I’m writing this early on Friday morning, mostly because I’m itching for the proper games to come back after the utterly pointless England games that I have no interest in whatsoever.
It’s probably a bit unfair of me to say that, as I’m sure many do care about England, but it’s just that I feel we’re wasting our time. I doubt even the most one-eyed England fan feels we have the slightest chance of winning any competition.
To be fair, you could probably say that about the Villa, but well, that’s different isn’t it?
There’s also a second reason I wanted to write this so early, as I want to say how much I think there is no way on earth we will sign any significant player before the transfer window closes at 5pm, as much as the usual clickbait sites are suggesting otherwise.
Which leads me to Birmingham Live, or the good old Birmingham Mail, as most people still know it.
What happened to this paper?
While it was never known for it’s accuracy on all things Aston Villa, it was by far the most respected source for news and certainly my “goto” place if I wanted to hear reliable rumours. To be honest, apart from the national papers, there wasn’t anywhere else to look, possibly the Argus apart, but while the Mail didn’t really have any inside track, it did seem that there was a healthy respect between the paper and the club, where the reporters wouldn’t write anything fabricated or outrageous and the club wouldn’t mislead the reporters.
Whereas all it does now is constantly regurgitate all the rubbish that is posted by the usual clickbaiters.
Which in turn makes it look more and more silly, because it’s now the central point for all the stories that invariably prove miles off the mark.
The Benrahma saga is a point in hand. If we were going to sign him, we’d have done it weeks ago. Yet, I can hardly recall a day for weeks where Birmingham Live hasn’t pushed this story, via one source or another.
And all it does, is make the site look more and more unreliable, to the extent where I don’t bother to look past the headlines half of the time, as I just know it’ll be recycled rubbish.
The paper/site has it’s own reporters and while I use the term loosely and the videos etc are not my sort of thing, I feel they should be left to do what they do without perpetuating the clickbait stuff.
So that’s two of my big moans out of the way, but I still have another one.
What’s this stupid 7.15pm on a Sunday kickoff time about?
There’s something just wrong with that, but to be fair, there’s never anything on telly on a Sunday night anyway,is there?
Then again, I’m probably showing my age there, as with all this streaming, Tv schedules don’t really matter nowadays do they?
Except they do for me. Streaming’s nice, but it doesn’t cut it.
Perhaps it’s the regularity and routine of TV schedules that I like?
And perhaps that’s why I dislike these daft kickoff times so much?
Heh, I guess I’d better get on to the proper stuff, which is the game.
Both teams have got off to a great start, having taken 9 points, with Leicester sitting third after 4 games, whereas we sit second after only 3 games.
Shock, horror, I think it’s fair to say that our league position is probably a bit distorted, but I don’t think this is a game that Leicester will be relishing, as we do beat them occasionally. A certain League cup victory quite recently comes to mind.
Then again, the last time we played this fixture, in March of this year, we were on the receiving end of a 4-0 drubbing, although I don’t think we’ll be anywhere near that scoreline this time.
It’s a bit early for squad news and I think that apart from the usuals, we’re all good.
As for Leicester, Caglar Soyuncu was left out of Turkey’s squad in midweek, with the manager reporting that he had a hamstring problem.
That could lead to them giving Wesley Fofana his debut.
I haven’t heard anything else.
What’s the prediction then?
I haven’t got a clue.
I predict goals, 3 or more, but which way, I don’t know.
It’s too early into the season for me to have seen any patterns and having played two of the weakest sides in the league has probably put us in a false position. That said, there was no fluke in caning the world champions, was there?
I’m sure you get my point though and everything is just a pure guess.
If you’re going to push me, I’m going for a 2-1 defeat, I’m afraid.
But how good would it be if it was the other way round?
The game will be available via Sky’s PPV rip-off, but I won’t be having any of that.
Hopefully there will be other possibilities.
I’d love a win to keep the confidence going, but think it’s a big ask.
Mind you, home and away doesn’t seem to mean much lately, so you never know.
It’s said that you can only beat the team in front of you – and we did spectacularly – except in this case it was one of the best teams in Europe
But ‘Lawro’ has written us off without hardly a mention or recognition of how well we played – I guess he was suffering with gritted teeth at the time 🙂 He thinks our world will come ‘crashing down’ with a 2-0 win to Leicester.
.
He may be right on the result but it will hardly result in Villa’s world crashing – we’re more firmly grounded than that.
I’m going to be a little more optimistic and go for a draw – but not going to predict the actual score.
If all else fails I hope I can get
Villa matches on WM…not t on the digi format.
I think they’ve got a couple of injuries so I’m confident we can get something there.
2-2 for me lads!
I dont think there is a much better time to be playing Leicester this season imo. They are without Ndidi and Pereira, Chillwell has gone and potentially they are without Vardy, Praet, Evans and Soyuncu. With those names all out they are very beatable and with Grealish, Barkley, Mcginn, Luiz, Watkins just to name a few all high in confidence right now i think we can get 3 points here. Oh it will be a tough, tight game still, but we could nick the points and go top of the league on goal difference. As long as we dont get beat badly like 4-0 again i dont think even a defeat would knock the confidence of these boys. I really think we can and will have a good season and comfortably stay out of trouble.
Agree with that comment. If Vardy’s really going to miss this game then we have a good chance to beat them.
I just hope that the Liverpool game hasn’t gone to the players’ heads and they think that all they have to do is walk out onto the pitch to collect 3 points!
I can’t wait for this match. I’m probably wearing rose tinted glasses but I’m going for a Villa win. I was so impressed last time out with our midfield. There are plenty of goals to come from them and Ollie Watkins looks class.
2-1 to Villa
Banarahma fails his medical, wonder why .
Banarhma faild his medical wonder why .
Seems like there have been several ‘problems’ with this transfer all week: first was the story that Moyes didn’t really want the player (he supposedly wanted to spend the money on a defender); then there were suppoosed to be ‘issues’ regarding personal terms, and now we have this mysterious medical.
Even if it’s finally gone through, it doesn’t feel like a marriage made in heaven!
Badger spot on again, we’re not getting anyone else that Birmingham mail reporter should join the millions on the dole, whenever have they been right on sport ,if you ask me they’re sitting in office looking at websites and reading other papers, twelve months ago I tried to use their site and it’s virtually impossible with the amount of advertisement on the site. Another Saturday without Villa looking forwards to Sunday’s game, I’ve not missed a game on the box yet with perfect coverage, I’m not predicting as I’m bad luck, Nath comes closely most games bar from that 7-2 Liverpool Sorry had to say it again and still play it on gloomy days. 😂😂utv.
Although, in principle,I’m against the PPV charge – will I be able to resist it on a gloomy Sunday night with nothing else on the box?
lmao bill
i havent predicted this season games yet. i must admit i didnt see the pool result. even if you gave me 50 attempts i would have probably still not predicted lol. i have tried today not cause i saw your comment i saw your comment after i posted my thoughts. i scrolled up looking at whats new and you made me laugh and choke same time
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2020/10/16/ollie-watkins-interview-people-think-jump-championship-premier/
Good interview with Ollie, but behind a pay wall.
thank fook that international hibernation ended i was starting to get depressed with news outside footy world.
aston villa are now going to be hunted down, like it or not. we used to be the hunter looking to upset the top sides. now we lost our surprise element. the top sides will now look to beat the side that ripped pool to pieces. i think villa players will look forwards to the upcoming challenges not back. our side is hungry and i really think skies the limit if they do not sit on their laurels.
foxes are a tough side at anytime, but straight after a big defeat they will be looking to put that right.they also have injuries at centre back and with vardy. i think we will develop into a counter attacking team this season and foxes are one of the best at that. so the game might get cancelled out. both teams scared to over commit. foxes at home will have to press forward more. so iam going for another win to make it 4 in a row. 0 2 watkins brace who the fook is vardy
With no fans in the stadium, home or away doesn’t matter in the slightest, and with some of their injuries I’m confident we can win, Vardy or not.
First thing for me is thank goodness that pointless international break is over. Why on earth the Nations league wasn’t scrapped when there is a worldwide pandemic going on? It doesn’t make any sense as it increases risk of Covid and congests an already compacted season. Worse thing is there is another break next month!
As for Villa I always feel like we are waiting for the bubble to burst when things are going well. I think we could be catching Leicester at a good time however with their injury situation. Apart from Luiz and McGinn, most of our players should be fresh and ready to go and confidence is high. Surely it points to a Villa win! One thing about being a Villa fan is a feel of caution so I have no idea what to predict.
Finally the box office dilemma. £15 is a rip off and if we had lost first three games I wouldn’t be bothered about forking out. Do I look for another means of watching with risk of buffering and delay or ….? 😒
Vola sports, Holte.
Runs through Android, where you can cast to a telly, but you won’t find it on Playstore and you’ll have to sideload it.
It can be run on a PC via a program called Bluestacks.
It’s tricky to install on a computer though, unless you know what you’re doing.
It’s not perfect, but I find it’s way more reliable than most streaming sites. Very good quality too.
Thanks Badger, although all my devices are apple unless it is available on those too.
Holte, you would need to run an Android emulator, such as Bluestacks and then install it.
I’ve done it for a PC, but it’s not very straightforward, tbh.
Another way would be to get a firestick and install it on there.
Villa are up against it today. Any Stattos amongst you might be able to check this – I am working off my recollections only – but we have to beat an opponent from whom we have never yet taken a victory. JOHN MOSS.
Back in the day – I once handed over my rail ticket and Season ticket to another fan at Euston – and made my way home. I had arrived to be told the scheduled ref was injured and replaced by Elleray. I wasn’t going to waste my time and temper going to VP to watch that cheat.
John Moss is racking up a similar reputation. I think he is more prone to error than the average ref, but his errors in Villa games only every seem to favour our opponents.
If any of you know how to sideload apps to your Android phone, this might be of use;
https://www.apkfolks.net/vola-sports-mod-apk/
I used the blue “download now” button.
Vola sports is about the gold standard of streaming. That is to phones. In theory the Vola platform translates to a big screen through Blue Stacks but I have always found that very jerky and not worth watching. If you want a better picture on a PC or smart TV buy Apowermirror app which mirrors phone to pc or vice versa in high quality.
Interesting, OLL. I’ve never had a problem with jerkiness with Bluestacks. Tbh, the biggest problem is getting Bluestacks to run on a PC in the first place, I’ve found. The latest version seems fairly reliable though. I’ve also cast from my PC and used screen mirroring from my phone too, no problem.
I’m currently running it through a firestick, which is even easier once it’s installed 🙂
As for John Moss, I saw an article about him this morning, but can’t find it now.
It seems he is the Leicester fans’ most hated ref, so it’s not just us he’s been poor for.
In fact, reading around, it seems he’s hated by everyone, lol.
anybody watch the Merseyside derby? was that pool goal onside my stream stopped as they were showing the replays. i thought it was a goal, but was offside apparently and chalked off. clear things up please
i thought pool made lots of changes to their game since we mauled them to death lmao, they wasnt a bold at pushing their defensive line up without possession. they worked harder to press the ball carrier when without the ball.
i thought everton looked good, draw was fair result for me except, that pool offside goal, why are they still getting so much wrong, even with these cameras replays etc referee still fook things up
Nath, the offside depends on whether you are a blue or a red! It was that close it was level IMO.
i thought it was goal i saw the first replay and then the stream froze and couldnt get it back but saw it ended draw. old days it was level your onside. even further back day light was offside. first glance i thought it was definitely level. as with hand ball i now am clueless to what is what nowadays
if you was var was it goal or offside
somebody just posted a still shot of the offside online decision. what is happening to football thats onside and goal all day long. its ruining football when they are checking for such tedious / marginal decisions. i mean if they can not see one way or another, in one or two replays its advantage to attackers and that was defiantly onside
strikers need extra equipment to beat these offside traps. used to just need a well timed run but now a spirit level would also help. ridiculous decision but i just glad its not villa they ripped off, if we beat foxes we are top of the league lmao
In Germany and Spain after first season with VAR, they applied a very sensible approach – if it isn’t immediately obvious (e.g, offside) then move on.
In England, I’m sorry to say, we’re a load of pedants – wanting to measure the rules in micro millimetres! Completely useless – talk about giving the jobsworths even more power!
And we wonder why fans get angry?
well watched pool everton chelsea soton and arsenal city, villa can match them all, i am pretty certain we can cause them all problems. i said this before lol but i think its gonna be a good season. noway am i watching that utd game nil nil written all over it. hope that brucie utd wins thou
Same here Nath, not missed a game in 18 months, how they came to that decision on the penalty I’ll never know. And yes Nath nothing to fear with what I seen and that’s all them games, kept swapping Celtic to Liverpool’s and so on. Arsenal and Man City nothing in them games would worry us. Got the son in laws father a box today and he’s happy as pig in ?? You know what. Utv.
like you bill i really am excited for this season we will be competitive in most to all games. only worry i have is injuries to key players,maybe defence is our weakest link, but looking at the games yesterday we are not alone in that. all defences yesterday were not the best. all in all makes for a very attacking season lots of chances and goals
Without trying to play down our win against Liverpool, we were fortunate they were without Mane and Henderson. Against Everton they looked a lot more cohesive. Adrian in goal is also costing them because their defence looks nervous, just like ours did with Nyland. Not that I’m complaining because if Leicester have key players out today and we win, I will be more than happy. Sometimes catching teams at the right time is great for team confidence as winning becomes a good habit.
L’pool goal was On side…VAR error
Van Dyjk off side then assaulted by Pickford…red card…REF error
Chelsea 2nd goal came off blokes ARM….no goal…VAR error…..
all these were bread and butter decisions
totally agree 🙂
anybody else feel cheated, that pool third goal decision spoiled the game for me and it was like somebody stealing the last page of a book or charter, totally ruined the game. i forgot the assault on van dyjk. pool was totally robbed of a pen or sending off for everton goalie and the goal. as it was pool not villa so i could sleep and see the funny side but overall the game is being ruined by incompetence
or even chapter
Ref in Palace game doing my head in….gives a pen for minimal contact in area then when Brighton bloke full speed down wing gets pushed over they play on….right by lines person as well.
Wow, West Ham’s defence is horrendously poor.
3 down after 15 mins.