I’m stunned.
The first half sounded superb and Tony Morley suggested that the first half was the best we’d played for around two years. Indeed, it sounded like even Westwood, Gabby and Hutton were playing really well and Johnstone hardly touched the ball.
At one stage, it wouldn’t have been a surprise if we were 4-0 up; we were that impressive.
So what happened?
We went in two up at half time and things should have been very comfortable.
Nothing changed when the teams came back on and we retained the same 4-1-4-1 that seemed the best balanced we’ve been in a long time.
Yet we still managed to let them back into it and this surely has to be a mental thing?
Steve Bruce, who I don’t see got it wrong today, even though I feared for us from the off when I saw the line-up, must quite simply be pulling his hair out.
I predicted a 0-0 today and I’d have taken that.
But to have played so well in the first half and still end up drawing?
That’s a massive 2 points dropped, whichever way you look at it.
There are plus points in that we showed that we can do it.
But we have to show more resilience if we’re going to get to the play-offs.
Lansbury looked ok and that’s another plus.
Along with us retaining our home record.
Oh, we got two goals too.
But I’m still massively disappointed.
Comments
974 responses to “Villa 2 – 2 Preston; We threw that away”
No two ways about that Badger, hey have you all spared a thought on the poor sods that are being pushed out? He he he he,
Bill, this would also see some decent players coming under severe pressure too.
I’m not going to elaborate, as it’s all part of my thoughts for the window review.
Ardent….your correct in what you say about FFP……Dont be surprised if Dr Tone gets around it by flogging both Amavi and Ayew to Chinese clubs over the summer. He will have plenty of contacts to make this happen. This will free up the funds for our summer spending.
I have been told that there is already an agreement in place for selling Ayew(dont know if this is to a Chinese club though).
There were some rumors surrounding Ayew just a few days ago – although I don’t think they were linking him to a Chinese club at that time.
I think it’s also FFP that partly explains why Richards’ name has appeared in the media over the last few days – apparently we’re paying him £40-£50K a week [depending on which source you believe] and the club were hoping to move him on as well – but fat chance of that, it seems he’s another one who’d rather get splinters in his arse for picking up his pay-cheque than actually playing any football…
Yes, Richards. Another drain on our resources to go along with Gabby, Lesciott, CNZ and now RM. Feck knows who was making these awful decisions under Lerners reign. Its fecking criminal. Fair play to the new regime who appear to be getting things right….at long last!
In fairness, Langford,
Lansbury is supposed to be on £40k and Bree has had his wages quadrupled which it seems prem clubs wouldn’t match (or does he really put playing before money?).
Indeed, none of our signings are going to come cheap wages-wise; it’s what we have to do to get them in, over the competition.
It’s easy to look at things with 20-20 hindsight and I’d suggest Gabby apart, the vast majority of us fans thought the players you quote were very good signings at the time.
If Lansbury fails and we fall further down the table, I can see the “what a waste of money” comments already.
The club’s in a very awkward position, I think.
We have to be seen as trying to compete, else we’ll be seen as condemning ourselves to failure.
Who’d be a Villa manager?
Fortunately, I believe Bruce is indeed a canny player.
And it’s why we will have to stick with him for at least a couple of seasons.
Badger, I don’t disagree that most of the players named looked like appropriate buys at the time; they had good records on paper with their previous clubs.
However I am now very curious about how football transfers are done: in any normal business you don’t employ people based solely on their having a good CV; you interview them to try and find out what their attitudes are, how stable a personality they show, etc.
Yet when it comes to spending millions on transfers and nearly the same again on salary contracts, do potential buyers actually even talk to their transfer targets, let alone ‘interview’ them?
It seems to me that the only contact is with the player’s agent to discuss ‘terms’ – and that managers only get to speak to the players once a signing is almost complete and it’s too late to back-out without a major loss of face.
Is this why we collect the likes of McCormack, Lescott, Steven Ireland, etc., to name just 3?
[And of course the classic ‘medical fault’ that should surely have been spotted in a face-to-face pre-transfer interview in years gone by – one Stanley Victor Collymore].
Ardent, that’s a great question, imo.
One to which I don’t profess to have the answer.
But.
GT said he researched a player every way he could (player’s nature, motives) etc.
I don’t think this happens anymore, as you suggest.
I’ve previously moaned, asking who did the due diligence on RM.
It would seem that if you asked around the players at Fulham, they would have happily given opinions.
A couple of “the bloke’s an arsehole” comments would have put me off.
The trouble is, it seems to me the vast majority of players these days are arseholes.
Purely because they’re getting too much money, at too young an age.
There’s lots of examples where players are on £150k a week, yet they still want more. Why?
Your point about Fulham crossed my mind when I saw the reports in the media yesterday: I’ve always assumed that football, like every other activity, has some sort of ‘grapevine’: if half a squad are apparently so pissed-off with a colleague that they go to their boss and say “don’t bring him back here” – and in public – I’d have thought that their mates in/out of the game would have heard something similar long, long, before we did.
But time after time we only seem to find out that someone was really wanted ‘out’ by his club and/or teammates after we’ve just spent a few million on a transfer and given the tosser a 3 or 4 year deal worth another £2m a year….
Badger….yes, but we were never going to get any money back from Richards or Lescott, any fool could see that. Same with McCormack by the looks of it. A poor regime with no forward thinking as been our downfall going all the way back to MON’s reign. One poor decision after another. I dont thing we will see the same blatant mistakes again IMO.
Fair comment, the fact that RM was signed under this regime, apart.
Just goes to show anyone can make mistakes.
Hopefully, Xia (who I believe was way more than involved at the start) has learned his lesson and concentrates on what he does best.
Agreed on RM…my mistake, but still a foolish sugning IMO
BTW….my source has proved his credibility today. The reason I am saying this is:
I got his message at approx 12.50 and posted on here at 1.04 and it wasnt announced on the OS until 1.05….proof indeed, if it was needed. I rechecked earlier so no doubt in my mind! Feel free to check yourself!
I don’t doubt your source at all, Langford.
Now if he can do it a few mins earlier, we might be able to put it out first 🙂
But we did put it out before the OS!
You did, but the site didn’t.
Of course, if you fancy becoming a writer, you could tweet quicker than I 🙂
Ardent, I’d guarantee there’s a “grapevine”.
It’s impossible for there not to be, as everyone talks, even at this sort of level.
The problem seems we aren’t involved somehow and this is hopefully where Round etc come into things.
I do wonder if, seeing as we’re the Villa, we might have thought the EFL was below us and not worth getting involved with?
I certainly suspect there’s been much complacency over recent years.
All I know is, I’m hoping Bruce will change the way the club has previously worked.
I think he will, if we give him time.
And here’s a classic case of kids being stuck up their own arse, imo;
http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/01/25/pierluigi-gollini-says-he-intends-to-stay-in-italy-blasts-aston/
“I returned to Italy with the intention of staying and continuing my career here. The condition I had set my agent for me to stay in Birmingham was to have an Italian goalkeeping coach.
“That was the situation, with Massimo Battara, until the manager Roberto Di Matteo was fired. I played a great deal at Villa, but I wasn’t happy with the training regime.”
And you were crap, mate, simple.
Good riddance to another that thinks he’s better than the club.
Agree badger good riddance he has cost us more points than anyone and without him we’d be at least 10-15 points better off
I am so pleased to see we are buying “gritty” midfielders, instead of pansies and wonderkids. In fact, it might cure problems we now see in other divisions. The back four will make more mistakes if the oppos can run through our midfield frequently and stretch our defence, that has been happening. The defence may look better if it isn’t out of puff.
The same is true of the attack, if you have to sprint from half way every time you attack your shooting will be more wayward than if your midfield have set up camp outside the D and keep passing you the ball from there.
Agree. Also like to see Jedi actually being a holding mid-fielder instead of trying to be the whole mid-field.
Good mid-fielders don’t only benefit the attack, with our current defence plus Bree and Jedi playing just in front I think we’ll be a much tougher nut to crack for the rest of the season.
Also learnt about Dr. Tony’s ‘deep pockets’ – according to the Mail he’s only worth £990 million.
You think he could have worked that bit harder to make it into a round billion but there you go.
So, compared to my net worth, him buying Villa was somewhere around me buying a mid-range laptop. Makes you think doesn’t it?
Is that all he’s worth? That’s less than lerner. Don’t get me wrong it’s a lot of money to me and you but peanuts by premier league standards. No chance of competing at the top if that’s all he’s got
So the docs a pauper in football terms
I see we are on tv for the next two games lads, our first is Tuesday night.sky 1 .
That will give us a look at our new boys.
Sky saying lansbury talks still ongoing? I’ve got this horrible feeling Barnsley are trying their best to delay this transfer even not making a deal before the window closes. I could be wrong but I’ve still got a bad feeling about this one
Ps Barnsley brought in matty James so their doing business with no ceo/owner I don’t buy it
*****update****
My guy says announcement SHORTLY
Hope so mate
He’s not been wrong yet!
Dr Tony just tweeted 99%>100% announcement shortly hourihane???
Lets hope so !!
Update
****my guy says are you ready? ****
****
HOU THE MAN Aston Villa transfer news: Conor Hourihane signs from Barnsley as Villa boss Steve Bruce makes third signing in two days
Irish midfielder becomes second Tykes player to join Villa in last 24 hours following arrival of right-back James Bree
There you go!
**** this one is just for Giddy****! 🙂
Nice send-off from the club;
http://www.barnsleyfc.co.uk//news/article/2016-17/club-statement-conor-hourihane-leaves-oakwell.-3538182.aspx
Yes Giddy, you flapper lol 😉
Any news yet??
See the previous replles mate.
Very pleased 😌 welcome conor I can relax & take a chill pill now
🙂
**** my guy says****
1. Jeep the faith Giddy 🙂
2. Still looking for LB, CH and Rhodes deal still on the cards. Nothing to report on Akpom.
Any chance your guy can nip upstairs to the Departures Hall?
Yes, I’d love to know who’s going too.
Even Kozak is still here and I thought the word was he was going?
He’s a man
With a plan
Got LV’s number in his hand
He’s Mister Know-It-All
Playin’ hard
Talkin’ fast
Makin’ sure Hourihane won’t be the last
He’s Mister Know-It-All
🙂
Always loved Stevie Wonder and the musician of the same name too of course!
Pat you can’t beat a bit of Stevie…
“Oo baby, here I am, signed, sealed delivered, I’m yours”
Here’s a good one BWS, For once in my life I have someone who needs me
Someone I’ve needed so long
For once, unafraid, I can go where life leads me
And somehow I know I’ll be strong and that’s the Villa where I belong,
Lol nice one Bill 🙂
This window is fucking stressing me, I’m now turning to the bottle I’ll be glad when it’s over