I just didn’t find time to write before the game I just couldn’t be arsed to write anything is the truth. I could have squeezed it in, but I find I’m falling asleep quite early on nowadays, hence my time needs to be prioritised, it’s as simple as that.
Yes, I should make the effort more, but that’s how it is. It’s Easter shutdown time and it’s always mega busy at work.
Anyway, I can hand on heart say I expected this result and I have witnesses to prove it’s how I was thinking, as I discussed the game with family prior to the kickoff.
I like Graham Potter. Apart from him being a Villa fan, he’s a good manager who plays the game in the right way and I think he’s been dealt a terrible hand with injuries. I really think Chelsea should stick with him, but think fan power might end up winning out.
My reasoning that we’d beat them today was because they are completely toothless in attack and just don’t look at all incisive.
And so it proved here. They created a boatload of chances, way more than was necessary to scare me to death; but I struggle to think of one that seriously threatened our goal. Having said that, Emi Martinez was excellent today and he just looked invincible and back to his best. Was he MOTM? Yes, probably, in a game where there were possibly a few contenders.
The interesting thing for me today is that we actually looked decidedly iffy at times in defence, giving the ball away as though we owed Chelsea some kind of favour, yet still managed to get a 2-0 win away from home.
I still don’t like this messing around at the back thing, as we invite the opposition to score, yet again we managed to keep a clean sheet.
It’s just alien to me, as the kind of mistakes we make should be punished by us conceding goals.
Yet we’re not.
Is this indicative of how poor our opposition is or is it really a typical indicator of how good our system is, in that it just grinds the opposition down because we’re just plain and simple, so hard to live with?
I’m inclined to think the Premier league is really poor quality, but strongly suspect I’m doing the current Aston Villa side a massive disservice.
Our record under Unai the great is almost peerless since his arrival and it surely can’t be a coincidence.
Which is fascinating, seeing as I don’t think we look particularly good.
That said, I do think our performance made this victory.
McGinn was outstanding and is starting to look like that £50 mill player again. Yes, I complained about him eventually, but was confident that he’d come back to his best. Would I take that £50 mill if offered it now? Tempting, but no, I think.
Many other players did well too. I have to say that, because how can you knock anyone when you win by two at the Bridge?
Mings and Konsa did well, as did Watkins, who worked his guts out and got a goal while still managing to look like a totally not natural striker.
Isn’t that something like 5 in his last seven away games or something? I know it is some similar impressive stat.
But the one who perplexed me most and summed Villa up, was Ramsey.
I thought his workrate and yardage was outstanding.
Yet found his final product to be absolute junk.
Normally, I’d be ripping him to pieces and slating him blind, but today I felt we could almost afford him being like that.
The strange thing is it’s the impression I’m getting with the whole side.
We don’t look very good at all, to my eyes overall, yet we quite simply achieve.
I watched most of the game on the Now TV channel, where Andy Townsend was co-commentator and he mentioned how hard we work off the ball. Couple that with the fact that the players know exactly whats expected of them and it would seem we’re onto a winner.
You can say some stats belie the truth, but points on the board are undeniable.
After what seems like months in eleventh place, we’re now up to ninth.
And looking good, from my perspective.
UTV!
Comments
76 responses to “Chelsea 0 – 2 Villa; Half expected”
It’s all a bit weird. I think we look crap, but we keep getting results.
You just can’t knock it, albeit it scares the crap out of me at times.
Potter I rate him too but there’s a major flaw with his teams…
For whatever reason they don’t score goals, play as much pretty football as you like, that’s the only stat that counts.
It was the same story at Brighton.
Work with a Chelsea fan who asked what I thought?
I replied you lot can’t score so I reckon 2-0 to Villa.
God how I love being right 🤣
It’s about containment and being clinical the other end.
As they say Badger “beauty being in the eye of the beholder”
Well behold the mighty Aston Villa ( coming soon to take 3 points at ground near you 😁).
Don’t you think McGinn just has to be the hardest midfield player in the prem?
You can see the opposition basically sh***Ing themselves, they just bounce of him.
He so robust and physical as well as technicaly gifted.
Not many modern players would have been able to compete with the midfield generals of yesteryear but this guy certainly would.
Agreed.
A modern day Roy Keane?
Yes, he’s tough and can put his foot in, taking some players out of the game, but it’s his workrate for me. It shines through for Scotland and it’s feeding back to his Villa game too.
Just compare the difference to when the previous idiot was in charge.
It’s night and day.
Absolutely mate.
Square pegs for square holes.
Football’s a pretty simple game but some people overthink it and try to be far far too clever.
Badger and Ron…all you say is spot on…..I said that Chelsea were running rings around us but just no end product and told a Baggie fan yesterday that Potters teams just cant score….didnt stop me from a bout of the Ab Dabs in 2nd half though….
Leicester up next and we owe them one after they beat us 4-2. I don’t know if Kamara will be available after being substituted. He looked a bit off the pace and between him and Martinez messing up again at the back, we should have conceded but Mudryk (£88m) fluffed the opportunity plus another simple one later on.
We certainly seem to be luckier under Emery. Is it that saying that you make your own luck or will the luck even itself out over time?
A few weeks ago I thought it was going to be a dull mid table finish to the season but now is Europe a realistic possibility?
Kamara seemed to take a strong knock, Holte.
Hopefully he’ll be ok.
Re Emery, I don’t think it’s luck.
Yes, agreed, you make your own, but players knowing what they’re supposed to be doing helps and it’s why I think the scouser will never, ever, make a decent manager.
Clueless is the word and I’m struggling to emphasise it enough.
Badger, I also like Potter but I love the Villa – no contest there – and, yes, I’m not sure Chelsea is the right gig for him.
Villa were frighteningly clinical today and, at times, their play in transition from defence to attack was outstanding. Given how much defending they had to do their willingness to commit numbers in attack was quite startling. They were disciplined and well organised in defence and, as you say, Martinez was back to his best.
What we are seeing, I believe, is the difference between an elite coach and a good one.
I was impressed with the post match comments of McGinn and Watkins. The former was supportive of Gerrard’s influence and saying that he had let Gerrard down with his own form. Watkins said he had learnt to be more selective around how to use his energy in making the right runs rather than chasing all over the pitch plus relying on his team mates to provide the chances.
Both, I think, have benefited massively from Emery’s experience as a coach.
McGinn, man of the match for me and great to see him scoring for Villa – hope that opens the floodgates.
Now to reinforce the win by taking nothing for granted against Leicester.
That’s a good point about the transition, Hitch.
It struck me that we can look terrible in defence, yet one simple ball has us tearing up the pitch with a style that is frankly bloody hard to live with.
This is where Ollie shines, imo.
Yes some of his choices and efforts are shocking. But I feel he’s exactly what you want and he suits our game.
I like to think of him as a Gabby, but with a bit more of a brain.
I keep going back to that defending.
Yes, I think we did okay.
But I keep thinking that a decent side would have torn us a new one.
And then, I’m wondering how many decent sides there are, in reality?
Man City, yes, erm and that’s it, I think.
Arse are not clinical and can be beaten.
And then I go back, yet again, to the fact that the Prem is really not very good.
The world is our lobster and I’m already beginning to wonder where we might have finished if we’d got rid of the idiot sooner.
Badger that’s just soo wrong, his first touch for the chance he missed was sublime.
And Gabby was lazy mate, full of pace but in character
( imo) a totally different animal.
Watkins is the consummate professional, something I feel, Gabby never was.
Chalk and cheese mate
Gabby scored some great goals, but was thick as mince as a player, imo.
Watkins has scored some great goals. But also makes lots of shocking decisions and misses lots of sitters.
Neither are/were natural goal-scorers.
But I do like Ollie. His workrate takes out defenders.
I suspect he’s the first name on Emery’s teamsheet, put it that way.
Yes, Agbonlahor scored some important goals for us over the years. But even at his peak, it always seemed that all he had was sheer pace – outrun the last defenders and try scoring. It worked quite often – but there were so many times where he found himslef with only a keeper to beat, and fluffed his lines.
Watkins is rather better…
Yeah, Ollie’s tirst touch for the first missed chance was incredible! A gorgeous bit of control. McGinns Gerrard comments show just what a quality bloke he is. He didn’t have to be that magnanimous, especially to that complete and utter tool. Shows great character. He and Ollie both said they are starting to understand what Emery wants and it’s paying dividends. We weŕe definitely living dangerously yesterday but held out for a cracking result! I can’t remeber a more exciting end to a season since the MON days. 7th place and no higher for me. One more season with Emery before Europe would work better and equip us for the extra games, and that would also give his new summer signings time to gel. I honestly can’t see any players that make the first team that I’d ship out, Emery has made such a massive coaching difference.
Bloody brilliant stuff. And we have one tasty run in! Just a shame we’re not on NOW TV for the rest of the season after paying for a months bloody subscription!!!
UTV!!!!!!
Apparently Martinez was more than permitted to take a couple more days off, but he rushed straight back from international duty to play yesterday. Cool!!!
Stamford Bridge was the acid test – we passed it. Other away wins without conceding were not a fluke, it is the new norm. I have written before that we used to concede soft goals through comical errors, but Villa never seemed to be the beneficiary of any. Cucurella supplied just the type of gaffe I meant and Watkins took full advantage. Maybe our luck against the big boys is changing also.
Leicester’s defence is disorganised, we should win in what may be a high scoring game. Young to stay at right back. Ash was my MoM v Chelsea, he was up against the best attacking left back/winger Chilwell and did not resort to any shirt pulls or trips just stuck to the task of being no more than half a yard behind.
Bit of information, Aston Villa Ladies playing at 18 45. Are on Sky Witness show case later playing Chelsea ladies ..🕢
Badger
It’s rare I disagree with you. I don’t think the Premier is poor quality. We are seeing the impact of a world elite coach. McGinn summed it up at the end of the match – “we ran”! But this isn’t headless chicken running. There is a clear structure Emery has the team playing within. Watkins said he now saves his energy to run at critical moments rather than everywhere up front. This has been helped by our midfield and wider forward players being given specific roles to allow Watkins to focus on scoring.
What really excites me is when players of better quality are purchased – how far will Emery take us. But in the meantime, I am more than happy with our style of play. The playing out from the back does draw the opposition on to us, creating the space for us to attack. When McGinn hit the crossbar, the build up play was worthy of a goal of the season (if it had gone in).
Emery has won 56% of his Premier matches at Villa. This is incredible. As a fan this feeling of solid optimism built on results sure is better than the last decade plus, since O’Niell.
Not sure about Ramsey’s final product being poor – superb pick out of McGin for him to score.
And this is the beauty of watching football, it’s about personal opinions.
UTV
Roger’s got the flick at Leicester ( could have waited until we’d have played them).
Probably more in a state of disarray than new manager bounce. I’d like a nice dish of revenge please, waiter, with a side order of 3 points.
It’ll be a mess for them for the rest of the season…
Would you like that cold Sir?
😁
Just a heads up that the WSL game Villa v Chelsea is on Sky Showcase tonight and not Sky Witness. Must be a late change Bill.
Am I the only one that has no interest at all in the womens game? Good luck to them, but even if it’s Villa, it doesn’t interest me in the slightest. Sorry!!!!!
No it’s not just you matey,
not remotely interested either.
Must be my age then ?
Sorry Bill but it’s just not for me.
Not for me either! Much like women commentators are not my cup of tea.Barry Davies and Brian Moore. Absolute legends of the mike.
Gabby Yorath and Alex Scott are both brilliant. As for everyone else…And why such a presence in the mens game???
Just in that Chelsea have sacked Potter. Surely they should just have hired a few more managers. The girls are 3-0 down. I know you really want to know.
Just as Conte leaves Spurs 🤔
I wish the Villa women good luck but as far as watching it goes….meh!
And Rodgers is sacked at Leicester!
Will we suffer from ‘new manager bounce’ against them this week?
Nope. They’re in too much of a mess.
That’s harsh on Potter, but he was a terrible choice for that job.
I suspect he only took it because he was offered stupid money and no doubt he’ll have got a ridiculous payoff. I can’t fault him and I’m sure he’ll get a decent job elsewhere.
Rodgers’ dismissal has been coming for a while, because he doesn’t seem to be able to motivate them at all.
I reckon Moyes is next favourite if they don’t keep winning, but everyone at the bottom is rapidly running out of time. Easter is pretty much last chance saloon for changing the manager and even then it’s probably too late usually.
Potter was apparently on £229,180 a week!;
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11918995/Chelsea-boss-Graham-Potter-fourth-best-paid-manager-world-ahead-Thomas-Tuchel.html
Jesus, I’m nearly wetting myself with laughter.
It just confirms the world has gone mad.
No wonder he took the job.
He’s probably got a £20 mill payoff, minimum seeing as he was on a 5 year contract!
See the of potter photo in the mail? Apparently that was when he was given his severance cheque 🤣
He’ll probably end up at Leicester so apart from a bruised ego it’s a win win for Mr Potter.
Yep – must be odds on for the Leicester job.
Anyone else seen these comments from Emery about how he works…….
The Aston Villa coach is almost out of the door when he turns around with a smile to clarify one important point at the end of the interview. Unai Emery, the player, he insists, would never have featured under him. Sent out on loan, he jokes.
The conversation had begun by discussing the young Emery, a talented wide player at Real Sociedad whose progress was stifled by injury. “I was intelligent with good skill in my left foot but there was an infection in my knee after surgery,” he tells Sky Sports.
“I lost two years at 20. That reduced my capacity. I had been a 10 or 11. I finished my career playing as a 3 because I did not have the power in my legs one against one. When the right-back was strong and more aggressive than me, I was a little bit scared.”
Scared, perhaps. But mentally tough. “I played on for 10 years and was very competitive, very proud. I was a bit of a machine as a player. It was my work. I had a family. I needed to get another contract. As a coach, I use my experiences as a player a lot.”
That is the reason for this avenue of conversation. It is an attempt to understand how it came to pass that this willowy winger should develop into arguably the most detailed coach in the Premier League, a man regarded by all who know him as a football obsessive.
Emery, now 51, has a theory on that.
“I grew up thinking that the coaches did not help me to be better with my weaknesses as a player. I started coaching 19 years ago and always I have to remember when I was a player. Why? Because I want to coach them how I would like to have been coached.”
The impact on Aston Villa’s players is undeniable.
With six goals in eight games, Ollie Watkins is in the form of his career. Douglas Luiz and Boubacar Kamara are emerging as a top-class midfield partnership. In defence, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa look solid again, conceding only once in the last four matches.
The result is that a team that had been out of the bottom three on goals scored when Steven Gerrard was sacked in October are now as close to fourth as twelfth. Nine teams are in the relegation mix but Emery’s Villa, with six wins already in 2023, are not among them.
He has found a group eager to learn, aching for instruction. That has helped. Some coaches believe that restricting their input to a few simple messages is the best way. Emery has found a receptive audience for a much greater volume of information.
“I am adding details every day,” he explains.
“Maybe John McGinn can do a different movement, maybe he can drop more. I am trying to learn and then to tell them. In the end, their skill and their mentality is what matters. They are the ones who have to play. But I want to help give them the details.”
But where does that obsession with detail come from?
“My father and grandfather were goalkeepers in Spain. At home, we were four brothers and we all played football but I was the most passionate about it. My only focus was football, football, football. I enjoyed it as a player and I enjoy it even more as a coach.
“I started thinking about coaching when I was very young. I did the courses and I was ready to start my coaching career as soon as I finished playing. More players do that now, trying to prepare before they finish their career, but that was not normal in Spain at the time.
“I was playing for a small club called Lorca on the Mediterranean coast. I replaced the coach there in the middle of the season. My team-mates became my players. I knew them perfectly, the good and the bad. I told them that. It was a very good advantage.”
One wonders whether it is a peculiarly Basque trait, this obsession, given that there are four Basque managers right now in the Premier League. Not just Emery but Mikel Arteta, Julen Lopetegui and Emery’s former Real Sociedad team-mate Javi Gracia.
“I do not know exactly why that is but maybe it is the football there. The Basque people, usually, are responsible and serious. That is my own character. My father was very disciplined every day in his coaching of a small team. I think I am a bit like him.”
Emery claims that “in an international break, I switch off my mind” but it soon emerges that his interpretation of a day off is a little different to others. “I take one or two days to visit my family, speak with friends.” But what do they speak about? Football, he concedes.
Even his lengthy answer that begins with talk of “trying to switch off” soon morphs into a monologue about his current favourite teams to watch in Europe. He name-checks two former clubs, Arsenal and Villarreal, but there are many others mentioned too.
“Of course, Arsenal are playing very well. The biggest thing is how they have created a small family with a good feeling together. They are excited by this opportunity, very committed. That is the difference. They are showing a lot of emotion with the supporters.
“But I like to follow the characteristics of many different teams. For example, now I am impressed with Brighton. There are other teams who are playing with very good ball possession, with patience as well, but Brighton are an example I like a lot.
“In Spain, there is a team in the second division, Andorra. I have been following them.” They have had 68 per cent of possession this season. “Villarreal are playing a way I like with the ball. Napoli are having a big impact in Europe. They are playing amazingly well.”
Possession has been a focus for Villa, not just the volume of it but the manner of it. Thirty per cent more passes in their own half under Emery than under Gerrard places greater demands on the players but the new coach believes the rewards are also greater.
“You have to take risks in football. I am trying to keep possession of the ball. When we have the ball with the goalkeeper, we are starting our build-up. If he is kicking the ball long, some we will win and some we will lose. I prefer to try to keep the ball ourselves.
“The best teams play like this. I always try it with my teams. When I started with Lorca, that was my philosophy 20 years ago. Try to keep possession. If we have the ball, I feel better than being without the ball. My idea is to convince the players with results.”
It has not been straightforward. “We made mistakes against Stevenage, Brighton and Leicester in our build-up.” He acknowledges that “if they are not feeling good it is impossible” and the setbacks can be “a step back because the players will have doubts”.
But when it works, Villa’s players and supporters see a better way forward. They saw it for periods against Leeds and Arsenal at Villa Park, their second goal against the latter starting with Emiliano Martinez. And they saw it in beating Bournemouth last time out.
“The first step, the easiest step, is to organise defensively. That is easier than organising offensively. Trying to break the opposition lines by pressing is more difficult than to sit back. That takes time. But the team is practising, practising and practising.”
That work is all Emery knows.
He concludes with a love letter to the game.
“Tactically, football is amazing. Sometimes it is simple. A player can shoot. Goal. Simple. But to work with the team, to do combinations, that is the difficult bit. To create one team with good spirit, everybody combining with everyone else, that is a lot of work.
“One coach I had once told me that the pitch is very big so there are a lot of ways to win, left or right, deep or high. And you are not doing it with the hands like in handball or basketball, you are doing it with your feet. That is not so easy to control.
“It really is an amazing game.”
For Emery, from boy to man, player to coach, the obsession endures.
Leicester. Spuds. Chelski. All with no manager. Woy called in to rescue Palace. Everton likely to drop. What a mess the PL is in. All because teams gamble on PL TV money. If Forest sack Cooper they’ll go into freefall. How many other teams with stand in managers too…?
Hammers. Leeds. All very messy, but for those outside of those clubs it’s quite exciting!
Sky described our match as a mid table clash, which technically it’s what it was but was about so much more than that! For us, staying under the radar especially with all the other PL turmoil going on, it was about going from the bottom 3 (which we temporarily dropped into under Gerrard) to 6th. And in addition to the incredible relegation battle we have Arse and Citeh punching it out forbthe title.
I’ve rarely known a more interesting end to a season.
Any news on Kamera? Was he injured on Saturday? We need him back for Tuesday!!! Tomorrow night!!!! 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
UTV!
When asked about substituting Kamara, Emery said he felt Kamara didn’t look right even before he took a knock getting his yellow card. Emery also said he had seemed OK in training so I wonder whether it’s his original injury?
Haven’t seen anything else but I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t start tomorrow.
Agreed. That Palace injury was appalling. Glad to see Viera get the sack after turning them into a dirty team that echoed his playing days.
If you look closely he said as much to Martinez, I think Emery had read that and made a change .
I must say it’s a beautiful feeling not having to worry about relegation at all with 10 games to go. The players can really now relax and play with no fear, I think the Chelsea game just showed that. The confidence and trust the players had with each other was a joy to watch and although there were some heart in mouth moments I always felt we would do enough to win the game. In terms of clear cut chances for all the possession and shots they had I thought we matched them in that stat. Ollie should have scored early, Mcginn hitting the bar. We were very efficient and picked our moments cleverly. Mix that with work rate and concentration and we have a winning formula. Another test tomorrow. Maddison seems to always turn up against us but no Tielemans is a boost. Will they be shot or will they get that manager less boost? A win tomorrow and we’re right in the mix for Europe albeit with a difficult run-in. I just dont want this bubble to burst it feels so good after the Gerrard disaster.
Adam, just a thought: IF Emery were to mastermind a Smith style 10 game winning run, top 4 is still ON (based on the points accrued by the teams finishing 4th in past seasons). One game at a time. Each one a cup-final, but with no fear or pressure. What a great position to be in!
I think they’ll be a mess tomorrow. Can’t wait for KO.
Great interview with Emery. ‘Aching for instruction’. Seems not all footballers are as thick as mince. We can see their desire to learn and it’s proving correct with our results!
Absolutely, Bum Bum. To be fair to Smith (I’m mentioning him a lot recently), one of the first things he said about his players is that they were ‘coachable’; they do seem a good bunch with some great characters there. Now they’ve added that winning mentality it’s all coming together.
With regards to Leicester, they may well be a mess. OR, and Emery needs to guard against this, they may have the type of bounce Villa had when Gerrard exited – the reason I think this is there was more than a suggestion that Rogers lost the dressing room, and definitely a number of the fans. A cloud may have lifted now he’s gone and Leicester may play with freedom and want to prove a point. Villa need to put them under pressure and get an early goal – then, they may well crumble. If they get the first goal, with a rowdy evening crowd, it might be a tough evening!
DON’T MENTION THE VILLA!
John Cleese may have started it in Fawlty Towers. It is something of a standing joke in “The Game” – the pull out football pages of The Times. The idea is to write a match report which only mentions Villa’s opponents, even when Villa win. Martin Samuel and Henry Winter are two heavyweight football writers, and between them they had 3/4 of a double page spread yesterday to fill about Chelsea 0-2 Villa. Also, the entire front page with 4 photos of Potter.
They managed to avoid writing ‘Ollie Watkins’ completely, and John McGinn appears once as a photo caption. Arteta gets 3 mentions and he manages neither team, Ranieri and Nagelsmann once each but no Unai Emery.
Ever wondered what a ghost writer does? He manages to explain why 5 Premiership teams have been beaten at home by …. 11 invisible men.
Makes you sick, eh? If Emery keeps this going, these clowns will have no choice but to mention the Villa…
OLL – I totally agree with you.
It seems to me that most of these writers are London centric plus the Barcodes and the Manc clubs.
Birimingham – never heard of it mate!
Well here’s a word to the ‘wise’ – better get your Road atlas out because you’re going to need it.
UTV
Bloody hell Hitch I’ve been saying that for years, even had player’s refuse the midlands for the limelight in London and Manchester. Things are going to change and for the better, get rid of ref’s that are bias and that dope Southgate who up the FA backside. Our day is coming I’m sure of that.
On another note, it’s a shame an ex-Villa pro Tommy Hitz is backing men to play in women’s leagues in Germany. Sad times for our ladies (even if I don’t watch!).
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65085345
I wrote a response Bum Bum and decided that in the realms of inclusivity free speech, no matter how objective, reasonable or reasoned it might be, no longer remains as an option.
All the more reason to stand up for those perfectly reasonable opinions. Did you see the massively burly male weight-lifter enter the womens competition this week to smash their records to make a point on how ridiculous it all is? His beard was bigger than McGinn’s arse! 😁
Sounds like some Greecian God that is half man and well…
Half man (-:
Shame, Hitch. I’d like to hear your objective, reasonable and reasoned view. All I’ll say is I think that women will have something to say about it, as in athletics, and well done Lord Coe for giving a perfectly sound and reasonable explanation why this wasn’t allowed in athletics. Finally, and on a more practical note, would Tommy like to explain if the trans women get to use the same dressing rooms and showers as the women? As for ‘Der Hammer’, on this particular subject, misguided, unlike his shooting. All my opinion, of course.
I’ll say something about it.
This bloody modern sex thing is a total joke and shouldn’t be allowed.
Calling single people “them” is just insulting to me.
You’re born a man or a woman and that’s it, for me.
I actually agree with some “woke” stuff, but that’s going beyond what this site is about.
Suffice to say, I believe there’s a men’s game and a women’s game.
The two shouldn’t mix, full stop.
I see it as even more important in men’s football, in particular, because there is a unique tribality and a relief from being with women, that no other sport provides, imo.
Is it a last bastion?
I suspect it possibly is and it’s being neutered by allowing women to be involved.