Truth time it is then and the reality is that I didn’t really expect to win this one.
Yes, I said I was confident on here, but I was telling the lads at work that I’d be very happy with the draw.
I think it stems from the criticism a while back, that the site was overly negative and me not wanting it to seem like that.
That said, my overall confidence is genuine and when we’ve been achieving results, well, you just can’t be negative, can you? There’s also no better time to be optimistic.
Anyway, the point of my admission is to say that I don’t believe this was a bad result.
Apart from the fact that our excellent run had to end sometime, it’s also no disgrace losing to a good Fulham side that have an excellent record at home.
Of course, it wasn’t a good result either, but what’s more important is how we bounce back from it.
In that sense, I think we’ll be ok.
What’s more disconcerting is that the performance was pretty disjointed.
There’s the valid excuse that we missed Grealish and Adomah, but that makes it a bit worrying that the team seems so reliant on them to make us creative.
Then again, losing two of your best players against a team performing very well, will always be a big problem and while Steve Bruce shuffled the team round to try and adapt, so it didn’t really work and he might have to look for another solution.
So what’s the point of this post?
The truth is I don’t really know and I’m just musing on the possibilities.
Much depends on how long both Grealish and Adomah are out, particularly together, as we could probably stand just one of them being out of the side.
Get at least one back in and things will be better.
But as it stands, both are looking doubtful for the Preston game, which will make that one another tough contest.
I’m not offering any thoughts as to what we should do to try to remedy things, as the manager is very much his own man and will do what he wants, regardless of what we think.
And I’ve no reason to doubt him anyway, as we’re still sat in a very decent position, as much as these latest injuries might make things immediately more difficult.
“Twists and turns”, I keep reminding myself.
It’s what makes the Championship such an interesting league.
And frankly, much better than the Prem, I’m finding more and more.
well in summer when grealish is approached with all kinds of great offers. we missed out on promotion cause we are shit. we have this wonderful youth team to get us promoted next season. as long as we don’t run into better teams like peterbro
i think you will find our team didn’t lose to fulham because we tired, it was more down to being beaten by a better team on the day.
Not Villa man city out of cup Wigan 1 -0
city have bigger fish to fry didnt we beat wigan this year with the cup team that lost to peterbro. what does that mean wigan are better than city and we are better than wigan but peterbro are better than us
Are you sure your feeling better Nath.what sort of question is that. Millions of pounds fail to beat a two pence club , It’s the FA cup, the best cup in the world to some. Well done Wigan.
let me ask my mates tomorrow fa cup or champions league lol i think i know their answer
if we had grealish against fulham. it would have been a totally different game. villa would have been as dangerous as we have been lately. fulham were weakest in defence. but without grealish we hadn’t the ability to exploit this. we still had chances,
fulham for 2nd thats stretching things just cause they beat a weakened villa that hardly qualifies them for 2nd. they have 4 tough games to come. cardiff deserve to pinch 2nd they have been up their all season.
we should aim for the playoffs much more fun / plus we should aim to stay in this league and blood the youth next year when we have to reduce wages further
I think most on here would agree that Grealish coming back is key to promotion, and we have no one on his level to come in when he is injured. Tuanzebe looks a good acquisition based on his debut. Onomah is no better than our own in my opinion. Spurs were in rush to recall him. Still with the amount of money we have spent, we should be able to cope against most teams, even without Grealish and Adomah.
One thing I haven’t missed about premier league, apart from the excitement of reaching the magical 40 points, are the overpaid prima donnas and the Sky love in with the top six. I haven’t watched much premier league football since we were relegated, and bizarrely I haven’t missed it. I have enjoyed watching championship football, and footballers who are more down to earth, and closer to the fans. When we beat Sheffield United I noticed the rapport between players and supporters, and enjoy the on pitch interviews. Anyway come on Villa, let’s get promoted so we can make the up the 14 teams avoiding relegation.
what is the point lets miss out and stay competitive in the championship. some of our fans don’t know how to lose. we lose one game in nine and some fans want to comit hari kiri.
i dont rate the spuds player, but the utd loanee is only a kid, but look at him. physically hes man mountain, he is strong and fast. compare him to out kids and you cant tell me ours are as 1st team ready as he is.
so if you were manager would you play our not quite ready youth players or utd and spuds youth. bare in mind if you played ours and you lost more games you would be sacked
the spuds loanee isnt a bad player, he just hasn’t fitted in at villa way. harry kane went out on loan a few times and failed to make the grade. but look at him now. the going out on loan is about settling in to another club, other systems,playing with other players.
its all character building, omomah will probably be a better player for his experience of this season. being his first, he has been playing total football at spuds under23 and comes to villa where he will not see much ball. then he at spuds he has better players around him and all offer themselves, at villa he hasnt understood our philosophy. but i have noticed he and grealish have a good understanding.
Rushian Hepburn-Murphy – 8
Hepburn-Murphy’s header to give Villa the lead was superb. He darted in between two giant central defenders to meet Bree’s cross, and just wanted it more.
The former Aston Manor school pupil played as an orthodox No.9 tonight and was a constant menace.
His delightful through ball allowed Blackett-Taylor to double his own tally and grab a crucial third for Villa on the stroke of half-time.
Callum O’Hare – 9
Another fine showing from Villa’s main man and he grabbed the goal it deserved with a close-range header.
Everything went through the little midfielder, as it always does, and he sent a clear message to Steve Bruce, who had his trusted lieutenants Steve Agnew, Stephen Clemence and Gary Walsh watch tonight’s match.
fa cup means very little to so many clubs. its not just my opinion, but those of many. you have to make it the competition it used to be. by offering the winners a champions league place instead of finishing fourth in the league. then all the top clubs will play their best teams. fans will flock to watch it. instead you have teams resting their players all through each rounds. its getting like the league cup which should be renamed the reserves cup.
as for our fantastic youth team. if they played these kids how long would it be before they are overly criticised. i mean look back weeks at the posts poor davis who was alone up front for months. holding up play against seasoned pros. their were loads slating him for not scoring. and he is more ready than the others. unless they have improved 10folds since peterbrowhich i doubt. the standards of their league is dog shi. i bet we would all look good with nobody tackling you or pressing you
Lineup tonight.. lacks imagination imo..i mean onomah! Come on hes been awful.. they may prove me wrong but i cant see past a draw.
no real surprises in the set up. looks like they are playing 5 in midfield. which player is playing the free role grealish role. is it onomah ? birkir ?or are they going to take turns to join hogan in attack.
Be very surprised if we win looking at the line up… we’ve reverted to the Bruce school of caution at all costs again.
Onomah starting has to be some kind of joke, he couldnt look less interested if he tried. Just seeing him at Fulham on Saturday you could see there’s a clear ego and attitude issue – he thinks he’s bigger than the club.
Lansbury or Grabban should have started
Looks like Bruce has picked a team set up not to lose and pinch a goal. Lacking creativity in midfield. Agree with those who think Lansbury or Grabban should be playing instead of Onomah. Hope he proves me wrong. Why is Whelan on bench again 😡 completely pointless. If Elmo is fit he should be starting, if not he shouldn’t be on bench. I feel for Snodgrass because Preston will know if they stop him then there is no one else who will support Hogan. Don’t know what our youngsters have to do to even make the bench. I’m going to predict 1-1 because Preston are going well and pushing for play offs.
confidence is sapping around here. everybody was praising the new coach saying hes made massive difference. i say it was mostly down to grealish the improvement on movement, there is no shame in being one man team, if in doubt pass to grealish, shit no grealish panic HIT IT
looking at the this side on paper. no pace except up front. very little down the sides. no craft in midfield or wide. we are at home and expected fans will want attacking. i cant see it being flowing. jedinak i love but he isnt mobile whelen has to be a improvement. birkir i think is gonna be playing the grealish role. thats like never gonna happen, but he has come to villa with a good record for scoring goals. he has a chance to impress
onomah is mom first two minutes
looks lime onomah is plying the floating role
birkir good pile driver
Good start.
snodgrass might be injured nooooooooooo