Well, what a great result that is.
I actually forgot about the game because I’ve been busy, which meant I missed the first few minutes and their goal.
What an absolute clanger by Martinez a result of us trying to play out from the back yet again.
I don’t like it because I’m not sure the players generally have the required confidence just yet, but you can see Unai Emery wants us to go down that route. I find it incredibly risky, but hey ho, what do I know? You can’t knock our first away win of the season.
I think it was because I missed the start of the game, but I really struggled to get into watching it. I often find our play uninspiring and it was particularly so for the first twenty minutes or so, but in fairness it got better as the game went on.
It was nice to see Ings score twice, as much as I’m not keen on him and although I felt he was a bit fortunate to get his second, he did all the right things in taking his chance.
The penalty was the correct decision and very nicely dispatched too. I always prefer to see a player put his boot through it, as although Sanchez got his hand to it, it had far too much pace for him to stop it.
Brighton had a penalty shout and it wouldn’t have surprised me if it had been given, but I felt Digne did nothing wrong because he’d started to swing his leg before a kick prior to the Brighton player rushing in.
Overall Brighton offered very little threat, as much as they’re in good form and had only lost at home once this season. They’re a tough side to beat and overall I felt we looked the more dangerous side, although I think a draw would have been a fair result. That’s not to say I didn’t feel we deserved the win though.
What impressed me most is the manager. How refreshing was it to see numerous changes at different times? And we used all five too, which was probably about fresh legs, as much as getting to see all the players more.
And you can see Emery has spotted where our weaknesses are in our defence. A lot of the time we played a bank of six at the back, which is a good idea because we often look disorganised. There was one Brighton corner where they had a free header and I counted three of our defenders within a meter of each other. I know we zone mark,as opposed to man marking, but that’s just poor and it needs sorting.
Emery got Young on to backup Matty Cash, who again had a torrid time. Would Gerrard have done that, I ask myself? I think we all know the answer to that one.
The point is you can see Emery has ideas and uses them, which can only be a good thing.
Given that he has seen our weakness at the back, I’m interested to see who we get in, because I’d be confident in saying that he sees a central defender as a priority. With Sawaris apparently promising the manager a big wad and a blank page, the winter window could be pretty exciting.
We also seem to have a bit more edge or even cynicism to our game too. We handed out the fouls in a way that very much matched Brighton’s rough stuff and that was good to see too.
Martinez wasted a lot of time and while I’ve previously said I saw it as a good thing when it was needed, I’m beginning to find it irritating. I certainly don’t like it being done to us, so it would be a bit hypocritical of me to keep cheering it. I felt those eight minutes added were well justified and maybe it’ll encourage him to stop it.
So I’m taking nothing away from the result, as it was excellent and just what we needed, as I think we’re now 5 points clear of the bottom three.
Even if I think the football hasn’t been great, that’s back to back wins and I can’t argue that things are not working. Long may it continue.
It just goes to show what a difference a decent manager makes.
UTV!
Great result!
Whoooooooooooo!!!!!!!
Something else I noticed was the players congratulating each other after the game. Like players who had been in a really tough battle and had come through it.
It was great to see and showed great togetherness, I thought.
Hooray Emery?
😁😂🤣
Graham Potter’s Chelsea is playing a new kind of pressing football, called ‘Depressing'”
Was watching the Bowie movie at the cinema so checking scores periodically. Looking forward to MOTD2 later.
As many have already said, agree with it or not, Emery was clearly prioritising the league. We could have pushed on only to get knocked out in the semis by another bloody Manchester team. Great 6 league points so far and a 100% win rate! I think he’ll have identified the weak links to work on over the WC with a view to the January window.
So, boys and girls, enjoy the corrupt World Cup for what it is, and see u for the next game!!!!!!!
Up The Villa!!!!!!!!!
P.s. Funny we’re celebrating this. Our first away win of the season that started back in August, and we’re heading towards Christmas.
God damn you, Steven Gerrard!!!
👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊👊!!!
Hey all , did you know we play Villarreal on the 15 th of December? Wow
I wonder what other friendlies are being lined up? Id imagine another 3 or 4 considering Martinez, Dendonker and Cash are the only players away at the WC.
Anyone seen the Netfix FIFA documentary? Quite galling…Typical all the corruption was initiated by South Americans. Just think of all the people expoited and environmental damage over the years by corruption and organised crime. Where’s the Line Of Duty mob when u need them!!!???
Bloody great footballers though. Imagine JPA in this team!!!!!
Wooooo great day england win the cricket and super beautiful villa beat in form Brighton woo hoo
I can see how the McGinn penalty was a bit debatable but there is absolutely no way the Digne one was a penalty. The Brighton player just ran into him as Digne was clearing the ball!
Good to see Cash and Buendia combining too.
Maybe a change of style would revitalise Ings. Maybe having someone who simply knows where the goal is helps. Many a great striker has possessed little pace. Shearer and Lineker spring to mind.
The back 6 towards the end of the game made me laugh…
Mate Lineker was rapid in his younger years but caught hepatitis that took the edge off his pace.
But I get your point, Teddy Sheringham being the one that comes to mind, absolutely no pace but a very very good striker.
Lineker lost his space spending so much time on the sunbed!!!!
Lost his ‘pace’…
That was as ugly a win as they come! Quite a hard watch for the majority of the game but also pleased our nastiness and grit came out in full to get the 3 points. We have to do whatever it takes this season to get ourselves safe first and foremost. Wins against United at home and Brighton away looked like nailed on defeats before Emery so to me It looks like Emery is a master tactician and knows how to win games. A few new players in Jan plus Diego Carlos coming back at some point, lets not forget he is a top CB who was looking very good before his unfortunate injury could see us really push on for the 2nd half of the season.
Agree absolutely.
I don’t think we’d have had a cat in hell’s chance of beating ManUre under Gerrard, and an away trip to Brighton would have been almost certainly another 3 points lost.
As for the calls for another CB – you’re right again, Carlos is top-drawer, assuming that he regains full-fitness, and I don’t see that as a priority position; much rather we bought someone to match Bailey on the opposite wing – with SG having disposed of a the wingers that we did have…
What I’m enjoying most is that we’re getting rid of some ‘hoodoos’ – not beating ManUre in 27 years at VP, not winning away for a year, etc., we could do with killing the ‘not getting past R3 of the FA Cup’ in a few weeks as well.
New-manager bounce or not, at least we’re getting out of setting negative records. Maybe we can start setting some positive ones before long.
I’d say this is way beyond “New Manger Bounce” imo Ardent, they look a well drilled unit (something very new for us) together, playing for each other.
The bookings we received showed we’re playing right on the edge, doing whatever needs to get over the line. May not be pretty or to the purist tastes but from a personal point of view- win ugly, win pretty, I don’t care (-:
I hope you’re right about the new-manager thing; only time will tell.
Personally, I enjoyed watching yesterday’s game (apart from the first 2 minutes), thought we played some very good football in places.
As for the time-wasting: yes, OK they’ve learned a bit of game-management (although having seen Fulham at VP many times over the years, they should be the last to complain…) – now they need to learn how to be more subtle about it! Martinez is going to find himself red-carded if he continues to do it so blatantly, and we’re picking-up totally unnecessary yellow cards.
I wonder whether Watkins’ illness was of the diplomatic cold variety?
Both he and Bailey were out of the starters. Super methodical Brighton would have been running the Manure league match video and preparing for long-ball counter attacks. Only to find the far from speedy Ings heading a team playing out from the back and through midfield. Completely different tactics.
Is Emery altering his game plans to suit different opponents? Or maybe just altering them every game to keep other managers guessing.
As Giullem Balague Spanish football journalist said on the Claret & Blue podcast Emery is pragmatic so I’d say the former.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOewkeK36K0
B’ham Live have described him as a fanatical user of video analysis (of the opposition) and that he will play completely different teams/formations depending on the opposition – so only he will ever know who’s going to play each game.
Good argument. With Grealish, teams were working out how to stop us as it was our only set up. Looking forward the Liverpool game when the season resumes. As most of their players seem to be going to the WC, hopefully they’ll be a bit knackered and we can beat them 7-1 again! 😁
I think the Grealish thing was eventually Dean Smith’s downfall: when he played the team was set up to play around him; when he was unavaliable we had no ‘Plan B’. When he left, it was expected that Buendia was a straight replacement…
If you could would you swap Buendia, Bailey & Ings to have Grealish back?
I wouldn’t RSS – it would be a retrograde step and cost a lot of money that would be better utilised strengthening and building a team around Buendia.
Also Emery has options with the three players we bought with the Grealish money which, from all accounts, better suits his management style.
I will be very interested to see whether Emery can get the best out of Coutinho – clearly Gerrard had no idea how to do that.
Agree with Hitch.
We have far more options now – and hopefully a manager who actually has ideas on how to use them.
Nope. Loved Jack but you can’t put all your chips on one number. The 3 of them are finally starting to look like real players finally.
Finally…finally…finally…etc…etc…
Anyone feel not just excited about all this, but calm too? Like we’re in good and safe hands after decades of mismanagement?
Finally…😁
Have to say Bum Bum I do feel better than I was with the last lot . I’m also elated that my next door pal West Ham fan, he he is keeping his head down now. as for Grealish !! a player that ruined his skills by sitting on a bench just taking the money and still got no medals if Arsenal claims the title this season ,no I wouldn’t have him back .
Agree with all the above comments regarding Jack.
Bailey is more direct and pacey
Buendia simply a better all round player.
Ings better finisher / target man.
Just my opinion and I’d say money well spent?
Agreed.
JG could be a ‘brilliant’ player at times, but once teams had learned to take him out of the game we used to be completely ‘blunt’ and struggled to create anything – because everything we did revolved around him.
On a side-note, I sometimes look at how Spurs have relied so much on Kane for the past 4-5 years: he has a bad game and suddenly they look a very average team (even with Son playing).
Be interesting to see how adapt next season when he joins The Galactic Empire (NE1 4ST).
Where we have lost out by selling Grealish – which clearly the owners tried hard to prevent with his contract terms – is in terms of the club’s identity.
With the loss of Grealish and Smith we no longer had a clear identity and bringing in Gerrard actually made that worse. As has become evident since his departure his tenure at VP was all about him and not about the club.
The owners and Emery together have to build a new identity for the club centred around the playing style and new found success. We also need a new hero; maybe another JG that’s come through the academy – any suggestions?.
Ramsey
Hmm, some good debate.
I’ll keep it brief.
I think any decent manager should and indeed needs to adapt to different games. It seems Emery can do it and Gerrard definitely couldn’t and it was that that soon made everyone see through him as a very limited fraud of a manager.
That said, you would expect his coaching team would know better and would some how get him to change things.
The fact that it would seem they didn’t indicates that they were either really not very good or Gerrard just wouldn’t be told.
If it’s the latter, he’s already finished, because I certainly never saw an inkling that he’ll learn and get better.
As for having Grealish back, I’ve always thought you should never go back. It works only on very rare occasions (I’m thinking GT and Sid).
As for you new hero, I think you may be right Hitch.
Don’t shout it too loud, but I think Jacob Ramsey is the one.
It seems to me he’s a David Platt in the making if he keeps working.
Same name occurred to me Badger.
I’d add Steve Staunton and Ashely Young to the list of successful returners.
Jack won’t be back.
Did I miss this?
The owners put another £40 mill in a couple of weeks back?
https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/10176070/filing-history/MzM1NzgzMTA3NmFkaXF6a2N4/document?format=pdf&download=0
Hat tip to “this is futbol”.
I’ve just confirmed what they said for myself.
I thought B’ham Live had reported “£70m” around the time that Emery was announced…
Ah, I obviously missed that one.
Yep, that £40 mill combined with some money in July, it seems.
Makes you wonder how much money we’re actually going through?
Apparently a lot of it is connected to the stadium redevelopment (already – even before the 1st demolition ball hits the North Stand) ; and of course there’s the cost of getting rid of SG and his cohort…
The £123.3m of sky money probably helps out?
I’m informed Hitch, cheers.
That’s a bloody big downpayment!
RSS, you’re right.
But it’s not like they’re making a profit is it?
The money these days is eyewatering.
I need to have another look at our figures, but from memory the last numbers we saw were £95ish mill revenue???
It’s no wonder they want the numbers up, when some clubs are higher. (West Ham and Leicester are good examples).
Wasn’t a criticism Badger and you’re spot on. The loss £99m last year down to £37m this (no mean feat).
I think we all owe Nassef Sawiris & We Edens a debt of gratitude for saving our beloved Villa from near extinction.
Villa wasted millions paying Rangers to bring SG & Co to Villa Park, then the same again to get rid of them 12 months later; then we had to pay £5-6 million in compensation to Villareal to bring in Emerey.
And that’s before we start looking at any number of players who’ve come in and gone out again in a shoert time for less than we paid for them. (Apart from Grealish and Chuk, have we actually made a profit on any player sale in recent years? – I’m scratching my head trying to think of anyone we’ve bought who we sold for at least the same amount).
It’s peanuts to our owners. Not sure if that’s a good or bad thing but it’s like you or me losing a tenner
Gerrards got a job ! He’s picking up an ambassadorial role with M88 Mansion with the world cup .. well I’ll be glowed an ambassador.
Blowed. ÷
That’ll suit him – be all about him, the big I am!
He can swank about and make a few more £’s for his piggy bank 🙂
I forgot about Peter Whittingham’s accident. A terrible accident. We’re playing Cardiff at his memorial in a couple of weeks.
Big John Carew’s been jailed!
Trying to make-out whether it’s actually time behind bars, or whether some/all of it is likely to be a suspended sentence?
Either way, very taxing?
John Carew Carew
He’s doing a year or two
(-:
(Sorry John)
Just read that about JC. 14 months for tax fraud. I watched MON on YouTube channel for the love of Paul McGrath and he talked about JC.
What a deal getting JC was – MON only paid €6m for him and he scored 48 goals in around 130 appearances – bargain.
We didn’t pay anything for JC. We swapped Milan Baros for him. Still a good deal but on the subject. MON paid about £30m for CBs. He only bought Harewood as a forward I think for about £3m. No comment. If we had bought a really good striker we probably would have made CL.
I can’t get over that. What does every successful club need? It ain’t Harewood. Or Agbonlahor and much as I loved him John Carew.
That was a period in our history though when crosses from out wide I just wasn’t concerned about as we had that covered. If only we had got that last piece in place.
BREAKING NEWS: Ex-Aston Villa and Norway striker John Carew is jailed for 14 MONTHS for tax evasion after unintentionally failing to disclose income and assets abroad to Norwegian authorities John Carew Carew he’s bigger than me or you. It was only £48,000 into days wage its only a week’s money for some . Bit stiff that me thinks.
Very harsh. Especially when Amazon, Facebook, Google etc get away with billions.
They don’t. They are offered ways to do that in return for providing jobs. Government policy and not just ours.