I’m a lot more upbeat than I have been for a while when it comes to the Villa, for obvious reasons and I expect us to play better, particularly as it looks like the players will be allowed to play in a style that suits them.
Does my new optimism lead to me expecting to beat Newcastle then?
Squad news first and the big news is that Boubacar Kamara is back on the grass and is expected to start proper training this week. That’s great news as he will give us more options.
Lucas Digne is back in contention after recovering from his heel problem. Should he come straight back in? Not for me.
Otherwise, it’s no change with Diego Carlos, Ludwig Augustinsson and Jed Steer still out, but Danks has talked about niggles and knocks.
As for Newcastle, Allan Saint-Maximin could play and he’s a player I really like to watch. My boss at work is a Geordie and he tells me he often makes poor choices, but every time I’ve seen him he looks really threatening. I hope he doesn’t make it.
Elliot Anderson is fit again, but Alexander Isak probably won’t make it.
The question is how will we line up? and you’d have to expect that Danks will pick an unchanged side from last weekend, while also retaining the same 4-2-3-1 setup that just looks a lot more balanced.
I think we could offer some decent resistance today, but I don’t see us getting anything ultimately. Newcastle are going really well and are currently 4th and looking pretty good value for it.
We haven’t beaten them on their turf since the infamous Bowyer and Dyer punch up game where we beat them 3-0. I attended that game and was shocked to read that it happened in 2005! That game is easily in my top five for most memorable attended and it was a good time to be a Villa fan.
What about today then?
Unai Emery will apparently be watching, before he officially starts as our manager. I’m not sure if he’ll actually be at the game, but either way, I’d expect the players to be giving 100% effort.
I can see us maybe getting a goal, but I can see Newcastle getting more. Almiron and Wilson are playing well and it wouldn’t surprise me if they get one each.
So a 2-1 defeat then, although you never know, the new manager thing might just work in our favour.
UTV!
It’ll be interesting to see if we can look as good as we did in that first half last week.
I’ve the jitters Badger not sure we are that good yet for a win . Off round the daughters to watch as they have come back from Cornwall and hoping we will win.
Martinez; Cash, Konsa, Mings, Young; Dendoncker, Douglas Luiz; Watkins, Buendia, Bailey; Ings.
Subs: Olsen, McGinn, Sanson, Chambers, Digne, Bednarek, Coutinho, Archer, J Ramsey.
Fair summing up Badger – as always.
Danks going with same 11 and why wouldn’t he but it does remind me of the two games immediately after Sherwood was sacked and the first team coach (can’t remember his name but should do!) took over the team.
We stuffed West Spam at Villa Park and the fans talked about how the coach had seen what the fans had and Sherwood hadn’t! We went to St James full of confidence with the same eleven only to get beaten 6-0; the coach admitting he’d been naive!
Hope fate doesn’t deal us the same hand.
We have to assume that the players are happy with the choice of new manager. Crazy if they were not. Playing in the direction of the oppositions goal was a good start last week. Newcastle are an inform team and will take some beating. A draw or a win would be great but a positive performance is really needed. UTV
I don’t like the look of this.
Newcastle are pressing hard and we’re messing about with the ball at the back.
It’s just so dangerous.
Young getting caught out on the left – Danks needs to see Bailey back to help him out.
The atmosphere seems electric.
A player getting to the touchline and crossing.
That’s a nice change.
Mings doing his best to take Emi out.
And suceeding 🙁
Young is definitely having a bad game.
Young gives away the pen and they score, 1-0
Unlucky.
Thing is though Badger we seem to be quite good at unlucky!
I suspect we’re now f***ed seeing as we just never come back from behind!
Probably correct, but we’re doing okay, I think.
Getting annoyed with these handballs though.
It makes more sense to look at deliberate hand balls rather than these ball to hand decisions which seem ridiculous to me. It hit Young’s arm very high up so there was no element of him moving his arm towards the ball.
Phew, offside.
They must look at the “unnatural” position of the arm rule. Young didn’t put his arm in that position, that’s his body counter balancing. Had his arm been anywhere else it would have been unnatural. We don’t have luck unless there is a bad in front of it. We are competing in a way that we didn’t a few weeks ago.
Annoying that we have gifted them the lead. We were looking comfortable and probably had the better moments. Is it just me or does anyone else find Bailey frustrating? Young is being targeted as their best hope of creating chances although the handball was just unlucky. We have to assume at 1-0 down that the game is over given Villa’s poor away form and inability to come back from behind.
I’d hook Watkins and young off at half time.
Watkins is having a f¥¢{ing mate.
Young’s getting done by Almirón.
Mare
Notwithstanding a much better performance which gives hope that we will move up the table given time.
In front of goal though we’ve made some poor decisions and our final ball hasn’t been great. Watkins missed a good opportunity when he missed his kick.
As Andy Gray just said – we haven’t been clinical enough in front of goal.
Aaron Ramsey just scored for Norwich
Agreed, Young and Watkins off.
Elsewhere Ramsey scores for Norwich.
Normal service is resumed ☹️
Only one team in it at present – 2 – 0 and that’s all folks.
Now just damage limitation.
Wilson scores an easy header for 2-0 🙁
3-0, jeez.
Out muscled
We can’t match their physicality.
That’s it for me – now just how many Newcastle are now going to score.
Just like the post Sherwood debacle – Emery now knows what he’s taken on.
Coutinho on for Buendia.
The Brazil manager is at the game.
How will he play?
Bailey Shite and Konsa too. Turned back into the usual crap we have seen for the last 18 months.