Phew, what a game.
It had the lot really, a good first half from us, a good second half from them and plenty to get the emotions going.
It’s a shame there weren’t any goals, but I suppose you can’t have everything.
Villa lined up with the sort of side we all wanted, with Westwood, Gabby and Lescott all out for whatever reasons.
And we started well, with the team knocking the ball around quite nicely, but not really showing any penetration or desire to get the ball in the box.
It was possibly a sensible tactic, keeping the ball and it seemed that Man city weren’t expecting a confident, reassured approach, which I felt is what we presented the opposition with.
We were holding it and not gifting them the constant stupid balls that we have done up to now.
And we looked a lot better for it.
Sterling had a chance around the quarter-hour, but I don’t really remember many other chances being created on both sides.
The first half panned out then and there was plenty to show that we’d possibly edged it, albeit we hadn’t really caused any threat on goal.
0-0 at half time and I’d had the feeling that City hadn’t really got into the game and Villa were trying much harder.
And when the two teams came out for the second half, there was an immediate change in the game.
City started to show some desire and duly stepped the pace up, as you’d expect.
And as they started making space and runs, so our game got worse.
It’s no surprise, as City are a powerful team, but I have to say I find it quite strange that we still seem to be suffering from major fitness problems this far into the season.
Duverne’s come in as the fitness trainer and let’s hope he sorts this out somewhat in the international break.
I mean, why is Veretout going down with cramp after an hour or so?
It makes you wonder what they’ve been doing in training. Or at least make you wonder if my previous assertion that they’re all just a bit too puny, was correct.
Anyway, as the game went on, so City’s strength and fitness came into it more.
They started to push up and we fell back.
Subs were rightly made on our part and it was interesting to see that Charles N’Zogbia achieved more in a few minutes than the rest of the midfield did all game. What that says, I’m not sure.
And as the game progressed, so things got increasingly desperate.
They hit the bar and had a few other chances, that would probably be regarded as sitters for a side of City’s quality. But they ultimately failed to score, which is what it’s all about.
I should probably say that in my opinion, bringing Delph on proved to be a major mistake on Pellegrini’s part.
The manager probably thought it would be good for Delph’s character or something, but I think it backfired.
The crowd were galvanized and while giving the snake plenty, they also gave more support to the club/team.
Hence I think the 12th man definitely played a major part today.
While perhaps we shouldn’t be shouting from the rooftops about a 0-0 home draw, I think this was a fantastic point; one that I suspect most of us didn’t expect.
And more importantly, it demonstrated that Remi Garde does at first glance, look like he knows what he’s doing.
I’m much more encouraged than I was after Monday night.
Moyes sacked!
Although I was leaning towards him at first now very glad that we’ve got Garde instead.
Really like his calm, deliberate way of going about things.
UTV
Ugh, I am already dreading what the press is going to say.
Moyes is too much like McLeish, Lambert, etc., a traditional ‘British’ manager at a time when those are looking like a species about to become extinct.
Could have been right at one time but stayed at Everton too long waiting for his dream move to replace SAF at ManU, and the rest is history…
At the moment he looks like a man who’s career is definitely on the downward slope – a pretty steep curve at that.
I wouldn’t be too surprised to see him drop a division to the likes of QPR or Fulham in an attempt to rebuild his reputation, assuming that he’s still got the drive left.
Spot on Ardent would of liked him maybe after mon but not now he is us a dinosaur compared to Garde imo
surprised at the love for hutton after yesterday him and guzan are two real week points in squad with no better options,hutton went awol for sterling in first half clarks tackle watched de bruyne run away from him for miss and last minute corner left city player have free header which hit bar
Guzan made s world class save and Hutton did a fair job in sterling what are u on about!
I tend to agree Jvillan.
I quite like Hutton for his work, but he is what he is, which is not a LB in the modern sense, imo and as you say, that’s a weak link.
I think Garde already knows this and will have it on his list for January.
As for Guzan, it’s going to take him a while to re-gain my trust. He still kicked a free kick straight out to touch and that’s unforgivable.
Garde might think differently in thinking he’s OK, but I doubt it.
Oh, add another striker in there too.
Fans may have forgotten him & the club but I have heard llori ain’t a bad RB.
I agree. He has terrible positional sense and can’t cross a ball, both of which are almost made up for by his phenomenal athleticism, but ultimately he’s had more than enough chances to show he’s good enough, he isn’t.
Whatever promises were made to Richards about where he plays are gone with Sherwood. I’ll admit to being very surprised at how good he is in the middle. I just think that until we sign a quality RB, with Okore about to return to fitness, we’d be much stronger with him and Clark in the middle (they were outstanding together last season) and Micah at RB. After all, the team comes before individuals and he, as captain, should be prepared to make that sacrifice more than anyone.
*RB even, Duh!
Yes, I keep forgetting about him Giddy
BADGER could you investigate the whereabouts of llori maybe through Twitter FUCK knows how to tweet MATE
Giddy could this be the reason? Tiago Ilori of Aston Villa
Tiago Ilori is the only summer signing not to feature for Aston Villa this term, yet the 22-year-old could still end up becoming a bargain buy.
The centre-half signed from Liverpool on an season-long loan and a permanent deal has already been agreed should Villa decide to retain his services.
Depending on appearances, Ilori would cost between £6-8million which, in the current market, represents good value for money.
BILL so the less appearances the less he’ll cost us????fuck me we ain’t that tight are we???
Lerner is Giddy.
Say no more MATE. 🙁
@Tiagoilori4 that’s his Twitter username could someone tweet him & ask him what the FUCKs up????
I’ve just tweeted him and forgot he’s Portugese, not Spanish 🙁
It’s why I don’t do Twitter; it invariably makes me look a mug (arrgh!)
I’ve sent him another one, in Portugese
I have had a bit of a think about the appointment of Garde and one thing springs to mind is did we invested in the majority of our summer signings knowing he was going to be appointed if Sherwood did not deliver. After all Sherwood insisted that the majority of the summer signings were not his. Just a thought but it was ironic they nearly all started on Sunday! Just a thought what do you think?
The thought had struck me too. I think that they gave Sherwood a chance but the team was bought with Garde in mind.
If that is the case then very shrewd dealing IMHO. Always good to have a Plan B.
I’ve thought exactly the same, Rocky.
It’s just a bit too much of a coincidence to me.
I suspect Garde was the man, months ago and Sherwood was already wanted out because he wasn’t playing “the game”.
Garde wanted to leave plenty of time though, for the same reason he wouldn’t go to Sunderland or Newcastle; it was too soon.
I’ve been known to like a conspiracy theory in the past, but not much surprises me these days.
Cart. Horse. Before?
IMO we’ve more likely now got a Franch manager because we bought French players, not the other way aroud.
Just my opinion, mind, there might always be a real conspiracy!
I think it’s actually a decent thought if it’s true, Ardent.
The Villa board being proactive as opposed to reactive etc?
Nah, I suppose not, having thought about it.
Looking at Lerner’s form with appointing managers, I just can’t see him [& Fox, etc.] being that wily !
They’d never have given Sherwood that contract if they knew that they’d be paying him £2m + within just a few months – would they…?
Possibly because he saved them £70 odd million keeping them up so 2m is a drop in the ocean they are still 68m up
I’d be more inclined to go with your theory Ardent, seeing the move Lerner made over his time here, I’d mark it down as another boo boo with Sherwoods appointment to Villa.
dont think any manager will sign less than three year contract sherwood turned down the baggies and qpr
I’m not sure about this theory. The parallels are there but I don’t think the club purchased for Garde. I think they had a list of names and decided Sherwood’s options where either too costly or risky (future input or return into the team). Plus the club did try and get the players he wanted but it is not the club’s fault if Adebayor and the like turned us down due to wages. Personally I think Sherwood leaving had more to do with his inability to control the situation than being pushed out.
Adebeyor would have been a disaster for us imo. Another overpriced lazy mercenary that would hold us back till we got him off wage bill
Ok, I like this game.
Let’s turn it around and ask “which French manager would we have wanted, given the French lads we’ve signed?”.
Or “which French lads would we have wanted, if we knew Garde was coming in?”.
Wonder whether anyone at VP was trying to bring Houllier back, in some form or other?
I suspect we have done, albeit indirectly, Ardent.
He has Garde’s ear, after all doesn’t he?
I could definitely see him come back in some official capacity, even if it is only for a short term. Garde will need a more trusted advisors and someone to bounce ideas off of as the season goes on. As far as I know Garde only has or came in with Ray and Duverne?
He would be excellent as assistant to Garde or some sort of advisor to him health permitting of course
On a slightly different note, does anyone else think the Stoke goal was an absolute peach. All four passes were sublime and the finish exquisite!
…”Depending on appearances, Ilori would cost between £6-8million which, in the current market, represents good value for money.”……
If he is a Centre Half and GOOD why are they letting us have him…they have needed one for years.
Rodger’s didn’t like him.
My understanding was that Ilori was carrying an injury when he joined then aggravated it playing for Portugal U21’s but hey ho what do I know. If so he’s probably well short on fitness – I don’t think he’s appeared for the U21 side yet either and one would expect him to do so if fit.
On a linked point – did you see that Klopp might recall all Liverpool’s loaned players for reassessment – wonder if that might affect the deal?
Depends if there’s a recall clause in there Hitch…
True Bum Bum. There was a story in the Mail that suggested Sherwood took Ilori ‘on trial’ and that (Sherwood) said he wasn’t tough enough for the premiership!
All seems a bit strange particularly if he hasn’t started for U21’s – anyone know whether he has?
I recall reading that he played at DM for the U21’s. Not sure if that was just once. Sherwood did make some comment about him needing to understand he couldn’t just play football, but needed to be ready to battle as well.
Off-topic, but OohAh will probably like this [off the BBC website]:
“David Moyes seen as ‘tactically limited’
Spanish football fans view David Moyes as a “typical British manager” who is “tactically limited” and does not play “attractive football”, says journalist Sid Lowe.
Moyes was sacked by La Liga strugglers Real Sociedad a day before his one-year anniversary at the Spanish club.
When asked by Kelly Cates where he felt Moyes’s next job could be, Lowe said: “I’ve got absolutely no doubt his next move will be the UK.”
Ha ha brilliant Ardent I almost thought I’d written that myself. Exactly what in been saying re British managers hooeglfully the penny will start to drop. You can see already that Garde is tactically better than anything we’ve had since Houllier who was foreign himself!
Quite interesting story re N’Zog :
http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/nov/09/charles-nzogbia-aston-villa-remi-garde?
Seems that the club were trying to cancel his contract just before Garde arrived.
Saw both those stories Ardent and both interesting – particularly the Moyes story. Wanted to pick up on an earlier thread regarding pundits criticising Garde as choice of manager. Given that (all) the critics reckon the squad just isn’t good enough to stay up isn’t it an anathema to then criticise the choice of manager as surely whoever comes in hasn’t a prayer by there own statements.
Of course the real reason is that they would have criticised any appointment we made on the premise that following relegation they could say ‘didn’t we warn you!’. Hope we stay up anyway but the icing on the cake would be that we can all wave two fingers at the pundits come the end of the season
Hitch, I don’t think that Villa could do anything right according to the pundits: they’re always very reluctant to criticise a ‘mate’ for being a hopeless manager, no matter how inept the guy seems to everyone else.
With MON, and particularly now Sherwood, we had two guys who were very friendly with certain media people – ex players on TV with whom they’d done some work, journo ‘contacts’ who seemed to get ‘inside’ rumours [etc.] before anyone else…
Maybe it’s just my selective reading, but Sherwood seems to have had for more sympathy from these ‘media mates’ than [say] McLeish or Lambert ever received, yet if anything he had more money to spend than either of those and failed even more spectacularly. But of course neither McLeish nor Lambert will ever be media darlings.
No. much easier to say that the ‘whole club’ is a basket case – less chance of upsetting their mates, or being sued…[ mind you – Blackpool anyone?]
Sherwood was never going to succeed I said as much when first joined us that he would never sustain it. Perhaps pundits want him to stay and finish the job in taking us down as they hate us anyway
@H60
Not all pundits have been negative about Garde.
Ian Wright on 606 and Martin Keown on MOTD 3 were positively glowing in their assessment of Remi.
Mind you they had an advantage having played alongside him at Arsenal but that’s all the more reason to believe them
Who cares what pundits think they are wrong most of the time anyway.
I still believe the Remi Garde appointment was orchestrated some time ago. Sherwood wanted to bring in some right dross, albeit we are a bit light weight up front so what would Adebyawn have given us? Garde has been out of work for a while and may have had a few months to contemplate a possible move to Villa?
Hollier may have also have been giving Lerner and Tom Fox some clear ideas of the of type of players that would suit us. For me Sherwood was never the same bloke this season as last, so something went on early on in pre season. We just need that few months of stability and a couple of wins to give us that hope and who knows what he can do. Regardless of what happens from now until May we just need to get behind the manager and team, as we can survive. UTV
Good point, at least with Garde, there is no way we will sign Adebayor! The board must have been cringing when Sherwood was trying to push that deal through!
I actually thought that Man city had a good game and pressed well against us their game was tight.I don’t think I’m reading into anything here but IMPO we were set up really well against an inform Citeh side.I don’t know about you but this fills me with hope could we have actually got hold of a tactically astute manager for once?Time will tell quietly confident on first impression well done Remi and the players utv
JD what ever hope we had has for now been restored with the tactics Garde played and the team he played on Sunday. Yes we did not really create much, but it was a solid performance that warranted a point against the the best team in the league. I am just relieved that we did not get Moyes as he would have bough nothing fresh. Yes Garde is a gamble in many ways, but I am quietly confident he will be our savior, as we where going down without a doubt before he arrived.
Moyes looks like he could go to Celtic managing a team in a one horse race about his level!
http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/nostalgia-picture-special-aston-villa-8080752
If only there was as much enthusiasm nowadays…
No chance of that happening now.
Look at the demographic of those photos; they’re nearly all kids who a) can’t afford to go these days and b) don’t have the balls for that kind of stuff, because they’ve been “educated” better.
Later on the meeting at Digbeth Civic Hall….then the board resigned and the revolution was up and running…The Doc…relegation and the rebirth.
Went to the first game at Villa Park under ‘The Doc’ – what an atmosphere! And didn’t the fans turn up at Villa Park to help repaint and clean the ground which was well run down – or is my memory playing tricks again?
Hi hitch, no mate your memory sound, a call was made out to fans and the lions club, to me the start of coming together, oh happy days Hitch.
Hitch 1968 The Doc came, didn’t we also get relegated? 01-12-1968 to 01-01-1970 : Tommy Docherty This tough but cheery former Scotland, Glasgow Celtic, Preston and Arsenal star was brought in by the new hierarchy at Villa in an attempt to stop the downward trend that had been the cause of “the Revolution” now sweeping through Villa Park. In this he did not succeed (as the club were infamously relegated to the old Third Division at the end of the season) but supporters had detected the beginnings of a new spirit at the club under his management. Just found it yes we did.
The old 3rd Division. We all thought it a calamity at the time but it’s where we found our mojo again. IMHO only the 81/82 seasons where we won the league and then Europe were better.
Well remember going to Mansfield where we needed a point to be sure of promotion and we got it courtesy of Geoff Vowden. I think we outnumbered the home fans by four or five to one, indeed walking back to our coach I think we just about outnumbered the town!
Wonderful times
Nothing really changes Bill – if I remember correctly we remained underfunded and bought a lot of players from Div2 and 3 – it sticks in my memory the Mail saying if you buy players from lower divisions that is where you’ll end up and so it came to pass! Remind you of anything 🙂
Best game I saw in those days was second leg LC SF against MU – front row seats in the Witton Stand – boy was that a night possibly only ever bettered by the second leg against Tranmere Rovers.