My usual viewing source went down, plain and simple.
Which meant my frantically trying to sort it out just meant I missed the whole of the first half. I never got the second either and had to look elsewhere. Fortunately I did get the second 45.
Sometimes it just pays to go with Now TV, I suppose.
But from what I did see, we looked really good.
Brighton, as expected also looked very threatening, but we defended resolutely. I constantly got the feeling that we’d have collapsed lots of times under Gerrard (I still struggle to realise how bad a manager he was for us), yet while my proverbial was twitching like mad, the lads seemed as though they were comfortable and had it all under control.
The midfield won this for us, I reckon. McGinn put in his usual outstanding shift of late, but it was Ramsey who caught my eye this time. He really is looking like the real deal.
I know I’ve been slow to appreciate him, which is quite unlike me, but I’m now seeing it.
His marauding runs are truly frightening to any opposition and he just seems to be getting better. He’ll surely be tearing European defences a new arsehole, I reckon.
So it was a bit scary, because Brighton offer plenty, but we overcame.
I know quite a few will think us achieving the Conference will be a bad thing.
And I get it. Thursday games take it out of a side.
But it’s what Unai does.
I’m convinced that while it might indeed detract from our season next year, it’ll be used to further the players’ experience and the real long game is more likely the season after.
Emery did a good job at Arsenal, yet was ridiculed for making a pronunciation mistake.
We won’t make that same mistake in getting rid of him .
Even though I was incredibly nervous watching things, I couldn’t fail to be impressed with some of our play. I’ve hated the way we play out of the back, but we actually now look accomplished in doing it.
So much so, that more often than not, I expect us to create a chance from it.
It’s all about belief, isn’t it?
The players obviously believe and I do too.
I’m obviously not alone, as the crowd was outstanding today.
My mouth is watering at the thought of Emery having a window to kick some out, get some in and do what he loves.
Playing in Europe.
What a difference from how it was under the clown.
Oh and I predicted correctly again. There’s something wrong there.
UTV! and roll on next season!
Yep, for a kid who’d hardly ever played a first team game.
Just for clarity, that’s £5 mill a year, on a six year contract.
He’ll have earned £30 mill by the age of 24.
And we wonder/debate why he left?
You’d have to be crazy to not go for a deal like that, imo.
And totally off your tits to pay it (imo).
– Which is why Chelsea are in trouble.
They’ve thrown cash around like confetti, hoping that some of it sticks; then gone in for some ‘creative accounting’ to try and get around the spending rules – and ended up with a load of players that they’re going to have to sell before they can spend more.
Don’t forget the interest, Badger. And the compound interest…
You only get one short career, though, and one wrong move can derail it permanently. Waste.
That’s the thing isn’t it BFR?
He could have stayed with us on, say 30k, and then suffered a career ending injury. That £30 mill is locked in and guaranteed.
His advisors must have been begging him to take it.
It’s easy for us fans to say that he should have stayed and gone on to god-like status etc (Grealish), but when you’re offered security for life, at such a young age, it must be very tempting.
I was very much an idealist when I was younger, but would I have turned that sort of deal down?
I honestly doubt it.
No one in their right mind would but it’s the fact it was on the the table in the first place (based totally on potential) is sheer madness imo.
I appreciate that, Badger. But at his age and with his talent/potential should he be looking to play football or get security for life. Doesn’t 30 large a week give security for life anymore? And that’s starting. If he progressed like JJ, it goes up and up, and then the big move might come, assuming Villa’s not big enough for him and he’s earned the right to go higher.
Chelsea’s offer was a complete anomaly and not standard in football: a snapshot for their new owner’s incompetence. Two wrong’s don’t make a right, and Chuky taking it doesn’t make it right, or even the right decision. It’s only right for him financially, in which case we’re saying that young talented footballers are only in it for the cash. If that’s the case, then there’s no hope! Play for the love of the game! And if you’re good and you graft, the financial rewards will come!
See that Ashley Young’s contract isn’t being renewed. Sad in some ways, but it suggests that there’s going to be some big spending coming-up; starting with a right-back to challenge/replace Matty Cash….
Good luck to Young, wherever he goes next.
Also shows there’s no room for sentimentality in Villa’s forward planning which, if they want to progress further, is the only way to go.
He did a great job for us over the past two years but, at 38, maybe another season may well have proved one too many. Better for him to leave on a high as a VP legend than fade into the background.
Like you Ardent, I wish him only the best in whatever he decides to do next.
After his performances this season, I would have kept him for another year, personally, especially with the increased fixture list. He would’ve been ideal against lesser PL teams when injuries and suspensions start to kick-in. Fantastic professional and example to all. A big loss to the dressing room and on the pitch. Despite his age, the quality he brought will take some replacing. Thank you, Ashley Young and all the best.
Just watching the Europa final.
What an absolute disgrace to the game both Sevilla and Roma are.
Cheating bastards, the lot of them and I hope they both lose (!)
Badger been in the pub for a quiz and only glancing at the screen but every time I looked up someone was rolling on the ground, holding heads, kicking someone, diving in the penalty area (not as expertly as Kane) or shouting at the referee – it looked like a rubbish game.
There have been at least 13 yellows!
On a more positive note a really class tweet from Prince William following the announcement of Youngs departure.
He retweeted the clubs tweet with ‘Thanks for the memories Ash. W’
I think that probably sums up the feelings of the vast majority of Villans.
It seems Asensio has decided to join PSG – what happened to ‘I’m leaving RM to get more game time’
PSG are like Citeh they just collect players and I can see him doing a lot more bench polishing.
Oops that sounds a little bitter. 🙂
Move on.
UTMV
It seems that Asensio has now joined the PSG
He had look at villa but he said no its not for me
But we not bothered cause we got Saint Emery
and Villa go marching on.
Plastic club with illegitimate and unlimited financial resources or one of the great authentic names of European football on the rise? Easy decision if money’s your God. Don’t need or want ‘footballers’ like these.
Did you know they were only founded in 1970?
No history or pedigree.
Wow, I had no idea it was that recent, RSS. So as a club, they literally have the vibe of ‘no history or pedigree.’ Confirms that we don’t need the likes of Asensio at Villa Park. His loss.
More me BFR, well that is until about 15 minutes when I Googled it 😁
But somehow it’s not a shock.
Asensio, just your common or garden variety modern footballer.
RSS. Football was only invented in 1991 when the Premier League invented it. It didn’t exist before then.
Oh yea I forgot BB, like those 346 goals that Rushie scored for Liverpool when they were not much more than a sunday morning side simply don’t compare to Salah’s all time record breaking 186.
If I was offered PSG (and living in Paris) or Villa (having no connection with the club), I would choose PSG. This is going to happen a lot. Unless we offer crazy money. Then we bleat about loyalty to the club. We will make strides and then have greater clout. That’s how it works.
I’m pretty excited about things TBF.
Absolutely, DS; I hope he enjoys the mountains of garbage and dodging the professional pick-pockets out there…
Quote from Twitter:
Tyrone Mings recorded more interceptions (54) than any other Premier League defender during the 2022/23 season.
That is extremely impressive, in my view. Interceptions require reading of the game, so a proactive approach, while tackles, although impressive, are often a last ditch reactive response to danger. Well done big man – should be very proud of that stat.
Tell that to StevieG…
Random opinion: I recall mentioning Gibbs-White as a potential signing a few years back when he was waiting in the wings at Wolves after his initial break-through. Anyone else think he’d be a brilliant addition to an already very dynamic midfield? Could Forest resist a big offer? Could Gibbs-White resist the Villa? I think he’d be a great signing for us.
Eze and Olise at Palace also look very very useful going forward. Again, could Palace and the players themselves resist the Villa?
If Emery can make most of our squad look good enough for European football, then I have plenty of faith in him signing players which aren’t necessarily the big names we usually crave for. Look at Coutinho who on paper looks like our star player but hasn’t contributed hardly to our climb up the league. I think getting a good harmony amongst the squad is important and any big name Charlie’s aren’t welcome.
I think we need to adopt Brentford’s ‘No Dickheads’ policy.
Always sounds like a good move to me…
Does anyone know if season reviews are still compiled and distributed by clubs? I used to love purchasing my VHS/DVD season review every close-season. I watched them over and over and over and still have them. I even made my school pal, a Sheffield Wednesday fan, watch the 1991-92 review when he came over – the opening day 3-2 win at Hillsborough a highlight!
Anyway, hope a fellow Villan can shed some light, as I miss having a record of the season to pore over every year…
I suspect we’re going to struggle to get the players we really want to upgrade the team. This is the reality of modern football – it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to break through the stranglehold held by Europe’s ‘top clubs’ via their involvement in the Champions League and all that brings.
When Villa start looking at £50 / £60m players we’ll most often be competing with those teams and we’ve already seen that effect with Asensio.
The only way is to ‘steal’ another Kamara while they’re all asleep basking in their own hyped up glory or find another Moreno or three!
Fortunately Emery has a good track record in identifying potential talent and developing them into top quality footballers. Paul Torres at Villareal being one – we are supposed to be interested, it’s even claimed we’ve submitted an offer – no doubt a ‘PSG’ will come in just to remove him from the market place!
In summary I’m not really expecting us to acquire the sort of top European players (Ugarte as an example) that we are linked with, rather we’ll be buying some very decent players that will strengthen the existing squad.
Hitch, I was never really expecting us to go in for many players at around the £60m level.
That’s where you start getting some of the muppets who expect to pick-up £250k a week as bench-warmers (PSG, Chelsea, Citeh, etc.) and tell you that they’ll only bother coming if you’re in the Champions League. Far too many of those on all of red-top rumour pages already.
I am expecting us to find younger, hungrier players around the £40-£50m mark, who might be happy getting a chance to play any European football at all while picking-up the sort of EPL wages that they won’t find in Spain, Portugal or Italy…
Hopefully the lack of any real gossip around Villa so far in the national papers/websites means that we’re doing some serious business, discreetly – as Villa have tended to do in recent seasons.
On that note of upgrades, several sites reporting we’ve made a formal offer for Pau Torres. Good offer in my opinion – between Torres, Mings, Konsa and Carlos, that’s a pretty sweet CB group.
Skysports are also reporting Tammy Abraham has torn his ACL – so we can rule that one out. I personally wouldn’t have felt like he was an upgrade if we brought him back.
I was thinking the opposite!
Now the injury is reported as keeping him out until November or December.
Shame – I think he’s picked up some good practice playing in Italy for a couple of seasons, and I was hoping he’d come back to VP.
You could be right – I was just concerned about his purple patch this season and if this is his new norm.
Interesting discussion on Abraham. Notwithstanding I suspect the injury means no move until January at the earliest.
Of late he hasn’t been starting but early in the season, as you say Texas, he was flying. A £60m type valuation dropping to around £30m must say something.
I read that Chelsea have. £64m buy back clause – given Boehly’s record to date he’ll probably trigger it 🙂
Come On You Irons!!!!!!
West Ham did it!!! Congratulations!
Th!nk another claret and blue team from England can repeat this next year?????
Apparently, we’ll be second favourites if club rankings are anything to go by.
And if Juve get kicked out, we’ll be favourites.
Congratulations West Ham.
Now try telling anyone associated with the Irons ie officials, players and fans, that the Conference doesn’t mean anything.
Didn’t Jose win it last year??
Badger, I saw that which is based on some complicated Opta calculations including European ‘coefficients’ with Citeh the base at 100%
However, under the European Conference League rules, at the moment we’re not even seeded, and could draw Juventus in the qualifying round!
We could be seeded depending on the final outcome of a couple of leagues (don’t ask me which games – much too complicated) or if Juventus are kicked out because of their financial irregularities (doubt whether that would happen).
So the Opta ratings are somewhat meaningless.
Oh – and 20 teams join the competition at various qualifying rounds when they’re kicked out of the Europa League / Champions League during the qualifying rounds.
Apart from Juventus, there are some serious European teams already seeded at the qualifying round so we really need to be seeded to avoid them.
At the moment we’re next ‘cab off the rank’ for seeding subject, as I say, to the outcome of a number of games in various European Leagues!
The way teams who get knocked out drop to the lower competitions is sick. Just more money making…
I personally dislike West Ham as much as Man Ure and Citeh plus all the other favoured London clubs. I wouldn’t have cared less if they had lost last night. It still rankles me that they got a 65,000 stadium courtesy of the tax payers. Whilst all their fans were whinging about leaving Upton Park, it gave them a leg up over the likes of us who only have a 42,000 capacity and boosting their attraction for better players. Sawiris and Eden’s plans to expand Villa Park capacity to a similar size could take a decade or more. We hopefully are on track to become a top 6 side with Emery in charge but it’s being a Villa fan that always keeps me from getting too carried away.
I see that Hourihane has secured a coaching position with Villa – coaching U16’s a part time position whilst still playing for Derby in L1.
Nice to see a continuation of the Villa Family – it’s what stands the club apart from the rest of the EPL. Once a Villan, always a Villan.
UTMV
What an excellent servant to the club he was as a player. I’m sure that’ll continue as a coach.
Eh? I’m not seeing this Hourihane love-in at all.
I wouldn’t even say he was a good signing, let alone anyone special???
A serious lack of effort is what I remember.
Update on Europa Conference seedlings.
For Villa to become a seed in the play off round Viborg need to beat Midtjylland tonight in ‘another version’ of the European Conference League Final and – if that happens then – we also need Fenerbahce to win the Turkish Cup on Sunday night.
Easy peasy then 🙂
But knowing Villa – even the New Villa – we’ll have to do it the hard way!
Game tonight in Danish Superleague QF play offs.
If I remember correctly West Spam beat Viborg in the E. Conference play off round this season.
Hitch, I don’t know who we’re going to be facing, but my money says we’d beat 90-95% of the clubs involved.
It’s all about the draw and how we handle the extra games.
I’d suggest we have more resources than West Ham and are probably more capable of winning it.
“Viborg need to beat Midtjylland”
These are league 2 level mate.
Think positive!