The dirty word that is work means I probably won’t be able to get to see this game, unless I can somehow wangle an early finish. Fingers crossed.
The big story is Covid. The recent Omicron variant has wiped out half of the Premier league games. We have players out, as do Burnley, because of it, but what’s confusing me is that there are no set rules as to what justifies cancelling a fixture.
I suspect I’m just like anybody else and don’t have a clue what the rules surrounding Covid are anymore. Fans attending the game will have to produce proof of their Covid jab status unless they’ve shown the pass online beforehand. I think players are having to do Covid tests every day.
And then there is a Premier league manager’s meeting on Monday. You have to wonder what that’s about and although all the noises are that everybody wants the game to carry on, I suspect it’s been called to ask the managers what they think about their being able to contain the virus in their club.
What we think of the jab is not important, but either way it’s probably sensible to think that the takeup rate amongst players is on the low side. Hence I think the Christmas period of games stands every chance of being wiped out totally and the managers meeting might well be a case of them being told “if your players don’t get vaccinated, forget it.”
In other words, tomorrow’s game might be the last for a while.
Still, I love a bit of conjecture and have been known to be wrong. Let’s hope I am again here.
Covid apart, the next big news is that Nakamba has gone under the knife for his knee problem and is likely to be out for 12-16 weeks. That’s probably him written off for the rest of the season then. That’s a shame and a big loss.
As for other squad news, Steven gerrard had this to say;
“Ashley Young is 50/50. Keinan Davis, Sicknote Sanson and Anwar El Ghazi are out, Leon Bailey, Bertrand Traore and Marvelous Nakamba are still out.
You can work out who is out with what.”
Actually he didn’t call Sanson “sicknote”. That’s my (most likely poor) joke.
As for working it out, I’m assuming the first three have Covid.
Where all this leaves Jed Steer, I don’t know. Perhaps he tested positive for Covid earlier and is now okay to play?
Burnley have an unnamed player who has tested positive for Covid. Ashley Barnes is out through injury and Connor Roberts and Dale Stephens face late fitness tests.
Maxwel Cornet should be available.
I think it’s all a bit academic because (fingers crossed again) we have this one in the bag, even though we have a poor record against them and we’ve only won one in the last six.
There’s only one proviso to my over-confidence and that is that we have to get stuck in and not let them physically dominate us. Gerrard alludes to this himself;
“I went to watch Burnley against West Ham at the weekend and it’s very clear in terms of their style and what they want to do.
They want to make the game extremely uncomfortable for you from start to finish. We have to make sure we’re ready for the challenge, the battle and the fight. Hopefully we can make the game look how we want it to look, in terms of the style of the game.
We’re going to have to be at it, we’re going to have to play like men, in terms of standing up to the physical challenge. We have to be as strong as we can across the pitch, and we’re looking forward to that challenge.”
In other words, they’ll try to bully us into their way of killing the game and stopping us playing. We all know what they’re about.
Fortunately, Gerrard has already been on the case and we are slowly moving towards having a more er, dubious edge to our game that more follows his nature than Dean Smith’s. I reckon Burnley can look forward to a bit of their own medicine.
If we can compete in the physical side of things, just like Norwich, I think we’ll have too much for them.
There is one last thing.
I mentioned last week that there was talk about some players not playing the game and accepting the way Gerrard and his team were applying their methods. The good news is that Gerrard has come out and said the opposite, meaning that basically I was talking out of my other orifice.
“Every player, to a man, has gone above and beyond, and been really open and engaging.
They’ve been wanting to take our identity on board and go and show It. Against Norwich in the last game was certainly the best we’ve looked, in terms of what we’re trying to create here.”
This is excellent news and while I’ve posted a lot of quotes there, it all adds up to one thing.
Everybody seems happy and that only bodes well on the results front.
I’m going for another 2-1 win prediction.
I have a sneaky feeling that it won’t be particularly convincing , just like the Norwich game and we’ll all find things that we could have done a lot better.
But that’s a good thing, isn’t it?
If we think we’re not firing fully, yet are still getting results, how encouraging is that?
UTV!
Bent as a five Bob note…
Just been reading about the current EPL protocols around Covid testing which were followed to the letter by Villa yesterday leading to the postponement just two and half hours before kick off.
It seems Burnley’s midweek game against Watford was postponed at a similar time before kick off.
The EPL have to seriously review their protocols because postponing games so close to kick off isn’t right and isn’t fair on fans already travelling to matches.
Let’s hope they come up with something more sensible tomorrow even if it means postponing all games over Christmas although I can’t see that happening given the pressure from the TV companies over prime time viewing.
No pun intended!
The EPL / Clubs have decided to carry on as normal then. If there are 13 fit players plus a GK then they must fulfil fixture.
Wonder how that might skew results and ultimately affect both ends of the table – bit of a lottery?
That shows you what they know about football , sit there and take the money seems to be the trend . A club spends millions o players for them to tell a football club you must play what you have, effing stupid in my eyes.
Bill, according to the report there were clubs pushing for fixtures on 28th to be postponed – I suspect they would be the clubs most affected by Covid and with European and Cup games to consider.
Those clubs broadly clear of Covid see an opportunity to profit in terms of potential points!
Then add into this potent mix TV revenue and the outcome is hardly surprising.
A year ago, without vaccinations, Covid was a scary threat and lockdowns and restrictions on freedom were the only weapon – now I’m not convinced.
Scientists, on one hand, talk about relying on data and then, on the other, produce doomsday predictions having admitted they have little, or no, empirical data to go on.
In my book it’s time to move on – otherwise why did we support the greatest and, possibly,most successful vaccination programme in history?
Just to add – in fairness to the players,
The EPL statement suggests that vaccination rates amongst EPL players is in line with those generally across the country for people in their age groups. This seems to be markedly different from the EFL
I welcome the chance to use our young guns Hitch, in my youth I trained young soldiers at 18 to be able to fight for the country, so why class 18 year olds as not able to match a twenty odd year old person, or even older, It’s all in the mindset what you want in life. it’s skill against skill give them that change to play..
I just think they answer to most big six clubs but rejected Chelsea to either prove a point or because it was ridiculous postponement, but then again Tuchel did have players out but many were to injuries. So I don’t know, big six bias is 100% true though and I know you realised it when we lost 3-1 to United, Grandad.
We would have smashed Burnley though I reckon about 4-0 because they were missing their on form, great player Maxwell Cornet and we won’t get that opportunity again which has annoyed me. I think we should be getting a point out of Chelsea at least, they are on bad form, but then again Villa always answer to the teams on bad form for example Liverpool (A) last season and Spurs (A) this season. We will probably batter Brentford and god Jesus please make us beat Leeds I can’t stand losing to them haha and then Man United in the FA Cup, wouldn’t mind a draw so I can cash in on my home FA cup ticket against United, but then again we’ll be locked up by then.
So I can’t lie it’s pointless thinking ahead like that.
UTV though, I would back us for 3 wins in the next 3 at the moment! Gerrard is outstanding!
Hi Alfie,
Sadly a draw at Manure in the Cup won’t help you with your home FA Cup ticket as, in order to keep the EPL money rolling in, they’ve scrapped FA Cup replays in the third / fourth rounds.
Covid beat us in the FA Cup third round last year and, sadly it looks like it’s going to do for us again.
Alfie, I love your optimism!
As for Maxwell Cornet, what a great name.
Mine’s a strawberry one.
Teams won’t pick the appropriate squad number. Cornet should be 99, and at Spurs Winks should be 40.
🙂
That’s it Hitch, worrying over the financial aspects to clubs, also Hitch to the country, at this time of day nobody knows really how dangerous this new variant is ?. My thinking is its a lottery you have to be very careful what you do and how you do it. I think bubbles ok but group mixing is the problem at the minute. That’s my assumption Hitch.
Bill, it seems to me that they either they have no reliable data (on Omicron) or that they do but are unwilling to admit it’s milder than Delta.
Keep the forecast of doom going and control the masses.
Only time will tell.
Numbers is all it is.
5% of 20,000 is just about handleable.
2% of 100,000 of a milder virus that spreads a lot more rapidly, isn’t.
Those numbers are guesses on my part, but I’m sure you get the idea.
It’s starting to look as if Wesley won’t be returning to Villa.
It’s being reported he’s leaving Brugge at the end of the month for a 12 month loan with São Paulo. Looks like we’re trying to run his contract down recouping some of the outlay in loan fees and – at least – reducing his wages liability.
He was unlucky to get crocked against Burnley when starting to look a better player so I wish him well. Just hope the same fate doesn’t befall Nakamba after his recent knee injury
I predicted that he’ll never play for us again a while back and stand by it.
Disastrous signing (£22 mill!) and I don’t believe he was good enough.
Nakamba, on the other hand, if he can get back to full fitness, will be fine.
Because he is good enough, imo.
Interesting comment from Gerrard in today’s press conference talking about Covid and available players.
‘Because we fielded a lot (of academy players) against Barrow in the EFL Cup, the EPL deem them to have first team experience (and they qualify under the 13 plus GK rule for a game to proceed). It’s not right but we may have to call on a number of our fringe players’
Tutchel moans about player availability etc.but he’s got a bigger squad of experienced players to call on for Sunday’s game so the way the EPL protocols work it benefits the top clubs – as it always does.
‘
Yep, interesting and absolutely correct, to my mind.
It’s basically saying that if you don’t think players are good enough, you shouldn’t be playing them in any competition, so stop playing them and debasing the competition.
I’ve no problem with that whatsoever, although I suppose you could say it benefits the bigger clubs who won’t have to play so many kids. But what’s new?
Hitch, my reply jumped , 5. 58 . Play the youngster and don’t buy .
Got it Bill,thanks.
I have no objection to playing good kids from the academy – what I object to is being forced to play them under inequitable circumstances.
And it’s not just about youth, it’s about experience. Play one or maybe two kids with experience around them but what if we’re forced to play four or five academy players against Chelsea – that’s inequitable.
And we have two games in two days – even if we can manage an experienced eleven against Chelsea our bench is going to look very inexperienced and limit Gerrard’s options when it comes to managing players game time with two games so close together.
But what’s the point in what ifs – we’ll know on Sunday.
McGinn named Scotland Player of the Year by public vote and well deserved IMO.
So that’s 100,000 votes from Villa fans then 🙂
Well, at least one as I voted.
Matt Cash’s view on how things have changed under Gerrard;
“A lot of intensity in training, energy to our play – we’ve got a style of play, attacking football.”
Which sounds to me like they never felt they had a style of play or trained hard enough under Dean Smith.
There’s definitely more intensity in the play now, whereas we were all calling for it a few weeks back and it never materialised.
Non-believing players, poor motivation or just poor coaching, I wonder?
Badger – did the resignations of O’Kelley and JT have a much bigger implication than was realised at the time?
It did seem that Smith was continually tinkering with our formations and style of play.
Who knows Hitch?
I do know I’m convinced ROK and JT left under a cloud.
And the hierarchy probably weren’t that bothered about Smith going either.
I stand by what I’ve said previously. JT was no loss, but ROK going was, because he was the actuality on the pitch, imo.
Speculation on my part though, that’s all.
MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL. Great blogging post keep it up enjoying your thoughts , I hope we get a game or two over the holiday period and don’t go over board on buying as we do have youngsters that other clubs would snatch our hands off . Christmas wish ? We sign all that we have ready to play for us..
You too, Bill.
Here’s wishing all good health and prosperity for next year.
And a Championship or at least Europe for the end of the season.
Merry Christmas Villians!!!!
Don’t drink too much!!!! 😉
Merry Christmas to everyone.
Hope you all have a really great day.
Up the Christmas and Merry Villa!!
Think I’m upgrading my Buck’s Fizz for Whiskey now!
So Gerrard has Covid and will miss our next two games.
I think the EPL are wrong in continuing and should have suspended the league until the New Year.
Games are now a lottery which rather undermines the integrity of the competition – even more than it is already through the bias showed towards the ‘Sky Six’.
Talking of lotteries, best check my numbers!!!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/59651515
Funtime Villa quiz on the BBC!
Game against Leeds on Tuesday postponed – ‘other’. Why do they use ‘other’ rather than Covid?
So, after today, our next game is away to Brentford on 2nd January which, at least, gives us time to get all our Covid casualties back.