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Did anybody notice how Lescott walked straight off at the end while the others celebrated with the fans? What is it with this guy?
Nothing wrong with that as may be he thinks a win over Palace at home is nothing to celebrate and team needs many more before he can celebrate.
To be fair he got a (slightly unexpected but deserved) great reception from the Trinity as he was walking off and responded in a equally celebratory Lionesque hearty clap
Also worth noting there was muted booing when his name was announced at the start of the game, so maybe he felt he'd be pushing his luck if he went all gung-ho at the Holte. Glad he got some recognition as tonight he was 100% what he should always be for us.
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I didn't watch or follow the game. Just found out the result. Maybe I'm the problem all along. Can someone please provide a quick summary?
TV read Olof's Beard's post a couple of pages back but basically they all put a shift in and very well deserved 3 points and should have scored more than one. Goal Line technology came in for us tonight. And yes please stay away for the rest of the season :))
I was very surprised how close the technology made it look on the TV. I wasn't right in line with it, but had a clear view from the Trinity and it was comfortably over and even the linesman could easily see.
It's been said already but the big difference was the shift we put in, as Pardew acknowledged afterwards. This must however be the standard and not the exception.
Yes, we lack a cutting edge and yes the build up is often too slow but I'll take that effort tonight. I even thought Westwood played well and I can't remember when I last thought that.
I thought Ayew was MotM again.
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The main difference was the lack of mistakes, apart from Bacuna switching off in the first 20 secs, there were none of the cringeworthy passes or mis timed tackles, or deflections that have plagued us. Are you watching Hutton/Guzan. They do say you make your own luck, well we deserved that win. Great energy and determination, even sensibly holding the ball up in the corner.
We really need to convert our chances, hopefully Kozak will get better with game time.
Bunn didn't have any saves to make, but I hope we stick with him, it feels like a new team.
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Thanks Luke. Appreciate it. Looking forward to watching it later. How did the players react after?
Like they hadn't won a league game since August!
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The main difference was the lack of mistakes, apart from Bacuna switching off in the first 20 secs, there were none of the cringeworthy passes or mis timed tackles, or deflections that have plagued us. Are you watching Hutton/Guzan. They do say you make your own luck, well we deserved that win. Great energy and determination, even sensibly holding the ball up in the corner.
We really need to convert our chances, hopefully Kozak will get better with game time.
Bunn didn't have any saves to make, but I hope we stick with him, it feels like a new team.
I honestly think you need to add Richards, Clark and Richardson as they've made as many mistakes as Hutton and Guzan
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Fair play to Alan Pardew, very praiseworthy of Villa tonight despite being goaded by the BBC reporter.
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Just watched Remi's interview on the BBC site. Really hope this is the catalyst to kick start something special at Villa.
Get the feeling there is a very genuine, intelligent bloke in there that could take us places if he gets the chance.
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Fair play to Alan Pardew, very praiseworthy of Villa tonight despite being goaded by the BBC reporter.
I was just about to post something similar......normally can't stand the bloke, but fair play tonight.
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I think Pardew gets a bad rap, he's always pretty honest and complimentary of the opposition which isn't so easy when you've lost.
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I think Pardew gets a bad rap, he's always pretty honest and complimentary of the opposition which isn't so easy when you've lost.
I have never understood the amount of vitriol Pardew gets, and that's not just the shock/euphoria of victory talking. He offends me no more than a host of other managers do and always seems highly honest, as you say.
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He used to be a smug git but he's a decent manager. I think Paulie once likened him to a man who would be sat having a drink with you smiling whilst putting his hand under your wife's skirt underneath the table.
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Its the smugness and choreographed celebrations, hes a good manager and talks alot of sense.
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Fully deserved to win it. Similar to West Ham game but Palace were even worse, incredible they have such a good record away from home as they were garbage tonight.
That might be a good thing being bottom and adrift, teams might start to underestimate us, Palace certainly looked like they did? Did they even have a corner or shot on target?!
Still a very long shot to stay up but just nice to get 3 points! If we keep showing that effort we should get another 3-4 wins although that won't be anywhere near enough.
It was very similar to the West Ham game, but we had much more luck. For once we didn't get punished for every lapse, as the strike off the post in the first 20 seconds proved.
I was sitting in the Lower Witton by the Holte so from my angle it looked like it had gone across the goal rather than off the post. I'm struggling to think of the shot on target they had, maybe one of the free kicks drifted towards Bunn, they were that bad. Hopefully a few more opposition will play like that against us in the run in.
Not going to add any more as I think your summary of the game is spot on.
I think you're right with the shot on target, there was 1 freekick from about 30y where he saw Bunn to the left of his goal and tried to put one to the other side but sort of chipped it into the middle for catching practice.
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Just yes!
The right fight and pressing in midfield was shown today. Had our luck to some extent but a mixed performance vs a weak palace performance. The players were committed and hungrier . from what i saw westy put in a good shift today tigerish in tackle and Bacuna was decent too . Switched on . Ayew did an outrageous bit of skill to fashion his chance which he needed composure but liked the shots of him cheering on and clapping the players to perform. There were a lot of blocked deflected shots for corners for villa so would like to see more efforts quicker away at goal. Lescott did well to get pressure for the goal and the luck desreved win!!
Tbh not sure on bunn as rarely used and tested but kicking isn't great
Good stuff and can see Richard s coming in right back and Bacuna being pushed into midfield for sat eve.
One thing constant concern is Gil and his lack of physicality. He gets shrugged off ball and also another frustration how he turns inside alot or stops his runs.
Would like more forward momentum from him and the rest.
Well done Kozak back playing again even if his touch was rusty
Well done to those that went today was really good to hear the villa till I die chants great support!
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Felt like we were way too deep at the end and inviting pressure, but a well deserved win.
The goal might have been fortunate, but the win wasn't. One of the few games we have dominated this season -even Bournemouth away felt like it was a win against the run of play.
True, Palace weren't at the races. But plenty of other sides haven't played well and still won at our place.
Barring a ridiculous 4-5 run winning streak, survival will still be a tall order.
But we can at least try to make sure that if sides come to our place we actually lay a glove on them. They need to earn the victory, not just turn up and take the piss.
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Just yes!
The right fight and pressing in midfield was shown today. Had our luck to some extent but a mixed performance vs a weak palace performance. The players were committed and hungrier . from what i saw westy put in a good shift today tigerish in tackle and Bacuna was decent too . Switched on . Ayew did an outrageous bit of skill to fashion his chance which he needed composure but liked the shots of him cheering on and clapping the players to perform. There were a lot of blocked deflected shots for corners for villa so would like to see more efforts quicker away at goal. Lescott did well to get pressure for the goal and the luck desreved win!!
Tbh not sure on bunn as rarely used and tested but kicking isn't great
Good stuff and can see Richard s coming in right back and Bacuna being pushed into midfield for sat eve.
One thing constant concern is Gil and his lack of physicality. He gets shrugged off ball and also another frustration how he turns inside alot or stops his runs.
Would like more forward momentum from him and the rest.
Well done Kozak back playing again even if his touch was rusty
Well done to those that went today was really good to hear the villa till I die chants great support!
Your point is spot on regarding Gil he does often get the ball nicked off him when he dwells too long on it.
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I told you that win at Ludlow by GARDE LA VICTOIRE was an omen. AND I was one of the 20% to vote for a Villa win on the pre match. Ye of little faith.
Told my carload about the horse...and about Palace never having won when Clattenberg was in charge...and I put us down for a win too!
Omens!
I'd forgotten what a lovely feeling it is to win!
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Just yes!
The right fight and pressing in midfield was shown today. Had our luck to some extent but a mixed performance vs a weak palace performance. The players were committed and hungrier . from what i saw westy put in a good shift today tigerish in tackle and Bacuna was decent too . Switched on . Ayew did an outrageous bit of skill to fashion his chance which he needed composure but liked the shots of him cheering on and clapping the players to perform. There were a lot of blocked deflected shots for corners for villa so would like to see more efforts quicker away at goal. Lescott did well to get pressure for the goal and the luck desreved win!!
Tbh not sure on bunn as rarely used and tested but kicking isn't great
Good stuff and can see Richard s coming in right back and Bacuna being pushed into midfield for sat eve.
One thing constant concern is Gil and his lack of physicality. He gets shrugged off ball and also another frustration how he turns inside alot or stops his runs.
Would like more forward momentum from him and the rest.
Well done Kozak back playing again even if his touch was rusty
Well done to those that went today was really good to hear the villa till I die chants great support!
Your point is spot on regarding Gil he does often get the ball nicked off him when he dwells too long on it.
I like Gil and some of his little touches are sublime, but I think tonight highlighted a problem with him. I was pleased to see him start at the top of the diamond, as I he normally is used wide and I don't think that is his best position. Seeing him there tonight though, he lacks the pace and drive to get away from players in that role. Quite a few times we broke on Palace, but had to turn back because he couldn't get away from defenders. Although they made little of their opportunities, I thought it was noticeable just how quickly Palace broke at times with the pace of the likes of Puncheon and Zaha. I thought in the first half in particular we were a bit slow breaking forward when we had the chance to and Gil was a part of the reason why.
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For the first time in along time I didn't want to make the 100 miles trip tonight...would have much rather played in my Pool league. Kids dragged me. Glad they did....but why after scoring did we not hold the ball like we controlled it for the 61 mins prior (until the last 10 which I thought we showed good game management). Veretout and gana showed a lot of energy and you have to love ayew. Heart and soul in the game. Libor needs to learn the offside rule (if memory serves that was always a problem with him). Bunn won't need to get his shorts washed for Saturday. ..he will need a new top though. And my Pool team won
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Gil is the sort of player who will look great in a forward thinking team that has a lot of the ball and pushes the opposition back. If he can link up with good forwards ten yards further forward, he can be a great player. That's not where we are at the moment, though, so he does struggle at times, but he never hides and always looks to make something happen. I like him, but I can almost understand why Tim didn't use him much last season when we were properly in a scrap.
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For the first time in along time I didn't want to make the 100 miles trip tonight...would have much rather played in my Pool league. Kids dragged me. Glad they did....but why after scoring did we not hold the ball like we controlled it for the 61 mins prior (until the last 10 which I thought we showed good game management). Veretout and gana showed a lot of energy and you have to love ayew. Heart and soul in the game. Libor needs to learn the offside rule (if memory serves that was always a problem with him). Bunn won't need to get his shorts washed for Saturday. ..he will need a new top though. And my Pool team won
I think its a confidence thing, we visibly dropped deeper after scoring.
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Gil is the sort of player who will look great in a forward thinking team that has a lot of the ball and pushes the opposition back. If he can link up with good forwards ten yards further forward, he can be a great player. That's not where we are at the moment, though, so he does struggle at times, but he never hides and always looks to make something happen. I like him, but I can almost understand why Tim didn't use him much last season when we were properly in a scrap.
He needs a quicker forward up front to slide passes through to. To be honest I think he takes far too much out of the ball in areas of the pitch that dont matter. If Grealish gets over the funk he has been in for six months he has a lot more going for him, able to get past players for one.
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Just yes!
The right fight and pressing in midfield was shown today. Had our luck to some extent but a mixed performance vs a weak palace performance. The players were committed and hungrier . from what i saw westy put in a good shift today tigerish in tackle and Bacuna was decent too . Switched on . Ayew did an outrageous bit of skill to fashion his chance which he needed composure but liked the shots of him cheering on and clapping the players to perform. There were a lot of blocked deflected shots for corners for villa so would like to see more efforts quicker away at goal. Lescott did well to get pressure for the goal and the luck desreved win!!
Tbh not sure on bunn as rarely used and tested but kicking isn't great
Good stuff and can see Richard s coming in right back and Bacuna being pushed into midfield for sat eve.
One thing constant concern is Gil and his lack of physicality. He gets shrugged off ball and also another frustration how he turns inside alot or stops his runs.
Would like more forward momentum from him and the rest.
Well done Kozak back playing again even if his touch was rusty
Well done to those that went today was really good to hear the villa till I die chants great support!
Your point is spot on regarding Gil he does often get the ball nicked off him when he dwells too long on it.
I like Gil and some of his little touches are sublime, but I think tonight highlighted a problem with him. I was pleased to see him start at the top of the diamond, as I he normally is used wide and I don't think that is his best position. Seeing him there tonight though, he lacks the pace and drive to get away from players in that role. Quite a few times we broke on Palace, but had to turn back because he couldn't get away from defenders. Although they made little of their opportunities, I thought it was noticeable just how quickly Palace broke at times with the pace of the likes of Puncheon and Zaha. I thought in the first half in particular we were a bit slow breaking forward when we had the chance to and Gil was a part of the reason why.
We'll always have that problem in our position with 'that type' of player. One with Gil's talent who also had pace and strength wouldn't be seen dead at VP.
Still, it's a problem I like us to have. Give me skill over athleticism any day.
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There was a ten minute spell after we scored that the tackling dropped off, whether it was intentional to be more defensive I don't know but I was getting very edgy.
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Fair play to Alan Pardew tonight, some really positive comments about us.
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Only home an hour ago - M5 roadworks - and just finished reading whole thread...which has been wonderful because of the uplifting comments after such an uplifting performance. Well done Villa and H&V posters!
Thought the team as a whole was excellent...every player put a shift in (impressed with Bacuna and Westwood who I have criticised in the past) and we won the game. Hopefully they can see this and make it happen more often. (A bit of luck with the goal, but most teams seem to have more than their share when they play us!)
In defence I thought Lescott was outstanding - calm, forceful and a leader.
In midfield Veretout was immense, though Gana ran him pretty close and really got at the Palace mf.
Up front Ayew was simply wonderful...a real handful for them - quick, sharp, unpredictable and worked his bollocks off, chasing down and tackling back. What a pity he couldn't finish that solo effort off! A Villa hero!
Special mention for Kozak....he's a favourite of mine, but I thought he showed guile, graft and a positional awareness that Gestede will never have. Libor makes the oppo defenders work and has a presence that suggests he's always on the hunt for the ball/a goal.
Great to hear the Villa faithful singing their socks off at the end...a million miles away from Saturday's debacle.
Same again on Saturday would be very nice thank you, Monsieur Garde. (Good selection mate!)
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Fair play to Alan Pardew tonight, some really positive comments about us.
Credit where it's due.
Not many managers are as honest as he was.
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Fair play to Alan Pardew tonight, some really positive comments about us.
Credit where it's due.
Not many managers are as honest as he was.
Just saw those comments. Yeah he didnt have to be that generous in defeat. Good of him.
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4 hours ahead here in Oman, so I decided to give it a miss as this week has not been a good one at all, woke up for work 05.30 my time so 01.30 yours and saw the result, brought a bloody tear to my eye. Reading this thread, do not know what will happen between now and May but that is all we are asking for, players too put on the shirt of Aston Villa and put a bloody shift in. Please Villa keep it going, skill and organisation would be nice but effort should be a given.
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They did us proud tonight. 100% effort.
The joy at the end will live long in the memory..
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Last night showed what can happen when 11 players put a shift in. Palace were poor and our goal was fortunate but if 11 players give 100% then you can always get results. Gil and Ayeq ran themselves into the ground. Cissokho shocked me....he looked like a footballer.kozak worked tirelessly but his control does leave a lot to be desired. 28000 but a good atmosphere and great celebrations at the end. Was talking to a couple of Palace fans on the train and they had to admire our support considering our position. So villa....there's no magic formula but 11 players busting a gut will always get results..UTV
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Only saw the 2nd half but a great all-round team performance, they really worked their knackers off. I thought Libor Kozak was going to collapse near the end he put such a shift in. Vetrout, Gana and Ayew were all very good as was Cissoko and Lescott, even Westwood wasn't too bad.
Maybe Garde's words have given the players fresh hope that the bully's and dividers are being turfed out at last and here's the response.
It may not end up being enough but it doesn't half make you feel better.
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What a bunch of bastards. I've had a reassuring sense of calm since relegation became inevitable and they go and give me hope.
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We seemed much more aggressive in trying to win to win the ball back last night and that unsettled them and forced mistakes. That raised the spirits on and off the pitch and we got our rewards. Show that commitment for the rest of the season and we can at the very least salvage some pride and create a little momentum.
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onwards and upwards
a couple of players in and 4 points from the next two games and we may have a sniff
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What a bunch of bastards. I've had a reassuring sense of calm since relegation became inevitable and they go and give me hope.
Hmmmm - yes, same thought crossed my mind as well.
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Just goes to show what a good bollocking can do for people ;-)
Thought it was going to be a disaster when three of the team were openly booed as they were announced and then Palace nearly scored on about 30 seconds - and then it all changed...
We worked very hard and made that win happen, a couple looked tired at the end but our fitness seems to have increased markedly since the start of the season. The raised fist from Libor said it all at the end.
And well done us the fans - we made a decent racket I thought - just give us something to get behind and we will raise the roof.
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The tempo was suddenly light years quicker than it had been all season and they pressed really well higher up the pitch. Gave Palace no time at all on the ball which resulted in them giving possession up..makes you wonder where that's been all season.
Hopefully carry that on to Saturday..Leicester was where it all turned for us this season after being 2 up imo, maybe it will turn again..
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We seemed much more aggressive in trying to win to win the ball back last night and that unsettled them and forced mistakes. That raised the spirits on and off the pitch and we got our rewards. Show that commitment for the rest of the season and we can at the very least salvage some pride and create a little momentum.
Yep, we pressed them so well with really targeted aggression. There was a moment in the second half when Westwood played a poor pass football that went straight to one of their centre halves who played it up to McArthur (I think) about midway inside their half. Westwood and Gana both sprinted at him so he turned straight into the pair of them and we won the ball back and had a nice attacking situation off the back of it. Any unlikely recovery starts with that sort of hard work and then as confidence comes back, the players can start turning those attacking situations into goalscoring opportunities.
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Ayew MOTM for me, and I don't think I've ever seen a more wonderful goal.
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we won, so let's not get carried away....nah fuck it yippee we won a game !!!
now for that 18 league game unbeaten run :)
UTV
The Doc
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I want to praise Cissokho, I thought he did excellently and he was absolutely dying in the last few minutes. We need to keep that level of pressing up.
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And fair play to Pardew, I still don't think I'd ever tire of punching his smug face but he spoke nicely of us in his post match interview.
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I'm still smiling like a loony. Well done to Garde for the brave selection and to each and every player for shift they put in. It wasn't just hard work, there was some great technique too. There was one string of passes in the first half, all one touch, where we played ourselves out of trouble with such skill I'm sure the Palace players must have thought WTF is going on here? We actually looked like a team that knew exactly what we were doing, taking all that practice from Bodymoor Heath and finally using it.
Special mention has to go to the fans last night who really helped get us over the line. Villa Park's a magical place, especially for night games and last night you could see the place was alive and kicking. Saturday should be interesting, especially if Spurs beat Leicester tonight. Whatever the result tonight, I'm sure we'll be ready and waiting for them come Saturday and right now, you can't ask for much more.
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Loving the feeling when you wake up and realise the Villa have won the previous night.
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Loving the feeling when you wake up and realise the Villa have won the previous night.
And the feeling of looking forward to the next game.
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I am pleased our skipper decided to pay proper respect to Witton End by electing to attack it in the second half and we sucked the ball in for him. A strange decision I thought when teams swapped ends?
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A repeat performance against Leicester please.
UTV
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Wins against Leicester, West Brom, West Ham and Liverpool and we might just turn this around...
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Hard fought win, maybe the football gods are starting to smile upon us!
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The cynic in me would say Pardew knows we are done with them for the season. He also knows we wont trouble their league position. Heaping praise on us will add to our confidence and could mean us picking up momentum and thus a few points off his rivals??.....
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The cynic in me would say Pardew knows we are done with them for the season. He also knows we wont trouble their league position. Heaping praise on us will add to our confidence and could mean us picking up momentum and thus a few points off his rivals??.....
I kind of don't really mind, even if that is the case. It's the first time anyone has had anything decent to say about us since the start of August. Let's hope they'll be raining compliments down on us for the rest of the season.
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And fair play to Pardew, I still don't think I'd ever tire of punching his smug face but he spoke nicely of us in his post match interview.
I seem to remember he was also very complimentary to us in the away game when he said how tough we were to beat and that we were one of the best he had seen at Selhurst Park in a long while.
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Pardew has gone up in my estimation, he's normally a real excusing making twat but a few warm words from him after a season of mockery and being laughed at, well it went down well for me. He knows his football, he knows teams like Palace are just having their day and that in the grand scheme of things they will never be a Villa, unlike shit pot clubs like Southampton, Stoke and Leicester who revel in taking the piss because they are jealous and would love to be what we are.
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Wins against Leicester, West Brom, West Ham and Liverpool and we might just turn this around...
And, provided we work our bollocks off, shouldn't be beyond us.
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I am pleased our skipper decided to pay proper respect to Witton End by electing to attack it in the second half and we sucked the ball in for him. A strange decision I thought when teams swapped ends?
Presumably lost the toss.
Also, like others, have to say Pardew was gracious and complimentary to us in defeat. He may have just dropped himself off my 'whack-in-the-face-with-a-shovel' list. Cameron's still top
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I thought Ayew was excellent throughout, showed great ability, technique and a wonderful attitude. I also like the fact he doesn't smile during the game and has that perma look of anxiety on his face. He genuinely appears bothered by our predicament and shows he wants to do something about it. He's fast becoming a favourite of mine.
Bacuna who I had given up on put in a good shift too as did Gana. I didn't think Veretout was as good as others it appears. He seemed to slow down attacks when there was space to exploit on a few occasions.
Overall we played really well as a unit. Pressed Palace when they had the ball and got tight at every opportunity. More of that please.
We need 9 more wins starting with Leicester Saturday and another win at Albion then we can start to believe.
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Bren - Veretout normally stands out because him and Ayew (and maybe Okore) are the only ones who have in any way played half decent this season with all others contributing piss poor performances, some more regularly than others.
Last night there were not piss poor performers so therefore Veretout had a decent game.
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Good points: Lots of effort, defensive tackles and possession from the midfield.
Gana was much improved and on that sort of form, he and Vertoute could manage the central midfield, which would allow us to be a bit more 'progressive', ie ditch the 3 holding midfielders and reliance on Gill to create behind the forward 2. Gill for me offers virtually zilch - I really don't get why people rate him at all.
Admittedly they did well as a group last night, but for all the possession created few clear cut chances.
Still, a win is a massive improvement and something to build on ...
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Bren - Veretout normally stands out because him and Ayew (and maybe Okore) are the only ones who have in any way played half decent this season with all others contributing piss poor performances, some more regularly than others.
Last night there were not piss poor performers so therefore Veretout had a decent game.
My thoughts exactly. We needed a performance where Ayew and Veretout didn't look like such obvious stand outs because everyone else raised their performance to something approaching the same level. We got that yesterday, and won.
We just need to take it one game at a time now. It's really difficult not to get carried away because we have all forgotten what it's like to win. I am glad we are at home next up, we have to try and build some momentum but it gives us a chance, albeit against a really tough opponent. If we can sneak a win, plus two more in the five games that follow we will have a chance. Alternatively, three wins on the spin three times over should do it. Watford, Bournemouth, Leicester and Palace have all managed to win 3 on the spin this season through sheer hard work and confidence. There's not reason we can't do it too, but it's baby steps at the moment.
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Get in there well needed three points.
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where have you been Libor?
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One thing Garde has certainly changed has been the fitness levels. It's been noticeable for a couple of weeks that players have been lasting the course, last night we really reaped the benefit.
We didn't actually play that badly against Wycombe, but with fans coming up with the 'not fit to wear the shirt' chant even before kick-off it was never going to be pleasant. Last night really could have seen the shit hit the fan with Palace taking an easy win off a disaffected and fractured team against a background of revolt on the terraces.
It didn't happen that way at all. True character from a Villa team. Well I never.
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Enjoyed the effort, commitment and some of the technique last night. After the first twenty seconds I didn't think Palace threatened at all. The defence looked organised and were concentrating determinedly.
I booked the day off to make a rare appearance, the fans reaction to Saturday made me want to do my bit.
It was only my fifth game this season and I've seen us win three, draw one and lose one. If I was a player I'd be first name on the team-sheet.
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The big thing about last night is that we worked our balls off and came away with a win. That's how it is meant to be. When you think that we were the better side in games vs West Ham, Newcastle, Watford to name three and only got 2 points from them then for the players it becomes another kick in the balls. They will take great heart from seeing their hard work pay off. And going into the game this weekend they will absolutely need to work their balls off against a side that has made that their calling card all season.
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I want to praise Cissokho, I thought he did excellently and he was absolutely dying in the last few minutes. We need to keep that level of pressing up.
I'd go along with that Paul. Thought he kept Zaha quiet and although he's never going to be the greatest going forward, he was solid last night.
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I am pleased our skipper decided to pay proper respect to Witton End by electing to attack it in the second half and we sucked the ball in for him. A strange decision I thought when teams swapped ends?
Presumably lost the toss.
No because Palace kicked off.
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I am pleased our skipper decided to pay proper respect to Witton End by electing to attack it in the second half and we sucked the ball in for him. A strange decision I thought when teams swapped ends?
Presumably lost the toss.
No because Palace kicked off.
Maybe it is a new tactic then. to take some of the pressure off in the 2nd half. Whatever the reason, lets do it again!
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The tempo was suddenly light years quicker than it had been all season and they pressed really well higher up the pitch. Gave Palace no time at all on the ball which resulted in them giving possession up..makes you wonder where that's been all season.
Hopefully carry that on to Saturday..Leicester was where it all turned for us this season after being 2 up imo, maybe it will turn again..
If they beat Leicester . My hope will be restored .
Could be six points from 17th . It will be hard and I will wait until after that game but you are right , these are how things work ;)
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I thought Ayew was excellent throughout, showed great ability, technique and a wonderful attitude. I also like the fact he doesn't smile during the gam
I love that too
Like come on fuckers show something for me , I cant do it on my own
where Gabby would laugh with his normal sitter one on one .
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Palace were very poor, thought we pressed well and you can see the fitness improving. Nearly a full game for Gill who worked his arse off along with Ayew and Veretout.
Made a good away team look dire by constant pressure.
Also for 28000 what an atmosphere when the goal went in and afterwards.
Libor held the line well!
My only reservation would be to get Westwood out and replace him with someone with a bit of flair. A grealish on his day or another creative midfielder.
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Palace were poor because we worked hard to restrict them in what they are good at. I think it is more a case of we were very good and should have taken advantage of our overall possession and the numerous corners we had.
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I think Pardew gets a bad rap, he's always pretty honest and complimentary of the opposition which isn't so easy when you've lost.
I have never understood the amount of vitriol Pardew gets, and that's not just the shock/euphoria of victory talking. He offends me no more than a host of other managers do and always seems highly honest, as you say.
It's the fact he's alleged to have slept with the wife of one of his players and been kicked out of a club for it. On 2 separate occasions.
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Before the match I had caught a picture from one of the tabloids from the Wycombe debacle. It was of Garde getting on the coach with a face like thunder.
The guy that hurled the abuse at the players was saying what we were all thinking. We have put up with so much it was inevitable there had to be some outlet. Rightly or wrongly, it spurred on the terrific performance from the players and manager last night.
When I saw the teamsheet I was very pleased. Frankly I'm seeing the same shit players give the same shit performance hoping they might click into gear. Remi had had enough.
You can call it bold selections, I call it reaching the end of your tether with these guys and their attitude, performance levels and ability. Let's see what else we have on the shelf, come in Kozak, Bunn, Cissosko et al and put a shift in!
My heart was in my mouth when they hit the post in the first few seconds. But then something happened. They remembered their instructions from Le Gaffeur and played. And played well!!
Bunn - Nice refreshing change, what we were all thinking, drop Guzan - Yipee!
Cissosko - It's like a prayer had been answered - no Richardson or Hutton - got some good interceptions - Yay!
Lescott - Captain's performance. That reaction at Wycombe must have hit a nerve. Looked assured, strong in the air and got the goal. - oh Yipee !
Bacuna - Matata for the millionth time. Turned on the style considering he had Zaha, Puncheon and Sakho running at him - Yay!
Okore - Played like he has been part of the back four for years. Loved one beautiful header out as he held off a challenge like, "Im gonna flipping win this ball no matter what" - oh yipee!
Veretout - If this guy played for any of the media favourites they'd be creaming their pants at how good he is. His movement, positioning and ball control and simply beautiful - Yay!
Gana - Solid. Broke up play, held the ball up, passed to a team mate - all basic stuff but remembered how to do it. God we needed to win this game. Yip Yip Yay!
Westwood - I've criticised this guy many, many times and praise when its due, he and the other 2 in midfield worked in full tandem and was good. He's got some way to go to make up for the countless shit performances but for now well done.
Ayew - Well Im pretty sure my next child (or grandchild) will be called Jordan if he keeps this up. Yipeeeeeee
Gil - Nice skill, nice movement, showed quality and skill - keep it up son!
Kozak - I am very surprised to read somebody called him a donkey. For this match I thought he was immense and covered loads of grass.
Monsieur Garde - Probably read the wasters the riot act and acted decisively - they worked hard for him and they got the result. Build on this and for the love of God, repair the relationship between the fans and players and we will continue to give our unconditional support.
I really hope he dosent pull a timmy and change the team for tactics sake. OR pull a Lamberk and coach the positivity out of them.
Unchanged line up please.
I'm finally looking forward to Saturday - havent said that in a very long time. If we lose playing like last night then I dont care because that performance was the minimum we expect.
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And fair play to Pardew, I still don't think I'd ever tire of punching his smug face but he spoke nicely of us in his post match interview.
I seem to remember he was also very complimentary to us in the away game when he said how tough we were to beat and that we were one of the best he had seen at Selhurst Park in a long while.
I agree with this too. When he was at West Ham and Charlton, he came across as arrogant and smug; but just these inklings of respect - when everyone else is bending over backwards to insult the Villa - go a long way for me. A big enough man to show a little grace and respect, fair play.
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This thing with Pardew being nice. He said some great things, but the cynic in me remembers that the England job is likely to be available soon, and he may just be keeping/building his profile for that.
Just a thought
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Who knows, but that's just speculation. We can only judge someone on what they actually say or do, I think.
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It's not really a criticism, it's still nicer to hear than what's been said recently.
I think England could do worse than him, too.
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My only reservation would be to get Westwood out and replace him with someone with a bit of flair. A grealish on his day or another creative midfielder.
Apart from a few of his customary loose passes, I thought Westwood did OK last night and won a few important challenges towards the end. I do agree with your point though and feel the balance inn midfield was still not quite right. If we are going to continue with a diamond shape in midfield and Gana is going to be the holding player, we could do with a more attacking and creative player than Westwood to play on the left of the three. I thought at times last night we also needed more bodies in and around the opposition box, as every cleared cross seemed to fall to them.
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Bunn - nothing to do really but maybe just a change gave the defence a little more confidence
Bacuna - Lazy, uncaring, sloppy - all his usual traits - tonight was the complete opposite
Okore - solid as a rock
Lescott - clearly the booing of his name at the start got to him as his celebration was very muted - great captains performance
Cissoko - Nose bleed over the half way line but very solid in defence which is the primary function
Veretout - his vision is excellent and his first touch and pass sublime at times - looks like he really gives a shit as well
Gana - Close to MOTM - interceptions, tackles, crisp short passes, ran at players - and an excellent "professional" foul when required
Westwood - always thought there was a very good player in there and he just needed the right balance of player with him - tonight was evidence of that
Gil - In a better team he would look like Ozil, De Silva etc as he is a lovely "touch" player - in our team he does seem a little lightweight and loses the ball way too often. One of those players that if he is not directly hurting the opposition then you are really playing with 10 men. To be fair though nearly all of the Palace side were 6 foot + big bastards
Ayew - not only ran his balls off but glimpses of skill we have not seen for a while - his wriggle to create the chance was wonderful - his chasing back exemplary and he got clattered into the hoardings as well
Kozak - Ring rusty but has a footballing brain where Gestede has a Giraffe's. More movement, lay offs and hold ups in that game than in all of the previous Rudy ones. Was blowing out of his arse at 75 mins but kept trying.
Garde - Really pleased for him as I think he comes over as a gentleman and had integrity. Clearly the choice would have been to have replaced Kozak at 80-85 minutes but I think he knew there would be boos (undeserved) for taking him off so kept him on to keep the crowd positive. Really hope he stays whatever the outcome as those players played for him last night
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Palace were poor because we worked hard to restrict them in what they are good at. I think it is more a case of we were very good and should have taken advantage of our overall possession and the numerous corners we had.
They said on the coverage that Palace hadn't conceded from a set piece this season, so getting one in against them was an achievement in itself.
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Palace were poor because we worked hard to restrict them in what they are good at. I think it is more a case of we were very good and should have taken advantage of our overall possession and the numerous corners we had.
They said on the coverage that Palace hadn't conceded from a set piece this season, so getting one in against them was an achievement in itself.
They just seemed like a massive team compared to ours but we coped relatively easily with their physicality. I think having Kozak helped - he's a big strong fucker and was up for it.
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They remembered their instructions from Le Gaffeur
Tsk! 'Gaffeur' means 'blunderer' or 'bumbler' in French. Cf. 'gaffer' 'faire une gaffe' meaning 'to blunder', 'to drop a clanger' etc.
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Palace were poor because we worked hard to restrict them in what they are good at. I think it is more a case of we were very good and should have taken advantage of our overall possession and the numerous corners we had.
It surprised me how "long-ball" they were for the majority of the game...but especially for the last half hour, cutting out the threat that quickies like Puncheon, Zaha etc have provided all season. They had a plan and we dealt with it. Well done Remi and the Villa boys!
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The one thing that stuck out last night........we very rarely gave the ball away to the opposition.....match after match we have given the ball away on numerous occasions during matches........which puts pressure on the rest of the team especially the defence. We kept hold of it and distributed it well last night.
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The guy that hurled the abuse at the players was saying what we were all thinking. We have put up with so much it was inevitable there had to be some outlet. Rightly or wrongly, it spurred on the terrific performance from the players and manager last night.
Villa should hire him to do the pre-match team talks...
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This thing with Pardew being nice. He said some great things, but the cynic in me remembers that the England job is likely to be available soon, and he may just be keeping/building his profile for that.
Just a thought
I think he realised how stupid the David Meyler incident made him look and seems to have kept a much lower profile since.
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Pardew is trying to change however he is still a c***!
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A very encouraging performance last night, but whilst we should all enjoy the win, and that wonderful, wonderful feeling that a long overdue victory brings, let's not get carried away that we suddenly have a team capable of winning another 8-games plus and keep us up.
Yes it was much improved and messrs Lescott, Veretout, Gueye, Ayew should take a special bow, whilst each and every one of the others also deserves praise for the effort put in that was there for all to see. It does however show how low our expectations and standards have dropped when we are going overboard about a player just visibly putting in 100% effort doesn't it.
We should expect this in most games 8-9 out of 10, not 1-2 games out of 10, so let's hope that this is positive sign and the start of something rather than a mere flash in the pan. The time for real praise will come when we've strung together 4-5 performances (almost irrespective of result).
We have several players that are clearly not of the quality that we need to get us out of this mess (Cissokho, Kozak, Gil, Bunn), but if they put the shift in and complement the quality players that we do have, like last night, then we have a chance.......a small chance.....but still a chance.
Kozak isn't the answer up top, but you can't knock his effort and it certainly was a step up from Gestede.
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14-1 for The Great Escape.
Where is the nearest St Williams? Pity all the stars are brown bread.
It is not stalagluft 14... Come on..come on. Get on yer bike.
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Whatever happened to 110% effort that us old-timers used to know and love
Sky and the Premier League would be my answer
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As 'nice' as Pardew's comments appear, I can't help feeling he's bigging us up because his team have just been beaten by the (perceived) biggest basket case in the premier league.
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Who gives a fuck? I am still smiling. And the horrible fucking hope monster in me stirred. He is still hibernating but contemplating opening an eye.
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Who gives a fuck? I am still smiling. And the horrible fucking hope monster in me stirred. He is still hibernating but contemplating opening an eye.
my hope monster aint even gone to bed yet :P
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Just looking through the match facts. We disposed them 20 times compared to us losing the ball 8 times and we won 25 tackles compared to their 10. Now Westwood, Lescott, Bacuna and Cissokho had our worst passing accuracy but they made for it with balls and determination and that's all we are asking for. I can forgive the likes of Westwood and Bacuna for not being very good, I can't forgive them for shirking and disappearing and last night they did everything you could ask for, put in a real professional performance and shift.
We don't want much, it doesn't take much to get us onside a win against Leicester.... Albion..... the place will be rocking again.
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Have seen the majority of the game back and this is something we have to build on. It's a big big ask and I think probably too much to do now, but you never know.
Ayew and Veretout certainly looking the part now. Both signed by the committee and ignored by Tim "buck passing" Sherwood.
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Superb lads absolutely superb
Now come on let's start the great escape
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Only home an hour ago - M5 roadworks - and just finished reading whole thread...which has been wonderful because of the uplifting comments after such an uplifting performance. Well done Villa and H&V posters!
Thought the team as a whole was excellent...every player put a shift in (impressed with Bacuna and Westwood who I have criticised in the past) and we won the game. Hopefully they can see this and make it happen more often. (A bit of luck with the goal, but most teams seem to have more than their share when they play us!)
In defence I thought Lescott was outstanding - calm, forceful and a leader.
In midfield Veretout was immense, though Gana ran him pretty close and really got at the Palace mf.
Up front Ayew was simply wonderful...a real handful for them - quick, sharp, unpredictable and worked his bollocks off, chasing down and tackling back. What a pity he couldn't finish that solo effort off! A Villa hero!
Special mention for Kozak....he's a favourite of mine, but I thought he showed guile, graft and a positional awareness that Gestede will never have. Libor makes the oppo defenders work and has a presence that suggests he's always on the hunt for the ball/a goal.
Great to hear the Villa faithful singing their socks off at the end...a million miles away from Saturday's debacle.
Same again on Saturday would be very nice thank you, Monsieur Garde. (Good selection mate!)
You make me ashamed to admit this. I can walk to Villa Park from my house but deafed it cos we're crap and it was pissing down. It's the 1st home game I've missed. Fair play to you and others like you for the efforts you put in. I will make sure I don't miss another game- it's the least I can do; )
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No, you must miss it.
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No, you must miss it.
What you saying? Can I claim the credit for last nights result?
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No, you must miss it.
What you saying? Can I claim the credit for last nights result?
On the off chance you were responsible, you must never, ever set foot in Villa Park again.
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No, you must miss it.
What you saying? Can I claim the credit for last nights result?
On the off chance you were responsible, you must never, ever set foot in Villa Park again.
I'll see what I can do
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I've noticed that whenever we score more goals than the opposition we always win.
Spooky coincidence.
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I've noticed that whenever we score more goals than the opposition we always win.
Spooky coincidence.
Well done now you have the same astute insight as Louis van Gaal. He made almost the same point last night by saying "we need to.... always score one more goal than other team ....but we many times don't do.... it"
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I've noticed that whenever we score more goals than the opposition we always win.
Spooky coincidence.
Well done now you have the same astute insight as Louis van Gaal. He made almost the same point last night by saying "we need to.... always score one more goal than other team ....but we many times don't do.... it"
That bloke is such a tit it is almost physically painful to watch him being interviewed.
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I've noticed that whenever we score more goals than the opposition we always win.
Spooky coincidence.
Strange but true !
http://www.thefa.com/football-rules-governance/laws/football-11-11/law-10---the-method-of-scoring
Winning team
The team scoring the greater number of goals during a match is the winner. If both teams score an equal number of goals, or if no goals are scored, the match is drawn.
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Who gives a fuck? I am still smiling. And the horrible fucking hope monster in me stirred. He is still hibernating but contemplating opening an eye.
Your one eyed monster is stirring.
Pity the wife.
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I've noticed that whenever we score more goals than the opposition we always win.
Spooky coincidence.
I've forgotten who said it now - about 20 years ago
"If we're going to win the league this year, we'll have to finish above Man. Utd."
Anybody remember ?
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Mark Ansell?
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More than opposition..especially in the last fifteen minutes.. Don't tell the filberts.