I didn’t expect to be home to watch this one, but here we are. I finished early and it’s happy days.
It just so happens the chap I’m now working for is a Newcastle fan and he was a season ticket holder until last season, where the travel had made following them prohibitive. So there’s going to be some banter at work tomorrow, whatever happens. Let’s hope I’m the one who’s dishing it out.
Hopefully the headline is pretty obvious, but what I mean is if our attacking dominates the game, we should win this.
But if it becomes all about our defence, I really don’t hold out much hope for us.
Which is daft really because we ought to be clear favourites.
I’ve seen comments where some fans really don’t expect us to win this one and I’m perplexed.
Are we suddenly saying Newcastle are a good side on the back of a couple of wins or is it because our defence looks more leaky than a really leaky thing?
If it’s the latter, I have to agree.
I don’t trust our defence at all lately and am now finding it difficult to hide my dislike of Tyrone Mings who was at fault for at least two of the goals against Leeds.
To be fair, Konsa was also poor and maybe it’s the perfect time for Hause to come back into the side. Ideally for me, it would have been Mings who was dropped, but Konsa’s rush of blood to the head has made the decision easy for Stevie G.
Talking of who, apparently if we lose today it would see the manager on a lower win percentage than Dean Smith, who of course has been sacked.
I’m cognisant that we’ve played the top three in that short run of games, but it got me wondering how long it would be before the honeymoon was over. Come to think of it are we still in a honeymoon? I’m not so sure we are because results haven’t been great have they?
Squad news and Coutinho should be fit after he was subbed with cramp against Leeds. Buendia is looking doubtful after taking a knock on the hip. Traore is out with a hamstring problem and is beginning to look like yet another sicknote player. And of course, Konsa is out for two games. I’ve seen suggestions that Calum Chambers might come in for him, but I think that would be incredibly harsh on Hause, who’s done very little wrong whenever he’s played.
If Hause doesn’t get to play today, you have to wonder if he’ll see any future at the Villa, but that’s for another day. Perhaps Gerrard will go the whole hog and start both Chambers and Hause? I’d be okay with that, but perhaps many wouldn’t as strangely to me at least, most still think Mings is a good defender. So probably not then.
A lot of the team still picks itself, doesn’t it?
Martinez in goal, Digne, Mings, Cash, Luiz, McGinn, Ramsey, and Coutinho with the only issues being who replaces Konsa, who replaces Buendia if he isn’t fit (Sanson?) and who plays up front?
Does Ings come in for Watkins? I suspect he might, but it wouldn’t be my choice.
I suggested that I’d like to see Ramsey up top, with Watkins and Ings out. It would leave room for another midfielder, which is frankly the area that we’ve had to rely on for goals anyway. Ramsey is our equal hihest scorer on 5, I think and neither Ings or Watkins are scoring. If you are going to play one of them, it has to be Watkins, purely because of his movement and well, just being involved a lot more than Ings does.
I get that Ings is the better goal taker, but you have to get on the ball a lot more than he has for us, I think.
Newcastle squad news and they’re hoping Kieran Trippier will be fit. I hope he isn’t. Paul Dummett could return after a hamstring problem and Matt Targett is of course, ineligible.
Prediction time then and after watching our defence the other night, I have to admit that I’m not very hopeful.
Eddie Howe seems to have got his team fighting and if they come out all guns blazing, they might well have too much for our defence, who look likely to concede everytime they’re threatened.
But with Coutinho really looking the part and Ramsey making some great runs and scoring well, we could quite easily dominate and win convincingly.
With that, I’m tempted to say it’ll be 1-1, but that’s boring and I’m going for a 2-1.
The trouble is, I’m not sure which way it will go.
Being a Villan, I suppose I have to say we’ll win.
2-1 then.
UTV!
So Buendia is fit. That’s good news, as I like him.
And Chambers comes in, which I think says a lot about what Gerrard thinks of Hause.
That’s incredibly harsh and it’ll be interesting to see how Chambers plays.
Martinez; Cash, Chambers, Mings, Digne; McGinn, Douglas Luiz, J.Ramsey; Coutinho, Buendia; Watkins.
SUBS: Olsen, Hause, Sanson, Ings, Chukwuemeka, Bailey, Iroegbunam, Chrisene, A.Young.
I hope we don’t see Saint Maximin running at Mings 🙁
I think Chambers for Konsa is purely down to being right footed.
I do have concerns about today with the barcodes on form and confidence is high plus St James Park!
I’m predicting 3-1 to them and I really hope I’m wrong.
Toon going for three on the spin; Villa looking for the first win at St James for 17 years – and our last win was that infamous game when two Newcastle players were sent off for fighting each other – got that right eventually 🙂
It’s now £12 for a day pass on Sky. Next time I’m going to the pub to watch it for free and spend the £12 on 4 pints…
Times that £12 by six and you could do yourself a real favour. Mail me if you’re interested.
Bit scrappy so far
Complete opposite of last game
It’s poor and Newcastle seem to have an extra man in midfield. Again.
I need to try and analyse that.
I guess Villa are trying to be tighter at the back – need to open up a little.
It’s your point in your excellent piece Badger.
We play really narrow and Newcastle have players on the touchline. That gives them a territorial advantage.
We are really, really poor and I can see us losing this already.
I’m almost tempted to turn it off, it’s that bad.
Newcastle pen.
Jesus 🙁
Chambers gets off to a good start then 🙁
Now this is a good case for VAR and it gets it right.
Just outside and it’s a free instead.
We’re really not playing well at all.
Foul was outside the box – so we’ve been let off for now
But Trippier and Shelley?
Trippier scores from the free.
0-1
I honestly think we’ve lost this already.
Agreed Badger.
We have just laid down and given in
We knew they were going to be up for it but clearly none of our players can be arsed. Typical Villa lacking battlers.
Luiz gives the ball away in midfield again
Cash and Watkins are present but few other are…I don’t understand it…
Meatball too.
Maybe we should have got Howe as manager, villa no better than been for years don’t know why,but they just can’t seem to be able to pass, Newcastle passing villa out of the game what do they do on the training pitch?
And has for the 2weeks off when Gerard said that they would use it to reset ext. Well they reset ok back to normal villa crap.
This system of fullbacks up the pitch just isn’t working for us.
And chambers don’t look good to me. House should be in and chambers instead of Luis as dmf
What the hell is wrong with the set pieces today a right shambles
I’m off