Or, as is more likely, a whimper?
Well, here we are, with the ultimate game of a truly shocking season.
I normally get a bit down when we get to the last game, as there’s no Villa to watch for the next couple of months, but I’m sure I won’t be alone in just wanting this one out of the way.
And they don’t come much tougher than Arsenal at the Emirates, do they?
We have a terrible record against the Gunners, but there have been the odd victories, mostly at the Emirates.
Who can forget Gabby’s goal in a 2-0 victory, in the days where he was actually a threat?
It seems worlds away.
There was also the 3-1 victory, although that was a major, but welcome surprise.
Not that I expect similar today.
Arsenal have Welbeck out, but Wilshere might start after breaking his leg.
Cissokho is available after his suspension and Gestede may be ok after his groin problem.
Hutton and Clark are both doubtful.
As I said, I didn’t see much of last week’s game, but I was encouraged that we seemed a bit more resolute and were trying.
Hence I’d like to think that we might put up a decent display.
But Arsenal have a lot more to offer than Newcastle and they are still playing for the runners-up position, so we can’t expect them to take it easy.
A 3-0 loss sounds about right then.
In other news, we’re apparently close to being taken over.
Hmm, maybe, but I very much doubt it’ll be by the Rui Kang group; or more accurately, I seriously hope not.
It seems they don’t actually have the money to buy the club, but that didn’t stop the Glazers buying Man Utd, did it?
How on earth they managed to get away with buying the club with basically it’s own money, I don’t know, but they did and while they’re about to become the biggest earning club in the world, so they also have massive debt levels.
That’s definitely not a model I’d like to see at the Villa.
I’ll watch the game in a pub today, as I’m in the last couple of days of a short holiday in Turkey.
Which reminds me. I made a comment on here yesterday, where I thought Flores’ sacking was a joke.
It went into moderation because of the different IP address and I couldn’t do anything about it, as I was using my phone.
Which hopefully helps demonstrate that it’s not just you lads who get pulled up.
I have to admit, I was very tempted to go for a 4 or 5 goal defeat, but am hoping for better than that.
Turkey hey,
Some useful words Badger, (ne kadar, cok Fazla, to use when buying booze. How much, to much. Spent 14 years Badger a place that smiles at you but want your dosh. Yes get the season over and start a fresh, been a terrible part of Villa’s history, no mention of our potential buyers? Im worried over that news if true Badger.
Badger are you Alan wicker in disguise???
Bill,
They definitely want the money!
Giddy,
One of the lads at work calls me Judith Chalmers! 🙂
You know how it is, work hard, play hard mate.
And £230 for both of us for a week. I couldn’t turn it down.
Where Icmeler Badger?. Marmaris? Effes nice drink of beer mate, dont worry about the site Oohah will step in.on second thought wifi ok there.
Olu Deniz Bill.
And yes, I’ve sampled some Efes (ahem) 🙂
Just round the corner from Hisaronu nice place badger good food as well. keep your head down lots of para gliding . Bars are nice .have a good un,
Lovely place Badger, you must do the boat trip do the boat trip to Dalyan, it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to.
Badger calling you judirh chalmers crossed my mind but I thought I’d be polite for a change mate.
Ps av a good un get it down yer mate enjoy yourselves 😀
One game, nothing to lose, result doesn’t matter.
Time to put a little bit of pride back into the club.
PLAY THE KIDS ERIC!!!
Totally agree stubbs fuckall to lose playing the kids.
Blaze of glory – doubt it as no one knows where the matches are!
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/martin-oneill-blame-aston-villa-7966165
This is a good article – Dennis Mortimore speaking a great deal of sense and if anyone knows the truth he should.
Good read Hitch, and i would agree that being the start of Villa dropping, 46 % saying yes 56 % saying no ? Blue noses in that vote.
totally agree with Mortimer. also
Celtic and Leicester both went into financial decline for a period shortly after he left.
Mortimer’s right about a lot of it, but frankly having a go at Deadly for what happened in the 80’s is a bit irrelevant to what’s gone on there in the 5-6 years.
As for today’s game – I think we might end-up completely humiliated at the Emirates; Arsenal aren’t good enough these days to be realistic contenders to win the PL or CL, but they are certainly able to bully teams that are down on their knees.
Arsenal will want to finish with a good win. It will be 4-0 win to Arsenal. We had plenty of opportunities to kick on from the 80s and we failed do to so through bad decesion making either by board or manager. This time needs to be right.
Could well be 5-0 tomorrow. If Arsenal score early we are in for it.
The only good thing about tomorrow will be finally getting to the end of this abysmal season and seeing the last of that moron Eric Black.
We can only go forwards from here…surely?!!
doesn’t look great for next season. really we should be top 3, but one good guide which isn’t biased is the bookmakers,
odds for next season bare in mind these are early prices. the full league isn’t known yet. but compare us to the likes of newcastle and norwich
toons 3/1
norwich8/1
villa14/1
these prices are outright winners. 14/1 i think is a generous price, we won’t be anyway near the top. odds on relegation down to division one is more likely,
predicting tomorrows game is hardly worth bothering doing, we will be aston villa nil and arsenal will be above 3 and below 8.
love to see Rushian Hepburn-Murphy and Jerell Sellars both showed enough against under21 arsenal, they both along with davis offered a threat breaking with speed and purpose
Like most Villa fans I’m glad it’s the last game of the season and don’t have put up with a shambolic team and management.
As I stated before we should not be playing the boo boys ( Lescott Bacuna) and give the likes of Greelish, Traore and Gill a run out. I’ll be Glad to see the back of Black, he’s just another yes man filling the Gap.
As for next season there is no reason why we should not be challenging for promotion. With a potential takeover, new manager ( must be the correct choice – my choice would be Pearson) the parachute payment available
to bring in four/ five decent players then why not.
Our biggest problem has been belief and confidence. We must keep Ayew, Amarvi, bring in Gardener. We have others who should be good championship players. I’m sure many will disagree with me but I’m backing us to be back next season!!
Up the Villa.
Turkey Badger? I remember Villa’s trip to play Trabzonspor. The Villa fan who always made his own way and never missed a game missed that one. He got on a ferry from Istanbul without asking how long it took. He arrived after we’d gone home. I am sure you are somewhere other than the far end of the Black Sea.
Arsenal – have we learnt anything? Arsenal’s game plan is very simple, most of their midfield and forwards are much faster than our central defenders. Therefore if they can get our full-backs out of the way by showing them a big space up the wings to carry the ball into, when Villa lose the ball they can switch it quickly up the middle and out run the cart horses. Villa’s central defenders really ought to hold the black four on the18 yard line, no higher up. That would negate the speed advantage. Watch for that tomorrow and see if we are doing something different.
Arsenal average 4 against us recently so I will go for 4 again but Villa to score 2 without ever being ahead.
http://m.heraldscotland.com/sport/14493665.Interview__Des_Bremner_on_the_rise_and_fall_of_Aston_Villa__memories_of_Hibs__and_why_Ron_Saunders_was_the_Pep_Guardiola_of_his_day/
Nice article.
Remember when Sir Ron bought Bremner and we all said ‘Des Who’ but Sir Ron knew what he was doing with Des becoming an essential part of the side he was building. Great days, great memories and from what I hear the European cup side are very close and many of them regularly attend games at VP.
Cheers for that bum bum yes good read mate.
Rumour in The Sun linking Pullis to VP. Constant theme is a Chinese consortium to buy Villa. Hollis needs to conclude this deal quickly now.
i just seen these rumors about pulis, this was needed after lambert, but better late than never.in the championship organization will be key. pulis’s teams aren’t the most exciting, but they always seem to do enough to grind out victories when the chips are down.
we need a manager like pulis or mcCarthy with proven ability to create teamwork ethics, pearson might also be a good shout, but he carries more of a risk down to his fiery temperament.
I’d take Pulis everyday of the week. He is exactly what we need at the moment. He’d bring back the passion and fight that is clearly lacking at the club and knows the Championship well. He’d also lay some solid foundations to establish us as a Premier League club again.
I said Pearson a while ago but am not to sure about him now, think he comes with to much baggage and we already have weigh more than the rest of the league put together!!
McCarthy is another name that, in my opinion, would do a job for us.
Either would be good choices but for me, Pulis.
My good mate is an Ipswich fan, lives close to Portman Road and he said we are welcome to MCarthy – widely disliked at Portman Road by all accounts. Sadly looking forward to watching the Villa – Ipswich games with him next season – he already reckons to have 6 points in the bag and who can blame him.
nobody bothering to post the losing team for the final game…….
it looks like another damage limitation team, with no chance of wining. may the force be with um
hepburn murphy deserved a chance to get a hour from the start,perhaps dropping a defensive mid, one or two of the westwood gana and sanchez for a little offense might be the way going forwards. what exactly is black holding onto, we just like one game with some ambition
Giroud hat trick, I’m watching it and we are a joke.
your not kidding too bill… arsenal cruised for most the game, we are a punch line in many jokes ~ unworthy of top league,
wots all the fuzz about, we have young players like hepburn murphy that could have gain 1st team experience and given more than players like sinclair.
he picked a team to cancel out arsenal, but that wasn’t ever gonna work.
i have never seen a boxer win a fight without landing a single punch.
What a shambles. If Villa were a race horse it would have been shot by now.
Think I’m gonna cancel my subscription to Sky Sports tonight.
I think Newcastle might win the Championship next season.
We are second favs to go up not sure why though
Kent, they have the right man to do it, we don’t have a cat in hells to get out of the conference. Poor as hell again.
Or even the Championship.
lets hope thats the last time we see eric black in a villa track suit . the mans a dick head
Hear Hear. Talking in the dressing room after the game Black said to the players – some of you are going to be here next year. How I hope he is as wrong about that as he has been tactics since he took the helm.
If that squad plays in the Championship they will go straight through it like a laxative.