It’s a funny old game indeed.
Just when everything was looking really bleak, so we get a superb (but awful quality) win at Middlesbrough and then cap it with a 5-0 trouncing of Bristol City.
Apparently it was our biggest win since we beat Sunderland 6-1 in April 2013. That’s some length of time and probably shows how poor we’ve been in recent years.
And make no mistake we did trounce City and it was a pleasure to watch, with us applying strong pressure over a very sustained period, which simply proved too much for the visitors.
Where on earth has that come from after some really turgid performances over the last month or so.
Whatever, it makes a really nice change to not have to point the finger at Steve Bruce today and I think about my only criticism is in asking why he didn’t get the kids on earlier. If you can’t give kids a go when you’re three or four goals up at home, when can you?
Of course, O’Hare and Murphy did get on eventually, but I’m just saying…
There were some excellent performances today, notably from Hutton, who linked well with Adomah: Hogan, who I thought looked sharp, Snodgrass who got two goals and looked for a third and particularly Jack Grealish, who grafted his nuts off to good effect for once.
He looked every bit the player we all think he should be and he pulled the strings for an excellent Villa performance.
What was most noticeable was that sustained effort, which I didn’t for one minute expect us to keep up.
If we could keep playing like that, we could walk this league, that’s how good our performance was.
Talking of which, we now sit fifth, just five points off Derby in second.
If we’ve had our bad run, how encouraging do things look all of a sudden?
And the bonus, for me anyway?
AVTV works fine via a paid-for VPN.
Very happy days.
Just to let you all know the loss of a ex Villa player Alan Deakin who passed away today, i remember him as a solid defender and a skilful player, RIP Alan condolence to your family.
Yes, RIP Alan.
I worked with him at Metro Cammell (how times change!) for a few months and he was a genuinely nice bloke.
For those younger fans –
Deakin signed for the club as a 15-year-old. He became a regular in the side during the 1960–61 season and collected a League Cup winners’ tankard at the start of the following season. He broke his ankle during the 1964–65 season, but recovered to skipper the side for the 1966–67 season. Deakin also played for the England under 23 team.
Deakin left Villa Park for Walsall in 1969, having made 231 league appearances for the club and scored 9 goals. He went on to play 50 league games for Walsall before moving to Tamworth FC for a further 2 years of football then retiring in 1974.
On retirement from the game he became a welder. He lived in Aldridge in the West Midlands and played a number of times for the Aston Villa “Old Stars”. He died on 2 January 2018.
RIP
I disagree with Andrew about the ease of replacing Johnstone. You build teams from the back and a change of keeper would be disruptive. But Villa don’t have any say if a deal is struck between his ‘owners’ and a cash buyer.
This hiding was a game changer, it was against a team above us in the table and I think you have to go back to the last century to find Villa putting 5 past a side higher in the league.
I am pleased for Bruce – he deserves a change of fortune. But I still think he is not choosing players on the basis of who’s right for the job, but who’s left for the job.
While yes, you build from the back, and keeping Johnstone is obviously the best deal for us. However, plenty of teams change keepers, and while mid-season is much more difficult, there’s plenty of championship quality keepers one can get to replace him.
Spending what little money we have, if we have any, which I believe we do, on Johnstone would be a waste when we need a couple players elsewhere.
We would be a lot lower in the league and maybe the manager would have gone if Johnstone hadn’t saved us on many occasions so find it funny that a lot just say it doesn’t matter if he goes.
We also could be higher if it wasn’t for his mistakes at the start of the season.
No one said it doesn’t matter. It however should be a lesser priority in terms of spending what little money we have. If we get in the necessary players on loan and have 4m to spend, I’m all for signing him up permanently. And I already pretty sure said it’s in our best interests to keep him.
I would rather we didn’t take any more loan players, assuming Bruce would look at fringe premier league players, for the reason we shouldn’t be nurturing or adding value to profit parent club. (such as Johnstone or Onomah) it’s always a catch 22 in they are doing well, and Man Utd will potentially sell him to someone else for £4m, when Jed Steer could have realised the same potential. Onomah on the other hand has been average at best, barring a few games, when O’hare or Doyle-Hayes could have been picked, whilst some have questioned whether there is a play when fit in his contract. He has already said he wants to go back to Spurs so kick him out now if possible. If there is money for Johnstone on a permanent deal fair enough. Hopefully Hogan can realise his potential now Grealish is back to assist him. Davis and Hepburn-Murphy provide competition while Kodja is out. Just wish we could offload Gabby, Richards and McCormack to create funds but they will sit on their fat arses getting paid extortionate amounts rather than show ambition of playing again.
Problem with Davis and Murphy is Davis doesn’t score and Murphy’s coming off a string of serious injuries. They both look like talents, but neither are going to get us up. And while I can understand people’s problems with making other teams players better, the sheer amount of money we’ll get going up will 100% outweigh Johnstone making United 4m or Onomah going on to being a good squad player for Spurs. However it’s unlikely Bruce will go for a youth player from one of the big clubs again, and will likely look at outcasts from Newcastle or Palace or such. Or even outcasts from Liverpool who won’t be there in the future. And even if we don’t sign the loanees permanently, I think the promotion money is well worth making other teams a few million. If we were a top 10 Prem side, I’d agree that it’d be annoying.
You make a good point that the value of promotion to premier league outweighs the negatives of loans. This is obviously only the case if we get promoted. Another season in the championship will probably see both players going elsewhere and Villa back to square one. If this happens we need to show more faith in our own. I know Watford have been successful through the revolving door system but I think they are the exception. Stability usually proves the best option. Too many loans will be disruptive going forward.
I get that, and yeah I’d rather see Davis and Murphy start rather than getting like McBurnie or Solanke in. Both would be pointless as we have better youth currently. Or at least our youth who will be our future. But those two aren’t going to get us up. We need goals and neither are regular goal getters, well hard to claim Murphy isn’t, but Davis has proven he isn’t. Whether he’s unlucky or not, and not to down play his other game play, because he’s very good at bothering defenses and holding the ball up, but we need goals. If we have to loan in like Ulloa, I don’t think it’d disrupt us too much. Likely a permanent signing in the summer if we get him and he does well.
I think Davis will score goals in time. He’s been unlucky not to score more already. For the future of the club it would be better not to bring anyone in and let Davis, Hogan and RHM fight for the striking position. The problem with that is If Hogan were to get injured, we would be relying on two very inexperienced strikers.
Problem is, we need to go up. We’ll be set to lose a lot of money and have to sell a lot of our better players if we don’t. Davis and RHM won’t take us up and Hogan hasn’t proven anything yet.
Great news sees Terry and Green starting the FA Cup game. Lansbury confirmed to be a sub and likely feature for the last half hour.
““Five of them will be 20 years old or under tomorrow.”
Hogan twisted his ankle so is out and Onomah’s been given the green light to be played by Tottenham so he’ll likely start.
I would rather have seen Hepburn-Murphy start instead of Davis but he is on the bench so he might get an opportunity. Still a good mix of youth and experience though. Terry without a recognised centre back to partner him so will be interesting to see how that works out.
I take it all back. Davis should definitely start.
Well he’s just scored a goal.
Losing to Peterborough! 🙈
Good we don’t need a replay
I’m not overly bothered about the result as we have much much bigger fish to fry than a competition we ain’t going to win.
Fair play to Peterborough, wish them well in the next round,
UTV
Well 3-1 now ….
Still an embarrassment. We should be smashing any league 1 side with any side we put out. Takes all the confidence out of the Bristol win too.
Winning is a habit and hopefully losing this won’t cause a downturn in our league form.
Normal service resumed with another embarrassment under Bruce.. at least we can concentrate on scraping 6th and bottling it in the play offs… Absolutely shit management yet again by the dinosaurs in charge
We are free to concentrate on the league!
Definitely not our strongest starting 11, and you know what I say about building from the back – it isn’t a bum steer.
sack bruce lol should have played Ohare