I’m just totally blown away.
That was the best performance I’ve seen from the Villa in years, if you consider we were playing one of the highest level teams.
The reasons seemed manifold, mostly because we out-Newcastled Newcastle in pressing them to death. It was something the Barcodes aren’t used to facing and they quite simply couldn’t deal with it.
I’ve just heard that’s the first time we’ve won 5 on the trot in a quarter of a century.
That says it all.
Ramsey hit the post in the first minute and while I thought that might sum up our game, my thoughts where we would rue missed chances that didn’t happen.
The narrative from the commentators early on was that Newcastle played poorly, but we were so good that it eventually changed to how good we really were.
I thought we’d run out of steam, but we didn’t.
The second half was slower, but Newcastle just couldn’t take advantage and it seems like their whole side was clueless in how to match up to us, let alone beat us.
How many times were our players doubling up on theirs? is the one thing I noticed.
And then, where so many of us talked about how Young would be taken advantage of, how often did that happen? Not much in the earlier two thirds of the game.
Our play was mostly on the left side and Moreno proved to be excellent, in combining with Ramsey. That was tactics.
I’m cutting it short, because I have things to do, but I could keep praising that performance all day.
I said this was a game that will show us what we’re all about.
I knew I was right to think that this was sort of a decider for us going forward.
I’m now totally convinced.
Emery has these players working as hard as they can for him.
We have the right owners.
We have a top, top manager, at last.
All the building blocks are in place.
Anyone who’s too young to remember should be considering that us older ones are seeing the late seventies being played out again.
I envy you.
Except us oldies might get to see it being played out for a second time.
UTV!
Watching the Liverpool first goal and realised that the Sky 6 clubs are allowed to use their arms / hands as long as it benefits them only.
Same here. That was a clear handball. Must be different rules for them as you say.
I thought the same, Holte. Sickening. If it was a Leeds player, you can 100% guarantee the handball would’ve been given.
I have conclusive evidence that AI is, indeed, and as suspected, a massive pile of shite – it has compiled a list of ‘the best defenders in soccer history.’ Guess who’s not on it?
Harry McGuire??
🤣🤣
Anyone that doesn’t play for the Sky 6 in the EPL era?
We’ll maybe one or two of the ‘66 squad get on the list – if they’re lucky!
Ha Ha Brilliant McGuire. . Clean them boots Minns a phone call coming .
I’ll have a guess BFR , McGrath..
Correct, Bill!
“Anyone who’s too young to remember should be considering that us older ones are seeing the late seventies being played out again.”
– with one important difference (I hope…) . Back then we didn’t have owners with enough serious money to invest in both the squad and the ground. Now it seems that the club can keep investing in both.
Who would have thought that when we finished the 1971/72 season as champions of the old 3rd division that we would win two league cups, be 1st division champions and European cup winners in the space of 10 years.
Sir Ron was our greatest manager with a special nod to Vic Crowe before him and Tony Barton after.
I do feel with our owners and Unai Emery, we finally have the right set up to achieve silverware again. It’s been an incredible run so far to get us up to 6th that maybe we need to calm ourselves down in case we have a bad spell and slip back towards mid table. We have some really tough fixtures left and Brentford away is far from easy. On a positive note is the fact we play teams around us so it’s in our own hands.
Holte, I’m glad you mentioned Tony Barton.
He gets overlooked so often when we talk about the European Cup win.
We’ve won five matches on the spin having lost Kamara, Cash, Coutinho and now Bailey to injury plus Carlos is still not fully match fit! Our injury list seems to have slipped under the radar!
That’s five quality players from a first team squad that was already thin on numbers.
So we’re having to play the same players week in, week out including a 38 year old at right back!
In modern day football and squad rotation that’s quite something and reminiscent of 1981 when Sir Ron used just 13 players all season.
We can’t afford another major injury and can Emery continue to keep them firing on all cylinders – big test Saturday at a ground where historically we have not done well.
Side note: it’s been rumoured that Carlos is injured again having fallen through a window at Moreno’s house!
Good write-up here…
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/apr/21/how-unai-emery-has-transformed-aston-villa
Makes a nice change from seeing constant back-page headlines about ManUre, Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal & Brighton !!
Thanks Ardent – excellent read
“Stuart Pearce has urged Aston Villa to sign Harry Maguire from Manchester United this summer.” For £80m was the headline on Birmingham Live.
My ribs are still aching from laughing at such crap. I think he’s doing a cracking job at Man Ure and I hope they can hang onto him.