Hardly anything has been able to distract me away from the Villa in my lifetime. The last series of events able do it was the birth of my kids, decades ago.
Purchasing a gaff in Spain has distracted me too. It’s the whole process of buying the property and doing tons of research as in what to expect in being over there and everything else around it. It’s a nightmare, with utilities and all manner of bills and taxes to sort out. And is exactly the reason why the thought of moving at all has never appealed to me.
It’s caused me to take a total back seat from thinking about the Villa and is why I’ve hardly been on the site or written anything. Apologies for that and you seem to have been doing a pretty good job of that yourselves.
There’s also another reason I haven’t written and frankly it’s because I have practically nothing positive to say.
I’m very much known as a straight talker and rate myself as very much the pragmatist, hence I want to look at something quite depressing. Our current form.
To make it simple, here’s our form over the last 12, 10, 8, 6 and 4 games;
8th. 5th. 13th. 17th and finally 19th. Anybody else seeing a pattern here? At a time when we’re thinking we’ll turn it around and it’ll come good, we’re actually getting worse. And we’re already in relegation form.
Things look pretty grim to me and I expect this to continue, at least tomorrow anyway.
So Chelsea away and they’re on a roll.
Squad news then and Jacob Ramsey is definitely out and Amadou Onana will be assessed before the game, having missed out for the last two. Kamara will probably start after doing so on Wednesday and I’d expect Barkley might too, having done pretty well in the last few weeks.
As for Chelsea, they apparently rotated quite bit for their European game on Thursday and will revert to a full strength side for tomorrow.
Which doesn’t bode well for us.
We actually have a fairly good record against Chelsea over the last few seasons, but I don’t see us getting anything tomorrow. Unai doesn’t seem open to changing from his current very high line defending stance and I just can’t see how we’re not going to get caught out, with their attackers repeatedly getting in behind us. Quite simply we’ve been found out and we all know it.
So we’re in trouble and Chelsea are looking very likely for a Champion’s league spot. What can go wrong?
Everything, I suspect and my thoroughly depressing position is we’ll be soundly beaten.
I’m going for 1-3. But I seriously hope I’m wrong.
UTV!
We’ve had a bad run. If we had been found out why did we have such a decent start to this season? It’s not like teams have had to react to a new style. Players out of form, chances missed and some sloppy defending from a defence that has been shuffled a bit this season through injuries and managing important games.
We will recover our form but to expect Emery to abandon his football philosophy after a half dozen games? I’ll trust Emery over armchair fans like me.
Have a bit of faith for christs sake
“Players out of form, chances missed and some sloppy defending” That’s surely a recipe for bad results.
You mention injuries like they are exclusive to Villa but all clubs have injuries. Palace had a number of their best players out. Juventus only had 14 outfield players available!
I will keep faith with Emery to turn it around but it’s a results business. The younger generation have grown up with managers being replaced regularly with patience not a feature of modern football. It doesn’t take too many poor results at VP for the atmosphere to turn toxic. Time is a luxury few can afford! I think NWSE aren’t the type to press the panic button but can they provide the funding next month which Emery desperately needs to bring in the players that suit his system? A RB is crucial plus a RW and a number 10. It looks like Philogene signing was a mistake to challenge the out of form Bailey. Emery clearly doesn’t rate Buendia and doesn’t trust Ned yet. Onana doesn’t look like he can play a couple of games without picking up an injury. Can Ramsey ever get back to his old self? A lot of questions which only time will tell us what happens.
And? Nothing I said isn’t valid. Should City sack Pep? I made no comment on other teams injuries. I can probably list other teams with poor form who have injuries. What does that prove? If things turn toxic at VP what’s your plan to magic in a saviour manager that produces a different result under the same constraints? It’s ok. You don’t have one.
Get down VP and support the team. Or do you watch on TV and criticise?
If the team gives up as fast as some of us on here we are fucked.
I’m in a bad mood not Villa related so rant over.
Ah, the toxic Villa Park. How we’ve missed it. :(((
How about suing the FA for Ramsey’s injury? They could argue that he (eventually) recovered from that one. But he’s gone from an 80 million player to deadwood since the summer of 2003. Under Smith, Gerrard and Unai’s first season, he was looking something very special. The current, prolonged state of affairs is saddening. In hindsight, the club should have flogged him to Spurs in the summer. Another roll of the dice that hasn’t paid off.
DS, you might think we played well early in the season.
Some of us thought we definitely didn’t and I’m pretty sure I said a few times that we were taking points even though we were playing poorly.
Our poor performances are not just a recent thing, imo and it’s more than just poor form.
Fair enough. I thought we played really well against Bournemouth and conceding at the death seemed to take something out of the team. End of last season we were out on our feet.
A couple of wins and we will be in better shape.
Incidentally, I spent the weekend in Leipzig (nice city). RB were doing well at the start of the season (still 4th). They lost 5-1 at home to mid table Wolfsburg making it 5 defeats and one draw in the last 6 games. Maybe we will get something there next week.
I doubt it, DS…
Just read Martinez being accessed for tomorrow’s game although a fractured bone in his finger doesn’t sound too good for a goalkeeper. Have we ever won a game with Olsen starting?
Onana is out again and Ramsey 2-3 weeks away till his next injury.
Olsen looks like a good shot stopper but is a rabbit in the headlights with the ball at his feet. Not what Emery would like as a backup but it’s where we are .
Brentford is a tricky match despite their away record. We need a break.
If Olsen plays, it’s the perfect excuse to change the style. Defend deeper. Do not play out from the back. Win the ball in midfield and attack from there!
“aspirations to qualify for Europe.”
Eh? Seriously?
I’m thinking more like “aspirations for survival”.
People saying we won’t go down need to look at the reality, imo.
We are bloody awful and do not look like winning against any team that tries.
And yes, Emery doesn’t give a toss about the FA cup.
He only has eyes for one thing, imo and it’s a mistake.
West Ham had 31 attempts at goal last night. 31! and 10 on target. But lost 3-1. Make of that what you will!
Watched the game as my son in law and his dad are Leicester fans. They were lucky and the dad described it that they were battered.
That win under a new manager might give them the kickstart they need. We could do with something similar.
Impressive stats from the Hammers. You rarely see attempts in the 30+ category.
In my opinion, although we tailed off at the end of the last campaign, there reason for our struggles is the absence of Luiz and Diaby.
Luiz: 9 PL goals, 5 assists
Diaby: 6 goals, 8 assists
That’s just the basic stats. The control Luiz gave the midfield and the ability of Diaby to really stretch the opposition are also sorely missed. Meanwhile, Bidace and Onana. Enough said. PSR has screwed us so hard,… (insert own vulgar metaphor).
We will get hammered tonight if Unai plays the same way. Take the wingers out and pack the midfield: McGinn, Ross, Youri, and Kamara should all play, in my opinion. Rogers and Bailey offer nothing in the current climate. As for Bidace and Ramsey…
Game on Amazon Prime tonight, lads.
Just noticed Louie Barry has 14 goals 1 assist in 18 games for Stockport. He’s pretty rapid and a calm finisher. I would like to see him back at the club and given some game time. He’s 21 years old now so we need to promote him or let him go.
He is already coming back from Stockport with the intention that he will go back on loan to a Championship side. We should give hime a run out first but I expect that will be deemed against the rules
Duran will spit his dummy if Unai gave him a game. When was the last time he scored?
Mings in tonight. No comment.
Martinez starts and Mings in for Torres. I like Digne but when will the expensive Maatsen ever start a game? Should have kept Moreno and signed a RB.
Canadian Pete says that Rogers should be dropped but he starts again tonight. I agree that he needs a rest and time out of the spotlight because the hype has caught him out.
I’ve predicted a 1-3 defeat on the Super 6 but not confident we will score. I hope Emi’s fractured finger doesn’t make him fearful of shot stopping.
Mings is a good move. He played ok other than the pickup nonsense. Too many players at the back are rubberstamped on the team sheet. If Rogers wants to play then he should. 2-0 and why not.
We’ll be lucky to get away that lightly, imo Gerry.
Oh, hang on, you mean a win don’t you?
I hope you’re right.
Looking much improved and Chesty is so much better wide on the left.
Chesty.
Absolutely top draw.
Rogers 1-0. Nice goal!
Chesty!!!!!!!!
Get in!
Watkins pen makes it 2-0, but it was only just!
2-0. Should have been a red card. Also, keeper was well off his line if he had saved that pen it would have been retaken
Ollllliiieeeee!!!!!!
2-0.
Bailey looks much better tonight as does Rogers.
We look like the Villa of early last season tonight.
Cash!!!! 3-0!!!!!
Cash at the back stick makes it 3-0.
Wtf?
We look miles better.
That’s more like us