Apologies for not writing about the game. It’s just been hectic after my hols.
Many of us were wary about the Luton game and rightly so because it was just the sort of game we could have lost.
The thinking was justified in my opinion, because how many times over the decades have we faced teams that we’d be expected to demolish, only to slip up? Stevenage and Milwall immediately spring to my mind and if I thought about it more, I could probably rattle off loads. Indeed, we lost at home recently against Everton, who are rubbish, but I accept there may be specific reasons for that.
I prefer not to think about those results.
But it’s just been the Villa way for so long, hasn’t it? Just when we think we’re on the verge of getting somewhere, so some stupid result comes along and kicks you in the gut.
And it’s this constant disappointment that has now led me to minimise expectations and just not be in a position where I’m banking on results. I think I’m still half expecting something to go wrong now.
But I read a Birmingham Mail article this morning, where the headline said something about us being the real deal and it got me thinking.
It’s true isn’t it?
While the way we play means we’re always prone to being hit on the counter (and even lowly Luton created a couple of such chances) meaning we might lose the odd games, we look so frightening in attack and have proven that we can score in spades, with goals coming from anywhere.
From memory, we are the third highest points winners in this calendar year.
I heard in the commentary yesterday that we are on a record home win run since Tony Barton’s days, which is pretty much 40 years.
And we’re joint top scorers this season.
Our next six games are very interesting.
We have, on paper three easier games in Forest away, Fulham at home and then Bournemouth.
Of course, none of these should be deemed as easy, but if we can do similar to what we did against Luton, you’d expect good things.
But then, those games are interspersed by Spurs away, Man City at home and Arsenal at home.
None of those should be deemed as easy, but by the same token, none of those sides look anywhere near invincible at the moment, so you never know.
Not that I’m getting anywhere near complacent.
But it seems to me we should have a genuine idea of where we really are after those game.
We have pretty good records against a couple of those teams, but we’ve had predictably bad results against the usual suspects too.
But let’s say we win those you’d expect and maybe nick a few points off the others. Then we’re suddenly up to the 14th of December, just a couple of weeks away from the winter window with hopefully some very welcome reinforcements to come in. We should hopefully have Moreno and Ramsey back too.
The point is we could be in a very good position with a bit of a fair wind.
I’ve omitted the Conference games, which could prove to be a massive drain on the lads’ energy levels, because I’m concentrating on the Premier league.
But is the giant actually awake?
Could this be the season where we really achieve what we believe our club is long overdue?
Whisper it quietly, but I think with this manager, it just may be.
UTV!
Maybe, just maybe.
To be honest I get more jittery about the likes of Forrest than I do about Spuds or Arsenal – neither of whom I think are better than us overall man-for-man.
Partly this is just habit – like you say, we’re used to Villa struggling against teams that on paper we should beat easily – I lose track of how many afternoons I’ve spent at VP watching us trying to beat teams like Fulham (just one example because it has stuck in my mind after seeing them waste more time than any other team I can remember, on every single occasion I saw them at VP), often managing to lose by a single wretched goal.
As for ManCs – well, they might just be past their best at the moment, but I certainly wouldn’t expect even a point.
If we can actually still be only 4-5 points off the leaders by Christmas, I’ll know that we are, at long last, the Real Deal.
Yep, we need to slay that dragon Ardent.
Beat the obvious teams and gain at least something from the better ones.
Meanwhile, I’ve just read this comment from a supposed Villa insider about Emery;
“I’m told his attention to details is the greatest they’ve ever seen in a manager, he is so obsessive, players get individual one on one coaching, more than any manager I have ever seen. He is at the training ground until 9pm ever night. When the players are off the staff aren’t. The staff are in.”
His hard work certainly gets him results.
How times have changed. Just a week or two ago I was reading some comments from Gabby about why football players are prone to gambling addiction – boredom.
He said that in his playing days (so I guess we’re talking about DOL/MON/etc days) ‘training’ usually finished by 12:30 lunchtime – leaving the little rich kids with nothing to do for the rest of the day… (Probably also explains why The Legend That Is Paul McGrath was seen by friends of mine in a wine bar in Sutton Coldfield most weekday afternoons during his playing days…)
It makes me feel slightly less envious of players’ unbelievable salaries knowing that perhaps now they’re actually having to spend each day at Bodymoor actually doing something related to their jobs!
Tbf, that’s talking about Emery, not the players.
But yes, I know what you mean. Training used to start at 10am, I think. A bit of tactics in the classroom and I think it was all over by 1-2pm, depending on the manager.
But I think it’s a bit tougher these days. Probably all over by 3-4pm, even with some one on one and a bit of gym work.
Still not that long, because it’s about resting too.
Still plenty of time to waste big chunks of those 10’s of thousands a week. I wonder if players get compulsory financial advice these days?
They really ought too, imo.
In other news, Martinez is ranked 15th for the ballon d’or and is probably favourite for the Yashin award.
How times have changed indeed.
Oops, sorry, I’ve just re-read and you said 12.30.
Blimey, it was even easier than I thought!
No wonder Milner got told off by MON for going on 10k runs every day.
I know you were really talking about the coaching, rather than players, but it just made me think about Gabby’s comments.
Two or three hours ‘training’ seems ridiculous now. And it also explains something else that had puzzled me for years: how often when a player was reported in the media as being ‘unsettled’ did we see quotes from many managers along the lines of ” nonsense, I only spoke to him a week or two ago…” I always wondered what these managers actually did at the daily training sessions if they only spoke with individual players once every couple of weeks.
Glad to see that the coaching staff actually do stuff one-on-one with players today.
That article, the insider was asked to comment on the difference between Gerrard and Emery.
It infers to me that Gerrard was very hands off, leaving it to his sidekick Michael Beale, which makes sense seeing as he was apparently the brains of the outfit.
Cash, interviewed on MoM2 was asked about Emery’s briefings.
Cash said (something to the effect of) ‘yeah they’re long maybe one and a half hours – at least. But we’re loving them and learning so much which is improving our game’
I believe players want to be engaged and continually improve and I don’t think – in the main – they are afraid of hard work. In the end it all comes down to respect and one can see they have that in spades for Emery (and, I suspect for his coaching team if the way they went to celebrate with Nanny McFee after McGinn’s goal is a pointer).
Draw your own conclusions about Gerrard.
As has been said many times, great players very rarely make great coaches/managers.
Gerrard is no different to Lampard, and possibly a certain manager currently at The Sty.
I suspect that a lot of it down to having it all come naturally and possibly ‘easily’ as players, and then as coaches just expecting that all of their players will work in a similar way – know what to do without being ‘coached’ continually.
Ardent Villian ,what you posted is a fact, it takes a certain brain to understand football and work out moves to counter act in a game . The players you’ve mentioned may have been good at the game but never be top of the game . Uni is like a mathematical card player and reads the game as it’s played, we are the lucky club to have a man in the game of his talent.
I was looking at that set of 6 games yesterday too. The teams below us, I think Emery has taken the team to a point where losing them is not an option, a bit like SAF would have done years ago. The 3 teams above us, we have something to prove there. The Barcodes game was almost a comical anomaly. And we shouldn’t have let Liverpool walk all over us like that. Emery will have a different game plan this time around that won’t leave us as open to exploitation from the likes of Alexander-Arnold. No idea what it is but I’m looking forward to seeing it.
We’ll be extremely focused for the Forest game, and a bit more rested too with a full week off.
And Christmas is closing in along with the opening of the transfer window!!..and when is Ramsey due back? Any news???
According to Emery – 2-3 weeks; Moreno after the IB
Whilst Digne is playing his best football since joining the club (and staying fit) – it worries be every time he gets kicked with no natural LB back up.
Be good to get them both back
Every time Digne goes down I hold my breath too. We will need a few fresh legs soon. Those timings sound great. Obviously not taking any risks with Ramsey The Elder this time. Probably building up strength around the knock with maybe a couple of reserve games booked. Same with Moreno. Opposition players will be looking to put their injuries through a bit of ‘stress testing’ when they return…
Boy am I looking forward to the Forest game! Games can’t come around fat enough can they!!!
Ramsey the Elder – sounds like a Pharaoh straight out of the sands of Egypt 🙂
Hope he plays like a god when he gets back to full fitness.
Konsa is a prime example of training to improve – and it must be really difficult once habits are ingrained. Pre-Emery you could see he did not trust himself to hit a long ball forward accurately, so he either hit a pass out wide to Cash or squared it infield to Mings. Oppos quickly sussed him, closed down those two options and waited for him to give the ball away. Now he is quite happy hitting the ball long or sidestepping a press.
And John McGinn: pre-Emery instead of the feint and side step when he scored against Luton he would have shot at goal when the ball reached him and hit the nearest blocker.
Agreed, OLL.
It seems pretty obvious the training is miles better, as much as people raved about how innovative Beale was.
I think good players/pros know when they’re actually being taught well and it shows in the big increase in confidence.
Interesting how Beale was seen as the “Brains” behind Gerrard- his subsequent spells at QPR and Rangers seem to have blown that idea out of the water!
Isn’t it more about partnerships.
After all it’s not a new phenomenon – Brian Clough and Peter Taylor for instance – together brilliant, apart ………..
I’m sure there are other examples.
66-71 points gets top 4. We are on target for that, without assumptions or taking anything for granted. But in terms of the maths, as of right now, we are on course. Here’s to hoping…
On target eh? You’re making me more nervous now! 😉
Looking back, that defeat to Newcastle was annoying.
I very much doubt we’d get the same result if we played that again now.
Badger, (and the rest of you), it’s really interesting to go back to Canadian Pete’s podcasts since the season began and see how things have changed. I watched the Pool autopsy yesterday and it’s amazing how things have developed so quickly. What game was it when Emery was going mental and sat on the bench in a strop??? LOL! “You WILL get this right”!!!!!!
“Messi got the Ballon D’Or but the winner of the Lev Yashin trophy was Emiliano Martínez. His father Alberto handed him the award after the goalkeeper’s heroics during Argentina’s victorious World Cup campaign.”
There you go, we’ve officially got the best goalie in the world, as if we didn’t know that already.
I believe that the French crowd booed Emi when he got his award and Drogba had to step in and calm the crowd. From what little I know of Emi it’s my bet that he really enjoyed the whole thing.
Martinez is a wind-up merchant. He’ll probably have loved it!
😁😁😁😁😁😁
French – clearly didn’t like him winding up Mbappe – not that he’s Mr. Innocent.
I’ll reserve my other views as I don’t want to be banned 🙂 🙂
Views on the French, Mpappe or Emi? Mbappe is one of those select superstars who’ve painted themselves into a corner. When they want a move only 5 clubs on the planet can afford them (discounting the Saudi’s Sunday League), and if those 5 clubs aren’t interested in having their balance disrupted, where does the player go next?
On the French generally 🙂
Hitch, I went on a tour of one of the historic boats down in Plymouth 2 years ago. They absolutely roasted the French – very funny. They were demonstrating a sword of the day pointing out it’s spine – “Something the French don’t have”… Much to the hilarity of the watching crowd!!! 🙂
How about this for a prediction?
We beat Forest today and go above Arsenal.
No recognition from press or pundits about Villa. All about Arsenal. Some pundits will argue that Villa should sell Arsenal Luiz and Watkins.
Actually the disrespect to Villa from the Nadia and pundits is staggering.
Emery will make them eat humble pie.
It is a good job Emi’s father got to present the award. Just imagine if it had been Laurent Blanc.
Blanc arrives onstage to Emi’s right carrying the award and a book. He stops, turns the award all the way round then upside-down looking for the maker’s name. He approaches Emi, stops – walks round behind him and prepares to hand over the award from the left. Notices his shoelace is loose. Puts the award down, puts his foot on it and reties the lace. Picks up the award in one hand, book in the other and just as Emi reaches out Blanc waves both arms up and down. Blanc then hands Emi the award and says, you might like this book “A La Recherche du Temps Perdu.”
Wow! This blog is getting very cultured. Every time that Proust is mentioned I always think of Monty Python –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwAOc4g3K-g
Bum Bum, I find your naming of the Saudi’s Sunday League highly disrespectful to the many dreamers who caught buses to the extremes of the city boundries on Sundays (both am(missing Mass) and pm. In some cases playing both. Some of those journies were so horrendous that many have still not returned.
I spent countless Sunday mornings (around 15-20 years ago) taking each of my boys to wet, muddy and cold football pitches in places I’d hardly ever been to before, all over the Midlands.
TBF, some of the football I saw was actually quite good. Unfortunately nobody was getting a penny for it, unlike the ones in Saudi – but I reckon that at least a few games had bigger crowds!
Looking at Forest’s form, they’re due a win. At home, they’re always dangerous with a partisan crowd. No easy games in this league and the Villa will need to be at it. Arsenal and Spurs have potential to drop points at the weekend; City and Pool nailed on for 3. Opportunity to cement further that top 5 and tighten at thd top. I’d suggest quick tempo to start with an early goal to quieten the natives would be ideal…
UTV
Ron, you’re forgetting one thing…we’re actually very, very dangerous at present. I know what you mean about not getting your hopes up, but i think we’ll do Forest. One goal and the floodgates are open.
As CP pointed out, we’ve scored half as many goal as all of last season in only a quarter of the games! Wow!!!
Forest are getting spanked!!!
A draw.
I can feel it in me water (-:
Ron, take a handful of pumpkin seeds daily. That’ll sort yr waterworks out!!!
Let’s reconvene late afternoon on Sunday!!!
Spurs-Villa on the 26th.
My prediction is this is the game of the season.
I’m really not liking this “spurs have it all sown up” narrative.
I have a very strong thought in my head, but I’m saying nothing.
My guess?
Spurs won’t be winning anything.
This London thing makes me puke.
ye of little faith , Tottenham are ridding with their luck at the minute, I have every confident they will crack . We have the right man to push our team to the top. We will make the big time this season are you forgetting what’s ahead come the next few weeks ? players returning, and windows opening we are so close.
I’m with you, Bill! Can’t wait for the Spuds match either. Haven’t we got ManU before then too???
I think you’ve totally mis-read my reply there Bill.
Only 6 hours until KO!!!
Yes Bum Bum , they are nobody now .
A really tough game for Villa today. We need to make sure that we don’t allow them a positive start. Good to see Moreno back on the bench. If we win then we can get 4th minimum so plenty of reason to get the 3 points.
Jesus, what is it with us and early goals?
I thought we’d stopped that.
Bloody hell. Long way to go yet…
I see no Duran again.
Is he finished at the Villa? Could be, by the look of it.
Like I said previously, I don’t believe he’s injured.
Ffs what a shite start come on boys top 4 on the table
How the hell was Forest’s goal not offside? TWO players were off and in front of Emi???
This game should be over by now. We aren’t really competing here