You’ve no doubt realised that I don’t generally get too carried away when it comes to the Villa.
I see and hear younger people saying they’re much more positive all the time and my daughter is a good example, where she was fairly convinced we’d beat Arsenal, which for me is always a very big ask.
No doubt it comes from witnessing years of disappointment, doesn’t it?
And hopefully the younger generations won’t have to suffer in the way us old ‘uns have.
Certainly things are looking very positive at the moment, with someone on here pointing out that we’ve beaten Liverpool, Leicester and Arsenal already.
That’s no mean feat for any club, let alone the Villa, who have long been the whipping boys for the top 6.
So with me already feeling pretty upbeat, it gave me great pleasure to read an article that actually listed our next seven games.
Here they are;
Nov 21 Villa – Brighton
Nov 30 West Ham – Villa
Dec 5 Villa – Newcastle
Dec 12 Wolves – Villa
Dec 15 Villa – Burnley
Dec 19 West Brom – Villa
Dec 26 Villa – Palace
Now the question is, given our excellent start up to now, how many of those look winnable?
I’ll be dead straight with you and frankly it terrifies me, because just the same as all of us, I’m worried about being too confident and just, well, you know, jinxing things.
I really shouldn’t say it, but looking at that list, I think six of those games are very winnable. I won’t say which one might be a step too far, but I suspect many of you can guess.
I’m kicking myself, telling myself I’m talking rubbish, but I keep looking at that list and I really can’t fault my thinking.
That’s some turnaround, when you consider how poor we were last season.
Okay, I’ll get more reasonable and say to myself that good things just don’t happen to us.
Realistically I’m going to say we will win four of those games.
That would put us on twenty seven points. Which is three quarters safe. At Christmas. How good would that be?
Yet I still think we will win more.
I haven’t considered any draws, so things might even be better.
But what a cracking run of games that is and it’s looking quite exciting for even a pretty miserable sod like me.
I won’t put a dampener on things and mention the games that follow, but we have to get the tough ones at some stage, I suppose.
And what a shame we’ve got another load of international games beforehand that no-one is the slightest bit interested in.
Never mind.
I know a few of you love a poll, so I’ll put one up and you can indicate how many points we’ll get in that run.
I’ve voted for 12 then, just to be realistic, as I’ve said.
But I think I ought to get one of you lot round the house to give me a slap.
I’m being far too optimistic, I’m sure.
about time the poll returned, i thought we would win at arsenal just cause there game suited us. we are not a bad side this season. i look through the fixtures posted and voted too. but the games i fear there are palace and wolves just cause there tactics clash with ours meaning we are both trying to counter. palace and wolves are masters of that tactic, i would still believe we could get a positive result in them two but it will be harder and add brighton too that difficult list, but they aren’t a countering side as say
If teams like Arsenal stand off and give us time on the ball we have the skills to beat them. Leeds and Southampton knew how to play us, closing down as soon as we got the ball in midfield. I can see other teams in that list that will do the same.
leeds and southampton did a little more than just close down us down in midfield. they both overwhelmed us on the counter attack combined with high pressing. leeds committing as many as 10 outfield players to attack and saints also went overboard sending players to attack,but not as extreme as leeds.
but they didnt do that cause they played the mighty villa, that is their dna that is how they play. it wasn’t no master plan / tactic they implemented just for us. i watched leeds do exact same in all their games and saints have played like they did against us, for all of their games too.
Smith, in a recent press interview made – in my view – two telling comments.
First, he said the Southampton game was unusual given the three goals scored from dead ball situations, two of which were from long range. He acknowledged we didn’t play well first half but that it was never a 4-0 game (before we scored)and he didn’t feel that defensively we played badly (others can comment I didn’t see the game) Statistically, he’s probably right but then us winning 7-2 against Liverpool was also a ‘freak’ result.
Second, he admitted to getting the tactics wrong against Leeds which contributed to our defeat. With our tactics wrong and Bumford having ‘one of those days’ it resulted in the perfect storm.
Southampton are a good side who can beat anyone and currently have the ‘eye’ over us and we got it badly wrong against Leeds.
The point is that these games don’t define our season nor do they show or demonstrate that we have slipped backwards defensively.
Three away games including Leicester and Arsenal with no goals conceded and three wins says more imho than those two defeats.
UTV
i heard hitch smiths take on the soton game. i never question managers as they know tons more than me. but i am sorry i totally disagreed with his take on that game. saints blew villa away and second half i believe they tried to shut up shop and villa players did raise their game. but first half they pinned us back with high pressing and overwhelming men committed to countering. we couldn’t get out of our own 20 before they stole the ball. but again i watched saints loads too they did the same to everton and newcastle thats just two of the last three we was the third.
i have to admit for the leeds game,i knew the right tactic to beat them,but i knew we would try to go toe to toe. i also would have gone the same way if i had been smith. just cause we haven’t the players to be sitting deep and countering like foxes and palace did.
sometimes you have to play to your strengths hitch, even if you know its not ideal tactic to combat the opposition
Nath, I can’t agree on the Southampton game. They had 4 efforts on target and scored 4 goals and they were mostly of our making. 9 times out of 10 they get 1 goal not 4, although they do have a fantastic set piece taker and an excellent striker.
We’re going to be up and down this season, best not too get too expectant when we win or too down when we lose, gonna be a hell of a ride
Good post 👍… I’ve gone for 14 points. I’m thinking 4 wins, 2 draws and a defeat along the way. If we show the team effort and dominance that we showed against Arsenal against all those teams we could realistically win them all but we all know that isn’t going to happen so I just hope we show that form more often than not from here on in. If there is ever a season to spring a surprise and get in the top 6 its this season! Who knows!?
I’ve gone for 10-13 given that an average of 2 points per game is top 6 territory.
Of course, if we want to maintain that sort of average through the season then we probably need to be targeting something like 16 over this run of fixtures.
The other unknown factor is injuries and / or suspensions which might completely derail us.
As you say Badger – this is the Villa we’re discussing and over confidence has proved to be soul destroying of late.
Gone with 10…..West Ham scare me….mind you they did last season and nowt happened….lol
10-13 points seems most realistic to me – you have to factor in injuries or suspensions as the season goes on though. With our first 11 we can take on and beat even the best in this league now as we’ve proved but heaven forbid we lose 2 or 3 key players then the substitute options are IMO weaker than our mid table rivals. Lets hope for more luck on the injuries front this year.
I’ve gone for 9 points because like Badger we have been down this road before for everything to go pear shaped. Hitch is right that our first eleven is good enough to beat most. I think we will be extremely lucky to go through the next seven games without injuries or suspensions. If we lose Grealish or Watkins for example, we could struggle to get goals.
I prefer to be pessimistic and be pleasantly surprised when things go well.
thou them defeats were hard to take at the time. i believe they wasn’t in vain cause we made more improvements to the balance of the team. against arsenal we could have score many more than the three, but we were never overstretching ourselves. our defense was never breached except once in the first half. we controlled the ball and worked arsenal and snuffed them out when they were trying to put the pressure on. we have said many times over the years we are a team of individuals, this season our team is now full of team players. you can see the unselfishness players doing their jobs and working hard to help their team mates. this team i believe can keep going, we are not just gonna fade away back to the bottom.
but like i said before the start of season. injuries could be our biggest danger. that is only way i see our wheels falling off. scary part for the other teams is villa players are all still learning and potential is not reached
It could be the season for busting our jinxes – three down to date. So far we have: thrashed the reigning champions; won a night match in London; won a game refereed by John Moss.
The next ghost to be busted is our famous midwinter slump. The fixtures above also conclude with a double hex, not only midwinter but at Selhurst.
This is a different Villa – playing on the front foot to the end and without a Muppet in green. They could go on a roll. 13 points for me.
the hex i want broken is manure, so long have they enjoyed rub of the green against us, so long they have been blessed with referee who where bad time keeping and bad decision makers. my only sorrow is it wont be sir alex ferguson in charge.
this season man utd are so bad its gonna be criminal if we do not dish them up a thumping to heal our pain of years of pi ss taking. the comeback after comeback.
i reckon leeds will also be after manure bloood too, man utd are top of the league for most hated by proper fans lol.
I’m going for 21 because I’m totally mental.
If I’m right, I want ten pints from all of you!!!!
So according to the BBC, which 2 players performed best in an England shirt last night?
Our very own Jack and Tyrone!
Well done lads!!!!
I’ll like that Bum Bum.
i put myself watching england, first off it wasn’t that bad but against a tinpot country, secondly in southgates interview. it sounding like he has made jack the player he is today. he has had lots of conversations one on one with jack. telling him if he wants to be involved he needs to improve his states. more goals more assists.
so all the hours jack has put in the gym. all the coaching he has received over the years at villa. sadly was not effective all it needed was a conversation from big nose. i supposed he is responsible for our form this season.
Don’t let him get to you Nath 🙂
He’s just trying to justify why he’s now picking him – he can’t very well admit his previous refusal to acknowledge Grealish’ talent without claiming all the credit for his miraculous improvement.
Must have hurt not being able to talk about Mount though 🙂
yeah i will try not too hitch lol
he does talk lots of sh it thou,it’s hard not too. if i was grealish or his parents i would be even more livid. grealish has put in lots of hours and his parents have had a massive sacrifices, but southgate wants all the credit. all he has done is talk to him.
another thing southgate mentioned. he said he spoke last season too him, now look at his input, now hang on a minute he judges grealish on a villa campaign where we struggled back in premiership. jack was obviously gonna suffer being a creative player in a struggling team. but his development was already in process. we villa fans have been saying for years. now the country is taking note and england manager is taking the credit
also too boot the utd speculations won’t go away. utd manager made grealish his number one target. but the board failed to land him. the fans wanted him but the club seemed to have other ideas. but week after arsenal beat utd lots of press and fans are demanding the club try to get grealish in the summer
If Villa continue to progress and JG continues to be part of the England set up he won’t be interested in going anywhere.
He just signed a new five year contract – as I said if Sancho is being priced at £120m then how much would Villa want for him – £200m?
Anyway, it’s just lazy journalism – press a button and regurgitate a great click bait story – or should that be fantasy?
i agree hitch with most but its not all smoke no fire they do desire him. their fans are getting obsessed with him. they see us scoring goals like mad and they are struggling creatively. they are angry that they could have got him on the cheap now they are likely to pay well over 100.
personally i feel jack can stay and achieve loads. utd are going nowhere fast only downwards.i hope he stays and i hope the owners keep on improving the team and squad and give jack no reason to want to leave
So, if Sancho is worth £120m …………
I’m saying an average 2 points per game and 14 points total from that list there! Yes this is the season for non top 4/6 but let’s also acknowledge the feeling of not hanging round the bottom 3 for a little longer.
It does however look like things are falling into place for villa at a really convenient time.
Watching England, I despair about today’s football. Rice wins the ball cleanly and De Bruyne kicks Rice’s foot after he wins the ball and Belgium are awarded a foul – why? If that’s the way of modern football then it’s bollocks.
And, of course, Belgium score from the non foul free kick.
Football is being destroyed by completely nonsense rules.
Rant over
Mind you the Nations League is a non event.
Grealish was by far the best player on the pitch. My big worry is that it’s inevitable that a Man Citeh, Barcelona or Real Madrid will soon be offering £100m plus and then it will be almost impossible to hold onto him. As for the Nation’s League I despair!
Grealish voted best player (again) by an absolute country mile with Mings second again!
Agree with you Holte – whilst I’m made up for Jack it seems inevitable that the wolves will be ravening at the door. Whilst I believe our owners can resist the $ can Jack resist the opportunity to play for a Madrid or Barcelona or will he want to drive his beloved club to the top in Europe.
It may come down to how the owners / manager sell the vision to him.
Stop Press – Villa turn down offer from Barcelona to swop Messi plus £50m for Grealish 🙂
Levi – eat your heart out 🙂
Don’t know what happened there but ‘‘twas me!
If you tell a big enough whopper Hitchens, your Tag line grows a Pinocchio nose, represented by J.
🙂