I thought it was a quality goal which Martinez had no chance with.
Passive first half, giving them far too much room and time to switch the ball endlessly (and tediously) without laying a glove on them. The finishes for their goals were good, but we made it easy.Bailey not closing and Mings off on his travels. Two preventable chances. In fairness, beyond the swivel hit in the 2nd half, they didn't threaten us with anything meaningful.They're clearly a brilliant side. One of the best in Europe and the world. But they're tedious. They strangle games and bore you into making an error. They're the Mayweather of football. All that money and all that talent, obviously one of the greatest about, but fuck me, they could send a glass eye to sleep.2nd half was much better. The press, the effort and getting amongst their back four. Ollie played well and held it up and ran them excellently. Chuck did well when he came on and should have scored. Lovely move and set up by Buendia, who continues to be a puzzle. Marv looking a Premier League player and Dougie excellent too. Glad Sanson was a positive when he came on, I have genuine hopes for him.Wasn't expecting anything, but pleased with the performance. As for Grealish, I booed the ******. Lacking class? I'm Villa through and fucking through to my core. This is my club. Its why I'm not home yet at quarter to 1 on a Wednesday. Why I have a 10 hour round drive planned for the 14th. Why if we ever get relegated again, I'll be there. Why if we get into Europe again, I'll be there for the flashy trips to Prague and Hamburg and the lesser supported two years running trips to the likes of Vienna. "Because it means everything to me" and I actually mean it. Like it means everything to you too and anybody that pours and ounce of soul into this glorious thing of ours that is Aston Villa. That fucking fraud tried to fuck off to Spurs, tried to fuck off to Yanited and eventually fucked off to those dull, soulless, plastic human rights abusing ******. For his inevitable shiny baubles and his place in the pantheon of "did they play for us?" like Navas and Shaun Wright Philips. He could have been a Totti, he could have helped keep a good Villa man in a job, he could have chosen immortality, but he didn't. Because he's a lying rat, ******. He isn't one of us. Fuck knows what possessed anybody to clap a Man City player, never mind him. Villa till I die. Abso-fucking-lutely.
"Because it means everything to me" and I actually mean it. Like it means everything to you too and anybody that pours an ounce of soul into this glorious thing of ours that is Aston Villa.
Villa till I die. Abso-fucking-lutely.
Nobody said we shouldn't boo Andy Gray, or David Platt, or Dwight Yorke. This idea you should be 'classy' or in other words, subservient, is another reason why the Premier League can get bollocksed.
Personally, I wouldn’t applaud or boo his name being read off the team sheet, his warm up, him coming on, or anything he did in play - unless it was something twatty that I’d boo any opposition player for. During the game he was just someone else’s player.At the end, I got angry with him for something that didn’t actually transpire. For a moment I thought he was going to walk to the Holte with our players and I shouted ‘Don’t you dare think you can come down here with MY team!’ , but he walked the other way to the ManCity fans first, leaving our own players to receive our undiluted applause - no confusion about who the applause was for, no mixture with boos and our lads got a great ovation for their performance.So when he did come down to applaud us, on his own, I didn’t give him a rapturous reception, I sung ‘Villa til I die’ at the top of my lungs with the rest of the crowd which I thought was perfect, but yes, I clapped - it was quite half hearted, but I did - for the past & for the memories, the ones he spoilt. I honestly still don’t know how to feel but it’s mostly more sad than angry.