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!
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!