Aston Villa 3-0 Bournemouth post match pint and pork scratchings

[ROBBO]

I have little or no interest in International football so two weeks without the Villa to watch is a drag.

[paul_e]

3 Villa players in Garth Crook's 'Team of the Week' plus some praise for Unai. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65009535

Mind you he did say we’ve been steadily climbing the table. Haven’t we been eleventh for about 3 months?

Far more important was his closing remark about Jacob

It would appear Aston Villa now have a grown-up in charge and not a manager who was learning on the job.

Someone in the press has finally got the message.

The other interesting thing is the team picker thing at the bottom. the only Villa players not included were Konsa and Bailey.

[Drummond]

I have little or no interest in International football so two weeks without the Villa to watch is a drag.

Me too, though I console myself thinking we may have 9 subs again afterwards.

[Chris Smith]

I get a nagging feeling we're never going to get out of eleventh, finishing the season with a record points total for that position, and having to console ourselves with the knowledge of something along the lines of in two of the previous eighteen seasons it would have been enough for CL qualification.

It does feel like this, but I hope Brighton, Fulham and maybe even Brentford start dropping some points. The gap is closing but because we’ve been rooted for so long in 11th it doesn’t feel like it. In the other hand our form is off the radar somewhat.

Fulham and Brentford could be caught but Brighton look too strong to me. If we can get 8th or 9th that would seem a good reflection of our season given how poorly we started.

[eamonn]

Can’t have everything, but our best 90 minutes of the season so far.

Nah, Brentford.

[paul_e]

I get a nagging feeling we're never going to get out of eleventh, finishing the season with a record points total for that position, and having to console ourselves with the knowledge of something along the lines of in two of the previous eighteen seasons it would have been enough for CL qualification.

It does feel like this, but I hope Brighton, Fulham and maybe even Brentford start dropping some points. The gap is closing but because we’ve been rooted for so long in 11th it doesn’t feel like it. In the other hand our form is off the radar somewhat.

Fulham and Brentford could be caught but Brighton look too strong to me. If we can get 8th or 9th that would seem a good reflection of our season given how poorly we started.

That depends, they have a lot of games to fit in and don't have a huge amount of squad depth so I can see them getting a bit 'leggy' towards the end of April. Fulham will depend entirely on how big a ban Mitrovic gets but precedent suggest his season might be over. Brentford are similar with Toney but that's a weird one because it seems to be taking forever for the verdict to come out, it's been 3 weeks since there was any real news and I wouldn't expected an announcement whilst he's with the England squad.

I think it's a bit weird that people are ignoring Chelsea as well, they've been shit for months. They've managed 4 wins in 15 games since Emery arrived meaning we've gained 9 points on them. They have lots of very good players but I think far too many people are assuming they'll improve on the basis that it'll suddenly click and 'it's chelsea, of course they'll be in Europe'.

[LeeB]

I get a nagging feeling we're never going to get out of eleventh, finishing the season with a record points total for that position, and having to console ourselves with the knowledge of something along the lines of in two of the previous eighteen seasons it would have been enough for CL qualification.

It does feel like this, but I hope Brighton, Fulham and maybe even Brentford start dropping some points. The gap is closing but because we’ve been rooted for so long in 11th it doesn’t feel like it. In the other hand our form is off the radar somewhat.

Fulham and Brentford could be caught but Brighton look too strong to me. If we can get 8th or 9th that would seem a good reflection of our season given how poorly we started.

That depends, they have a lot of games to fit in and don't have a huge amount of squad depth so I can see them getting a bit 'leggy' towards the end of April. Fulham will depend entirely on how big a ban Mitrovic gets but precedent suggest his season might be over. Brentford are similar with Toney but that's a weird one because it seems to be taking forever for the verdict to come out, it's been 3 weeks since there was any real news and I wouldn't expected an announcement whilst he's with the England squad.

I think it's a bit weird that people are ignoring Chelsea as well, they've been shit for months. They've managed 4 wins in 15 games since Emery arrived meaning we've gained 9 points on them. They have lots of very good players but I think far too many people are assuming they'll improve on the basis that it'll suddenly click and 'it's chelsea, of course they'll be in Europe'.

They're still yet to click, but we're like a fucking orchestra of castanets at the moment. Not only are they going to have to click, but on current evidence tey're going to need almost title winning form to finish above us.

Fuck Chelsea, it's been a long time since we've gone down there expecting a result but that's where we're at.

[eamonn]

They are a hodge-podge of players at the moment, Chelsea, still. Given our away record and discipline, I think we should be confident of going to Stamford Bridge and winning 0-3.

I do like Joao Felix, though. Absolute touch of class about him.

[Drummond]

Has Emery finally found best system? - From The Guardian

Unai Emery took over from Steven Gerrard in October, and since then Villa have been better but still erratic, winning two consecutive league games just three times. The problem has not been a lack of good players – the club has plenty – but which of them to deploy, and in what formation. Perhaps, though, the right blend has finally been found, a 4-2-3-1 giving good balance between attack and defence – especially in midfield, with John McGinn and Douglas Luiz driving from deep while Leon Bailey, Emi Buendía and Jacob Ramsey dash and prompt in behind Ollie Watkins. All five were excellent against Bournemouth with Luiz, Ramsey and Buendía scoring. Emery faces a difficult decision when Boubacar Kamara is fit again – prior to his injury, McGinn was being crowbarred into the team on the right of a 4-4-2. In the meantime the current starting XI, which looks far more flexible than previous iterations, can bed in, allowing those in it the opportunity to make themselves undroppable. Daniel Harris

[Somniloquism]

3 Villa players in Garth Crook's 'Team of the Week' plus some praise for Unai. https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/65009535

Mind you he did say we’ve been steadily climbing the table. Haven’t we been eleventh for about 3 months?

Far more important was his closing remark about Jacob

It would appear Aston Villa now have a grown-up in charge and not a manager who was learning on the job.

Someone in the press has finally got the message.

thought you were going to mention this bit.

So what's changed at Villa Park since Steven Gerrard left? If you listen to Ramsey, it would appear an awful lot. The striker is playing considerably higher up the pitch in a role he likes and that plays to his strengths. His confidence is sky high and he's scoring goals.

[Villa in Denmark]

Ha, missed that completely when my jaw dropped open at the Gerrard comment.

[Brend'Watkins]

I do like Joao Felix, though. Absolute touch of class about him.

Pretty boy who has failed to live up to his billing for me. He is a good player though and I was excited by the prospect of us supposedly being after him even though we had very little chance of making it happen.

Regarding the game.  At the final whistle I never felt it was a 3-0 victory thinking the scoreline flattered us a bit.  Then, seeing the penalty claims I adjusted my thinking and thought we should have had a couple more.  Our high line did worry me at times but we coped well with them even when they broke the line.  Better sides might have made us pay. Mings was my MOM, he's immense at set pieces.

[Footy-Vill]

In my opinion, the second half was a fantastic performance, bordering on fantastic at moments.
Unai Emery hinted that it was Villa's most competent display in the style he wants since taking over.
I'm looking forward to the game against Chelsea and how the players perfom under Emery's strategy.
Up The Villa!

[eamonn]

Has Emery finally found best system? - From The Guardian

Unai Emery took over from Steven Gerrard in October, and since then Villa have been better but still erratic, winning two consecutive league games just three times.

What a weird definition of "erratic". Most clubs outside the top four would be pretty happy with winning twice in a row three times in three months let alone all the other "one in a row" wins we've had.

Isn't our top four/five position since Emery took over a little bit more of an accurate reflection on how well he has done?

[Drummond]

I do like Joao Felix, though. Absolute touch of class about him.

Pretty boy who has failed to live up to his billing for me. He is a good player though and I was excited by the prospect of us supposedly being after him even though we had very little chance of making it happen.

Regarding the game.  At the final whistle I never felt it was a 3-0 victory thinking the scoreline flattered us a bit.  Then, seeing the penalty claims I adjusted my thinking and thought we should have had a couple more.  Our high line did worry me at times but we coped well with them even when they broke the line.  Better sides might have made us pay. Mings was my MOM, he's immense at set pieces.

I know what you mean about the high-line, but my thought on that would be that Emery was well aware and figured they weren't good enough to do anything about it.