Well, I’m truly happy to say I called this one totally wrong.
I didn’t get to the game and only got to listen to the WM commentary for the final half hour or so.
We were missing chance after chance and it seemed like it wasn’t going to be our day, as I could see Derby catching us with a sucker punch.
It wasn’t to be though and it was great to hear that McGinn had scored. Imagine my joy when the goal was soon followed by a second and then a third!
And then, to cap it all, the WM commentators were saying that this was easily our best performance this season and even our best performance in a very long time.
On the face of it, it would seem that Dean Smith can indeed get the team to produce top performances that have previously been so lacking, as much as the players look good on paper.
What excites me about that and has me licking my lips in anticipation, is if he can get us to play to the max, there’s probably more to come.
And given that we could possibly have beaten a side that were being touted as one to watch this season by six or seven goals on their own turf, that bodes really well. You would expect that this result has made the rest of the league sit up and take notice.
After the final whistle, I spoke to my Derby mate (who had called me pre-match, to wish us the best of luck for the rest of the season, “after we’ve annihilated you”).
His opinion was that the first half could have been 2-2, but in the second half they were sh*te and we played really well, fully deserving the result. He’s quite balanced when it comes to footy.
Then, I specifically asked what he thought about Grealish and the reply was interesting.
His opinion is that he’s a decent player, but goes down way too easily.
I pointed out that he gets us a lot of free kicks, but unprompted, he said “maybe, but he slows down your game far too much and ruins your impetus”. He went on to say that all our best play happened when he wasn’t actually involved and he’d probably be more suited to the Premier league.
It’s certainly a valid viewpoint and one I touched on last week, where some Villa fans would be sympathetic.
Not that I’m criticising.
How can you, after such a brilliant result?
Best of all though, is that this is a massive confidence booster, not long before the blues game, where up until now, I’d been having nagging doubts that we’d win against them.
The bonus is that we’ve moved above them in the league on goal difference.
Three goals away, to a team on a roll, with a clean sheet thrown in, has made my weekend.
It’s as simple as that.
So I hear Pat, its the likes of Walker, Delp, I do like that Sancho but Sterling winds me up, McGuire worries me I mean why throw Rooney in for that game its the old boy’s helping the old boy’s. we are going to get thumped one day I feel it.
Personally I hope that getting into semi-finals becomes a habit and perhaps one day England might go one better.
One thing that struck me about the Nations League is around the so-called ‘minnows’. In other competitions they’re usually drawn against better teams and get regularly thumped. In this they’re playing against teams they stand a chance of beating. A good format all around I feel.
Love it!
Any cup where the Germans get only 2 out of a possible 12 points is perfect in my opinion.
Have you seen the new deal about the games on EFL. Sky have agreed a 595 million deal till 2024 on all games cup and league. Its now started a war with other clubs, Villa Leeds and others are opposed to the deals that’s been agreed.
Bill, I really do think the top Championship clubs have a point in that the deal undervalues their TV / image rights to the benefit of Sky and does not provide an adequate or equitable financial platform for them to challenge the Premier League clubs.
This is all about the EFL and their statement pretty much confirms that no discussions have taken place with the clubs about the structure of the deal that they would find acceptable.
We might not like it but TV coverage is the future and profiteering at the expense of those clubs that create the most TV revenue is not acceptable.
The EFL work on the basis of serfdom in that the clubs have ‘no where to go’ but they under estimate the collective financial clout of owners that now exist within the Championship. The next few days / weeks are going to be interesting.
Certainly is Hitch, 35% increase and its left the likes of Bt in the shadow of competitive negotiations. Sky has run away with football that we will now feel lost at weekend’s and also Hitch settlement on games Wednesdays Thursday and Friday’s. Hitch, I feel the will be a break away and another league formed over this.