Heroes & Villains, the Aston Villa fanzine
Heroes & Villains => Match Threads & Player Ratings => Topic started by: PeterWithesShin on March 12, 2025, 09:50:40 PM
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Well that was boring.
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Seemed the plan was to just contain first half then hit them the second.
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Would any of us have predicted this score? Wow
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Onwards and upwards.
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Superb. Loved Mings ,but my man of the match was Maatsen. Top drawer.
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I'm looking forward to the Liverpool stuffing in the next round now as predicted by Opta and Carragher.
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A forgotten first 45 (who cares!) but a superb 2nd half. Main thing is we are in the hat. Roll on PSG
Asensio and rash brilliant
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Professional performance
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Should have been more. Much better second half.
Mings was my MotM, though Asensio was a close second.
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I think if they hadn't got the red they'd have given us a game, but likely we'd have done the usual of going a goal down and then coming to life.
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Seemed the plan was to just contain first half then hit them the second.
Looked like it to me. Sensible when you're 3-1 up and the red card helped.
Maatsen MOTM.
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Top 8 teams in Europe.
Truly back at the top table of the game. Wow!
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Lovely stuff - Rashford and Maatsen were great. Obviously Asensio is just stardust.
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A forgotten first 45 (who cares!) but a superb 2nd half. Main thing is we are in the hat. Roll on PSG
Asensio and rash brilliant
That first 45 played out pretty much how the Boss planned it - superb game management.
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Seemed the plan was to just contain first half then hit them the second.
Same as first leg!
Great achievement to reach the quarters!
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We go again
In the right direction nowadays
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Easy street second half. Big night for Maatsen hopefully in his career with us. Asensio continues a pretty remarkable scoring run for us. Can rest up for a while now and hopefully likes of Watkins can skip the internationals. Couple of cracking assists from Bailey and Rashford.
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Sweet . Great achievement..
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Superb. Loved Mings ,but my man of the match was Maatsen. Top drawer.
Yep, Maatsen was brilliant tonight and his confidence shot up as the game went on. My mom too.
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(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Gl3zLaKX0AA7Al9?format=jpg&name=small)
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Glad we took the opportunity to let off the fireworks at the end. May as well, now we can't use them to welcome Liverpool.
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Sorry to be vulgar, but how much money do we make for that?
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Hi Ho Aston Villa
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Superb result. Just so happy for all those younger fans who never saw us in our pomp from '77 onwards. Get yer prayer mats out!
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Asensio's first goal, he's in the box and he jogs past 2 or 3 defenders to get into a massive pocket of space. Absolute madness that nobody was tracking him.
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Superb. Loved Mings ,but my man of the match was Maatsen. Top drawer.
Yep, Maatsen was brilliant tonight and his confidence shot up as the game went on. My mom too.
Yep, she didn't put a foot wrong.
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Sorry to be vulgar, but how much money do we make for that?
About £10mil
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Sorry to be vulgar, but how much money do we make for that?
Think it's about €13m
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this is becoming a legendary sesaon .
champions league quarter finals. WOW
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Champions League Quarter Finalists. Wow.
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When Asensio and Rashford combine everything looks so easy, great to watch. Beat Preston, and a couple of wins in the PL could see this being a superb season. Our bench says how we are progressing
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Job done,no fuss. Quarter finals baby. Onwards and upwards!!!
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Asensio's first goal, he's in the box and he jogs past 2 or 3 defenders to get into a massive pocket of space. Absolute madness that nobody was tracking him.
The best players do that though, although with a man down he probably had even more space.
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Asensio's first goal, he's in the box and he jogs past 2 or 3 defenders to get into a massive pocket of space. Absolute madness that nobody was tracking him.
The best players do that though, although with a man down he probably had even more space.
True, I forgot they were missing a player.
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Asensio's first goal, he's in the box and he jogs past 2 or 3 defenders to get into a massive pocket of space. Absolute madness that nobody was tracking him.
The best players do that though, although with a man down he probably had even more space.
Bailey’s scooped pass was also well disguised.
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Bayern - Inter
Arsenal - Madrid (one of)
Barca - Dortmund
ASTON VILLA - PSG
Look at that.
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Bailey’s pass was brilliant.
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If..if Real go out tonight after Liverpool went out last night...we couldn't...could we..??
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If..if Real go out tonight after Liverpool went out last night...we couldn't...could we..??
Let’s deal with PSG first.
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Fucking hell
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We're in the QF, of course we could. I'd go with Barca as favourites though.
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Superb. Loved Mings ,but my man of the match was Maatsen. Top drawer.
Yep, Maatsen was brilliant tonight and his confidence shot up as the game went on. My mom too.
Yep, she didn't put a foot wrong.
Very good! She would have walked into the 2016 side mind you 😅
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"We're giving these fans experiences they'll remember forever. We want to write our names in history and make these nights more frequent."
I reckon McGinn's my favourite player since I don't know when.
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We're in the QF, of course we could. I'd go with Barca as favourites though.
TBH, all the teams still in it could win it. I can't see one "easy" team for the opposition involved and predicting the Semi-finalists is beyond me.
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
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Wonderful !
Thank You Emery !
UTV!!
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We're in the QF, of course we could. I'd go with Barca as favourites
TBH, all the teams still in it could win it. I can't see one "easy" team for the opposition involved and predicting the Semi-finalists is beyond me.
In poker they say if you can’t spot the fish (weakest player) at the table, it’s probably you.
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
If she really loves you she will understand
If she doesn't, she's clearly not the one
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Can we sign Asensio now? This guy is next level - and rashford and him have already an amazing link. I totally didn’t expect that and happy beyond belief - great result. PSG? I’ll admit they looked devastating - I’m unai we hope.
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We won't be favourites against PSG, but you never know. We have a great squad too.
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No bookings for us tonight which is pleasing.
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We're in the QF, of course we could. I'd go with Barca as favourites
TBH, all the teams still in it could win it. I can't see one "easy" team for the opposition involved and predicting the Semi-finalists is beyond me.
In poker they say if you can’t spot the fish (weakest player) at the table, it’s probably you.
Good job we aren't playing Poker then because I would put our team and manager up against any of them. We have already beaten two this season.
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Seemed the plan was to just contain first half then hit them the second.
Almost like Unai knew what he was doing!
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:D
We won't be favourites against PSG, but you never know. We have a great squad too.
Until they turned it around against City they looked like they would not qualify. Admittedly they were superb in the first game against Liverpool. 4 wins and a draw for us at home in the CL says we have a chance, they have history of having a shocker in the locker..!!
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Brilliant result, and brilliant second half.
If someone had told me back in September that we'd get further in the Champions League than both Man City and Liverpool, I'd have thought they were utterly mad. If we can keep the tie alive in Paris, VP will be absolutely rocking in the return leg!
Over two legs, PSG probably win this tie 8 or 9 times out of 10. We just need to make sure this is the 1 they don't...
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We're in the QF, of course we could. I'd go with Barca as favourites
TBH, all the teams still in it could win it. I can't see one "easy" team for the opposition involved and predicting the Semi-finalists is beyond me.
In poker they say if you can’t spot the fish (weakest player) at the table, it’s probably you.
Good job we aren't playing Poker then because I would put our team and manager up against any of them. We have already beaten two this season.
One surely?
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
If she really loves you she will understand
If she doesn't, she's clearly not the one
Lol if it was my wedding it be easy just cancel it, its a close fanily relative 😅
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Brilliant - unreal - UCL QF never thought I would see it!
Well done all and UTFV!
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Imagine being told, as we beat Derby at Wembley, that five years later we'd be in the Champions League quarter final.
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They mentioned a stat before the game, but I think that's now 3 QFs from 3 appearances in the top flight European competition.
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We're in the QF, of course we could. I'd go with Barca as favourites
TBH, all the teams still in it could win it. I can't see one "easy" team for the opposition involved and predicting the Semi-finalists is beyond me.
In poker they say if you can’t spot the fish (weakest player) at the table, it’s probably you.
Good job we aren't playing Poker then because I would put our team and manager up against any of them. We have already beaten two this season.
One surely?
Forgot Arse away was a draw this year.
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Top 8 UCL league team makes it easily into the top 8 knockout stage….nothing to see here folks, just normal business.
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They mentioned a stat before the game, but I think that's now 3 QFs from 3 appearances in the top flight European competition.
It is.
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We're in the QF, of course we could. I'd go with Barca as favourites
TBH, all the teams still in it could win it. I can't see one "easy" team for the opposition involved and predicting the Semi-finalists is beyond me.
In poker they say if you can’t spot the fish (weakest player) at the table, it’s probably you.
Good job we aren't playing Poker then because I would put our team and manager up against any of them. We have already beaten two this season.
One surely?
Forgot Arse away was a draw this year.
Think its at the point where there are no easy teams. I wouldnt fancy playing a team managed by Unai.
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Some of Morgan’s flicks and passes were superb.
Asencio was excellent.
Mings played really well too.
Bring on PSG.
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At times i thought Mings looked at his peak. His shot, and pass in the box were brilliant.
Everyone played well - hopefully without leaving second gear. UTV
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Rashford and Asensio must have been having bets on who is better at controlling the high balls superbly. Rashford for Mings chance and the second goal. Asensio for his chance tipped onto the post.
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I thought that Maatsen was fantastic tonight - it is incredible that we are now in the quarterfinals- let’s hope that we can beat Paris UTV
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Given where we were not so long ago it’s hard to believe we just cruised into the last 8 of the Champions League bringing on Asensio and Torres as subs.
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Last 3 games .
Mings .
3 clean sheets .
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Loads of class defenders, class midfielders and class forwards. Plus a class manager with a game plan.
I wouldn't want to play us.
Onwards and upwards.
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Last 3 games .
Mings .
3 clean sheets .
You sure?
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The key (apart from the subs) was playing McGinn centrally in the 2nd half. He was ineffectual further up and the pitch.
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Last 3 games .
Mings .
3 clean sheets .
Very selective stats.
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Last 3 games .
Mings .
3 clean sheets .
Very selective stats.
It was also probably raining and Robinson scored. Because the stat is as wrong as that "memory" was.
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Apologies 1 in 3 against .
Rather than almost 2 a game as it was .
The difference with Mings back is massive. Konsa better too.
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The sending off killed the tie dead. First half wasn't great but i suppose it didn't need to be. Great second half, it could have been 5 or 6.
Quarter final of the Champions League feels mad and who on here said it was a poor season?
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Another great night at Villa Park. I'm guessing he doesn't like playing there, but I thought Rashford playing centrally in the 2nd half really made a difference and Asensio's quality really shone again.
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The key (apart from the subs) was playing McGinn centrally in the 2nd half. He was ineffectual further up and the pitch.
Bailey also gave us balance on the right, we had and have none when Rogers plays there.
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Imagine being told, as we beat Derby at Wembley, that five years later we'd be in the Champions League quarter final.
It's six years actually. However, if we do win the thing this year that will still be a year quicker than when we came up in 1975.
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That pass by Bailey was fantastic. Up there with Dougies outside of the boot through ball last season. Love it!
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Very happy to have made the qf stage as that is a huge achievement.
I understood the cautious approach, but it was surprising it took until half time to up the tempo against 10 men. So glad Asensio came on and then the whole impetus changed.
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Thought we'd make it difficult for worselves tonight - it is the Villa, after all.
Expected a nervy 1-0 to them going into the latter stages.
But we're a different beast now with Rashford and Asensio up top. We'll cause teams far better than Brugge issues. So long as we can keep it semi tight at the back.
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For those players who were there in the bottom half of the Championship, wondering where the next win was coming from, this must have felt amazing. What a journey they have been on..
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Liverpool were leading from the first leg, decided to try to get the "early" goal and conceded early instead. We just went "use up your energy and we will hit you later". Unlike the first leg, we didn't make any mistakes.
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Seemed the plan was to just contain first half then hit them the second.
It seemed to work OK.
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This is where Emery really kicks in and has taken us to another level .
The players are following a strict plan and strategy .
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This is where Emery really kicks in and has taken us to another level .
The players are following a strict plan and strategy .
He definitely knows what he's doing in Europe.
I'll feel far more confident before the PSG games than I do before games against Southampton or Wolves.
Edit: not a snarky comment on our league form, just a genuine reflection of how confident I have been before our CL games.
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Emery’s message after half time was move the ball quickly. We did that and blew them away in 15 minutes.
Interesting our reaction in winning vs real madrids…
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
Is it your own wedding then?
I missed my brother’s for a Villa-Blose at the Sty.
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Thought we executed the plan very well, for all their possession and movement, we held our positions and kept them at arms length to avoid the early goal which would have set nerves jangling. Then the sending off killed any interest for the neutral.
Second half when they had to come at us a bit, it left gaps we exploited perfectly.
Fair play to their fans, they made more noise than us and they were 6-1 down. Pretty low key given what was achieved, ground was pretty much empty when the players took a richly deserved round of applause from those left.
These nights wont come around often, they probably wont next season, cherish them, even if you spend an extra 15 mins in traffic.
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They mentioned a stat before the game, but I think that's now 3 QFs from 3 appearances in the top flight European competition.
I’m surprised any Villa fan would need to be informed of that.
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
Is it your own wedding then?
I missed my brother’s for a Villa-Blose at the Sty.
Surely it will only be the party/function bit as the match will be at 8pm, anyway? I would gladly miss it for a Champions league final. Saying that I'd gladly miss wedding speeches for the local u12's boules tournament.
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They mentioned a stat before the game, but I think that's now 3 QFs from 3 appearances in the top flight European competition.
I’m surprised any Villa fan would need to be informed of that.
It suggests consistency, which is Unai’s watchword. :)
We’re doing something right!
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They mentioned a stat before the game, but I think that's now 3 QFs from 3 appearances in the top flight European competition.
I’m surprised any Villa fan would need to be informed of that.
It suggests consistency, which is Unai’s watchword. :)
We’re doing something right!
My point is that surely the most rudimentary knowledge of Villa history would include us reaching the quarter-final of the European Cup every time we’ve been in it. I bet there’s not a single nose who isn’t aware of that.
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They mentioned a stat before the game, but I think that's now 3 QFs from 3 appearances in the top flight European competition.
I’m surprised any Villa fan would need to be informed of that.
It suggests consistency, which is Unai’s watchword. :)
We’re doing something right!
My point is that surely the most rudimentary knowledge of Villa history would include us always reaching the quarter-final of the European Cup. I bet there’s not a single nose who isn’t aware of that.
Including Karen Carney who had to say nice things about Villa tonight!
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
Is it your own wedding then?
I missed my brother’s for a Villa-Blose at the Sty.
Surely it will only be the party/function bit as the match will be at 8pm, anyway? I would gladly miss it for a Champions league final. Saying that I'd gladly miss wedding speeches for the local u12's boules tournament.
I find the best solution for all weddings is to stay outside.
Nobody notices if you're there or not - the only topics of conversation are how fat/slim the bride looks, which of the female guests are dressed most ridiculously, how shit the food inevitably is, and later on, the male guests who make pricks of themselves or have too many and end up injuring themselves dancing to Living on a Prayer.
Weddings are bad news. Give me a funeral any day.
We Irish can at least settle in for a decent drink at a wake, without being nagged for photos or forced to clap the cutting of a cake or 'gather' for a first dance.
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
Is it your own wedding then?
I missed my brother’s for a Villa-Blose at the Sty.
I missed my brother's for Villa away at Cardiff in 1968 in the old 2nd division...I was 13 and so in love with Aston Villa. We weren't at our best at the time but we drew 1-1 on the day...and I got back in time for a sneaky glass or two of mild and a sausage roll, so all was forgiven! Especially as I said if they'd got married in June or July I would have been there! Uncle Frank's son, Amos (played for The Villa for almost 20 years), was there so I had someone to talk to!
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
Is it your own wedding then?
I missed my brother’s for a Villa-Blose at the Sty.
Surely it will only be the party/function bit as the match will be at 8pm, anyway? I would gladly miss it for a Champions league final. Saying that I'd gladly miss wedding speeches for the local u12's boules tournament.
I find the best solution for all weddings is to stay outside.
Nobody notices if you're there or not - the only topics of conversation are how fat/slim the bride looks, which of the female guests are dressed most ridiculously, how shit the food inevitably is, and later on, the male guests who make pricks of themselves or have too many and end up injuring themselves dancing to Living on a Prayer.
Weddings are bad news. Give me a funeral any day.
We Irish can at least settle in for a decent drink at a wake, without being nagged for photos or forced to clap the cutting of a cake or 'gather' for a first dance.
Great advice Rory! With you 100%
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
Is it your own wedding then?
I missed my brother’s for a Villa-Blose at the Sty.
Surely it will only be the party/function bit as the match will be at 8pm, anyway? I would gladly miss it for a Champions league final. Saying that I'd gladly miss wedding speeches for the local u12's boules tournament.
I find the best solution for all weddings is to stay outside.
Nobody notices if you're there or not - the only topics of conversation are how fat/slim the bride looks, which of the female guests are dressed most ridiculously, how shit the food inevitably is, and later on, the male guests who make pricks of themselves or have too many and end up injuring themselves dancing to Living on a Prayer.
Weddings are bad news. Give me a funeral any day.
We Irish can at least settle in for a decent drink at a wake, without being nagged for photos or forced to clap the cutting of a cake or 'gather' for a first dance.
Reminds me of the old joke Rory - What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish funeral ? There's one less drunk at the funeral !!
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Frankly, loving the support!
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
Is it your own wedding then?
I missed my brother’s for a Villa-Blose at the Sty.
Surely it will only be the party/function bit as the match will be at 8pm, anyway? I would gladly miss it for a Champions league final. Saying that I'd gladly miss wedding speeches for the local u12's boules tournament.
I find the best solution for all weddings is to stay outside.
Nobody notices if you're there or not - the only topics of conversation are how fat/slim the bride looks, which of the female guests are dressed most ridiculously, how shit the food inevitably is, and later on, the male guests who make pricks of themselves or have too many and end up injuring themselves dancing to Living on a Prayer.
Weddings are bad news. Give me a funeral any day.
We Irish can at least settle in for a decent drink at a wake, without being nagged for photos or forced to clap the cutting of a cake or 'gather' for a first dance.
Reminds me of the old joke Rory - What's the difference between an Irish wedding and an Irish funeral ? There's one less drunk at the funeral !!
Superb.
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Not interested in the "gossip" here as there is nothing about us. But, given that we sometimes like to moan about the media ignoring us, it's nice that we're the main picture on each featured back page tomorrow, ahead of Arsenal or Real.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c78ev5endj1o
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Well, we are kind of a big deal.
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Thought we executed the plan very well, for all their possession and movement, we held our positions and kept them at arms length to avoid the early goal which would have set nerves jangling. Then the sending off killed any interest for the neutral.
Second half when they had to come at us a bit, it left gaps we exploited perfectly.
Fair play to their fans, they made more noise than us and they were 6-1 down. Pretty low key given what was achieved, ground was pretty much empty when the players took a richly deserved round of applause from those left.
These nights wont come around often, they probably wont next season, cherish them, even if you spend an extra 15 mins in traffic.
Must admit I left bang on the final whistle mainly due to the fact that I was absolutely fucking freezing. Can't remember the last time it wasn't either pissing it down or really cold at VP. This winter feels like it has lasted about six months! Might be my old bones just can't take it like I used to. Onwards to PSG and a better evening weather wise.
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I find the best solution for all weddings is to stay outside.
Nobody notices if you're there or not - the only topics of conversation are how fat/slim the bride looks, which of the female guests are dressed most ridiculously, how shit the food inevitably is, and later on, the male guests who make pricks of themselves or have too many and end up injuring themselves dancing to Living on a Prayer.
Weddings are bad news. Give me a funeral any day.
We Irish can at least settle in for a decent drink at a wake, without being nagged for photos or forced to clap the cutting of a cake or 'gather' for a first dance.
Brilliant Rory. And this photo thing is getting very annoying especially at Punjabi weddings. FFS why do I went my picture taken on the stage with cousins 10th removed who I have never met till today?
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Top 8 UCL league team makes it easily into the top 8 knockout stage….nothing to see here folks, just normal business.
Apart from :
Bayern who finished 12th
Dortmund 10th
Real 11th
PSG 15th
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Top 8 UCL league team makes it easily into the top 8 knockout stage….nothing to see here folks, just normal business.
Apart from :
Bayern who finished 12th
Dortmund 10th
Real 11th
PSG 15th
I know it's a bit early but try reading my post properly😊 Its about the Villa only.
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QF of the actual European Cup. Fucking ace times! I"ve just reminded my kids how lucky they are to be Villa fans in this era (and not the previous one).
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Morgan Rogers really doesn’t look comfortable on the right wing, we looked much more balanced second half with him centrally and Bailey out wide.
Remarkable times really. Routine home wins with World class players banging goals in for fun at The Holte End to reach a Champions League Quarter Final.
We’ve endured some shit, so let’s soak it up, just what a brilliant season this is becoming.
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Obviously not trying to tempt fate but i got a fucking wedding on chanpions league final
If villa got there im stuffed
If she really loves you she will understand
If she doesn't, she's clearly not the one
And if its not yours, Villa are more important.
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Job done and what a great night.
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What a night. Did what they had to 1st half, people around me getting g frustrated with not getting the ball forward, it was a good gameplan and helped with the red card. Bit that 2md half change, we would have won anyway.
Can't believe we are in the CL quarters....enjoying every minute!
Nice little break now...
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That was dull wasn’t it 😉
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Were we playing with no recognised striker last night when we stuffed them? Rashford likes being LW/AM, and both Rogers and Asensio like being AM /10. I'm assuming Rogers was the central target man out of the four.
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First half we were so flat which led to a flat atmosphere, it looked like we were going to play the match just trying to run down the clock but the subs changed it completely.
At the start of the season I thought yes we should make the last 32 and maybe even the last 16, never thought we would get this far but it's what dreams are made of.
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Were we playing with no recognised striker last night when we stuffed them? Rashford likes being LW/AM, and both Rogers and Asensio like being AM /10. I'm assuming Rogers was the central target man out of the four.
I think so. Rashford hates being a conventional target man but loves floating around the forward line when we attack. Same with Asensio and Rogers. A nightmare for any defence.
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Were we playing with no recognised striker last night when we stuffed them? Rashford likes being LW/AM, and both Rogers and Asensio like being AM /10. I'm assuming Rogers was the central target man out of the four.
I think so. Rashford hates being a conventional target man but loves floating around the forward line when we attack. Same with Asensio and Rogers. A nightmare for any defence.
It felt like a bit of a vision of the future, this is not to kick Watkins but I turned to my brother after the third and said I'm not sure we need him anymore.
Emery keeps banging on about the versatility of players which is not one of Ollie's strengths, we look to be moving towards a front line that can seamlessly interchange with each other making it even harder for the defenders.
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I’m Ollie’s Biggest fan but I agree that might be what happens.
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Nice scarves on the seats last night, one to pin up in my office.
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I don't think we were flat - we just controlled the game. There was no need to go all headless chicken like Liverpool did.
There was clearly a plan to go for it at the start of the second half - Emery was barking at everyone straight after kickoff to do things quickly - we then blew them away in 15 mins and took our foot off the gas.
Interesting was the reaction of Real getting to the quarters, compared to ours... we looked like we just expected it and Real looked like it was a massive deal.
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Morgan Rogers really doesn’t look comfortable on the right wing, we looked much more balanced second half with him centrally and Bailey out wide.
Remarkable times really. Routine home wins with World class players banging goals in for fun at The Holte End to reach a Champions League Quarter Final.
We’ve endured some shit, so let’s soak it up, just what a brilliant season this is becoming.
I agree about Rogers on the right. Looks a bit lost out there.
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I don't think we were flat - we just controlled the game. There was no need to go all headless chicken like Liverpool did.
There was clearly a plan to go for it at the start of the second half - Emery was barking at everyone straight after kickoff to do things quickly - we then blew them away in 15 mins and took our foot off the gas.
Interesting was the reaction of Real getting to the quarters, compared to ours... we looked like we just expected it and Real looked like it was a massive deal.
Hard disagree with the first point. Nobody is controlling any game by giving the ball away to the opposition constantly and letting them get the ball in our box again and again.
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I don't think we were flat - we just controlled the game. There was no need to go all headless chicken like Liverpool did.
There was clearly a plan to go for it at the start of the second half - Emery was barking at everyone straight after kickoff to do things quickly - we then blew them away in 15 mins and took our foot off the gas.
Interesting was the reaction of Real getting to the quarters, compared to ours... we looked like we just expected it and Real looked like it was a massive deal.
Real had just beaten their rivals though. I'm sure our players reactions would be similar when we knock Blues out in R16 of the Champions League in 5 years time...............
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I just thought it was odd to see the difference in reaction. I know we always get to Champions League Quarter Finals, but even so...
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Were we playing with no recognised striker last night when we stuffed them? Rashford likes being LW/AM, and both Rogers and Asensio like being AM /10. I'm assuming Rogers was the central target man out of the four.
I think so. Rashford hates being a conventional target man but loves floating around the forward line when we attack. Same with Asensio and Rogers. A nightmare for any defence.
[/quote
It felt like a bit of a vision of the future, this is not to kick Watkins but I turned to my brother after the third and said I'm not sure we need him anymore.
Emery keeps banging on about the versatility of players which is not one of Ollie's strengths, we look to be moving towards a front line that can seamlessly interchange with each other making it even harder for the defenders.
To stretch their defence, Unai wants Bailey to hang out on the right and when appropriate, run for the back post to poach a goal.
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I don't think we were flat - we just controlled the game. There was no need to go all headless chicken like Liverpool did.
There was clearly a plan to go for it at the start of the second half - Emery was barking at everyone straight after kickoff to do things quickly - we then blew them away in 15 mins and took our foot off the gas.
Interesting was the reaction of Real getting to the quarters, compared to ours... we looked like we just expected it and Real looked like it was a massive deal.
Hard disagree with the first point. Nobody is controlling any game by giving the ball away to the opposition constantly and letting them get the ball in our box again and again.
I honestly thought much the same at the time, then looking back again I think they started to get some encouragement and pushed forward and bang, Martinez with a ball over the top and they're down to 10 men and the tie is done before 20 minutes are on the clock.
This is why Unai Emery is still in this competition and the thumb headed babysitter at Liverpool isn't.
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Morgan Rogers really doesn’t look comfortable on the right wing, we looked much more balanced second half with him centrally and Bailey out wide.
Remarkable times really. Routine home wins with World class players banging goals in for fun at The Holte End to reach a Champions League Quarter Final.
We’ve endured some shit, so let’s soak it up, just what a brilliant season this is becoming.
I agree about Rogers on the right. Looks a bit lost out there.
I do think part of that was having Cash behind him, who is a very risk-averse full-back when it comes to feeding the ball quickly to the player ahead of him. I lose count of the number of times he looks like he's going to burst forward but then cuts back and recycles the ball with a centre-half in each game. Now, I'm SURE that's partly due to his instructions from Unai, but Rogers (and Bailey) thrive on getting the ball quickly so they can attack players around them, and Cash rarely gives them that.
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Were we playing with no recognised striker last night when we stuffed them? Rashford likes being LW/AM, and both Rogers and Asensio like being AM /10. I'm assuming Rogers was the central target man out of the four.
I think so. Rashford hates being a conventional target man but loves floating around the forward line when we attack. Same with Asensio and Rogers. A nightmare for any defence.
It felt like a bit of a vision of the future, this is not to kick Watkins but I turned to my brother after the third and said I'm not sure we need him anymore.
Emery keeps banging on about the versatility of players which is not one of Ollie's strengths, we look to be moving towards a front line that can seamlessly interchange with each other making it even harder for the defenders.
I agree Lee. I love Ollie, but my son turned to me part way through the second half and said this is so much better without Watkins. Granted there were circumstances to consider, they were down to 10 men and like a streetwise boxer, we’d let them jab us to exhaustion before laying the big blows. It was just all so fluid, no one up front but actually every fucker up front.
QFs of the champions league, some days these that Emery has brought us!
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Nice scarves on the seats last night, one to pin up in my office.
Mine and two more by me were gone by the time I took my seat. I'm not fussed at all but what if some kid was sitting there and didn't get one? There are some right wankers about.
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I thought the initial set up of the team and formation made us very disjointed. Not one player looked comfortable with or without the ball. Ollie going off with injury forced a change at half time and suddenly we were the dominant team and went on to win without any drama. Rashford looked very good down the middle. His runs created space for those around him. Just needs a goal now.
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thought i'd pop in and say congrats
good luck in the quarters
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Great 2nd half, Maatsen's best match for us, Rashford superb, but MOTM was Asensio, just class, should not only start every match, he should be Unai's number one pick. Refs get a lot of stick, but thought the ref last night was very good, sensibly blew up bang on 90 mins.
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Bit of a flat atmosphere, understandable as the sending off and first leg result pretty much ended any chance of a close game. We were in the Trinity for the first time in years ( couldn’t get my usual pair in the Holte) and it was silent for most of the game. Good on the Bruges fans for being very noisy and for being polite enough to insult us in perfect English. “Your support is effing shit”, “Is this a library”.
M25 shut again so had to drive through central London to get home. Think of the Griswolds trying to get off the island/roundabout in their Austin Maxi and that was me at 1.30am this morning.
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PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League!
First ever match against them. Good times?
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I'll confess I was very surprised he blew up on exactly 90 minutes. They did the same thing when we were 4-0 up against Ajax last season. I guess there's some form of UEFA rule that they don't need to bother with stoppage time in a second leg if one team is winning by a certain margin. Would they do the same thing if Real Madrid were 4-0 down at home against 10 men and there was supposed to be 8 minutes of added on time?
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The 4th official had a chat with both benches and the managers shook hands just before 90 minutes. Something similar happened vs Chelsea in the FA Cup last year too.
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I'll confess I was very surprised he blew up on exactly 90 minutes. They did the same thing when we were 4-0 up against Ajax last season. I guess there's some form of UEFA rule that they don't need to bother with stoppage time in a second leg if one team is winning by a certain margin. Would they do the same thing if Real Madrid were 4-0 down at home against 10 men and there was supposed to be 8 minutes of added on time?
I think that both sides would have been happy last night if the Ref had blown up on 70 minutes
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It's believe it's allowed in cup games if both sides agree and the game is done.
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Yes. Not allowed in league games due to the importance of goal difference.
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Blowing up on 90 minutes is really common in the Bundesliga when the result is obvious and we had a German referee tonight.
My understanding of the situation is that the referee asks the losing captain if they want the added time. If they say no then he blows up on 90 mins on the dot.
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Was pretty impressed with their Captain, I don't think I saw him give the ball away
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Nice scarves on the seats last night, one to pin up in my office.
Mine and two more by me were gone by the time I took my seat. I'm not fussed at all but what if some kid was sitting there and didn't get one? There are some right wankers about.
Seen somebody boasting on social media last night how he had grabbed nime scarves and was selling at £50 each. Somes up society, many selfish *****.
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7 years ago today we lost 1-3 at home to QPR in the Championship with Bruce as manager. We've made a bit of progress since then.
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Man i just hope they under estimate us- as they will be punished if they do
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I don't think we were flat - we just controlled the game. There was no need to go all headless chicken like Liverpool did.
There was clearly a plan to go for it at the start of the second half - Emery was barking at everyone straight after kickoff to do things quickly - we then blew them away in 15 mins and took our foot off the gas.
Interesting was the reaction of Real getting to the quarters, compared to ours... we looked like we just expected it and Real looked like it was a massive deal.
Real had just beaten their rivals though. I'm sure our players reactions would be similar when we knock Blues out in R16 of the Champions League in 5 years time...............
Wake up, wake up, you are having a nightmare
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PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League!
First ever match against them. Good times?
I think if we got past them and played Real, it would be our 8th new opponent this Season, equalling our most ever in a season.
Getting this from AVFC History on Blue Sky.
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PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League!
First ever match against them. Good times?
I think if we got past them and played Real, it would be our 8th new opponent this Season, equalling our most ever in a season.
Getting this from AVFC History on Blue Sky.
I should go on Blue Sky more often, I have an account. Since ditching the trumpian toxins that are Facebook and X though I've kind of got out of the social media habit
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The 4th official had a chat with both benches and the managers shook hands just before 90 minutes. Something similar happened vs Chelsea in the FA Cup last year too.
It's long established in knockout games that if both sides agree, added time need not be played
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First half was so deflating after a great atmosphere pre-match. But as always, in Unai we trust and we looked a completely different side in the second half.
Bring on the quarters!
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I’m Ollie’s Biggest fan but I agree that might be what happens.
It's not just me thinking this then. New players invariably lead to a new style of play and he looked a bit lost last night
Perhaps if a club in the CL next season come in with a good offer, then it might be time
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Yeah woildnt suprise me tbh. He struggled abit last night
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PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League!
First ever match against them. Good times?
I think if we got past them and played Real, it would be our 8th new opponent this Season, equalling our most ever in a season.
Getting this from AVFC History on Blue Sky.
I should go on Blue Sky more often, I have an account. Since ditching the trumpian toxins that are Facebook and X though I've kind of got out of the social media habit
Plenty of opportunity for doomscrolling on Bluesky but also lots of people posting interesting and even fun stuff. Not hitting the heights of old Twitter just yet with viral content but it certainly isn’t the open sewer x is. A lot of the bigger accounts are reporting more meaningful interactions on Bluesky than x also, as the latter is deluged with nazi bots and weirdos. And the block function completely detonates any interaction with idiots.
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The 4th official had a chat with both benches and the managers shook hands just before 90 minutes. Something similar happened vs Chelsea in the FA Cup last year too.
It's long established in knockout games that if both sides agree, added time need not be played
Stupid rule, IMO. Just treat it the same as any other competitive match. It's not a friendly. Asensio should have had the chance to score a hat-trick and Brugge should have had the chance to score a consolation and give their fans something to cheer.
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Nice scarves on the seats last night, one to pin up in my office.
Mine and two more by me were gone by the time I took my seat. I'm not fussed at all but what if some kid was sitting there and didn't get one? There are some right wankers about.
Seen somebody boasting on social media last night how he had grabbed nime scarves and was selling at £50 each. Somes up society, many selfish *****.
Was it Heck ? ;D
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The 4th official had a chat with both benches and the managers shook hands just before 90 minutes. Something similar happened vs Chelsea in the FA Cup last year too.
It's long established in knockout games that if both sides agree, added time need not be played
Stupid rule, IMO. Just treat it the same as any other competitive match. It's not a friendly. Asensio should have had the chance to score a hat-trick and Brugge should have had the chance to score a consolation and give their fans something to cheer.
They did have, but both sides agreed to let the ref blow up on 90. I think this should happen more often if anything.
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Seeing some scarves on ebay from yesterday for £41 and some scumny fans taking others with people posting on facebook. Pretty shit of those small minority of people
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Yeah woildnt suprise me tbh. He struggled abit last night
I hope he doesn't take the Saudi route though. Not yet. He's too good for that. It may be to our slight benefit to have him removed as a potential opponent for next season but, every time a quality player ships for the Arabic megabucks, a little of the game dies IMV
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Seeing some scarves on ebay from yesterday for £41 and some scumny fans taking others with people posting on facebook. Pretty shit of those small minority of people
Pretty shitty behaviour. Would really expect Villa fans to be better than that. But it's naive I guess to expect any club, even the most noble and great in the world, to be entirely scuzz free
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The 4th official had a chat with both benches and the managers shook hands just before 90 minutes. Something similar happened vs Chelsea in the FA Cup last year too.
It's long established in knockout games that if both sides agree, added time need not be played
Stupid rule, IMO. Just treat it the same as any other competitive match. It's not a friendly. Asensio should have had the chance to score a hat-trick and Brugge should have had the chance to score a consolation and give their fans something to cheer.
They did have, but both sides agreed to let the ref blow up on 90. I think this should happen more often if anything.
Indeed. There was no value to playing the added time apart from that sentiment. There's no way the result would change in terms of who was going through, there's no goal difference aspect to consider, and it's just a few extra minutes for cards and injuries to happen
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Seeing some scarves on ebay from yesterday for £41 and some scumny fans taking others with people posting on facebook. Pretty shit of those small minority of people
I think it's perfectly acceptable if they're selling their own scarves that were in their own seats. Personally I imagine the memento will be worth way more than £41 to me in a few years time, but I think it's up to the individuals what they do with their own free gifts. Obviously taking scarves from other people's seats and selling them on is way less ethical.
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PSG in the quarter-finals of the Champions League!
First ever match against them. Good times?
I think if we got past them and played Real, it would be our 8th new opponent this Season, equalling our most ever in a season.
Getting this from AVFC History on Blue Sky.
I should go on Blue Sky more often, I have an account. Since ditching the trumpian toxins that are Facebook and X though I've kind of got out of the social media habit
A lot of the bigger accounts are reporting more meaningful interactions on Bluesky than x also, as the latter is deluged with nazi bots and weirdos.
And that's just the owner...
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Seeing some scarves on ebay from yesterday for £41 and some scumny fans taking others with people posting on facebook. Pretty shit of those small minority of people
I think it's perfectly acceptable if they're selling their own scarves that were in their own seats. Personally I imagine the memento will be worth way more than £41 to me in a few years time, but I think it's up to the individuals what they do with their own free gifts. Obviously taking scarves from other people's seats and selling them on is way less ethical.
If i was a betting man its ones they nabbed from other fans and trying to make a profit.
Seeing some scarves on ebay from yesterday for £41 and some scumny fans taking others with people posting on facebook. Pretty shit of those small minority of people
Pretty shitty behaviour. Would really expect Villa fans to be better than that. But it's naive I guess to expect any club, even the most noble and great in the world, to be entirely scuzz free
Totally agree mate
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We were at West Ham for Melberg’s last game when he left a free shirt for every Villa fan. Ours had all been nicked by the time we got to our seats.
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We were at West Ham for Melberg’s last game when he left a free shirt for every Villa fan. Ours had all been nicked by the time we got to our seats.
We were given ours as we walked in.
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We were at West Ham for Melberg’s last game when he left a free shirt for every Villa fan. Ours had all been nicked by the time we got to our seats.
We were given ours as we walked in.
Same. Only had small left and man was it small
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The 4th official had a chat with both benches and the managers shook hands just before 90 minutes. Something similar happened vs Chelsea in the FA Cup last year too.
It's long established in knockout games that if both sides agree, added time need not be played
Stupid rule, IMO. Just treat it the same as any other competitive match. It's not a friendly. Asensio should have had the chance to score a hat-trick and Brugge should have had the chance to score a consolation and give their fans something to cheer.
Wasn’t Sterling booked and therefore banned in the 94th minute last night when the tie was 9-3?
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Yes my Melberg was given to me on the way in to Upton Park
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None of the match day staff were offered one :(
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Stupid rule, IMO. Just treat it the same as any other competitive match. It's not a friendly. Asensio should have had the chance to score a hat-trick and Brugge should have had the chance to score a consolation and give their fans something to cheer.
Wasn’t Sterling booked and therefore banned in the 94th minute last night when the tie was 9-3?
Yep. I expect as it was 2-2 PSV had a chance to at least win the match for coefficient and some small consolation so wanted to carry on even though it was 9-3 on aggregate. Maybe Arse wanted to for the same reasons as well.
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To see the whole stadium scarf twirling was fucking epic. We’ve never been a massive bunch of scarf wearers so it’s never something that’s been at thing at Villa, so to see it last night for probably the first time in my 35 years down at VP was just magnificent.
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Was pretty impressed with their Captain, I don't think I saw him give the ball away
I said the same to June on the way home, he was good in all 3 games, although to my knowledge I don’t think he’s played outside Belgium. Anyone who’s consistently good tends to move abroad so perhaps that tells us something.
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I was expecting a lot more nerve wracking game but it panned out perfectly. They were pretty impressive down to 10 men in the first half but never really threatened with 11 players and we kept them at arms length.
Our subs bench and options are top draw now and it promises to be an intriguing, exciting end to the season.
Had a nice chat to a chap next to me in the Holte who travels up most games from Southampton, he did mention The Lions group from that area who have a few members on here. Hats off to all those who travel all over to follow the boys in claret and blue, who knows, we might even conquer Europe again!
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I'll confess I was very surprised he blew up on exactly 90 minutes. They did the same thing when we were 4-0 up against Ajax last season. I guess there's some form of UEFA rule that they don't need to bother with stoppage time in a second leg if one team is winning by a certain margin. Would they do the same thing if Real Madrid were 4-0 down at home against 10 men and there was supposed to be 8 minutes of added on time?
It’s done by consent.
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Was pretty impressed with their Captain, I don't think I saw him give the ball away
I said the same to June on the way home, he was good in all 3 games, although to my knowledge I don’t think he’s played outside Belgium. Anyone who’s consistently good tends to move abroad so perhaps that tells us something.
Is your name Terry by any chance?
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I was expecting a lot more nerve wracking game but it panned out perfectly. They were pretty impressive down to 10 men in the first half but never really threatened with 11 players and we kept them at arms length.
Our subs bench and options are top draw now and it promises to be an intriguing, exciting end to the season.
Had a nice chat to a chap next to me in the Holte who travels up most games from Southampton, he did mention The Lions group from that area who have a few members on here. Hats off to all those who travel all over to follow the boys in claret and blue, who knows, we might even conquer Europe again!
They were neat and tidy but played almost entirely in front of us and created a total of 4 shots and only 1 on target (which was comfortable for Emi). Burning up a lot of energy for so little reward is a big part of why we ran through them for 20minutes after half time before both sides pretty much agreed to see the game out. The sending off had an impact but not as much as it might seem, I think we were holding them at arms length pretty easily.
The only small concern was that de cuyper was getting a little bit more space than you'd expect, probably because Rogers doesn't quite have the positioning of a right mid down, I think I'd have switched him and McGinn if they hadn't got the red.
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Was pretty impressed with their Captain, I don't think I saw him give the ball away
I said the same to June on the way home, he was good in all 3 games, although to my knowledge I don’t think he’s played outside Belgium. Anyone who’s consistently good tends to move abroad so perhaps that tells us something.
Is your name Terry by any chance?
Ha, it isn’t but I’ve got the theme tune in my head now!!
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Was pretty impressed with their Captain, I don't think I saw him give the ball away
I said the same to June on the way home, he was good in all 3 games, although to my knowledge I don’t think he’s played outside Belgium. Anyone who’s consistently good tends to move abroad so perhaps that tells us something.
He rejected West Ham in 2022 though. Bruges fans think he's better than Youri 🤭
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I'll confess I was very surprised he blew up on exactly 90 minutes. They did the same thing when we were 4-0 up against Ajax last season. I guess there's some form of UEFA rule that they don't need to bother with stoppage time in a second leg if one team is winning by a certain margin. Would they do the same thing if Real Madrid were 4-0 down at home against 10 men and there was supposed to be 8 minutes of added on time?
It’s done by consent.
Something which Keith Hackett AND The Sun can't get their head around. Apparently we shouldn't have been able to do it if Arsenal didn't and Arteta should lodge a complaint with UEFA because Sterling decided to stupidly get himself booked in the 93rd minute.
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To see the whole stadium scarf twirling was fucking epic. We’ve never been a massive bunch of scarf wearers so it’s never something that’s been at thing at Villa, so to see it last night for probably the first time in my 35 years down at VP was just magnificent.
We used to do it in the Holte around 1978 to the tune of the runaway train went over the hill. No lyrics though just a do do do do do do do do etc. One memorable game was a 3-1 win over Leeds when Andy Gray was busting a gut to prove he was fit to return from injury in time for the World Cup. Ally MacLeod knew better and took a rare old pasting out there, but that night Andy Gray was like a man possessed.
On a complete tangent, re 1978 I was on holiday in Argentina 20 years ago and went to Mendoza, so took a hike out to the ground where Archie Gemmill scored that famous goal against Holland. The stadium was in disrepair so sneaking in was easy, and it was hard to believe it was one of only 6 grounds used for a World Cup.
Different tangent, I also went to a Boca game.
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Superb. Loved Mings ,but my man of the match was Maatsen. Top drawer.
Yep, Maatsen was brilliant tonight and his confidence shot up as the game went on. My mom too.
Yep, she didn't put a foot wrong.
Top man Paddy!
Only catching up now as I didn’t get in till 1:30 last night
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To see the whole stadium scarf twirling was fucking epic. We’ve never been a massive bunch of scarf wearers so it’s never something that’s been at thing at Villa, so to see it last night for probably the first time in my 35 years down at VP was just magnificent.
I have fond memories of the game against Peru
We were all in the , Red Lion ? diagonally across from the Hole In the Wall
As Villa fans we could not believe Our Andy was not in the Scotland team.
We were fans of anyone playing Scotland.
Conga up and down the road as Peru won.
We used to do it in the Holte around 1978 to the tune of the runaway train went over the hill. No lyrics though just a do do do do do do do do etc. One memorable game was a 3-1 win over Leeds when Andy Gray was busting a gut to prove he was fit to return from injury in time for the World Cup. Ally MacLeod knew better and took a rare old pasting out there, but that night Andy Gray was like a man possessed.
On a complete tangent, re 1978 I was on holiday in Argentina 20 years ago and went to Mendoza, so took a hike out to the ground where Archie Gemmill scored that famous goal against Holland. The stadium was in disrepair so sneaking in was easy, and it was hard to believe it was one of only 6 grounds used for a World Cup.
Different tangent, I also went to a Boca game.
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We were at West Ham for Melberg’s last game when he left a free shirt for every Villa fan. Ours had all been nicked by the time we got to our seats.
We were given ours as we walked in.
Same. Only had small left and man was it small
Not helped by the fact that you were probably carrying some puppy fat back then?
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thought i'd pop in and say congrats
good luck in the quarters
Thanks! And to you for the rest of the season. :)
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We were at West Ham for Melberg’s last game when he left a free shirt for every Villa fan. Ours had all been nicked by the time we got to our seats.
We were given ours as we walked in.
Same. Only had small left and man was it small
Not helped by the fact that you were probably carrying some puppy fat back then?
About the same size as I am now I reckon.
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The second leg is just before the newcastle game. Two tough games in a week. Hopefully the squad stays injury free as we will need to use the whole squad to help us during that period
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Based on what we normally do after a Champions League game and how we usually perform against Newcastle, I can't say I'd be hugely confident about that one.
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Indeed - hopefully there’s some simmering resentment around Tindall’s behaviour that lights a fire under us.
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We need to use the squad across those two games - when everyone is fit we've probably got two very good starting 11s - (with maybe one Argentinian exception).
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thought i'd pop in and say congrats
good luck in the quarters
Thanks! And to you for the rest of the season. :)
Fingers crossed for Cardiff to stay up from me too: you've got to beat our nearest and dearest from Small Heath next season! ;)
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Good luck Dina’s.
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Based on what we normally do after a Champions League game and how we usually perform against Newcastle, I can't say I'd be hugely confident about that one.
I would agree with you on that one unfortunately
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What was with all the empty seats lower Witton next to the away fans?
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thought i'd pop in and say congrats
good luck in the quarters
Thanks! And to you for the rest of the season. :)
Fingers crossed for Cardiff to stay up from me too: you've got to beat our nearest and dearest from Small Heath next season! ;)
Diolch, Dinas!
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What was with all the empty seats lower Witton next to the away fans?
I think they are the GA+++ seats
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There's always a patch that don't fill up quickly after half-time because they're hospitality types. They usually fill up eventually, though. Is there any UEFA rule that there needs to be some seats left empty? I vaguely remember it happening earlier in the season, too.
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According to the "official attendance" there were only 200 tickets left - hmmmmm
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What was with all the empty seats lower Witton next to the away fans?
I think they are the GA+++ seats
They’re for the family and friends of the Bruges players. The opposition U-19’s usually sit there as well, if our youngsters have played them in the afternoon, although that wasn’t the case v Bruges.
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What was with all the empty seats lower Witton next to the away fans?
I think they are the GA+++ seats
They’re for the family and friends of the Bruges players. The opposition U-19’s usually sit there as well, if our youngsters have played them in the afternoon, although that wasn’t the case v Bruges.
Yep, it's part of the away end and hasn't been filled for a few of the European games over the past couple of seasons.
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What was with all the empty seats lower Witton next to the away fans?
I think they are the GA+++ seats
They’re for the family and friends of the Bruges players. The opposition U-19’s usually sit there as well, if our youngsters have played them in the afternoon, although that wasn’t the case v Bruges.
Yep, it's part of the away end and hasn't been filled for a few of the European games over the past couple of seasons.
From what I've read on here that section has to be allocated to the away clubs friends and families under UEFA rules. But why arw there so many empty seats in there? I don't recall anything similar happening at other English clubs in this competition.