Shock, horror and whisper it quietly, but I actually thought we were a lot better today.
We didn’t constantly give the ball away and passed much more accurately, which is a major part of what I want to see.
I know we didn’t get the preferable result, but I thought we went mostly toe to toe with a West Ham team that I didn’t realise was so dirty.
Twice I saw a West Ham player litterally swinging punches and even though VAR supposedly checked things on both occasions, nothing was given. I really do wonder what these VAR officials are seeing, but it surely can’t be right.
The ref was very poor yet again too and while he let a lot go, the vast majority of it was for the Hammers.
After going one down from the almost inevitable headline Yarmolenko, Stevie G took Luiz off and I instantly thought that it was a risky move, given that most teams are capable of almost walking through our midfield at will, as it is.
In mitigation though, we were stuck between a rock and a hard place, with needing more in attack.
I thought Watkins was very good today, even though he hardly got any service. I heard Alan Smith make a comment earlier which was “if you’re not scoring much, at least get involved”. I don’t think anyone can say he doesn’t do that.
I thought Ings was a bit unlucky with his effort that saw the goalie push the ball onto the post, but at the same time I thought he might have done better. Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh there.
What about Martinez’s save? That was superb reactions and had the commentators rightly raving about it as save of the season by a mile. I probably wouldn’t go that far, but it was a cracker.
What disappointed me was the usual ease in the way opponents seem to just bypass our midfield with a couple of passes, yet we do the same so rarely. It’s something I’ve mentioned over and over this season and it just seems ridiculous that we didn’t bust the bank to sign a decent central midfielder in the winter window.
Would having done so, have pushed us up the table a couple of places? Maybe not, but I tend to think it probably would.
It’s just something we need to sort out in the summer, without a doubt.
I’m not to sure there’s too much more to say.
We were beaten by a bigger stronger side that basically bullied us out of the game through fair means and foul.
I’d expect Gerrard to definitely add to our physicality as soon as he gets chance.
A big shout to our defence who I thought were mostly very resolute today.
Flat out bullies, but it’s effective, I suppose.
Yes bullies there was but I’m not in agreement that Watkins was better today, we lack a solid player that can do what West Ham did . Antonio got away with murder today and I’ve said it beforehand that ref was biased in many decisions, a draw was what I thought it should have been .Villa will always be in my mind a club being robbed by VAR and poor refs .
I’ve seen it said that many didn’t think Watkins was any good today Bill.
I just thought he did well with what he was given.
I could have said how I thought Ramsey was poor apart from a very few occasions but I’ve said that plenty of times and it seems like I’m picking on him.
I suppose we all see games differently. Which is what makes it so good and differentiates it from other sports 🙂
Pretty fair summation Badger.
The cards were stacked against us – why does that always seem to be the case?
Moyes – 11 games with no defeatscagainst the Villa; Ings 12 games against the Hammers without a win or a goal and Martin Atkinson – a ref from hell as far as Villa are concerned. Then, to top it all, Antonio gets injured and Yarmolenko comes on and you know he’s going to score. Villa the team that keeps on giving 🙂
Once again we’ve been out muscled although I thought overall they had the better team.
In the scheme of things the defeat is neither here nor there. Disappointing, yes but it provides a yardstick by which we need to measure ourselves if we want European football next season.
I’m not sure I agree with Gerrard’s substitution of Luiz. At 0-1 we’re still in the game and to take of our DM was extremely risky. I’d have preferred to see Buendia for Coutinho who was having a quiet game by his high standards.
I actually think we’ll do better against Arsenal next weekend.
*Want to achieve European football next season
Apparently Luiz may need plastic surgery for a gash in his mouth.
But that’s not why he went off. Gerrard says it was about fresh legs.
DM seriously doesn’t suit him anyway, imo. but I don’t see him playing further forward for us under Gerrard either. I can see him going in the summer, to use for getting others in.
I predict a big turnover of players and the likes of Bailey are playing their way out of the club.
Villa news.
Aston Villa v Liverpool will be televised live on the 16 th of April at 5-30 kick off. Should be interesting that.
I know I’m biased – really? Yes, really.
But – our players suffered two forearm smashes and a boot in the face, only one of which merited a foul. And why wasn’t a boot in the face (of Luiz) seriously dangerous play meriting a red?
It seems VAR looked at all three and had nothing to say – would that have been different had Villa players been the culprits? I think it might.
If you get an arm in your face then the arm had to be raised and in both cases it seemed to me that the arm wasn’t in ‘a natural position’. In other words the West Ham player used his arm deliberately.
Still, what do I know – apparently nothing 🙂
The boot in the face was an accident Hitch. Surely you can’t mean to do that?
But yes, I saw the forearm smashes too. Even Gerrard commented about one of them.
I just thought the blatant punching was worse.
How this gets missed by VAR is beyond me.
Except, no it’s not, if you are happy to accept the only possible reason that such fouls get “overlooked”.
It’s disgusting and is now so obvious, it’s obscene to my mind.
The truth will out eventually. I’m sure of it.
I’m not saying he deliberately went to kick Luiz in the face but it was seriously dangerous play raising a foot that high – and surely he could see that Luiz was going to head the ball. What’s the difference between that and a really bad tackle – are you saying in the latter case it’s intentional?
Still think it merited a red card – suspect I’m in a minority of one though 🙂
No your not Hitch, that was undoubtedly a red card but guess what they’re a London club.
I will comment on the match after seeing MOTD, the Hammers goals were at the opposite end to my seat. This is about the London Stadium. if you have not been – don’t rush.
No fans were admitted in the previous 2 Villa visits so this was a first for me and the Villa faithful. It is a 10 minute walk, but the return journey from LS to Stratford tube took about half an hour because of tedious but neccessary crowd safety halts on route as 50000+ funnel towards a tube station. I accept that. Something for Villa to ponder before they increase the VP capacity. Getting in is another story. A very slow moving queue to the goons with metal scanners, during which we passed dogs with EXPLOSIVES TRAINED on their jackets. I know the Wagner group are trying to assassinate Ukrainians but WTF – in Stratford? Assuming you had tossed your Jelly in the green amnesty bin another dog trap waited further up for the Junkies.
A good view from the away seating behind the goal, you would be further away at the back of the Holte, but no atmosphere.
Cheers for that assessment OLL.
I’ve digged it a few times in that area and it’s a total sh*thole.
Having walked past the stadium a lot, I’ve never fancied it.
I’ve heard much mention that it’s a particularly soulless ground.
As for the Westfield shopping centre, where it seems there’s a stabbing every other day, No ta.
I doubt I’ll ever go to that ground.
Disappointing. I missed the first half travelling back from Cornwall but thought we were very passive for most of the second. We came alive at the end but that just makes it more frustrating.
Arsenal is going to a tough game and I can’t see us getting anything out of that.
This will be edited out of the highlights so you will have to endure the full 90 replay. In the first half there was an 8-minute period when the ball was in play but West Ham did not touch it. I haven’t seen the like from Villa in 60 years, but they were passing the ball around in front of the Hammers who were content to let them have it. That is using the ‘soulless ground effect’ to your advantage – in any other EPL ground the home crowd would be going potty. “Anything for the weekend, Sir?” Saying ‘yes’ in the barbers on Friday got you a discreet flat packet of three. If ever you still had three on Monday morning Villa’s first half would have awoken memories. Possession without penetration.
The key to this game was the hamstring injury to Lucas Digne – replaced by Ashley Young. Ashley never was certain to get back when needed, and for the Hammers second goal he is nowhere in shot. Mings has to stay with the striker as the Hammer on the wing has a choice of feeding the striker or the unmarked Fornals, who scores. As Ramsey demonstrated later if you give a EPL striker an unchallenged chance to pick his spot – he will. Digne’s forward raids were missed just as much, the only player left who could get behind the hammers out wide was Cash. Coutinho needs an option on either side to foil his markers – too easy when he can only pass one way. Watkins also is no use when opponents are sitting back. Instead of getting a pass where he outsprints the centre-back to reach it – the ball is knocked up to Watkins with the CB right behind him. He needs to be told to stand on the wide left when that is happening to see if the CB follows.
Buendia the last sub changed the game and set up Ramsey, but he only got the chance when we were 2-0 down. Black mark for Gerrard, the subs made were too late Buendia should have been on earlier than 60 mins.
The injuries we sustained threaten a thrashing by Arsenal on Saturday.
Sounds like letting Targett go out on loan was a big mistake. Many said at the time.
Maybe that was driven by Targett and if he didn’t want to stay and fight for his place – or maybe Gerrard didn’t rate him?
But isn’t that the clubs call? We own his papers… If Digne is out for a few weeks then that’s a really bad move.
In my view taking Newcastle’s blood money is even worse.
Villa news.
Aston Villa v Liverpool will be televised live on the 16 th of April at 5-30 kick off. Should be interesting that. Post jumped again,
I was thinking about going to that game if it was a Saturday 3pm kick off. Trust them to mess with the schedule again. Maybe another 7-2 Bill 🥳
After all the forearm smashes and high kicking in Sundays game, maybe there is a reason why West Ham have UFC in their abbreviated name.
Or just “WHAM”!
Hammers..?
Funny thing is I can’t think of a single West Ham fan I’ve ever known that I disliked. Their owners are vile.
As the Villa fans sang “You’ve sold your soul for this S**thole” I did wonder if a lifetime of style had gone. When I was a schoolboy and the fare from South London to Birmingham out of the question I used to watch Villa’s five away games in London, and in the gaps go to Upton Park. I had a claret and blue bar scarf – the only disguise needed. ‘Yer actual Bobby Moore’ was playing and they did have a style, two wingers and a target man – no long balls. The crowd would rather see entertaining football and drop points than nick an early goal and defend the lead for 80 minutes. For that you went to Highbury.
I was thinking during that Villa possession spell at the London Stadium how the Upton Park crowd would have roasted their team for allowing it. Maybe the Villans’ taunt is true -they have lost their soul.
England Squad
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Burnley), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal)
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Coady (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Ben White (Arsenal)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Conor Gallagher (Crystal Palace, loan from Chelsea), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Declan Rice (West Ham United), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton)
Forwards: Tammy Abraham (AS Roma), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Emile Smith Rowe (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City)
Shame that Watkins has slipped out of the pecking order. His form has been compromised by playing as a lone striker one week then two up top the next. They had a good game together against Southampton but more often than not it simply isn’t working. Pick one or the other and have Coutinho and Buendia as the providers.
As for Southgate and England, unfortunately they just don’t have what it takes to win the World Cup. The minute we come up against a half decent side in the knockout stage and we will be out. His style of football might bore the opposition into submission though 🥱
Sad to hear that Andy Lochhead has passed away. One of the first players I remember when I was a kid although I never saw him play, my older brother said he was fantastic in the air and as tough as they come. RIP Andy.
He was a bit of a legend in his time…
Andy Lockhead was a legend. I was at Villa Park when as a 3rd division team we knocked Man Utd out the semi final of the league Cup and there were 60000 supporters there. I was 10, had to have stool to stand to see the game. When Pat Macmahon scored I jumped up and my stool disintegrated under me. I was air lifted by the crowd and passed down the holte end terrace and sat on the wall at the front of the holte end.
Memories
I was also there with, my then, fiancée now my wife of over 50 years. Sat in the front row of the old Witton Lane stand towards the Holte End – what a night that was.
Loved Andy Lockhead – great signing for a third division side.
Happy days indeed
He was a great header of a ball, I’ve seen him play and a great favourite of the fans. 81 was is age. R I P Andy.
Cracking game Wolves 2 Leeds 3. Amazing that being 2-0 up that they capitulated second half. The red card for Jiminez helped Leeds but funny how Wolves did a Villa!
I know we lost last time out but is no one interested in today’s game? 😧
Yep – but not the way we’re playing at the moment
We’re f*ing useless.
It’s just a matter of how many they’re going to score.
They’re all over us we can’t string 5 passed together and someone is going to get sent off for sure.
Well that was a big pile of rubbish.
Top 6 – bottom 6 more like.