West Ham – Villa; I can’t call it, too scared

I wanted to write this yesterday, but I’ve frankly been too scared to.
It’s daft really, as I’m not really the superstitious type, but I just don’t want to call it in case I “Jinx” things, call the result wrong and send us down.
Mind you, it’s probably a good thing. The amount of times I’ve predicted we’d win and Villa haven’t obliged, it’s probably best I don’t predict this one.

But we can look at what is required for our survival and it’s basically that we need to better Watford and Bournemouth’s results. If that happens, it’s happy days.
But we all know that isn’t going to happen and then it gets a bit more complicated;

Villa will be safe if they draw and Watford don’t win.

Villa will be safe if they win by the same or a better margin than Watford.

If all three teams lose by the same margin, Villa will be safe.

If Villa win, Watford need to better their result by two goals to avoid relegation.

The only way Bournemouth can survive is if they win and both Villa and Watford lose.

(Courtesy of Birmingham Live)

So, just to avoid all that confusion, we’ll just take the win and have done with it, eh?
It’s a nice thought.

It’s ridiculous really, isn’t it?
I’m too scared to call the result of a game.

On paper, it’s just a result, one of many that won’t really affect anything in any way.
But it’s not just that is it?
It’s something that will define a line between the sheer elation of surviving and the desperation and depression that comes with relegation. I know for a fact that I’ll be affected for days, either way and I’ll bet I’m amongst the majority of us Villa fans.

Still, it’s why we love the game isn’t it?
And why, as much as I’m scared to call or even watch the game, I’ll be absolutely glued to the screen.

55 Comments

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  1. Bum Bum
    Bum Bum July 26, 2020 at 5:56 pm . Reply

    Christ!!!!!

  2. Bum Bum
    Bum Bum July 26, 2020 at 5:59 pm . Reply

    F+ck Elton John!!!!!!!

    1. Mark
      Mark July 26, 2020 at 6:44 pm . Reply

      Just seen an interview with Troy Deeney. All I can say to him is… you can celebrate as much and be as smug as you want when you score in front of the Holte End but it ain’t over until the fat lady sings.
      Enjoy Championship football next season Troy.😊😊👍👍

  3. Singapore Villan
    Singapore Villan July 26, 2020 at 6:00 pm . Reply

    The glass half empty guys might want to make their excuses now

    1. Bum Bum
      Bum Bum July 26, 2020 at 10:11 pm . Reply

      Dude, we’d be lucky to say the glass would’ve been that full! It’s been one shyte season!!!… Up until today that is!!!!!

  4. Tekkers48
    Tekkers48 July 26, 2020 at 6:07 pm . Reply

    Ive never experienced anything as nervous as that in my life. Get in there. Onwards and upwards. Im away back to the pool. Going to enjoy the rest of my holidays regardless of covid19 .

  5. nath
    nath July 26, 2020 at 6:09 pm . Reply

    so happy we retained our position. it was a massive ask to stay up and we did just that. we had got stronger and stronger as the squad gelled. but i feared it would be too late for us.

    todays game was a difficult one. but we have become much more street wise at this level. we finally got to grasp playing without the ball , keeping better shape and better countering. i thought we did enough to win today. once grealish scored. but hammers score a lucky deflected looping fluke.

    today we celebrate and tomorrow we build. but we have some good players here now and for once we can improve the squad instead of ripping up and starting again.

    p/s i feel sorry for the cherries they will bounce back iam sure. but i laugh my ass off at watford and that ex blue nose and i say good riddance

  6. originallondonlion
    originallondonlion July 26, 2020 at 6:15 pm . Reply

    The plot has Jack Grealish scoring at both ends to keep us on the edge of our seats to the final whistle. Preposterous! Who writes these scripts?

  7. Hitchens60
    Hitchens60 July 26, 2020 at 6:21 pm . Reply

    Partying with the family – champagne out – Sweet Caroline blasting out – f*ing happy days are here again

  8. DSVilla
    DSVilla July 26, 2020 at 6:23 pm . Reply

    I’m only just recovering from that. Well done to all at the club.

  9. Holte66
    Holte66 July 26, 2020 at 6:25 pm . Reply

    I’ve turned my phone off last 4 games. I got superstitious after Palace win! My heart rate is just returning back to normal. Savage whining about Sheffield United no goal! What a prat!

  10. Tekkers48
    Tekkers48 July 26, 2020 at 6:28 pm . Reply

    Guess what guys. We didn’t do a Fulham !!!! Fucking get in there. To those that said we had, stick that in your fucking pipe and smoke it! UTV.

  11. Little8
    Little8 July 26, 2020 at 7:05 pm . Reply

    Yeeaaassd celebration time villains wooo hoo think the team have just found that old passion for the badge enjoy tonight all wooo hooo up the bloody villa

  12. CCN
    CCN July 26, 2020 at 7:14 pm . Reply

    Amazing that fans and pundits can’t grasp the idea that the “goal” against Sheffield Utd was scored around the 40th minute, meaning that the course of the game and also the relegation battle would have changed. Not saying that we would have won or drawn the game and ultimately stayed up if the goal was allowed, but how can you say for sure that Sheffield Utd would have gone on to win that game. Watford knew what they had to do today, against Burnley, Southampton and West Ham. Bournemouth knew that they had to get a result against Southampton or Newcastle. These clubs knew the landscape and like Villa, have had decisions go for and against them throughout the season. And if Villa were in a position where they did lose against Sheffield Utd and had one less point going into todays game, you would have expected the team to go for the win today as Bournemouth did. We saw teething problems with VAR in the early part of the season where decisions were evidently wrong but you won’t have many fans moaning about them because they are irrelevant now, especially the marginal offside decisions which are ridiculous. But any idea that Villas survival revolves around one cock up by a keeper who constantly makes mistakes is an incorrect judgement, especially with 9 games and 45 minutes to play after the GL technology error

    1. Villain 57
      Villain 57 July 27, 2020 at 1:13 pm . Reply

      Not only that but AV were denied a point at Crystal Palace by atrocious refereeing – Lansbury’s goal was disallowed when Grealish went down and the referee decided he was diving even though he was for the umpteenth time fouled – Grealish was no longer with the ball when Lansbury scored so a half-decent referee could have had a word with Jack if he felt it necessary rather than disallow a perfectly good goal. That point equals the ‘gift’ point against Sheff Utd; plus a draw then could have had a positive effect on confidence etc.
      So basically it is nonsense to point to individual things – the season as a whole is what counts – and we finished above the drop zone. Hopefully next year we will finish well above the drop zone.

  13. Villain57
    Villain57 July 26, 2020 at 7:32 pm . Reply

    Well done the Villa – got to hope the effort and belief of the last few games carry into next season. Notice one or two lame ducks weren’t in the squad – hopefully they can be offloaded before restart.
    Well done Dean Smith – showed guts in a dicey situation.
    Hopefully the close season will see the departure of one or two suits who I think – and I could easily be wrong – were responsible for some of the rubbish purchased a year ago.

  14. Villain57
    Villain57 July 26, 2020 at 7:36 pm . Reply

    And well done Badger. I’ve enjoyed your thoughts through the season.
    Alls well that ends well

  15. Hitchens60
    Hitchens60 July 26, 2020 at 7:40 pm . Reply

    Bill – Villa did just for you.

    Enjoy your evening fellah.

  16. Sidforever
    Sidforever July 26, 2020 at 8:28 pm . Reply

    Well done you Villa boys. It’s the second season to have proved me wrong. Thank you.

    To Dean Smith – I take my hat off to you. You are Villa born and bread. What’s even better, is you can now buy 3 quality players.

    Let’s
    a) Ensure buy Douglas Luiz our of Man City buy back. He has been the difference since the restart.
    b) Convince Grealish to stay, buy make him know that there will be other creative players around him, so that he can play more forward and do damage to the opposition in the forward positions.

    Best bit, my boss is a Blue fan. I’ve already asked him if I need my P60 – any negative comment and it’s constructive dismissal- win win – Villa promotes and I get a pay out.

    Now we can build. With our owners the sky is the limit.

  17. Bill Pearson.
    Bill Pearson. July 26, 2020 at 8:43 pm . Reply

    Hitch. I’m absolutely the most happiest villa fan in the world. I got people around me to watching the match and they was London,and Man U . We all jumped for joy that Villa stayed in the premier. I’m now getting pisst

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