Apologies for the late post – any earlier and it would probably have been one long rant anyway.
I do have concerns tonight.
Is Targett available after going off injured on Wednesday? He put in an exceptional performance in defence and it showed just how well he had played when Taylor came on. In fact Targett has consistently defended well in recent games.
McGinn will be missing having picked up his 5th red card and a mandatory one match ban but Trezeguet comes back into the squad which is good news.
There have been a lot of calls for Barry to be included on the bench and if we’re not going to acquire a striker in this window, then it might not be a bad call, if only for experience. The issue I feel though is that he’s not currently training with the first team squad so it seems unlikely.
So, assuming Targett is fit, I can’t see Smith fiddling with the team too much. Trezeguet may come in for Traore or even for McGinn although I suspect Smith might keep faith with Ramsey.
Smith will be watching from the stands having picked up a one match touchline ban for telling Moss what a crap ref he is. Strange world when you get punished for telling the truth. I loved Smith’s comment – I’ve heard him (Moss) called a lot worse!
So prediction – Newcastle are on a terrible run of form but have been missing two of their key players through Long Covid although Saint-Maxim could be back and will add an attacking threat. Villa have only one one of the last 14 meetings with Newcastle and that in the same fixture last year.
Newcastle will be cautious as is Bruce’s want and look to counter attack on the break – something we seem peculiarly vulnerable to at home.
If we’re on our game and not too badly affected after Wednesday night, fitness wise, then it’s a game we should be looking to win.
Glad everyone thought it was a good game. It all just left me frustrated as I thought we missed a chance for another 7 goals.
Think the Covid has buggered most of them……most looked slow and jaded……loads of misplaced passes and lots of times someone made a run in space the player on the ball ignored them…….worried the next 3 games will catch up with them. Good to have some new blood coming in that the league know nowt about. Maybe Grealish went off as they were maybe worried he might get booked or sent off…now that would have been disastrous.
VillaAway – I think you make a fair point about the possible impact of Covid but also the lack of training over the last couple of weeks.
Were Villa ‘cruising’ in the second half – they were certainly less incisive – or were they lacking that extra bit of energy? Whichever it was, it was still more than enough to control a poorish Newcastle side who lack cohesion and confidence.
Two tricky away games next and a new midfielder to look forward to seeing.
it cant be easy to not train for 19 days or train alone if you hadnt had the virus. i thought a few players looked leggy including grealish. i also think they are nothing like 100%, playing well within themselves. if you saw the reactions of grealish and barkley as they were being subbed you could see the frustrations at being subbed. maybe they were more frustrated with being unable to play their games as normally they set very high standards. the stray passing is so unlike us. i thought against city we allowed them too much ball and sat back to pace ourselves. against magpies we had more energy but we lacked the fluency passing and moving which we are so good at when breaking fast.
don’t panic guys this will come with games its know as match fitness and they will only get stronger and fitter with matches played or minutes as each players are different. also with the mammoth amount of games squashed into 18 days, full fitness will be reached fast, hopefully nobody pulls nothing.
onto the next game saints always impress me but i reckon they are much better away than at home. also we are much better team now too. the game earlier in season 4 3 one i thought they were magnificent and the score flattered us. but like i started off saying they are different at home should be a tough game and good exciting one.
damn i be wrong lol away to burnley wed if this fixture is next it will be a hard cause they are fighting for their lives unlike newcastle. we have a few days to train and recover almost getting back to normal. also we are almost surpassed last year points total. one shy of 30 is brilliant at this point.
burnley are very different team to most others in this league, for those that remember crazy gang they are like that but not crazy fully committed gang. they will test your defence they play two up front they get the ball forward quickly. they defend strongly down the middle space left out wide for you to cross balls into their strength at centre back.
the misplace passing we suffering slightly with might be lack of training time too with the group as whole. relationships need to be reformed and we have a few days to bond
Bloody hell Nath im deprest already, we dont stand a chance then? The lads won’t let us down I feel in in my water, be a good game you bet it will. I’ll be happy just to in the premiere because it’s now clear to me were back as a fighting club,
Don’t Worry Bill, Villa will overrun Burnley in midfield. That will lead to more chances created by Villa. Two things then to frustrate us as they did in the first match.
Burnley’s defence gets to the player on he ball very quickly so our attackers will have to hit the target with the first or second touch, there will be no chances for ditherers.
Nick Pope. The Best English goal-keeper in England and possibly the best goalkeeper in England – certainly in the top 4. MOM when we last met.
i never said we will lose, i said it will be a tough game. playing burnley is hard cause they will make you play their game. our best game is when we play on the counter, but they won’t get their defence out of shape. might be hard to counter them. they will allow us space down the sides of their defence like they did against pool. but that might be a error we are pretty good out wide.
tough one too call bill, fans will see their position and say easy win, we will have to be switch on the full 90 and fitter. i think the key will not conceding against them early. cause they will get ultra defensive. that will tough to break
anyways pool v utd should be fun i hate them both so who to support ?? i hate pool less so come on the dirty scousers 1 3
Same here Nath , rooting for them dirty scousers, I wonder who the ref will root for?
so funny watching linekar wrighty and shearer how much padding are they wearing lmao
Lampard to be sacked today,
Just released from the Premier League.
At the time, by the letter of the law, the goal was legitimate, because Mings played the ball deliberately and so the offside player is deemed not to have gained an advantage.
But referees group the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, rulemakers the International Football Association Board, and European governing body Uefa have since offered clarification on how such an incident should be interpreted in the future.
“Where a player in an offside position immediately impacts on an opponent who has deliberately played the ball, the match officials should prioritise challenging an opponent for the ball, and thus the offside offence of ‘interfering with an opponent by impacting on the opponent’s ability to play the ball’ should be penalised.”
The statement from the Premier League added: “Accordingly, if a similar situation to the one involving Rodri’s impact on Mings occurred in a future match, then the impact would be penalised for offside.”
The BBC’s Head of Soccer has just given us our half term report.
Aston Villa
The most improved team in the Premier League.
Villa escaped relegation on the final day of last season but a summer of smart recruitment, plus retaining the inspirational Jack Grealish, means they have been transformed into one of the most exciting and entertaining teams in the division.
The highlight was the sensational 7-2 home win against champions Liverpool. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has been outstanding while Grealish’s class has stood out in a season that holds rich promise for the months ahead.
Phil McNulty’s pre-season prediction: 15th
Aston Villa’s current position: 8th
Half-term report card: New arrivals and smart management have sparked huge improvement. Real European prospects if progress continues.
Aston Villa have signed former France Under-21 midfield Morgan Sanson from Marseille on a four-and-a-half-year deal for an undisclosed fee. Thought to be 14 million
Villa captain Jack Grealish admitted his ‘confusion’ post-match while Dean Smith was sent off from the touchline for asking referee Jon Moss if he had received juggling balls as a Christmas present.
After consultation between the International Football Association Board and UEFA, Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) have updated their guidance to officials.
“Where a player in an offside position immediately impacts on an opponent who has deliberately played the ball, the match officials should prioritise challenging an opponent for the ball, and thus the offside offence of ‘interfering with an opponent by impacting on the opponent’s ability to play the ball’ should be penalised,” it reads
Football needs to take a long look at itself. Self serving and unable to tell it as it really is.
Every fan (even City fans) knew Rodri was offside the moment he tackled Mings except, of course, the referee(s).
Even the statement compounds the felony by stating that ‘by the letter of the law he wasn’t offside because Mings deliberately played the ball’…
Absolute boll**cks.
They conveniently forget the words in the law that says ‘if an opponent RECEIVES the ball’ (from a deliberate play of the ball) then he hasn’t gained an advantage etc.
Since when is running back from an offside position and tackling the player in possession, ‘receiving’ the ball.
But it’s OK folks the good people running the game have now kindly clarified the ‘being played on’ law which has operated quite satisfactorily for years.
What a joke.
They should return Smiths fine with an apology; he was only telling Moss what we all thought!
Rant over.
The thing about this statement that comes to mind is that we would have most probably have got a draw if that goal was disallowed but more importantly what if man city win the league by one point, then that means the 3 points the got against us could give them title. What a farce!
But I think the reason for this statement is because they have realized that the top players and coaches are clever enough to abuse this rule by always leaving a man offside with the sole aim of doing what rodri did to gain an advantage.
What ever happened to the game we all used to know
Are we forgetting Pogba, he’s guilty in deceiving the ref, all in all we have had a ruff deal and they know it..
Agreed Bill
You cannot make it up can look at this .
Under the existing interpretation, the on-field referee Jon Moss and assistant Darren Cann were correct in deciding that the goal should stand, but while this new advice does not constitute a change in the law, the goal would have been ruled out under the new guidance.
The Premier League and EFL have written to all 92 professional clubs advising of the changes, which will now apply in all domestic competitions in the future.
News has it Nakamba in line for a move . ?
Obviously you can make it up – the EPL and EFL just have. I thought the international board changed the rules but it seems they can be changed every time it rains in Manchester.
Venglos dies age 84. R.I.P. 1 change Mcginn for Nakamba.
sad news 🙁 bill i liked him even thou he had a tough season with us
so the offside goal shitty scored is now not allowed. not only did we form this bloody league but we are still helping to reinforce the rules. everybody knew that was oddside except the professional wannabes refs and var. its all ok nobody got hurt in this fook up match, except villa would have more and likely won or drawn that match. smith has a 8k fine for telling the truth to the ref to his face that only came about cause the goal stood.
how dare burnley manager bring up the past and throw it in our faces. he doesn;t know anything about villa. last season one decision went for us, how many decisions went against us ?? well i haven’t the time to count them. but off the top of my head i remember the lansbury goal the hand ball against arsenal. i know every time we play, we are up against the officials, so burnley boss is full of shit, trying to get in our heads. he wants to worry about his own battle and stop whining.
that said its gonna be tough, but trick to beating them is to move the ball quickly, stretching the game using the width. they will try to stay compact and defend deep and getting in behind will be hard,
0 2 watkins on fire.
p/s that ben mee is a fouling tw at he needs to be watched and put on a yellow fast, he is a old fashioned centre half, who will let you know your in a game soon as he can. hopefully we can get some protection for once.
Its an absolute treat to watch any team playing this attacking football but the fact that its VILLA is glorious. More please
1 nil to villa very good performance so far, burnley hanging on towards h/t. we are cutting right through them, brilliant lay offs lightening counters, if it wasnt for pope it would be died and buried by now. need the second and this game is over.
Another goal and its 5th place. No problem tempting faith either. Our confidence is screaming.
We are pretty awesome tonight. Really confident, great movement. It’s a long way from winning and Burnley will not roll over but we clearly are developing into a very good side. Good signings, great style of play (I would love us even if I was a neutral).
We seem to have owners who are not only wealthy but have a clear plan, have made good additions to the management structure (Lange in particular), and invest in the team and infrastructure.
Sanson here now. What a time to be a Villa fan.