Well, that wasn’t pretty, was it?
I’m struggling to think of a more boring game and given that we’ve experienced plenty of them over the last few years, that’s saying something.
The whole game can probably be summed up by the lines from one of the commentators I was listening too, where he said;
“This is the Prem. This is supposed to be the best we’ve got”
And he was absolutely correct.
The standard of set pieces and balls in general, from both sides was woeful and backs up my claim that the Premiership is just a load of over-hyped rubbish.
I’m not going to go into the ins and outs of the game too much, as it really doesn’t matter and all that really did, was the result. Which we simply didn’t get.
On the face of it, a draw at the Baggies isn’t too bad a result really and I’d have happily taken it, if we weren’t in our current situation.
But we needed a win and the annoying thing is I think we could have got it, if we’d actually gone for it, as frankly Albion were no better and it could even be said that they were actually worse than us on the day.
Yes, maybe we should have had a penalty and I was calling the referee all sorts at the time, but my feeling was that he let a lot of things go, in an effort to keep the game flowing, something many fans have called for, for years.
It was a fairly robust type of game, just the sort you expect to see in a Derby and I was personally glad the ref did play it that way.
I doubt some of you will agree.
So in a game where I thought Gil looked bright, Gana worked hard and Ayew looked dangerous, again it doesn’t matter.
We needed the points, but ultimately didn’t get them.
Albion will comfortably survive, but we won’t, because it’s too late.
And that’s frustrating, given that we at least matched them today.
Comments
148 responses to “Albion 0 – 0 Villa; Tedious and ultimately not good enough”
Mathieu Debuchy is set to complete a loan move from Arsenal to Aston Villa this week, reports say.
The French defender will join the Villans on loan until the end of the season.
But he rejected a permanent transfer to the club, according to French outlet L’Equipe.
Debuchy is desperate for playing time ahead of Euro 2016 and will now join the Premier League strugglers.
Villa have undergone a mini revival under Remi Garde and are unbeaten in five matches but most believe that they will still be relegated this season.
MORE: Arsenal make new offer to sign Prem star
Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2016/01/25/mathieu-debuchy-to-join-aston-villa-on-loan-from-arsenal-this-week-5642369/#ixzz3yFGFikSF
Debuchy even on loan is a good deal. Where’s the striker(s) though?
My feeling is that Remi is now sorting out the defence (much better than the wet paper bag we had at the start of the season) but we desperately need some firepower up front. I daresay that the likes of Austin would have turned us down anyway so we need someone who will be willing to join us which means the lower leagues or from abroad.
Personally I’d prefer someone from the Championship after all that where Vardy, Mahrez, Ighalo and Deeney came from and they’re not doing too bad.
Also means that they’d be in a familiar setting when we go down.
Until it’s a done deal I’ll believe it no one else Inc SSN have picked this up.
Can’t see anything on the BBC either (sigh)
What the fucks going on? http://www.90min.com/posts/2897778-mathieu-debuchy-set-for-bayer-leverkusen-loan-after-aston-villa-pull-out…
Bill it was always a non starter MATE imo the club have to look like there looking,VILLA have a shopping list of excuses already prepared to pull out of deals.they knew the loan fee would be out of there reach like they probably knew kalinic never had a hope of a work permit its all invented bollox to show effort to the fans.we’re a FUCKING joke like the poxy excuses
is garde another fucking puppet has he no balls tell poxy fox stick his job where the sun don t shine, even in my small world no buisness sense at all at villa board level gamble 25/35 m on few players to try stay up we ll need them when we go down anyhow cause shower shite we have won t come back any time soon,when we are down we have to hit start next season like a train or i can see more relegation battles to come,only thing our glorious prick of owner does is appoint another bean counter hollis another clueless appointment,if we don t get 4 players in this week season tickets should be ripped up at half time v city in cup followed by walkout with boycott of villa park shops to follow try to sell then lerner you edit
There was a indication last week this wasn’t going to happen when Fox / Hollis said they weren’t going to invest in short term fixes and the £1.25m loan fee wasn’t good value given our position. On balance I agree. If anyone comes in it will not be a short term loan.
The same report said we are looking for a CB and a striker.
fox /hollis
have not a clue between them but what deal did garde sign up to in november when he took job,we where mess then and in all honesty it hasnt got much better
fox is one of biggest problems in our history and the longer hestays in power we are fucked stoke wba leicster will have 100m more money than us next season ,and how many clubs bounce back straight away ,we have been shite since mon walked lost to lower league sides time after time so how do fox hollis lerner think next year our squad can suddenly start winning football matches ha ha some chance
Signing Debuchy to the end of the season will make no difference to our season. If he had been prepared to sign a long term deal, fair enough but his only reason for coming was to put himself in the shop window.
Think it more has to do with the Euros, I’m sure there’s a few clubs who’d take him, he just wouldn’t be automatic 1st choice like he will with us.
And on the possibility we stay up as he’s much better than Hutton who’s largely cost us just about every goal when he’s played, it gives us a better shot, although still a minimal chance, he might sign for us permanently.
Agreed Andrew – shop window for selection for French national side
Don’t think it’s a bad signing though, shows we’re not giving up and doubt we’d sign someone as good as him permanently in January. Gives us a chance of staying up while leaving us the money if we go down to buy a RB over the summer.
I don’t believe a word the Club spout.
With you, what a fuck up, they dont deserve fans , all what’s working for Aston Villa are con men of the first order, your right Giddy right arsoles the lot.
Andrew…gives us a chance of staying up? I’d have put you in the pragmatic camp rather than the delusional camp!
Damn it, you’re right. How dare I think with 15 games left to go we might have a chance to make up 10 points. We’ll be lucky to even get 10 points from those games. Did I do it right?
Anyways… Debuchy’s miles better than Hutton or Richards at RB. Won’t cost us near the points Hutton has done which has been a huge reason to where we are now.
To pick up ten points is one thing. To ask nicely if all the clubs above us will do us a favour and not collect a single point during that time is another thing entirely. And we’d actually need 11 points with our current GD.
…and don’t be a patronising dick all your life either.
Sorry, when called delusional I tend to… Become a dick.
Anyways… I would argue RB (IE: Hutton) has cost us 10+ points this season, and any better RB would not have done so. So going off that, I do think a new RB along with a striker of course could easily get us 10 extra points to catch our rivals. Seeing the GD is only 5 between us and 17th, I think 10 would do it.
Am I saying we’ll stay up? Of course not, but the way we’re controlling games under Garde, even when we lose, we still look a good side. Getting players into the box has been a problem but it’s getting there at least. And with 15 games left to play, I still believe we can do it if a Rb and striker comes in. Which I think Garde will do his best this week to get them done.
Debuchy wouldn’t keep us up anyway, he’s an above average player but that’s it. We need a striker to hit the back of the net, it’s goals that will keep us up and unfortunately we don’t have any in the team, well not enough anyway. Unless a youth player like sellars can come in and be a revelation (unlikely) I don’t think there’s anything else we can do. A decent striker wouldn’t want to come to us in our situation so we’re a bit fucked!
Christian Benteke back to us, on loan for rest of season if Liverpool sign Texeira.
Can’t see it happening, but would give us a massive lift.
Benteke would never go out on loan to us. Liverpool will flog him in summer totally the wrong club for him. He was woeful again tonight and still gets caught offside. I’m not sure he would be as good as last season anyway
All this talk of benteke on loan is laughable. He couldn’t wait to get away from us, no way would he for one second think about coming back.
Benteke loan – not going to happen.
Good article. Backs up what Hitchens was saying recently…
http://sport360.com/article/football/english-premier-league/159461/inside-story-aston-villas-current-decline-is-30-years-in-the-making/
A very senior and well respected Birmingham business man once told me that Deadly’s problem is ‘that he knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing’. So true of his reign at Villa and interesting that Wragge said he was selling assets in 2005 to make the sale (of Villa) more attractive. If anyone asset stripped Villa to satisfy his pocket and stoke his ego it’s Ellis.
And we need the Ellis stand renamed – either after Dennis Mortimore or Sir Ron – absolute travesty being named after Deadly
They could change it to the Trevor Francis stand as for as I’m concerned, anything but the DE Stand.
far
Isn’t deadly still the president???
Yep – for life. Probably written into the sale contract – bet he gets paid as well!
Yea Giddy, of a banana republic.
SSN reporting debuchy deal back on.
I don’t believe a bloody thing now till they walk through the door, it could be a con.
I ‘ve a box of matches Giddy.
What the hell is going on. SSN (transfer centre blog) now saying Kalinic deal may be back on and was originally pulled because of Bunn’s good form. So which is true – this story or the one about a work permit? Talk about misinformation
Nothing says bullshit more than SSN says!
Don’t know what to believe is it another smokescreen by the club as the end of the window is near & FUCKall activity so far.
We need a friggin striker
…… And a miracle Giddy !
According to the Brum Mail, Villa are considering a second appeal for a work permit for Kalinic which clears up the report on SSN which has been removed! Now I’m confused here because it refers to a second appeal to the FA but I thought work permits were granted by the Home Office. Does anyone know why the FA are involved?
Just found this on their website if it helps
New work permit system
Required % of international matches over previous 24 months is determined by the player’s National Association’s official FIFA ranking:
FIFA 1-10: 30% and above
FIFA 11-20: 45% and above
FIFA 21-30: 60% and above
FIFA 31-50: 75% and above
Reference period reduced to 12 months for those players aged 21 or under at time of application
Read more at http://www.thefa.com/news/thefa/2015/mar/england-commission-update-work-permits-fa-chairman-greg-dyke#KGRlEY3TmkA6DW3E.99
There is a good deconstruction of the rules on 7500 site (sorry to mention other blog). It’s way more complex than the “games for country” thing. More weight is given (on a points system) for the size of transfer fee and wages of the player. So, the Sky 4 can get who they want, and other clubs need to tally up points by getting a player who has played lots of games for his country. Villa can up the transfer price and the wages to qualify him, but that is pretty absurd.
F@ck the FA
Thanks DSV and BWS but I’m still confused. As I read it the new work permit rules apply to non EEA countries but Croatia is a member of the EU and unless something has changed then you cannot restrict a citizen of the EU working in any other EU country – even the ‘mighty FA’ would struggle with that. So if he has to meet the 75% rule (as stated in one article) how does that square with Croatia being a member of the EU – or has Sky infiltrated the power base that is Brussels.
If Villa really are considering a second appeal then they must feel the FA have not interpreted their own rules fairly which would accord with your own skeptical view DSV.
Talk of Villa upping the price. If upped enough that might get more points and qualify him. No idea whether that would make the fee absurdly high. Talk of an increase around £1M or so. As for the EU point, I believe there is some delay in the UK government accepting the incoming Croatian nationals for another year or two. I think someone else has detailed this earlier.
Hitch your earlier comment regarding Deadly (‘that he knows the cost of everything and the value of nothing’.) Why does that not surprise me? Imo he’s been the ruin of the club.
Here’s a quote from the Grand Old Man of Aston Villa that Hollis would do well to to take on board – “Finance is important, but we should never forget that we are not talking about a mere business. This is the Aston Villa football club, and it deserves nothing short of the best.”
LOL obviously senile dementias kicking in since when have we ever had the best,I’ll go easy cus of his age but what utter bollox.
Right sentiment BWS about 30 years too late
Giddy, Hitchy those were the words of the Great Frederick Rinder who lead the re-organisation of the club’s administration in 1898 and his tenure has chair coincided with Villa’s most successful period and Villa’s first 6 championship wins.
So Giddy mate although a long long time ago and add on 80 – 81 -82- 83 we were at points in the past the very best.
And 30 to late Hitchy? Deadly put the spanner well and truly into those works and we then go and name a stand after the twat.
BWS – you put me to shame. To think I attributed those great words from such an icon of our heritage to Deadly – I am mortified. I really should have known about leopards and spots!
OLL – very difficult to compare such differing eras. I have some sympathy with your views regarding Lerner – the financial landscape if the prem has changed massively in a very short period of time and Lerner from being a rich owner in 2006 has seen his influence usurped by the financial crash (personal problems) and the rise of the super rich clubs but you are right in saying he should have bailed out done time ago rather than hanging on.
I’m not so sympathetic to Ellis though. Whilst many fans berate Lerner for lining his own pockets (whether real or not) the true culprit over many years, in my view, was Ellis.
It seems you know the man better than I and may feel my view is jaundiced.
It matters little who we sign, we are down…. We are having a little run of ok form at the moment and that is it….
Norwich are on 23 points from 23 games, so if they continue averaging the same points, they will finish on 38, for us to get to 39 points, we will have to collect more points in the last 15 games than the top 4 have averaged until this date, or more than treble our average point per game average… which is impossible !
Thanks Randy !!
My misunderstanding & yes he’s still a twat, my memory don’t go back to those days Thb MATE never heard of him shall I go as far as saying those were the good old days.
Shit BWS, your older than me mate, 1898? yep remember it well. any chance we can repeat it. tell you what lads I’ve a copy the first programme that Villa put out, will have to scan an show you all one day.
Show it me Bill? I was there mate 🙂
I’d love to see it Bill.
I got a bargain a couple of years back (well I thought it was) every home program from 80/81 including friendlies. They didn’t sell on Ebay so I sent the guy an email and made a cheeky offer (around £20) and he accepted, happy days mate.