If you’ve read my replies in previous posts recently, you might have seen that I was invited to attend this game with a Derby workmate.
I’d have had to sit in the Derby seats, but that would have been ok, as the last time I did the same, we beat Derby in their first home defeat at Pride park. Some of you might remember that Dwight Yorke got the 1-0 winner with a penalty, after he might possibly have been sent off.
I can’t say I remember the possible sending-off, but it’s wrankled with the Derby fan, even after all this time and it still makes me chuckle when he reminds me of it. Heh heh.
The invite still applied as of today and I quite fancied it, but have had to decline.
After having been beaten by the snow on Sunday, I also had to take yesterday off work for personal reasons.
Hence my stupidly old-fashioned work ethic tells me that I’ve taken too much time off work already this week, and I’d be taking the proverbial.
There’s also an ulterior motive to be honest, as I don’t see us getting anything at all from this game and the overdue return banter from the Derby fan would probably be more than I could bear straight after the finish.
So what do we know?
On Derby’s part, Gary Rowett has confirmed that Tom Lawrence is out after suffering ankle ligament damage, yet he might be back in a week’s time.
Eh? What does that mean in English then? A bit of a bruise?
Whatever, that’s it and apart from that, they have a full squad to choose from.
Lucky them, I say.
As for us, we all know the score and it seems we have half the squad out at the moment.
The good news is that Mile jedinak might be available and I’d expect him to start, if it’s at all possible.
Hogan’s probably available too.
Oh and Gabby is also close. Hmm.
I’d expect Hogan to start, purely just to take some of the pressure off Young Davis, even though I’m not convinced it’s a good idea. It makes sense that you want someone who can play off the big kid, but is anyone convinced that Hogan is the man to get us goals? I’m afraid I just don’t see it, especially against a very decent Derby side that are going to put us under serious pressure.
Given that I see us under that pressure, there’s a good chance that Steve Bruce will play ultra cautious in playing Jedinak alongside Whelan, which would probably mean we go one up top and try not to concede.
Two hopes, but there you go, in my opinion.
I’m afraid I can’t see anything beyond a defeat and I’m going for a 0-2.
Of course, I live in hope and I’d love to be proved totally wrong.
Even if it’s only so I don’t get bantered to death for the next couple of weeks.
UTV
If anybody asked me what would I want I would say promotion, Owen I’ve seen the goods days, i worked at the Villa, i was born under the roof of the place, it hurt to see us go down even when we dropped two divisions, i can remember the time we got back I was the chap that ran down to the dressing room to give them the news that Middlebough had lost and it meant we was up, so you can imagine seeing games like Derbys it maddening to say the least, I’ve followed them abroad numerous times even with Villa and GT to the European game, its my love and it hurts seeing them like they are now. I hope your right Owen.
promotion was a realistic goal for this season. i feel we have enough good players and youth players to make a team. bruce has got by making us solid and able to wear out the opposition. trouble now it seems that the oppositions have worked us out. we are not unable to step it up and change tact slightly. whether this is down to injuries or just being found out.
if we don’t get promoted this season, we are just going to be another fallen giant. our advantages of being bigger and better will count for nothing. unless the owners take a massive hit in their money and keep this sort of wages outgoing on squad. truth is they will not take the burden of failure and why should they. all the players on big wages will have to go and reduction of the squad is inevitable. i don’t mind myself as this means introduction of the youth which i wanted from the day we went down. in a ideal world we got promoted this year and the owner had the chance to hire a decent manager and we then able to buy better players to try establish ourselves where we belong in the top flight of english football
I’d probably not be so critical if he would start playing O’Hare if he’s short on strikers, but he’s stubborn thinks he knows it all, fans are now questioned if he knows what to do. I want out of championship as soon as we can , hes had time to do it and failed.
players like ohare and mckirdy are not ready for 1st team. but they could be fast tracked if they have the ability, which they do. they could be introduced last 10 then last 20. when a occasion comes about when you lose the whole strike force then mckirdy and ohare have more experience and more able to step in. of the two ohare is the most likely to progress into the first team. but i have reservation about introducing him into this set up, because its too negative. the team is not set up for our attacking flare. they are restricted and that is not the right environment for the new youth to come into
yesterday grealish was our best player. he needs players making runs ahead of him. which we didnt have. ohare does make them runs but if he wasnt pencilled in to make the weekends game early in week. he would have probably taken part in the under 23. so he would have probably been unable to bruce. sounds like davis was taken ill within 24 hours of kick off. but bruce should have been able to adjust and prepare a better team.
keep repeating this but onomah isnt a supporting striker and he definitely not a main striker. bruce should have had adomah play the striker role. have him run in behind then grealish, snodgrass and onomah would have all had somebody a target to aim for. instead the crosses were aimed at nobody. we had loads of ball just outside box. yet not many attempts at goal. we seem to have had no actual plan on breaking the derby defence, the amount of balls we passed back from promising areas tells me the players were not sure on the plans as well
Why can’t we not play Onomah….what have Spurs said that means we have to play him.what can be so nasty as surely the rest of the team know what it is and it must be bad for team spirit when he is crap and still plays.
its in spuds best interest that onomah plays he will improve. so they agree to send him to a team like villa. under the agreement he plays if fit. nobody knows the real small prints in the contract. but many have come to the same conclusions. because no way should he be playing, as he is not productive.
onomah is stopping players like grealish getting into the team. nobody think onomah is any where near the quality of grealish in the attacking position just behind the striker. yet thats where he has been playing, at grealish expense. ohare should be on the bench getting valuable minutes under his belt. for the same position. but onomah is taking the position for no good reason
Nath, this is where I disagree, 18 -19 best years of your life, they are eager willing you don’t shut youngsters out as being not ready, you went into the army ,you fly plane’s they will run the socks off, you have to take that chance or you will be another Bruce. I say give youth a chance when you are in the mire.
its ok to disagree i don’t mind. but i have watched under21 and now 23 its not the same as the 1st team. you watched the under 18 midweek. i think they are not physically up to the 1st team. takes some players longer, as in davis he is 6 foot 3 inch so he was already a big lad but he struggled with the 1st team games. bare in mind he has played non league also. its a big step for these youth team. they are pampered unlike years ago. saying this ohare and mckirdy have trained with 1st team and this will be their introduction. they are competing already for starting slots. ohare has got game time. he could be introduced more from the bench, but onomah is blocking the path. this is football you fight for you chance so when you get the chance you are ready to take it
And Bruce is not doing that is he, you know and i know them lads will be sold to make way for other young guns, Villa makes money out of academy players, i watch a lot of school lads my own grandson it he smallest of the under 12 s he tackles lads that are bigger and he knocked in 56 goals size don’t bother him he gets stuck in, I’m guessing them lads need to be shown and knowing they are well aware of what’s in front of them. Give youth a chance I say.
i want the youth to get in don’t miss understand me. but they need to be prepared properly because they get in too soon it can totally ruin their career. both the players you mentioned and others are being prepared correctly. you can be assured of that. bruce has seen the quality and he has introduced a lot of the youth to train with the first team. that is as good as the games. what is annoying is players like onomah if he has a clause inserted to allow him to play even when he shouldn’t be. because he is directly in the way of players like grealish and ohare both i feel as better than him in THAT position,
onomah isn;t a bad player he just isn’t as good as them in that position at this present time. he isn’t better than the two deeper midfielder. or he isn’t better than the wide men. so he clearly shouldn’t be playing. in my opinions. he should be on the bench at best and thats taking a position from our kids.
But what happens if we dont play him enough……is it a financial forfeit.
i don’t know and i am guessing about the clause. maybe somebody else can answer this. andrew knows stuff like this. it could be financial or might just be a recall back to spuds.
i hope Anthony Joshua gets the sports personality