My usual viewing source went down, plain and simple.
Which meant my frantically trying to sort it out just meant I missed the whole of the first half. I never got the second either and had to look elsewhere. Fortunately I did get the second 45.
Sometimes it just pays to go with Now TV, I suppose.
But from what I did see, we looked really good.
Brighton, as expected also looked very threatening, but we defended resolutely. I constantly got the feeling that we’d have collapsed lots of times under Gerrard (I still struggle to realise how bad a manager he was for us), yet while my proverbial was twitching like mad, the lads seemed as though they were comfortable and had it all under control.
The midfield won this for us, I reckon. McGinn put in his usual outstanding shift of late, but it was Ramsey who caught my eye this time. He really is looking like the real deal.
I know I’ve been slow to appreciate him, which is quite unlike me, but I’m now seeing it.
His marauding runs are truly frightening to any opposition and he just seems to be getting better. He’ll surely be tearing European defences a new arsehole, I reckon.
So it was a bit scary, because Brighton offer plenty, but we overcame.
I know quite a few will think us achieving the Conference will be a bad thing.
And I get it. Thursday games take it out of a side.
But it’s what Unai does.
I’m convinced that while it might indeed detract from our season next year, it’ll be used to further the players’ experience and the real long game is more likely the season after.
Emery did a good job at Arsenal, yet was ridiculed for making a pronunciation mistake.
We won’t make that same mistake in getting rid of him .
Even though I was incredibly nervous watching things, I couldn’t fail to be impressed with some of our play. I’ve hated the way we play out of the back, but we actually now look accomplished in doing it.
So much so, that more often than not, I expect us to create a chance from it.
It’s all about belief, isn’t it?
The players obviously believe and I do too.
I’m obviously not alone, as the crowd was outstanding today.
My mouth is watering at the thought of Emery having a window to kick some out, get some in and do what he loves.
Playing in Europe.
What a difference from how it was under the clown.
Oh and I predicted correctly again. There’s something wrong there.
UTV! and roll on next season!
Comments
122 responses to “Villa 2 – 1 Brighton; They fought like lions. Europe!”
It seems Asensio has decided to join PSG – what happened to ‘I’m leaving RM to get more game time’
PSG are like Citeh they just collect players and I can see him doing a lot more bench polishing.
Oops that sounds a little bitter. 🙂
Move on.
UTMV
It seems that Asensio has now joined the PSG
He had look at villa but he said no its not for me
But we not bothered cause we got Saint Emery
and Villa go marching on.
Plastic club with illegitimate and unlimited financial resources or one of the great authentic names of European football on the rise? Easy decision if money’s your God. Don’t need or want ‘footballers’ like these.
Did you know they were only founded in 1970?
No history or pedigree.
Wow, I had no idea it was that recent, RSS. So as a club, they literally have the vibe of ‘no history or pedigree.’ Confirms that we don’t need the likes of Asensio at Villa Park. His loss.
More me BFR, well that is until about 15 minutes when I Googled it 😁
But somehow it’s not a shock.
Asensio, just your common or garden variety modern footballer.
RSS. Football was only invented in 1991 when the Premier League invented it. It didn’t exist before then.
Oh yea I forgot BB, like those 346 goals that Rushie scored for Liverpool when they were not much more than a sunday morning side simply don’t compare to Salah’s all time record breaking 186.
If I was offered PSG (and living in Paris) or Villa (having no connection with the club), I would choose PSG. This is going to happen a lot. Unless we offer crazy money. Then we bleat about loyalty to the club. We will make strides and then have greater clout. That’s how it works.
I’m pretty excited about things TBF.
Absolutely, DS; I hope he enjoys the mountains of garbage and dodging the professional pick-pockets out there…
Quote from Twitter:
Tyrone Mings recorded more interceptions (54) than any other Premier League defender during the 2022/23 season.
That is extremely impressive, in my view. Interceptions require reading of the game, so a proactive approach, while tackles, although impressive, are often a last ditch reactive response to danger. Well done big man – should be very proud of that stat.
Tell that to StevieG…
Random opinion: I recall mentioning Gibbs-White as a potential signing a few years back when he was waiting in the wings at Wolves after his initial break-through. Anyone else think he’d be a brilliant addition to an already very dynamic midfield? Could Forest resist a big offer? Could Gibbs-White resist the Villa? I think he’d be a great signing for us.
Eze and Olise at Palace also look very very useful going forward. Again, could Palace and the players themselves resist the Villa?
If Emery can make most of our squad look good enough for European football, then I have plenty of faith in him signing players which aren’t necessarily the big names we usually crave for. Look at Coutinho who on paper looks like our star player but hasn’t contributed hardly to our climb up the league. I think getting a good harmony amongst the squad is important and any big name Charlie’s aren’t welcome.
I think we need to adopt Brentford’s ‘No Dickheads’ policy.
Always sounds like a good move to me…
Does anyone know if season reviews are still compiled and distributed by clubs? I used to love purchasing my VHS/DVD season review every close-season. I watched them over and over and over and still have them. I even made my school pal, a Sheffield Wednesday fan, watch the 1991-92 review when he came over – the opening day 3-2 win at Hillsborough a highlight!
Anyway, hope a fellow Villan can shed some light, as I miss having a record of the season to pore over every year…
I suspect we’re going to struggle to get the players we really want to upgrade the team. This is the reality of modern football – it’s extremely difficult, if not impossible, to break through the stranglehold held by Europe’s ‘top clubs’ via their involvement in the Champions League and all that brings.
When Villa start looking at £50 / £60m players we’ll most often be competing with those teams and we’ve already seen that effect with Asensio.
The only way is to ‘steal’ another Kamara while they’re all asleep basking in their own hyped up glory or find another Moreno or three!
Fortunately Emery has a good track record in identifying potential talent and developing them into top quality footballers. Paul Torres at Villareal being one – we are supposed to be interested, it’s even claimed we’ve submitted an offer – no doubt a ‘PSG’ will come in just to remove him from the market place!
In summary I’m not really expecting us to acquire the sort of top European players (Ugarte as an example) that we are linked with, rather we’ll be buying some very decent players that will strengthen the existing squad.
Hitch, I was never really expecting us to go in for many players at around the £60m level.
That’s where you start getting some of the muppets who expect to pick-up £250k a week as bench-warmers (PSG, Chelsea, Citeh, etc.) and tell you that they’ll only bother coming if you’re in the Champions League. Far too many of those on all of red-top rumour pages already.
I am expecting us to find younger, hungrier players around the £40-£50m mark, who might be happy getting a chance to play any European football at all while picking-up the sort of EPL wages that they won’t find in Spain, Portugal or Italy…
Hopefully the lack of any real gossip around Villa so far in the national papers/websites means that we’re doing some serious business, discreetly – as Villa have tended to do in recent seasons.
On that note of upgrades, several sites reporting we’ve made a formal offer for Pau Torres. Good offer in my opinion – between Torres, Mings, Konsa and Carlos, that’s a pretty sweet CB group.
Skysports are also reporting Tammy Abraham has torn his ACL – so we can rule that one out. I personally wouldn’t have felt like he was an upgrade if we brought him back.
I was thinking the opposite!
Now the injury is reported as keeping him out until November or December.
Shame – I think he’s picked up some good practice playing in Italy for a couple of seasons, and I was hoping he’d come back to VP.
You could be right – I was just concerned about his purple patch this season and if this is his new norm.
Interesting discussion on Abraham. Notwithstanding I suspect the injury means no move until January at the earliest.
Of late he hasn’t been starting but early in the season, as you say Texas, he was flying. A £60m type valuation dropping to around £30m must say something.
I read that Chelsea have. £64m buy back clause – given Boehly’s record to date he’ll probably trigger it 🙂
Come On You Irons!!!!!!
West Ham did it!!! Congratulations!
Th!nk another claret and blue team from England can repeat this next year?????
Apparently, we’ll be second favourites if club rankings are anything to go by.
And if Juve get kicked out, we’ll be favourites.
Congratulations West Ham.
Now try telling anyone associated with the Irons ie officials, players and fans, that the Conference doesn’t mean anything.
Didn’t Jose win it last year??
Badger, I saw that which is based on some complicated Opta calculations including European ‘coefficients’ with Citeh the base at 100%
However, under the European Conference League rules, at the moment we’re not even seeded, and could draw Juventus in the qualifying round!
We could be seeded depending on the final outcome of a couple of leagues (don’t ask me which games – much too complicated) or if Juventus are kicked out because of their financial irregularities (doubt whether that would happen).
So the Opta ratings are somewhat meaningless.
Oh – and 20 teams join the competition at various qualifying rounds when they’re kicked out of the Europa League / Champions League during the qualifying rounds.
Apart from Juventus, there are some serious European teams already seeded at the qualifying round so we really need to be seeded to avoid them.
At the moment we’re next ‘cab off the rank’ for seeding subject, as I say, to the outcome of a number of games in various European Leagues!
The way teams who get knocked out drop to the lower competitions is sick. Just more money making…
I personally dislike West Ham as much as Man Ure and Citeh plus all the other favoured London clubs. I wouldn’t have cared less if they had lost last night. It still rankles me that they got a 65,000 stadium courtesy of the tax payers. Whilst all their fans were whinging about leaving Upton Park, it gave them a leg up over the likes of us who only have a 42,000 capacity and boosting their attraction for better players. Sawiris and Eden’s plans to expand Villa Park capacity to a similar size could take a decade or more. We hopefully are on track to become a top 6 side with Emery in charge but it’s being a Villa fan that always keeps me from getting too carried away.
I see that Hourihane has secured a coaching position with Villa – coaching U16’s a part time position whilst still playing for Derby in L1.
Nice to see a continuation of the Villa Family – it’s what stands the club apart from the rest of the EPL. Once a Villan, always a Villan.
UTMV
What an excellent servant to the club he was as a player. I’m sure that’ll continue as a coach.
Eh? I’m not seeing this Hourihane love-in at all.
I wouldn’t even say he was a good signing, let alone anyone special???
A serious lack of effort is what I remember.
Update on Europa Conference seedlings.
For Villa to become a seed in the play off round Viborg need to beat Midtjylland tonight in ‘another version’ of the European Conference League Final and – if that happens then – we also need Fenerbahce to win the Turkish Cup on Sunday night.
Easy peasy then 🙂
But knowing Villa – even the New Villa – we’ll have to do it the hard way!
Game tonight in Danish Superleague QF play offs.
If I remember correctly West Spam beat Viborg in the E. Conference play off round this season.
Hitch, I don’t know who we’re going to be facing, but my money says we’d beat 90-95% of the clubs involved.
It’s all about the draw and how we handle the extra games.
I’d suggest we have more resources than West Ham and are probably more capable of winning it.
“Viborg need to beat Midtjylland”
These are league 2 level mate.
Think positive!
So Viborg are losing – in seeding terms we’re f***ed.
In the qualifying round we’re likely to be drawn against a ‘serious’ European side.
Just on a side note. If this press speculation comes to pass, then it shows how stupid some of the people running football clubs are.
Just read a report Leicester are looking to replace Dean Smith with slippy G! If true can’t see them returning to the Premier anytime soon.
He might do better in the Championship – more akin to Scottish Prem.
On Conference front Viborg lost so I assume that means we can’t be seeded for the play off round – but then it all seems so complicated who knows?
How true is this?
https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/soccer/arid-41159164.html
Spot on, I’d say
Remember when a season started and anything seemed possible?
I do RSS and then the reality of the Premier League and FFP struck home. In any other business they would be criticised as restrictive practices designed to protect and enhance the richest and most powerful.
Barcelona fiddling FFP for all they’re worth without a single word of criticism; Citeh with a hundred or more financial ‘doping’ charges against them – anyone bet against them going avoiding them all and Juventus who get a paltry fine and a few points deducted – not relegated like Rangers or throw out of European competition. Compare that with Derby County or any other lower league club taken to the cleaners by the Regulators under the guise of ‘protecting the clubs’ for the fans!
No wonder the fans said enough when this cheating elite (including Citeh, Juventus and Barcelona) decided to take their greed to an entirely new level with the European Super League
I have lost faith in football so only watch Villa these days hoping they’ll breach the defences and with others like Brighton and Brentford start to make a mockery of Sky’s vaunted six (sorry seven as Newcastle have been allowed in with their Saudi money).
Spot on Hitch, FFP has absolutely nothing to do with “Fair Play” but preserving the Status quo.
Architects being your Man Ures, Bayern and the likes.
It’s their party and we ain’t invited.
F*** them. Everyone of them.
When Newcastle come to play next season, I’d like to see fans waving a dismembered leg here, and arm there, a head and torso behind the goal. As sick as this sounds, it would clearly highlight what the Saudi’s did. Letting them celebrate their CL place from blood money will never sit with me. For the likes of Howe to just say he’ll concentrate on the football is an appalling cop out. Same with Shearer.
On a brighter note, great Teilmens signing!!!!
Excellent idea. The fans would get slaughtered for highlighting the truth, excuse the extreme accuracy of the pun.
I can’t see any arm in it.
😁
Villa agree a deal sign Tielemans on a free from Leicester City – he’ll sign on 1st July when window opens.
To me this represents a smart piece of business.
UTMV
Hitch
Totally agree with you. I would now suggest we are already stronger than at the end of last season (Even including Young going).
That puts pressure on the midfield to perform. More over if we can get into a Thursday / Sunday routine then he plays minimum of one of them increasing the capacity of midfield, whilst ensuring no drop in quality and probably increasing it.
Great signing.
That’s now two successive summer transfer windows starting with a free signing who raises the quality of the team. Superb business allowing us to keep extra un the locker for transfers.
On a similar note I read the Oxlade Chamberlain is likely to be next through the door.
UTV
I can’t complain about the price. Tielemans may benefit from Villa’s more intensive fitness training to return to being a 90 minute player. His permanent qualities are his visionary passing and an ability to shoot straight from distance – a skill absent from Villa recently. I expect him to be a starter in Europe away leg(s).
Commiserations Inter
Sheikh Mansour, City, Pep you bought it .
Football RIP.
Very very unlucky Inter. Citeh got lucky, much like their red neighbours in ’99. You’d think with all that cash they wouldn’t have to resort to robbery…
See BT sport are getting a rightful hammering for posting a graphic that omitted Villa and Nottingham Forest from the list of previous winners of the European Champions Cup.
Seems that those wins don’t nicely fit into the ‘Sky 6’ mentality of TV broadcasters.
As one comment said – ‘Of course I’d forgotten that football only started in 1992 whereas the European Cup was first played in 1951’
Or as another put it more succinctly – ‘absolute garbage – hope they all get sacked when BTSport rebrand as TNT’
F*** them all. I’d use this as motivation to fire the players up…
That’s why we weren’t allowed a star on our shirts. I hate the lot of the money grabbing ********.
Oxlade-Chamberlain on the way apparently…excellent player when fully fit. But when was the last time he was fully fit??
And completed 90 minutes?
Thanks but no thanks.
Only the Sky / BT super 6 or 7 care what they say. When the Champions league is reformed in 2024/25, does that mean there will have been no previous winners?
I don’t know why they don’t just rename it the European Super League and be done with it trying to sneak it through the back door. apparently there will be 36 teams with possibly the top 5 from the premier league and 189 matches instead of 125.
With all those changes you have to question whether there is a place for domestic competition.
As RSS put it, football RIP!