Apologies, this is going to be a very quick post as both Badger and me are away at present.
This is really about starting a new discussion ahead of tomorrow’s game.
Bill has stated his concerns and Holte has taken the diametrically opposite stance that we can win fielding eleven mannequins!
Stats wise – do I put too much store by stats – Villa have won the last two against Newcastle at Villa Park and are unbeaten in six (2W 4D) but those two wins are the only two wins in the last 16 games and the last time we had a run of seven games unbeaten against the barcodes was in the fifties!
Saint-Maximin, Almiron and Callum Wilson plus Willock – that’s a pretty useful line up which can destroy any defence on their day – so I’m not taking anything for granted.
Watkins is missing which is a problem as he stretches defences; Traore is also out with his hamstring and would have been useful as an impact sub. In other team news Luiz might start and the BBC is saying Sanson may be involved but there doesn’t seem to be anything coming out of VP on this.
Smith in the press conference said ‘I don’t know much about Watkins knee injury’. Why not? Surely he should know about it and understand it? Sound familiar?
It will be interesting to see who starts – Young instead of Targett and Bidace in place of El Ghazi – and who is on the bench from the U23’s.
It seems clear there’s a degree of disruption at VP so us losing tomorrow wouldn’t really surprise me.
I’m seeing a bit in Ramsey today, but El Ghazi has been utter gash!
i’m seeing something in Ramsey today. El Ghazi has been useless!
Im stopping drinking , i see double post . Pen.. goal Villa 2 – 0
Looks like our setpiece coach is earning his money already.
Penalty, rightly so.
And El Ghazi scores!
2-0
VAR Penalty and El Ghazi scores.
Pity we can’t just bring him on to take penalties 🙂
Badger shush. EL GARZI
Lol, I’ve just realised, I’m probably a few mins behind 🙂
It wasn’t convincing but a wins a win. It helps when the team you’re playing are dire. If Watkins is fit for Brentford then put him in for El Ghazi. Hopefully Bailey will be fit too but unlikely if it’s his hamstring.
That’s harsh on Newcastle, but he was a bit off.
Poor by Martinez, but after the way he’s been for us, I’ll give him the benefit.
I’m liking the fact we’re giving kids minutes or loaning them out.
That’s the way to do it.
That’s a good win to get us moving.
I suspect Newcastle were poor – it seems they didn’t manage a single shot on target all game! Brucie’s going to get some stick.
Hope Ollie and Bailey are back for the next game.
I thought they were decent and looked very dangerous at times, Hitch.
Hands up, Ramsey was decent today. He needs to keep that up and then I might start to see what Smith sees in him.
I have now decided im a part time idiot when it comes to football. That’s the first time I’ve seen us get stuck in with a game, that how we beat them and now what do we do with Younge, he helped to shore that defence. I’m a happy chappy and roll on the next game .. utv
I told you ‘orrible lot not to panic! Lol! And a good win with us being well off the pace, getting used to a new system with new players and a few injuries.
Whoever said Smith should go last week should spend half an hour on the naughty step!! 😁
What about a cheeky bid for Mahrez? Offer him first team football rather than sitting on the bench.
You have to be joking?
Nope! 😁
Aw, bloody hell. I’ve just realised we play Barrow tomorrow and I’ll be in the airport about to come home at 8pm 🙁
The good news is Barrow put their tickets up for general sale and sold out in 5 hours.
I do like cup games for getting the smaller club’s fans up for it.
Otherwise, I’ve been having trouble accessing the site for a while, but I should be able to sought it when I get home. Which is good, because I have something I want to write about.
Going back to the game, it’s weird because many seem to think Newcastle were awful and we were only a bit better.
Whereas I thought Newcastle were decent and we had to be better to beat them.
I do agree that Newcastle will be in for a tough season though.
Badger your writing this on Sunday 22nd our game is on Tuesday 24th tomorrow is Monday, you’ll have to leave them Jack Daniels alone I’m afraid. .😅😆
Ah, right.
I’ve just been reading an article that says it’s tomorrow.
No worries then 🙂
At least I should be able to listen to it on WM.
I’m off to read up on who has the rights for the Carabou cup.
ESPN+ has the rights.
Good win yesterday. However: Shots: 10, shots on target: 2
Liverpool:
Shots: 27, shots on target: 9
City
Shots: 16, shots on target: 4
Leeds:
Shots: 17, shots on target: 2
Everton:
Shots: 17, shots on target: 8
At the moment, we’re in the same ‘league’ as Burnley. I’m interested to see how we’re going to play this season. Is it going to be Liverpool and City style attacking, or will it be a more conservative, happy to scrape 1-0 s?
Last season, we peaked far too early. If we can pick up points despite playing average-poor, there is lots of room for improvement, which is no bad thing! Some very, very good players to come back from injury.
Good point BFR. We don’t seem to create much at all.
I’d like to see us be a bit more adventurous, with less of this passing back rubbish.
I expect we have the attacking players (when all fit) to simply overpower certain sides now, which should make things entertaining.
I think Smith wants to be more attacking, but you have to be careful.
The pieces are nearly all there, imo. As much as I don’t rate Mings, we’re good at the back and the attack side of things speaks for itself.
It’s just that bit in the middle to get right and we have the makings of a very good side.
West Ham last night:
Shots: 19, shots on target: 7
Very impressive and second only to ‘Pool. We need to be aspiring to those kinds of numbers.
So good to be back amongst the 42,000 at Villa Park yesterday 😀
I thought Newcastle were much better against us than they have been in the last 2 seasons, and it was, therefore, a well-earned 3 points with a bit of VAR fortune on our side for a change.
Ramsey was my MOTM, he’s bulked up somewhat over the summer and proved yesterday that he’s a hard-working, intelligent footballer, capable of breaking the lines and carrying the ball forward. He was ably supported by Mings, McGinn and Young.
Ghazi continues to do my head in, so talented yet so inconsistent and half-arsed most of the time. Takes good pens though!
Let’s not forget we have Watkins, Bailey and Traore to return from injury over the next few weeks, and Buendia will get better as well when he reaches full match fitness.
Exciting times ahead hopefully…
UTV
That’s how I saw it too, Steve. Newcastle weren’t brilliant, but I didn’t think they were awful either.
And if those decisions had gone against us, I’m sure we’d be moaning like mad too.
Perfectly good decisions, but VAR is now supposed to be used to correct obvious errors.
In real time, the offside wasn’t obvious and took some serious looking at to come to a decision.
Likewise, I didn’t hear anyone screaming for a pen when the ball was handled.
It was pinging about and happened so quickly, it just seemed like an obvious ball to hand, to me.
The decision was correct in the end, because the arm was in an unnatural position, but both decisions detracted from the spirit of the game imo.
Which, while everyone ran around like headless chickens for the first half hour, was pretty decent to watch.
One last thing.
While many thought the ref was useless, I thought he was following the latest advice/directive which is to let more go.
This greatly improves the game, imo.
Now couple it with red cards for simulation and we’ll see an end to this cheating.
Oh, yes, it’s good to consider we do indeed have some talent to come back.
Very exciting and the best it’s been for a long time!
Thinking about it a bit more, the question is would I have been unhappy if both of those decisions were reversed and let’s say Newcastle scored their penalty, leaving it as a 1-1?
I would have been well annoyed, but more at the fact that we didn’t win, as opposed to the result, I think.
Oh and how El Ghazi has been rated as a 7/10 in some papers is beyond me.
Scoring a pen does not make for a good game and he was atrocious!
The fact that Smith is apparently willing to let him go, yet still played him, says a lot about how we aren’t quite as strong in reserve as we’d like to be.
Your last point is something I mentioned earlier in this discussion.
With Watkins, Traore and Bailey missing we don’t look as strong (in depth) as we perhaps thought and I suggested NSWE would have to get their cheque book out again.
On the plus side Ramsey might just be starting to look a more than decent player. Smith and the coaching staff have seen something in him that we’ve been missing.
Have a good flight home.
I do think we’re in a worst case scenario, as regards the attack side of things, to be fair Hitch.
But at the same time, I don’t think we’re top 6 levels of backup either.
Still, one step at a time and I do think we’ve improved.
A good finish this year and I’m sure we’ll push on again.
I’m kinda surprised we didn’t give more minutes to Jaden Philogene-Bidace in both games given AEG’s performances.
You’re not alone Tex.
Never mind, I’m sure he’ll get a start against Barrow.