Sorry if I’m struggling to put much enthusiasm across, but we all know relegation is a foregone conclusion.
Most of us have known for weeks if not months, but it seems that the fact that if Norwich do better than us tomorrow, we’re mathematically 100% down. And hence it seems it’s a reason for supposed news.
That I’ve already hinted we’re much closer to not getting another point this season, as opposed to winning all our remaining games, says it all really, doesn’t it?
And sadly the theme continues, as I see another home loss tomorrow.
I had a conversation with a Man United fan today, where I suggested that we’ll go the rest of the season without a win and his response was to suggest the law of averages says we’ll have to get the odd point.
I asked him if he wanted to bet.
He declined.
The big news on our part is that Gabby has supposedly cried off with some virus.
In fairness, this is actually a valid excuse, as I know a few people who have been hit by a bug in the last couple of days, which has seriously wiped them out for a day, although it improves rapidly.
But I’m not convinced I believe it’s why Gabby won’t be playing.
I think he’s been found out and is now perceived within the club as a trouble-maker.
Eric Black has said he’s performed well in training, but I’m not convinced by that PR either.
I don’t think he’d have been picked anyway. Indeed, I suspect Gabby just doesn’t fancy it, as he knows he’s going to get abuse.
It’s terrible how things have worked out with Gabby, but my opinion says much energy on the board’s part should be spent on getting rid of the bloke.
There’s going to be a cut in his wages, but if we guess it’s going to be around 50% (and that’s a big cut), he’ll still be on around £30k a week. And that’s way too much for a player who, however useful his pace might be in the Championship, moans about having to work hard in training.
The only other speculation is about what team Eric Black will pick and this will prove interesting.
Given that all reports I’ve read and people who actually went to the game have commented/told me, we were an absolute disgrace when it came to effort against Chelsea, you would have to think the manager will change the team up.
There’s no excuse to be had about us being accused of playing a weakened side, as we’ve only won 3 all season.
Hence Black can play who he wants, without any repercussions.
He could put the Under 18s out, if he wanted.
But he won’t do it and I’d expect the same tripe will start, albeit maybe with the odd change.
Which I find worrying, as I’ve hinted before.
I’ve often said that we shouldn’t subject the kids to what’s a toxic atmosphere at VP these days.
But it seems there is a consensus on all the Villa sites I’m reading that anyone who at least tries will not be targeted.
Hence there’s no excuse again.
But if Black still chooses to go with the same old suspects, that’ll be how many managers who seemingly don’t rate the kids as better than the elder eleven?
Can they all be wrong?
As for who turns out for Bournemouth, I don’t really care.
They’ll beat us.
Because they’re Pros, who do what they’re supposed to do and play to win the game.
We’ve lost before we kick off, which makes the new, more fierce Lion on the badge look like a sick joke at the moment.
I’ll go for a 1-2 loss.
Which is a terrible attitude, given that we’re only playing Bournemouth.
But that’s what this season has done to me, I’m afraid.
Comments
62 responses to “Villa – Bournemouth; Who will start? Is anyone really bothered?”
No disrespect to Bournemouth, but the fact that I think they’ll beat us at home says it all, doesn’t it? 🙁
Do I give a Shiite? No I don’t, damage been done at Villa park and the only way I would raise my care is to see departures, what we’ve put up with over the years is a gap of people in running our club to players just clocking in. The time has come to shift that lot starting with Lerner.Who’s saying our reserves are not ready? do we have a gap between first team coach and reserves coach looking after themselves? Put our best kids out and show that load of shit how bad they are I say, I never ever thought I’d see this day again at Villa park, a disgraceful state of affairs.
VILLA 0 Bournemouth +3
The highlight of this game will be the excitement of managing a couple of corners! We may also manage a shot on target…… Or maybe not. Other than that I can’t see the point of playing the fixture.
0-2
Then with relegation confirmed maybe a new manager will be appointed.
Adana and Grealish to start with Gestede and Ayew up front with Gil ‘in the hole’. Gana and Westwood holding midfield with three at the back – perm any three you like as it makes no difference 3 – 4 – 1 – 2 (is that a valid sort of a diamond formation – should confuse us and Bournemouth!) Then we’ll put flapper in goal and lose but might actually see some attacking play until Adama gets kicked off the park.
There you go Badger – I did actually read your post!
Think you’ve all got it wrong here. Most of us just want to be put out of our misery now but as that shower can’t do anything right we will win today and keep the agony going for another seven days! I’ll be sat in the trinity today (which I haven’t done since I was about 10) waiting with the kids to play their game at half time so I will have to take a roll of tape to put over my mouth to keep my thoughts about the game from being fully verbalised!!
good luck for your game at half time, it will probably be the only competitive match at Villa Park today !
i have bournemouth on my coupon,thats my head calling it. my heart says we can beat or at least get a point with a team already safe if not mathematically. 0, 2 defeat probably, this sort of form has to stop or it will carry on to next season. lots made of players not giving 100% or players lacking quality. but confidence is a big part of sport. villa have zero confidence and self belief thats gonna be the main reason we will lose to teams like today
any tips on national
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DTfqJU170xY
About sums it up…
Tips for The National? Don’t bet too much! 🙂
I am with Sir Earl Barratt – We will scrape a win today, so another 7 days of pain and 7 days of PR crap from the club telling us all we have ‘turned a corner’.
I don’t think we could beat one of those teams of over 50’s walking footballers. Bournemouth have done really well. They show what a good manager can do in a well run football club. I expect a routine victory for them.
I’ll just be glad it’s all over and I can stop clinging to this faint, ridiculous hope that we will win all our remaining games and stay up.
I’m looking forward to our new dawn and hope it isn’t another false one.
Bournemouth have nothing to play for, little to no chance of them getting dragged into the relegation scrape but I still can’t see us getting anything.
0-3 to the visitors.
I’ve got a horrible feeling we’ll do ok and be in the match, for about an hour or so. Then we’ll get a red card and capitulate, someone will either try too hard (a rarity I know but maybe Clark, Grealish or Westwood) and over commit in a tackle or one of the bad eggs will snap with all the abuse they’re hopefully going to receive and fancy a 3 game ban.
If any Bournemouth player hasn’t scored this season/ just come back from long term injury/ has a blues connection/ is playing their last season etc, then they’ll definitely score!
I won’t even bother keeping an ear-out for the score this afternoon – probably the first time in over 40 years that I simply don’t want to at least know how a Villa team is doing.
We’re down, we have a caretaker manager just keeping the seat warm for who-ever; if the club had any sense, then someone [BL?] would be telling Black to dump the dross and at least try a few alternatives from the reserves – they can’t do any worse.
As for the argument that they don’t want to throw the ‘kids’ into a doomed relegation fight: what are they ‘saving’ them for – life in the “Championship”? If they can’t at least put on a bit of a show in what are now meaningless games, they won’t have a chance against the sort of teams they’ll meet next season.
Ardent Villain, depressing isn’t it to not have a chance of looking at what we might have in the reserve’s, just shows you what brains are at Villa to come out saying depressing potential players, don’t they even think that playing even one game gives them the honour of playing in the premiere league albeit we’re going down. Today we will score a goal, but sorry to say another lose, 3-1 Bournemouth.
Good luck today sir earl barratt hope you enjoy it,as for the game villa 1-2 bournmouth.
Have a good weekend everyone.
Oooh good move, Richardson back in the team, what s great move, it gets worse
Richardson!!!!!! Eric Black just might be the biggest twat of all – how can he bring him back?
Couldn’t agree more, why not just go all out for a change
1 Guzan – GOD No!!!!!!!!
7 Bacuna – GOD NO!!!!!!!
16 Lescott – GOD no!!!!!
6 Clark – Okay
43Cissokho – Mmmm
38Lyden – Okay
15Westwood – Okay
8Gueye – Okay
18Richardson – GOD No!!!!!!!!
9Sinclair – Okay
19J Ayew – Okay
So 6 (grudging) okays, one Mmmm, and four GOD NOs
Bournemouth have nothing to play for and might have an off day so might be only 0-4 to them.
Please God let this season end soon!
PS Have a suspicion that the team’s been picked to actually get us relegated which would make some sense if it means getting the new manager in earlier
The team has been picked to relegate us since the start of the season.
I have a strange feeling that, if the plan is to get us relegated, then this lot might f**k it all up by winning!
Wouldn’t put it past them
Let’s get as low as we can and piss the fans off completely so the new manager comes in and looks a genius, aaaaaaash
we have a weak squad, so whoever the manager is he has the same problems. lack of quality in depth and just plain old quality. today’s team has a better balance i think, sinclair deserves his chance, hope its up top, bacuna has some making up to do and so does richardson. if these two are our width at least they will offer this unlike Gil who never does always preferring to drift infield
How a season disintegrated. The perfect opening for me as a part time Cherries fan, Villa the first visitors to Dean Court. Tickets were like gold dust but my mate got me one.
Villa won, though they created fewer chances, with a header from sub Gestede. Richards stayed in position, and the defence looked better than the previous season. The faithful were cautiously optimistic.
Today, I could not be bothered to trek up to VP for a funeral. On show are the worst two goalkeepers in the premiership, and Bournemouth had better find a replacement if they do not want to be in the trapdoor this time next year. There though the similarity ends, the visitors today will earn a fraction of the Villa players take from the game, and surely show more effort.
The other difference is from the Bench upwards. Howe does not have a director of football, he has the ear of a hugely supportive chairman and the club’s foreign owner. They have not got money to throw away, they would not keep a Nzog or Gabby on the payroll, and they buy players who fit in with their style.
fookin crap 1-0 and no shots on target ffs.
Championship here we come.
Some angry fans at Villa park, I wonder how Sir Earl getting on with the kids? Hope he’s got some ear muffs with him. Well big day for Villa in going down but i bet all will be forgiven in a a few weeks when we say a new manager been signed, then players getting the big shove out the door, seats will stay the same price, not for me they can stick it up their where the Sun don’t shine.
hear hear Bill.
2-0 and Bacuna and Richardson are still on the field, go figure?
We’ve all had enough but Villa gets into your blood. Championship it might be but a new dawn brings (false) hope and we’ll all be wishing for a quick return to the PL.
We can shovel the players, the directors and managers out the door – pity we can’t do the same to the owner.
Bloody he’ll we’ve score, Ayew.
I watched the opening day fixture at Bournemouth then listened to the radio report on the way home, the pundit saying ‘For both sides it would be a long hard season’. Wrong on both counts, both teams know their fate before the Grand National starts.
Yes Bournemouth have a great manager, but look behind him and behind the managers at Villa and Newcastle for the difference. Howe is backed by a passionate chairman and an enthusiastic owner. Villa by Fox and Lerner, Newcastle by Ashley.
I am not optimistic until Lerner departs, I am just hopeful Hollis and King can find him a buyer.
Time for fans to boycott the club until Lerner goes. Anyone renewing next season is playing right into lerners hands. We will be lucky to stay up next year never mind promotion we’ve no chance
Agreed Oohah. Both the manager and the players we need will be put off by coming to a blighted club. However,every player we retain with few exceptions (Ayew Amavi, Traore) will increase the risk of a double drop.
Agree OOL but it’s going to get much worse than this before it gets better. I think we will drop down next season and it will be at least 10 years before we see the premier again possibly longer.