Ollie Watkins

[PeterWithesShin]

Full interview

[caster troy]

I’ll take it in the spirit it’s intended, a long term servant of the club trying to get the fans going at an important time. But it is certainly a little tone deaf under the circumstances and I doubt Unai would approve.

[papa lazarou]

He can get fucked with those comments as far as I'm concerned as can any player or manager that has a go at fans unless it's about abuse.

I agree with LeeB

[eye digress]

Unai said the exact opposite in his post match interview.

[Baldy]

I sit on my arse a couple of thousand miles away watching the villa on tv in the comfort of my own home. Like hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of other people.

I think it's great that so many go to the trouble of the preparation, inconvenience of travel, queuing and jostling often in adverse weather conditions and always at great expense to attend the actual matches and shout for the villa.

Unai opening lines always stress the importance of supporters attending the game. It gives the players energy. Supporters who attend are the real supporters, literally the 12th man. Villa would be nothing without them.

I'm an armchair supporter and couldn't give a fuck if the real supporters choose to leave the match early for whatever reason. They went to the trouble of attending the game in the first place!!

Ollie would be wise not to comment.

[Villan82]

It's a bit of a vicious cycle. Our fans have always needed something on the pitch to get them going and leaving early before HT and FT has always been a thing. Then add in ticket price increases such as we have seen and you possibly end up losing some of the hard-core while making Ollie's remarks even less welcome given the prices.

I do hope things like the Warehouse change the match day experience - make it more of a day out that you aren't rushing for a beer at half-time or to get away at full time.

[Tony Daleys Shorts]

There's a group of lads in front of us who go down to the concourse before half time, come back up during the second half and leave early. Yesterday, they went down on 38 mins, came back up on 52 ( so they missed the Ollie and  SJM goals, plus prize where it lies, which is tremendous fun) so in total they were down there for over half hour. They did stay till the end this time though.

You could kind of understand it if the facilities, service and fodder downstairs were just too tempting to ignore.

[AV82EC]

He’s right but it’s not really his place to say it. It would be better if the club broached that at a Supporters thing and Calvo said “ right how do we stop half the Witton Lane lower, fucking off 10 mins early?”.

I’ll maintain to the day I die that the 12.30 Saturday KO is literally the worst KO of the weekend for supporter comfort and convenience and invariably has the worst atmosphere. It’s shit.

[Paul.S]

Go to most PL game’s with a 12:30 kick off and you’ll see the atmosphere is affected. Standing there for an early kick off when the temperature is in the minus just adds to it.
This is not an excuse for the media’s favourite few though as the atmosphere at those grounds is shite whatever time they kick off. Ollie needs to be careful what he says, there was no need for him to say anything, I’m sure he didn’t mean it but this could be seen as a proper dig at the support. Those fans have supported him during his difficult start to the season, he’d do well to remember that.

[Pete3206]

Wasn't bad against Arsenal though was it?

A combination of it being bastard cold and watching us trying to break down Dycheball are important factors.

[Dave]

Wasn't bad against Arsenal though was it?

A combination of it being bastard cold and watching us trying to break down Dycheball are important factors.

3rd of January after Christmas and New Year and just before everyone goes back to work / school also isn't the time people are feeling at their most up for it.

[Sexual Ealing]

To be fair to him he’s being doing his part with all the goals he’s been scoring all season.

[Ian.]

It can not be denied, he’s had a pretty poor start to the season in terms of goals and goal contributions. He’s doing much better now and long may it continue.

Looking around the other teams, there’s very much a similar pattern with strikers this season that they are all very streaky, except one stand out forward.

Haaland 18
Thiago 11
Semenyo 9
Ekitiké 8
Welbeck 8
DCL 8
Mateta 8
Ollie 7
Rogers 7
Richarlson 7
Foden 7
Woltemade 7

[Sexual Ealing]

How many of those strikers have moaned about their supporters after a win and a full house?

[Ian.]

I have no idea, I haven’t seen his interview, I wasn’t posting because of that, I was just curious and looking around the form guide and wondering who’s out there who could do a role for us. As much as I like Ollie and appreciate his career here we have become so reliable on him in that specialised role and we certainly need cover or an upgrade.