I’m sure most of you know by now, but just to clarify, these international breaks totally frustrate me.
Especially when the only benefit goes to the FA, in helping to pay for a massively expensive (and not very good) Wembley stadium.
And even more so when they’re only friendlies.
I totally fail to see the point of playing countries that have failed to qualify for the WC. What do we gain, apart from pure practice?
If it’s going to be worthwhile, at least play other countries that have qualified, but in another group, in my opinion.
No manager likes it, along with pretty much all the fans and all it does is destroy any momentum or interest that the domestic season has achieved.
I do love venting a “bitch of the day” and that was it. It’s done.
So now, having practically slept through the last week and a half, footy-wise, I’m trying to wind myself back up again for Saturday’s late kick-off.
And it’s difficult, to be honest.
No disrespect to Hull, but this fixture doesn’t exactly light my fire.
Still, I’ve just taken a look at the fixtures and we have what I think are a few very tough games coming up.
You might want to take a look at that link, as I think it looks a bit scary, particularly if we lose to Hull, where it suggests we might have lost our momentum.
Which makes this a big game. We need to get back in the groove quickly, it’s as simple as that.
And yes, we’d have to go some to totally blow the play-offs now; but we need to keep getting wins, because you can be sure other teams will.
We all know there’s a team that can have a good late run-in and surprise people.
We should at least try and make that be us, even if it’s too late to get second place.
I’ll try and add any squad news as the game gets closer, but just as most of you get a holiday as of Friday morning, so I have to go full steam at work.
Hey ho. Hopefully I’ll get to see the game.
Anyone else got a bad feeling….making all the chances and not taking them….
I have, I just dont know what to make of it, 8-9 corners two great chances and still 0-0,
DIRE
What has happened to us. Bruce has a lot to answer for if we fail to get promotion via the playoffs. The football has been terrible.
USELESS..
I WAS WRONG. I’ll hold my hands up. We will not be going up automatically. I genuinely thought we would and until now have not stopped believing. If you fail to beat QPR, Bolton or Hull then you clearly don’t deserve it.
Hopeful of getting a playoff place and then who knows. we still have a chance of going up.
#Keepthefaith
UTV.
Disgusting, absolutely disgusting, they wanted it more than us second to the ball every time. Please dont come up with excuses as to why, it was so obvious. Game set and match to play offs now.
Well that was exciting – NOT!
I know we all try to be positive – well nearly all – but no way are we good enough for automatic promotion on that performance and there has been too many like that.
Second half we looked off the pace and as if we were strangers.
Criticism – why put on three strikers when the problem was clearly in getting service from mid field – OK take off Jedi but we should have brought Hourihane on as Landsbury dropped deep which worsened us. Kodjia is miles away from match fitness and shouldn’t have been on the bench. I’ve normally been supportive of Bruce but over the last three games he’s got it wrong on each occaission which us very concerning.
Going to cheer myself up by watching the ITV4 prog showing Villa winning European Cup
Similar second half to the Bolton game. Not impressed with our plan B of throwing on all the strikers. Grealish drops back to centre midfield and you lose his effectiveness in the final third. Saying that he was poor generally tonight. Would prefer us to maintain shape and bring the likes of Hourihane and Hogan on above anyone else due to their work rate and hustle. Lost our foothold early in the second half and was far too easy for Hull to dominate.
Oh well squeaky bum time of the play offs await 🙈
we were always destined to go up through playoffs, i thought tonight we were poor. first half we were the better team of two poor teams. second half hull were the better or two really poor teams. like fastjet81 grealish dropping back deeper is not ideal. hull wrestled control away 2nd half and we were not good enough to take back control.
i worry we wont regain the momentum of before wolves game. its vital we get back to basics and start to play in stead of rushing and going long to early.
Aaagghhh!!! Who really cares? It’s only football. Something to fill our otherwise empty Saturday afternoons. Or entertain folks like Andrew who have clearly too much time on their hands, or are aiming for a career in sports journalism. (Sorry, Andrew).
I fully appreciate Bill’s perspective having lived with the Villa for so long when football mattered. But Murdoch et al have put a stop to all of that. It’s about money, and that’s it I’m afraid guys! Who gives a sh*t? 90% of my Villa fan mates I grew up with don’t anymore. Me neither.
Oh, trust me. I have wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much time on my hands.
Bum Bum, I fully understand , I’d love to walk away but its in my blood and late,in life. They was shite today beyond a doubt.
Bill, I fully respect where you’re coming from, but the game has slaughtered itself. A crying shame. And we wonder why so many kids are so fat when there are so few sporting role models around. And don’t get me started on the obscene money issues…
Bum Bum,👍👍
Don’t worry folks. We are in the best league in the world. As mentioned already Sky has destroyed the top flight league and now the Championship more resembles the old league division one that we all loved. So I’m not too worried about us going up. We might end up like Leeds or get promoted and be amongst 13 clubs hoping to get 40 points every season.
Dreadful performance, makes no difference thankfully as we blew the automatic spots the moment we choked against QPR.
Cardiff deserve the promotion coming their way and taking off our Villa hats, Fulham deserve the play off winning spot for their outstanding 2018 form.
Bruce on the other hand deserves the sack for failing with the most expensively assembled championship team in history – even a fluke in the play offs should not warrant the dinosaur staying at this club any longer.
Well, I had us to lose before the break so a draw I guess isn’t that bad, is it? We play like that we won’t be going up. We don’t go up we’re financially screwed. I guess some fans might be okay with that. While it’s unlikely we’d ever pull a Leicester, or any team will for the next 30 years, gotta say I miss watching us against better sides compared to Hull and Bolton. Championship football is pretty dire. Then again I guess so is half of the Premier League games/football. Either way, we were never beating Cardiff to 2nd so playoffs it is.
Don’t think there was anything wrong with the first XI today and first half we were okay. Once he started making changes it was terrible.
The more forwards we put on the worse we get. Our midfield is often outplayed as a 3 so has o chance with 2. Plus Grealish gets pushed further and further back which affects his ability to influence the game.
Kodjia should never have played today. Not ready after being gone for so long. Hogan or Davis are better options for now. Hourihane should have also come on in midfield.
Big improvements needed to beat the likes of Fulham on the playoffs
Bruce attempted the same thing Di Matteo always attempted and what most managers attempt. Send on strikers, don’t think about who is going to create for them. Having 3 strikers on the pitch and only Snodgrass to produce for them when Grealish has to move deeper to partner Lansbury was never going to work. Having 3 strikers who wanna be in and around the box doesn’t work.
Blimey – there’s a lot of agreement on here about the poor second half substitutions. It smacks of desperation when you throw forwards on and weaken the supply chain.
Second half Hull concentrated on closing down our out balls to Snodgrass and Adomah and essentially took them out of the game which also reduced Grealish’s effectiveness.
I had no problems with Jedi / Adomah coming off but it seems to me that we should have put Hourihane / Hogan on and pushed Grabben left side and tried to play a bit narrower – but then again what do I know!
Having said all that we probably had enough good chances first half to have won the game.
Do managers lose form as well as players?
Good question Hitch, do managers lose ideas as well, well its shown us we need to look at that because what he did again puts questions to about his ability managing a club like us, I can only assume the 4 clubs he got promoted had players that wanted it, them players yesterday didn’t show that, that game was diabolical to say the lease, we was pressured on every ball and let them dominate the game. If we do get into the play off we will be the punching bag for are teams.
All, teams.
The subs yesterday reminded me of Lambert in that diabolical 2nd leg semi final against Bradford – just throw your strikers on and have zero plan of how to supply them. It’s just dreadful management, Bruce looks under big pressure again. I’m pretty certain Xia told him the target was top 2 before the season started under no excuses. To be beaten by a team that spent very little is unacceptable and therefore for me regardless of what happens now he has to go. I agree with the comment above – a lot of fans still dont realise just how big a financial gamble we’ve taken at this level with the outlays. Failure to get promoted will turn us into the next Leeds barring another huge wave of investment – which given FFP will be nigh on impossible. We’ve gambled and at the moment all signs point to losing as the play offs are just too risky. Steve Bruce has let Xia down big time.
V1 – not taking issue with any of your points but the majority, including me if I’m honest, don’t seem to be very positive about our play off chances. However, the trend over the last few years is the team that comes into them on a run of form usually triumphs and actual position at the end of the season counts for nothing.
So still all to play for.
Of course its not over until May – but its hard to see past Fulham. I said about 6 weeks ago that they won’t lose another game this season – and they are still unbeaten in 2018. Fulham are the team and manager who deserve it.
Still even if we fluked it, whilst financially crucial, we’d finish bottom in the PL with Bruce. The only win-win situation would be winning the play offs and Bruce walking away.
They’re the team in form but over the whole season there’s only 2 points between us. I don’t believe they ‘deserve it more’ but if they keep their form going they could pip Cardiff (depends a lot on next three games) for second and, if not, you wouldn’t bet against them in the play offs.
Of course Lambert has returned from the dead to demonstrate his ability to ensure teams take the Premiership drop. His catchphrase for his teams was “We go again.”
My catchphrase for his teams is “Here we go again.” A world of difference.
As I’ve said its the Villa our club and what ever happens we stick by the club, its now up to them that own it to put it right, Dr Tony has to ask questions now to what’s going on. OK I know there’s still a chance and if lady luck rides with us we might get that chance to go up, but if Bruce don’t lay the law down as from now it’s looking like another season biting finger nails again. Things has got to change and its now, not tomorrow but now, looking at them last 3 games our team didn’t turn up, get it sorted Bruce ffs.
Anyone want to put ’10bob’ on Millwall to come sneaking into the play offs and win the dam thing. I actually think they are the Championship form team not Fulham and they were tipped for relegation!
millwall are a very decent team as i said when they hammered us in the nil nil early season. before i get picked up on hammered nil nil. they did everything but score. they pressed the shit out of villa and we couldnt handle them.
i worry about teams like millwall not fulhams. reason is fulham allow you to play and millwall don’t