Well, that’s just typical of football, isn’t it?
We all praise Heaton as possibly the bargain signing of the season and then he gives away a penalty in the first minute.
That’s just typical Villa and I certainly won’t hold it against him, as he also made a couple of very decent saves, which I’m sure he’ll continue to do this season.
Things were then compounded by Luiz leaving a ball to run, that just gave it to them, to cost us another goal.
I won’t hold that against him either, as he attoned with a lovely strike later on to pull one back for us.
So what happened?
Well, I thought we looked nervy from the start and appeared to be a side very much getting to know each other.
The good here is that I think we got better as the game went on, even though I couldn’t see us getting anything out of the game after going two goals down so early.
What was bad?
We gave the ball away, far too often and far too cheaply, is the simple answer.
We really need to sort this once and for all, as it’s been an ongoing problem for a long time.
You can argue that that’s what you get if you try and play a fast paced game, but the fact is the better sides manage to pass more accurately.
Apart from that, I can’t think of a player who I would particularly want to moan at.
Even Taylor, who I often picked out as a liability a good while back did a reasonable job.
More importantly, what was good?
Well, we improved as the game went on, I thought, but to be honest, Bournemouth didn’t need to work so hard, so perhaps they just made us look better? Discuss.
McGinn did his usual stuff and even though he was on the losing side, continues to look like a £50 mill player. There was one particularly nice strike from long range that their keeper did well to tip over.
Trezeguet impressed me and I think he definitely has the makings. He works well and cuts inside, offering us various options.
Despite his early clanger, Luiz also looks decent to me. He seems to read the game well and has an eye for a pass. I could easily see him bossing games at Championship level as it is and think he has the abilty to step up in the Premier league.
And Wesley looks to have the makings of a decent attacker.
He demonstrated the required physicality today and set up Trezuguet for a chance.
Note I said attacker as opposed to striker though.
My feeling is that he holds the ball up well and will contribute, but will not prove prolific.
I think he needs a poacher to play off him, which is where I’ll bet Smith is kicking himself for not getting one in, for whatever reason.
So there are things to be encouraged about, but the fact is it’s all about results and we didn’t get one against a team that we think will be in a similar place in the league, at home.
I’ve already said that I don’t have massive expectations this season and I’ll be looking more at the lower end of the league.
Where it’s interesting to note that Norwich beat Newcastle 3-1.
Kevin MacDonald has been sacked for bullying;
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/08/20/aston-villa-sack-head-football-development-kevin-macdonald-investigation/
So it seems he was a bully after all, his two under studies wasn’t the only one at the time they got sacked. I can see court case coming up.
Was it proper bullying or just old fashioned cajouling, though?
Gareth Farelly did make the grade, after all.
I’d never condone proper bullying at all, but it’s hard to comment, given that there’s hardly any facts/information come out.
My point is, I’ll bet we can all remember bullies and it was just the way it was back then.
I have to be careful what I say here, but times have changed now.
I suspect what I would have classed as a “proper bollocking” would now be classed as bulllying.
Clearly we don’t have enough information to form a judgement so I’ll just make a general comment.
I’m concerned we may be applying current behavioural expectations to historical events which, if true, is to my mind a dangerous way forward. The reality is that the accepted norms of behaviour have changed radically and it seems to me that in considering historical cases it must be done so by reference to what was or was not acceptable at the time of the alleged offence.
By present standards, I suspect most of my age would be considered to have behaved pretty badly when we were younger but that doesn’t mean we committed any offence at that time.
Yes, you put it much better than me, Hitch.
Here’s what I think is the telling line;
“Aston Villa wishes to apologise to all former players who were affected by behaviour which would not be tolerated by the club today”
In other words, it was tolerated then, because it was accepted as normal practice.
It just strikes me as maybe a belated retrospective punishment.
Not that I’m defending him and if he was way over the top, he deserves everything he’s got.
But I’d bet Fergie’s famous “hairdryer” treatment would be classed as bullying now.
I really don’t get it, are people saying that in this present time anyone can go back in time and shout foul play. How about the teachers that turned my hands red with the cane, can I sue them. How about me in the army kicking beds up in the air and shouting abuse at them men. If you ask me McDonald has done something far more than shout abuse and that’s to be identified if true. It’s about time we stop the past coming back at people, if its not dealt with at the time then it’s done with. Them poor sods that’s been accused and now died to be found innocent but the family have to live with the lies been told. It’s people after money and has to be stopped.
That’s the question Bill.
Is McDonald being judged by today’s standards or was he totally out of order, even back then?
We don’t know, is the simple answer.
But no doubt it will all come out eventually.
Do I think he was literally kicking arse?
I very much doubt it, but have no doubt he got in player’s faces and called out what he saw as wrong.
I’m very tempted to say that the younger generations are just a load of fannies, who have been encouraged to complain about anything that they don’t like.
But that would be totally wrong, of course (ahem).
Different generations and different approaches, Bill.
Going back to footy, it’s why Pogba got Maureen sacked, imo.
‘Woke Politics’ is the phrase you’re looking for. Blame student and left wing politics for it.
Not really. ‘Woke’ is about the awareness of racism in the US and comes from the black community there.
When I was a kid many, many decades ago we had bullies in the playground and nasty little shits some of them were.
Don’t make excuses for MacDonald – a bully is a bully no matter when or where.
Pat – my comments were of a general nature; as I said we’re not privy to the evidence. I think,however, the phrase used by AVFC in it’s statement ‘which would not be tolerated by the club today’ is unhelpful in that it suggests that McDonald has been tried on today’s standards?
In hindsight it would have been better to have omitted those words.
Well from what I’ve read MacDonald was harsh and incredibly negative with the young players who were entrusted to him. TBH I’d have sacked him solely for that, we might have had a lot more players coming through the system if it wasn’t for his somewhat dictatorial and entirely negative attitude.
The young players lost a lot through MacDonald’s ‘approach’ to coaching but so did the club. Just getting the sack is probably going light on him IMHO.
I totally agree Pat. Our large academy run by MacDonald for many years produced very few players for the pro team. Now it must be admitted that the drop out rate of youth players who mature but are not quite good enough is very high, but that is true for all clubs’ academies. Therefore Villa’s youth pipe line can be judged only relative to other large clubs. My impression is it was relatively unsuccessful. Perhaps we are now hearing why.
I think that now we are a lot more aware of mental health issues and to encourage and motivate by praise is much more beneficial than the ‘old days’ when a bollocking and name calling were considered the way you sort the men from the boys.
With regards to McDonald, I’m sure that it must be serious if after such long service he has been dismissed.
I don’t like bullying and belittling of any sort. Those who cause upset, do so to make themselves feel superior and to try to appeal to their own insecurities.
But that’s exactly the point Holte. Today’s society is much more ‘touchy feely’.
As a lad I was told – ‘man up and stop being a girl’. Nowadays that’s criticised for all the reasons you give but it was the norm. As was attitudes towards sexual behaviour (I’m not including clear criminal activities such as rape etc. which don’t change with time), racism and the like.
By modern standards of behaviour they are indefensible but that’s the way it was – we’ve changed as a society – but imho that doesn’t make it right to retrospectively judge people’s behaviour by modern standards.
We risk opening an uncontrollable Pandora’s Box here.
Hitch “as a lad I was told – ‘man up and stop being a girl’. Nowadays that’s criticised for all the reasons you give but it was the norm.”
The norm was wrong then and it’s wrong now.