I didn’t expect to be home to watch this one, but here we are. I finished early and it’s happy days.
It just so happens the chap I’m now working for is a Newcastle fan and he was a season ticket holder until last season, where the travel had made following them prohibitive. So there’s going to be some banter at work tomorrow, whatever happens. Let’s hope I’m the one who’s dishing it out.
Hopefully the headline is pretty obvious, but what I mean is if our attacking dominates the game, we should win this.
But if it becomes all about our defence, I really don’t hold out much hope for us.
Which is daft really because we ought to be clear favourites.
I’ve seen comments where some fans really don’t expect us to win this one and I’m perplexed.
Are we suddenly saying Newcastle are a good side on the back of a couple of wins or is it because our defence looks more leaky than a really leaky thing?
If it’s the latter, I have to agree.
I don’t trust our defence at all lately and am now finding it difficult to hide my dislike of Tyrone Mings who was at fault for at least two of the goals against Leeds.
To be fair, Konsa was also poor and maybe it’s the perfect time for Hause to come back into the side. Ideally for me, it would have been Mings who was dropped, but Konsa’s rush of blood to the head has made the decision easy for Stevie G.
Talking of who, apparently if we lose today it would see the manager on a lower win percentage than Dean Smith, who of course has been sacked.
I’m cognisant that we’ve played the top three in that short run of games, but it got me wondering how long it would be before the honeymoon was over. Come to think of it are we still in a honeymoon? I’m not so sure we are because results haven’t been great have they?
Squad news and Coutinho should be fit after he was subbed with cramp against Leeds. Buendia is looking doubtful after taking a knock on the hip. Traore is out with a hamstring problem and is beginning to look like yet another sicknote player. And of course, Konsa is out for two games. I’ve seen suggestions that Calum Chambers might come in for him, but I think that would be incredibly harsh on Hause, who’s done very little wrong whenever he’s played.
If Hause doesn’t get to play today, you have to wonder if he’ll see any future at the Villa, but that’s for another day. Perhaps Gerrard will go the whole hog and start both Chambers and Hause? I’d be okay with that, but perhaps many wouldn’t as strangely to me at least, most still think Mings is a good defender. So probably not then.
A lot of the team still picks itself, doesn’t it?
Martinez in goal, Digne, Mings, Cash, Luiz, McGinn, Ramsey, and Coutinho with the only issues being who replaces Konsa, who replaces Buendia if he isn’t fit (Sanson?) and who plays up front?
Does Ings come in for Watkins? I suspect he might, but it wouldn’t be my choice.
I suggested that I’d like to see Ramsey up top, with Watkins and Ings out. It would leave room for another midfielder, which is frankly the area that we’ve had to rely on for goals anyway. Ramsey is our equal hihest scorer on 5, I think and neither Ings or Watkins are scoring. If you are going to play one of them, it has to be Watkins, purely because of his movement and well, just being involved a lot more than Ings does.
I get that Ings is the better goal taker, but you have to get on the ball a lot more than he has for us, I think.
Newcastle squad news and they’re hoping Kieran Trippier will be fit. I hope he isn’t. Paul Dummett could return after a hamstring problem and Matt Targett is of course, ineligible.
Prediction time then and after watching our defence the other night, I have to admit that I’m not very hopeful.
Eddie Howe seems to have got his team fighting and if they come out all guns blazing, they might well have too much for our defence, who look likely to concede everytime they’re threatened.
But with Coutinho really looking the part and Ramsey making some great runs and scoring well, we could quite easily dominate and win convincingly.
With that, I’m tempted to say it’ll be 1-1, but that’s boring and I’m going for a 2-1.
The trouble is, I’m not sure which way it will go.
Being a Villan, I suppose I have to say we’ll win.
2-1 then.
UTV!
Comments
121 responses to “Newcastle – Villa; If we’re talking attack, we win. If we’re talking defence we lose.”
Is it relevant that Villa and Leeds both put in really poor performances over the weekend after our 3-3 draw where a number of players struggled with cramp and knocks. I know it shouldn’t be an excuse but I’m grasping at straws for reasons why we were so poor.
Interesting point Holte – I had wondered but these are supposed to be very fit young men at the top of their profession,
To me they seemed more to be mentally, rather than physically, exhausted!
Bunch if ladyboys more like.
Holte, it’s a very good point which I, too, had thought. Leeds’ style of play is notoriously difficult to play against and the stats show they dominated us. So there is no doubt that there would be mental and physical fatigue. I mentioned it immediately after the Leeds game that it could be an issue and I quote myself: “Newcastle will be at least as vibrant as Leeds were, so I suggest the boys don’t overdo it in training, or there maybe nothing left come Sunday.”
Perhaps, an error on Gerrard’s part in not making 2-3 changes. Or maybe the squad isn’t deep enough to do that? Poor performance or not, though, we scored a perfectly good goal and should have taken a point, regardless of if it was deserved or not.
Seemingly Grelish’s shin injury is back – or is that in the same alleged category as Traore’s regular hamstring injury?
Apparently he was steaming drunk in the middle of last week, according to a rumour Hitch.
It would seem things have gone to his head and his liking of the booze and perhaps other stuff is coming to the fore.
He needs to get a grip or he’s going to ruin his career.
Dude did you not see the footage? I’ve stuck it down my neck far too much than is healthy, but Jack was steaming…not good for a top level pro sportsman…
That’s a real shame. 100 million down the shitter by the looks of it. But I take no pleasure in seeing such a talent go to waste. Alcoholism is an illness and should be treated as such. The man’s obviously got a problem and needs help; I hope City are providing it. Villa’s board made the right call and Jack’s actually done his boyhood club (another) service in leaving and earning the club all that dough.
Holte I’ve lost touch on the running of the ground over the years, I never knew to get tickets you had to register and pay £40 a year to get tickets, my grandson and grandaughter have never been to a match, like me now armchair supporters and I pay £s to see games for them on the box. I would dearly love to get them down the ground and to,think years ago I could and even in boxes. Time have changed dramatically in clubs generate money any way they can, my son used to give me seats from his business but that’s gone now. Your right in saying infrastructure is needed let’s hope they understand and sort out problems of going and comings to the ground and not move the club to do it.
BFR , too right about alcoholism, I lost my lad with it pressure in business and lack of help from doctors, told they have to say they are alcoholic if they don’t no help.Jack needs help and I bet he won’t bother. Shame as he has like Best the skills and throwing it down the drain.
Sorry to hear that, Bill 🙁
I guess that like all of us,over the years I’ve seen & known a good few people who were ‘obviously’ alcoholics – although it was ‘obvious’ to everyone around them but not themselves.
You’re quite right though: the first step with alcohol (and other substances) is that they’ve got to admit that they do have a problem – otherwise none of the support can begin.
I see Gerrard eyes are on Ndidi Leicester in the closed season , also a 50 ,000 stadium as we have 20,000 waiting on tickets, having said that we better up our performance otherwise waiting will drop that’s for sure.,
Bill, I can’t see the capacity being increased until the transport infrastructure allows it. I have been reading about fans who will be giving up their season ticket status because traffic congestion around the ground is ruining their match day experience. If poor performances on the pitch continues then there might be even more.
Sorry post jumped Holte.
Watford tomorrow.
In typical Villa fashion Sarr – their best player and Villa tormentor in chief – could start for the first time since November
Looking at the stats for the game it’s a nailed on certainty for a Watford win so they can avoid a whole list of unwanted Premier League records. The first will be the avoidance by Watford of not scoring a goal in five consecutive matches.
I confidently predict us gifting them the first goal of the match and us failing to extend our recent run of scoring in 12 successive home games – to be our best run since 2008.
There was an article in The Athletic about what each of the 5 teams at the bottom of the table needed to do to escape relegation. The article was overly reliant on completely irrelevant and nonsensical statistics whereas all they needed to say was play Villa every week 🙂
0-2 Watford – having helped Newcastle, we might as well help Watford as well.
You might notice a certain cynical negativity in my comments – and you’d be right – although I would argue I’m just being objective 🙂
Sorry Hitch, there’s been far too much negativty on here in the last 10 days or so.
From what I read on “B’ham Live” (Ok…) SG has had some serious one-on-one sessions in his office with half of the squad this week. I expect some reaction from them, as well as a few changes to the starting line-up.
So to restore some balance: I”m going for us to win 4-1.
(& yes, I do realise how ridiculous that might look at 16:55 tomorrow!)
Agreed Ardent – although there is a fine line between objectivity and being negative.
Don’t take my post too seriously – it was meant to be satirical 🙂
And I’m not usually known as an optimist, either!
Just trying to restore some balance…
Yep.