Hmm.
“Sid Cowans love child” suggested my having very little faith in our defence after the Forest game was a bit premature, given that we hadn’t conceded many previously.
How right he was!
In my defence, it was just that I was thinking that we’d find defending against the “better” teams a bit more of a problem, as much as I think we’re excellent in attack.
I didn’t see the game, but managed to listen to the last 15 minutes or so on WM.
And the consensus was that this game was practically easy.
The brief reading I’ve done on here and elsewhere seems to back this up. Which is crazy in a really good way!
Boro had only conceded 10 goals before this, yet we’ve put 3 past them and the commentary was saying that the home team had given up.
It would seem we’ve battered the opposition, away from home, just as we did at Derby.
My god, this excites me.
If we can beat Boro and Derby so easily on their own turf, as well as put 5 past Forest, I have to wonder who there is in this league that we need to be scared of?
Is it new manager syndrome?
I very much doubt it and every game seems to demonstrate more and more how Steve Bruce had totally misread our squad.
Was it because he’d seen the state we were in when he arrived and didn’t trust the players?
Who knows? But he’s looking more like a total mug as every game passes.
I don’t want to get carried away, but things are looking really good at the moment.
I remember saying a few weeks back that we were facing a very tough period of games against local sides and that I was concerned that we’d get very little out of them.
Well, we’ve played a few of them and done very well.
It’s Albion up next, followed by Stoke I think.
If we can get say, 4 points from those 2 games, well even doubtful me would have to concede that we’d have a very good chance of getting promoted. If we were to get 6, we’d be beginning to look invincible, just as Wolves were last season.
Not that I want to run before I walk.
We’ve been kicked in the teeth too many times, haven’t we?
But it just seems to me that even if we do have major doubts at the back, we have the fire power to see our way out of trouble. So much so, that many teams won’t be able to live with us.
“We’ve blown them away” is a comment I saw for tonight’s game and that takes some doing against a Pulis side.
And even if we end up not getting the points we want in the next month, as long as it doesn’t prove disastrous (and I can’t see it), we’re still well in touch with the top group.
I heard a good comment on WM, where it was pointed out that if you need 2 points a game to get promoted, there’s only Norwich that have (just) managed it, up till now.
Our recent history says we’re well on course.
Add a couple of replacements in January, that we all know we need, plus look at the depth of our squad, especially attack-wise and we’re sitting very pretty indeed.
The question that was asked on WM was “Have Villa got a manager who can take them to the Prem?”
I suspect we might well have.
Two sides to Villa. McGinn runs himself into the ground. Kodjia can’t be arsed to track back
Even though he’s got fresh legs. Hope he never plays again.
Ft and we’ve been robbed, imo.
post coming up.
2-2 and I’d have well taken that before the match. We only lost to a fluky goal but Nyland came out an didn’t catch the ball.
Poor goalkeeping again cost us. He is a joke!
Yep. A big, fat, embarrassing joke. The kind that makes you cringe. Nothing personal, but he’s not good enough and hasn’t been since day one.
Should have won that. If Kodjia had better hold up play instead of losing the ball all the time or passing to the opposition i think we’d have won that, the game changed when he came on, he kept losing the ball.
I’d get rid.
We are playing such good football at the moment, had we have taken our chances it could have been 4 or 5.
That was pure robbery, not because I’m a Villa supporter but the flaming ref should be dropped into a lower division robbing sods.
Definite handball Bill, the initial header was going wide but hit his hand which slightly changed the direction of the ball.
FFS. It is the 21st Century and clear handball (twice even) is given as a goal. We had our chances to run away with it, but hey ho. Keep the unbeaten run going, win most and draw most of the rest and we are in good shape.
That’s at least 12 points we’ve thrown away this season already. We should be top. That’s the difference a good goalkeeper makes. They are worth so many points over a season. Dean Smith knows this and Nyland will disappear in January…if not, there is zero chance of promotion.
The cheating WBA bloke should be done for admitting that he handled it AFTER the game…..you are now up with Maradona….
I actually thought El Ghazi was outstanding today and he has learned to track back. Kodja loses interest when he is dispossessed. Fact is though is that the keeper is a pub player at best. Please Dean drop him for next game. Every cross looks like a goal with him between the sticks.
The more I look at that last goal the more angry I am with the keeper. Very poor keeper. I know it was handball but the keeper needs to do better.
I think we’ve reached a consensus about out ‘number 1.’ Finally. I hope nobody else says he’s OK the next time he makes a reflex save. Very poor is an understatement, Tekkers. His confidence must be gone completely.
Great comments by Lee Hendrie in Sky regarding their cheating goal.
Nyland not brave and should have gone for the ball.
Kodjia meant to have an effect on the game- he did – he contributed to their equaliser by not tracking back.
Here’s hoping to Heaton joining in January and Kodjia getting a bollocking.
Broken record re’ Nyland. Sick of seeing him lose us points. He should voluntarily relinquish the shirt. That said, absolute robbery and desperately poor officiating.
We’ve come a very long way in only a couple of months. What a fantastic difference to the dross we had before.
All being said that was a good point.
Roll on the rest of the season and with a couple of additions we’ll be ok.
Really annoyed because that game was ours to win. Can’t criticise Abraham for missing his chances too much after his previous performances. If Adomah is available then Kodja should be moved on in January. We might get a few quid for him. Bring in Heaton or Steer and terminate Hylands contract. I have seen enough to realise he isn’t good enough. Surely Bunn can do better till then? As for Rodriguez I don’t blame him even if it was deliberate. Unfortunately the officials are a waste of space in the Championship.
Agree with all of the above!
Apart from Abraham, If he’s going to be a top striker, he needs to be the difference maker. No good scoring 4 one game the firing blanks the next.
This is all about players sacrificing themselves for the team. Kodjia seems to be interested in Kodjia. He will not survive in a Dean Smith team. Al Ghazi will not either (but better going forward). Bolasie is a bit of a disappointment. He doesn’t seem to know what he wants to do when he has the ball. We actually look better with Hutton at LB and El Mohamady at right.
we should have won tonight. On their patch. we are better than them. I
finished early Shoaled have been I am confident that we will be top 2 come the ned of the season. A LB, a strong CB, and a mobile CB (GK?) and we will be there!
El Ghazi was outstanding tonight.
El Ghazi is a talent, but the number of times he left his full back exposed was unacceptable. All the threat from the baggies was from the flanks and he did little to help stop that. He was excellent attacking though.
I am a stern critic of keepers, but I have tried to see Nyland as an improving sort until the Forest game. Now I have given up on him, there are too many errors in his game. Also he does not do his homework on the players he will face, which the top keepers all do. Had he done so he would have known Grabban would shoot inside the near post not across goal.
But Heaton? OMG no! His kicking disintegrates and he is the biggest joke ever to wear the 3 lions green jersey. He is 3rd choice at Burnley, and look how many their #1 is letting in.