Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: kippaxvilla2 on April 08, 2023, 04:59:05 PM
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Get in! I think we should join the ESL.
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We turned up, we won without breaking sweat, we went home. It's what Villa do.
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Eggstatic
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Villa back in the top 6.
Natural order restored.
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We're 6th now.
Fs have been F'd.
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Nice.
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Thank you boys. Don't why but was not optimistic before kick off. Now Europe awaits...
Have a nice WE all.
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Such a sixy result.
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No Ollie no party!
A weird win where kind of nobody played well? We were pretty sloppy all over? But we were good enough and so there it is, 2-0.
Bizarre. But who gives a fuck? SIXTH. SIXTH IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE. THE ENGLISH ONE. This Emery is a miracle worker, a real one.
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Pretty dull for the most part but two good goals and Forest never really looked like they could cause us problems. Bad luck for Bailey but Traore is a much better bet at the moment.
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Didn’t get out of 3rd gear but a win is a win. 6th place and now a massive series of games against sides above and around us. The next 4 games will really go a long way to determine if we get into Europe for next season.
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According to BBC Sports Stats, we had 1 corner compared to 7 for Forrest.
That's most peculiar.
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A terrible terrible....win! Forest could have been out there until next week and wouldn't have scored. Martinez and Mings very solid. Ramsey better on the left. Good to see the Donk back on the pitch. We struggle badly to play when Luiz is man marked like he was today. Forest were eye bleedingly awful and we weren't much better. But on we go.
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Ollie's goal for anyone that didn't see it
https://twitter.com/golsvartatico05/status/1644731603912933379
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Can we dream? Get in!
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35 points from 17 games now.
Over a season that's 78 points.
Emery = stone cold genius.
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Insane that we are somehow 6th.
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As textbook as you can get. It's nice to win at home comfortably without getting complacent. We went into an interntional break in good form which is usually a death knell. 3 wins in a week since returning. Ending it on a home banker against a relegation struggler which historically might be where we'd slip up.
Is Emery...(whispers it quietly) fixing us? We're avoiding so many previously inescapable Villa-isms at the moment. Long may it continue.
Yay for Bertie. What a masterstroke that might be bringing him back.
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I fully expect the top 6 to only be a top 5 in the media after this weekends results
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Let's just say it was worth sticking with it right until the end. Fantastic bit of skill from Watkins, he meant every touch and deserves the credit. Judging by the number of empty seats towards the end plenty will have to watch MOTD tonight.
Nine points in what has been a tough week on the road and little time for recovery or tactics going by today. Right now, I'll take it.
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Not one for the memory banks but a win is a win
Two good goals. Bert Hungry for the first and great finish by Ollie
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Pretty lethargic performance today but one of those you just have to do enough to win in a run in and we did.
Certainly need a bigger quality squad if we're going to have 3 games in a week regularly next season as that was very leggy after two high intensity away games. Hopefully Cash and possibly Coutinho are back next week just to give us some better options beyond the first 11.
How can anyone dislike Bert, another lovely finish and scoring some big goals in the run in.
Top 6 though...amazing considering where we were even at beginning of January.
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What was the attendance ?
Don't tell Flin but seemed lots of spaces in Lower Trinity
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It seems ridiculous, but if Emery had arrived in the summer and we hadn't wasted our time with Gerrard, we'd quite possibly be looking nailed on for a Champion's League spot at this stage.
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This week, 9 points and 6 goals.
First 11 games under Gerrard, 9 points and 6 goals.
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What was the attendance ?
Don't tell Flin but seemed lots of spaces in Lower Trinity
42,076 (I think)
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What was the attendance ?
Don't tell Flin but seemed lots of spaces in Lower Trinity
Full house, my mate couldn’t get a ticket
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(https://i.ibb.co/P5pwTPg/Screenshot-20230407-184450-Instagram.jpg) (https://ibb.co/P5pwTPg)
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Did enough without anybody playing very well. It’s what big teams do.
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Under Smith (towards the end) and Gerrard that game ends 0-0.
2-0 with an average performance at best. That'll do.
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When was the last time, we were 6th in April in the Prem, must be in O'Neill's time, fantastic stuff Villa and Unai.
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Under Smith (towards the end) and Gerrard that game ends 0-0.
2-0 with an average performance at best. That'll do.
Under Gerrard that probably ends 0-1 the useless Lego headed twonk.
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Ollie's goal for anyone that didn't see it
https://twitter.com/golsvartatico05/status/1644731603912933379
He just said himself he wouldn't have tried that finish earlier in the season. He's developing in leaps and bounds under Emery.
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Great stuff - top 6 at this stage of the season is tremendous.
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Villa are becoming a very different proposition now aren't they? Long may it continue.
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Ollie's goal for anyone that didn't see it
https://twitter.com/golsvartatico05/status/1644731603912933379
He just said himself he wouldn't have tried that finish earlier in the season. He's developing in leaps and bounds under Emery.
In his post-match interview he said that Rodri told him "tranquilo" at half-time. As F-V has pointed out, the team learning Spanish is starting to bear fruit.
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Getting a nosebleed...
I wonder what we will be like when he has his own players & a pre-season under his belt...
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We couldn't win a raffle under Gerrard. We've now won nearly HALF our 30 league games with 8 still to go. This so reminds me of Gregory 97-98. Loving it. Absolutely loving it.
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Emery is squeezing every last drop out of this group of players. And for a number of the them, their careers seemed away from the club next season may find themselves with us for a bit longer. It’s going to be such fun how summer to see the types of player we go for and sign. Technically sound, mentally strong.
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It's surreal, sitting here taking a win in our stride.
Well done lads.
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Won without getting out of first gear. I wish someone would tell refs they don’t need to hold the game up and have a chat with players before every corner and free kick. They are there to keep the game going and he broke it up. All in all a very, very comfortable 3 points.
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Whilst not being complacent, we lacked some dynamism today, but criticism does seem churlish after another win to keep a great run going.
Forest just sat in during the first half, so the Mings-Konsa routine did seem overdone, especially at a slow pace.
The only way they were going to score was from an assist from us, or a set piece. Somehow, we did concede a lot of corners today but dealt with them well.
Moreno was another good outlet today and his all-round game has improved as well.
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The ref appeared to be the personal physician for Forest.
Fair play to him for being concerned but it was rather odd.
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https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/12852920/aston-villa-2-0-nottingham-forest-premier-league-highlights
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A positive goal difference for the first time this season.
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Whilst not being complacent, we lacked some dynamism today, but criticism does seem churlish after another win to keep a great run going.
Forest just sat in during the first half, so the Mings-Konsa routine did seem overdone, especially at a slow pace.
The only way they were going to score was from an assist from us, or a set piece. Somehow, we did concede a lot of corners today but dealt with them well.
Moreno was another good outlet today and his all-round game has improved as well.
Yeah - I mean we’re running on threadbare squad - only marenro wasn’t here under Smith, and only Benduia and Young weren’t here the season before - and it’s crazy to think how much Unai has achieved with that
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Strange game in some ways, almost entirely in control but were sloppy in the final third. Atm teams really don't look like getting near us other than a long ball. Injuries considered, another excellent win. What a fucking manager this man is
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According to BBC Sports Stats, we had 1 corner compared to 7 for Forrest.
That's most peculiar.
Yes they had a lot of corners and each and every time Mings met it and cleared with ease. They were a hopeless to take agvantage. The free role of Mings at opposition corners is working very well but I think better teams will spot that and may find a way round it.
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5 of our starting 11 today were substitutes in the opening loss to Bournemouth. Mings, Douglas Luiz, Buendia, Watkins and Young. What a turnaround.
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Yeah - I mean we’re running on threadbare squad - only marenro wasn’t here under Smith, and only Benduia and Young weren’t here the season before - and it’s crazy to think how much Unai has achieved with that
And Durán.
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I fully expect the top 6 to only be a top 5 in the media after this weekends results
They will definitely have a lump of sand stuck in their throat when saying it in any case.
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Great win. Like others have said, we didn't get out of 2nd gear and were pretty poor tbh, but were better than them.
Only downside is that I was fucking freezing, didn't take a jumper 👴🏻
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Happy with the win, after a lethargic first half Berts goals inevitably changed the tempo of the game. Mings was supreme today and to be honest we never looked troubled.
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I'm running out of superlatives for the work Emery is doing.
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Happy with the win, after a lethargic first half Berts goals inevitably changed the tempo of the game. Mings was supreme today and to be honest we never looked troubled.
Yes lethargic is the word I used at HT talking to my seat neighbours. We spent a lot of time tempting Forest to come and press us by they kept their distance and our players found that difficult to deal with and didn't open them up in any meaningful way. The next thing to learn is how to deal with teams who come to sit back but I am sure Unai will find a plan for it.
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I fully expect the top 6 to only be a top 5 in the media after this weekends results
They will definitely have a lump of sand stuck in their throat when saying it in any case.
So Sean Dyche will be reading it out?
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We did deal with them. We put two goals past them.
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As with Bournemouth the other week, I was surprised by the lack of urgency from Forest.
Johnson was wasted in a one man press. Unless you press with two players, there’s always an easy pass.
You know things are going well for Villa, when even the presence of Leeg in the ground doesn’t lead to a defeat ;)
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You know things are going well for Villa, when even the presence of Leeg in the ground doesn’t lead to a defeat ;)
OK, now I understand the reason for first half performance.
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Aston Villa 2-0 Nottingham Forest: Villa close in on Europe - https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65145668
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He’s done amazingly well to get us this far but I think the lack of signings in January is going to cost us in the end.
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Regulation win after a long week with 2 tricky away games. Rest and recoup for a day or two. 2nd gear was enough so that is all we used.
We go again - next week will be a real test. They are flying at the minute too having had 3 really good results on the bounce.
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Someone needs to put a stop to the Magpies flying!!
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He’s done amazingly well to get us this far but I think the lack of signings in January is going to cost us in the end.
On the other hand we do have Coutinho, Cash and Kamara all coming back in soon.
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It's not like we'll be swamped with fixtures, we only have one more midweek game this season.
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Someone needs to put a stop to the Magpies flying!!
Game vs them is huge, I think we can win it. It'll be a great atmosphere I think.
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As with Bournemouth the other week, I was surprised by the lack of urgency from Forest.
Johnson was wasted in a one man press. Unless you press with two players, there’s always an easy pass.
You know things are going well for Villa, when even the presence of Leeg in the ground doesn’t lead to a defeat ;)
I lost count of how many times Johnson was caught offside. It's something we have really improved at at the back, Martinez brilliant off his line at one point during the second half too. Back to Johnson, very disappointing today but he isn't a striker. The guy they brought on was much better. Forest were atrocious today really.
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If anyone had suggested on the day Gerrard got potted that by early April we would be 6th in the league we’d have asked for a toke on the same stuff they were on. Today was a game that will be soon forgotten as a stand alone but I suspect might seem a milestone for getting us back into the top 6 when we are reminiscing in years to come.
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He’s done amazingly well to get us this far but I think the lack of signings in January is going to cost us in the end.
At some point those that whinged all January are likely to be vindicated...well into April now though and Danny Ings hardly getting a kick since he left us either.
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Someone needs to put a stop to the Magpies flying!!
Game vs them is huge, I think we can win it. It'll be a great atmosphere I think.
I think it would be even better if it wasn't half twelve kick off.
That was hard work today but I suppose we're going to get games like that. Watkins work rate was just immense. We really miss Kamara when he don't play me thinks.
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He’s done amazingly well to get us this far but I think the lack of signings in January is going to cost us in the end.
At some point those that whinged all January are likely to be vindicated...well into April now though and Danny Ings hardly getting a kick since he left us either.
Since Ings went, Watkins has been far more effective. That is just a fact and we are saving 500k a month on wages each month. Selling Ings was a no brainer based on his age, injury record, price tag, wages and goals return. Can definitely argue maybe letting Archer go was risky but that is a slightly different conversation. Plus if he gets Boro promoted and we wanted to sell him we get bucketloads - like when we got promoted and subsequently paid a lot for (key player on loan) Mings.
All this gives Emery a freer hand within the constraints of FFP
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We never looked in danger today, it was just our final ball and decision making that was a bit wonky at times.
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If it hasn’t been mentioned I don’t think Shelveys assist for Bertrand is getting half of the credit it deserves. Absolute quality lay off straight onto the left wand of Bertie.
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I thought Young was very good today - I was seated high up in Trinity and kept keen eye on him. For someone 15 months off starting his 40th year and playing his third game in a week was some effort.
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If it hasn’t been mentioned I don’t think Shelveys assist for Bertrand is getting half of the credit it deserves. Absolute quality lay off straight onto the left wand of Bertie.
Yeah he should be credited for such an assist especially as he shouldn't have been on the pitch.
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Moreno stats from today from Villa twitter, a really useful outlet down the left.
77 touches
37 passes completed
4 tackles won
3 successful dribbles
2 chances created
2 clearances
I'm always surprised when I see the stats for defenders and they've only made a few tackles or clearances. When I played the whole of the back 4 made tonnes more than that. Maybe because we were fucking shit though.
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I thought Young was very good today - I was seated high up in Trinity and kept keen eye on him. For someone 15 months off starting his 40th year and playing his third game in a week was some effort.
Yes, I agree rob, on top of his own performance he’s a constant influence on the rest of them.
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I can’t remember the last time we won at this level playing so poorly. Glad with the win but Emery won’t be happy. We gave the ball away so much today and were generally very sloppy. Forest gifted us our goal and I’m grateful for a). having Bertie T there to provide a typical Bert finish b). us getting it so early in second half because I wonder what would have happened the longer the game were to go on at nil nil.
Thought we badly missed Cash in a game like this to overlap even though he’s generally been more defensive.
Bailey accelerated for the first in months and pulled his hamstring. He’s made of glass.Bert has done more in the last 80 minutes of football then Bailey has done for months and will hopefully feature prominently now.
World’s number 1 always reliable.
Mings good.
McGinn good.
Nice finish from Watkins at the end.
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Agreed, Young was good today.
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Agreed, Young was good today.
Yes, some nice passes down the side.
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If it hasn’t been mentioned I don’t think Shelveys assist for Bertrand is getting half of the credit it deserves. Absolute quality lay off straight onto the left wand of Bertie.
Yeah he should be credited for such an assist especially as he shouldn't have been on the pitch.
It was superbly delicate touch with right amount of weight and pace. The man is a gifted genius and if he were foreign Press and media will be gushing with puerile praise.
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If it hasn’t been mentioned I don’t think Shelveys assist for Bertrand is getting half of the credit it deserves. Absolute quality lay off straight onto the left wand of Bertie.
Yeah he should be credited for such an assist especially as he shouldn't have been on the pitch.
Agreed.
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Why didn't Shelvey get booked for going through Buendia in the first few minutes? It was a really terrible tackle, much worse than the one he did get a yellow cardfor when brought Moreno down a few minutes later.
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Agreed, Young was good today.
Yes, some nice passes down the side.
The ball he clipped for Bailey to run onto ( he went off injured shortly after ) was class.
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Certainly not vintage Villa today, but job done yet again.
Stats say we had 3 shots on target (1 first half and obviously the 2 goals in the second).
For the life of me I can't remember the shot on target in the first half. Any one ???
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Didn’t realise Will Windsor was there today. Hope he enjoyed it.
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Why didn't Shelvey get booked for going through Buendia in the first few minutes? It was a really terrible tackle, much worse than the one he did get a yellow cardfor when brought Moreno down a few minutes later.
No idea - it was a nasty challenge and seemed to knock stuffing out of Buendia who struggled at time thereafter.
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Certainly not vintage Villa today, but job done yet again.
Stats say we had 3 shots on target (1 first half and obviously the 2 goals in the second).
For the life of me I can't remember the shot on target in the first half. Any one ???
Think Watkins one which keeper saved and then it bounced back at Ollie, went behind and he gave a goal kick
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Looking at the Sky highlights, all they could find for Forest "chances" were a blocked shot when the 10 comes inside of Young and a long range pass back to Emi.
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Certainly not vintage Villa today, but job done yet again.
Stats say we had 3 shots on target (1 first half and obviously the 2 goals in the second).
For the life of me I can't remember the shot on target in the first half. Any one ???
Think Watkins one which keeper saved and then it bounced back at Ollie, went behind and he gave a goal kick
The move that Bailey injured himself on.
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Certainly not vintage Villa today, but job done yet again.
Stats say we had 3 shots on target (1 first half and obviously the 2 goals in the second).
For the life of me I can't remember the shot on target in the first half. Any one ???
Think Watkins one which keeper saved and then it bounced back at Ollie, went behind and he gave a goal kick
The move that Bailey injured himself on.
Yes - probably a better way of describing it
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Konsa was absolutely excellent today
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We scored against 10 men again.
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Konsa was absolutely excellent today
Yes he did
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I would.
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;D
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
Christ on a bike. Really?
Can only beat what's there, and we did comfortably. We are missing several players like you say, kamara especially is a key miss, and since his injury we've won every time
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.
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Didn’t realise Will Windsor was there today. Hope he enjoyed it.
Doubt it. It was awful.
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He’s done amazingly well to get us this far but I think the lack of signings in January is going to cost us in the end.
Greedy c***.
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We’ve got a proper football team taking shape before our eyes.
Not our most stylish performance today but still found a way to win and did so comfortably.
Three consecutive home Premier League wins for the first time since MON I think? Another crazy stat we’ve put to bed.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.
It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.
It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.
Exactly, part of it was that they man marked Luiz and SJM and we struggled to play through our midfield, a lot of players were very poor with the ball and we couldn't put 2 passes together except when going sideways and backwards. I enjoyed the result but not the performance.
A fit Kamara will help and we need him back asap.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.
It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.
You don’t really know what Emery would say to be honest. Good trams don’t play well every week vut find a way to grind out wins and draws. We can’t come to the conclusion that Newcastle would automatically hammer us with a similar performance.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.
It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.
You don’t really know what Emery would say to be honest. Good trams don’t play well every week vut find a way to grind out wins and draws. We can’t come to the conclusion that Newcastle would automatically hammer us with a similar performance.
If we give the ball away as often as we did yesterday then it’s hard to see how we would beat a team that is far superior to Forest.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.
It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.
You don’t really know what Emery would say to be honest. Good trams don’t play well every week vut find a way to grind out wins and draws. We can’t come to the conclusion that Newcastle would automatically hammer us with a similar performance.
I’m sorry; if you think Emery went away from that game happy, then I think we’ve plateaued already. There is no way he was happy with that performance. The elite do not settle. It was a poor performance from us.
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Mcginn having to play deeper affects the dynamic of the team. If kamara isnt fit for saturday i can see dendonkar coming in as the second holding player and mcginn further forward.
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Yes, we need Bouba back asap. It could be Brentford when he returns though after UE said he's at least 10 days away from being involved. Coutinho could yet play an important role in the run-in especially after his goal and display against Arsenal. He will be back soon as well.
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He’s done amazingly well to get us this far but I think the lack of signings in January is going to cost us in the end.
Cost us what?
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Had enough of signing any old shit just to make up the numbers,am willing to let the Boss Man do the talking and what he says goes
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He’s done amazingly well to get us this far but I think the lack of signings in January is going to cost us in the end.
Cost us what?
it'll cost us finishing 14th
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I'd say that the targets he wanted were not available or we weren't a good enough catch, so he decided to work with what he has and not compromise his choices and just buy stopgap players.
Emery is doing a superb job with the current squad.
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I thought Mings was magnificent and must of embarrassed the watching idiot that is Southgate.
Dominated the game and took our chances when they came.
No one would fancy playing us at the moment.
My only concern is the size of the squad and possible burn out but I'm sure UA backroom team is as professional in thier prep as he is with his tactics
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.
It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.
Exactly, part of it was that they man marked Luiz and SJM and we struggled to play through our midfield, a lot of players were very poor with the ball and we couldn't put 2 passes together except when going sideways and backwards. I enjoyed the result but not the performance.
A fit Kamara will help and we need him back asap.
We had the same challenge against the likes of Wolves and Leeds early in Emery's reign when Kamara was playing. The lack of a ball playing centre back comfortable of stepping into midfield is a real challenge in breaking that press.
In saying that I don't think Luiz in particular did enough to try and shake MGW yesterday to get on the ball, McGinn was off the pace throughout, Buendia had a shocker while Ramsey was predictably useless on the right, thankfully that was switched after half time and he improved. Watkins wasn't great either so the long ball didn't stick all that much.
We will be in for a hammering against Newcastle if we play like we did yesterday.
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Another win and another clean sheet I will take that.
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Even when it was 0-0 at half time I was supremely confident that if we bided our time the win would come, it didn’t feel like one where they were going to nick it 1-0. Routine comfortable win against very poor and probably doomed opposition. Makes a nice change, long may it continue.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.
It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.
You don’t really know what Emery would say to be honest. Good trams don’t play well every week vut find a way to grind out wins and draws. We can’t come to the conclusion that Newcastle would automatically hammer us with a similar performance.
We're still on track. 😉
Anyway, it was a tough game, they tried to stifle us, and it worked, because we only scored two.
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We've gone from a side that earlier in the season everyone wanted to see as their next fixture to a side no one in the division wants to see. And that's because even when we're stifled by the opposition and/or not playing near our best we score and more often than not win. I'll take that every day of the week.
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Happy with the win and it does feel very much like that run in the promotion season.
Felt Forest showed us an immense amount of respect by the way they set up. Sacrificing any attacking intent, to flood 5 at the back and swamp the midfield. They weren't interested in pressing and that made it hard for our usual tempo increase in transition from defence to midfield/attack (see 1st goal at Leicester). Only a couple of ocassions did Moreno and Bailey get beyond. If you can cast your mind back 13 years, it was that persistent failure to beat sides sitting in, that cost us a top 4 finish under O'Neill.
A game we were never going to lose, but we needed more from Ramsey and Buendia. 3 games in a week probably has an effect, but they were wasteful in possession and lacked drive on the ball.
Forest changing their shape slightly by bringing on a proper forward allowed a little more space and Konsa's distribution into midfield was again, a prime example of Emery's system in action. Our patience in possession will exceed your discipline in the press. It did yesterday almost to effect and it absolutely did on Tuesday with the first goal, with another low block defence.
Forced it a little too much with Mings and Konsa in the first half looking long. No issue with the switch, but the records of good sides are littered with "1-0 job done", as much as you remember the flashy results/performances. Grind them down, wear them out, death by pass and strangulation of the game. Another centre half in the summer is highly likely. Brighton's centre half's seem to find that killer pass into midfield consistently, that's what we're aiming at.
Delighted for Bertie to get on the board again, still rusty, but he's another body at least. Superb for the Ollie goal too with the runs. Yes they had 10 men, but it was well exploited.
Slower than we'd like, a game where Kamara's passing alongside Dougie was needed, with McGinn and his bustle probably offering more than Ramsey. It would be nice to have a few more options for next Saturday and its brilliant to be in April and in a genuine top 6 class again!
Routine. We came, we passed, we won. And it was never really in doubt.
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If Newcastle play like they did 1st half against Brentford, we'll hammer them.
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Even when it was 0-0 at half time I was supremely confident that if we bided our time the win would come, it didn’t feel like one where they were going to nick it 1-0. Routine comfortable win against very poor and probably doomed opposition. Makes a nice change, long may it continue.
I love boring, routine 2-0 home wins. Felt for a few years back at this level that we've had to suffer for every point won, this sort of win makes me very happy, thrillingly mundane.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.
It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.
Exactly, part of it was that they man marked Luiz and SJM and we struggled to play through our midfield, a lot of players were very poor with the ball and we couldn't put 2 passes together except when going sideways and backwards. I enjoyed the result but not the performance.
A fit Kamara will help and we need him back asap.
We had the same challenge against the likes of Wolves and Leeds early in Emery's reign when Kamara was playing. The lack of a ball playing centre back comfortable of stepping into midfield is a real challenge in breaking that press.
In saying that I don't think Luiz in particular did enough to try and shake MGW yesterday to get on the ball, McGinn was off the pace throughout, Buendia had a shocker while Ramsey was predictably useless on the right, thankfully that was switched after half time and he improved. Watkins wasn't great either so the long ball didn't stick all that much.
We will be in for a hammering against Newcastle if we play like we did yesterday.
I think we can excuse them a below par performance now and again. With a very thin squad and 3 games in 8 days we’ve come out of it with 9 points. No matter what squad you have, that takes some doing, even more so with 2 away games in 4 days.
What didn’t help yesterday was the referee who just did not let the game flow and an opponent who sat back. It’s not easy breaking teams down but we did it which just shows how far we’ve come.
Let’s see what next week brings against the worlds favourite other team. We don’t have too many options to change it player wise but we have a top coach with a superb tactical brain.
Whatever happens I’d rather have Emery and our owners and we have a group of players who give 100% every game. I don’t think any of us could ask for more at this time.
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Its offensive that someone as epically shit as Jonjo Shelvey earns a living as a professional footballer.
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Its offensive that someone as epically shit as Jonjo Shelvey earns a living as a professional footballer.
I was surprised they took him off as their only threat seemed to be him launching the ball into the channels which enabled them to get behind our back 4 . They got an awful lot of corners from this but we defended them all magnificently.
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Not the most exciting of games but a routine win in which we were never troubled, did either keeper make a save ?
They were a very limited side with pretty much zero attacking intent but they did fall back into their shape very quickly, they let us have the ball and we needed to be patient, despite the slow pace to the game I thought at times we weren’t patient enough and tried to speed things up with some careless passing. We certainly didn’t see enough from Buendia, Bailey and despite the goal, Bertie.
All the defenders were good on the ball with both full backs deserving special praise, also thought McGinn was very impressive as we looked to close out the game, using his strength to great effect.
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I'd say that the targets he wanted were not available or we weren't a good enough catch, so he decided to work with what he has and not compromise his choices and just buy stopgap players.
Emery is doing a superb job with the current squad.
Thats exactly what happened
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Eldest Son is 19 today, great the boys got a win to put us all in a good mood for today’s celebrations.
I’ve been trying to convince him for the last 10 + years that we won’t always be shit, Aston Villa will come again and get back where we belong at the top end of the league.
At last it’s happening.
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Its offensive that someone as epically shit as Jonjo Shelvey earns a living as a professional footballer.
I was surprised they took him off as their only threat seemed to be him launching the ball into the channels which enabled them to get behind our back 4 . They got an awful lot of corners from this but we defended them all magnificently.
Watkins in particular must have got his head to two or three of their corners and after one headed clearance, he was down the other end on the edge of the box. Really good stuff.
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We've gone from a side that earlier in the season everyone wanted to see as their next fixture to a side no one in the division wants to see. And that's because even when we're stifled by the opposition and/or not playing near our best we score and more often than not win. I'll take that every day of the week.
Indeed PWS. The game v Chelsea on stats alone would point to a 3.1 win for them. Not v this Villa team it wasn't
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I agree with you except for:
Entertainment bit as I don't really care as long as we win.
Play like that and we won't take a serious beating but maybe not win.
There were some average performances compared to of late but no one was really poor.
Teams on a run often need a breather and I see the game yesterday as that.
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Eldest Son is 19 today, great the boys got a win to put us all in a good mood for today’s celebrations.
I’ve been trying to convince him for the last 10 + years that we won’t always be shit, Aston Villa will come again and get back where we belong at the top end of the league.
At last it’s happening.
Happy birthday to the "big little one". Yes he's had it rough at school and other places up to now with so many GHs around but for my sake I wish him a wonderful next 19 Aston Villa success years.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I agree with you except for:
Entertainment bit as I don't really care as long as we win.
Play like that and we won't take a serious beating but maybe not win.
There were some average performances compared to of late but no one was really poor.
Teams on a run often need a breather and I see the game yesterday as that.
I found it extremely frustrating and was pretty stressed out , so for me I did not feel entertained. But glad we won. I have seen us play worse and better and still lose.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I agree with you except for:
Entertainment bit as I don't really care as long as we win.
Play like that and we won't take a serious beating but maybe not win.
There were some average performances compared to of late but no one was really poor.
Teams on a run often need a breather and I see the game yesterday as that.
I found it extremely frustrating and was pretty stressed out , so for me I did not feel entertained. But glad we won. I have seen us play worse and better and still lose.
I honestly couldn't have been less stressed sat there watching it, I just felt it was inevitable we'd do enough to win
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How are away fans getting tickets in the home end? I had a group of Forest fans behind me, one next to me and two lads in the row in front of me. Witton Upper.
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I'd have been happy with mid table mediocrity in 10th/11th after the start we had with the no-necked fuckwit in charge!
We've hit form that we haven't seen in years (*in top flight football), and are in with a very good shout of European football, which looked light years away at the start of the season.
We've navigated 2 tough away games followed by a team fighting for their lives at the bottom in just one short week, and we've come away with maximum points. I'd take yesterday's slightly below par winning performance over ANYTHING served up in recent years - There really is no pleasing some people! Get a grip and enjoy the ride.
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I'd have been happy with mid table mediocrity in 10th/11th after the start we had with the no-necked fuckwit in charge!
We've hit form that we haven't seen in years (*in top flight football), and are in with a very good shout of European football, which looked light years away at the start of the season.
We've navigated 2 tough away games followed by a team fighting for their lives at the bottom in just one short week, and we've come away with maximum points. I'd take yesterday's slightly below par winning performance over ANYTHING served up in recent years - There really is no pleasing some people! Get a grip and enjoy the ride.
I am allowed an opinion without a bit of better fan than you bollocks.
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At no stage yesterday was I in any doubt that we'd win. Never felt they'd score a late goal. Unusual feelings as a Villa fan but one I'm getting used to and long may it last.
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The 'entertainment' for me was provided by the rather aggressive gentleman who spent most of the second half threatening to beat all and sundry up, swearing like a trooper and letting everyone know that he was with his five year old son and only singing what all the other fans were.
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In his numerous interviews after the game Emery said we need to be much, much better to have any sniff of Europe. I don't think it's unreasonable for fans to think and discuss the same without getting grief. It's possible to enjoy it and also discuss the need for improvement at the same time.
I'm delighted with the win and would've taken a drab 1-0 before the game, but it wasn't the most enjoyable watch and the crowd was very flat apart from a few times where a tackle flew in.
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The 'entertainment' for me was provided by the rather aggressive gentleman who spent most of the second half threatening to beat all and sundry up, swearing like a trooper and letting everyone know that he was with his five year old son and only singing what all the other fans were.
It was you wasn't it?
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Not at our best but even so, once we got the first, the win was never in doubt, also the players, who didn't take part in the game is an impressive list, Cash, Carlos, Kamara, Coutinho and a player, who I believe has a big future with us, big Jhon. With the players coming in in the summer, to say the future is looking bright, is an understatement.
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The 'entertainment' for me was provided by the rather aggressive gentleman who spent most of the second half threatening to beat all and sundry up, swearing like a trooper and letting everyone know that he was with his five year old son and only singing what all the other fans were.
Was he in the North?
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Lower Trinity.
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I'd have been happy with mid table mediocrity in 10th/11th after the start we had with the no-necked fuckwit in charge!
We've hit form that we haven't seen in years (*in top flight football), and are in with a very good shout of European football, which looked light years away at the start of the season.
We've navigated 2 tough away games followed by a team fighting for their lives at the bottom in just one short week, and we've come away with maximum points. I'd take yesterday's slightly below par winning performance over ANYTHING served up in recent years - There really is no pleasing some people! Get a grip and enjoy the ride.
I am allowed an opinion without a bit of better fan than you bollocks.
Wasn't aimed at you Chicago - You did make some valid points. I was sat in the Trinity and there were the odd irate shouts from a couple of idiots at a few of the players (and Emery?!) from the stands is what I was referring to.
The fact that we had players out yesterday, and a team playing off the back of 3 games in a week, you can forego a slightly sub par performance, especially when we still win.
The good thing is that is close to the worst we'll see from an Emery team going forward. Onward and upward! UTV
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I was a bit concerned that they might get something from a corner, they looked a big side, but the delivery from Gibbs-White was uniformly terrible.
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I'd have been happy with mid table mediocrity in 10th/11th after the start we had with the no-necked fuckwit in charge!
We've hit form that we haven't seen in years (*in top flight football), and are in with a very good shout of European football, which looked light years away at the start of the season.
We've navigated 2 tough away games followed by a team fighting for their lives at the bottom in just one short week, and we've come away with maximum points. I'd take yesterday's slightly below par winning performance over ANYTHING served up in recent years - There really is no pleasing some people! Get a grip and enjoy the ride.
I am allowed an opinion without a bit of better fan than you bollocks.
Wasn't aimed at you Chicago - You did make some valid points. I was sat in the Trinity and there were the odd irate shouts from a couple of idiots at a few of the players (and Emery?!) from the stands is what I was referring to.
The fact that we had players out yesterday, and a team playing off the back of 3 games in a week, you can forego a slightly sub par performance, especially when we still win.
The good thing is that is close to the worst we'll see from an Emery team going forward. Onward and upward! UTV
apologies mate, I thought I heard a few boos at half time which was a bit odd.
Agree mate it was ny great but plenty of contributing factors, UTV.
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I was a bit concerned that they might get something from a corner, they looked a big side, but the delivery from Gibbs-White was uniformly terrible.
They had loads as well.
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There was also some pissed up knobhead in the North doing similar. "there's only 4 of us singing" etc. Think he was chucking stuff as well and he was with his lad, or certainly a younger kid. What an example.
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There was also some pissed up knobhead in the North doing similar. "there's only 4 of us singing" etc. Think he was chucking stuff as well and he was with his lad, or certainly a younger kid. What an example.
What an abysmal prick
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How are away fans getting tickets in the home end? I had a group of Forest fans behind me, one next to me and two lads in the row in front of me. Witton Upper.
ST resales I presume. I couldn't go to the Leeds home match, so placed my 3 ST seats for resale through the Club and my seat neighbours told me that occupiers that night were, suspiciously, Leeds fans.
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Don’t you need to be a member to buy them on resale?
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To be fair Mings clears a lot of set pieces these days. He got a lot of criticism, justified in my book, in our first season up for winning very little in the air in either box. But he has improved a lot in that regard. Watkins is excellent at the front post and Martinez isn't shy about coming off his line either. Earlier in the season we were getting battered defending set pieces.
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A trip to Villa Park is Forest's FA Cup final and they were also desperate for points in their current plight. On the other hand, we had two away games a few days before and were missing 3 or 4 quality players.
Under previous managers this was an accident waiting to happen.
We did what we had to do and did no more. A sign of a quality team.
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No need to be condescending to Forest, one of very few clubs who can look down on us on the European Cups question.
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No need to be condescending to Forest, one of very few clubs who can look down on us on the European Cups question.
Didn't mean to be condescending towards Forest but always thought that any team from the Midlands (or thereabouts) would consider a trip to Villa Park as their Cup Final. We are the biggest club in the area.
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No need to be condescending to Forest, one of very few clubs who can look down on us on the European Cups question.
Yes indeed and both Forest wins were qualifying wins as far as I am concerned. One as champions of England and other as champions of Europe.
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3 points but almost zero entertainment.
Play like that against Newcastle and we will take a serious beating.
Lots of poor and average performances but the defenders did well.
We could do with a few back to give the match day squad a boost.
Still prefer playing badly and winning to being plucky losers but I wouldn’t want to watch that every week.
I thought this sort of take, common enough in January, had finally been banished by our charge up the table.
It’s not a take. It’s analysis of the game. And accurate as well. We were not good in this game and the result shouldn’t detract from that. If we’re serious about progressing we need to be honest in our analysis. We were poor today but we won, which is progress but don’t let it detract from the reality which is that there is work to be done. Emery would say the same.
You don’t really know what Emery would say to be honest. Good trams don’t play well every week vut find a way to grind out wins and draws. We can’t come to the conclusion that Newcastle would automatically hammer us with a similar performance.
I’m sorry; if you think Emery went away from that game happy, then I think we’ve plateaued already. There is no way he was happy with that performance. The elite do not settle. It was a poor performance from us.
I didn’t say that Emery would be happy with the performance, i said you dont know what Emery will say and think. Im being pedantic really, we won, we’re 6th, its a good day.
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Southgate was there yesterday, think he probably deliberately chose a game with a more high profile guest. I wonder if he found the time to have a word with Ollie about moving on.
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Southgate was there yesterday, think he probably deliberately chose a game with a more high profile guest. I wonder if he found the time to have a word with Ollie about moving on.
This is sad, but probably true. Difference this time, is we very quickly becoming one of those teams that players want to step UP to. One of the best managers in the league, who has improved pretty much EVERY player in the squad, European football on the horizon, stadium revamp, and owners with money to burn.
We've seen a lot of false dawns in our history.... This time feels different. UTV
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I'm beginning to think that Mings and Konsa must be the two defenders in the Premier League who have most possession in the entire league. It's clearly an Emery trait - keeper to defender back to keeper to defender, then to the other defender and don't move it until their's a potential opening to deveop an attack. Sometimes not the most exhilarating process to witness but it seems to be getting results. And they seem to be getting better each week at doing it.
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Yesterday was very stress free. Forest were never going to score and didn't have any intention of doing so either. Wad always a case of when, not if for us. Felt like that on Tuesday too.
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Southgate was there yesterday, think he probably deliberately chose a game with a more high profile guest. I wonder if he found the time to have a word with Ollie about moving on.
Yes, if he really wants to get back into England contention, he ideally needs to be spending 85 minutes sitting on a bench in a shit northern town every Saturday afternoon.
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Even when it was 0-0 at half time I was supremely confident that if we bided our time the win would come, it didn’t feel like one where they were going to nick it 1-0. Routine comfortable win against very poor and probably doomed opposition. Makes a nice change, long may it continue.
I love boring, routine 2-0 home wins. Felt for a few years back at this level that we've had to suffer for every point won, this sort of win makes me very happy, thrillingly mundane.
Good way to describe it. Once we went 1-0 up I was very relaxed, and thought the only question was whether Villa would get another to make it more comfortable.
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Yesterday was very stress free. Forest were never going to score and didn't have any intention of doing so either. Wad always a case of when, not if for us. Felt like that on Tuesday too.
What I like is that there was never any panic, at any point. Despite being a bit off-colour, the players just knew to be patient and it would pay off eventually. There's a belief among them that I haven't seen in years.
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I'm beginning to think that Mings and Konsa must be the two defenders in the Premier League who have most possession in the entire league. It's clearly an Emery trait - keeper to defender back to keeper to defender, then to the other defender and don't move it until their's a potential opening to deveop an attack. Sometimes not the most exhilarating process to witness but it seems to be getting results. And they seem to be getting better each week at doing it.
We’ve been playing out from the back long before Emery, so wouldn’t be surprised if the players have a preference for it. I think the key difference since Unai arrived is that we seem to do it with more purpose, trying to draw the opposition in to create more space. Save from the occasional brain fart from Martinez and Mings at times, i.e. playing out to Kamara when he’s already under pressure, it seems a better option than to just punt it out with the risk against better sides it’ll just keep coming back at us.
The problem yesterday was that Forest seemed reluctant to get drawn into a high press, and were more than happy to let us pass it around at the back. I also have sympathy for the forward lines who got a load of criticism from folks sat near me for a lack of movement. It takes a lot of resilience and stamina to keep up movement when you’re probably quite certain 9/10 balls will just go sideways or backwards.
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I'm beginning to think that Mings and Konsa must be the two defenders in the Premier League who have most possession in the entire league. It's clearly an Emery trait - keeper to defender back to keeper to defender, then to the other defender and don't move it until their's a potential opening to deveop an attack. Sometimes not the most exhilarating process to witness but it seems to be getting results. And they seem to be getting better each week at doing it.
We’ve been playing out from the back long before Emery, so wouldn’t be surprised if the players have a preference for it. I think the key difference since Unai arrived is that we seem to do it with more purpose, trying to draw the opposition in to create more space. Save from the occasional brain fart from Martinez and Mings at times, i.e. playing out to Kamara when he’s already under pressure, it seems a better option than to just punt it out with the risk against better sides it’ll just keep coming back at us.
The problem yesterday was that Forest seemed reluctant to get drawn into a high press, and were more than happy to let us pass it around at the back. I also have sympathy for the forward lines who got a load of criticism from folks sat near me for a lack of movement. It takes a lot of resilience and stamina to keep up movement when you’re probably quite certain 9/10 balls will just go sideways or backwards.
The play off 2nd leg was a an example, but sweet Jesus that was heart in the mouth stuff.
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Southgate was there yesterday, think he probably deliberately chose a game with a more high profile guest. I wonder if he found the time to have a word with Ollie about moving on.
Probably gutted that Ollie scored eventually. That’s if the wanker stayed all the way to the end of the game.
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He didn’t.
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That'll be his excuse for not picking him next squad. He just didn't see his goals. Might as well have happened in Qatar or the MLS.
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When should he have picked Ollie in the last 12 months and didn't? 6 months ago the majority on here were saying Ollie wasn't a PL player, had a shit first touch, was a shit finisher and was Championship standard at best. Plenty to batter Southgate over, Ollie isn't one of them.
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When should he have picked Ollie in the last 12 months and didn't? 6 months ago the majority on here were saying Ollie wasn't a PL player, had a shit first touch, was a shit finisher and was Championship standard at best. Plenty to batter Southgate over, Ollie isn't one of them.
Absolutely, couldn't agree more. However, the future Southgate will pick some Man City academy player over Ollie, and you just know it's true.
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It's between Ollie and Tonev as to who is third choice striker behind Kane and Rashford. Pretty sure that's everyone's view including Southgate.
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Why is an England manager picking a player guilty of gross misconduct?
Why has Toney not been punished yet?
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Southgate was there yesterday, think he probably deliberately chose a game with a more high profile guest. I wonder if he found the time to have a word with Ollie about moving on.
Wouldn't put it past him, the absolute wanker.
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It's between Ollie and Tonev as to who is third choice striker behind Kane and Rashford. Pretty sure that's everyone's view including Southgate.
Christ I knew the cupboard was bare, didn’t think it was that bare…
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When should he have picked Ollie in the last 12 months and didn't? 6 months ago the majority on here were saying Ollie wasn't a PL player, had a shit first touch, was a shit finisher and was Championship standard at best. Plenty to batter Southgate over, Ollie isn't one of them.
Well, the last squad, possibly?
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When should he have picked Ollie in the last 12 months and didn't? 6 months ago the majority on here were saying Ollie wasn't a PL player, had a shit first touch, was a shit finisher and was Championship standard at best. Plenty to batter Southgate over, Ollie isn't one of them.
Well, the last squad, possibly?
He went with Toney who has scored more goals, so hardly a snub to Ollie. Whether he should be picking Tonev in the first place with the betting stuff is another matter.
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A third of Toney’s goals have been penalties. They all count of course, but they’re not the result of great individual play by him, and he’s not likely to supplant Kane as penalty taker.
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He probably still had more league goals from open play than Ollie did when the last squad was announced, or at the very least sod all in it, so whoever was picked it was hardly a snub to the other.
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Ollie never let him down when he was in the squad. So if you’re going to pick the likes of Maguire, Philips or Dier for that very reason despite all three being shit or not playing at club level, then Ollie deserved to be at least called up. And certainly when injuries happened.
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It wasn't long ago that most on here didn't think he was good enough for the Villa side never would be, and we should have been playing a kid with virtually no experience instead of him and selling Watkins asap, now Southgate is a twat for not picking him for England at that time.
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It wasn't long ago that most on here didn't think he was good enough for the Villa side never would be, and we should have been playing a kid with virtually no experience instead of him and selling Watkins asap, now Southgate is a twat for not picking him for England at that time.
Was just going to write something along these lines. Ollie is doing brilliantly and would be deserving of a place now, but let’s not pretend there were many, including me, who didn’t think he justified a start at Villa a while back. Seems a bit churlish to have a go at Southgate for this.
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The difference is…Ollie isn’t a guilty as charged player that has brought the game into disrepute.
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I said before that whether Toney should be picked because of that is another matter. I don't think he should but I reckon the FA are taking the easy option and will wait until after the season to ban him for the start of next season. If they ban him now they would have to deal with clubs saying "how come he could play against us and score, but then be banned when playing some of our relegation rivals".
But even then, it's only now that Ollie has played himself into contention, he had 1 league goal for most of the season leading up to the World Cup, and got a second just before the WC started which is why Wilson went and Ollie didn't. He didn't deserve an England spot back then. And then there's only been one England squad since then and Southgate went with the bloke with more league goals.
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PWS, you're missing the point here I feel, which is that as we've nothing to whinge about with the Villa we have to find something else to grouse and bitch about. What else would we do? Spend time with our wives?
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A factor in the improvement of Watkins has been the departure of Ings.
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A factor in the improvement of Watkins has been the departure of Ings.
Very much so. And a dedication to the entire team playing a certain way which would and could not have happened with Ings. Ings was great when given opportunities in or around the box, but he was rarely if ever going to be the all round player Ollie was and certainly not what he has become.
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A factor in the improvement of Watkins has been the departure of Ings.
I’m not sure how you can really say that with any certainty.
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Ollie Watkins’ season stats prior to the appointment of Unai Emery:
12 matches
2 goals, 2 assists
Ollie Watkins’ season stats since the appointment of Unai Emery:
16 matches
10 goals, 3 assists
Now factor in the departure of Ings.
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PWS, you're missing the point here I feel, which is that as we've nothing to whinge about with the Villa we have to find something else to grouse and bitch about. What else would we do? Spend time with our wives?
Heh (#gregnash), we're not all married.
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It wasn't long ago that most on here didn't think he was good enough for the Villa side never would be, and we should have been playing a kid with virtually no experience instead of him and selling Watkins asap, now Southgate is a twat for not picking him for England at that time.
I was one of those who thought he would never be good enough to lead the line for AVFC. The main reason for me saying that was the amount of sitters I've seen him miss. He missed an absolute dolly against Chelsea. But then he goes and scores just after. I've never changed my mind so much about a Villa player. But I'm quite happy to eat every word as long as he keeps finding the net. Southgate is a useless manager and won't be picking Ollie any time soon.
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Ollie Watkins’ season stats prior to the appointment of Unai Emery:
12 matches
2 goals, 2 assists
Ollie Watkins’ season stats since the appointment of Unai Emery:
16 matches
10 goals, 3 assists
Now factor in the departure of Ings.
He's playing as a no 9 rather than a no 8 as he did under Gerrard and before DI's departure. His creative stats have dropped a little but that is because he is no longer required to do so much of that work. His best usage has been correctly identified by UE and he is thriving because of it
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We need to sign another top striker this summer. It's fortunate that Ollie has stayed fit since the end of the January window. I still think it's a gamble to only have one main option. Duran looks promising but he needs time.
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A factor in the improvement of Watkins has been the departure of Ings.
Definitely - we couldn't fit Ings in under 3 different managers. Not that he is a bad player, just I think he is a player of the noughties and the game has moved on.
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It was also a vote of confidence in Watkins. Which was the total opposite effect when Ings was bought.
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Moreno stats from today from Villa twitter, a really useful outlet down the left.
77 touches
37 passes completed
4 tackles won
3 successful dribbles
2 chances created
2 clearances
I'm always surprised when I see the stats for defenders and they've only made a few tackles or clearances. When I played the whole of the back 4 made tonnes more than that. Maybe because we were fucking shit though.
Really good defenders don’t always need to tackle, good positioning is equally as good as a tackle
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Ollie Watkins’ season stats prior to the appointment of Unai Emery:
12 matches
2 goals, 2 assists
Ollie Watkins’ season stats since the appointment of Unai Emery:
16 matches
10 goals, 3 assists
Now factor in the departure of Ings.
Emery is clearly the main factor, allied to Ollie being good at taking instruction. Watkins has described the way Emery's got him playing better, from running about less to conserve his energy, down to little things like body shape when he's about to shoot. Emery's also got the majority of the rest of the team playing better as well and creating more chances. I just can't really see what effect having Danny Ings on the bench would make. Also, If the deprture of Ings is such a big factor, does that mean that we've got to go through the rest of the next 3-4 years with Ollie as our only striker? Is his form going to suffer if we buy another forward?
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I said it was a factor, not the main one.
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Could do with finding a Son Heung-Min type who's first position is wide of the main striker but has no problem playing as the main striker when needed.
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Could do with finding a Son Heung-Min type who's first position is wide of the main striker but has no problem playing as the main striker when needed.
Yeah, he'll do.
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I said it was a factor, not the main one.
I don't think it is, but impossible to prove either way.
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Could do with finding a Son Heung-Min type who's first position is wide of the main striker but has no problem playing as the main striker when needed.
Could do with finding a Son Heung-Min type who's first position is wide of the main striker but has no problem playing as the main striker when needed.
Yeah, he'll do.
That’s my thinking, we could offer Levy the other Chuck brother.
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PWS, you're missing the point here I feel, which is that as we've nothing to whinge about with the Villa we have to find something else to grouse and bitch about. What else would we do? Spend time with our wives?
Heh (#gregnash), we're not all married.
Oh, hark at 'I'm alright Jack' over here
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Quite, I've just had some pampering at a spa. The only way that would happen in a marriage is the female going away with the girls for the day.