So at the end of the day, we lost.
But it wasn’t the 6-0 or whatever the majority of us thought was it?
If you factor out their second goal, which came from a corner decision that was 100% wrong or add in the goal that we nearly scored, this had a draw written all over it on balance.
Was it really like that on balance though?
Probably not, as City looked a gulf better than us in general play.
But I seriously don’t remember Nyland being troubled too many times.
We started off very brightly, but I felt the first goal totally killed our confidence.
The willingness and effort just wasn’t the same, as much as the lads tried.
And that second goal, that really shouldn’t have stood, looked a total killer.
Yet we still managed to come back after a great ball by El Ghazi to feed Somatta for a lovely flying bullet header.
Two thoughts crossed my mind there.
Do we have anyone else at the club who can head a ball like that, defenders apart?
And would Wesley have been within ten yards of that ball in the first place?
I think the answer is no on both counts and that’s a liability, I think.
Ok, El Ghazi had an effort, but he just backed up my point.
Whatever, it’s all academic and we lost.
But my point here is that we put up a very good show and didn’t embarrass ourselves.
I could criticise certain things, but sometimes you just have to hold your hands up and say we were unlucky in losing to a better side.
It’s the way it goes.
More importantly, Dean Smith needs to impart this message to the players and I’m sure he is.
If we play to the best of our ability, we’ll be able to survive this league. We just need to keep the same application as we showed today, up.
And us fans need to try and remain upbeat too, as the players surely feed off our opinions.
6-0 or whatever, my arse.
Some of us just need to at least try and believe.
I know it’s hard.
It’s hard for me too, but if us fans 100% concede relegation before we kick a ball, we’re finished before we start.
And it’s genuinely not a dig at anyone in particular.
Just look at it as a rallying call.
Because as bleak as it looks now, I believe we CAN stay up.
UTV
COYL!
Yes coyl let’s show them we are ASTON VILLA be afraid very afraid.
At least I hope that’s how the player’s feel after the match. Remember mcginn on way back only worry is grealish might be out injured.
Great match tho
Badger – didn’t realise new post so reposting this because I feel it shows how ‘disrespectful’ Sky and BBC have become (read the BBC report)
The boys did good today.
One thing which really bugged me was on commentary.
The first when x Citeh scored from the ‘non’ corner, the commentary seemed to concentrate on our (poor) defending rather than the injustice of the corner being awarded – would that have been true had it been at the other end? Heavens knows how they would have reacted had it been a VAR decision!
The second was Samatta’s goal – the commentary seemed more interested in Stones mistake rather than the fact that El Ghazi produced a super cross and Samatta positioned well and scored a great header. Again if it had been the other way around with Aguero involved ……..
Or am I just being overly sensitive?
Although we need to be in the EPL, I hate what it’s become.
Two updates from the Brum Mail.
In regard to the ‘non’ corner – apparently Lee Mason told JG he saw the ball hit the Citeh player but claimed ‘he (Citeh player) was off the pitch’ when it struck him – bull sh*t.
JG isn’t carrying a injury but suffered cramp in the closing stages – hopefully good news.
It’s bad enough having to play Citeh without their supporting circus. I so want them to be done under FFP.
And yes a I’m bitter 🙂
Firstly, I want to point out that, I too, am not bitter. However, Guardiola makes me sick. For a couple of seasons now he has been banging on about bloody fixture pile-ups and that the League Cup should be abolished. Well let me tell you Pip,Pop,Pap,Pep, whatever your bloody name is, Villa were, and always will be, the first ever winners of this cup. A competition that started a full ten years before you were born mate. A competition that is held in a country that boasts the oldest league in the world of football. In 1977, when Villa won the League Cup, after three attempts against Everton, we played forty-two League games, four FA Cup games, we were quarter-finalists in that one and 10 League Cup games, including replays. We had a squad about a quarter of the size that is at your disposal, yet nobody moaned about fixture congestion, they just got on with it on claggy,muddy pitches. Furthermore, any club taking part in the European Champions’ Cup were exactly what it said, Champions of their own national league, not second third or fourth. And you might only play a two legged first round tie before being eliminated. Now, if you want to win the inaccurately named Champions’ League, you play six, group stage matches, two last 16 matches, two quarter final matches, two semi-final matches and one final match. This could mean an extra 11 matches, six of which would be abroad. If you want to start complaining about too many games in a season for your squad of 45 to play, then how about making your protests to UEFA. They are the ones who created this issue. And another thing…. if this Carabao Cup should, in your view, be abolished, why are you always so smug and hypocritical when you win it every year ? If you don’t like it then there is always Spain, Germany etc.
Watched the game on ESPN several hours after it finished with a group of friends and we all felt the same; we just lacked conviction in the first half. There was a real lack of urgency and our defence just didn’t seem at the races. How we weren’t 4-0 by half time I’ll never know.
Several things stood out; Nyland is class. He deserves to be our No 1 next season and in my opinion has enough about him to score points. He deserves better in front of him than we continue to provide.
Grealish looked knackered before half-time. The poor lad has been dragging this team by himself for weeks and it showed today. He’s just running out of steam; just like McGinn did before he got injured, and who we simply cannot wait to have return. I think when he’s fit and back in the side, we’ll see a rejuvenated Grealish. It’s also possibly no coincidence that our defence hasn’t looked at strong without him in the side putting in those terrier never say die runs he’s so good at.
I’m REALLY starting to like Samatta. I think most of us felt coming from the league he did, at the price he did compared to many other modern-day players that he’d just not be up to scratch but there’s nothing about his play that makes me think he can’t do really well in a settled team and easily get double figures over the course of a full season.
I love Mings – he’s got our blood running through his veins but his performances over the 2nd half of this season have not been acceptable. We seem to get a good 45 mins out of him too frequently and that’s it. If we can get him playing like that for 90 he’d be incredible.
I think we have enough talent in the team to stay up – but I just don’t see how we can. Our league form lately and the results yesterday have shown that we just seem short on confidence and fight. As much as I want to believe we could play like we did 2nd half today for the rest of the season, I just don’t believe we can and will.
all well & good. pride in loss blah blah blah. but anyone remember that last time we actually won a game that matters. no point reveling in courageous loss ffs
Semi final of the same cup?
If you mean an EPL game then you’re right insofar as we need to start picking up points and here, I think, McGinn becomes the last throw of the dice.
H60: “McGinn becomes the last throw of the dice” never a truer word said !!!
…
Just seen the grades in the game, Samatta got second highest player after One from City, Engels, Taggett, and Elmardi along with Stone got the lowest , Stone was rated 4.5 .. we was robbed of a chance of extra time in my mined.
That late header by Engels keeps flashing through my head. So close… Can’t wait for the Leicester game.
One thing I did appreciate was the fact our boys looked gutted at the end, just as you should be. I’ve seen too many players just laugh off a defeat over the years as though it’s just another game, whilst they pick up tens of thousands in their wage packet every week.
In summary the game was a tale of two corners; on neither occasion did fortune smile on us.
unlike many of my fellow villans, i’m not heartened by the great endeavor of not losing a final
by a bucketload of goals. we still lost , along with so many losses in the prem recently. i’m not encouraged one bit
Korean Villa, nobody’s more disappointed than me,I feel we was a victim of rotton decision by the ref, I give way that the lineman was blocked in view but give credit to most of the Villa team they played to win, surely it will get better hopefully .
When you take into account our form against the top teams, can we really expect anything from Leicester away, Chelsea Home, Liverpool away, Arsenal home, Man Utd home and even Wolves and Sheffield United at home! Our previous history indicates we might get a few points at best in these games. Realistically we haven’t got enough quality, let alone physicality and tenacity to battle for the wins we must get to have any hope of survival. I will always hope to be proven wrong but I already have an acceptance of Championship football next season.
It’s difficult to argue with your assessment Holte – but where’s there’s life there’s hope.
We might be 19th but we’re not out of touch and some of those around us (believe or not) have worse form than us in 2020.
I honestly believe that we can win some of these games – with McGinn back and if Smith can get the team playing together and believing in themselves then we can survive.
i have also looked through and find it hard to rack up enough points. firstly home games will need to home wins if we stand any chance because our away form has been dire all season.
home games / chelsea wolves man utd palace arsenal
chelsea, arsenal and man utd are all in transitions, they are all the worst they been in years, if we belong in this league we must take them on with the belief we can win them all, palace are also three point MUST. they are very organised and will come with agenda of settling for a point but try to steal the win on the counter. wolves is the hardest game here. they are countering team and a local affair will spice it up more. they will try to finish us off for sure and if we attack them they will pick us off easier. point is better than a defeat in this one.
away games /leicester we have played there in the cup and managed a draw so that must be the minimum we should leave with. newcastle is a game we have to set our sights on three points. they are in trouble and we need to stop them collecting three in what they will regard as three points must game themselves.pool and everton two tough games point per game must be target. likely to leave with two defeats. hammers i expect to be safe by last game but must consider this a duel winner stays up. i seen their last two and they are a good side so this will be a very tough away day.
i reckon 11points we could muster, but they are not easy points and it all depends on villa attitude in the remaining games. we fans can only go off past form and our past form is not great. if we continue on past form then points haul will be 4 or 5 points from the remaining games. looking at the other teams around us we have to be looking for 6 wins from 11 games to be sure of survival.
i always said we would survive and finish 17th. i do believe we missed our chance with somewhat and other teams like watford and hammer who were both struggling for most of the season have both sorted out their problems and they will rack up the points now to end.
p/s i will not stop supporting us and praying for us. i will continue to wear my lucky pants on match days, i always worn them and iam sticking to um lmao but optimistic iam not and i really doubt any of us are. that said we are all rolling our sleeves up will not give in
One thing is certain and that is we must end our hoodoo against the top six especially as Nath said, our home games need to produce wins instead of draws.
Hitch, whilst we are all looking forward to McGinn coming back, I hope we don’t put too much pressure on him to be our saviour. It could take a while for him to get back to anything close to his best. Hopefully he won’t have any psychological issues from his injury.
Agreed Holte but I believe it will be a big psychological lift and will take some of the burden off JG’s shoulders.
We have to believe and it’s vital that the fans do believe otherwise all is lost before we start.
We’re not relegated until it’s mathematically confirmed.
i think the key to surviving will be samatta, we need goals and he will score the goals if we can we provide him with the chances.
we are much better with the ball than without it. reverting back to four at the back will add more steal down the spine of the team. that should provide more ball retention and we should be able to get into better crossing positions higher up the field. where grealish and co can supply better ammunition for samatta
I only see that happening if we have McGinn closing down in the middle, up till now it’s been all Grealish , he’s worked his socks off this season with players that havent his brain in the game. Mcginn wI’ll make the difference only if he’s fit enough like he was.Giulbert, Taggartt, are below par, I’ve no liking of either of them.
Yes, hopefully we can take that kind of battling performance into the run-in, and not the spineless performances we saw at Bournemouth and Southampton.
I think we have to go with the formation we played yesterday over the next few weeks. Once McGinn is back, he needs to be down the middle, El Ghazi right and Grealish left. In the meantime, I would Hourihane centrally. I dont think Elmo offers enough out wide, and having Grealish on the left means he plays a little higher up the field.
We have hope that is the main thing.