Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: Toronto Villa on January 04, 2025, 04:55:48 PM
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Unconvincing but we won. Well done Leon for the goal. Hopefully that gives the lad some confidence. Up to 8th.
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Doing man United a favour
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Phew. Should have been more, Ollie and Buendia guilty of some awful misses.
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Played really poorly but won. I’ll take that, but it was far far from convincing.
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Doing man United a favour
Doing Villa a bigger one.
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Bailey and Barkley the heroes. Who would have thought it. Onwards and upwards!!
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Lets hope that lifts Leons season.
and can we sort out the finishing .
shocking first half but could have won 5 1 .
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Not great at all - still shaky defensively under any pressure, but got the job done just about. Hopefully that boosts Leon’s confidence, for all the criticism he gets he doesn’t hide.
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Thank fk
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First double of the season, at the first ask. Well done Leon.
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Man of the match The Holte End, closely followed by Barkley.
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Man that was brutal.
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Good to get over the line, but my lord we need to get better. That match shows how important an in-form Morgan Rogers is to our squad.
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A very hard watch.
Great to see Ramsey back
Mings looked very comfortable.
Not convincing.
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Unconvincing performance, raises many questions, but very grateful we have won.
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One thing is clear though we have to work out how to play without Rogers. It was a very ordinary performance and we need to be better.
Conceding to Leicester is embarrassing too.
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Apparently that's the first double over Leicester in twenty-one years.
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I can go the pub now and get no shit from the interbred locals.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
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H to Leicester, mediocre match. Scraped a win
Could have put the house on it...
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Never in doubt.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
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Not a great performance, we've played better this season and not won. But at this stage, given how the league is developing, a win was essential, and we've got it. Keeps us within one result of the Champions League places.
I thought Barkley was good, and Maatsen did brilliantly for the goal when he came on, but I also thought JJ and Buendia both seemed a yard off it at times. Ollie will have nightmares about that miss towards the end, even worse than the one under the posts last week.
Pleased with the result, but a bit 'meh' about the performance. Everton and West Ham both looked like very winnable fixtures 6 weeks ago, but right now I'd take similarly scrappy wins in both.
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Awful game though the 2nd half was better .
Mings MOTM we looked better at the back today .
Ramsey lively in the 2nd half , Watkins overall poor game .
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
Which has been my point all along - the defensive issues are not just about who’s in the defence there is just a lack of aptitude and focus on it across the team.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
It was Ollie's poor touch that led to the counter, but it was still in their half - you can blame him for conceding possession, but there are at least three subsequent opportunities to tackle/clear before that goal is scored. No one is thinking, "Oh, goal" when we lose the ball there. I didn't think Cash covered himself in glory with his block attempt.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
It wasn't all on Ollie, we still shouldn't be conceding from that position. It was basically a 2 on 5.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
Hate to say it but, agreed. his touch can be really poor at times, not sure if this was one of those moments or just a lack of awareness of players around him in a slightly unfamiliar position, but either way the pass was short and left Mings and our defence out of position. We probably still should have had enough about us to recover it though.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
100% it's on Watkins . Loses it at a critical phase of play . Really really poor
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That one defensive error led to Leicester doubling there shots all match, them having 2 on target and scoring.
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Overall I don’t care and fuck those crisp munching inbred twats.
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We need to see more of Maatsen, Digne has been great but he’s not as threatening in the final third. Fair play to Barkley for the goal.
Was it Watkins with the hospital pass back to Mings for the goal? Dreadful play, those cheap turnovers are costing us time and time again. Terrible finish at the end too, the old Ollie would have taken a touch and side footed it in the corner.
Another injury picked up - not good.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
100% it's on Watkins . Loses it at a critical phase of play . Really really poor
So no blame at all on Konsa and Boubacar for allowing Vardy in?
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3 points is 3 points is 3 points.
The only positive from an abject performance.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
100% it's on Watkins . Loses it at a critical phase of play . Really really poor
Mings also could done better IMO, hesitate to challenge and backs off looking a bit slow letting Ayew strolling down the flank
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Another injury picked up - not good.
McGinn one will be interesting. He called for medical help straight away, but then went on sat on the bench for most of the first half, before limping to the tunnel just before halftime.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
100% it's on Watkins . Loses it at a critical phase of play . Really really poor
So no blame at all on Konsa and Boubacar for allowing Vardy in?
My point was the root cause of the goal is watkins . Could they have followed Vardy better yes , Martinez makes a WC save , Cash maybe should have reacted better , but it all stems from the ridiculous give away earlier
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Poor performance against relegation fodder but we needed a dirty win. Two moments of quality for our goals in fairness. I'm not a fan of Barkley but that was a cracking finish. Brilliant play from Maatsen for Bailey's winner. Their goal was scandalous defending yet again. Their only attack in the game possibly. 4 defenders v Vardy and he still gets to the cross first is ridiculous.
Martinez 7 - spectator but fine save from Vardy
Cash 8 - much maligned but my motm today. Defended well throughout and used the ball well
Konsa 3 - awful, let balls bounce regularly and let Vardy run off him for their goal. Blaming everyone but himself again
Mings 7 - use of ball average enough at times but solid defending was called for today and he delivered that
Digne 4 - ok defensively but if he's playing high on that side he has to provide a threat. So predictable.
Kamara 7 - poor enough for their goal but solid display
Barkley 6 - awful first half but much improved after the break. Great goal
McGinn/Ramsey 4 - let's hope McGinn's injury isn't too serious, Ramsey was poor I thought.
Bailey 5 - long overdue goal finally came and great shot late on smacked the bar. What came before was nearly a new low.
Tielemans 5 - a bit meh in all honesty. Would have hooked him before Barkley.
Watkins 5 - thought he should have been much sharper for the chance in first half, effort at end was unbelievable. Thought he could have worked two very average centre backs a bit more.
Maatsen 7 - quality with the ball told immediately. Carrying a bit of timber possibly? Buendia 6 could have scored a couple and was caught in possession too often. Took up good positions, mind.
Emery 6 - subs could have been made a lot earlier I felt. Faith in Bailey was rewarded with the winner. Spending ~50m on a midfielder to leave him on bench late on seems odd.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
100% it's on Watkins . Loses it at a critical phase of play . Really really poor
So no blame at all on Konsa and Boubacar for allowing Vardy in?
My point was the root cause of the goal is watkins . Could they have followed Vardy better yes , Martinez makes a WC save , Cash maybe should have reacted better , but it all stems from the ridiculous give away earlier
Yeah but that’s not all on Ollie is it - he created the issue, but others failed too.
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Horrible Game
Should have buried it in the second half, but we did not.
Lots of mistakes across the pitch and jangling nerves. Hopefully we exorcised some of the demons and move on.
3 points is 3 points.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
100% it's on Watkins . Loses it at a critical phase of play . Really really poor
Mings also could done better IMO, hesitate to challenge and backs off looking a bit slow letting Ayew strolling down the flank
Possibly but he had Barkley, Kamara, Cash, Konsa behind him. I'm sure they were saying just hold him up. Konsa at fault for me, he simply cannot let Vardy run across to beat him at front post. Of course he goes off blaming someone else, Watkins maybe. Maybe Cash could have gone flying out a bit quicker to second ball but forward did well to keep the shot low.
Id have Watkins terrible touch a long way down the list of what went wrong there
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A win is a win.
We controlled the game for the most part but we really did miss the spark of Rogers at times. I'm glad Bailey got the goal. He started poorly today but got better as it went on.
Generally, we looked solid but again, it just takes one ridiculous moment for the opponents to score. Teams seem to have a good conversion rate against us, so we're getting punished when we make mistakes.
Conversely, we wasted so many good opportunities to make it more comfortable in the last half hour. Ollie's miss was poor, added to him fluffing his lines in the previous game.
I also feel like the difference between Buendia staying and going might have just been settled by him wasting some good chances. He should have buried that chance which rebounded to Ollie. Should have done a lot better with the first shot he created for himself and then for the chance Ollie created for him. If he scores, it does him a world of good because he does try hard but he just looks like he's done at this level now sadly. Had he tucked one away, and had that boost of confidence and composure it may have showed off what he could offer. But the few times we see him it's all a bit Unlucky Alf. I'd be amazed if he's still here in Feb.
The injuries are a worry but Mings coming in, and Konsa playing beside him just looks more convincing (still far from rock solid). And in truth, at this stage I think Barkley probably offers more than McGinn (as does JJ at his best). He's more composed and cultured with the ball. If there's a way we can keep on fitting Ross, Bouba and Youri in the team we might get a bit more control in midfield again.
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What’s a bit shit about this season is that almost every football pundit said we would struggle to combine a CL and PL campaign. Between the club not being able to properly invest due to FFP, form and injuries. And it’s proving to be the case. We didn’t suddenly become shit. We are stretched to breaking point again.
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Just watched their goal back - “100%” on Ollie is absolutely laughable. He cocked up but we should have dealt with it after that.
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I thought those late missed chances were gonna cost us. Ok, we got the win but looked flat. Really need to upgrade the right side.
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As the cross comes in for their goal, there are FIVE Villa players to beat and off course they pick out their man no problem.
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I thought those late missed chances were gonna cost us. Ok, we got the win but looked flat. Really need to upgrade the right side.
Well in fairness when it really mattered Bailey made a great run and won us the game.
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As the cross comes in for their goal, there are FIVE Villa players to beat and off course they pick out their man no problem.
I bet Martinez gets tired of working with these defensive defensive clowns. He makes a great save and they’re all gawping like guppy fish.
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Not a classic, first half mind numbing, thought we would put them away after scoring first but no, we needed a second goal to really kick on. Subs changed the game, we had too much for Leicester by the end and it really could/should have been 4-1.
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I thought those late missed chances were gonna cost us. Ok, we got the win but looked flat. Really need to upgrade the right side.
The Watkins miss from 5 yards is ridiculous, that combined with his balls up for their goal and it's a 2/10 performance.
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Maatsen is class, and Barkley has been a very astute signing.
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Apparently that's the first double over Leicester in twenty-one years.
Yes children born in that year are now fully grown adults, unbelievable Jeff!
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I thought too many players were poor today. Watkins, as mentioned above. Cash & Bailey were too sloppy down the right hand side.
Defense fast asleep for their goal - for Ayew to get the cross to Vardy was difficult, but our defends were snoozing.
Maatsen and Buendia looked lively once they came on, and you can see the belief Bailey got from that goal.
A wins a win, can't complain too much.
We need strengthening down that right hand side in January.
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Maatsen is class, and Barkley has been a very astute signing.
Yes Maatsen is good but up against a LB who has the best stats for that position in the League. Barkley has now scored 4 crucial goals. Immense contribution.
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It was a bit of a dull game, the crisp munchers came for a point and with a bit more ambition may have got one but we had enough to beat them. 3 points and onto the next one.
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Every win can't be a showstopper.
I know we can, and should play better but this is one of those seasons and if you haven't worked that out yet well, you are going to be proper frustrated between now and May.
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We got the win which I guess in the end is all that matters....but jeez, that match was a shocker. The first half was so uneventful it was absurd.
So much safe, slow, backwards and sidewards play against a truly appalling team in Leicester who had zero ambition. It just needed someone to grab the game by the throat and no-one seemed prepared to do so.
Glad that Barclay stepped up when we needed him and good to see Bailey finally off the mark this season.
As for Ollie Watkins...that miss at the end was Ronnie Rosenthal-esque. No wonder he has had the most big misses by any player in the league. There's another to his collection.
A really tough watch today.
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Every win can't be a showstopper.
I know we can, and should play better but this is one of those seasons and if you haven't worked that out yet well, you are going to be proper frustrated between now and May.
I agree with Nev.
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Maatsen is class, and Barkley has been a very astute signing.
Yes Maatsen is good but up against a LB who has the best stats for that position in the League. Barkley has now scored 4 crucial goals. Immense contribution.
Yep, he's got three in the league, even though his minutes add up to less than 6 games. 1 in 2 would be good for a forward, for a midfielder it's exceptional.
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First half awful so bad.
Second half we were alot better. We should have won by more but same story miss chance after chance. Luckily today it didnt cost us. Absolutely delighted for bailey he needed that today.
Ollie was fucking awful today. So bad its unreal. Buendia another that had a stinker.
Maatsen and barkley excellent
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Watkins is lucky Tuchel went to the Amex today instead. Difficult to work out what's happened to him this season.
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Kamara had a very good game, despite some implications re the goal conceded.
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Every win can't be a showstopper.
I know we can, and should play better but this is one of those seasons and if you haven't worked that out yet well, you are going to be proper frustrated between now and May.
I agree with Nev.
Yes, those wordings makes sense and directions for expectations
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Whats going with onana? Unused sub.
For 50m he is getting very little game time recently
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Every win can't be a showstopper.
I know we can, and should play better but this is one of those seasons and if you haven't worked that out yet well, you are going to be proper frustrated between now and May.
I agree with Nev.
So do I. We were without two superstars remember.
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Watkins is lucky Tuchel went to the Amex today instead. Difficult to work out what's happened to him this season.
I'd sell him in case it's infectious.
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Watkins not only fluffed his chance (again) but cost us a goal.
He needs an enormous kick up the arse along with a few others.
Duran is going to walk straight back in to this team if he’s not careful.
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A win that felt almost like a loss. Thankfully, we were up against Leicester as anyone vaguely capable would have given us a stuffing. So many poor performances all over the team. I thank you for the goal Leon but the rest of your game was awful which pretty much sums up his season thus far. He can dispense with the fingers in the ears routine as he’s well aware he’s way below par. Mings, Barkley, Kamara and Matteson’s part in the goal were the pick, all in the 2nd half…the first half, the less said the better.
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He always does that celebration doesn’t he?
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Whats going with onana? Unused sub.
For 50m he is getting very little game time recently
Might be that he will be used when we need to set up more defensively when we meet stronger opponents.
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He always does that celebration doesn’t he?
He used to do it at Everton though not as often as he does it with us.
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Whats going with onana? Unused sub.
For 50m he is getting very little game time recently
Might be that he will be used when we need to set up more defensively when we meet stronger opponents.
After a incredible start its kind of fizzled out for onana recently. Hasnt been able to stay fit or consistent. Bit disappointing considering the amount we spent on him.
I know its a long term investment but we need players now
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A win that felt almost like a loss. Thankfully, we were up against Leicester as anyone vaguely capable would have given us a stuffing. So many poor performances all over the team. I thank you for the goal Leon but the rest of your game was awful which pretty much sums up his season thus far. He can dispense with the fingers in the ears routine as he’s well aware he’s way below par. Mings, Barkley, Kamara and Matteson’s part in the goal were the pick, all in the 2nd half…the first half, the less said the better.
Agree with your player picks Bren, Barkley our best player today I thought and took his goal really well.
I think that goal will do Bailey wonders, for me he doesn’t take the shot that hit the bar on, unless he’s scored a few mins earlier.
Other observations.
First half was so dull, doing dry January is not conducive to watching that.
Mings did well, but we miss Torres’ passing
Despite Dignes class defending, we miss the overlapping attacking threat that Moreno gave us down the left. Presuming Mastsen starts against West Ham and does well, I think he should start some league games now.
It was fooking freezing
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He always does that celebration doesn’t he?
He used to do it at Everton though not as often as he does it with us.
When did Bailey play for Everton?
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
Which has been my point all along - the defensive issues are not just about who’s in the defence there is just a lack of aptitude and focus on it across the team.
I agree. It was an unnecessary lazy arsed lay off (which he has done on a number of occasions in games) and put us in the shit immediately, no blame to the defence for that one.
Much more focus and drive needed from top to bottom. We desperately need a captain who will kick a few arses.
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Not a great display , but 3 points is most welcome.
It's been said before but Leicester fans are a strange breed . They seem to have a school boy hard on about all things Villa. They sing " We forgot that you were here " , really , you sang about us for 90 minutes and know when we last won a trophy. Farty little upstarts.
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Not a great display , but 3 points is most welcome.
It's been said before but Leicester fans are a strange breed . They seem to have a school boy hard on about all things Villa. They sing " We forgot that you were here " , really , you sang about us for 90 minutes and know when we last won a trophy. Farty little upstarts.
Their entire fan base is 14 year old bellends, harmless families that would be just as happy in DFS, and weird middle age blokes that still live with their parents.
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Another set of fans that see us as the big club and a threat to them. No idea why after the 25 years they have had.
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Not a great display , but 3 points is most welcome.
It's been said before but Leicester fans are a strange breed . They seem to have a school boy hard on about all things Villa. They sing " We forgot that you were here " , really , you sang about us for 90 minutes and know when we last won a trophy. Farty little upstarts.
Their entire fan base is 14 year old bellends, harmless families that would be just as happy in DFS, and weird middle age blokes that still live with their parents.
The East Midlands really is the land that time forgot.
And that whiney camp accent they all have, Jesus, no wonder they kept their gobs shut most of the 90 minutes.
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Very glad with the win, but can't for the life of me work out that given they came with the frankly mental tactics of playing two immobile statues in central defence and decided to play a high line around the centre circle, why we didn't attempt a single through ball through the middle of them to Watkins over the course of the match.
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A win is a win.
We controlled the game for the most part but we really did miss the spark of Rogers at times. I'm glad Bailey got the goal. He started poorly today but got better as it went on.
Generally, we looked solid but again, it just takes one ridiculous moment for the opponents to score. Teams seem to have a good conversion rate against us, so we're getting punished when we make mistakes.
Conversely, we wasted so many good opportunities to make it more comfortable in the last half hour. Ollie's miss was poor, added to him fluffing his lines in the previous game.
I also feel like the difference between Buendia staying and going might have just been settled by him wasting some good chances. He should have buried that chance which rebounded to Ollie. Should have done a lot better with the first shot he created for himself and then for the chance Ollie created for him. If he scores, it does him a world of good because he does try hard but he just looks like he's done at this level now sadly. Had he tucked one away, and had that boost of confidence and composure it may have showed off what he could offer. But the few times we see him it's all a bit Unlucky Alf. I'd be amazed if he's still here in Feb.
The injuries are a worry but Mings coming in, and Konsa playing beside him just looks more convincing (still far from rock solid). And in truth, at this stage I think Barkley probably offers more than McGinn (as does JJ at his best). He's more composed and cultured with the ball. If there's a way we can keep on fitting Ross, Bouba and Youri in the team we might get a bit more control in midfield again.
Buendia was poor today but deserves more time and the rest of the season imo
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A win that felt almost like a loss. Thankfully, we were up against Leicester as anyone vaguely capable would have given us a stuffing. So many poor performances all over the team. I thank you for the goal Leon but the rest of your game was awful which pretty much sums up his season thus far. He can dispense with the fingers in the ears routine as he’s well aware he’s way below par. Mings, Barkley, Kamara and Matteson’s part in the goal were the pick, all in the 2nd half…the first half, the less said the better.
Agree with your player picks Bren, Barkley our best player today I thought and took his goal really well.
I think that goal will do Bailey wonders, for me he doesn’t take the shot that hit the bar on, unless he’s scored a few mins earlier.
Other observations.
First half was so dull, doing dry January is not conducive to watching that.
Mings did well, but we miss Torres’ passing
Despite Dignes class defending, we miss the overlapping attacking threat that Moreno gave us down the left. Presuming Mastsen starts against West Ham and does well, I think he should start some league games now.
It was fooking freezing
I’d play Maatsen in front of Digne particularly if Ramsay isn’t 100%. Better option than playing McGinn there
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Never seen 2 teams play backwards and sideways so much as today.
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Not a great display , but 3 points is most welcome.
It's been said before but Leicester fans are a strange breed . They seem to have a school boy hard on about all things Villa. They sing " We forgot that you were here " , really , you sang about us for 90 minutes and know when we last won a trophy. Farty little upstarts.
I thought they were fairly noisy given their teams performance. The 30 year chant is harsh but fair
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Not a great display , but 3 points is most welcome.
It's been said before but Leicester fans are a strange breed . They seem to have a school boy hard on about all things Villa. They sing " We forgot that you were here " , really , you sang about us for 90 minutes and know when we last won a trophy. Farty little upstarts.
I thought they were fairly noisy given their teams performance. The 30 year chant is harsh but fair
They're from Leicester. 'Normal' isn't in their vocabulary.
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Thing about Leicester though is that they really did pull off the greatest feat in world football this century. I just find it hard to begrudge them the odd chant.
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Your city is blue?
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With no Jhon acting as his caddy, I wonder if Ollie is under instructions not to run around so much and be more selective with his exertions
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Your city is blue?
I just take the 'if you can't take it don't dish it out' maxim as seriously as I can I guess. It's the song they've got, good for them, I don't care.
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Not pretty but job done eventually. I thought Leicester defended very very well in that we had a lot of ball with Mings and Konsa but they had everyone tightly behind the ball and marking up so rarely an easy attacking option, missed Rogers running/dribbling option to open them up.
Again an individual error punished for their equaliser, the ball Ollie played towards Mings was hopelessly under hit
Great substitutions Unai :-) Maatsen the man :-)
Kamara motm for me
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Pleased to get a win.
Our tempo was so slow. Something Unai has said he wants to change.
For the goal yes it was a poor pass from Ollie but I had a clear view from above and Mings bottled the fifty fifty which would have snuffed the whole move out. Possibly understandable he doesn’t want to risk injury.
Disappointed with the midfield. No creativity until the subs when Buendia played like an inside forward and Maatsen went for the by line.
One their big centre half went off Ollie got more space and exploited it.
But still pleased with the win. The most important thing from today.
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Not a great display , but 3 points is most welcome.
It's been said before but Leicester fans are a strange breed . They seem to have a school boy hard on about all things Villa. They sing " We forgot that you were here " , really , you sang about us for 90 minutes and know when we last won a trophy. Farty little upstarts.
I thought they were fairly noisy given their teams performance. The 30 year chant is harsh but fair
They're from Leicester. 'Normal' isn't in their vocabulary.
They are a bit like Cov when we used to play them. They care about us more than we care about them.
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Not a great display , but 3 points is most welcome.
It's been said before but Leicester fans are a strange breed . They seem to have a school boy hard on about all things Villa. They sing " We forgot that you were here " , really , you sang about us for 90 minutes and know when we last won a trophy. Farty little upstarts.
I thought they were fairly noisy given their teams performance. The 30 year chant is harsh but fair
No, bollocks to that. I know it’s the prerogative of football fans to wind up the opposition, but they were unquestionably the biggest bunch of bellends to visit Villa Park in many a year. The lack of self-awareness in the living in the past bollocks was extraordinary - it’s like they hadn’t noticed they have been relegated since they won the league, we are in the Champions League and Forest are currently third.
Oh, and by the way, enjoy the massive points deduction coming your way when you inevitably go down this season - pricks.
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For the goal yes it was a poor pass from Ollie but I had a clear view from above and Mings bottled the fifty fifty which would have snuffed the whole move out. Possibly understandable he doesn’t want to risk injury.
Well I saw it more as he rightly judged it to be 70/30* in favour of Ayew and thought rather then diving in and the ball and player being dinked over him and away, he would be better suited keeping him out wide and hope the 4 others in the box would take care of the 40 year old.
* Mings was the same distance in our half as Watkins was in there one when he played the weak ball back. Mings was in a standing start and Ayew was on full pelt.
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The first half was right up there with the Man Utd game in boringness
Second half was a bit better, but it wasn’t great was it let’s face it, never feels too bad on the way home though when you’ve managed a win
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I was frustrated watching the game, but on reflection I think they came for a draw and made it very difficult for us. There was no pivot out of the defence, they had Kamara, Barkley and Tielemans all man-marked, which is why we saw so much of the passing between Mings and Konsa and then balls out to Digne and Cash.
Better in the second half, but we always have that one slip-up in us, don't we? The commentator on the NBC feed gave a mad statistic about the amount of goals we have conceded from the other team's first shot on goal and although I can't remember the exact number, it was alarming and we are by far the worst team in the league for that particular stat.
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Pleased to get a win.
Our tempo was so slow. Something Unai has said he wants to change.
For the goal yes it was a poor pass from Ollie but I had a clear view from above and Mings bottled the fifty fifty which would have snuffed the whole move out. Possibly understandable he doesn’t want to risk injury.
Disappointed with the midfield. No creativity until the subs when Buendia played like an inside forward and Maatsen went for the by line.
One their big centre half went off Ollie got more space and exploited it.
But still pleased with the win. The most important thing from today.
I don’t think that was a 50/50.
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I was frustrated watching the game, but on reflection I think they came for a draw and made it very difficult for us. There was no pivot out of the defence, they had Kamara, Barkley and Tielemans all man-marked, which is why we saw so much of the passing between Mings and Konsa and then balls out to Digne and Cash.
Better in the second half, but we always have that one slip-up in us, don't we? The commentator on the NBC feed gave a mad statistic about the amount of goals we have conceded from the other team's first shot on goal and although I can't remember the exact number, it was alarming and we are by far the worst team in the league for that particular stat.
Although we didn’t add to it today.
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I was frustrated watching the game, but on reflection I think they came for a draw and made it very difficult for us. There was no pivot out of the defence, they had Kamara, Barkley and Tielemans all man-marked, which is why we saw so much of the passing between Mings and Konsa and then balls out to Digne and Cash.
Better in the second half, but we always have that one slip-up in us, don't we? The commentator on the NBC feed gave a mad statistic about the amount of goals we have conceded from the other team's first shot on goal and although I can't remember the exact number, it was alarming and we are by far the worst team in the league for that particular stat.
Although we didn’t add to it today.
Indeed, their first shot was another world class save from Martinez. Shame the rebound got put away.
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We are a good team and a few signings away from being a very good team.
We’ve won today with a few missing and a few seasons back there’s no way that would’ve happened. The transformation since Emery came has been unbelievable and unlike others who the press love he doesn’t bleat about injuries and just gets on with it.
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Watkins not only fluffed his chance (again) but cost us a goal.
He needs an enormous kick up the arse along with a few others.
Duran is going to walk straight back in to this team if he’s not careful.
I don’t think a “kick up the arse” is what’s needed, he’s very evidently trying hard. Also he’s been directly involved in over a third of our league goals, let’s not confuse him struggling a bit with him being useful. He’s still very important.
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I was frustrated watching the game, but on reflection I think they came for a draw and made it very difficult for us. There was no pivot out of the defence, they had Kamara, Barkley and Tielemans all man-marked, which is why we saw so much of the passing between Mings and Konsa and then balls out to Digne and Cash.
Better in the second half, but we always have that one slip-up in us, don't we? The commentator on the NBC feed gave a mad statistic about the amount of goals we have conceded from the other team's first shot on goal and although I can't remember the exact number, it was alarming and we are by far the worst team in the league for that particular stat.
Although we didn’t add to it today.
Indeed, their first shot was another world class save from Martinez. Shame the rebound got put away.
Talking of that, am I the only one that thinks Cash should have done better there to slide/block the shot? I know other things went wrong before that, so not trying to blame him, but thought his tackle was late and on the man, rather than trying to block the shot.
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Their goal was a poor pass from a poor Watkins, but the ball still had half a pitch to travel and not a single Villa player concentrated on marking a Leicester player in that attack. Shockingly poor defending. Backwards, sideways, against a Leicester side who came to park the bus and grab a draw, boring fuckers. Good goal from Barkley, who played well. The winner was a well worked goal and neat finish. A dull game but a win is a win. Unbeaten run of two games. We really need some extra pace and craft and I hope we bring a couple in. Good use of Maatsen today.
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We are a good team and a few signings away from being a very good team.
We’ve won today with a few missing and a few seasons back there’s no way that would’ve happened. The transformation since Emery came has been unbelievable and unlike others who the press love he doesn’t bleat about injuries and just gets on with it.
Well said.
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I was frustrated watching the game, but on reflection I think they came for a draw and made it very difficult for us. There was no pivot out of the defence, they had Kamara, Barkley and Tielemans all man-marked, which is why we saw so much of the passing between Mings and Konsa and then balls out to Digne and Cash.
Better in the second half, but we always have that one slip-up in us, don't we? The commentator on the NBC feed gave a mad statistic about the amount of goals we have conceded from the other team's first shot on goal and although I can't remember the exact number, it was alarming and we are by far the worst team in the league for that particular stat.
Although we didn’t add to it today.
Indeed, their first shot was another world class save from Martinez. Shame the rebound got put away.
Talking of that, am I the only one that thinks Cash should have done better there to slide/block the shot? I know other things went wrong before that, so not trying to blame him, but thought his tackle was late and on the man, rather than trying to block the shot.
Cash s talent is not about reacting fast and accurate with tackles (or blocks) in tight situations, see his efforts when he stamp the ankels of the opponents getting a yellow trying to take the ball or his tackles when giving away a pen.
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Not a great display , but 3 points is most welcome.
It's been said before but Leicester fans are a strange breed . They seem to have a school boy hard on about all things Villa. They sing " We forgot that you were here " , really , you sang about us for 90 minutes and know when we last won a trophy. Farty little upstarts.
I thought they were fairly noisy given their teams performance. The 30 year chant is harsh but fair
They're from Leicester. 'Normal' isn't in their vocabulary.
I lived there for 2 years when I was much younger. Went to Filbert St when BL was manager a couple of times.
I remember speaking to a half decent local and I quote him word for word '....Leicester is full of wankers with an attitude problem...'
I never forgot it - he was right.
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Unbeaten in 10 at home .
B6 is gradually becoming a fortress again .
If we can sort the away form (Goodison next ) we could be back in business .
Definitely need some reinforcements and the cheque book out this week even if it's just clever loan moves .
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I have noticed the last 2 games large sections of the crowd venting their frustrations with the team and certain players.Villa Park has been a great place over the last couple of years but the we are all in it together feeling had definitely dissipated.
It was a lot worse today than Monday. We were not great but some of the reactions were over the top. Just before Bailey scored lots of people shouting get him off.
Maybe the Heck phenomenon has something to do with it.
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Not a great display , but 3 points is most welcome.
It's been said before but Leicester fans are a strange breed . They seem to have a school boy hard on about all things Villa. They sing " We forgot that you were here " , really , you sang about us for 90 minutes and know when we last won a trophy. Farty little upstarts.
No they don't; they were singing 30 years...it's not even 29...quite!
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Not pretty but job done eventually. I thought Leicester defended very very well in that we had a lot of ball with Mings and Konsa but they had everyone tightly behind the ball and marking up so rarely an easy attacking option, missed Rogers running/dribbling option to open them up.
Again an individual error punished for their equaliser, the ball Ollie played towards Mings was hopelessly under hit
Great substitutions Unai :-) Maatsen the man :-)
Kamara motm for me
Kamara was brilliant again.
Should he have had a pen just before half time?
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I have noticed the last 2 games large sections of the crowd venting their frustrations with the team and certain players.Villa Park has been a great place over the last couple of years but the we are all in it together feeling had definitely dissipated.
It was a lot worse today than Monday. We were not great but some of the reactions were over the top. Just before Bailey scored lots of people shouting get him off.
Maybe the Heck phenomenon has something to do with it.
The club was on a wave for years and they are playing a dangerous game since Heck started pissing off the loyal fan
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He always does that celebration doesn’t he?
Yeah and isn’t it more fingers to the temple, rather than ears?
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Kamara was brilliant again.
Should he have had a pen just before half time?
I'm guessing the ref decided the ball was going away as he had passed it back to Cash, and then Cash had a very good shot on target. Very rare for a ref to then call back a foul when that happens. People have mentioned minimal contact but to me, it doesn't have to be a bone breaker to be a pen and the defender was no where near the ball when he contacted Kamara.
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Apparently that's the first double over Leicester in twenty-one years.
Yes children born in that year are now fully grown adults, unbelievable Jeff!
How many league seasons have we played against them - the got relegated 2003-04 and didn't come back for 10 seasons. We then went down 2 seasons later and came back 3 years later. They got relegated 4 years after. So first time in 7? . We beat them in cups in that time.
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I have noticed the last 2 games large sections of the crowd venting their frustrations with the team and certain players.Villa Park has been a great place over the last couple of years but the we are all in it together feeling had definitely dissipated.
It was a lot worse today than Monday. We were not great but some of the reactions were over the top.
I thought the match thread was a bit quiet today.
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Kamara was brilliant again.
Should he have had a pen just before half time?
I'm guessing the ref decided the ball was going away as he had passed it back to Cash, and then Cash had a very good shot on target. Very rare for a ref to then call back a foul when that happens. People have mentioned minimal contact but to me, it doesn't have to be a bone breaker to be a pen and the defender was no where near the ball when he contacted Kamara.
Not exactly an advantage - long range shot v pen.
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Still rare that a ref calls back anything if a shot has gone in whether the contact happened in or out the box. Also he didn't play advantage as such, just that he felt he wouldn't need to make the call because of the shot happening straight after. And as VAR don't override refs much anymore.....
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I have noticed the last 2 games large sections of the crowd venting their frustrations with the team and certain players.Villa Park has been a great place over the last couple of years but the we are all in it together feeling had definitely dissipated.
It was a lot worse today than Monday. We were not great but some of the reactions were over the top.
I thought the match thread was a bit quiet today.
No scorchios or BE referencing "beating the traffic" and "giving the wankers" (his quotations), no party.
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Poor first half, much improved 2nd half although it wasn’t difficult.
Awful miss by Oli but he was much improved in the second half where we were at least trying to find him in the channels but he’s got to be putting chances like that away.
Bailey awful as well but great run to get in position for the goal so I hope that gives him some confidence.
Barkley mom for me and was unlucky to get dragged although the subs did give us a spark.
Thought the Leicester fans were pretty vocal and if you’ve won the FA cup and league in the last decade when we’ve done fuck all, why wouldn’t you shout about it?
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So the two new Daddys, Maatsen and Barkley, turned the game for us. Maybe Ollie just needs to impregnate again.
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I thought Leicester fans had their moments but were overall fairly quiet compared to normal. No problem with 30 year chant - it's pretty accurate.
They aren't the team they were 4, 5, 6 , 7 years ago and thankfully neither are we.
Fair few unoccupied seats in their end which did surprise me as they have been good travellers for a long time.
Our fans were really quiet today - can't recall recent occasion as such - especially as it was more or less a 'sell out'.
Maybe the cold numbed both.
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Our fans are usually quiet when weathers pants
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Their fans were all over town but apart from the silly accent they didn't seem too objectionable. In fact I had to interact with one in the Troc and he was fine.
Having said that there were to many of them in there so we fucked off to the Colmore.
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Despite not really hitting our stride this season yet we’re 4 points off the top 4 at the halfway point. I do think with a couple of new faces in January and a few players finding form, we will get it going in the run in - so everything remains possible.
As an earlier poster has said, testament to how far we’ve come that this feels like a down/transitional year and we’re still very much in the CL mix.
What we did today is what we should have done in the games v Bournemouth and Brighton, where we had a lead heading into the last 10 minutes. Wasn’t pretty but we managed to grind it out - a few more of those would be welcome.
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Poor performance against relegation fodder but we needed a dirty win. Two moments of quality for our goals in fairness. I'm not a fan of Barkley but that was a cracking finish. Brilliant play from Maatsen for Bailey's winner. Their goal was scandalous defending yet again. Their only attack in the game possibly. 4 defenders v Vardy and he still gets to the cross first is ridiculous.
Martinez 7 - spectator but fine save from Vardy
Cash 8 - much maligned but my motm today. Defended well throughout and used the ball well
Konsa 3 - awful, let balls bounce regularly and let Vardy run off him for their goal. Blaming everyone but himself again
Mings 7 - use of ball average enough at times but solid defending was called for today and he delivered that
Digne 4 - ok defensively but if he's playing high on that side he has to provide a threat. So predictable.
Kamara 7 - poor enough for their goal but solid display
Barkley 6 - awful first half but much improved after the break. Great goal
McGinn/Ramsey 4 - let's hope McGinn's injury isn't too serious, Ramsey was poor I thought.
Bailey 5 - long overdue goal finally came and great shot late on smacked the bar. What came before was nearly a new low.
Tielemans 5 - a bit meh in all honesty. Would have hooked him before Barkley.
Watkins 5 - thought he should have been much sharper for the chance in first half, effort at end was unbelievable. Thought he could have worked two very average centre backs a bit more.
Maatsen 7 - quality with the ball told immediately. Carrying a bit of timber possibly? Buendia 6 could have scored a couple and was caught in possession too often. Took up good positions, mind.
Emery 6 - subs could have been made a lot earlier I felt. Faith in Bailey was rewarded with the winner. Spending ~50m on a midfielder to leave him on bench late on seems odd.
Barkley was by far our most composed player in the first half and MOM overall.
You’ve clearly got it in for him, as you hint at at the beginning.
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A bit overlooked but those 2 finishes today were top class
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Ramsey's involvement in goal 2 is not to be understated
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The winning goal demonstrated the value in getting to the byline. Something we don't do nearly often enough.
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If Baileys goal can reignite his confidence he will be like a new signing if he gets his form back from last season . There is a brilliant player in there somewhere, just needs reunlocking
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Poor performance against relegation fodder but we needed a dirty win. Two moments of quality for our goals in fairness. I'm not a fan of Barkley but that was a cracking finish. Brilliant play from Maatsen for Bailey's winner. Their goal was scandalous defending yet again. Their only attack in the game possibly. 4 defenders v Vardy and he still gets to the cross first is ridiculous.
Martinez 7 - spectator but fine save from Vardy
Cash 8 - much maligned but my motm today. Defended well throughout and used the ball well
Konsa 3 - awful, let balls bounce regularly and let Vardy run off him for their goal. Blaming everyone but himself again
Mings 7 - use of ball average enough at times but solid defending was called for today and he delivered that
Digne 4 - ok defensively but if he's playing high on that side he has to provide a threat. So predictable.
Kamara 7 - poor enough for their goal but solid display
Barkley 6 - awful first half but much improved after the break. Great goal
McGinn/Ramsey 4 - let's hope McGinn's injury isn't too serious, Ramsey was poor I thought.
Bailey 5 - long overdue goal finally came and great shot late on smacked the bar. What came before was nearly a new low.
Tielemans 5 - a bit meh in all honesty. Would have hooked him before Barkley.
Watkins 5 - thought he should have been much sharper for the chance in first half, effort at end was unbelievable. Thought he could have worked two very average centre backs a bit more.
Maatsen 7 - quality with the ball told immediately. Carrying a bit of timber possibly? Buendia 6 could have scored a couple and was caught in possession too often. Took up good positions, mind.
Emery 6 - subs could have been made a lot earlier I felt. Faith in Bailey was rewarded with the winner. Spending ~50m on a midfielder to leave him on bench late on seems odd.
Barkley was by far our most composed player in the first half and MOM overall.
You’ve clearly got it in for him, as you hint at at the beginning.
The Digne 4 is a joke. Cash 8? You watched a different game to me.
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Cash is Cash . Receive the ball. Control it . Look backwards . Play it backwards. Repeat .
He's a solid pro , he's done us well . Do we need better to progress . Yes .
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Poor performance against relegation fodder but we needed a dirty win. Two moments of quality for our goals in fairness. I'm not a fan of Barkley but that was a cracking finish. Brilliant play from Maatsen for Bailey's winner. Their goal was scandalous defending yet again. Their only attack in the game possibly. 4 defenders v Vardy and he still gets to the cross first is ridiculous.
Martinez 7 - spectator but fine save from Vardy
Cash 8 - much maligned but my motm today. Defended well throughout and used the ball well
Konsa 3 - awful, let balls bounce regularly and let Vardy run off him for their goal. Blaming everyone but himself again
Mings 7 - use of ball average enough at times but solid defending was called for today and he delivered that
Digne 4 - ok defensively but if he's playing high on that side he has to provide a threat. So predictable.
Kamara 7 - poor enough for their goal but solid display
Barkley 6 - awful first half but much improved after the break. Great goal
McGinn/Ramsey 4 - let's hope McGinn's injury isn't too serious, Ramsey was poor I thought.
Bailey 5 - long overdue goal finally came and great shot late on smacked the bar. What came before was nearly a new low.
Tielemans 5 - a bit meh in all honesty. Would have hooked him before Barkley.
Watkins 5 - thought he should have been much sharper for the chance in first half, effort at end was unbelievable. Thought he could have worked two very average centre backs a bit more.
Maatsen 7 - quality with the ball told immediately. Carrying a bit of timber possibly? Buendia 6 could have scored a couple and was caught in possession too often. Took up good positions, mind.
Emery 6 - subs could have been made a lot earlier I felt. Faith in Bailey was rewarded with the winner. Spending ~50m on a midfielder to leave him on bench late on seems odd.
Barkley was by far our most composed player in the first half and MOM overall.
You’ve clearly got it in for him, as you hint at at the beginning.
The Digne 4 is a joke. Cash 8? You watched a different game to me.
Digne contributed zero going forward today I thought. With loads of space at times too. He doesn't want to get in behind a defence as he hasn't the pace to get back if we are turned over, see their goal. That changed within a couple of minutes once Maatsen came on. I thought that change should have been made at half time, we were crying out for an injection of pace out wide.
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I agree re Digne, he was supposed to be our main attacking outlet and he never attacked enough. Tbf, Maatsen looked pretty woeful after his initial positive impact so I don't know what's for the best.
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Cash is Cash . Receive the ball. Control it . Look backwards . Play it backwards. Repeat .
He's a solid pro , he's done us well . Do we need better to progress . Yes .
His first touch isn't sure enough I think. Hence turns back inside too often as the ball isn't where he expects it to be. But he laid one on a plate for Watkins in the first half, made some good runs that Bailey failed to find him. A lot better going forward today that he has been lately. Defended very well throughout against their most dangerous player. maybe could have got out a bit faster for the goal. He's solid most games defensively these days, less Matty Rash.
Considering the disaster class at RB in the last game it was a huge improvement.
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My assessment of the game as a whole is that we didn't really play well but we did enough. I think it says more about Leicester and how shit they are that they don't get something from a game like that. Having said which, they never had a go at us apart from on the break.
Anyway, a welcome three points and let's hope for a couple more scabby (or comfortable if it's going) wins against shite teams over the next 10 days.
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And a mention for Jacob for his role in setting up the winner. Lovely touch.
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Ramsey's involvement in goal 2 is not to be understated
he was brilliant for the second goal , put pressure on Justin and that touch/pass for maatsen was sublime. and the pass for buendia who should have scored.
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That was a hard watch though we did imprin the second half. I was shocked by how slow and lethargic we were in the first half and we had far too many instances of Konsa (mainly) and sometimes Mings keeping the ball for 5-10 seconds before playing the obvious pass to Cash or Digne.
We were more aggressive and moved the ball quickly after HT and Barkley took his goal well, good reward for a solid if unspectacular performance. I thought we immediately decided to go back to our slow sideways and backwards football and that bit us in the arse very quickly. Thankfully the subs helped swing the game back in our favour but without the third to finish them off I felt nervy, as did most people around
Me in K1.
MOTM probably goes to Barkley because of the goal but Kamara would be my choice otherwise.
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Our tempo was so slow. Something Unai has said he wants to change.
What did he say? I thought this slow, ponderous play was a hallmark of UE that very intentionally decreases tempo and intensity (and, in my view, excitement, but I'll take it as long as the results are good).
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Our fans are usually quiet when weathers pants
Dolly said we were fickle. Now we're fairweather too? Feck sake
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I agree re Digne, he was supposed to be our main attacking outlet and he never attacked enough. Tbf, Maatsen looked pretty woeful after his initial positive impact so I don't know what's for the best.
Digne did spend most of the first half in half a pitch of space and nobody bothered to lift a ball into that space.
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Our tempo was so slow. Something Unai has said he wants to change.
What did he say? I thought this slow, ponderous play was a hallmark of UE that very intentionally decreases tempo and intensity (and, in my view, excitement, but I'll take it as long as the results are good).
The thing that has hurt us most this season is losing possession cheaply and then being hit by a quick counter. I’ll take slow and ponderous while retaining control over that any day.
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Our tempo was so slow. Something Unai has said he wants to change.
What did he say? I thought this slow, ponderous play was a hallmark of UE that very intentionally decreases tempo and intensity (and, in my view, excitement, but I'll take it as long as the results are good).
The thing that has hurt us most this season is losing possession cheaply and then being hit by a quick counter. I’ll take slow and ponderous while retaining control over that any day.
In the post match interview, I thought I heard Emery point out to the fans that “doing everything fast” was not the way forward, rather we should prioritise control, domination (i.e., slow).
Anyhow, 3 badly needed points.
Great strike from Barkley, and at last a goal for Leon… let’s pray he’s turned the corner now.
Also good to see little Emi involved in a positive finale - shame about the chances, though the first was well defended and the second a bit harder than it looked (i.e., would have been a super goal if it had gone in).
UTV!
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I agree re Digne, he was supposed to be our main attacking outlet and he never attacked enough. Tbf, Maatsen looked pretty woeful after his initial positive impact so I don't know what's for the best.
I don’t think Maatsen looked woeful at all?
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Poor performance against relegation fodder but we needed a dirty win. Two moments of quality for our goals in fairness. I'm not a fan of Barkley but that was a cracking finish. Brilliant play from Maatsen for Bailey's winner. Their goal was scandalous defending yet again. Their only attack in the game possibly. 4 defenders v Vardy and he still gets to the cross first is ridiculous.
Martinez 7 - spectator but fine save from Vardy
Cash 8 - much maligned but my motm today. Defended well throughout and used the ball well
Konsa 3 - awful, let balls bounce regularly and let Vardy run off him for their goal. Blaming everyone but himself again
Mings 7 - use of ball average enough at times but solid defending was called for today and he delivered that
Digne 4 - ok defensively but if he's playing high on that side he has to provide a threat. So predictable.
Kamara 7 - poor enough for their goal but solid display
Barkley 6 - awful first half but much improved after the break. Great goal
McGinn/Ramsey 4 - let's hope McGinn's injury isn't too serious, Ramsey was poor I thought.
Bailey 5 - long overdue goal finally came and great shot late on smacked the bar. What came before was nearly a new low.
Tielemans 5 - a bit meh in all honesty. Would have hooked him before Barkley.
Watkins 5 - thought he should have been much sharper for the chance in first half, effort at end was unbelievable. Thought he could have worked two very average centre backs a bit more.
Maatsen 7 - quality with the ball told immediately. Carrying a bit of timber possibly? Buendia 6 could have scored a couple and was caught in possession too often. Took up good positions, mind.
Emery 6 - subs could have been made a lot earlier I felt. Faith in Bailey was rewarded with the winner. Spending ~50m on a midfielder to leave him on bench late on seems odd.
Barkley was by far our most composed player in the first half and MOM overall.
You’ve clearly got it in for him, as you hint at at the beginning.
The Digne 4 is a joke. Cash 8? You watched a different game to me.
Digne contributed zero going forward today I thought. With loads of space at times too. He doesn't want to get in behind a defence as he hasn't the pace to get back if we are turned over, see their goal. That changed within a couple of minutes once Maatsen came on. I thought that change should have been made at half time, we were crying out for an injection of pace out wide.
Shouldn’t the blame be at Emery’s door then? We knew how they’d set up and so it felt like we needed players who break the lines (Maatsen being obviously better at that than Digne).
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It was one of those games where the win was more important than the performance. Should have made it more convincing in the end though but it keeps us in touch with the top few teams.
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Little Emi was awful in his cameo.
Consistently giving the ball away, poor passes, easily tackled and woeful finishing.
His energy is to be admired though.
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On the plus side, it was back to being a typical UE performance of previous years, we controlled the ball, restricted them to a single chance and took ours when they came.
On the negative side, bloody hell it was boring, is it any wonder the crowd are flat when its freezing cold and nothing at all is happening on the field. Also the chance we did give up was once again totally gifted to them and our finishing the other end again poor.
As for their fans, looks like we have another set of minor town bumpkins looking to create a plastic rivalry with the big boys.
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I agree re Digne, he was supposed to be our main attacking outlet and he never attacked enough. Tbf, Maatsen looked pretty woeful after his initial positive impact so I don't know what's for the best.
I don’t think Maatsen looked woeful at all?
Amazing initial impact but then didn't seem to want to get forward again. Maybe it was concern for protecting the lead but if it was, it was misplaced. There was one point in injury time where a straightforward pass to Ramsey up the line would have relieved pressure but he dithered and played it back to Mings and put us under more pressure.
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Little Emi was awful in his cameo.
Consistently giving the ball away, poor passes, easily tackled and woeful finishing.
His energy is to be admired though.
One man’s poor is another man’s lively 🤣. He looks rusty but I think he can still offer something
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Our tempo was so slow. Something Unai has said he wants to change.
What did he say? I thought this slow, ponderous play was a hallmark of UE that very intentionally decreases tempo and intensity (and, in my view, excitement, but I'll take it as long as the results are good).
He’s said previously we are at our best when we move the ball around quickly and he wants to encourage confidence to get back to that.
Yesterday he said patience was important. But I don’t think they are mutually exclusive. Both Kamara and Barkley were pretty static and until Maatsen came on there was no outlet for Ramsay to interact with.
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Little Emi was awful in his cameo.
Consistently giving the ball away, poor passes, easily tackled and woeful finishing.
His energy is to be admired though.
I didn’t think he was awful. He’s a risk taker and it sometimes doesn’t come off, but he adds bags of energy, closes down well and can open teams up in the final third.
He needs more minutes so is still pretty rusty and could well have started at 10 yesterday, and I think it would be a mistake to let him go this month.
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Ramsey did improve massively when Maatsen came on. He always dovetailed with Moreno better than Digne too so it will be interesting to see how that develops over time as Maatsen's profile is clearly closer to Moreno than Digne.
The first half was an atrocious game of football but we did alright second half. Some clear positives to take - Mings mostly comfortable (although should have engaged Ayew before he crossed for their goal), Bailey finally scoring, Buendia far more lively in his cameo. I also thought Cash was good so surprised to see others thought he was shite, I he was the only one with any energy first half.
Ollie's movement was excellent and caused them problems all game but he is miles off it in front of goal.
I was in the Corner Flag hospitality yesterday thanks to a Christmas present from the 'er indoors. Nice to have the chance to stick around after the game and arrive early but expected more than two free drinks, a (tasty) buffet, 10 minutes on the mic from Pat Heard and a free programme for upwards of £200 a ticket!
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Mings mostly comfortable (although should have engaged Ayew before he crossed for their goal)
And if we were to be consistent with criticism over recent weeks, there was a bit of a brain fart for the Mavididi missed chance - looked like he should have intercepted the ball in. (Not aimed at you.)
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I agree re Digne, he was supposed to be our main attacking outlet and he never attacked enough. Tbf, Maatsen looked pretty woeful after his initial positive impact so I don't know what's for the best.
I don’t think Maatsen looked woeful at all?
Amazing initial impact but then didn't seem to want to get forward again. Maybe it was concern for protecting the lead but if it was, it was misplaced. There was one point in injury time where a straightforward pass to Ramsey up the line would have relieved pressure but he dithered and played it back to Mings and put us under more pressure.
That would be cautious then not woeful.
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Best performances of the season by a long way from Barkley and Bailey, superb strike from Ross for his goal, also Maasten was very impressive in his involvement for the winner, would like to see all of them start in the cup tie.
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Cash is Cash . Receive the ball. Control it . Look backwards . Play it backwards. Repeat .
He's a solid pro , he's done us well . Do we need better to progress . Yes .
His first touch isn't sure enough I think. Hence turns back inside too often as the ball isn't where he expects it to be. But he laid one on a plate for Watkins in the first half, made some good runs that Bailey failed to find him. A lot better going forward today that he has been lately. Defended very well throughout against their most dangerous player. maybe could have got out a bit faster for the goal. He's solid most games defensively these days, less Matty Rash.
Considering the disaster class at RB in the last game it was a huge improvement.
You must have blinked for his nice cushioned header to their player, who then ran into the box and hit the corner flag with his shot. However he did get forward alot and had a nice shot right at the end on target.
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Best performances of the season by a long way from Barkley and Bailey, superb strike from Ross for his goal, also Maasten was very impressive in his involvement for the winner, would like to see all of them start in the cup tie.
Im glad bailey scored but man first half especially bailey was dreadful. I didnt think he he was good. Hopefully the goal will help being back the baiky pf last season
Barkley i agree with. Was very good
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Ramsey did improve massively when Maatsen came on. He always dovetailed with Moreno better than Digne too so it will be interesting to see how that develops over time as Maatsen's profile is clearly closer to Moreno than Digne.
I do think the formation we play does need the left back to provide attacking width. Although I think Digne has been generally good for a while now, Maatsen does offer more of an attacking threat.
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Sometimes with wingers, all it needs is a bit of confidence so hopefully the goal will help that. Shame his second effort didn't go in.
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Best performances of the season by a long way from Barkley and Bailey, superb strike from Ross for his goal, also Maasten was very impressive in his involvement for the winner, would like to see all of them start in the cup tie.
Im glad bailey scored but man first half especially bailey was dreadful. I didnt think he he was good. Hopefully the goal will help being back the baiky pf last season
Barkley i agree with. Was very good
Got to agree and thought Bailey was largely awful, his goal aside. I think he’s showed signs of regaining some form over the last few games he’s played but yesterday was far from that.
Having said that he had the foresight to make a run to the front post and was rewarded with a decent team goal, onwards and upwards hopefully.
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Ironically the Bailey goal was Vardy-esque. It's a great run in front of the defender and finish.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
Which has been my point all along - the defensive issues are not just about who’s in the defence there is just a lack of aptitude and focus on it across the team.
Sorry but our striker losing the ball in their half of the pitch shouldn't be the reason for them scoring, when Watkins lost the ball we had enough players between the ball and our goal to have been able to deal with it. I'm not a huge fan of Watkins but to blame him for their goal is ridiculous the blame for their goal was once again our defence. It really is unbelievable that some people see our striker losing the ball in their half then watching Leicester run through us and then score and they put the finger at the striker not the defence.
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Crikey, I’m sure my dog dying last year must have Ollie’s fault too.
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Not sure if Bailey was bits and bobs or Watkins woeful or Cash casual or Buendia bleak or Konsa kookie but what I am sure about is that Sundays are wonderful after we win on Saturday😊
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Watkins playing that shit ball might have triggered it but looking at this, how the fuck does that end up in the net? What a mess.
(https://i.ibb.co/hXy4Ht6/IMG-6251.png)
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In the vein of certain players being more scape-goated then others, imagine the uproar if Torres did what Mings did for their chance early in the second half.
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I'm happy with the three points I'm also pleased Leon Bailey got his first goal of the season hopefully he can go on a run now.
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Watkins playing that shit ball might have triggered it but looking at this, how the fuck does that end up in the net? What a mess.
(https://i.ibb.co/hXy4Ht6/IMG-6251.png)
Excellent movement from Vardy to be fair but really Kamara should have blocked off his run and Konsa had to deal with him at the front post. Brilliant save from Martinez but that's embarrassing defending yet again. To top it off Konsa started having a go at Watkins afterwards.
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Cash is Cash . Receive the ball. Control it . Look backwards . Play it backwards. Repeat .
He's a solid pro , he's done us well . Do we need better to progress . Yes .
His first touch isn't sure enough I think. Hence turns back inside too often as the ball isn't where he expects it to be. But he laid one on a plate for Watkins in the first half, made some good runs that Bailey failed to find him. A lot better going forward today that he has been lately. Defended very well throughout against their most dangerous player. maybe could have got out a bit faster for the goal. He's solid most games defensively these days, less Matty Rash.
Considering the disaster class at RB in the last game it was a huge improvement.
You must have blinked for his nice cushioned header to their player, who then ran into the box and hit the corner flag with his shot. However he did get forward alot and had a nice shot right at the end on target.
Was that just after half time when their winger side footed well wide? I did miss that actually and only saw the end of the replay.
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Watkins playing that shit ball might have triggered it but looking at this, how the fuck does that end up in the net? What a mess.
(https://i.ibb.co/hXy4Ht6/IMG-6251.png)
Yep that’s shocking organisation.
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Was that just after half time when their winger side footed well wide? I did miss that actually and only saw the end of the replay.
Nah, that was Mings ducking under the cross I alluded to a couple of posts up. Cash one was in the first half where I think the midfielder blasted it high.
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Excellent movement from Vardy to be fair but really Kamara should have blocked off his run and Konsa had to deal with him at the front post. Brilliant save from Martinez but that's embarrassing defending yet again. To top it off Konsa started having a go at Watkins afterwards.
Kamara tried to ease him off but was probably worried about giving away the penalty so stopped short of the full block.
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The winning goal demonstrated the value in getting to the byline. Something we don't do nearly often enough.
Interesting that it was Bailey that knew where to go to get on the end of it
Our strikers generally don't.
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Not sure if Bailey was bits and bobs or Watkins woeful or Cash casual or Buendia bleak or Konsa kookie but what I am sure about is that Sundays are wonderful after we win on Saturday😊
Shouldn't "wonderful" be subbed for something that begins with "s" ?
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Really good movement from Bailey for the goal, and a proper finish
He was the match winner
Apart from that though he was pretty much rubbish for most of the game
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Watkins not only fluffed his chance (again) but cost us a goal.
He needs an enormous kick up the arse along with a few others.
Duran is going to walk straight back in to this team if he’s not careful.
I don’t think a “kick up the arse” is what’s needed, he’s very evidently trying hard. Also he’s been directly involved in over a third of our league goals, let’s not confuse him struggling a bit with him being useful. He’s still very important.
I couldn’t agree more. Watkins always gives 100% and he’s going through a huge dip in confidence. He’s massively important to us and will be for the rest of the season.
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Watkins playing that shit ball might have triggered it but looking at this, how the fuck does that end up in the net? What a mess.
(https://i.ibb.co/hXy4Ht6/IMG-6251.png)
Yep that’s shocking organisation.
Not really . Digne has gone on the overlap already so is well out of position when Watkins cheaply gives it away dropping them all in the shite .
Overall the defence looked far better yesterday without Carlos / Torres and Konsa playing RB
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Not sure if Bailey was bits and bobs or Watkins woeful or Cash casual or Buendia bleak or Konsa kookie but what I am sure about is that Sundays are wonderful after we win on Saturday😊
Shouldn't "wonderful" be subbed for something that begins with "s" ?
Yes I should have been more consistent. Sundays are superb.
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Not sure if Bailey was bits and bobs or Watkins woeful or Cash casual or Buendia bleak or Konsa kookie but what I am sure about is that Sundays are wonderful after we win on Saturday😊
Shouldn't "wonderful" be subbed for something that begins with "s" ?
Yes I should have been more consistent. Sundays are superb.
You’ll never get a job in marketing at Sky
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I thought Mings was fouled before the big Leicester miss. It looked to me like the cross was slightly behind him and Vardy gave him a tug at the crucial moment meaning he couldn't reach it and lost his balance. He certainly appealed to the ref immediately.
For their goal yes we had players back but the point of the way we play is if we keep the ball the opposition can't hurt us, lose it cheaply when we have players in our 'in possession' shape is dangerous. It was such a poor giveaway I can understand the defenders frustrations. Every team in the league has players who can hurt you in those situations.
On a more positive note watching it back I saw how well Ramsey did for the second goal. I really hope he can stay fit now.
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I thought Mings was fouled before the big Leicester miss. It looked to me like the cross was slightly behind him and Vardy gave him a tug at the crucial moment meaning he couldn't reach it and lost his balance. He certainly appealed to the ref immediately.
For their goal yes we had players back but the point of the way we play is if we keep the ball the opposition can't hurt us, lose it cheaply when we have players in our 'in possession' shape is dangerous. It was such a poor giveaway I can understand the defenders frustrations. Every team in the league has players who can hurt you in those situations.
On a more positive note watching it back I saw how well Ramsey did for the second goal. I really hope he can stay fit now.
Yep, it was a very similar foul to the non-penalty for Rogers at Forest, Vardy grabbed his wrist and pulled so Mings couldn't get back to make the block. It was so obvious that I think even that ref/VAR would've disallowed it if they'd scored.
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I thought Mings was fouled before the big Leicester miss. It looked to me like the cross was slightly behind him and Vardy gave him a tug at the crucial moment meaning he couldn't reach it and lost his balance. He certainly appealed to the ref immediately.
For their goal yes we had players back but the point of the way we play is if we keep the ball the opposition can't hurt us, lose it cheaply when we have players in our 'in possession' shape is dangerous. It was such a poor giveaway I can understand the defenders frustrations. Every team in the league has players who can hurt you in those situations.
On a more positive note watching it back I saw how well Ramsey did for the second goal. I really hope he can stay fit now.
Digne had gone bombing off down the wing expecting to be set free . It was such a poor lay off from Watkins no wonder Ayew was away down the wing and all the defence out of position .
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Just a small post in defence of Digne. When Cash has the ball he looks up and can usually see bailey. When Digne had it McGinn was showing but as soon as he went off Ramsey took up position inside. He didn’t move much and was easily marked so Digne ended up running up and down for nothing. As another poster pointed out he was often in space and ignored.
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Just a small post in defence of Digne. When Cash has the ball he looks up and can usually see bailey. When Digne had it McGinn was showing but as soon as he went off Ramsey took up position inside. He didn’t move much and was easily marked so Digne ended up running up and down for nothing. As another poster pointed out he was often in space and ignored.
Exactly how I saw it , Ramsey movement and positioning was poor.
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It was a crap goal to concede too, another gift really.
All on Ollie.
Which has been my point all along - the defensive issues are not just about who’s in the defence there is just a lack of aptitude and focus on it across the team.
Sorry but our striker losing the ball in their half of the pitch shouldn't be the reason for them scoring, when Watkins lost the ball we had enough players between the ball and our goal to have been able to deal with it. I'm not a huge fan of Watkins but to blame him for their goal is ridiculous the blame for their goal was once again our defence. It really is unbelievable that some people see our striker losing the ball in their half then watching Leicester run through us and then score and they put the finger at the striker not the defence.
It was brilliantly executed too. Two teams play football. Atypical of Leicester, who were largely toothless, but that move was pretty ruthless.
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Vardy made a very clever run, weaving between the two defenders to get his shot off. One of them should have attacked the ball though rather than waiting.
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What’s a bit shit about this season is that almost every football pundit said we would struggle to combine a CL and PL campaign. Between the club not being able to properly invest due to FFP, form and injuries. And it’s proving to be the case. We didn’t suddenly become shit. We are stretched to breaking point again.
Exactly that. We have grown two quick. Champions League is a different sort of big cat to Conference. You have play your best team and we do not yet have the experience and strength to deal with that at a trot. But hey we are in the mix despite the heavy duty.
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What’s a bit shit about this season is that almost every football pundit said we would struggle to combine a CL and PL campaign. Between the club not being able to properly invest due to FFP, form and injuries. And it’s proving to be the case. We didn’t suddenly become shit. We are stretched to breaking point again.
Exactly that. We have grown two quick. Champions League is a different sort of big cat to Conference. You have play your best team and we do not yet have the experience and strength to deal with that at a trot. But hey we are in the mix despite the heavy duty.
Unfairly handicapped b y a stupid rule that protects certain teams whilst negatively affect anyone genuinely trying to crash the party
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What’s a bit shit about this season is that almost every football pundit said we would struggle to combine a CL and PL campaign. Between the club not being able to properly invest due to FFP, form and injuries. And it’s proving to be the case. We didn’t suddenly become shit. We are stretched to breaking point again.
Exactly that. We have grown two quick. Champions League is a different sort of big cat to Conference. You have play your best team and we do not yet have the experience and strength to deal with that at a trot. But hey we are in the mix despite the heavy duty.
Unfairly handicapped b y a stupid rule that protects certain teams whilst negatively affect anyone genuinely trying to crash the party
Any ideas on how to crash a party where Saudi & Abu Dhabi can spend what they like?
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Not sure if Bailey was bits and bobs or Watkins woeful or Cash casual or Buendia bleak or Konsa kookie but what I am sure about is that Sundays are wonderful after we win on Saturday😊
Shouldn't "wonderful" be subbed for something that begins with "s" ?
Yes I should have been more consistent. Sundays are superb.
You’ll never get a job in marketing at Sky
Alliterate or illiterate?
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Going back to what someone said, is there another club in the country - and I include Manchester United in this - who have so many clubs that see them as rivals?
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Dirty Leeds, perhaps. All of Yorkshire plus most of the East Midlands, Man U and Chelsea. Maybe a few Lancashire teams, too.
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We are the Club of the midlands and all the other Clubs dislike us because we have support bases in areas they think of as their own!
In terms of genuine local catchment area (as opposed to glory hunters) I think ours is the largest.
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What’s a bit shit about this season is that almost every football pundit said we would struggle to combine a CL and PL campaign. Between the club not being able to properly invest due to FFP, form and injuries. And it’s proving to be the case. We didn’t suddenly become shit. We are stretched to breaking point again.
Exactly that. We have grown two quick. Champions League is a different sort of big cat to Conference. You have play your best team and we do not yet have the experience and strength to deal with that at a trot. But hey we are in the mix despite the heavy duty.
Unfairly handicapped b y a stupid rule that protects certain teams whilst negatively affect anyone genuinely trying to crash the party
Any ideas on how to crash a party where Saudi & Abu Dhabi can spend what they like?
I think we were a bit fortunate that Newcastle last season couldn't spend what they liked. Had they done so they'd be quite a bit ahead of us now.
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What’s a bit shit about this season is that almost every football pundit said we would struggle to combine a CL and PL campaign. Between the club not being able to properly invest due to FFP, form and injuries. And it’s proving to be the case. We didn’t suddenly become shit. We are stretched to breaking point again.
Exactly that. We have grown two quick. Champions League is a different sort of big cat to Conference. You have play your best team and we do not yet have the experience and strength to deal with that at a trot. But hey we are in the mix despite the heavy duty.
Unfairly handicapped b y a stupid rule that protects certain teams whilst negatively affect anyone genuinely trying to crash the party
Any ideas on how to crash a party where Saudi & Abu Dhabi can spend what they like?
I think we were a bit fortunate that Newcastle last season couldn't spend what they liked. Had they done so they'd be quite a bit ahead of us now.
They still can’t spend what they like. Their 2024 turnover will have gone up last season as they had CL but they only stayed in it for 6 games so will not have made as much from it as they’d have liked but I’d still expect that turnover to be about £325m maybe more if they’ve been allowed to do various fair value sponsorship deals with Saudi offshoots.
As for where we’ll be for the 2024 numbers, I’d go with Percy Mc’s numbers of approx £275m from earlier in the thread. The PSR squeeze on us only gets better after this year where that £275m estimate for last season could be up to £100m higher with further progress in the CL, better sponsorship deals coming through and maintaining a top 6 spot in the PL. All of a sudden Heck’s £400m wouldn’t seem so far away.
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One thing I noticed, their goalkeeper who started on Saturday is miles behind Zych in the Polish international setup.
We should maybe have popped a couple more shots in at him.